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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Christmas 2011

Oh hush. I'm only 16 days late in posting this. It's been just a mere 2 weeks since Christmas. Anyone else find that rediculously insane? It feels like I've already lived a lifetime since Christmas. But I digress. Back to Christmas. For my whole life, we've gotten together with my mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve. This year was no different :) But before we went, we let Tommy open his very first Christmas present from us. We decided to start the tradition of getting him pajamas on Christmas Eve that he can open and wear to bed that night. 
His excitement is just thrilling, right? ;)
 
"Pajamas? You got me PAJAMAS as my first ever Christmas present?"
 
"Are these 100% cotton? Cause I won't wear them if they're not 100% cotton."
Opening that present really wore him out so he had to rest with dad for awhile.
After Tommy opened his present, we laid around for awhile and then got ready to go to my aunt's house at 11:00am to start eating and partying......and eating. A lot. We had an ugly Christmas sweater competition and let me just say, we were a FIERCE looking family.
Our little gang

The newly engaged couple (but this is how they really dress all the time ;)....I'M KIDDING!

The whole gang that participated
It was a lot of fun to see what people came up with. We had an adult division and a child's division. Whitney won the adults. She had a sweater with all kinds of tacky decorations and her sweater LIT UP!! What?!? How does a person make that happen? Beckett won the children's division. He was wearing a Christmas sweater vest with nothing underneath. Hilarious.
The two winners!!
Tommy got to open a TON more presents (he even got to open some for his new sibling!).

He opened his first one from Uncle Rusty (a Sesame Street DVD he LOVES) but he kept chewing on it, so he was distracted from the rest of his presents.

He got a cowboy hat and boots from Granny
And somehow I missed getting a picture, but he got the cutest outfit from Auntie Paula--a rockin pair of jeans and a blue and orange vest (Broncos baby!!). He also got some Thomas the Train bath toys which he loves!

After we finished Christmas at my aunts, we went to Nick's parents house for their family Christmas. Tommy was tired and a little grumpy by that time but perked up a little after he ate. He got some fun stuff! He got a singing and dancing dog that claps and says "uh-oh." He got socks and sippy cups, which were desperately needed. He got an awesome little easy chair that he loves to sit in. It's so cute! And it matches our furniture perfectly, which is a bonus!

relaxing like a big boy, talkin on his cell phone.

His cousin Mackayla got this HUGe dinosaur that lit up and growled and it was a remote control. It was the hit of the night :)
And I just had to throw this picture in. I got Belle some headbands and they kept putting them on over their hair so they looked like 80s rock stars! Hilarious. 
We stayed there until around 9pm then headed home for some SLEEP!! The next morning we opened presents with just me, Tommy and Nick. It was a lovely little morning.

Nick's present to Tommy.....yeah. More like a present for himself :) It worked out great though. Nick would shoot the gun and Tommy would go get the arrows.

Helping daddy open his gift
 
He got books galore for Christmas
Then we went to my mom's after church. We opened MORE presents (man, I'm getting tired just writing this post. We had a busy few days).

Brooke got him this cute little Nike jogging suite and mom got him some Nike shox. So cute! He looks pimpin in them.

He also got lots of books, socks, a police car, DVDs and a million other things I'm sure I'm forgetting. Christmas was awesome for him. And us. It was so much fun to have him with us and added special meaning to the holiday.Thank you God for the blessing our family is to us! And I'm going to end this post with a fasion shoot. Mom got Tommy a "My 1st Christmas" onesie in a size 24 months (that's all they had--and I found it ironic because that would have to be a huge kid to wear a 24 month onesie when the max age they should be is a year old!). Needless to say, it was a bit large, but he worked it!! He just might have a future as a model. I think it's the emotion in his face that really comes through.
"Show me sassy."

"Now sexy!! Show me sexy!"


Aaaaannnd there he is!! THAT'S what my boy usually looks like :)




Next year I'll have TWO babies!! Yikes!! That's still mind boggling to think about. May next year be as good as this one!



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Midweek Randoms

This week has been a doozie, my friends.

*I found out something this week about 2 people I know that could ruin the lives of both their families. Horrible, sad, disgusting, mind-blowing. It's been weighing me down ALLLLL week.

*Christmas is in 5 days and my Christmas spirit still hasn't shown up. I sing that song, "Where are you, Christmas?" at least once a day to Nick. He loves it (yeah.right.).

*Tomorrow, I get off at noon and get to go eat On The Border and go shopping with my sister and Tommy! Super excited for that.

*I was convinced for a few days that I had back cancer. There's this one spot on my back that just randomly started hurting and my mind immediately jumped to cancer. I did a lot of praying and casting out fear last night and I'm feeling much more relieved today that I probably slept wrong and I also have a baby squishing things inside me, contributing to the back pain.

*My Christmas bonus this year sucked. Big time. And then we got some rediculous speech about all of us working together as a team from a boss who is the worst team player I've ever encountered. Gag me. Have I mentioned I need a new job? But nobody's gonna hire a pregnant chick :)

*Tommy gets more funny every day. Him and Nick are all I look forward to all day.

*We wore ugly Christmas sweaters to work today! It was funny to see everyone's outfits.

*We also exchanged secret santa gifts. Mine was a bottle of lotion that smelled divine and a $25 gift card to Cracker Barrel. Yummy! It's my favorite after OTB (short for On The Border, for those of you who aren't obsessed with that restaurant).

*I have to do some serious shopping tomorrow. I have NO gifts for anybody but Brooke and Tommy. Oh my. Nick and I are only exchanging $10 gifts since collectively as a family, we're broke :)

*It drives me nuts when patient's come in and I go to get their height and weight and the parents are rediculously obsessive about making sure their child does everything "right" when we're getting vitals. Note to parents: it doesn't matter if they stand in the middle of the scale, slightly to the left, etc. The scale weighs them the same. They do NOT need to take off their shoes, mittens, or earrings that weight .000000002 oz. It's not going to affect their weight enough to matter and it takes FOR-EH-VER when kids take EVERYTHING off and have to put EVERYTHING on. It also doesn't matter if they're facing forward or backward when we get height. It touches the tallest part of their head either way, so RELAX!! Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now, but it reeeeeeeaaaaaaly drives me nuts :)

*My Christmas tree is up, but has no decorations on it :( Should I even bother now or just enjoy it in it's "natural" beauty?"

*I think I have the best mom ever. She cleans when she comes over, writes me prayer cards when I'm worried I have cancer, babysits all the time, listens to me complain (a LOT :) and lets me eat her fresh baked cookies that are supposed to go to her cleaning people. Can't beat it.

*I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO ready for vacation tomorrow!! Thank you Jesus!!!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

11 months

Today is Tommy's 11 month birthday! Which means he is only ONE month away from being a year old! Crazy.

Tommy, at 11 months you are:

*weighing in around 25 lbs.

*I haven't gotten your length lately, but I would imagine it's still around 29 inches. Your pants aren't any shorter, so I don't think it's changed much since last month.

*wearing size 4 diapers. We someone got a package of size 2 mixed up with your size 4 dipes and the size 2 looked RIDICIOUSLY small. Like, I can't even remember you being that little.

*learning lots of new tricks. You LOVE clapping. For everything. We have to clap when you wake up, we clap when you take a bite, we clap when you drool. Literally, we're clapping all day. It's really funny to watch the game show channel because every time they clap on TV (which is frequently), you clap along!

*really enjoying peek-a-boo. I'll say, "Where's Tommy?" and you'll immediately hide your face behind whatever's available. Or put it on the ground if there's nothing you can reach! Then you pop your little head back up and grin and laugh until I say, "There he is!!!"

*understanding us more and more. We'll tell you to find your paci or get a diaper and you do it! It's awesome and makes the thought of having another child slightly less daunting if I know you'll be following simple commands by the time they're born!

*ready to go full on sippy cup. You don't care what you're drinking out of as long as you're drinking! You want a sip of EVERYTHING we drink. And one is never enough. I'm excited to get you off the bottle. I hate those things. Too bad we have to start all over again in 7 months.

*seeming to mind us a LITTLE better. You are better at doing what we ask you to (usually "Stop touching the electrical sockets!!" "Leave the TV alone!" "Get off those stairs!", etc...). Also, when you pick up something you shouldn't, you hand it right over when we ask you too. I'm hoping this sticks. We'll see soon enough, I'm sure.

*sticking your tongue out. It's so funny! You stick it out and try to look down at it and then laugh. Silly boy.

*SUCH a picky eater. You'll eat something one day and spit it out the next. I feel like we waste a ton of food and you get absolutely no nutrients because you just throw all your food instead of eating it!

*such a sweet baby. You REFUSE to give kisses, but we'll ask for one and then when you walk away, we fake cry and you come back and lay your head on us and pat our body with your little hand. You get very quiet when somebody is upset or acts upset.

*sleeping well at night. You only wake up once and it's because you KNOW your mother will put you in bed with her (yes, he gets in bed with me), but you don't wake up until around 5 and then you sleep again until 8am.

*finally warming up to me more. Don't get me wrong, I know you've always loved me, but for awhile, you were choosing your aunt Brooke over mommy and it made me so sad. But now, you'll come sit on my lap or cuddle with me even when she's there and it makes me feel good! I hate working and leaving you at home and don't ever want you to get confused about who your mommy is!!

Tommy, I am loving being your mommy more and more. You are hilarious! There's something new with you every day and I find my self getting excited for you over the littlest things (like taking a bite of ham!).  You are such a busy boy and I am so excited for Christmas morning with you and your birthday! It's gonna be so much fun (finger's crossed you're in a good mood) and I can't wait to see you be a big brother, too. We love you little big boy!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Midweek Randoms

Sooooo many thoughts this week.

*This girl's been riding the train to nauseaville. Okay. That was cheesy. But really. At first I started out thinking the nausea was much better this time than with Tommy but it has progressively gotten worse the last week or so.

*My boys are sick :( Tommy had SUPER bad congestion and runny nose, etc. Why don't they make cold medication for infants?!? Or if they do, why is it like finding waldo on one of those really tricky pages? Because I haven't even found it. Ibuprofen, claritin, benadryl--none of it helps his cold symptoms. And Nick caught whatever Tommy had, plus some nausea (sympathy pregnancy symptoms maybe?).

*NOTHING sounds good to eat. Except zesty bread and butter pickle slices. Yes, I'm pregnant and craving pickles.

*I looove these rainy days, but even I am starting to wish for some sunshine!

*I think I might FINALLY get to hang out with Hannah tonight. We've been trying for like, 2 weeks to get together and it just hasn't worked out. Fingers crossed that we're still on for tonight :)

*Tommy was in such a delightful mood last night and this morning. I'm really hoping that sticks through to tonight. I hate it when he's grumpy. It makes ME grumpy and it also makes me fully regret being grumpy and mean to my mom because it probably ruined her days when I was a youngster. Who knew a babie's mood could affect you so much?

*I have to get a crown. SO not excited about this. It costs $340. For a stinkin crown. Blah. And that's what I owe AFTER insurance has already paid.

*I really need to go get some new glasses. I broke one of my nose pieces off like 6 months ago and have never gotten it fixed. And now I just need a new pair. Also because my lovely sister sat on them and squished the ear pieces.

*Speaking of my lovely sister, she's ENGAGED!!! On 12/10/11, her dreamboat asked her to marry him and she said yes. And she got the most gorgeous ring!

*There is so much sadness and violence and despair in this world and it's really starting to make me sad and sick. I just don't understand some people and how they can do the things they do. Why do people let Satan grab ahold of them and control their lives?!?

*I challenge you to do something nice for someone else this Christmas. And do it annonymously. The Bible says not to let your right hand know what your left hand is doing--that's how secret your giving should be so that you can be sure you're giving for the right reasons and not to get praise and attention. Do it!! It's a really awesome feeling!!

My brain is too tired to think anymore :) Hope everyone is having a great week!

Monday, December 12, 2011

The story of Baby T2

That's right. I'm pregnant!!!! And I'm sharing the whoooooooooole story of Baby T2. It's a long one, so hold on tight and maybe have a snack or two ready to tide you over while you're reading.

So it all started back in October. I had my visit from mother nature and let me tell you, it was a weird one. Lots of lower abdominal pain that I hadn't experienced before and pregnancy symptoms just a few days afterwards, which I don't usually have associated with that time of month. Like,  if I hadn't just had proof that I wasn't pregnant, I would've sworn that I was and risked my life on it. I was SO sure that I might be pregnant that I stopped taking my birth control because I didn't want it to hurt the baby that might possibly be in my tummy (1st mistake). I felt just like I did with Tommy. So I went to the doctor on 10/21/11. Took a blood and urine pregnancy test and both were negative. Okay. So pregnancy was ruled out. They sent me for a sono of my ovaries and found out I had a few cysts and they chalked the abdominal pain up to that and said maybe one of them had burst. They told me to restart birth control after I had another period. And I thought my troubles were over.

Theeeeen, the next few weeks after my appointment I kept feeling super nauseous in the mornings, my upper-body lady parts were very tender, I was EXHAUSTED. And then, the tell tale sign of pregnancy occurred. I cried. Over a song on the radio. Which never happened other than when I was pregnant with Tommy. But I had a couple episodes of spotting, so I thought there was no way I could be pregnant. So the next day, November 16th, on my lunch break, I thought, "What the heck? Might as well take a test just to make sure and give myself peace of mind, one way or the other." At least I wouldn't be stuck in 'what-if' land. So I went to Dillons, found the cheapest test I could since I knew it would be negative and drove back to work to take it. I did my business on the stick and.........nothing happened. The pink control line showed up, but nothing else. I was slightly disappointed, not because we were TRYING to get pregnant, but because I thought I was but had been trying not to get my hopes up. But apparently, they were up. Because I was kinda sad that it was negative. But onward I went, started putting it back in it's package to throw away and WAIT!! Lo and behold, the faintest, lightest of pinks was started to show up on the test line!! I heard my bestie at work come in the back door, so I threw the bathroom door open, shoved my pee stick in her face and said, "Do you see one line or two?!?" All she said was, "Girl, you're pregnant!!!!" Talk about shocked. We laughed and hugged and jumped up and down before I almost fainted from the, "Holy cow, what am I going to do with another baby??" of it all. Worst part of it was, I still had 4 hours before I could go home and tell Nick :( It took every ounce of my self control not to call him, but who wants to find out they're having a baby over the phone?

Luckily, I explained the situation to my boss and she let me leave at 4:30pm. I wanted to get a shirt that said big brother and put it on Tommy and just have him walk up to Nick and see how long it took him to notice. I was planning on stopping at Babies R Us and keeping my fingers crossed they'd have a shirt in Tommy's size. But my boss suggested I go to Hannah Banana (a thrift shop right up the road) and see if they had anything. I decided to give it a try and I walked up to the counter, asked the lady if she had any Big Brother shirts and she walked right over to the rack, pulled one out in Tommy's size and I was checked out and ready to go in less than 5 minutes. Perfect! But as I was driving home, I remembered that Brooke would be there and while I was DYING to tell her, I wanted Nick to know first. So I called her to see where she was and her and Tommy were visiting my Granny, so they wouldn't be home when I got there. Whick worked fine, because then I could tell Nick without telling Brooke but I would have to alter my plan of how to tell him since Tommy wouldn't be there.

When I pulled up to the house, I felt like a giddy school girl :) Nick was upstairs and I walked in grinning like a fool. He gave me a hello kiss and then went to the fridge to get something. When he turned around, I was holding up the Big Brother shirt and said, "Do you think this will fit Tommy around August?" He was like, "Yeah. I think so." Then he looked again and he said, "Wait........What? WHAT?!?" I said YUP and pulled the positive test out of my pocket because I knew he'd need physical proof to believe it. Then we laughed. Like, hysterical, out of our minds, insane laughter. Because we had JUST been dicussing the fact that I didn't want a 2nd child until Tommy was 2 and that I could NOT handle a baby while he was on 3rd shift. And because isn't life ironic? After we got through our hysterics, I let him know I'd already called the doctor and scheduled an appointment of 11/21 and we decided not to tell anyone until after it had been confirmed by the doctor.

So I held the news in for an agonizing 5 days. The doctor confirmed by blood and urine testing that I WAS indeed pregnant, but then she knocked my feet out from underneath me. She told me that she was concerned I was carrying a blighted ovum. A blighted ovum is basically an egg that thinks it's fertlized, but it's not. So your body thinks it's pregnant, but it's really just growing an empy egg. Huh? I was totally confused by this and taken off guard. She said she didn't necessarily think that's what was going on, but she wanted me to be prepared just in case. They set me up for a sono on 11/28/11 because they thought I'd be around 5 weeks and we should be able to determine if there was a yolk sac or not. If there was a yolk sac, that would mean there was a baby. If there wasn't, no baby. So we got set to wait what felt like FOREVER to get the sono.

And then there was Thanksgiving. We were planning on telling our families about the baby at that time by doing the whole Big Brother shirt thing. Then I started having the terrible pains that sent me to the ER (which you can read about here). We thought I was having a miscarriage and I was so sad and scared. We called Nick's parents to get Tommy and told them then that I was pregnant. I had Nick call my mom on the way to the ER and this is how she found out I was pregnant:

Nick-"Hey Ellen. We're taking Brady to the ER. We think she's having a miscarriage."
Mom-"What?!? Brady's pregnant?"
Nick-"Well, we think. She's had a few positive tests, but we think she's losing the baby."
Mom (still in utter confusion)-"uhhh, okay. Keep me updated."

So, lesson to be learned, even if you're writhing in pain and can't walk, make sure YOU tell your mom about your possible miscarriage, not your husband. It's called tact :) Women have it, men don't. But I digress. Long story short, they did a sono and said I wasn't far enough along to see anything. But they checked my kidney's and my left one was very inflamed and infected, so that's all it was!! Praise God. We decided to still keep the news to ourselves until after the sono.

We went to the sono on 11/28 and the tech saw a yolk sac. Yay!! So our minds were relieved. But for some reason, my doctor was concerned still. She said the sono was inconclusive (not sure why) and wanted to repeat it again along with some hormone levels. So I got my blood drawn twice and my HCG levels increased as they should with a normal pregnancy. She set us up for another sono on 12/7/11 and it seemed like it took FORRREEEEVER for that day to come. Nick was running late (for once it was him, not me!!) and unfortunately missed the whole thing, but they saw a baby! With a beating heart!! I am currently 7 weeks 1 day and am due on July 29th. Dreading being full term in the summer (if you know me, you know how I deal with the heat) but SO thankful and excited that we have FINALLY determined it's an actual baby and that everything is going well! I can't believe I'm having kids only 18 months apart because that was definitely NOT in my plan, but I guess God had another plan :) Which will be perfect because it's HIS way. Now if He can only start preparing me for what's to come! Cause this momma still hasn't quite registered that I'm a mom to two. My brain is still wrapping around the idea, but I know before I know it, the baby will be here and two kids will be the new norm. And I will adjust quickly and easily. Hahahahahah. Right. But we are so excited to meet the new little one and just for grins, here's a few pics of Baby T2:




Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Midweek Randoms

It is Wednesday yet again and I am wondering where time has gone. My, oh my how it flies by.

*I need prayer. Lots and lots of prayer. Explanations for the prayers will come another day. Don't worry, it's nothing gigantic, just life.

*I am SOOOO not ready for Christmas! Dang, I better get going.

*I love reading blogs. I can get lost in bloggy land if I let myself. Although it can be heartbreaking to read some of the stories I find on there.

*I got told something today that broke my heart (which will also be explained in a later post).

*My family is having an ugly Christmas sweater competition and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! So fun!

*Tommy has Fifth disease. So sad :( Poor little guy had a fever and vomiting on Friday and Saturday and then broke out in the tell-tale rash of Fifth disease on Monday. 

*I am still not enjoying Nick being on 3rd shift. I have to admit I haven't been TRYING very hard to enjoy it. It's hard. And stinky. And I feel like a single mom. But this too shall pass.

*Someone made popcorn at work and it smelled SOOOOO good, so I was craving some. Luckily another girl decided to make some and asked if anyone wanted to share! Um, yes please.

*I feel frumpy. In everything I wear. Hate that feeling.

*I really need to stop drinking soda. But I CAN'T!!!! It's so dang good!!

*Money is tight. I need to spend it more wisely and I am waiting with bated breath for my Christmas bonus! Please God, oh PLEASE let my boss be in an extra giving mood!! But I will be thankful for every penny that comes my way.

*I had some strawberry shortcake a few days ago that was delicious! So tasty and good.

*I am meeting my friend Ashli at On The Border tonight for dinner and am so excited to see her and her baby girl! I need friend time desperately :) Tommy's great and all, but I need someone who can talk back to me.

That's all the rambling I can handle for now. Hope everyone's having a great week!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Turkey Thursday

Well,as everyone has been posting about their Thanksgiving day's, I thought I would share a little about mine. My turkey Thursday BLEW. Hardcore. Let me just start from the beginning.........

I woke up with Tommy around 7am. We played a little and watched some TV and then we both conked out on the couch for about an hour. When we woke back up, my side was hurting a little and I thought maybe I had slept wrong on it, so I stretched some and then put Tommy in the bath tub. I was getting VERY excited to see our family and play a mean game of Clue with Whitney, mom and Brooke. But my side kept hurting. Just like a nagging little pain that wouldn't go away. By the time we were done with Tommy's bath, Nick was awake, so I decided to take a hot bath myself. I tried to relax and read a good book but just ended up curling up in pain in the hot water praying to God that it would stop.

Finally, I couldn't handle it anymore, so I started crying. It was starting to hurt BAAAAD! Nick heard me and he knows when I'm crying, I'm in pain because it doesn't happen very often (I mean, crying from pain. Not crying in general. Cause I'm kind of an emotional whiny butt--but I can usually handle pain :). So I managed to get out of the bath while Nick waited anxiously in the living room to see what the heck was wrong. When I walked out there, he decided we were going to the ER because I could hardly walk my side was hurting so bad. He called his parents to come get Tommy and somehow they managed to get there in what seemed like 30 seconds. It was God's doing because I needed help and FAST.

We flew to the Andover ER (thank GOD we live so close) and Nick called my mom on the way there to let them know what was going on. We pulled up to the ER entrance and it was truly like a miracle. I expected to wait for at least an hour to be seen--which would have been agonizing. But we walked through the door and an RN was there and immediately took us to a room and started the process. After going through lots of "where does it hurt," "when did it start,"  questions, he determined that I probably had kidney stones. I was SO glad that's all it was but then he said it could sometimes take 24-48 hours to pass them. WHAT?!? I could not fathom waiting 24-48 hours for that pain to go away. It was truly the worse pain I've ever been in. It was worse than labor, folks. About 45 minutes after we started the whole process, they FINALLY tried to do an IV to start fluids and pain meds, but they had to poke me 3 times (leaving weird and perfectly round bruises on my arms) before they got a vein. They kept trying to make me drink fluid too and while I understood the concept, the thought of drinking anything made me want to hurl (and eventually I did :). After some blood and urine test and a kidney ultrasound, they figured out I didn't have stones, but my left kidney was extremely swollen and I had a really bad kidney infection.

They kept me there for about 6 hours and pumped antibiotics, fluid and Dilaudid through me which DID make me feel better (thank you JESUS!!!!). When I was released, it was already dark and we still had to go pick up a few prescriptions. I was so sad that we missed a whole day of fun with our family and the weather was beautiful outside, but we didn't get to spend any time outdoors. It was a looooooong and crappy day and I can truly say I have never been more thankful for medication that I was that day. Medicine and the quickness and efficiency of Kansas Med Center ER was my Thanksgiving miracle! I haven't had any pains since then and I literally pray about every 30 minutes that it won't ever come back because I don't think I could handle it. Sounds wimpy, but dang!! It hurt SO bad!!

I only hope everyone else's Thanksgiving days were much better! May the NEXT Thanksgiving be NOTHING like this one :)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

10 Months

Shame on me. I'm a little late posting Tommy's 10 month update. Granted, I do have a good excuse involving Thanksgiving day and a hospital (which I will post about tomorrow!) but none-the-less........here it is!!

Tommy, at 10 months you are:

*24 lbs!

*29 inches long

*walking ALLLLLL over the place. I mean, it's insane how fast you are. Sometimes you still get a little tripped up and you start almost running to catch yourself. It's quite funny to watch!

*nosy as all get out. You have to see what mom and dad are doing. We constantly see you peeking around corners, peering over things and snooping through EVERYTHING on every surface you can reach.
*wearing a size 4 diaper.

*eating a lot of "grown up" food. But I think you're maybe going through a texture thing. You put a lot of food in your mouth and spit it right back out. And it's food that you've tried before and liked, so I'm not sure what's going on, but sometimes it makes me stress because it seems like you hardly actually SWALLOW any food!

*you are laughing like a little boy now. No more little baby giggles--it's full blown boy chuckles. Which I love, but I definitely miss my tiny baby boy;

*in a HORRIBLE sleeping pattern. Which is completely all my fault. Dad started working 3rd shift, so I MAY or may not have started cuddling you a lot. As in, letting you fall asleep with me and then putting you in your crib. Oops. Now you wake up around 5am and won't go back to sleep unless we cuddle. Bad, bad mommy for starting that. Now if I can only make myself break the cycle..............

*loving anything related to the great outdoors. Sometimes while we're cooking, we put your chair up by the window and you just stare and jabber the whole time. I think you're gonna love hunting and fishing with dad!


*taking about 3 to 4 bottles a day. You like one right when you wake up, then 1 or 2 small ones throughout the day and 1 more big one before bedtime. I can't wait for when you get to start milk!! Formula is killing us!

*brushing your teeth! I have to admit, sometimes I forget, but we try to do it every morning and every night. You run to the bathroom when I say it's time to brush our teeth and you open your mouth as soon as you see the toothbrush :) I think you just really like the toothpaste, but I'm glad you don't fight it.

*not enjoying bath time as much. You used to stay in there for a looooong time and now you get tired of it quickly.

*onery as sin! And you smile when you know you're doing something wrong. We especially struggle with the TV still. You ALWAYS want to be near it, touching it or whatever you can get away with. You get this indignant look on your face when we catch you and you look at us like, "Um, excuse me?!? Did you just yell at me??" Jesus, please help me now! I'm SO not ready for you to EVER be a teenager.

*sometimes hurting mommy's feelings. You are obsessed with your aunt Brooke and even when mom and dad are there, you are usually following her or looking for her or reaching for her. Drives me NUTS! And the other night, I was holding you and your Nana was leaving and you literally put your arms around her neck and held on for dear life like you couldn't stand the thought of staying with your old mom. Sigh. Just remember who birthed you, sweet boy. Not that I'm bitter or anything ;)

*in a bit of a clingy stage. I tried leaving you in the nursery at church 2 times now and the first time, you had a meltdown as soon as I left (I could hear you crying clear from the sanctuary) and the 2nd time, you wouldn't even let go of my pants long enough for me to walk out. This too shall pass.......right?


*showing your anger in an interesting way. You clench up and get this look on your face that lets me know you're getting ready to squeal. Then you just start scratching at whatever you are closest to....people, the couch, yourself. It's not a very appealing behavior of yours and we're working on getting you to stop, but not exactly sure how to go about that since you're only 10 months old.

*so funny! You love to play peek-a-boo and you love when people growl at you and try to scare you. You just laugh and laugh and laugh. So of course, we do it over and over and over.



*starting to TRY to play catch with your ball. You'll throw it to mom and then I roll it back to you and you throw it again. Your throws don't usually get very far away from you, but you put forth a good effort!

*are still a daddy's boy. You have what we like to call your "sweet spot." You sit in the crook of your daddy's left arm and you guys watch football and all kinds of shows. The funniest part is you cross your ankles like you're relaxing on the beach. So cute!



Tommy, you are such a fun, crazy, loving, sweet ball of energy. You NEVER stop moving and although some people have told me you will keep me young, I think you will wear me out by the time I'm 30 (which is only 2 1/2 short years away). You make me laugh at least 10 times a day and you make me say "NO NO" about 500 times a day. When we're snuggling at night, I just look at your sweet little face and think about how awesome you are and how perfectly knitted together by God you are. I can't believe in 2 short months that you will be one. Time with you is flying by and I feel like I need to hold on with everything I have because before I know it, you'll be a grown up who doesn't need their momma anymore. You're so much fun and I'm so grateful to have you in my life, sweet boy! We love you!!




Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Mid Week Randoms

*Christmas is only 39 days away. Whoa. And I have only bought about 4 presents. Gotta get goin, but gotta get motivation first :)

*I got to spend TWELVE hours alone. As in, all by myself. My mom came and picked Tommy up last night around 7:30pm because this girl was feeling very not good (major headache with nausea). I got to lay in bed and do nothing but take Tylenol around the clock and drink lots of water. And SLEEP until 8:00 this morning! It was wonderful (and I'm feeling a little better, too).

*I have been craving Sprite. Which is odd, because I have NEVER enjoyed Sprite or Sierra Mist or anything like it. But lately, it's all I've been drinking. And it. Is. GOOD.

*I took some senior pics on Sunday and LOVE how they turned out. I tried a few new props and am so glad I did because they add a little something different.

*Tommy is all over everything every day all the time. He walks more than he crawls now and he is fast.

*I get to spend time with my bestie Hannah tonight. And oh man, do I need some girl time. Like a flower needs water to grow, like bread needs yeast to rise, like a sewing machine needs a needle to sew! (too much? Yeah, I thought so.) But really, I can't wait.

*I really want to re-do my entryway but can't think of a color that would look good with the kitchen AND the bathroom (which are both off the entryway). Hmmm.........

*It's FREEZING cold today and I love it. Now if only it would snow a little. I really hope it snows on Christmas this year. It just makes for the perfect day.

*I've been thinking lately--why are pictures of Jesus always of a white man?? I don't think Jesus was white. He was middle Eastern, soooo........just a thought

*I'm still deathly afraid the bar on the turn pike is going to swing down on me when I go through the k-tag.

Hopefully I'll blog soon about something OTHER than midweek randoms :) Right now, my brain is drained other than random floating thoughts that sometimes make sense, but usually don't. Happy week-before-Thanksgiving!!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Midweek Randoms

More like end of the week randoms. I can't believe it's Thursday already.

*I am REALLY thankful I don't have to clean a stupid office anymore. REEEEAAAALLY thankful. I'm missing the money an itty bit, but it would take away even more time from my family, so I'm glad it worked out like it did.

*Tommy fell down some stairs on Sunday. I CRINGE all over just typing that, but he's doing fine. It was only 5 or 6 stairs and they're carpeted. I am totally paranoid and keep asking Nick if he thinks Tommy needs a CT done to rule out any hydrocephaly (water on the brain) or concussion. He thinks I'm nuts. I took my eyes off the kid for 30 seconds, folks. That's all it takes. And now I have a lifetime of guilt.

*I attempted my first try at jewelry making. I started with directions from this tutorial . I'm not gonna say I LOVE it, but it's not bad. I think the next one will be better. It's wearable at least! Maybe I'll post a picture soon.

*I am seriously going to attempt making a large portion of my Christmas gifts. I already have ideas for 5 people. If you know me, be seriously prepared to have a hand crafted gift! You're welcome.

*I am missing the show Awkward on MTV. I wish the new season would hurry up and start already! Now that Nick's on 3rd, I can watch all my shows while I'm going to sleep (he hated going to sleep with the TV on), so I need more stuff to watch.

*I'm itching to sew. I'm gonna have to break out the machine tonight.

*I WANT to be excited about Christmas decorating, but I'm not feelin it yet. Not sure why, but I need to get in the Christmas groove!

*I'm not diggin the new morning crew on K-Love. It's Amy (who used to be the newscaster and still sounds like she's announcing the news when she's just talking), Craig (who's not too bad) and Kanklefritz (what?!? Is that name for real?). They just aren't as fun as the people before. But at least the music's still good.

*I got my pictures from Snapfish this week. I'm a little disappointed. They are cropped a little (not from anything I did) and in some of them, the tops of our heads are cut off. This never happens at Wal-mart!!! Maybe I'll stick to the tried and true.

*I got to eat lunch with my baby boy! He's been so sweet the last few days. I think his teething has finally calmed down a bit.

*Speaking of Tommy, he can high five now! And I SWEAR he said the word dog! Our dog came in the room and he started going "duggg, duggg!" I thought maybe I heard things but then Brooke said the same thing about when he saw one of their neighbor's dogs. Crazy!

*I'm soooooo tired. Not sure why, but man, I just can't seem to catch up on my sleep.

*I am attempting to handwrite all my recipes on cards to put in my own recipe book. It's time consuming and boring, but hopefully I'll be better organized. Right now I have a shelf full of recipes on printer paper and from magazines.

That's all, folks. Have a great rest of the week!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hard working man

So in my midweek randoms last week, I mentioned that Nick was going to third shift because he got a promotion. I've not been the most supportive, loving wife during this transition. I've mainly been focused on the fact that it's going to leave ME at home alone during the night and it will leave ME to get Tommy's dinner, bath and bedtime routine done all by myself. And I was not made to be alone, people. I crave fellowship with others and while I love my baby boy, I need adult interaction in order to thrive :) Put me in a solitary confinement cell and I would be the one in the corner rocking back and forth pulling my hair out.

Ladies, have you ever read Proverbs 31: 10-31?  If not, you can read it below:

 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.  Her husband has full confidence in her and she lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Yeah.........(insert deep sigh here). In case you didn't pick up on it, the massive blob  few sentences in red are the ones I REEEEAAAALY need to work on. Granted, I could certainly take a few tips from the entire passage, but there are some in particular that speak to the whole "Nick going to third shift" thing.

She works with eager hands; She sets about her work vigorously; She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness-- Without Nick there in the evenings, I should technically have more time to get stuff done because instead of talking to him and spending time together when Tommy's sleeping, I would be able to do work around the house. But I wouldn't say I set about my work VIGOROUSLY. More like I set about my work, get tired of it in 10 minutes and set it aside to eat a little bread of idleness and watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.--Hmm. This verse is DEFINITELY not about me. Fear was the first feeling I had when Nick said he was going to start working 3rd. Fear of being alone at night, fear of losing time with my husband, fear of being solely responsible for Tommy's life and safety for most of the night.

she can laugh at the days to come.--Laughing, I was not. Or smiling. Or being supportive. Or praising my husband for working hard and getting a promotion. I was mainly bitter and grumpy that my family time was being ruined. I was whining about the days to come (have I ever mentioned I am an expert whiner when I want to be?)

She is clothed with strength and dignity; She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.--Soooo, do you think if I'm whining, I'm speaking words of wisdom and that faithful instruction is on my tongue? No. When I'm moping around, I definitely don't feel strong OR dignified.

So this morning, I started thinking about how 3rd shift is affecting my HUSBAND (you know, the guy who actually has to do the hard part and learn a new job with a new crew and get up at 5pm and go to work through the night and get home around 6am and try to stay awake long enough to see his grumpy, idle-bread eating, weak and undignified, whiny wife and teething child for a few minutes before he repeats the cycle?). And I ask myself, would I want to have to adjust my life and meanwhile worry about how to make my spouse happy in a situation that is unchangeable at the moment? He's been awesome. Awesome in a way that truly, I don't deserve right now. The other night he actually apologized while we were discussing the situation. APOLOGIZED. For doing such a good job at work that he got a better position. That's when I really started thinking about my attitude. Because I'm not mad at Nick, I'm upset with the situation. But instead of having a good attitude and trying to help the family adjust to the change, I was being selfish and NOT a Proverbs 31 wife.

This man......................



.................is amazing.

I am going to do my best to be a Proverbs 31 wife for my hard workin' man.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Trick or TREAT!

Tommy's first Halloween was so fun! Nick was gone on a business trip, so that was kind of stinky, but we managed to have some fun anyways!

We started the night at Grandma and Papa's house for chili and treats. Mommy got a tummy full of warm goodness and Tommy got his first taste of Grandma Esther's M&M bribing :) He loved the M&M's but kept getting distracted by the doggies, so the only pictures I got were the back of his head (go figure).

We met up there with the cousins to get a few pictures. This was their first year of all of them getting dressed up together. We had a hotdog, a dinosaur and Mary, mother of Jesus. No lie. It was the cutest!! About a month ago, I asked my niece, Isabelle, what she wanted to be for Halloween. She looked at me and without hesitation said in her sweetest little voice, "I'm gonna be Mary, mother of Jesus!" And she  was!! Mackayla was the dinosaur and Tommy was obsessed/scared of her dino head. He kept staring and trying to touch it.

 
After our party at the Wilhelm's, we headed over to pick up Nana and go trick or treating! I don't know if anyone caught on, but I was mustard and she was ketchup. We basically just wore jeans and red and yellow t-shirts with signs indicating what exactly we were :) Tommy was SOOOOO tired by the time we got started but he perked up a little when we started seeing a bunch of kids out and about. He loved looking at everyone in their costumes. But by the END of the night, he was SO done. Hence his face in the picture below with Momma Mustard.

  
Our last stop of the night was the Sabala's house where we just happened to fun into Tommy's girlfriend, Mallory Horyna. She was sporting the CUTEST pink leopard outfit!


He was probably the world's cutest hotdog and I just wanted to EAT HIM UP!!!! (pun intended!)

I AM excited for when Tommy can walk and we don't have to haul him in and out of the stroller (I think it will make trick or treating much easier!), but it was so much fun taking him around and showing him off to all our friends and family. Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!!


Thursday, November 3, 2011

Family Pictures

Family pictures have been a sorce of contension between the hubs and I pretty much since we got married. He hates them, I love them. Are they a pain in the hiney? Yes. Can they be very frustrating? Yup. But are you SOOOOO glad years down the road that you captured your life in 2011? Absolutely.

So after a "tiiiiiiny" little arguement last month, Nick and I calmly and rationaly listened to eachother's point of view and compromised on a few Denver Broncos and Shockers shots, we decided this would be a good time to go ahead with family pics. So here they are! And thanks to the wonderful photographer Hannah Banana Sabala for being patient with our little family and taking such great pictures!


Can you see the proud gleam in Nick's eyes just dreaming of his son being a future quarter back?


Future MVP

This one's for Tom and Esther :)

And now for the non-sports themed pics.......................



Haha! I love this one because it is SO our life right now. Nick laughing while Tommy thinks he's being sneaky and me scolding both of them :)

SUPER cheesy, but I like it :)

  





And last but not least, the cutest baby in the whole wide world (unless you're a mom and you're reading this and then it's okay to think that your baby is WAAAAY cuter than mine;) I understand. It's a mom thing.