"Scoobs" Make the Ouchies Go, Go, Go! 6/5/08

Today C got one of his worst "ouchies" ever. I had just gotten out of the shower and he was messing around opening and closing the bathroom door and must have pulled the door shut over his big toe!! First, he looked really shocked and then he started to cry. But not his big, bad "the world has come to an end" cry...just a little one. So first, I just gave him a big hug b/c I didnt' realize exactly what happened and then I saw the blood! His big toe was gushing blood like crazy. I immediately panicked b/c 1) I was only in my robe and 2) I had no car to take him to the emergency room. After I looked at it more carefully, I realized that it wasn't really a big, deep cut like I had originally thought. BUT, it was bleeding from underneath the toenail b/c the door basically bent his big toenail in half. :( Poor little man! Momma was able to save the day though b/c I put him in the big rocking chair that he likes to hang out in and gently washed it off and covered it with about 10 million kisses. I put a little Neosporin on and then I explained that an injury like this has to have a "Scoob" (that is what we call band-aids at our house since our current box has Scooby Doo on it). C generally HATES Scoobs for any reason and won't keep them on for more than 10 seconds, but this one needed to stay on! I let him pick out his favorite Scoob and then showed him how they opened and went on...I explained that this Scoob could not come off b/c then his ouchie would get much worse and get really yucky. I told him that the Scoob would help make the ouchie go away. He looked very curiously at the Scoob and at me and then asked "Scoobs make the ouchies go, go, go???" Yes, C, Scoobs do make the ouchies go, go, go!!

No questions today...it is too darn hot!!

Good Things:

*We have gotten THREE calls about selling the truck from the ad I posted yesterday! (4 if you count the weird message that says they want to sell your car for you...but I won't count that!)

*The mom-mobile we want to buy is still there and we are hoping to go and get it tomorrow! (We would have to borrow the truck $$ and pay it back when the truck actually sold, but our buyers seem pretty serious so I am not too super worried!)

*The truck passed inspection with just a few minor problems!

Unhappy Feet 6/4/08

Sorry for the disgusting pic overload, but I am just amazed that a person's feet can look like that! Especially mine. Not that I had the most beautiful feet in the world, but at least you could tell what they were supposed to be! You probably can't see my lovely spider veins in the pics, but everyone that sees them at the drs office or hospital just gets this sad, pained look on their face. Oh well! It is worth it for my boys!

I am getting so excited for the boys' impending arrival! I have a few worries about when/where they will be delivered and whether or not they will get to go home with me, but with each passing day I feel a little bit better! The next couple weeks are the big ones! I would love to go the whole way to 38 weeks and have the boys be born in July though...we'll see how I feel in a few more weeks though!

Question of the Day: What weird changes did you experience during pregnancy? My weirdest thing is a toss up between my nose and lips swelling...who knew that your lips swelled?

Good Things:

*Fingers crossed that we will go and buy the mom-mobile tomorrow after the truck is inspected!

*C called up Grammy and said "Ha B-ay Bee!!" (He decided that if Grampy got a name, then Grammy needed one too so he picked "Bee"!)

*J is home so I can actually get some much-needed cleaning done since I am not under the scrutiny of the sit-down nazi!

Uh....What? 6/3/08

Today I was playing around on one of the message board sites that I like to frequent and they had this cool tool on there: Height Predictor for Toddlers (well, I'm sure it had a much cooler name than that...and if I was really cool you could probably just click on that title and automatically go to the site, but whatever)! So, of course, I clicked on it...it asked for C's current height, weight, and age as well as J & I's height. I entered in all the info and waited while the brillant masterminds figured out just how tall C would be when he was grown....drumroll please.... 6'6"!!!!!! Wow! That seems amazing to me! I'm sure since this was a cool tool I found online that it is 100% accurate and C actually will grow to be 6'6"! After all, the internet is like television...if it is on there it must be true. Actually, I wouldn't be super surprised if C did wind up as the next point guard for Bic's favorite team UK Wildcats b/c J is the runt of the litter at 6'1" and both sides of my family have plenty of 6ft+ers! Anyway, Bic is already starting to work on C's jumpshot...

Okay, that was slightly startling, but this was REALLY startling....J called his mom the other day to let her know about us going in to the hospital with some preterm labor issues. While he was on the phone he found out many interesting things. 1) MIL is planning on getting custody of our nephew b/c apparently his mother is going to jail and his dad (J's brother) is either already in jail or on his way back or in some other way completely unfit for raising a child. While I think that almost anywhere would be better for him than where he is now, this particular choice doesn't seem to be the best one. Although, I must say that J turned out really good so I guess a 30% success rate is better than a 0%! 2) The dad of said child (yep, still J's brother) has another baby on the way to some random person. There is some connection, but I would need J to explain whose friend's-daughter's-cousin's-stepsister's-aunt's-neighbor it actually was. I am sure she will be a better mother than baby momma #1 though... (insert eye roll smiley here!)maybe MIL can get custody of that one too and just raise 'em up right like she did with her two younger ones. I am sure there is more that I can't think of but after J talks for more than 1 mintutes about things going on down there, my brain shuts off to protect itself.

Question of the Day: Do you think kids today are getting ridiculously tall? I know as a substitute teacher I had many 5th and 6th graders that were as tall as me and I am 5'8"! Is there a point where it will level off or will most people be over 7' by the time our great-grandkids are born?

Good Things:
*The boys did an excellent job on their NST!
*The nurse told me that I should start bringing my bag with me to my appointments!
*More friends called to check up on me! That just makes me feel good!

Momma Bear Strikes Again!! 6/2/08

Today was C's cardio appointment. I hate drs appointments with a passion…mainly b/c C hates drs appointments with a passion! I thought I did a fairly good job of getting him ready for this appointment b/c we have been talking for several days about the dr listening to his heart with her ears and looking at it with a special machine just like they used for the babies! C did a good job waiting to be called back to see Dr. Smith although he was a little perturbed that they had a super cool wagon in a space about as big as a closet that could not be removed. Duh! What were those dumb people thinking? Don't they know wagons are for pulling? Apparently not. Anyway, we went back and got weighed and measured (he weighed in at a whopping 32.1 lbs and 37.75" tall!) and then the fun part started. He had to get an EKG which means taking off your shirt and getting stickers taped to your chest. First, he was enraged that I would dare take his shirt off in this very public place (although taking your shirt and or shorts off in a restaurant is clearly an acceptable practice). Then, he did not want the stickers on…luckily, we had the best nurse in the whole wide world and she was able to easily distract him by asking him to name the "crayons" that she was hooking up to the stickers. He loved that part and he smiled really big and said "Cheese" just like she asked when she asked him to sit still while the machine took a picture of his heart. Then, in the office, he let Dr. Smith listen to heart without any tears, but only after she checked her heart, mommy's heart, and daddy's heart first! He did an AWESOME job overall! I was very proud! She was happy with the way his arrhythmia sounded today so we decided to wait until next year to do the u/s. She did give us a tip to use if he developed any SVTs (basically heart rate over 200 bpm)…turn him upside-down! We loved this tip b/c we know it would be fun and painless for him!

After, his appointment we went to the play zone in the mall and let little man run loose. He was having a blast until he had a run-in with the play zone bully. This little boy decided that it was his job to push all the other kids and grab them by their shirts and pinch them. His mom apparently thought this was a fine idea since she did nothing to stop him at any point. Maybe all of her brains were washed away by the copious amounts of hairspray she used to keep up her "big hair" do. (Yes, the bad perm complete with the waterfall bangs…was this play zone her first outing since 1989??) Anyway, C had enough of this action so decided to summon Momma Bear by crying his "hurt" wail and I was over there instantly! Big Hair claimed that her little boy must have just scared C b/c she was sitting right there and didn't see anything happen. Ummmm…okay…whatever… I just gave her my best "mean teacher" look and took C to another side of the play zone. Big Hair immediately gathered up her things and left. Who knew mean teacher looks worked so well on grown-ups too??

We also shopped for the mom-mobile and fell in love with the Chrysler Town & Country! Now, we just need to make sure we are getting the best deal around and we should have our new van by the end of the week! (Yes, my fingers are super crossed as I type this b/c I have been wanting to have my van for several weeks now and we just keep putting it off!)

Question of the Day: What do you do about other people's kids' behavior when you are out and about? As a preschool teacher, I tend to be a tiny bit vocal about things, but mainly because kids gravitate toward me and C and so then I feel like I can tell them about their behavior b/c I have been talking to them anyway.

Good Things:
* Awesome cardio appt!!
*Excellent mom-mobile test drive!! (Keep your fingers crossed that I get this van!!)
*"The Job" just called Jack to set up his interview. This is the one we have been praying about b/c it is soooooo much closer to home.

Smart Boobies 6/1/08

Before C was born, I decided that I would breastfeed him. I knew that I had some potential for trouble, but I wasn't too worried…after all it was the "natural" thing to do. Well, it seemed natural enough when we were in the hospital. He latched on fairly quickly after birth and would nurse 10-15 minutes on each side with no problem. AWESOME!! I was so proud that I was able to do such a good job and that he was such a fast learner. Until we got home…

The first day was still okay. He seemed to get a little grumpy when he latched on, but once he was on there he was okay. This trend continued throughout the first night. The second day home started to turn ugly. A little grumpy was not the term I would use to describe the screaming, red-faced lunatic who suddenly seemed enraged at the sight of his food source!! I tried many of the tricks I heard about in my class and online (kellymom.com is a truly amazing resource for new and veteran bf-ers), but nothing was seeming to work. I began to worry…and worry…and worry…Did he have enough wet diapers? Were they really wet or just damp? (Yes, I even cut some apart with scissors so I could verify their relative "wetness'!) What about poops? C was never a really big pooper from birth….nothing like the "every time they eat" crowd described in class. I called the nurse hotline and they recommended letting him nurse and then offering him some formula to see if he was not getting an adequate supply. I was not super keen on this idea, but anything to help my little man! The formula bottles worked miracles soothing the savage beast, but I was adamant that I would get him back exclusively to nursing. So each night for hours I would insist that he at least attempt to nurse before giving into the "dark side". Finally, about 10 days after he was born, I reached my breaking point. It was the middle of the night…I had been struggling with getting him to latch for my mandatory 10 minutes before offering a bottle and I just needed some sleep!!! So in my sleep-deprived state I decided to say "Forget it! No more stupid, broken mommy boobies for you…you can stick with your wonderful, no-fail smart boobies!" Luckily, for me, my cousin and friend came over the next day to meet C and share stories of their children's first days. As my friend was describing her nursing experiences complete with milk pouring/shooting/dripping and basically coming out any other way you could think of, I began to realize something was wrong. I had never had that happen to me. Not even really dripping that I could remember. A little light when on inside my brain…was it possible? Could it really be? Was the nursing problem b/c my milk STILL hadn't come in this long after birth? As soon as they left, I went online and started to research…it WAS possible! Some people (especially for some reason people with PCOS) will have a sort of delayed reaction and continue producing just colostrum for much longer than normal. The solution was to put baby on the breast as much as possible and pump in between feedings with the best double-electric pump you can get your hands on. So I did…and IT WORKED!! My milk came in and C gave up those smart boobies w/o even a second glance.

However, after this experience, and knowing that I am getting my Buy One Get One free deal on babies this month, I decided in advance to make sure I had several varieties of smart boobies for Seek and Destroy to try. Now, there have been several studies showing that the materials used to produce plastic baby bottles (BPA) are very harmful to our little ones. I was relieved that C used bottles infrequently b/c his bottles and my favorite bottles of all time (Avent) contained the dreaded chemical. This meant that I had to do tons of research to make a decision of what types of bottles to get for the boys. After careful consideration, I am going to start with Born Free and Playtex Drop-Ins. I bought them the other day and now they sit on my counter where I can stare at them and examine their every detail any time I choose! C also was kind enough to test them all out and decided he liked the Born Free the best. Just like his momma, he went for the sturdiest, largest one we had! It was a really close call though b/c one of the PD-Ins had planes, trains, and cars on it which are basically irresistible to 2 yo boys!

No question today folks, you'll have to think one up on your own! ;)

Good Things:
*C had a great time back at church after a couple week hiatus and actually helped pick up almost all the toys that he got out during his stay in the nursery!
*I took the most glorious nap ever…in my room with the windows open and a nice gentle breeze keeping it from getting too hot…it was amazing!!*Went grocery shopping and was able to keep up the whole way through the store without one single contraction!

Meet "Bic" 5/31/08

When I was younger, I always imagined that my mom would be the one who stayed home with the grandkids and do all the typical babysitting duties. As I was growing up, she was the typical mom…home most of the time, easily accessible, very nuturing…so I assumed that she would also be the typical grandma. Rocking babies to sleep and baking cookies. My dad on the other hand was always at work. Don't get me wrong, he was involved when he was home, but he worked long hours so he just wasn't as visible a presence in our lives when my brother and I were young. Basically, he was a typical dad…so again I expected him to be a typical grandpa. Maybe go fishing, or on walks in the woods, you know…they typical "outdoorsy" things you do with grandpas. Hmmmm…where is this going you are wondering?

My dad retired a few years ago and has been super helpful with all of our home renovation projects and fix-it-up projects around the house! My mom manages the store in the "nut house" (no, really I am not being rude…it is a company primarily known for selling nuts, coffee, and candy…but mostly nuts). So, when I discovered I was pregnant with C, I started to think about who would care for him when/if I had to work. I knew daycare wasn't really an option b/c that would be expensive for the amount of money that I would be making at a part-time job. So as I considered the options and talked to my parents about it, the obvious solution shined down on us. Have Grampy be the babysitter. Seems simple enough, right? Sure, but then when you start to think about it, it gets a little cloudy. A grandpa watching the baby?? Is that done? Would they even know what to do with an infant? (According to legend, most guys of the older generations were not as involved in the everyday childcare as dads are today!) Would he have the patience to deal with a fussy little one? I always imagined grandma watching the baby if I wasn't there…this was a little out of my realm. But I knew that he would do his very best, especially after seeing his reaction when he met his grandson for the first time! Amazingly, it has worked out even better than I could have imagined.

C loved his grandpa from the very start and it is so nice to see the bond that they share grow each day. Grampy does cool stuff like wash dogs, prune trees, and fix mowers. They oil doors and use power tools to fix drawers and take nice naps. He also makes sure the juice cup is full and meals are balanced. Really, what more could a 2 yo boy ask for? [Here is where you will need a little background info: People in our house don't have names unless they are Daddy…apparently, the only person worth calling by his name is J and if he isn't around, the rest of us are just substitute "Daddy"s. ]
C's love for Grampy has always been clear BUT, now, he has even granted Grampy a name!!! His name is "Bic"! J

Not Creepy-At-All Question of the Day: What type of relationship does your child have with the grandparents? Ours is interesting b/c of the fact that grandpa is the caregiver and grandma is the funny, game-playing, chasing one. But, also, C has little interaction with J's mom and boyfriend. So, he basically makes do with one set of grandparents. This saddens me some times, but other times I just deal with it. One set is better than no sets at all…

Good Things:
*I escaped my home confinement once again and went to Babies R Us to get the boys some bottles. It was a fun little trip and I realized that I get so obsessed with the silliest things!
*C granted Grampy his name and we all celebrated!
*This was the first time in 3 weeks that my mom came over to my house and didn't have to take me to the hospital!!

Feeling a Little Green... 5/30/08

So I opened my email on Friday morning as soon as I got up and discovered that my blog was LOCKED!!! WHAT?!? My harmless, tiny two-post blog (that is "suspposed to be a 365 so I really need to keep up with it everyday or I will never finish it" blog) that has NO LINKS and the most mundane material anyone can imagine??? Apparently, it is spam. The spam-bots search out blogs that have tons of links, or weird symbols, or nonsensical text and STOP THEM IN THEIR TRACKS saving the world from reading fake blogs generated to divert traffic where they want it to go! I requested a review so real people could read about my boring life and see that I am not plotting any revolutions or trying to make millions by sending you to my "Make a Million Dollars Selling Dog Poo on Ebay" site…if you're reading this that means I made it!!

Not too big of a day…C played outside most of the day and then came in and took a GREEN bath! That was soooo cool! Who knew colored water would make bathtime so much fun? Apparently, it transforms the entire tub into a tropical paradise b/c C loved swimming in the "pool" or the "sea". I'm not really sure when or why it changed from the pool to the sea, but it made little man happy so all is well!

Not-quite-as creepy Question of the Day: My little man LOVES books!! (Okay, I do know that isn't a question…bear with me…) He LOVES to point out the things he sees in his books and tell me what they are and what they do, BUT… he has developed a strange habit. (Yes, yes…I am getting there!) Whenever, he sees a picture of something he would like to play with very badly, he tries desperately and repeatedly to free his prized object from the prison of the books pages!!! It is sooo stinking cute, but a little weird…it makes me wonder if he just has such an amazing imagination or if I'm going to have call EI and ask them about this strange behavior? I have never seen anyone do it before. He takes his tiny fingers and tries to "pinch" the pictures off the pages…or (in one of our favorite books about cars there is a picture of a red convertible…we have a toy almost exactly like that) try to manipulate the parts…like open doors or take things out.

So…super smart boy or weirdo? How does one know?

I think I'll stick with it being a sign that he is a genius! J

Good Things:

(these are probably a bit of a stretch since I can't really remember what happened 5 minutes ago much less several days ago)
*Got to leave the house for a bit to go to the bank and CVS. WOOHOO!! Felt like a mini-vacation!
*Had delicious "peetz" for dinner (aka pizza!!)…YUMMM!
* Got a few more items checked off my "To Buy" list when I was at CVS! Almost ready for these bad boys to make their appearance!