Looking Forward to 2010

I just wanted to make a quick entry and reflect on the fact that we are at the end of another decade. It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since Y2K! And in the last 10 years, I have graduated from college, gotten married, bought a home, and had two kids.

It's been a busy decade for me. LOL

We will probably have a quiet evening at home this New Year's Eve. We've been doing that for the last few years...kinda hard to go out and paint the town red with little ones at home. Besides, I'm not crazy about being out and about on a night when almost everyone gets their drink on.

So on that note, it's almost time for me to catch my bus and head on home for the last time in 2009. I hope 2010 sees many changes, for the economy, for healthcare, and for my post-baby waistline! *grin*

Happy New Year, y'all!

It's Christmas Time!

Ah yes, it's that time of year again. It's also that time of year when families often have to juggle and balance their time between "his parents" and "her parents" so as not to offend anybody. And it's also that time of year when you spend too much, sleep too little, eat WAY more than you intended to, and just generally feel wiped out. But the kids are happy, so there you go.

Yes, one of my favorite times of the year. *smirk*

We make a point to spend Christmas morning at home, now that we have kids of our own. So far that's worked out fine, and now that Zeke is old enough to actually worry about whether he was naughty or nice all year, we do get a little kick out of the Christmas morning under the tree thing.

This year I happened to have nodded off in the recliner next to the tree, since Gabe had wanted a bottle at about 4 a.m. (which is unusual for him, but maybe he wanted to see what Santa brought him, too?) Somewhere around 5:15 a.m. I could hear a high-pitched squeal near my feet and woke up enough to realize it was Zeke. He'd found the superhero-battle-crashing-something mobile he'd been wanting (a fancy-looking truck of some kind for Wolverine and his fellow superheros) and he was then doing the happy dance and trying to decide which direction he wanted to take off running and who he wanted to break the happy news to first.

I closed my eyes and groaned. Gabe didn't seem too interested, stretched a little, then went back to sleep in my arms.

"Mom! Can I open it now? Can I? Huh? Can I??"

"Not until Daddy wakes up."

[Heavy foot falls as 4-year-old boy runs to the bedroom.]

(Muffled adult male voice) "It's too early. Get up here in bed and go back to sleep."

[Several minutes later, heavy foot falls back into the living room.]

"Now can I open it, Mom? Can I? PLEEEEEEEEASE??"

"You have to wait on Daddy. Go back in there and see if he'll get up."

"I can't go back in there. He'll make me lie down again."

So it would seem he did climb into bed with Hubby and waited juuuust long enough for him to go back to sleep, then came back into the living room to hound me about his new toy from Santa. Slick, very slick.

The rest of the weekend was a blur of dinners with family and the opening of gifts galore, not to mention mountains of wrapping paper and gift bags. My living room floor still looks like a bomb was detonated in there, but we all had a wonderful time. Here are some pictures from the happy occasion...

A blurry snapshot of me and Zeke.

Gabe and Mammie.



Gabe and me.

Pop Pop takes a picture of Zeke giving his new camera a whirl. Nana officiates.

Jeremy helping Nana with the turkey.

Gabe and his new teddy bear blanket.

Gabe smiles for the camera!

A special ornament for Gabe's first Christmas.

Lots and lots of wrapping paper...

Zeke models his new Spiderman hat (to go with his Spiderman shirt).

Tearing through paper has to be the best part!

A new set of tools for the budding handyman!

Learning To Read

I have to say I'm extremely proud of Zeke. He's taking the initiative and learning to read already! I know I was 6 before I was able to read, and he's definitely well on his way.

One of the most useful reading tools we've found is the Tag Reading System by Leapfrog. Zeke started looking at the books about a year ago and has thoroughly enjoyed them! (Here's a picture of him with one of the books he got for his birthday back in September.)

The pen holds information about the books you download onto it, and while your child "reads" and touches the pen to the page, it stores up information about your child's reading abilities, how much time they spend on each book, how well they do on the quizzes, what their reading level is now, and much more insightful information I had no idea about! Plug the pen back up to your computer from time to time, and you can view all of this information and even print off rewards your child earns along the way. It's an awesome system!

Zeke's always loved books though. We read 2-3 books at bedtime every night, and I'm forever taking him to the library to pick out new material. We borrowed a book from the local library with only pictures of road signs, and Zeke is able to sound them out and figure out what they say. What a champ! *big proud-parent grin*

I guess Hubby and I will have to rethink our strategy of spelling out words we don't want him to hear us say. He's picking up on them, and that can be a problem! LOL

Side note about Gabe: We have 4 teeth now!! Woo hoo! Stage 2 solid foods, here we come!

The Second Tooth!!

He's really getting into this teething thing, my son Gabe. On November 28, we were visiting with Hubby's family in east TN, and Gabe's gum right next to his first tooth looked so white and ready to rupture, you'd think that tooth would pop out if you looked at it hard enough.

I massaged his gums, and it didn't take long for tooth #2 to finally make its entrance! WOO HOO!!

Admittedly, the preceeding night was a virtual nightmare. In a span of about 4-1/2 hours, Gabe got me out of bed 5 times, one of which was to give him a bottle. I was so tired I was BEYOND being tired. (Yeah, nod your heads, people. You've been there!)

But we did manage to have a good Thanksgiving with the family and ate way too much food, which is some kind of rule for the holiday, I believe. Gabe was given spoonfuls of food (some of which I was unaware of), which included gravy from Uncle Shorty's biscuit, chicken and dumplings from Aunt Anna's plate (minus the actual chicken and most of the dumplings), and fluffy, non-dairy (I hope!) key lime pie from Daddy's plate. Hmmm!

I suppose green Jello and Cool Whip can't do too much harm at this age. He seemed to really like it, too!

We'll see which tooth pops out next. This is going way too fast for me, but I've said that already in a previous post. *sigh!*

I think Gabe's going to join us for Christmas dinner in wholehearted fashion this year. My baby's growing up!!

The First Tooth!!

On Sunday evening, I noticed Gabe was fussier than usual, and he kept reaching into his mouth and crying. So I decided to check it out, and there it was...a tooth on the front, bottom right! He'd cut it after my mother-in-law checked him the day before! ALRIGHT! WAY TO GO, SON!! *proud parent grin*

I knew he was getting ready to cut those teeth because of the buckets of drool we've been dealing with lately. I just didn't think he was going to do it just yet. Technically he's only 4 months old because he was born a month early.

But this seems to follow the general theme. This kid wants to do everything early. The same evening, he was lying on his back in the crib and managed to flip about 75% of the way over onto his stomach.

You know, crawling isn't far off from that moment either. :-\

And then the walking starts shortly after that.

But I'm not ready! He needs to stay little a good while longer! This is happening WAY too fast for me. I'm proud, yet I'm sad at the same time. It's like when Zeke started cutting his teeth. It was cute and all, but I knew I was going to miss that gummy grin of his. And now Gabe's on his way. What's a girl to do? Keep on having babies??

Someone actually said something along those lines the other day. What they actually told me is they'd heard when a baby develops quickly, they're making room for the next one. I honestly can say I'm not quite ready for that yet, but we'll see. I just want my little man to stay little. He's so cuddley and snuggly right now. Then he's going to grow up like his brother. *sigh!*

I guess I'm freaking out just a teeny bit here. Next thing he'll be cruising around the living room, and then a minute later, he'll be cruising around town with his learner's permit. WOAH!

Guess we could always try the "keep making babies" thing. LOL

Halloween

This year we took the kids to Cool Springs Galleria for trick-or-treat. Zeke wanted to be Wolverine off the X-Men cartoon, and we dressed Gabe up as a red hot chili pepper that said "Hot Stuff" on it. They both looked so cute!! We joined the swarms of kids and parents that flocked for candy at the store fronts, seeing everything from Transformers to pumpkins to princesses with tiaras. It was quite a sight!

The candy frenzy only lasted an hour or so, which is a good thing really. We don't have quite as much candy left over as we have in years past. And we were very good about not stocking up on leftover candy when we went to Walmart the next day...

...Well, maybe a bag of Dum Dum lollies, but THAT'S IT!!


At least the kids had a good time, although Gabe took a nap through the bulk of the event. I'm sure he'll be more into it next year. (Oh joy! Twice the candy! All that sugar!) :-\

If I knew what the kids wanted to wear next year, now's the time to buy costumes because everything is 50% off.

Hmmm...

Pumpkin Pickin'

This past weekend, Hubby and I took the kids to a local pumpkin patch. While we were able to choose a nice pumpkin for Zeke's carving project, I would NOT recommend this particular location due to the overpriced activities (not letting us in to look at the displays because we didn't want to take a sick baby out in the field and corn maze) and the overall rudeness of the woman selling tickets.

Anyway, all that aside, we did select a pumpkin and brought it home. Hubby was actually able to find a very cool website that let's you choose your pumpkin's features and put together a printable stencil! You'll need to sign up for a free account, but I think it's worth it.

So the boys set things up on the kitchen table, stencil taped to one side of the pumpkin, and went to work. Zeke was very helpful for the first few minutes, after which he got a little distracted. (Ahem!)

I asked Hubby to save the pumpkin seeds for me. I've seen recipes for roasted pumpkin seeds that sounded interesting, and I found a few on my all time favorite recipe website allrecipes.com that looked good. There were a LOT of pumpkin seeds taken out of this bad boy!

And after Zeke and Hubby finished taking out all the pumpkin "guts" and carving the face, we ended up with a rather cheeky looking Jack-o-Lantern that Zeke likes to keep in his room as a sort of night light.

I make sure to extinguish the tea light as soon as he nods off, however. :)

Since it's been so long since I've posted, a quick update on the rest of the family goings on:

• Gabe has been sick for the past week. Dr. J confirmed it is NOT the swine flu (which is awesome), but he's had a stuffy nose and lots and lots of coughing. He is on the mends now.
• We have started Gabe on squash and peaches mixed in with his rice cereal now. It took a few tries with the squash, but he took to the peaches immediately. I wonder why!
• Zeke is transitioning up from preschool to the pre-K class this week. He likes the fact that all the books and toys (and kitchen center) are new to him. He's such a nerd like his momma! LOL
• Hubby is still driving his truck. We miss him being gone so much of the week! :(

I guess that's about it. Zeke's having his Halloween party and Fall Festival at the daycare on Friday. This should be fun! I volunteered to make cupcakes again. Will update with all that soon!

Eating Cereal!

Gabe is finally old enough to start trying baby cereal. YEAY!! The very first attempt was not a big success because he was rather fussy with tummy trouble. However, our second attempt (pictured here and in the video to follow) was much better. I'm having flashbacks now to when Zeke first started on cereal and how it seemed we just couldn't feed him fast enough! The minute you moved the spoon away from his mouth, he went to fussing. I couldn't figure it out at first, thinking perhaps he was still having gas issues or some other tummy ailment, but then I realized it was because he was so used to having that continuous flow from the bottle. And once the spoon was gone (albeit for just a couple of seconds), he thought I was taking his food away from him. Poor thing!



Big brother Zeke wanted to help Gabe with his first (well, really second) cereal attempt. He just loves to help out in any way he can, which is sweet. I'm glad he enjoys his baby brother so much!







Here's a bit of video footage of this milestone event...

Zeke feeding Gabe baby cereal

All in all things are going well in that department. We've been eating cereal in the evenings for the past 3 days now, and last night he finished everything I made! We'll probably increase the amount a little bit at a time, but he seems to be learning how to eat from a spoon pretty quickly.

I've already picked up several jars of stage 1 baby foods for Gabe. It's kind of an exciting time for us, now that we're moving onto foods other than just formula all the time! I'm happy for him. *grin*

One thing that won't be so hot: the poopy diapers. :-\

One More Thing to Worry About: The Silent Killer

A couple of days ago, our carbon monoxide (CO) alarm went off. Specifically, the alarm started screeching somewhere around 4:45 a.m. Luckily for me, I was already getting ready. Unluckily for Zeke, he was up an hour early. After silencing the alarm, things seemed to be ok, but when we came home in the evening, the alarm was going off again. The odd thing was I'd turned off the heat before I left in the morning, so nothing was actually burning.

I called our gas company to check us out for leaks. We have liquid propane, and it seemed odd that propane (not having been burned) would leach CO into the house.

I vented the house and took the kids out for pizza, which Zeke was happy about. I, on the other hand, was worried. Even though it turned out we didn't have a leak, and the heating unit appears to be working fine now without setting off the alarm, it still worries me that we are all so prone to this "silent killer," especially in our sleep. It makes me even more nervous now that there are small children in the house that can easily succumb to the effects of CO in their systems.

Let me pause here and strongly recommend anyone using fuel other than electricity to heat their homes, go out and get one of these CO alarms. It's just a few dollars, but the peace of mind is priceless!

We're about to face the start of the cool weather now, and I'll be curious to see if that alarm decides to go off again. I'm thinking it might have had something to do with the fact that I just recently started heating my house rather than cooling it. It could have been something burning off.

Either way, I'm going to have to keep an eye on this one. This is dangerous stuff we're playing with!

A Rough Start

Do you sometimes find yourself going through your day thinking, "I should have stayed in bed"? Well, today was one of those days for me. Allow me to explain.

I started off the day on time. I got up at the usual 4:30 and got myself ready, ate some oatmeal, then fixed a bottle for Gabe, which he started at 5:00. By 5:30, he was done, burped, diaper and clothes changed, and grinning and ready for school.

Zeke was a different matter entirely.

After I finally got him out of bed, which was no easy task, he insisted on wearing one of his "muscle" shirts. These sleeveless t-shirts are fine in the summer, but it was chilly this morning. Try explaining that to a stubborn 4-year-old! I told him he wasn't wearing that, and he was to put his clothes on that were on his bed while I got everything else ready. Somehow it was now almost 6:00 a.m. and I was getting dangerously close to being late out the door.

At 6:03 a.m. (now 3 minutes late leaving the house), Zeke wanted oatmeal for breakfast. So I nuked some water in the microwave, made his oatmeal in a to-go bowl, and proceeded to pack up Gabe's bottles and extra clothes. Zeke still didn't have his clothes on, just his pants, and said, "Momma, my thigh is hurting."

What?

It was nothing. He finally got dressed and was out the door with his bowl of oatmeal. He finally snapped out of his whiny mood. Don't you hate that? Kids will start whining and it's like they just can't stop! And the more frustrated you are, the more they whine!

We finally got on the road about 13 minutes late. This is a big deal because I have a bus to catch. As we're rolling down the drive way, I realized I left my wallet with my debit card, cash, and driver's license in the house. Great! I looked down and saw I had less than 1/4 tank of gas left, which is not enough to drive to Nashville and back in the event I miss the bus. So I'd have to come home to get some money to buy gas to get to Nashville and back, and then I'd be late for work. Well, I was on a mission to get these kids to the daycare and myself to the bus stop as quickly (and safely) as possible.

I didn't pack my lunch today. Being late, I just figured I'd pick something up instead. Wrong! Can't do that without any money! Can't get money out of the ATM, can't make a withdrawal at the bank because I didn't have my ID or debit card either. I did have $1.16 in my pocket, so I could have gotten a cheeseburger at McDonald's. But I wasn't in the mood for McD's today.

My saving grace: $6.18 left on my work debit card (we use our ID badges and can get 10% off at the hospital cafeteria if we use our card). I was able to get a slice of pizza and a small salad and water and still have 29 cents to spare! WOO HOO!

Things are finally looking up. I'm going to get to leave an hour early today, too, because I've gotten a bit of overtime this week. Nice!

That gives me an extra hour to run errands before I pick up the kids!

Wonderful. LOL

Miscarriage on Twitter?

I'm sure a lot of you folks have seen this all over the Internet. The biggest, shocking news is this 43-year-old business woman tweeting about her spontaneous miscarriage while she's in the middle of a meeting.

HELLO?? Have you no class??

I get that she's relieved for her own personal reasons, but come on! Isn't there some sort of moral (cyber) line we're just not meant to cross? Tweeting about it is supposed to be ok?? Is this some kind of a sick sign of the times?

If this doesn't scare you, you may have issues of your own.

There are many women out there who have gone through this experience, myself included, and would never dream of being so dog gone flippant about it. Yes, miscarriages happen, and yes, sometimes this is what people want. I get that. I don't knock people for that. But I think the reason why this woman is catching so much flack about it is because of how seemingly insensitive the means of her communication is coming across. Tweet about the awesome deal you just got at the mall. Tweet about being stuck in traffic. Tweet about how you overslept and are running late for work. But let's face it--some things are just meant to be left alone.

In my opinion (and I'm an expert on my opinion, so if you don't like it, bog off!), this woman needs help. She overstepped some boundaries here, and while she clearly is thrilled with the news, I find her offensive regardless of my views on abortion. Regardless of whether she wanted it or not, the bottom line is a miscarriage marks the end of a life. Show some freakin' respect!

I'm not sure who brought this particular tweet to people's attention, but I have no sympathy for the tongue-lashing she's getting over this.

Kids in the Kitchen

It's a known fact that kids like to help out in the kitchen, at least when they're young and sweet and want to be your superhero. Tonight I've decided we're going to make the most of Zeke's eagerness to be a top chef in our kitchen and get him to help me with dinner.

On the menu: Mac 'n' Weenies.

It doesn't have to be anything particularly sophisticated. Aside from the fact that Zeke LOVES the macaroni and hotdog products you can buy from the grocery store, we have our own version at home that I feel is more nutritious and cheaper to make.

We start out with a box of regular mac 'n' cheese. He talked me into splurging on the Scooby Doo shapes this time, so we'll go with that. Make up the mac 'n' cheese as you normally would but throw in some frozen veggies of your choice (we'll do broccoli tonight) with the pasta while it's cooking, then drain. Add the milk, butter, cheese powder, and extra cheese if you like (cheddar or Velveeta, whatever you have on hand), and if you're really adventurous, a can of condensed cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup! You'll need more milk, obviously, but the finished product is pretty rich and luscious. Yum! And for a little extra zip, I like to add a splash of Worcestershire sauce, some ground black pepper, and perhaps a little Mrs. Dash for some oomph!

The last step is for the weenies. I like the all-beef hotdogs, sometimes bratwurst, but you can use whatever you like. I'll slice them up, and Zeke likes to mix them into the macaroni. He's such a good helper when he wants to be. LOL Then when "he" is done cooking, it's time to wash up and set the table.

I'm hoping when he grows up, he'll become a world class chef and keep our kitchen well stocked with gourmet meals. *grin* But in the interim, we'll settle for simple meals prepared in our own little kitchen with good times and lots o' love.

They've got plenty of time to grow up later!

Happy 4th Birthday, Zeke!

Today my oldest hits the ripe old age of four. And as usual, I think back to the day he was born and can't believe it has been so long already. Has it really been four years since that pink, squirming baby first emerged into the world and turned my and my husband's lives upside down? Yep, it has. He went to the daycare this morning and proudly announced the day to the director, but added also that he wasn't ACTUALLY going to be four until this afternoon. Well, technically that's true. But he wanted to be sure they knew it and that he's still only three this morning. LOL

I spent some time at a local party store yesterday (with Zeke in tow...we had just come back from the doctor's office for his well-child visit), and can you believe there was not a single Superman party item besides a couple of packs of stickers?? I thought Superman was a classic! The superhero of all superheros! At least he was when I was a kid some...oh, never mind how long ago that was. But the point is Zeke wanted a Superman party at school, and we quickly learned that wasn't going to happen. He spent the next 15 minutes or so flitting about from one theme to another. FINALLY Batman won out over Scooby Doo, and we were able to buy what we needed.

Trying to be a little more budget-conscious than we have been in the past, I opted to make cupcakes for Zeke's class rather than shell out $15 to have someone make them for me. We found some cute little plastic bats in the Halloween section of the store, and I ran with it. The cupcakes (Funfetti white cake with Funfetti fudge frosting and sprinkles) turned out great, and the bats added a nice finishing touch.

The Cupcakes

I even thought ahead enough to throw in a disposable camera so that his teacher can take pictures of the party I'm inevitably going to miss. (Pictures to be added later, of course.) I just hope things go smoothly. He slept very well last night, which makes a world of difference when it comes to being in a good mood versus being a crotchety little so-and-so (yes, I'm willing to admit he has his moments).

Just for fun, here are a few pictures of the little man over the years...

Zeke's first snow day in 2007.

Going fishing, though played with more rocks and dirt than fish.

His first pictures...EVER!

One day after a trip to Walmart, he decided to decorate himself.

Goofing off in school, I believe, at the hand of Ms. Ashley!

Zeke at age 8 months.

Bath time antics!

Zeke at 4 months. Looks a lot like Gabe does now!

Fall Festival 2006.

Zeke on his 1st birthday!

The first haircut at the hair salon. Such a big boy!

Family Dollars and Sense

I'm excited. Usually Darling Hubby (DH) and I discuss just about every aspect of family and married life without much difficulty, and we've always been mostly on the same page when it comes to our finances. Lately we've been working on a detailed budget, something I've dabbled with but never really did anything with in the past.

Being the "nerd" of our union by Dave Ramsey's definition (and it turns out we're both kinda nerdy with respect to money, only I'm the one who likes the check book to balance to the penny while he just sort of guesstimates and would qualify as the "free spirit"), I started working on a spreadsheet and have come up with a pretty sophisticated budget sheet for our income, outgo, and ongoing expenses. *Gives herself a pat on the back* This masterpiece, now in its third edition, has all kinds of formulae pre-programmed into play, so I just need to key in a few numbers, et voila!

So I'm excited because I printed out a copy of next month's budget and left it accidentally-on-purpose under his travel mug. Evidently he looked it over and with some detail because later that day, he brought it up and actually had some ideas to contribute! WOO HOO!! He's finally on board!

Like I said, we've been pretty much on the same page at least where the larger purchases are concerned and what our overall financial goals were, but while I've given up the use of my beloved credit cards for almost a year now, DH has been using his as a matter of "convenience." There have been instances where I divulged just how much his bill was in a particular month and was met with raised eyebrows and a fleeting look of panic in his eyes (just for a second).

Now...he uses cash. *grin*

It's really true what people say about the pain you feel when you're handing over your cash money as opposed to swiping a credit card. OK, so I use debit, but I'm still the one balancing the checkbook and feel the pain every time I deduct something. It's really helping me control my spending.

This Christmas we are buying gifts for the kids in the family and making gifts for everyone else, with the exception of gift cards for dinner for the grandparents. And with a bit of luck and a lot of care and hard work, we're going to be laughing all the way to the bank in just a few short years!

Our next goal is to start working with Zeke to instill in him a good understanding of what money is, how it's earned, and what it's worth. We're probably going to start with "commissions" with his household chores once he turns 4 (which, incidentally, is next week). We both agree it's of great importance that we start him off on the right foot when it comes to money so that he doesn't make some poor financial choices in his adult years.

It's so good when husbands and wives can agree on things like that. *smile*

Parents out there reading this: Any thoughts or comments about how you've raised your kids to handle money? What works? What doesn't?

From My Bookshelf

One of the books I'm reading now is one I actually started a while back but didn't get to finish. It's titled "Boys Should Be Boys" by Dr. Meg Meeker. If you haven't heard of this one, I highly recommend it.

In this book, Dr. Meeker talks about the various aspects of boyhood that those of us with sons really need to look at. It's insightful for me because I'm not quite wired the same way as my boys, or my husband for that matter. Being the only female in our household, it's helped to shed some light on why men and boys do and say the things they do and explained why I don't necessarily see things the way they do.

The book's approach to rearing sons is traditionally Christian. I must admit the first time I picked it up, I thought Dr. Meeker was living in some sort of bubble and didn't really understand what our boys are exposed to over the course of their childhood years, particularly in today's high-tech society. But this second attempt is hitting home a little more, and I have a greater appreciation for the differences from even as recent as my own childhood years (which were not that long ago, by the way!)

I'd like to recommend this book for any of you out there who have sons, whether you're a mom or dad, because what Dr. Meeker has to say really can help you out in either role. A definite two-thumbs-up from me.

The Scoop on Poop

If you're the kind of person that has a problem with potty or bathroom humor, you may wish to skip this post in its entirety. I felt the need to address this issue in a post of its own due to the sheer volume of diapers parents of newborns have to deal with, as well as the challenges we face on the subject morning, noon, and night.

If you're still reading at this point, you're brave! LOL

A couple of nights ago, I had the pleasure of changing Gabe's diaper shortly after his bedtime feeding. He had felt the call of nature right there in the middle of his meal (something I am told he comes by honestly, at least according to my husband), and so after the feeding was complete and burps were (carefully) coaxed out, we headed to the changing table. What proceeded to unfold before me was no less than something right out of a horror movie!

There I was, talking to the little guy and trying to engage his attention, all the while skillfully unfastening the soiled diaper and proceeding to wipe him clean. I am a pro at this by now, you see. However, just because I thought he was done means absolutely nothing.

He gave me a big grin, and I responded in kind...only I learned moments later that wasn't one of his "Hi, Mommy! I'm glad to see you!" grins. No. This was one of those "I'm straining, and here it comes!" grins.

Oh yes.

The next thing I knew, we had projectile poop. This wasn't diarrhea (thank God), but it found a way of getting everywhere and on everything. And those blasted sticky strips on the old diaper were of no help either, sticking to the new diaper as I was trying to make the save, and schmeering poop on the changing pad and wipe box. Ugh! Meanwhile I had a wash cloth covering his privates in an attempt to keep from getting a golden shower, as the cold air tends to trigger that function regardless of whether or not there is adequate coverage.

A second clean diaper in hand, I went to change him again, only this time I heard a rumble in his tummy, and suddenly we had another--albeit smaller--erruption of the same. Dammit! In all, it took nearly 10 minutes to change his diaper, what with wiping, then more pooping, then wiping again.

The grin that followed was one of pleasure, as I'm sure--young as he is--he understood exactly what he was doing. It had to be planned...HAD to be planned! And he was happy.

So when we finally got things cleaned up, we were able to salvage the situation with about 8 times as many wipes as I would normally use. We finally had a clean bum, a clean changing table (that's why God created the Lysol wipe), and a happy tummy. And all was right again with the world.

I'm sure there are parents out there who can relate to this kind of fiasco. That being said, potty training truly is a blessing in disguise, and I don't know how some parents cope with using cloth diapers. That just wouldn't work for me.

In the mean time, I will continue to cause Pampers to make a considerable amount of money off of me, but I've resigned to the notion that this is just how its meant to be.

Mirror, Mirror

I had an epiphany this morning. While I was showering, I noticed I was losing a few more strands of hair than I normally did these past several months, a result of decreased hormones once your body gets over being pregnant. And after I finished, I got to looking at myself in the bathroom mirror. My hair is shorter now because of getting it cut for Locks of Love, and thankfully I don't have bags under my eyes from lack of sleep.

As for the rest, well, admittedly things aren't quite where they used to be, but that's ok. Though I'm not exactly where I'd like to be on the fitness scale (yet--I'm working on that), I'm actually quite comfortable in my own skin. While perhaps not as perky and packing a few baby pounds where once there were not, I feel pretty darn good for a mother of two. I can look at Zeke and Gabe and say, "Heck yeah, I did that! And I'm doing pretty good, thank you very much."

Women get so wrapped up in body image, and it's so sad how young we are when we start to pay attention to what the media says is beautiful. Which is why I was stoked to see a reality show featuring bigger women as one man's potential love interest ("More To Love," I think is what it's called). I'm not putting down thinner women, but it's about bloody time, people!

For my friends out there who have had babies and have gained a few curves in the process, I'd like to extend a virtual high-5 and say, "God love you, you're beautiful!" And to the men reading this who are married to these women, hug 'em and tell them how hot they are because they ARE!!! Just look at the gorgeous babies that body housed and delivered into the world! Yes, fellas, you are welcome.

Anyway, I just wanted to get on my soap box for a minute. It's a beautiful, though cloudy, day outside, and even though I'm having to work today, life is pretty darn good. And when I get home from work, I plan to kiss my husband in an impure manner just because I can (while the kids aren't looking, of course), and thank him for all the ways he makes me feel beautiful.

*sigh* La vie, c'est si bon! Have a great weekend, y'all!

Take a Moment

While I was getting things ready this morning, I looked out of my kitchen window and noticed the sunlight just beginning to break through the clouds. I had to stop and step out on the deck to take a few pictures, which clearly do not do it justice. Such a beautiful scene. It was a little after 5 a.m. and both Zeke and Gabe were still asleep. It was just me, my camera, and one of the most gorgeous views I'd seen in a long time.

I paused for thought, since this seemed the perfect opportunity to stop and reflect when faced with one of nature's moments like these. If you're religious, it's almost like God speaking to you, though you have to really listen if you want to hear what He has to say. How can you ignore Him when you gaze upon something like this, right?

Most mornings I find myself rushing. I rush to get ready, rush to get lunches packed and bottles prepped, rush to get the kids up and dressed and fed and out the door. But this morning, I took a minute to just stop and "smell the roses." Life's too short to be rushing through it all the time.

With Hubby being on the road so much, with myself working full time and the kids in day care all day, we don't get to spend a lot of time together these days, just the four of us. But on this morning, being in the reflective mood that I was, I told myself to slow down and enjoy what I have. The two little boys in their room sound asleep, my husband working his you-know-what off to give us what we have, and the job that I have that helps pay the bills and give us a better life. I'm thankful for those things.

And to anyone who cares to read this, I'd like to challenge you to slow down and take a moment to reflect. Enjoy every minute of your little kids' lives. They don't stay small, and before you know it, they're off to school and will eventually move out, maybe get married, and have families of their own. Thus is the Circle of Life.

As I picked Gabe up and put him in his car seat, I looked at his tiny little hand in my own, and I wondered what life has in store for him. I buckled Zeke into his car seat, him with his many stories to share so early in the morning, all with peanut butter around his mouth as he eats his sandwich and jabbers on. I'm going to miss this when they grow up. But I have them right now, still young, still my little babies. *sniffle*

Well, I guess that's all I have to say about that right now. I just felt the need to share that with the world. So there you have it. I hope some of you can take something away from that.

Now, back to work...

The First Week Back

I've had a chance to work a full week now, the first after taking about 3 months off for maternity leave. Why is it you can take 3 months off, come back to work, and STILL feel like you never left?? The days drag by and fly by at the same time, and I'm left wondering where the hours went and how am I supposed to fit in everything I need to do?

I haven't been able to bring myself to get up at 4:30 anymore. This week, 4:45 has been the time I stumble out of bed and start my day. I'll usually spend a few minutes waking up and getting myself halfway ready, then feed Gabe around 5 a.m. When he gets done with that and his morning constitution (which I will have to save for another entry because I actually have a lot to say about that particular subject), it's time to wake up Big Brother and roll him out of bed. We usually leave the house somewhere between 5:45 and 6:30, depending on how things go.

By 7 a.m. I've already dropped the kids off at the daycare and am on my way in to work. Being that I commute to Nashville every day, it's been about 8 a.m. that I find myself arriving at my desk. I used to ride the bus to work, but it's about got to where I just can't make the 6:02 bus anymore, and the next one at 6:08 takes an extra 45 minutes to get me to work due to the different route it takes. It's ok though--I do get to sleep on the bus rides, which is awesome.

Work, work, work...(insert 8.5 hours here)...

After sitting through Nashville rush hour traffic on the way home, I'm pretty frazzled. I'd forgotten how bad some of our local drivers are, and after taking some time off and not having to worry about it on the bus, I think I can safely say that Nashville drivers are bloody scary. That plus the roads are horrible. I had to quit swerving to avoid the potholes in the road because I was afraid I'd be pulled over for drunk driving! Governor: PLEASE use some of our tax dollars to fix the freakin' roads!

The kids and I get home at around 6 p.m. or shortly after. If Hubby is home from trucking, he will often go ahead and get dinner on the table. (I know. How awesome is that, huh? LOL) If not, then I have to cook dinner and feed the kids and myself, then bath time, brushing teeth, washing faces, story time, and eventually lights out. None of that is necessarily in that specific order, but I try.

Somewhere around 9:30 p.m. I find myself at the computer or watching tv. This is my "me" time, time to unwind and make plans for the next day. I'm big on planning and lists and getting things down on paper, so I already have tomorrow's list of errands set out for myself. Of course, the amount of "me" time is directly proportional to just how pooped I am by the end of the day. And usually, I'm pretty pooped. Before bed time, I have to get Gabe's bottles ready to take to the daycare in the morning, as well as pack my lunch for work. By 11 p.m. I'm out. Usually. I stayed up late last night watching a Ray Liotta movie in bed while Hubby was sound asleep. (By the way, Ray Liotta = Eye Candy...woo hoo!! LOL)

I still have mixed feelings about being back at work, but you do what you gotta do. Unlike my home country, having babies in America is not exactly easy on the wallet/purse/pocket book/money clip. But they're cute little things, although I had to turn down the lady at the tire place who was willing to accept Gabe as payment in full a few weeks ago. I told her the hospital has a lein on him, and I can't trade until he's paid off. *grin*

I have a feeling we're going to be paying for him for a long time yet. Eighteen years seems so far away! LOL

First Day

Just a short blog today, since I have to get my beauty sleep before I go back to work tomorrow. *sarcastic chuckle* But I wanted to take note of the fact that today was Gabe's first day as a "student" at the day care.

It was bittersweet leaving the building sans bambino this morning; I know he's in the best hands and will be cared for extremely well, but on the same note, I'm still just not ready to turn him loose. Not just yet anyway. Thanks to an unforeseen stay at the hospital that took out a third of my maternity leave, I haven't been able to spend as many weeks with him at home as I did with Zeke. Gabe has just started smiling and even giggling a little, and I hate that I'm not going to get to spend all day with him anymore to watch those all-important firsts.

But you do what you gotta do, and I need to help my husband earn a living to pay off some of these looming bills that I prefer not to look at. Who knew health care could quite literally cost the equivalent of certain body parts!

I will be back at work tomorrow, and as much as I'm going to be glad to be earning again, my mind isn't going to be on my work as much as it probably should. *sigh!* Oh well.

And now, time for some shut eye...

The Aquarium

This past Thursday, Zeke and I made a trip to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. We originally planned to see the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to make a change in our plans. Still, we had an excellent time.

It had been over a decade since I last visited the aquarium. We were able to spend an entire day walking around and exploring the exhibits, which were very cool by the way. Zeke had a blast. I don't remember how many times he'd run from one exhibit to another and greet each one with an enthusiastic, "Wow!"

Here are some of the neat things we saw while we were there...







One of my favorite exhibits was of the jellyfish. They are pretty amazing and fun to watch.

A video clip of some jellyfish in action...

Zeke enjoyed visiting with the penguins. These aren't real, by the way. LOL We couldn't catch a glimpse of the youngest penguins, the newest one being only 3 days old at the time of our visit.

One of the many large aquariums.

We had a great time at the aquarium. Zeke was even able to enjoy the 3D movie "Under The Sea" at the IMAX theater! I thought it was so funny the way he (and a few of the other little kids) kept reaching up trying to smack the fish out of the way that kinda got in our faces. *smiles* It's wild how those movies make you feel like you're right there.

After lunch at TGI Friday's, Zeke and I checked out the Ocean Journey and grabbed a couple of Slush Puppies before our trip back home. Needless to say it was only a short while on the road before a certain little guy nodded off to sleep. I think that means the trip was a success! It would have been nice if the whole family could have gone, but still, we had a great time just Zeke and me. I know as he gets older, we might not get to spend as much time doing cool stuff like this, so I'd better make the most of it now.

I wonder where we should go on our next Mommy-and-Me outing?