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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.




Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Midweek Randoms

I'm borrowing this idea of midweek randoms from Megan at In This Wonderful Life. Love her blog! Read it. Anyways, here's my randoms for this week:

*I am tired. Tired in a way that I feel I'll never get caught up on sleep until my youngest child is grown and out of the house.

*LOVE this gray and dreary weather today!! The only way it would be better was if it was thundering and lightening.

*Nick come's back from Atlanta, GA tomorrow and I can't wait. I miss him so much. I've had fun with my mom and sister who have been staying with me while he's gone, but I can't WAIT.

*On the downside of Nick coming home, he's going to 3rd shift on Friday :(. So NOT excited about that. I will get to see him about 2 hours a day and that's it. But hopefully it won't be a forever thing. If you're the praying kind, shoot a couple up for him to get moved back to 1st soon!!

*I am super jealous of Stacia's wreaths she's been making. Go check them out. I want so badly to be crafty but I just don't make the time for it. Your time will come soon, my lovely fabric stash. Soon.

*Speaking of being crafty, I really want to make some Christmas gifts this year. We're a little strapped on cash and TRYING to be thrifty, so I want to see what I can make! Any ideas?!?

*Most of my patient's drive me buh-nanuhs (as Rachel Zoe would say), but there is one sweet little couple that just makes me want to cry. They're older and she has spasticity. He takes such good care of her and is so protective and loving. And the whole time they sit and wait for the doctor, she sings to him. Hymns, love songs, anything she thinks of. It is the sweetest thing to listen to and I almost feel like an intruder on an extremely private and intimate moment, but I can't help but listen. THEY are what love is.

*I am addicted to reality TV. It's a terrible, bad bad thing to enjoy but I do. What's wrong with me?!?

*I love bacon. Me and Brooke and breakfast for dinner last night and we ate a LOT of bacon. Mostly I ate a lot of bacon :)

*I recently bought a K-tag and even though I've gone through it several times, I get nervous that something's going to go wrong and the lever is going to swing down and crush the top of my Jeep. I literally duck every time I go under it (like that's going to help).

That's all for this week. Family picture post is coming up tomorrow!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Pumpkin Patch

The pumpkin patch was not everything I've ever dreamed of. I had never been to one before (yes, I'm sure. No, my class didn't go when I was little and I just forgot about it), so I was looking forward to sharing a first for me AND Tommy! We decided to go last Saturday and we were AMPED! Okay, I was amped. Tommy was being his normal, care-free self just going along with the flow.

We met up with my mom and cousin and headed to Apple Jack's Pumpkin Patch.

When we got there, I realized it was the WINDIEST day EVER!!!! Like, my hair was literally in my face so much I couldn't see where I was walking.

See what I mean about the hair ?!?
 Poor Tommy got dirt in his ears and teeth. But that's okay! Onward we went!!
He wore this goofy red hat all day because I just happened to have it in the car and he needed his ears covered since Kansas decided to have a wind hurricane that day. But in spite of the goofy red hat, he got to sit on tractors.................



and pet baby goats....................



 We rode the HUGE slide that doesn't look the least bit intimidating until you're at the top getting ready to slide down with your 9 month old baby on your lap. Then it makes you start thinking things like, "What if I accidentally let go of him and he slides down by himself?!?", "What if we flip over and he gets stuck under me and squished on this slide of death?!?" Anyone else have those questions or was it just me? Oh, just me? Okay, never mind then :) I would like to mentally prepare you for the photos that are about to follow. They're not the best work I've ever done. The fear is evident in my face :) Enough said.


He got to play with pumpkins, although we didn't go out to the ACTUAL pumpkin patch. I wish we would have but by then, I wasn't feeling too hot and Tommy was getting tired of being put in and out of his stroller. He REFUSED to look at me in any of these pictures. He was too obsessed with the white pumpkins.




It wasn't the pumpkin patch trip of my dreams, but it was me and Tommy's very first visit and it was together, so it was great! If Nick didn't have to work and could've been there, it just might have been perfect! I am loving the holiday season with this little guy and can't WAIT for Christmas with him!!

And of course, he saved his best and cutest smiley face for AFTER the pumpkin patch.....that little ornery stinker.