Oh Winter... Why Have You Come?

You can tell winter is here. Not just from the freaking COLD weather. Brad and I have both been feeling yucky... Brad is super exhausted and aching. I feel like I was hit by a train... I hope that we aren't sick. We were supposed to have date night tonight... But I don't think we will since Brad is feeling bad. I don't want to force him to do something when he's not feeling good. We always have other days. I just hope he feels better soon!
I've done nothing fun this morning... Homework and watching "The Office." Ugh, it feels so slow...

Oh wait, I fixed the wedding invitations. They're pretty cute now. I tried to upload them to Google Docs to share them here but it didn't work :( The guest list is huge... Ridiculously huge. Like 231 people are invited but only about 215 people will actually be able to come. Wow. Crazy.

I didn't really realize how much stuff went into planning. Especially with the little stuff like favors, music, venues, accessories, etc. Holy cow.

Well, I probably ought to get ready for work...

Wedding Things Are Clouding My Brain

Holy crap, has this week been nuts! Between working sporadic hours, homework, wedding planning, house cleaning, and spending time with Brad and Cael, I'm exhausted! I had two midterm exams this week and I'll have two next week as well, not to mention observations and other larger assignments. Poo!
Today was nice though. I made breakfast for Martha (a long-time friend of Brad's and a coworker of mine) and her family when they came over to move her into the apartment across the hall from us. It will be so nice to have a familiar face in the building. She will be living with her friend Caitlin, who's pretty funny. I've only met her once but she was pretty cool lol She also went to school with Martha and Brad. She had to work so she wasn't there this morning.

I was so stinking productive today! I cleaned the kitchen, the living room, and Cael's room. Cael stayed at Judy's house until about 3 when we went to lunch. Cael and Brad napped and I did a crapload of homework and tests. When we got home from lunch, Cael and I vacuumed and got his race track rug to stop sliding around. I put some rug gripping sheets on the bottom and Cael helped me tape them on. He did a really good job! He even taped on the edges of the gripper all by himself! After we finished cleaning in his room (which was trashed two minutes after the rug was put back) we went to Dollar General and Parkers. Currently Parkers is having a promotion where you get dollar amounts punched out of a game card and when all the values have been punched out, you take the card to the customer service counter to claim your prize. Every card has a dollar amount on it from $1 to $1000. I was $32 short of being able to scratch it off today! I have a feeling mine is the $1000 card ;) but I'll be happy with anything.

When we came back from the store, Cael and I played outside with his big red ball for a good 15 minutes. It was great to bounce the ball back and forth with him and see how excited he got every time he caught the ball or kicked it. Once in a while he looked and pointed up at the sky and said, "Stars! Stars!" so we would lay back on the grass and talk about them for 10 seconds. Then it was back to the ball :)

I've been working on wedding stuff ever since Cael went to bed. Well, excluding the time where I made a run to McDonald's for Brad. McRIB IS BACK :D I worked on the guest list some more and I realized that we have roughly 200 guests, assuming everyone comes. That's a lot of people! I think we may have to find a different reception venue... But maybe not. I'm also trying to work out what accessories we need for the wedding (guest book, flower girl basket, bubbles, ring bearer pillow, etc.) so I can tell if I need to buy them or if I can make them. Luckily, I had a little experience with making boutonnieres for my aunt Carol's wedding and my mom knows how to make bouquets and stuff (she did it for her wedding). I think we can make a lot of things to cut down on cost. And most of the non-creatable things will be bought through Oriental Trading so they'll be pretty cheap. It's crazy to think we have less than a year before Brad and I get married!

I'm ready for October to come closer to an end. This is for two reasons. 1) Brad finds out from KCP&L if he got the meter reading job or not. He's really excited about it too. I hope he gets it because I think he would love the job! And 2) because I can't wait to see Cael in his Halloween costume! He's going to be a UPS man like Papa Shane :) He's really excited about it too! I don't know if I can handle having more candy in the house though... It's tempting enough for me but Cael is ridiculous about his candy. He throws fits if I say no, just like any kid. I just hate the tantrums. Best to avoid them all together...

I can't wait to see what unfolds tomorrow. I'm hoping to get laundry and home work done, plus clean the bathroom. Then all that will be left for this week is our bedroom. Hopefully Aunt Flo doesn't put me out of commission like she tried to do this evening... I felt like I was punched in the gut... Thank goodness for Tylenol, master of OTC pain medication!

Well I'm heading to bed! Good night!

Though technically it's morning... Oh well...

Wedding Progress. About Time!

I called Dan Pfaff today. He's one of the leaders of the engaged couples class at First Baptist Church in Warrensburg and I asked a few questions about when we should look into taking the class and what happens in the class. He was a really nice guy and he answered everything I asked. He even gave me extra information about it! The next session is in February and goes through March. Each class covers two lessons and there are 5 weeks of classes. We go over to the leader's house to eat dinner and dessert, then we talk about the lesson. It sounds like we could really benefit from the information in the lessons. We also have a one-on-one meeting with the pastor who will be witnessing our marriage. It sounds great :) I'm really excited!
I can't wait to really get started on the wedding plans. It's in less than a year :/ Gotta get going soon!

New Project! -- Homemade Magnets

Recently I've been a magnet making fool! :) These things are super fun and super easy to make! And they can be personalized as long as the picture is smaller than an inch around.

The Pokemon

Nintendo

Random Pictures

These are just a few but I'm happy to make more! I have to get a few more button magnets for the back of the stones though.

Send me an email if you want some! And if you have pictures or requests, send them too!

Great Day Ends In Semi Disaster

This morning started out perfectly. Cael woke up and was in a good mood. We were all super happy and excited to start the day when we woke up. Brad and I treated Cael to a cherry slush, banana, and apple slices from Sonic (for ourselves we got McDonalds breakfast) and headed over to watch Ryan play flag football. Ryan was awesome! He definitely shows his father's genes on the field. The Tigers won their game, completing their undefeated streak. Cael was great at the game. He played nicely with Marc and the two of them had many cute and funny moments together.
After the game, Cael went down for a nap without a hitch so I got my homework done and played a little RuneScape before heading over to get Brad's mom to go to the train station. Our plans were to take the Amtrak to Kansas City, hang around at Union Station for a little while, then take the 316 train back to Warrensburg. The ride there was perfect! Cael loved being on the train and watched out the window as the trees, towns, and fields passed by. He waved at everyone at every stop. When we got off at Union Station, he was still excited and we got his picture taken with the train.

Union Station was absolutely bare when we arrived. The only thing happening there was a wedding reception. None of the shops, except the snooty restaurant, were open. So we sat in the waiting room until our train came at 5:55 to take us back home.

We got on the train again and met some difficulties. A freight train was comig our way so we had to take a short detour onto a sort of "off ramp" for trains so the freight could pass. We then made all of our necessary stops when, outside of Lee's Summit we stopped again. The passengers all figured that it was just another freight passing by, but it wasn't so. As we began talking about dinner plans for when we arrived back home, the conductor came over the loudspeaker and informed the passengers that a freight train was experiencing some mechanical issues closer to Warrensburg (where there was only one railway). While they figured things out, we would have to stop and wait for the problem to be fixed which  "could take 30 to 45 minutes."

But 30 to 45 minutes turned in to 3 hours. No joke. There were quite a few small children on the train and they were all getting antsy and bored with waiting. Cael had not had lunch so he was starving to death. Ryan and Chris were just full of energy and bouncing off the walls, like any normal 6 and 4 year olds. Marc was fussing because we had not moved and he was bored. Another baby up toward the front was crying as well. The adults tried to keep the kids entertained. I pulled out my stockpile of books and toys that were brought for Cael and that lasted for about 30 minutes... Then we all ate hot dogs at 8:30, since the kids were hungry. The baby up front cried even more. Cael finally fell asleep after eating his hot dog and Amy (Brad's cousin's wife) went to go put Marc to sleep in the empty car. Brad and I were exhausted but we helped Jane (Brad's aunt), Bryan (Brad's cousin), Betty (Brad's grandma), and Matt (Brad's cousin and Amy's husband) keep Ryan and Chris occupied.

More timed passed and still nothing had been heard from the freight train. The adults were getting pissed now. The conductor was hiding in the back of the last car and the stewardess running the concessions was rude and unhelpful. At 9:00 we received news about the problem: one of the knuckles, or the joints between the cars of the train that hold two cars together, had broken and was being repaired. Due to federal regulations, each car had to be inspected after this was fixed, which could take 30 to 45 minutes (again, with the false time constraints!). Then there was silence from the conductor again.

The baby up front was still crying so Judy asked the mom if she wanted to bring her daughter back with us so she wouldn't be as bored (Marc and Cael were awake by then). She came back with us and Judy asked how far the woman had to go. She said St. Louis... Poor girl! And she had no food for the baby. She said she had told there was everything packed but someone must have emptied the bag before they left because the baby had nothing at all. She also didn't have enough money for anything in the dining car. So being the good Samaritan/mom/grandma that Judy is, Judy went to the dining car and bought the baby some crackers, noodles, and cheese. Amy even pitched in Marc's neglected Cheerios. The little girl, Marc, and Cael were all having a blast waving at each other and sharing snacks. The baby was very happy after that and the woman thanked us profusely. I'm just glad that she was helped!

At 10:30 we finally got a message that the freight was up and ready to go, but that after it was two more trains... So we would have to wait for all three of them to go by before we could move. GAH! We were all so upset over more delays but happy because we were finally going to be moving again! The trains passed and in 5 minutes we were back in Warrensburg. We could have walked and been there and in our respective homes in the time we were stuck there. >:( We ended up arriving home at 11:05pm.

Obviously it was not our conductor's fault but he still could have been more friendly. He was ridiculously standoffish and unwilling to talk to any of the passengers. Thank God we got off that train!

Funny Story From The 4's Room Today

At work, I went into the four year olds' room to help pat backs and get them to sleep. After a little while, my boss came to talk to me about doing the WalMart runs for the daycare since our cook, who normally does it, it getting far enough into her pregnancy that it's hard for her to bend and lift. Since I'm not usually working in the mornings, I was asked to do it! I couldn't say no! I love doing anything I can to help out!

Anyway, I went back into the room and worked on a few things before one of the boys had some kind of nightmare. The other teacher in the room calmed him down and he went back to sleep. After about 5 minutes and after the other teacher went on break, he woke up again and told me he had an accident. We got that all taken care of and I sat him down at the table with markers and some paper so he could color. We talked for a while and I had turned around to tell one girl to get her hair out of her mouth because she could choke on it. The boy looks at me with the straightest face and said, "I choked on a cow once." I asked him, while trying not to giggle, how that happened. He told me, "It's magic!" I thought I was going to die laughing! He and his two brothers have the best stories! His younger brother is in the room I teach in. He's an adorable little sweetheart and onery as hell lol The oldest of the three is in the five's room. He is such a firecracker and very free-spirited. He does what he wants when he wants, and seems to be living life to it's fullest. The middle boy, the one I talked to today, is mostly quiet and soft-spoken, but when you get him talking, boy does he have a lot to say! He's so charming and sweet!

I love my job so much. It's moments like this that makes me so glad I chose to work at ECOC! :)

On A More Sober Note

One of my ex-boyfriends was deployed recently with the Army... We didn't really break up on the best terms but I think we've become more civilized and better friends since then. I hope and pray that he stays safe while he's away.

Keep Jared in your prayers and thoughts if you're reading this.

Chef Cael!

This is what Cael was doing last night :) He makes me laugh!

Once Again, The Blog Prevails

Can't focus on homework tonight, the blog beckons ;)

I'm super excited about Friday this the week! I'm going up to Kirksville to see my family and to go to the high school's homecoming parade and game :) Cael will be super excited about all the tigers and candy at the parade. We probably won't end up staying for the whole game since he has an early bed time, but I would love to see the half time show this year! I miss hanging out with my band friends, though most of them have graduated now. Cael's excited about seeing his "Ni-Ni" (Natalie) and Papa Shane :) He got new Papa Shane boots on Saturday and wears them all the time now!

Cael has also been super cranky recently... Almost constantly. He has a HUGE diaper rash from when he had Hand Foot and Mouth. All of the prescription medication for the original treatment of the rash has been used up and now we're using a combination of his eczema treatment plus a diaper rash cream. I actually just ran out of the hydrocortisone today so I'll have to call in for more :/ But the layers are hydrocortisone, Cera Ve lotion, Aquaphor, then Desitin or Boudreaux's Butt Paste (depending on which one I can find at the time...Cael likes to play with and hide them). Nothing seems to be affecting it though and it's driving Brad, me, and Cael crazy. He wakes up in the night itching and scratching, then has trouble going back to sleep. It's killing us... Hopefully we can get things figured out, minus a doctor. Cael doesn't seem to like Dr. Lovell all that much.

But on to the less yucky stuff!

Cael has been "helping" me in the kitchen a lot in the past few weeks and today I caught him doing the cutest thing :) He had my oven mitt on one arm (it covers his whole arm, from fingersto shoulder) and was poking the front of the oven, saying "Hot! Hot!" It was so funny, I just about died from laughing! He turned around and said, "Hot! Cookie!" and I laughed even harder. I told him to show Dada what he had on his arm so he ran out to Brad and said hot again. Then he went back to the kitchen and I took video of him doing it again, and blowing on the pretend hot food :) It's on Facebook, if you have me as a friend on there!

I can't wait for Friday to get here already. I miss my family and my friends! So looking forward to this! :)

That was a little off topic... Oh well, I'm feeling wired right now. Not a caffeine-fueled type of wired, more like a "I have everything on my mind at one time" kind of wired. Diaper rashes, homework assignments, work, friends, family, packing, housework, Brad, Cael.... Yikes, I sound like I'm crazy....

Maybe I am though.

Homework vs. Blog

Ummm.... Blogging won.
Cael has been so grouchy and fussy for the past few days. I was attributing it to teeth but after seeing him pulling on his ear, I think it's another ear infection. BOO! *thumbs down* His constant whining and crying at the smallest little things is driving me nuts. I'm sure he's sick. It's a mom thing.

Good news on the weight loss today! The size 12 jeans that I bought on Labor Day weekend (which were fitting rather snugly when I bought them and after wearing them a few times) are now almost falling off my waist. Who's happy? This lady! I'll admit, I haven't been doing the best as far as diet goes but I think working at the daycare more (and lifting our 43 pound student up for diaper changes) has been helping me lose the weight...and possibly break my back ;)

Sometimes I feel like I've broken something in me, like my brain or my personality. That just sounds sill though...a broken personality. I sometimes think I may have lost my personality in a way. I'm not sure what happened between pregnancy and now, but I have changed a lot...not necessarily in the best way. I'm always willing to help anybody at (almost) any time. I have gained this ability to forgive almost anything. But I've lost a lot of humor. I've lost the ability to think for myself, just to fit in to the group. I let people walk all over me and take advantage of my willingness to help. And though I may forgive, I never forget the wrong that was done. I'm more boring too. My life just centers around parenting, my relationship with Brad, school, work, and Facebook. Consequently, those are really the only things I talk about, thus making me boring. I can't remember a lot of my "good" life stories. Fail memory is fail. I can't remember what movie I last watched, what I ate for breakfast today, or to do the dishes. Luckily, I can remember basic motor functions and I can remember how to talk (most of the time). And I can remember who loves me.

Baby Fever.... BLARGH!

Seeing all these pregnant ladies through my Facebook, in the March 2010 mamas group I'm in, and out and about in public makes me want another baby... But I can't think about that now! I have too many things to do, like work, take care of Cael and Brad, potty train Cael, and buy a house... Though not all of these things will be happening this year.

I do miss the pregnancy part. I loved feeling Cael moving around, hiccuping, kicking, and hearing his heartbeat. I love having him to play with as well. I love holding him, tossing him around, and playing with his cars. I love talking with him and hearing him babble :) I just wish I could have this all over again, when we're financially ready for it.

Soon enough, Brad and I will be married, Cael will be older, and we will move into a larger living area. Hopefully it's my house :) but of course, it does not do well to want more when I already have a wonderful life as it is! My time will come.

Questions That Aren't Necessarily The Best Seem To Come At Inopportune Times

It seems like I have been questioning everything in my life recently, from my relationship with Brad to whether I am fit to be a mom to if God really exists... And they're starting to consume me, as seen by me staying up while Brad sleeps. I'm just writhing on the inside and feel like I can't let it out to anyone in person... But maybe that's just little chicken-shit me. I've never been good with face-to-face, especially with the people who actually care about what's happening. Like Brad...

I hate that I bottle things up. I hate that I can't share what I'm feeling. I know Brad hates it too. But what if what I'm feeling is wrong? What if it makes other people unhappy or angry? I can't have that, it just can't happen. I don't want to make anyone mad....especially Brad. My outlets are few and far between when I think about it, just because I don't want to bother anyone with my insignificant problems. Everyone has bigger fish to fry than I do, so why bother adding my pity party? But then, when I can't hold it in any longer, it comes out in a flood of tears, anger, hopelessness...even if I am on my medication.

That's another thing to complain about. My meds. They may work some days but on the days they don't seem to affect anything, it's like I'm a freaking nutcase all over again. Just send me back to Quincy. I don't deserve what I have if I can't be happy with it. I don't want to change my meds for the bazillionth time, I just want something that works the first time and can last forever. Brad and Cael both need a strong rock, and I'm pretty much the opposite...

And you know what I think. I think that if there is a loving God, he is just a typical male... You love me? Well you sure have a messed up way of showing it. Hey, are you even there? Do you care? I'm not asking for stuff to be handed to me. I'm not a Thomas type. I just want to you know that you can do more than make butterflies, babies, and hurricanes. When I pray, you sure as hell don't seem to care, God. Is your inbox getting too full? Do you even have time for me? Why do you need my praise and worship when you already have billions that bow at your (invisible) feet? Where are you when it matters most?

I'm done with this. I'm done with this post. I'm done trying to talk to brick walls. I'm done trying, period. Why try when it ends in failure? Try to fit in with the crowd and just be a nameless face. That's all I was every really good at anyway...

OMG Pain

For quite a few days (since Saturday) I have had an awful stomach pain + nausea. It sucked royally. I tried everything to get rid of it: Tums, Pepto, Tylenol, ibuprofen, heating pad, ice. You name it, I probably did it. And it STILL wouldn't go away. My ultimate solution? Doctor. Again. And she said that, according to my urine sample, I had quite a bit of blood being peed out of me. From this she drew the conclusion that I have kidney stones. Whoa, wait, what? Pretty much what I thought lol She set me up with an antibiotic and a special pain med (which Walgreens did not fill D:< ) and sent me home with a pee-catcher and a strainer so I can go "kidney stone fishing" (my doctor's words, not mine). Sure enough, I come home to use said pee-catcher and strainer and I caught a sliver of a stone! It was super weird and I looked it up on Google just to be sure it was one. It's the tiniest little square I've ever seen and it hurt like a mofo to get out (I actually just had the same pain a second ago). Luckily, I know I'm not dying and that I don't have appendicitis or gallstones :)

Cael has been such a daddy's buddy lately! Brad has been working on a new phrase that has stuck: "Love Dada." Cael also uses this phrase for Dede, GiGi, and Papa....but not Mama :'( But I still get more hugs and kisses from Cael so I guess that counts for something!

Cael is also getting in a new tooth, a canine this time. It's taking FOREVER to come through. It's taking even longer than the molars did! He's going to look so big when he has a mouth full of teeth! It's hard to believe he is 18 months old already... And he talks so much! Today in the car, he was jabbering on and on about something but he was stringing actual words together in a nonsensical way. I can't even remember what he was saying, I was laughing so hard at how serious and important he sounded! But every words he said was an actual word, not just babble.

My classes aren't sucking too bad yet... I'm just not getting things turned in the time I want to. Like I should be working on it right now but I'm blogging instead... Shame upon me. But I enjoy blogging more than homework :)

Good Gracious, Can I Ever Post Regularly?!

This past week has been crrrrrrrraaaaaaaaazy. First off, we somehow ended up getting fleas, though we have no flea-carriers as pets. We have guppies. It just makes me mad that it happened. And our neighbor across that hall, who had a cat, has moved out so maybe they came from her.
The daycare has been experiencing an outbreak of Hand Foot and Mouth disease so my work days have been pretty slow. We have usually 8 to 10 kids out of our 16 enrolled. And Cael caught it as well so Wednesday I stayed home with my poor, miserable boy... His little bottom, elbows, legs, and feet are covered in red blisters and I had even seen some in his mouth, though they've gone away now, thank goodness. Only a few more days until they're gone. He's in a better mood than he was on Wednesday, that's for sure. Cael was also diagnosed with an ear infection on top of that >.<

My classes started up on Monday and so far, they've been going pretty well. They're all "major-centered" classes and I think they'll be really valuable for my current class :) There is a lot of observing that I have to do this semester too.

Brad has been seaching for a new job recently, since his current isn't exactly a healthy environment any more (politics and disagreements among coworkers mostly). He heard back from KCP&L, the electric company that facilitates Warrensburg and the Kansas City area, to take the test for meter reading. Hopefully we'll hear his test results soon!

We had also been saving up for a Wii system and finally, two weekends ago, a deal came up at Hastings for purchasing a new Wii and getting two used Wii games for free. We just couldn't pass it up! We ended up getting $300 worth of Wii entertainment items for less than $200. We've been playing it ever since. We also broke dwn and got a Netflix account (which I am addicted to). It has quite a few of our favorite shows and movies on it, like "Super Why" and "Dinosaur Train" for Cael and "The Tudors" and "Law and Order: SVU" for me. Brad also found "Rugrats" episodes and we have been watching them non-stop! He also found "AAH! Real Monsters!" so we will continue our retro Nickelodeon shows after "Rugrats" is done. Brad has also caught me up on some great comedians too like George Carlin.

Brad's birthday is in 4 days! It's amazing how much time has passed. He'll be 21 so we're planning a little get-together with his friends at our apartment. Brad's mom has said she will watch Cael for us on Friday night and I will be the designated driver/key holder at the party. I'm actually looking forward to it even though I can't drink. We're hooking up a bunch of game consoles to a bunch of TVs in our living room so we can have a bunch of games going on at the same time and no one has to wait for a turn to play. I can't wait! :)

A New Trip To Visit Family

I finally got Brad to come with me on a trip! We are visiting my aunt, uncle, and cousin in Ohio with my mom, sister, and grandma. It's been rather uneventful so far lol a super long car ride + Cael screaming every few hours + my sister = very irritated travelers lol

Today I believe we are going to the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky. I bet Cael will love seeing all the fishies :)

A great thing happened while we were on the road though! Brad got an email from YouTube to have a partnership with them! That means, for every view he gets on his YouTube videos, he gets a set amount of money. Plus it means ads will be put in with his videos so every time someone clicks on an ad (whether intentionally or not) he will get a share of that money as well. Every so often (I think Brad said after he accumulates $100) YouTube will give the money to him :) This is a really big deal because it means he's gaining recognition in the YouTube world. I'm very happy for him and proud of him for making such an accomplishment! I love you Brad! <3

Well I'm going ot head off here so I can wake up said loved man and shower :)

If you want to visit Brad's channel, the link is here! Or you can go to YouTube and type in "TheGoveta" and search for his channel. He has lots of videos of his competitive Pokemon battles and a playthrough of Pokemon Ash's Quest (they are super cool!). There's even a couple battles with me in them! Go check it out!

Weekend Post...The Result Of Procrastination And Forgetfulness

Cael has started so many new things, I don't even know where to begin! Of course, that's my fault for not posting as regularly as I should :/ Oh well.

To Cael, anything on the TV and anything new to Cael requires the question "Spider?" and Brad and I are not sure where this came from. We know for sure that he has seen spiders on one of the video games that Brad plays and in a book of "action songs" which has the Itsy Bitsy Spider in it, but we have no idea why he insists on asking if new things are spiders. It's pretty funny though! And he says "No" all the time now. If I ask him for a bite of food, he hands it to me then snatches it back and says "No!" with that goofy smile of his. And if he doesn't want something, he says "no" instead of screaming his displeasure. I have to say, I prefer no over screaming lol

Well, Brad has finally done the impossible... He convinced me to get my own Runescape account. And I'm not doing to bad with it, surprisingly. I've got level 20 in my attack, strength, and defense skills (which is pretty good considering how quickly I got it). I just really like fishing and slaying :P

Brad has a couple of friends over tonight so I'm going to watch them play Little Big Planet :)

Goodbyes Are The Hardest

Well, one of my favorite little girls from daycare is moving away to Rhode Island. Today was her last day with us :( It was so sad, she gave me a hug goodbye and she looked up at me with her big, cute smile and says "I love you!"

I hugged her again and had to leave the room before I started bawling... I cleaned the room to distract myself and said goodbye again when she, her mom, and her older sister left.

I don't know how I'll make it through the weekend now. Cael's not coming back until Sunday and I might not ever see Abigail again :( I'll miss that sweet little girl.

On the plus side, we have a new friend in our room :) She's very adorable and amazingly well-behaved for a two year old! And she is beautiful. Like the kind of beautiful that makes you do a double-take and stare lol her mother is the same way.

Hopefully, if I don't act like a vegetable tomorrow, I can get all my cleaning done in less than 24 hours :) I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also planning on rearranging some furniture and organizing the things that need it. Luckily, we don't have to worry about packing up again. Brad and I had talked about finding a new place (duplex or house) so we don't have to deal with loud neighbors any more, but we couldn't find a good one in our price range. I don't mind staying in our four-plex for another year. It's in a nice neighborhood and the only really bad thing about it (besides one of our neighbors) is the train that passes right next to the building.

Well, I'm going to get off so I can read my Nook :)

The First Time Is The Hardest...

Well, just as planned, Cael is spending a weekend at my mom's house with my family...and without me :( I'm not gonna lie, I cried last night when we went to bed, today when I packed his bag on my lunch break, and 5 minutes after we left Columbia... I think I'll feel better tomorrow though. It's kind of like that homesickness thing when you're at summer camp. You cry the first night, but after that you're too busy to notice you miss home. I have plans for the whole weekend. I'm going to clean like crazy and go shopping. I'll go swimming, go on walks, and rearrange furniture in the house. I'm not going to give myself time to worry about it or be sad that I can't hug and kiss Cael whenever I want to.
I can do this...just give me a night to get the crying out of the way, and I'll bounce back tomorrow

The Story Of An Evening Walk

The walk started out simple enough. I walked across the street with Cael in the stroller. The sidewalk was clear of debris and bumps. The street was clear, except for the occasional sedan or minivan cruising by. Cael and I talked about the trees and grass until he fell into peaceful sleep. I continued walking along the road. The cardinals were singing their beautiful tunes, other birds chirping and tweeting filled the air as well. Black Eyed Susans bloomed amongst the wild grasses and pine trees. The scent of honeysuckle and freshly mowed lawns drifted lazily on the breeze.

Homes were alined on the opposite side of the street. They were impressive, with three stories, long driveways, and tall wooden fences. Children and small dogs played in some yards. Others contained families grilling on their back porches. A young girl and a younger boy in swimming suits squealed in delight as their mother, with her feet in an inflatable wading pool, sprayed at them with a hose. Fellow walkers greeted each other on the sidewalk as they passed, with "hello"s, "how are you"s, and "what a beautiful evening"s.

It was a perfect walk until...

vvvvvvrrrrroOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMmmmmmmm

A rusted truck with a faulty muffler zoomed by with the occupants catcalling and weaving all over the road, scaring the birds and stifling the pleasant outdoor smells with exhaust fumes.

I am completely amazed at how the world can be a wonderfully beautiful place with singing birds and carefree living, and in the next moment, make me wonder if non-lethal poison darts could be legally used on the asinine, insensitive, and imbecilic (albeit cricker-ish) human beings that inhabit the Earth.

Tantrums Might Be The Death Of Me

Cael is getting a molar. And it SUCKS! He throws awful awful tantrums and screams until I pick him up... Which makes things difficult when I'm making dinner.

Last night's dinner was lasagna. It wasn't the best since I had Cael on one hip while attempting to spread the ingredients for the layers. When I set him on the other side of the gate in the kitchen so I could put the dish in the oven, all hell broke loose. Cael threw himself on the ground and kicked the gate down, knocking the trash can over. Brad then took Cael to bed, where he slept from 6:30 pm til 6:15 am! He even took a 3 hour nap earlier in the day at school! I was astounded and checked on him before Brad and I went to bed. He was still breathing so I let him be.

And he was SUPER happy this morning. I have NEVER seen him like that in a morning, ever. It was so weird that I kept askimg him who he was, to which he responded "Mama!" and headbutted me lol Maybe we are just a little messed up family this week!

What makes this molar problem even worse is the fact that Tylenol doesn't affect it at all. But popsicles do >.< now he's a popsicle monster. Anytime I open the fridge, he's there at my side, screaming "POP! POP!"

But as I said in one of my previous posts, no matter how bad my life seems to be, there is always someone who has it worse. For example, one of the twos in my class recently lost her uncle. She doesn't understand it, of course, as young as she is but I can see that it hurts the rest of the family. My heart goes out to them as the funeral occurs today and I hope they can find peace even though a loved one is no longer with them.

Well I'd better wrap up this post before the little people wake up or I'll be in for some trouble (why yes, I am posting during a particularly peaceful naptime at work, and yes, I did get the cleaning done lol). Hopefully your days are better. Go do something nice for someone you don't know!
Sent from my NOOKcolor

Testing Out The Blog Via Email

I got an Nook Color for my birthday and there's no app for Blogger :( Hopefully this works!

Sent from my NOOKcolor

Dear Cael, If Mommy Had Money

Dear Cael,
If I had money, I'd buy you a house. You could have your own room, with your own colors in it and a big boy bed. We could even get an extra bedroom for a brother or sister. You could have your own bathroom, and make it as messy as you want (until I tell you to clean up, of course).

Our new house would have a big backyard. Big enough for a swingset with a slide, a tunnel, swings, and some monkey bars. And a tree house. And a shed for all of your outside toys :)

Our new house would have a long and wide driveway. With a basketball hoop so you can invite friends over to play basketball, like Daddy and Uncle Andrew used to do when they were younger. Our garage would be big enough for Mommy and Daddy's cars.

Our neighborhood would be wonderful, with neighbors who think smoking is disgusting and many kids around your age that you can be best friends with and play with. We would have block parties and barbeques with the neighbors. There would be no obnoxious neighbors and no late night parties. There would be no mean dogs and no cats (I just don't like cats because they make me sneeze).

This new house would have a big kitchen, big enough for a kitchen table so we can all eat dinner together. I would have a great oven to bake you, Daddy, and your friends cookies. We would have a big living room, with a big screen TV to watch movies together and play games together.

The house would have a basement, so I can have a daycare to make money and do what I love. I love watching you grow up and I want to help families that need a place for their child to go while the parents are at work. It would be a big basement, with a place for me to cook and a place for the babies to lay down to sleep.

Our new house would also have a big deck for hanging out when Grandma Diane, Papa Shane, and Aunt Ni Ni come visit. We can use the deck for sitting out to watch the stars on cool, clear nights. We can have mini camp outs while you're still okay to hang out with Mommy and Daddy.

Above all, our house will be a home. It will be the place where we can either be with each other or be on our own for a bit. It will be a place of our own, no paying rent every month, just paying for what we need. We will stay there for the rest of our lives.

If only Mommy had the money...

Watching A Movie Can Make You Think About Priorities, Believe It Or Not

Yeah, I'm watching Rent right now as I'm typing this post. I just watched the scene at the second AIDS support group meeting, and the lyrics made me think of something.
"Will I lose my dignity, will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?"

Even though I think my life might suck on occasion, I still have my health, a home, a family, friends, love, my child, and my job. I know that many people out there have worse problems than I do. They need help and I want to help them. I can't help financially...but I can offer moral and emotional support. I can offer my time and services. I can offer love and hugs (totally corny, I know, but there are some times when all someone needs is a shoulder to cry on and arms to hug them).

I want everyone to know that I care.

Hating Yesterday, Loving Today, Wondering For Tomorrow

Yesterday SUCKED. No other word for it. Got in an argument with Brad, Cael has a sinus infection, felt paranoid and cruddy because I forgot my medicine, ended up not taking a walk (which threw off Cael's schedule so he cried for an hour before falling asleep)... Thank God it ended quickly!
Today was AWESOME. :)

I'll outline it for you lol

MY DAY

Got out of bed to a little boy who was SUPER happy to see me.

I got a kiss good-bye when Brad left for work.

When I took Cael to school, I found out he was being moved to the tots class today.

I got to take an awesome shower.

I got to shave without a screaming child banging on the bathroom door.

A Law & Order: SVU marathon was going on while I folded laundry.

I had enough money to pay bills and pay off my daycare balance.

I had an amazing tasty lunch: a Boca burger, peaches, and a Slim Fast chocolate shake.

I got to see Brad at lunch time.

When I got to work, I found out I would be letting a teacher in the infants' room go on break.

I got to hold and feed a baby.

I was smiled at by a baby.

I was spit up on by a very cute baby.

I wasn't mauled by the two year olds.

I got many kisses and hugs from "my girls" in the twos room.

Cael didn't cry when he saw me and I was holding other children.

I had a great dinner: Tyson chicken nuggets, McDonalds Sweet Tea, and more peaches (I like peaches)

I went on an amazing walk with a good friend and my good little boy.

I shared a popsicle with Cael.

Now I'm blogging :)

Soon Brad will play Paper Mario or Assasin's Creed 2 (I hope it's the latter!) for me to watch.

And it's not even my birthday yet!

I'm so grateful for everything I have and everything that has happened to me today :) I love my boys, Brad and Cael <3 I am complete today! I look forward to tomorrow!

:D

Today Was A Fairy Tale

Just kidding!

I had a pretty good day with Cael today :) I'm hoping we can keep it that way tomorrow too!

We started out having a lazy morning: watching cartoons, eating breakfast, reading books, and napping on the futon. Then we took a shopping adventure to the Dollar Tree (where the employees have no sense of customer service), Shoe Sensation, and Hastings (where we splurged on a PS3 game for Brad lol). We continued the adventure at Wal-Mart. We went up and down every aisle, since I knew we wouldn't be walking in the evening and Cael was having fun saying "hi" and waving to everyone we passed :) I'm glad he's a friendly kid!

After returning home for a nap and to put the groceries away, I got back to work on my knitting project (a sleeve for my camera since the one that came with the camera was way too small) while Brad played some more on Paper Mario. I was so proud of myself when I finished it! I was glad I had begun a project and actually finished through with it. It doesn't look too bad, but I'm not going to post any pictures of it because it's not the best. It gets the job done though!

When Cael woke up from his nap, we had a small lunch then went to the park with Judy, Brad's mom. Cael had lots of fun going up and down the steps, going down the slide, and running around, yelling at the top of his lungs :) He also met a new friend named Joshua while playing. They got along like they had been best friends for their whole lives. Cael seemed to be asking if Joshua wanted to go on the slide, then Joshua would shake his head, babble a little, and they would both walk over to a piece of play equipment they weren't old enough to climb on. They seemed to be devising a plan on how to manage such a tall and different structure and watched the bigger kids closely as if observing them to gain knowledge of how to move on the ladders and things.

Playing in the park left us wanting ice cream, and when I say "us" I mean Judy and me. So off to Dairy Queen we went. Cael ate two chicken strips and all of the kid-sized fries. Then he showed us a new trick: he can drink out of a straw! For quite a while, any time we went to a restaurant where Cael wanted our drinks, we would hold the end of the straw and drip the drink into his mouth. Well apparently, he had started sucking the liquid out and we didn't even realize it! I'm so happy he's learned this skill because now we may be able to trade sippy cups for cups with straws (better for mouth hygiene).

Brad, Cael, and I went over to Russ and Judy's house after the excursion to DQ and we all ate dinner before heading out to Jane's house (Brad's aunt) to play in the pool. It was really freaking cold in the pool so Cael and I didn't last very long in it. Brad, Andrew, Bryan, Kylan, and Matt (Brad's brother, cousin, cousin's girlfriend's son, and other cousin) played in the pool until 10 pm! Cael and I were pretty tired though so we decided to call it a night and head home. Cael went straight to sleep as soon as I put him in bed lol I preferred to stay up and blog a little :)

But now I'm heading to bed, so good night and sweet dreams!

Beginning A New Beginning. Or Beginning To Fall Apart.

My walk was AMAZING last night. I went around the block three times with Mark, a friend who lives a few streets over. It was nice to talk to someone who can have intelligent conversation with me lol

I also got my first blisters from walking, and I'm surprisingly happy that I have them! It means I'm actually doing something. And I've lost four pounds since my last doctor's visit (the one for the headaches I've been having). I weighed 172 pounds at the doctor's appointment yesterday :) I'm getting there!

I've also been getting my planner updated as well so I can have a hardcopy of my schedule that isn't completely dependent on my cell phone or my computer. Though I do hope I get to buy a Nook Color for my birthday :)

I've also gotten back into reading some of my favorite books. I began reading "A Great and Terrible Beauty" by Libba Bray again. The Gemma Doyle series is one of my favorites. I hope to have "A Sweet Far Thing," the third book in the triolgy, as the first Nook book I buy :)

Today Is Infinitely Better, I Must Say

So in continuation from my previous post...

I went to a general surgeon today to talk about my h-word and she said that the ER doctor was a dipsh*t. Well those weren't the actual words she used >:) She did say that the doctor was "pretty much stupid."

The surgeon said that what I have is a "pretty obvious" anal fissure that was easy to fix. And that the ER doctor should have seen it right away. So I was prescribed a steriod which will heal it up in three weeks :) Thank God for doctors who actually know what they're doing and for doctors that care about their patients. I swear Dr. Switzner was awesome! She was kind and let me know everything I should do without feeling stupid and embarassed about the situation.

Hopefully this situation will be cleared up soon. I'm tired of hurting when I sit down and stand up :/

Argh!!!! This Day Has Sucked!!!

I cannot believe how fast this day went downhill. It's not even funny.

So about an hour after I finished my last post, I was making lunch and I felt that the back of my pants were wet. I thought "I didn't sit on anything, did I?" so I touched it and my hand comes up with...blood. Bright red. So I run to the bathroom and call the doctor, whose secretary never picked up. I'm freaking out at this point, hyperventilating and crying, so I call Cael's health insurance's hotline. But in my mental state at that point, I didn't think one important fact: if you don't have their insurance, you get no help.

Brad called me while I was still freaking out, then once he calmed me down, I called the ER in town. Thank God the nurse was so nice, though she did sound alarmed when I told her what had happened.

So away to the hospital we drove...

I had to have a swab done (worst thing I have EVER experinced, including the brief time while I was having super bad contractions without drugs) and blood tests to make sure I'm clotting okay. All the tests come back fine and the doctor tells me what I don't want to hear...

The "h" word... I had one (possibly more) that had burst...

Can this week seriously just end now? Can I skip over the next few days, where this is all fixed and I don't have to deal with it?

I'm making an appointment with a general surgeon tomorrow so I can get this sh*t over with... I am not spending the rest of my life wearing pads every day...

Eff this. I'm done.

New Developments In A Current Job Are Hardly Ever Good...

I found out from my employer today that, though she promised me more hours in the summer, she is giving the hours to a coworker that normally works in the infant room... This is making me very unhappy, not just because she promised me the hours, but also because she is now expecting me to pay the balance for Cael's tuition weekly, when she knows I get paid bi-weekly and because I decided not to take summer classes because I was promised more hours. I can't pay the daycare when I have no money and I'm running out of savings quickly and will soon have no money for a wedding either. Money SUCKS.

On the view of my summer classes (that I did NOT take because I was promised more hours), I could be closer to finishing my degree if I would've known she was not giving me more hours to work. One of the teachers in our room had to leave the job (hopefully just temporarily) since her spouse is having health problems and she needs to be with him. Instead of just moving the closing teacher (me) to full-time for the summer, my employer takes a new teacher into the classroom. I honestly have no problems with my coworkers and I am grateful that the new teacher has a superb source of unlimited energy, but I kind of new the hours. I'm hoping that if I can get more hours during the summer, I can start helping Brad's mom out with the bills she is currently paying because we are financially unable to take care of (cable, health insurance, car insurance, phone, etc.) and still have some savings to put away. Currently, my bi-weekly paycheck is delegated as follows:

45% --> Daycare costs
25% --> Saved in case of emergency (helping with rent, doctor visits, car maintenence, etc.)
20% --> Gas
10% --> A month's worth of diapers

That leaves me with nothing left to save toward the wedding. Will Brad and I get a wedding? Sure. It will have to be scaled back like crazy, and we may have to ask the wedding party to pay for their own attires, shoes, tux rentals, flowers, etc. but we'll have one. Thank God I got the dress already... And I absolutely refuse to ask for money from family, because they have enough to pay for, both to support themselves and for us. I do not want to add onto their payments.

Someday, I will be married, own a house, then own my own daycare service. I want to be self-employed doing what I want to do. Then I won't have to worry about competing for hours with my coworkers.

Thank God I love the kids I help teach and my teaching coworkers. Otherwise, I might look for a new job in education... Those kids make my job enjoyable (even if they are crazy and bouncing off the walls). The teacher in the two's room is also awesome. I can talk to her about almost anything and she's either had experience with it and can give advice or she just listens when no one else will. She's a great teacher too. She also has amazing energy, is great with the kids, and has all sorts of great activities up her sleeves. I hope to be as good a teacher as her someday :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On another note, my birthday is in 8 days...and I don't really care. It's not like it's a "milestone" birthday, just 20. I'm kind of hoping I can just get the one thing I want (a Nook Color from Barnes and Noble) and that's the end of it. I don't want a birthday cake, especially not one with 20 candles on it. I don't want to be reminded that everything and everyone is getting older and time is passing on. Plus, there are a lot of things in my life I'd like to forget. Each candle represents a memory, be it one I want to remember or one I want to forget.

I am very thankful that I have Brad and Cael with me. I can't imagine life without them. It would be like not breathing. Some days, I might say I want away from them, that I want a break. But it's not true. I love just being in the same room as them. It doesn't matter if we're actively doing something together, or off in separate corners of the house doing our own things. I love being around them. I love watching them, talking to them. I love Brad and Cael <3

Hopefully the next time I post, it won't be as grim and grouchy as this post... *fingers crossed*

Thank God I Love This Kid Or I Might Have To Drop-Kick Him Out The Window

Cael has gotten into this nasty habit of screaming a high-pitched (girly) scream. It's used for when he's mad, happy, playing, talking, eating, and when he wants attention. I'm TIRED of it. I swear my ear drums are going to burst when he does it.

Tomorrow is his 15 month Well Child Checkup. Hopefully no shots *fingers crossed* I still can't believe he's 15 months old :) It feels like time has flown by. I kind of wish he hadn't grown up as fast, as I currently watch him drip juice onto his highchair tray and spread it around with his hand... What a messy boy he's grown into lol

His habits when he gets angry have changed too. If we tell him no or remove him from a situation where he is doing something unsanitary or unsafe, he slams his head on the ground then finds the nearest portable object and proceeds to chuck it across the room or push it into the wall repeatedly (this happens frequently with chairs). All the while, screaming his high-pitched siren wail.

Our routines have changed as well, which could be causing the mood swings (that and the fact that he's a stubborn child lol). We've been taking nightly walks after dinner which is awesome because we can get out of the house and I can get more exercise in :) I've been losing a lot of weight since the summer started! Most of my eating habits have changed too. Yesterday and the day before were pretty cruddy though because it was two days before my monthlies started so I ended up eating McDonalds and a whole package of chewy Chips Ahoy cookies (damn hormones...).

Cael and I also painted a present for Brad for Father's Day. It was probably the worst idea ever but it was fun while it lasted! Yesterday, my dad, mom, and Natalie met Cael and me in Columbia so we could all go to the Kids Workshop at the Home Depot there. Cael "helped" my dad "bang bang" the nails in until the box was finished lol Then Cael picked out the colors for the box. He actually said the names of the colors he wanted too! My dad bought the little sample paints that come with a brush attached to the inside of the lid. So today Cael picked out the red paint and we attempted to paint the box (attempted being the key word there). He ended up stick the entire brush into his mouth after painting just a few strokes...so I decided we were done. He was not happy at all about this, especially when I hosed him off in the tub with semi cold water. I don't think we will be doing paint again for a while.

I got my wedding dress yesterday as well :D I had an appointment a few weeks back and they had first told me that my dress wouldn't be in until June 20th and it came a week early! It's gorgeous and I can't wait to wear it! The style number for it is V9675 if you want to look for it on www.davidsbridal.com. I love it :) It's my princess gown!

Brad started a Paper Mario play through for me (N64) and I got so into it that I started my own save file for the game. Now I can play along with Brad :) It's great that it's an easy game and he's been really helpful when I get to parts I don't remember and opponents I can't beat.

Well I'm going to end it here so I can watch Brad play Paper Mario (I don't want to miss anything important since I'm almost to Lavalava Island lol). Hopefully you enjoy your days as well!

Oh And By The Way...

Once upon a time there was a mom,
Her name was Mrs. Pteranodon,
Sittin' on her nest she heard a scratching
And said, "Oh boy! My eggs are hatching!"

One by one the kids popped free
Baby pteranodons, one, two, three!
"I'll name you Tiny, Shiny, and Don."
But Tiny said, "Wait, there's one more, Mom!"

The last little baby was a different size
With teeth and a tail and big green eyes
He didn't look anything like the rest
"What am I doing in a pteranodon nest?"

But dear old Mrs. Pteranodon
Said, "This is your family and I'm your mom
"We may be different but we're all creatures
"All dinosaurs have different features!"
"Come on Buddy, we'll take a vacation
"I'll get us a ticket at Pteranodon Station
"We'll travel the world in sunshine and rain
"And meet all the species on the..."
Dinosaur Train! (Dinosaur Train)
Dinosaur Train! (Dinosaur Train)
We'll ride (ride, ride, ride, ride)
The Dinosaur Train!

(This is the song that is constantly in my head)

Dinosaur Train Rules My Life

I don't know if you all have heard about what happened in Joplin, Missouri (well, you probably have if you use the Internet and watch the news regularly) but a massive mile-wide tornado ripped through the city leaving 117 people dead, and that's a continuing number... My friend Tosha and her family live there and made it out "alive and intact...just scared and shaken," as Tosha said in her text on Sunday night. I was so worried. I'm making a care package for her (need another box...) with some things she needs.
Cael is growing so fast that I'm having a hard time keeping up! He's running (no longer walking) and can say more words than some of the older kids in his class lol It would be too long of a list if I posted what he can say! He is also understanding more than we give him credit for and we have started resoring to spelling things out. He knows way too much sometimes! If you ask him if he wants a bath, he runs to the bathroom. If you ask him if he wants to eat, he runs into the kitchen and whines until you open the fridge door. And if you ask him where Elmo is, he looks all around the apartment until he either finds a shirt or book with Elmo on it or his beanbag Elmo doll. He dances to the theme song from Dinosaur Train (which is stuck in my head all the time) and "Till the World Ends" by Britney Spears lol He loves reading books too. And by reading, I mean letting you read the first two pages then shutting the book, giggling, and walking away with the book. I have memorized "Good Night Moon" from reading it so many times. And every time Cael hears the train go by our house, he runs to the kitchen window to wave bye-bye to it lol

He has started the stranger and separation anxiety thing so when I take him to daycare now, he cries and screams... It makes me feel so bad... He has never done that before. I started taking him in August 2010 and 9 months later is when he decides to start making me feel bad.

I'm back on my medication now. I've remembered it for a week straight now :) I'm getting better with remembering things too, which is not necessarily a good thing (I have memorized the opening theme to Dinosaur Train and it's constantly running through my head). I have also been working harder on eating healthy and exercising more. With working at the daycare, I've been getting some exercise just chasing and lifting the kids and dancing with them but I haven't really lost any weight but it's definitely easier to carry up two armloads of groceries :) I've been trying to do Pilates every day too but there are some days when I have to go into work early or I'm doing housework instead. Hopefully I can get into a better routine since my classes have ended for the semester.

I'm also taking control of our finance records (keeping bills, receipts, etc. and watching what I'm spending money on) since I've had to tap into my savings account way too much recently for daycare expenses. As of now, we don't quite have enough for the wedding. But I did buy my dress not that long ago. It's pretty :D It's my princess dress lol

Well that's all I've got right now. I'll try to post more often now *fingers crossed that I can keep up*

Strep Again. FML

I went to the doctor yesterday because I was feeling miserable on both Sunday and Monday, then felt worse on Tuesday. My throat was raw, I was gagging on my tonsils, I couldn't swallow, I had a wicked headache, my neck and ears were hurting, and I couldn't bend over without the ear/neck/head pain getting worse. The last time that happened, I had a postitive strep culture so I decided I would go ahead and get it checked out. Turns out, I do have strep throat (well, enough bacteria to get a positive rapid strep test). The doctor gave me a choice between pills and a penicillin shot and, since I was having a lot of trouble swallowing, I opted for the shot. It HURT. It wasn't a nice arm shot, it was a butt shot. Well, upper hip to be exact. But my butt still hurts from it. And so does my left leg.

I'm feeling much better today though. My throat and ears still hurt crazy bad but the headache has lessened. So far, it looks like Cael hasn't gotten it, which is great. Strep sucks, in case you didn't know. But I'm sure you do.

Well, I'm in for one more day for hanging out at home, doing laundry and other homely duties. I'm still not sure if I'll do my homework though... I don't quite have the drive to do that yet...

Weekend Post Again

This week was NUTS. Surprise, surprise lol


This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week so every day was something new at school! On Monday, we had a lunch provided for us by the school board. Tuesday, we got a card for a paid day off. Wednesday, we were told about a dinner planned for next Wednesday for all the teachers and their guests. Thursday (the best day), we got a ten minute massage from Euphoria Salon and Day Spa (http://www.euphoria-warrensburg.com/) and I totally recommend going their. It was ten minutes of pure heaven :D Friday, Liz got a bunch of items (gift cards, candles, lotions, a purse, flip flops, etc.) and every teacher's name got drawn so they could pick what they wanted off the cart. By the time my name got drawn, the super cute purse was still there but I knew that if I would've taken it Brad would've given me crap about having another bag at home lol I ended up taking a gift card for Papa John's. I love that the school is so giving and treat their employees wonderfully :) I'm so happy to work for ECOC!

Cael has been sleeping through the night every night. It's seriously blowing my mind, especially because on Thursday, he napped from 1:15 to 4:25 and still slept well that night. Last night he slept from 11 pm to 11 am. I think he must be going through a growth spurt or something!

Cael and his second cousin Marc were playing today and it was so adorable how they interacted with each other!

We stayed pretty late at Russ and Judy's tonight. Cael was so sleepy that he tried to cuddle up with Rex (Brad's cat) and surprisingly Rex was okay with it...until Cael started to pull at his face lol I caught a picture before the attack happened

Eventful Days

The weekend was crazy awesome!

Saturday

My mom, dad, sister, and grandma all came to visit! We went to Heroes for lunch and hung out at the apartment while Cael played like crazy. He has been walking so much and he loves it! My mom and grandma headed over to my great aunt's house (in Lee's Summit) and my dad and Natalie stuck around for a little longer. My dad fixed my dryer! The vent flap wasn't closing properly so a sparrow family got in there and built a nest. Then a starling took over so every morning, we would hear them fight, starting at 4 am. I was not happy. When my dad took the hose and everything out of the wall, we found that the nest was actually inside the dryer. That explained why there was a burning smell every time I turned the dryer on lol but we got it all out and my dad put a new vent in the wall (after cutting out part of the drywall to make it fit... the building had settled since the first vent was put in). Now I can use the dryer and hear the birds smack into the vent :)

My dad and Natalie left after a while and Cael and I went to Wal Mart and Parkers to get the grocery shopping done. The whole way to and from the store, he kept saying "guh-guh" and I could only assume it was for "Grandma" or "Grandpa" lol When we got to Parkers, I let Cael hold on to my grocery list, so he pointed to it and said, very forcefully, "Da da da guh guh guh dis" telling me what to get next. It was hilarious! He was yelling the whole way through the store and had all the cashiers and customers laughing.

Sunday

I went with the Vater ladies (my grandma's sisters and their female children and grandchildren) to the New Theatre in Overland Park. Apparently this is something they do every year, around this time. I had no idea until my mom said my grandma was wondering if I wanted to go. It was really cool! The theater is a dinner theater so we had an amazing buffet lunch before the show started. I had marinated chicken in white wine sauce, sauteed and steamed veggies, polenta, and garlic mashed potatoes. It was amazing!

The show we saw was "The Odd Couple" starring George Wendt and Tim Kazurinsky and it was pretty funny. At intermission, the restaurant serves dessert so my mom and I shared a tasty creme brulee. I'm glad we did share it because the dishes was pretty big for something so sweet and rich.

When I got back, Cael was so excited to see me :)

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Cael has been having a terrible time with his eczema, especially on his ankle. At 2 am Monday morning, he woke up screaming and scratching, so I put his lotions and creams on the site and we laid on the futon so I could hold his legs to keep him from scratching. At 5 am he tossed and turned enough to fall off the futon. It was a rough morning, but he slept good last night :) All the way from 8 pm to 10 am. Not even joking. I was so happy, especially because last night I started to get sick with something that's been going around the 2's room at daycare (nausea, stomach pain, the runs, etc.) I'm feeling better now but I still have that crampy pain in my abdomen... Hopefully it will be gone by tomorrow morning though.

Vote for Cael!

Cael 1: "Vote for your favorite kids in the Parents Cover Contest! One Reader's Choice Winner will be a finalist at the Professional Cover Shoot! Enter your own child today at http://www.parents.com/enternow !" If Cael wins this, we're going to put this money into his college fund!

My Kid Is A Genius :)

Yesterday, a Parents As Teachers advocate came to the daycare to do free development screenings for the kids under the age of 3. She started in Cael's class. At the end of the day, she came into my room to ask me some more questions about what he does at home, if there's been any problems, etc. and she tells me that, out of all the other babies that were around his age, he scored the highest in all of the categories tested! He missed out on a few points in the Personal/Social section because he didn't roll the ball with the observer (guess he didn't feel like sharing that one lol). She said his fine motor skills are "amazing" because he can stack 3 or more blocks on top of each other, which isn't really expected at 13 months. She also said he shared a lot of the toys with her and told her many of the words he knows. He also showed her how he can flip the light switch off, which he does all the time at home. She said he's extremely smart! :) You have no idea how proud I am of Cael!

Last night, after dinner, Cael and I went for a walk outside. I picked a dandelion and was telling Cael "flower" and stroking it on my face and then his face, saying "pretty." He grabbed it from me and started to rub it on my face and say "pretty" lol Then we took it back inside so Brad could see and he did the same thing to Brad! It was so cute! He was just clutching the little dandelion like it was the most important thing in the world and wouldn't let it go :)

He's been sleeping through the night (pretty much) for the past few days. Last night he went to bed at 8 and woke up at 4 this morning :) That's REALLY good for him!

This morning I was trying to get him ready for school. I tried to take off his Elmo pajamas (which he loves) and he threw a HUGE fit. I decided we didn't really need to fight over this so I changed his diaper and put his socks and Elmo jacket on. When I went out into the living room to get my jacket and shoes on, he found his Elmo slippers and wouldn't let go of them, so I put them on his feet lol This is the whole ensemble

He was sooooooo happy lol When we got to school, he pointed up at the tree outside his classroom and said "tree"! That's the first time I've heard him say that! Now he has a whole bunch of words to say! This is his word list right now:

• Tree
• Light
• Kitty cat
• Mama
• Dada
• No no
• More
• Mo-mo (Elmo)
• Tickle-tickle (he says this when we see grass, since usually when we play in the grass, I tickle his face with a piece and say "tickle-tickle" lol)
• Bye bye
• On
• Off
• Dat (that)
• Duck
• Dog

He can also sign "cup" (which he uses for cup, truck, and up). He waves bye bye when he hears or sees a train or when someone says "train." He's so dang smart! It makes me so happy!

He also loves making messes when he eats. With this video, I turned around for literally two minutes to talk to Brad and send a text of the tent we had set up for Cael and when I came back, this is what I found lol

I'm so proud of my big boy! To think he's already grown up this fast!

One Year Photos

Yay Cael! (He was clapping)

My favorite face! He was trying to rip Barney apart lol

Fishy face!

Oops!

Pooey... He's Too Big For Mama Now

Cael is one. I still can't believe it! His birthday parties were a hit. On the day of his birthday, we had a party at Russ and Judy's house. Lots of family came over and Cael got some really cool toys :) These included a turtle sandbox, a spring door stop mounted on a block of wood (from Papa Russ, since Cael like to play with the door stop in the bathroom at their house), a glittery ball, some clothes, and a magnet toy for the fridge. He wasn't greatly excited by these since it was past afternoon nap time.

The special cake for Cael (made with rice flour and soymilk)

Dinosaur sandwiches!

The dye stayed on him for four days lol

Playing with cousin Karley. He loves her hair

The Kirksville party was good too. He made out like a bandit there! Tons of balls, lots of interactive toys, a walker that converts into a car, and a cute outfit for summer.

On Saturday, we got his one year pictures taken at the Wal Mart portrait studio and Cael absolutely refused to smile. Then when got a few with his hands in his mouth when he was smiling. We got some cute ones though!

Cael has another ear infection as well, which makes 4 in less than 6 months. He had a fever of 102 for two days and ended up having a mild febrile seizure (spastic muscle movement when your temperature is too high). The stupid thing was this all started 8 hours AFTER we had seen the doctor for a swollen lymph node. Ridiculous how fast these things crop up. He's doing better now though and is at school today :)

Daycare has been going pretty well too. We have a few new friends now and we're attempting to work on pottying in the big kid potty with two of our three year olds (they can't move into the three's class until they can use the potty). I have resorted to bribing them with candy and stickers, the two most popular items in our class. So far, one child is taking well to it, even though he usually has a bowel movement before we get to the potty (he wears Pull-Ups). There are a ton of sweet kids in my room and I was extremely sad when one of ours graduated to the three's room. He and I were buddies.

Cael is determined to prove that he's growing up too. He won't let me kiss on him as much as I used to. He doesn't want to play with me, only by himself and with his toys. He cruises everywhere (but still isn't walking, grrrr). He points to what he wants and screams bloody murder when he doesn't get it. He also attempted to throw away a brochure I got from the WIC office about weaning your baby from the bottle (he's getting smarter). He responds when I ask him questions too, even though it may not actually be what he wants (for example, I asked him if he wanted to get dressed this morning and he nodded his head. When I went to change him, he screamed "no no no" at me). When he smiles now, he wrinkles up his nose. He also makes a fishy face all the time which is pretty funny. He's learning new sounds and has "almost" words. I just can't believe the progress he's made, from birth to now. It's incredible, but hard because I know the more he grows, the more independent he'll be...

And I Realized...

I forgot to post the family pictures we did on the 30th! Shame on me!

This was used as our family 8x10

This one is my favorite, by far!

This is my second favorite!