Happy Blogday!

Happy Blogday to you,
Happy Blogday to you,
Happy Blogday, Scrapbook Brown,
Happy Blogday to you. :)

Ahhhh, memories. Memories of this day a year ago. So MUCH was going on and still yet to go on for us at the time. But for the purpose of this post, it was the day I finally started blogging. (A blogaversary, I believe I have heard it called) At any rate, I must admit I have quite liked the practice. I have kept with it better than I ever did with any of my journals. And I have especially enjoyed getting to hear back from a number of you on a day to day/week to week basis as well as having the pleasure of following your own blogs (for those of you who do). Thanks for taking the time to keep in touch with me/us here. It only makes the memories I document here that much sweeter.

On this bloggy-type birthday, we played in the sun. Some shots for the fun of it.

Why?

WHY does Anna grin and chuckle at me every time I tell her "No!"

NOT a good sign for the coming years.

Fine Dining

Noah: Um Howngwy (I'm hungry)
Me: You're hungry?
Noah:(puppy dog eyes, head cocked down, sad and pathetic look)
Me: Ok. What would like for dinner?
Noah: mmmmm (thoughtful pause)...

Noah: (completely confident in his choice) Mawi-mehwoes.

Ah yes, a fine choice. Marshmallows.

Moment of Silence

Oh heaven help me to be more vigilant with Anna. I just noticed how quiet she was as I was typing an email to my mother-in-law. I stopped typing to make sure she was not chewing on someone's nasty shoe - because that would be so tragic, right? No, worse even, she was chewing on a lamp cord right next to the outlet it is partially plugged in to because she has already tried to get it loose. SCARY!

Noah never got into dangerous stuff like that. Never cared to mess with plugs, or electrical equipment, or breakable stuff I had well within his reach. A moment of silence, please, for the easy, easy baby Noah was.

Just make that silent moment quick for me...I think Anna is eating paper from Noah's coloring book now. Gotta run!

Lately

Oh, the joys of homeownership! Our AC broke over the weekend, so we paid to have someone come out and fix it. But then it was broken again last night so we paid to have it fixed again...at least enough to get us through the night. So today we are forking some MORE money out of savings to just buy a brand new HVAC system altogether. Cringe and groan. Ah well, I'd rather pay the money than melt in my own home. And that's what a savings account is for. At least that is what Josh keeps telling me. Pardon my tears - I am in a little bit of mourning watching the account balance go down.

Other than that latest sweaty upset, we have been amusing ourselves in a variety of ways. We headed to AL over the holiday weekend to see Mimmie and Papa and revisit with some friends over some good mexican food. Here Noah is hearing Papa blow on his conch shell and then giving it a go himself.



We are trying to kill some moles in our backyard, so Josh was putting out poison. Noah followed closely behind with his little wheelbarrow.


What fun! Noah got to pick out a new bed last Friday...a step up in the big boy bed department from his toddler bed. We especially like the trundle underneath, although, until we need the extra bed we will just use it for storage.


We pulled out the pool the other day so the kids could cool off. And seeing the $10 pricetag on the box allowed me to enjoy again the steal of a deal I got it for on an end-of-season clearance last year. It has a little fountain on the turtle's head that spills into the pool, which is cool and all, but therein lies the problem. That water coming through the fountain is too cool, so we turned that bad boy off.


Noah is really into playing his games lately. Memory and Chutes and Ladders have been keeping us in business so far.


We sold Anna's Exersaucer and replaced it with this play wall. She loves it. I can't believe little bit is 8 months old already!


In other news, I just restocked my book stash, so I'm pumped to be back in business with reading material to last a little while. I am also back in consignment mode and gearing up to sell a ton of clothes and toys in a month or so. I am committed to having less stuff around and orienting Noah and Anna towards the "less is more" philosophy of toys. And I am seriously going to tackle my closet full of clothes that I have not worn in years. Goodwill, here we come again with clothes and books and electronic equipment I am sick of having around!

I Chee Man

We have been spending a lot of time outside since the weather has been so nice. So it was inevitable that Noah would meet with his first I chee man (ice cream man) this week. Noah was a bit scared at first and didn't know what to make of the loud music coming down the street, but he eased up when they got closer and he saw the pictures of all the sweet treasures on the side of the van. Or maybe he relaxed when he saw me and Josh jumping around like a couple of kids ourselves. Hard to say. :)


We were pretty excited to watch Noah learn the ropes of this childhood staple ... to watch him get another big boy experience under his belt. So excited, in fact, that Josh made the mistake of telling the ice cream man that they would use up all our quarters this summer. Not surprisingly, the ice cream man has come back several times already and I am sure he will continue to do so. Not wanting to overindulge Noah with ice cream everyday, we have decided to hold back and tell him "Not today" or "We are out of money". And Noah has willingly agreed to practice the same restraint. He doesn't whine or fuss. He just keeps reminding us every so often that we are "ow money", sometimes asking the same thing - "ow money?" It is pretty cute to see his understanding and acceptance of the concept.

PUH-recious

Here are Anna's new shoes. Maybe she will start acting as sweet as they look!

Taking a Stand

I said it before and I mean it still. I am taking a stand.

I am NOT watching The Bachelor(ette) anymore. And I made good on it already as the season started last night. I did not watch it, and I really did not even miss it. And I have several more brain cells to show for it.

Also, I have stopped following People.com. And after a week of removing it from my google homepage, I don't miss that either.

Catching Up

It's funny how behind and disorganized I feel when I know I haven't blogged in awhile. I just put Anna down for another nap, so I am stealing a few free minutes (because that is probably all she will sleep for) to catch up with my blogging.

We took Noah to his first movie this past week. Well, movie theater experience, at least. And he was all about it. At least until the popcorn ran out halfway through the Thomas the Train movie and he informed us he wanted to go home. So, we humored the boy and went home - because really, one can only take about 30 minutes of Thomas anyway...that show is a bit boring! One funny part of the experience was Noah squalling just as the movie started because he bit his tongue. Josh had to take Noah out of the theater to calm him down. So embarrassing.


Anna got another ear infection, no, double ear infection over the weekend - so that sucks. We took Noah to the allergist today for his bloodwork and skin test, and well, it was so bad that they are talking about the need to put Noah on immunotherapy (which is allergy shots) to try to control the situation - which is quite uncommon for kids so young. So upsetting. But it seems they will be the lesser of two/three evils. Here's hoping Noah grows to be "immune" to the shots. We will go talk with the dr. in two weeks to hash out our plan. On a positive note, Noah did not have a reaction to the dog part of the skin test!!! On the other end of that spectrum though, his peanut allergy has only worsened. It is now a 4 on a scale of 1-4. Guess that makes it pretty severe.

Josh's parents leave tomorrow, so we are going to take them out to a steak dinner tonight and my mouth is already watering. But I am pretty anxious about how Anna will behave for the meal. Such is life when the chillun's are so small. She has been a terror for several days now and not even the amoxycillin seems to provide her with any relief. Not that that would make any difference - she just stays angry any which way you put her.

She does seem to like being on her feet more and more though. How cute is this shot?

And, oh my gosh, she has grown like crazy these past 2 months! She's put on 1 3/4 lbs - she is up to 15.4 lbs now. :) Still, all the doctors seem to just gawk at her height...which I can't remember what it is...so you can see how much I care about that. :) But it is apparently very tall for her age.

In-Laws In Town

So Josh's parents flew into town on Tuesday and we are busy busy busy enjoying the good company. Already we have hit Opry Mills (and carousel and Bass Pro Shop), Cheekwood Botanical Gardens & Art Museum, Noah's End-of-the-Year Field Day at MDO, and I believe the Grand Old Opry is still on our agenda for next week. We'll see ... there has been a little debate of late. :)

Josh and I got to go see a movie the other night (compliments of Memaw and Papa John babysitting) and Star Trek did not disappoint. Definitely recommend!



Noah's wonderful teacher, Mrs. Valerie. We miss her already.

Peetures

Using some birthday money he received, Noah got himself one of those Fisher Price Kid Tough Cameras today, except he would word it something like this: "Noah buy peeture". I kid you not, one hour after opening the package, the camera was already out of battery power from the workout Noah put it through. Never fear though - it's not like we don't have something to show for it. Our little budding photographer managed to snap 266 "peetures" and he giggled his way through every snap and flash. He is smitten with the power that comes from pushing that button.

And so, without further ado ...

The World in Peetures according to Noah
(266 pared down to 12)













Thanks for the fun post idea, Ellen!

Daddies Just Don't Get It

Well...at least as far as fashion and color matching goes. I am still cringing to think that this really happened.

On Sunday Josh took Anna to church in a white onesie with little brown, pink, and green hearts all over it. He paired it with a navy blue skirt with bright red edging. Ohhh. Ohhhhh. Ohhhhhhhh.


Oh, can't I go back in time and make it not so? Or at least explain to the nursery workers what happened?!

Anna on the Move

Anna's crawling!

Mother's Day Irony

I realize the irony of my spending Mother's Day away from the very people that make me a mother. But in truth, I was home by lunchtime today to love on my bambinos and by dinner I had swept the kitchen, vacuumed the downstairs, loaded the dishwasher, cooked dinner, dusted, and made my to-do list for tomorrow. That pretty much describes a real mother's day anyway. And I UH-dored my weekend getaway. There is nothing real glamorous to detail about the events of the trip - we gabbed, we ate, we shopped, we slept. In fact, there is actually more to say about what I did NOT do:

I did not load kids into car seats when I went places.
I did not wipe down a high chair at any restaurants.
I did not have to quiet or hold anyone while I ate.
I did not cut up food or wipe anyone's mouth but my own.
I did not leave restaurants in a hurry.
I did not pass up seeing a movie (but I might as well have because Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was dismally and disgustingly disappointing!)
I did not get anyone ready for bed but myself.
I did not get up and feed anyone in the middle of the night.
I did not wake up until 9:30 in the morning.
I did not push strollers or buggies during any of the shopping.
I did not put anyone in time-out or endure any crying fits.
I did not change any diapers.
I did not fill any bottles or sippy cups.
I did not keep track of hours/minutes until my next break.

I did not think 2 days was enough of a break.

Soapboxes and Such

I have a few new favorite treats: Diet Pepsi Vanilla, Hershey's Kisses Meltaways, Mini Babybel Cheese (what was that I said about not losing any weight, yet? Sigh.)

There are so many good movies out! How will Emily and I ever decide which ones to see this weekend? One thing is for sure; Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, here we come! There is also Star Trek, The Soloist, X-Men, and State of Play. Decisions, decisions.

Anna barely napped at all yesterday. It was a LONG day, needless to say. But turnabout is fair play apparently, because she slept 11 hours last night. STRAIGHT! Sadly, I could not enjoy the full night's sleep because I was wondering why she hadn't gotten up yet, wondering if I should check on her, but really knowing she would wake up any minute. This train of thought started around 3:30 in the morning of course (and Sleeping Beauty did not wakeup until 6:00). My body naturally wakes up at that time because hers usually does. She usually eats then and goes back to sleep. My plague in life is that I am not so easily put back to sleep, so like I said, I basically stayed up...laying in bed trying to sleep of course, but still, up.

I am so frustrated about the Jon and Kate plus 8 drama in the news. So frustrated I don't even know where to begin. I have contemplated posting about it several times, but I just don't think I have the energy to rant like I want to. But let me just say this. You know what upsets me more than the fact that Jon is hanging out with younger women at bars late at night? More than the fact that odds are he really did cheat on her even though he denies it unflinchingly? What upsets me the most are the ugly things I heard being said about Kate today on the radio after they quoted her from an interview she did this morning on The Today Show (which I happened to see while I was breaking a serious sweat at the gym). Just mean, ugly, vicious things. They actually used the word "evil" to describe her and they meant it. My jaw literally dropped as I drove Noah to school at how these ugly radio people basically crucified her with words - when for crying out loud, she is the victim in this situation. And they laughed at how she deserved this happening to her. Oh, so upsetting. I just felt so bad for Kate, for the whole embarrassment that has come because of all this. It's just too bad.

And c'mon, American Idol last night? Not the results part, but the Paula part. Forgive me, but that woman is rounding 50 almost. It looks a bit odd for her to dress, dance, and perform like she is 17. It just didn't work for me. Everyone raves about an older woman looking so young and cool and such, I guess. But to me it is just silly. I am not saying she should sit in a rocker and knit. No way, 50 is not old by a long shot. But it is too old to compete with the current rat race of Hollywood teeny boppers and pop stars. Please stop it, Paula (and every other famous female who tries to pull off an image 3 decades younger than you are). Your days of teeny tiny clothes and provocative dance routines have come and gone. A LONG time ago, at that. So Let. It. Go. I'm just sayin', is all!

I sound grumpy, don't I? I'm not, really. Just feeling a little opinionated and Anna can't keep up with the conversation. And besides, she's napping. :)

Chances Are...

Chances are that when I leave tomorrow for my Mother's Day Getaway Anna will officially crawl. She is so on the verge this week. She sort of log rolls, pushes up to sitting, leans forward to try to crawl, falls forward instead, and repeats the log roll bit. But I can almost guarantee that she will do the deed this weekend, which means I will miss it. And that makes me sad.

But not not sad enough for me to stay home when I have a chance at 3 days all to myself and my sister. I can't wait! We are meeting up in Kennesaw, GA, staying at a nice hotel that Josh afforded us with his hotel points, going to movies, going out to eat, shopping, and of course....SLEEEEEEEEPING (aka - mommy heaven)! And an article in a parenting magazine told me to NOT call home during my time away, not even once. So I am not going to call home to check in, not even once, which will be kind of unnatural for me, but I think I am up to the task. That...and I have full confidence in Josh to take care of everything.

Bring on Mother's Day weekend!

Blog Housekeeping

I know that since this blog has gone private, if you keep RSS feeds, it does not show updates. So there are several people I shoot a quick email when I have posted. This saves them the repetition of checking my blog when there is nothing new. If you would like to be included on those email notices, just let me know. If not, then ... don't . :)

Yes

Yes, we use paper plates 90% of the time.

Yes, we are so low on milk that I took some from Noah's sippy cup for my cereal this morning. He doesn't care - he'd rather have juice anyway.

Yes, I am going out to get milk today. :)

Yes, I have been working out for 3 mos. and haven't lost any weight.

Yes, that depresses and frustrates me.

Yes, I check my email almost every hour.

Yes, I let Noah watch too much Caillou. I know this because I wake up singing songs from the show and can't get them out of my head.

Yes, I am addicted to playing Backgammon.

Yes, I am counting down the days until So You Think You Can Dance starts later on this month.

Yes, my 7 1/2 month old daughter still wears size 1-2 diapers. They fit her, yes, but they have begun to not absorb as needed. Today she leaked out of her clothes and dripped all over the Exersaucer at the gym and I had to carry home a naked baby because I had no change of clothes for her.

So yes, I will also pick up some size 2 diapers when I pick up the milk.

Birthday Math

1 Day at the Nashville Zoo (heavenly 62 degrees w/misting)
+ 1 Set of Mimmie and Papa
+ 1 Carousel Ride (well 2 rides actually)
+ 1 White Tiger lunging at Noah (but body slamming into the cage instead - it was shocking and so cool - you should have seen Noah jump!)
+ 1 Thomas the Train birthday cake
+ 1 New Basketball Goal
+ 1 New Walking Roaring Dinosaur
+ 1 New Geotrax Remote Control Airplane Set
+ 1 Giant Monkey Balloon
______________
1 Deliriously Happy and Brand New 3 Year Old

As He Sleeps

Noah is asleep in his bed right now. And tonight especially I am not taking that for granted.

As I went in to check on Anna (and can you believe I can do that now and she doesn't wake up?!) I could hear the cd still playing in Noah's room that has played over him almost every night of his little life. And I thought - I really don't take that for granted - that that little boy is tucked in his little bed, in his room, in our house, in our lives, and ohhhh, so much in our hearts.

How lucky are we?

Because this night 3 years ago, as his birthmother checked into the hospital, I think of how easily all of this could possibly not have been. How close we thought we came to losing him a month or so before he was born and even again the very day he was born - his extended birthfamily begged and pleaded and raged at Tania so. They wrestled with a desperate heartbreak that I do not take for granted either. Heaven only knows how she maintained her resolve to place Noah with us. Heaven only knows. And I thank Heaven, I thank you God, for that sweet baby boy. On the eve of his birthday, Father, I am overwhelmed with the joy and love I feel over him, with the thankfulness I feel for your giving him to us. What a gift. Thank you, Lord.

It was a special day for Josh and me 3 years ago. I can't help but reminisce about it tonight. And I just wanted to gush over our little birthday boy one more time ... as he sleeps ... safe and sound, upstairs, in his bed, in his room, in our home, in our lives, and always in our hearts.

(BTW - It is supposed to be totally wet and rainy tomorrow, but we are hitting the zoo anyway. My baby is turning 3! Bring on the ponchos, raincoats, and umbrellas - not even the rain itself is gonna rain on our parade. :)