I'm thankful that Kaleb is so young while we're going through the hard times that we are. He doesn't know that anything is different than it was 7 months ago. I try not to show my stress around him (which probably explains the headaches I've been having so often lately). He thankfully can't do math to understand that the $1000-1200 we're earning a month can not come close to covering even our rent and car payments, let alone the other necessities we have each month. He's too young to read a calendar to know that yesterday was Easter, or to understand that the Easter bunny completely skipped our house. Buying candy and a basket has definitely not been at the top of our list of priorities lately.
As I'm typing this, I realize not only how long it's been since I've blogged about my munchkin, but how long it's been since I took pictures of him. I've been feeling so down that some days it's hard enough getting my butt out of bed/off the couch to play with him; taking pictures hasn't even been on my radar. That needs to change. I want to remember this time. Not for the hardships we're experiencing, but for the amazing little boy Kaleb is becoming. He'll be 2 in a few months, and I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. He's running everywhere, talking (adding new words by the day), and has been learning his letters. It's so cute. He wants to know what all the letters are on signs, shirts, newspapers, etc. So far he knows the capital letters A, I, Y, O, E, M and sometimes R. I had no idea he knew any letters until we were at the library a while back and I held up a foam letter Y and asked him what letter it was. He knew. I guess he's been paying attention as I name the letters on his blocks...
This is scary for me to put out there, because I know there are a lot of judgmental people out there, but I'm going to take the chance anyway. We had to go apply for public assistance through the county. It feels horribly degrading the way some people treat us once they know we're taking help from the county. So far that help includes cash assistance that goes right to our rent, food assistance, daycare assistance (which we have to use to get the cash assistance), and health insurance. In order for them to send the money to our landlord, we both have to spend 35 hours a week actively looking for work. They also told me that I needed to quit school, that it's not a priority. I was told that it would be better for me to work full time at a minimum wage job than to finish the last 2 months of school before graduation. The kicker is that we're only eligible for the cash and daycare assistance until the end of May anyway. I'm not sure how taking myself out of nursing school (jobs that start at more than $20 an hour) is more beneficial than quitting and setting myself up for needing continuing assistance from the county. Supporting myself = bad, taking a minimum wage job that will keep me dependent on assistance from the county = good?? It's so frustrating. So starting a few weeks ago, Kaleb goes to daycare 35 hours a week so Martin and I can look for work. Between us, Martin and I have a ton of applications out there, but so far neither of us has gotten a call back.
The not so good thing about getting this assistance is that in the 2 or 3 weeks that Kaleb has been in daycare, he's been healthy two of those days. One good thing about getting help is that we now have health insurance. Good thing, since Kaleb started to get worse this weekend, after having a cold that was getting no better for almost 2 weeks straight. Poor kid was wheezing, coughing so hard he was gagging, and so worn out all he wanted to do was sit around--SO not my boy. By the time he got up from his nap yesterday we decided we needed to take him in. Apparently it's a combination of croup, RSV, and general cold stuff. He got a dose of prednisone, a nebulizer treatment, and was sent home with a prescription for more neb treatments. If we didn't have insurance we wouldn't be able to afford all that. We're spending the day today trying to get Kaleb to rest, hoping he'll start feeling better. Right now I'm downstairs blogging (obviously), and about to lay down and try to get rid of this headache. I'll relieve Martin after nap time and hopefully he can get some rest too--we both caught the first cold Kaleb brought home a couple weeks ago, and it seems to be settling into Martin's chest.
I've already written about 3 times more than I intended to. I think I just needed to get some of this off my chest. If there are any readers out there reading this, could you please say a quick prayer (or 2) for my family? A couple things we definitely need prayers for are: our health as a family, and especially Kaleb's breathing; that we'll find work soon so that we won't be facing eviction or the loss of our car (necessary for Martin's paper routes); that we keep our sanity through all of this; that this time of struggle will bring us closer to each other and to God, instead of driving us apart. Thank you.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back
I haven't posted in over a month. I've tried, and I've had things to write about, but the combination of having so much school work this semester, and the way life has gotten in the way, I just haven't made this blog much of a priority.
It feels lately like nothing can go right. I've been struggling with school in a way I haven't since first semester. I'm physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted all of the time. We found out that Martin is no longer eligible for unemployment, and it's just a matter of time before everything falls apart. I was just trying to focus on getting through the next couple months while being the best mommy I can be while finishing school so I can support us. Then last Saturday morning happened.
I was in the middle of a dream where I was trying to swim in a pool with a polar bear (a friendly one), but I couldn't stay above water. The harder I swam, the faster I sank. Right then Martin was shaking me awake saying "Becky, wake up, Dozer's dead." The words made no sense, and it took a while for me to make sense of what was happening. Dozer was our big boy kitty. He was seriously huge--not fat, just really large. When he walked next to me I could hold his tail without leaning even a little to the side. Kaleb loved laying on him like he was a big body pillow, and Dozer just put up with it. He was the sweetest kitty who's favorite thing in the world to do was take naps with me. He'd crawl under the blankets and curl up right next to me; when I was pregnant he'd lay next to me and knead my belly. Even though many people think pets are disposable, he was a big part of my life and is sadly missed.
What makes me the most angry about the whole situation is the way Dozer died. We have a big plastic food bin, and Dozer was constantly trying to open the lid and eat the food. After he dumped it and the cats ate all the food, we got a new, bigger bin for the dogs, and moved theirs downstairs for the cats. It had a handle that flipped up in order to unlock the lid. Dozer was always trying to push it open with his nose to get at the food, just like he could with the smaller one. Sometime that Friday afternoon, he succeeded. He got into the food bin, and one of the other cats must have jumped on the lid once it closed, which made the handle latch just enough that it locked. Poor Dozer was locked inside the airtight bin, and I was so out of it that day (it was a really bad day) that I never realized he was missing. It should've dawned on me when he didn't come up to try to scam some of Kaleb's dinner. Martin found him laying in the food bin the next morning when he went in to feed the cats.
It was such a senseless accident, and the danger of the food bin never dawned on me. It angers me that a pet supply company would design and sell a bin that had that danger as a possibility. It makes me so angry. Right away we checked the dogs' bin, and that one has a handle that secures from the bottom, so there's no way it can accidentally latch. To top it off, we don't have the money to properly dispose of poor Dozer. The vet needs $85 to have him cremated if we don't want the remains back, and $130 if we do. The only other advice they could give was to bury him. We rent--not sure the owners (or the homeowner's association for that matter) would appreciate that gesture. We're still over $300 short on our rent this month, so we definitely don't have that kind of money. So as creepy as it seems, we have Dozer wrapped up in a box inside a bag inside our big freezer until we can afford to have him properly taken care of.
I know in the grand scheme of things, the death of a pet is low on the list of things that could go wrong. It just seems like the past few years it's been one thing after another and if something does go right, it's not for very long. I'm really not trying to have a pity party here. I know I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am, I'm just also tired of the number of things that have gone to crap.
I don't really have much else to write right now, and I have two papers that were due yesterday that I really should finish. It would suck to be kicked out of the program a month and a half away from graduation for something as dumb as not turning in some papers. Blah.
It feels lately like nothing can go right. I've been struggling with school in a way I haven't since first semester. I'm physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted all of the time. We found out that Martin is no longer eligible for unemployment, and it's just a matter of time before everything falls apart. I was just trying to focus on getting through the next couple months while being the best mommy I can be while finishing school so I can support us. Then last Saturday morning happened.
I was in the middle of a dream where I was trying to swim in a pool with a polar bear (a friendly one), but I couldn't stay above water. The harder I swam, the faster I sank. Right then Martin was shaking me awake saying "Becky, wake up, Dozer's dead." The words made no sense, and it took a while for me to make sense of what was happening. Dozer was our big boy kitty. He was seriously huge--not fat, just really large. When he walked next to me I could hold his tail without leaning even a little to the side. Kaleb loved laying on him like he was a big body pillow, and Dozer just put up with it. He was the sweetest kitty who's favorite thing in the world to do was take naps with me. He'd crawl under the blankets and curl up right next to me; when I was pregnant he'd lay next to me and knead my belly. Even though many people think pets are disposable, he was a big part of my life and is sadly missed.
What makes me the most angry about the whole situation is the way Dozer died. We have a big plastic food bin, and Dozer was constantly trying to open the lid and eat the food. After he dumped it and the cats ate all the food, we got a new, bigger bin for the dogs, and moved theirs downstairs for the cats. It had a handle that flipped up in order to unlock the lid. Dozer was always trying to push it open with his nose to get at the food, just like he could with the smaller one. Sometime that Friday afternoon, he succeeded. He got into the food bin, and one of the other cats must have jumped on the lid once it closed, which made the handle latch just enough that it locked. Poor Dozer was locked inside the airtight bin, and I was so out of it that day (it was a really bad day) that I never realized he was missing. It should've dawned on me when he didn't come up to try to scam some of Kaleb's dinner. Martin found him laying in the food bin the next morning when he went in to feed the cats.
It was such a senseless accident, and the danger of the food bin never dawned on me. It angers me that a pet supply company would design and sell a bin that had that danger as a possibility. It makes me so angry. Right away we checked the dogs' bin, and that one has a handle that secures from the bottom, so there's no way it can accidentally latch. To top it off, we don't have the money to properly dispose of poor Dozer. The vet needs $85 to have him cremated if we don't want the remains back, and $130 if we do. The only other advice they could give was to bury him. We rent--not sure the owners (or the homeowner's association for that matter) would appreciate that gesture. We're still over $300 short on our rent this month, so we definitely don't have that kind of money. So as creepy as it seems, we have Dozer wrapped up in a box inside a bag inside our big freezer until we can afford to have him properly taken care of.
I know in the grand scheme of things, the death of a pet is low on the list of things that could go wrong. It just seems like the past few years it's been one thing after another and if something does go right, it's not for very long. I'm really not trying to have a pity party here. I know I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am, I'm just also tired of the number of things that have gone to crap.
I don't really have much else to write right now, and I have two papers that were due yesterday that I really should finish. It would suck to be kicked out of the program a month and a half away from graduation for something as dumb as not turning in some papers. Blah.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
At least he knows his animals...
We were eating dinner the other night when the following exchange took place. Well, Martin and I were still eating dinner. Kaleb had finished and was playing nearby. Kaleb saw Martin had something different on his plate, so he wandered over to see what daddy had.
Martin: Munchkin, do you want some chicken? (holds a bite of chicken out for Kaleb to try)
Kaleb: Buck, buck, buuuuck!
Martin: (trying not to laugh too hard) Yes, honey, that is what a chicken says. Would you like a bite?
Kaleb: *shakes his head no and walks away*
Mommy: *tries not to shoot milk out of her nose*
Martin: Munchkin, do you want some chicken? (holds a bite of chicken out for Kaleb to try)
Kaleb: Buck, buck, buuuuck!
Martin: (trying not to laugh too hard) Yes, honey, that is what a chicken says. Would you like a bite?
Kaleb: *shakes his head no and walks away*
Mommy: *tries not to shoot milk out of her nose*
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Where'd it go?!
I'm actually just on my way to bed, but I had to write about something Kaleb did today, because it was so darn cute I don't ever want to forget it.
So, it gets cold here in Minnesota in the winter. I think today it was in the low 20's (which is actually quite balmy for January. In Minnesota). In older houses it's pretty common to have to put plastic over the windows to keep the heat from being sucked out through the cracks. We don't have a very old home (probably 10 years or so??), but we do have a sunroom that is on the back part of our main floor. You may have seen it in pictures--that mint green monstrosity??
Seriously, our friend once said he felt he was trapped inside an Andes mint when he was out there. But I digress...
Anyway, the sunroom is a four season room, but the way it is built, there is no insulation (or really crappy insulation) under the floor. That combined with the fact that there are two big windows and a sliding glass door means it gets pretty chilly out there. We used to close the doors and put a little space heater out there when we used it as a TV room, but we've had it open all this winter.
A while back we had a cold snap, and decided to see if keeping those doors shut made much of a difference. Boy howdy, does it! About 30 degrees difference on the colder days! 30 degrees!! As in 71 inside the house, 41 in the sunroom. Crazy.
It's kind of fun though, to open the doors in the morning and feel the big rush of cold air. It's not so fun to realize how much better the whole house stays heated when the doors are closed.
No fun at all for the munchkin, who uses the sunroom as a toy room.
We've been pulling toys into the living room in the morning, and switching them out as needed. That was not an appropriate solution in Kaleb's mind. He wants the doors open. And he pushes them open all day long. So today Martin came up with a solution that works for everyone. He hung a thick blanket over the doorway, which allows people (and animals) in and out, but mostly keeps the heat in the living room.
Today after his nap, Kaleb didn't pay much attention to the big red blanket over the doorway. Martin put it up during naptime, so Kaleb hadn't seen it yet. About 45 minutes after he got up Kaleb was running around playing, then decided to go over to the blanket and peek around it. All of a sudden he yelled "Der it is!" and ran into the sunroom. He wasn't looking for any toys, he just went in then came back out a minute later. It was hilarious! I'm not sure where he thought the sunroom went, but he finally found it. Oh to have the mind of a toddler ;)
Lexi (our Jack Russell) wasn't quite so intuitive when it came to the blanket. She didn't try to peek around it at all. But Martin threw a tennis ball towards it, she chased it, and tried to stop, then braced for impact like she was about to hit a wall. You could almost hear the dumfoundment (is that a word?) when she passed on through the "wall."
Thankful I don't have the mind of a Russell...
So, it gets cold here in Minnesota in the winter. I think today it was in the low 20's (which is actually quite balmy for January. In Minnesota). In older houses it's pretty common to have to put plastic over the windows to keep the heat from being sucked out through the cracks. We don't have a very old home (probably 10 years or so??), but we do have a sunroom that is on the back part of our main floor. You may have seen it in pictures--that mint green monstrosity??
Seriously, our friend once said he felt he was trapped inside an Andes mint when he was out there. But I digress...
Anyway, the sunroom is a four season room, but the way it is built, there is no insulation (or really crappy insulation) under the floor. That combined with the fact that there are two big windows and a sliding glass door means it gets pretty chilly out there. We used to close the doors and put a little space heater out there when we used it as a TV room, but we've had it open all this winter.
A while back we had a cold snap, and decided to see if keeping those doors shut made much of a difference. Boy howdy, does it! About 30 degrees difference on the colder days! 30 degrees!! As in 71 inside the house, 41 in the sunroom. Crazy.
It's kind of fun though, to open the doors in the morning and feel the big rush of cold air. It's not so fun to realize how much better the whole house stays heated when the doors are closed.
No fun at all for the munchkin, who uses the sunroom as a toy room.
We've been pulling toys into the living room in the morning, and switching them out as needed. That was not an appropriate solution in Kaleb's mind. He wants the doors open. And he pushes them open all day long. So today Martin came up with a solution that works for everyone. He hung a thick blanket over the doorway, which allows people (and animals) in and out, but mostly keeps the heat in the living room.
Today after his nap, Kaleb didn't pay much attention to the big red blanket over the doorway. Martin put it up during naptime, so Kaleb hadn't seen it yet. About 45 minutes after he got up Kaleb was running around playing, then decided to go over to the blanket and peek around it. All of a sudden he yelled "Der it is!" and ran into the sunroom. He wasn't looking for any toys, he just went in then came back out a minute later. It was hilarious! I'm not sure where he thought the sunroom went, but he finally found it. Oh to have the mind of a toddler ;)
Lexi (our Jack Russell) wasn't quite so intuitive when it came to the blanket. She didn't try to peek around it at all. But Martin threw a tennis ball towards it, she chased it, and tried to stop, then braced for impact like she was about to hit a wall. You could almost hear the dumfoundment (is that a word?) when she passed on through the "wall."
Thankful I don't have the mind of a Russell...
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Time to catch up
I thought that having a month off from school would give me plenty of time to catch up and stay on top of the whole blogging thing. Apparently, though, I blog the most when I'm trying to procratinate. Hmmmmm. So I was hardly ever online during my break and need to do some catching up.
Let's see.... Well, we never made it back to Santa. The money just wasn't there to get an actual picture, and Kaleb doesn't get the whole Santa thing yet, so it didn't seem worth it to go. I didn't realize, but Martin's mom was able to snap a picture the first time. I think Santa looks almost as thrilled as Kaleb does lol.
Let's see.... Well, we never made it back to Santa. The money just wasn't there to get an actual picture, and Kaleb doesn't get the whole Santa thing yet, so it didn't seem worth it to go. I didn't realize, but Martin's mom was able to snap a picture the first time. I think Santa looks almost as thrilled as Kaleb does lol.
I should probably crop that pic down. It's tough though, because it's a scanned picture. But still priceless :)
Christmas was fun, Kaleb got the whole opening presents idea down pretty quickly. We got a big snow storm on Christmas day, so my family came down the next day instead. It was really nice having everyone together.
Hmmmmm. This is really tough, for some reason. Things just aren't flowing tonight. I'm back in school, and technically procrastinating, so I don't understand what the problem is.
I'd throw in a picture or two of Christmas morning, but I wasn't thinking ahead and only videoed (is that a word?) it. So yeah. That's about all I have right now.
Guess I'll go study.
What have I become?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Halves
So I made it through past the halfpoint way of my last year of school--for the RN (ASN) program anyway. Today was our first technical day back to school. I say technical because we had a day of "orientation" on Tuesday that was pretty much worthless. I decided against taking any extra classes this semester towards my BSN. I think the stress of taking extras was really getting to me. Plus, this is the last semester. The last semester!!!! So besides the normal crush of classes and clinicals, we have an 80 hour preceptorship, I have to study for the HESI test, and ultimately the NCLEX, and I'm also doing an honors project. So I'll be plenty busy. I've also been trying to get back into a routine of working out so I figure I'll leave a little time for that :)
Today is also momentous because it is Kaleb's half birthday. I can't believe my little baby is already a year and a half old! I can remember his birth like it was yesterday. While I've tried to cherish every moment I can of Kaleb's babyhood, the time is going by entirely too quickly. I wish I could slow the hours and the days down to keep him little as long as I can. At the same time, though, I love watching him grow into a little boy. He's sweet and funny and a mama's boy. He loves helping and sharing, and talking on the phone. I've been thinking of writing a post about the day Kaleb was born--I want to remember as much as possible and don't want to wait too long. Maybe that will be next :)
Today is also momentous because it is Kaleb's half birthday. I can't believe my little baby is already a year and a half old! I can remember his birth like it was yesterday. While I've tried to cherish every moment I can of Kaleb's babyhood, the time is going by entirely too quickly. I wish I could slow the hours and the days down to keep him little as long as I can. At the same time, though, I love watching him grow into a little boy. He's sweet and funny and a mama's boy. He loves helping and sharing, and talking on the phone. I've been thinking of writing a post about the day Kaleb was born--I want to remember as much as possible and don't want to wait too long. Maybe that will be next :)
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Santa, take 2
We tried taking Kaleb to see Santa yesterday, but he wasn't having it. He was all smiley and giggling at other kids sitting on Santa's lap, but as soon as Martin set him down (after making friends with Santa first) he started to get teary eyed and was heading toward a mini-meltdown. I tried showing him how nice Santa is, and Santa even gave him a sucker, but it wasn't going to happen.
The kicker of it all was when I was carrying Kaleb back over to where Martin was standing, an employee actually asked me if I was going to buy a package. Like somehow sitting on Santa's lap required a fee of (at least) $26 (yes, seriously, the smallest photo package was $26!). I told her I don't really want to spend almost thirty dollars to buy a picture of my son scared on Santa's lap.
I mean, really.
I think this post is starting to sound a little bit Grinch-y, and that was definitely not my intention... I blame it on my sinus infection and how yucky I'm feeling (which reminds me, can I just say how thankful I am to have found a doctor who deals only in cash? Doesn't work with insurance companies at all, only charges $36 for an office visit, and has a place that will run labs for reasonable? SO thankful. And thankful for Z-paks [thank you Pasteur and Koch])
So anyway, I'm glad Kaleb didn't completely freak out yesterday, and we still have a little Christmas shopping to do tomorrow so we're going to try a different mall and see if maybe a second helping of Santa lessens the anxiety a bit. Since we don't have a picture of Kaleb with Santa this year, here's a look at how last year's visit went:
Tonight we wrapped a bunch of presents, and now it's late. Martin's lying next to me and I keep getting big heavy sighs and the occasional toss-and-turn, so that probably means I should sign off... Hopefully I'll have a cute Kaleb and Santa picture to post tomorrow :)
The little boy in front of us in line was a crying, sobbing mess, but his parents made him stay on Santa's lap. I'm not going to criticize anyone's parenting, or their choice to get pictures of their terrified child on Santa's lap, but it's just not worth it to me. Add to that the fact that my dad very closely resembles Santa (in fact there's a little girl my parents know who is convinced that my dad is Santa) and I'm afraid Kaleb might project that fear onto my dad. It happened with my cousin's daughter (who refused to even look at my dad at our family Christmas party after her Santa drama), and I guess it made me a little paranoid :)
The kicker of it all was when I was carrying Kaleb back over to where Martin was standing, an employee actually asked me if I was going to buy a package. Like somehow sitting on Santa's lap required a fee of (at least) $26 (yes, seriously, the smallest photo package was $26!). I told her I don't really want to spend almost thirty dollars to buy a picture of my son scared on Santa's lap.
I mean, really.
I think this post is starting to sound a little bit Grinch-y, and that was definitely not my intention... I blame it on my sinus infection and how yucky I'm feeling (which reminds me, can I just say how thankful I am to have found a doctor who deals only in cash? Doesn't work with insurance companies at all, only charges $36 for an office visit, and has a place that will run labs for reasonable? SO thankful. And thankful for Z-paks [thank you Pasteur and Koch])
So anyway, I'm glad Kaleb didn't completely freak out yesterday, and we still have a little Christmas shopping to do tomorrow so we're going to try a different mall and see if maybe a second helping of Santa lessens the anxiety a bit. Since we don't have a picture of Kaleb with Santa this year, here's a look at how last year's visit went:
Aaaaand this year:
Tonight we wrapped a bunch of presents, and now it's late. Martin's lying next to me and I keep getting big heavy sighs and the occasional toss-and-turn, so that probably means I should sign off... Hopefully I'll have a cute Kaleb and Santa picture to post tomorrow :)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Understanding the concept
"Sweetie, mama can't understand you with your nuk in your mouth. Can you take it out please?"
*takes out nuk* "ah bah bah ish nder?" *puts nuk back in*
"Oh really?"
What else can I say? I generally can't understand half of what he says, but at least he's getting the idea down right? I just don't tell him that I have no idea what he's babbling about. Unless it seems like there's something he's trying to tell me, then we usually get it figured out.
My Munchkin
You know, I thought that being on break would lend itself well to the whole blogging concept. Lots of free time, no need to procrastinate, and being able to log onto the computer out of pleasure, not necessity should provide plenty of opportunities for blogging, right?
Yeah, that's what I thought too. Turns out I was wrong. The reasons above? Well I do have lots of free time...that I'd rather spend playing with Kaleb. I have no reason to procrastinate...therefore I spend less time messing around on the computer. And as for logging on for fun instead of drudgery? Well see reason number one for that answer. Why log on at all when there are munchkins to be tickled, and cars to be raced?
So I've been MIA for a little while. My last two posts I actually scheduled, so technically I've been off of Blogger for going on a week now. And I'm starting to go through a little withdrawal :)
I was planning to get some posts started today, but that idea went right out the window when Kaleb woke up with the worst diaper rash he's ever had.
And he's had some doozies letmetellyou. On top of that, he and I are both battling nasty colds so he spent most of the day cuddling with me (loved it!).
My poor baby had such a sore butt that he literally did not sit down all day. He either stood, leaned against me, or laid on his tummy all day. Poor kid. I felt so bad for him. One of the worst things about being a mommy (IMHO) is not being able to fix whatever's wrong, and make your baby feel better. Seeing him cry in pain just from changing a diaper is enough to make me cry!
On a good note, though, Kaleb's verbal skills are improving by leaps and bounds almost daily. He understands so much, but I was starting to worry about how little he was verbalizing. I shouldn't've worried, apparently. He's spouting off new words (unfortunately one of them today was 'ow') and starting to put two words together ('mama ball?' usually means he threw his ball down the stairs and wants me to go get it, and 'uh-oh nooo' usually means I need to go check out the damage).
Today he was obsessed with the refrigerator. "Ball?" he'd ask. I can assure you there was not a ball in there. There was, however, a round red tomato. There's no convincing him, however. Later today there was a bowl full of white balls in there (or as we adults call them, hardboiled eggs), and that's what he kept asking for.
"Ball?"
"Honey, that's not a ball, it's an egg...would you like an egg?"
"Ball?"
"Sweetie, it's not a...*sigh* do you want a ball?"
"Haaa" (with a big smile and the sign for please--means yes)
At least he's got the concept down, right?
Yeah, that's what I thought too. Turns out I was wrong. The reasons above? Well I do have lots of free time...that I'd rather spend playing with Kaleb. I have no reason to procrastinate...therefore I spend less time messing around on the computer. And as for logging on for fun instead of drudgery? Well see reason number one for that answer. Why log on at all when there are munchkins to be tickled, and cars to be raced?
So I've been MIA for a little while. My last two posts I actually scheduled, so technically I've been off of Blogger for going on a week now. And I'm starting to go through a little withdrawal :)
I was planning to get some posts started today, but that idea went right out the window when Kaleb woke up with the worst diaper rash he's ever had.
And he's had some doozies letmetellyou. On top of that, he and I are both battling nasty colds so he spent most of the day cuddling with me (loved it!).
My poor baby had such a sore butt that he literally did not sit down all day. He either stood, leaned against me, or laid on his tummy all day. Poor kid. I felt so bad for him. One of the worst things about being a mommy (IMHO) is not being able to fix whatever's wrong, and make your baby feel better. Seeing him cry in pain just from changing a diaper is enough to make me cry!
On a good note, though, Kaleb's verbal skills are improving by leaps and bounds almost daily. He understands so much, but I was starting to worry about how little he was verbalizing. I shouldn't've worried, apparently. He's spouting off new words (unfortunately one of them today was 'ow') and starting to put two words together ('mama ball?' usually means he threw his ball down the stairs and wants me to go get it, and 'uh-oh nooo' usually means I need to go check out the damage).
Today he was obsessed with the refrigerator. "Ball?" he'd ask. I can assure you there was not a ball in there. There was, however, a round red tomato. There's no convincing him, however. Later today there was a bowl full of white balls in there (or as we adults call them, hardboiled eggs), and that's what he kept asking for.
"Ball?"
"Honey, that's not a ball, it's an egg...would you like an egg?"
"Ball?"
"Sweetie, it's not a...*sigh* do you want a ball?"
"Haaa" (with a big smile and the sign for please--means yes)
At least he's got the concept down, right?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Don't cry over spilled tater tots
In my last post, I was writing about how uncertain I am about how to be the best parent to Kaleb. I want to parent him lovingly and effectively, without overindulging or smothering.
This idea has been nagging me for a while, and it only grows as Kaleb does. Now that he's more mobile, and more aware of cause and effect, and is pushing limits (because that's what he's supposed to do at this age), I worry that I'm going to default to the way I was raised. With the yelling, and the controlling, and the making big deals out of little things. I believe that being conscious of that fear is an important step, but I feel the need to be more proactive with it. Never more so than after dinner Saturday night.
I spent most of the day working on a final paper due for school. I went upstairs to make dinner, and while I was working on the sloppy joes Martin got tater tots out of the freezer and put them on a cookie sheet on the counter. He set the oven to preheat and went back into the living room. During this time Kaleb was wandering around with his latest favorite toy. The broom.
Yes, the broom.
He's so cute walking around sweeping everything he can. He holds the very end of the broom handle and pushes it around in front of him. Adorable.
So I got the sloppy joes going, the oven was preheating, the boys were all in the living room, and I had to run back downstairs to the family room to check an email I knew had come in. Suddenly I heard what sounded like a bunch of marbles hit the floor. I knew right away what it was, but not what caused it (it's sometimes hard to tell around here, what with a sometimes klutzy teenager, a toddler, six cats, and two dogs).
I ran upstairs and got to the kitchen the same time Martin finally walked over from the living room. On my way up the stairs I heard Kaleb saying "Ooooh" which is his "uh-oh" that usually means he did something. When I walked into the kitchen I see the broom on the floor...along with a cookie sheet and frozen tater tots. My poor baby knew that what had happened wasn't a good thing, and I could tell he was upset, but I was also sure he didn't intend to knock the tray on the floor.
Martin right away got upset and I could tell he was going to start yelling. Over tater tots. Tater tots! The whole 5lb bag cost $5, and we were down to the last 2 servings so it's not like Kaleb knocked a ming vase off the counter. It was a cookie sheet of tater tots. Add to that the fact that I'm sure it was an accident, and I don't see the good that could come from making a 16 month old feel terrible about accidentally knocking something off the counter.
Normally I would just let Martin yell and get upset and just stay out of the way until he decided to calm down and act rationally. But when I walked in and saw the look in our son's eyes it broke my heart. What I saw in those little brown eyes was that he knew he knocked the cookie sheet down, he knew that it wasn't a good thing that had happened, and he already felt badly. He saw Martin getting worked up and was getting ready to start crying. I stepped in, told him it was ok, I knew it was an accident, that we'd clean it up and everything would be ok. He helped me clean up the mess, and everything was fine. It got me thinking though...
What about down the road when it's not a situation as simple as tater tots accidentally knocked off the counter? How will I handle it when he starts acting purposefully defiant (which he will--he got a double dose of stubborn, like my best friend likes to say), or when he starts pushing limits even more? How do I parent him without controlling him, without screwing him up, and without ever making him feel like he's worthless for making the mistakes that he will make--that we all do? How do I get Martin on board so Kaleb has consistency?
The short answer is: I don't know.
But I'm determined, and on a mission to figure it out. I have a few ideas, and a few resources that were suggested, so I'm going to check them out. You can be sure you'll hear about my (our) progress :)
For now, though, I'm off. I'm ready to be finished with school for a while (a whole month!!), and to have time to just breathe again.
Cute pictures coming soon :D
This idea has been nagging me for a while, and it only grows as Kaleb does. Now that he's more mobile, and more aware of cause and effect, and is pushing limits (because that's what he's supposed to do at this age), I worry that I'm going to default to the way I was raised. With the yelling, and the controlling, and the making big deals out of little things. I believe that being conscious of that fear is an important step, but I feel the need to be more proactive with it. Never more so than after dinner Saturday night.
I spent most of the day working on a final paper due for school. I went upstairs to make dinner, and while I was working on the sloppy joes Martin got tater tots out of the freezer and put them on a cookie sheet on the counter. He set the oven to preheat and went back into the living room. During this time Kaleb was wandering around with his latest favorite toy. The broom.
Yes, the broom.
He's so cute walking around sweeping everything he can. He holds the very end of the broom handle and pushes it around in front of him. Adorable.
So I got the sloppy joes going, the oven was preheating, the boys were all in the living room, and I had to run back downstairs to the family room to check an email I knew had come in. Suddenly I heard what sounded like a bunch of marbles hit the floor. I knew right away what it was, but not what caused it (it's sometimes hard to tell around here, what with a sometimes klutzy teenager, a toddler, six cats, and two dogs).
I ran upstairs and got to the kitchen the same time Martin finally walked over from the living room. On my way up the stairs I heard Kaleb saying "Ooooh" which is his "uh-oh" that usually means he did something. When I walked into the kitchen I see the broom on the floor...along with a cookie sheet and frozen tater tots. My poor baby knew that what had happened wasn't a good thing, and I could tell he was upset, but I was also sure he didn't intend to knock the tray on the floor.
Martin right away got upset and I could tell he was going to start yelling. Over tater tots. Tater tots! The whole 5lb bag cost $5, and we were down to the last 2 servings so it's not like Kaleb knocked a ming vase off the counter. It was a cookie sheet of tater tots. Add to that the fact that I'm sure it was an accident, and I don't see the good that could come from making a 16 month old feel terrible about accidentally knocking something off the counter.
Normally I would just let Martin yell and get upset and just stay out of the way until he decided to calm down and act rationally. But when I walked in and saw the look in our son's eyes it broke my heart. What I saw in those little brown eyes was that he knew he knocked the cookie sheet down, he knew that it wasn't a good thing that had happened, and he already felt badly. He saw Martin getting worked up and was getting ready to start crying. I stepped in, told him it was ok, I knew it was an accident, that we'd clean it up and everything would be ok. He helped me clean up the mess, and everything was fine. It got me thinking though...
What about down the road when it's not a situation as simple as tater tots accidentally knocked off the counter? How will I handle it when he starts acting purposefully defiant (which he will--he got a double dose of stubborn, like my best friend likes to say), or when he starts pushing limits even more? How do I parent him without controlling him, without screwing him up, and without ever making him feel like he's worthless for making the mistakes that he will make--that we all do? How do I get Martin on board so Kaleb has consistency?
The short answer is: I don't know.
But I'm determined, and on a mission to figure it out. I have a few ideas, and a few resources that were suggested, so I'm going to check them out. You can be sure you'll hear about my (our) progress :)
For now, though, I'm off. I'm ready to be finished with school for a while (a whole month!!), and to have time to just breathe again.
Cute pictures coming soon :D
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Mad skills
Parenting skills, that is.
There have been many times since learning that I was pregnant with Kaleb (and before that, even) that I wondered if I would be a good mother. I mean I love kids, and obviously love my son, and know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt him intentionally (or try to screw him up). But I feel like at some point most parents seem to default, in some way, back the the parenting style they were raised with.
That idea doesn't sit well with me. I was raised by an abusive mother. When my brother and I were little it was more physical abuse, and as we got older (after she was forced to leave our home under the threat of losing custody) it became more verbal and emotional. I grew up with lots of yelling--that seemed to be the norm in my house. Yelling and swearing.
Big things, little things, everything that my mom saw as wrong or irritating or whatever was met with yelling and put-downs and all the rest. Thankfully my mom was able to change (after some strong boundary setting on my part and hard work on hers) and we now have a good relationship. I've forgiven her and we've moved on. I completely trust when she and my dad take Kaleb for the weekend that he is in nothing but good, loving hands. I only bring this up to provide a little background.
So that's where I'm coming from. Martin comes from a home that was led by a single mom who worked 2-3 jobs at a time to support the family. Martin was largely raised by his two older siblings (six and seven years older than he), and then was pretty much on his own from junior high on. He didn't have a mother there to parent him all the time, and definitely made a lot of bad choices he might otherwise not have made.
I don't say this to put Martin's mom down--she did the best she could with what she had, and I admire how hard of a worker she is. She has said many times that she regrets many of the parenting decisions that she made at the time. But we all know you can't go back, so there is no choice but to move forward. I feel like Martin is a good father, but there are areas where I really don't agree with how he handles things.
I somehow turned out ok, but I wonder how to be a good parent to Kaleb and teach him all the things I somehow learned in spite of the control tactics, yelling, screaming, etc. I want him to grow up knowing beyond a doubt that he is loved no matter what he does, but I also want him to grow up to be a strong, trustworthy, righteous man.
This is getting to be a little long, so I think I will leave the how I will go about doing that for another post. Stay tuned...
There have been many times since learning that I was pregnant with Kaleb (and before that, even) that I wondered if I would be a good mother. I mean I love kids, and obviously love my son, and know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt him intentionally (or try to screw him up). But I feel like at some point most parents seem to default, in some way, back the the parenting style they were raised with.
That idea doesn't sit well with me. I was raised by an abusive mother. When my brother and I were little it was more physical abuse, and as we got older (after she was forced to leave our home under the threat of losing custody) it became more verbal and emotional. I grew up with lots of yelling--that seemed to be the norm in my house. Yelling and swearing.
Big things, little things, everything that my mom saw as wrong or irritating or whatever was met with yelling and put-downs and all the rest. Thankfully my mom was able to change (after some strong boundary setting on my part and hard work on hers) and we now have a good relationship. I've forgiven her and we've moved on. I completely trust when she and my dad take Kaleb for the weekend that he is in nothing but good, loving hands. I only bring this up to provide a little background.
So that's where I'm coming from. Martin comes from a home that was led by a single mom who worked 2-3 jobs at a time to support the family. Martin was largely raised by his two older siblings (six and seven years older than he), and then was pretty much on his own from junior high on. He didn't have a mother there to parent him all the time, and definitely made a lot of bad choices he might otherwise not have made.
I don't say this to put Martin's mom down--she did the best she could with what she had, and I admire how hard of a worker she is. She has said many times that she regrets many of the parenting decisions that she made at the time. But we all know you can't go back, so there is no choice but to move forward. I feel like Martin is a good father, but there are areas where I really don't agree with how he handles things.
I somehow turned out ok, but I wonder how to be a good parent to Kaleb and teach him all the things I somehow learned in spite of the control tactics, yelling, screaming, etc. I want him to grow up knowing beyond a doubt that he is loved no matter what he does, but I also want him to grow up to be a strong, trustworthy, righteous man.
This is getting to be a little long, so I think I will leave the how I will go about doing that for another post. Stay tuned...
Me? Procrastinate? Never.
Because we all know I don't procrastinate... Never!
So it's the middle of the night, and I should be studying. Well, I really should be sleeping, but I procrastinated writing my final paper for Ethics, and put off studying much for my theory final and Ethics final that are both on Monday. So I've been sitting on the couch for most of the day, laptop in lap, writing mystupid Ethics paper.
And yes, it is as exciting as it sounds...
What would one write if they were to write an Ethics paper, you ask? Ok, so you didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway. Our instructor gave us a few scenarios to choose from, or we could pick our own ethical dilemma (but really, who has the brain power for that so near the end of the semester? I mean, really), then we have to argue for whatever side we choose to take on that dilemma, and support it with at least two of the theories we studied this semester.
Ok. I should not be writing anything. Did you read that lastrun on sentence? I should not be left unsupervised right now...
So the scenario I chose was that I have to pick between saving the life of one child or 100 adults. I cannot choose both. Whichever I don't choose will die. I know a few people picked that same topic, and most picked that they would choose to save the 100 adults. This goes back to a principle proposed by John Stuart Mill among others, of utilitarianism. Basically, the more ethical choice is the one that brings about the greatest good to the greatest number of people.
Based on that, it would seem logical to save the 100. After all, 100 is more than one, thereby fulfilling the basic premise of the theory, right?
Well, yeah, probably. But I chose to go one step further and say that I would not choose to save the 100 adults. I also would not choose the one child. Strictly using the view supported by Mill it would seem that saving the 100 adults would bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people. After all, 100 people would get to keep their lives.
But what if those 100 adults were people who were chosen specifically for the fact that they have no living relatives, and no other social relationships? And what if the one child had a large extended family (think Duggar sized), with strong social ties. Letting the 100 adults perish would affect 100 people. Choosing to let the child die could affect many more than that.
And now I have officially blogged more about my paper than I've actually written...
On that note, I leave to finish my outline that's also due (because apparently this is elementary school english class, not a college level Ethics class), and to throw some more of my paper together.
Sorry this wasn't the most interesting post. I will be returning to the regularly scheduledbroadcast posting (and munchkin cuteness of course) shortly.
P.S. Speaking of the Duggars, if you haven't heard, Michelle Duggar gave birth to her 19th child this week. Baby Josie was born prematurely, and is currently in the NICU. No matter what your thoughts on the size of their family, please take a moment to say a prayer (or send positive thoughts, or do whatever you do) for the Duggar family and their new baby girl.
So it's the middle of the night, and I should be studying. Well, I really should be sleeping, but I procrastinated writing my final paper for Ethics, and put off studying much for my theory final and Ethics final that are both on Monday. So I've been sitting on the couch for most of the day, laptop in lap, writing my
And yes, it is as exciting as it sounds...
What would one write if they were to write an Ethics paper, you ask? Ok, so you didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway. Our instructor gave us a few scenarios to choose from, or we could pick our own ethical dilemma (but really, who has the brain power for that so near the end of the semester? I mean, really), then we have to argue for whatever side we choose to take on that dilemma, and support it with at least two of the theories we studied this semester.
Ok. I should not be writing anything. Did you read that last
So the scenario I chose was that I have to pick between saving the life of one child or 100 adults. I cannot choose both. Whichever I don't choose will die. I know a few people picked that same topic, and most picked that they would choose to save the 100 adults. This goes back to a principle proposed by John Stuart Mill among others, of utilitarianism. Basically, the more ethical choice is the one that brings about the greatest good to the greatest number of people.
Based on that, it would seem logical to save the 100. After all, 100 is more than one, thereby fulfilling the basic premise of the theory, right?
Well, yeah, probably. But I chose to go one step further and say that I would not choose to save the 100 adults. I also would not choose the one child. Strictly using the view supported by Mill it would seem that saving the 100 adults would bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people. After all, 100 people would get to keep their lives.
But what if those 100 adults were people who were chosen specifically for the fact that they have no living relatives, and no other social relationships? And what if the one child had a large extended family (think Duggar sized), with strong social ties. Letting the 100 adults perish would affect 100 people. Choosing to let the child die could affect many more than that.
And now I have officially blogged more about my paper than I've actually written...
On that note, I leave to finish my outline that's also due (because apparently this is elementary school english class, not a college level Ethics class), and to throw some more of my paper together.
Sorry this wasn't the most interesting post. I will be returning to the regularly scheduled
P.S. Speaking of the Duggars, if you haven't heard, Michelle Duggar gave birth to her 19th child this week. Baby Josie was born prematurely, and is currently in the NICU. No matter what your thoughts on the size of their family, please take a moment to say a prayer (or send positive thoughts, or do whatever you do) for the Duggar family and their new baby girl.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Kaleb and his daddy
Kaleb loves his daddy. I love to see the two of them together (although i have to frequently remind Martin that Kaleb will do things just to be like daddy). It's hard to get pictures of them together, though, because Martin usually hides when I bring the camera out.
Kaleb has started giving a big cheesy grin when I aim the camera (or my phone) at him. Is that a sign I've been taking too many pictures?
Nah.
Kaleb has started giving a big cheesy grin when I aim the camera (or my phone) at him. Is that a sign I've been taking too many pictures?
Nah.
Anyway, the other day I was able to get a couple pictures of Kaleb playing with Martin.
Here Kaleb is attempting to trade his nuk for a sip of daddy's strawberry shake:
Score!!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Steamroll
I wanted to put some pictures up, but sadly realized that the last time I took pictures of the munchkin was on Halloween. I'll have to get on that.
When Kaleb was younger, he started doing this thing where he would give you a hug, then a kiss, then he would put his shoulder into you and roll over you. We started calling it the steamroll. He doesn't do it as much anymore, unless we ask him too. Sad, but I guess it would be awkward if he greeted his first school friends with a steamroll. Although he did try to steamroll a kid at the library about a month ago. I was torn between laughing because it was cute and funny, and telling him to stop because we shouldn't steamroll people we don't know. I opted for the latter, but it would have been funny :)
So I present to you the steamroll:
When Kaleb was younger, he started doing this thing where he would give you a hug, then a kiss, then he would put his shoulder into you and roll over you. We started calling it the steamroll. He doesn't do it as much anymore, unless we ask him too. Sad, but I guess it would be awkward if he greeted his first school friends with a steamroll. Although he did try to steamroll a kid at the library about a month ago. I was torn between laughing because it was cute and funny, and telling him to stop because we shouldn't steamroll people we don't know. I opted for the latter, but it would have been funny :)
So I present to you the steamroll:
That's my munchkin :)
Updates
I don't really have much to write about today. My brain is mush after two days of OB clinicals. I did get to be in the OR during a C-section, though, so that was pretty dang cool. And I got to sit and cuddle a one day old baby while mom took a shower (the hospital we were at doesn't have a healthy newborn nursery). That was awesome. And did nothing to cool my baby fever...
Since I don't have much of substance to write about, I thought I'd just do a jumble of cute (I think) Kaleb updates.
We've been working forever with him on body parts. Usually, though, if I ask him to point to something he'll just giggle at me. The other day though, Martin asked him to point to his nose, and he did. So we decided to see how much he had really picked up. So far he knows nose, ears, eyes, mouth, teeth, tongue, feet, fingers, and head. He's so proud of himself too, it's adorable.
Kaleb's new favorite thing is throwing his diaper in the garbage after he gets changed. The first time we asked him to do it (jokingly) he picked it up, toddled over to the trash, tossed it in, and looked to see our reactions. We clapped and told him how well he did, so now he'll throw it away, then start clapping for himself. Unfortunately we've had to start doing frequent trash can checks for things that shouldn't be in there...
My parents took Kaleb from Thanksgiving day until Sunday. He was nearly inconsolable when they left to go home after dropping him off. I love that he loves his namma and papa so much.
There are more updates, but I think I'll add them to another post at a later date. It's almost time for the munchkin to wake up from his nap.
Since I don't have much of substance to write about, I thought I'd just do a jumble of cute (I think) Kaleb updates.
We've been working forever with him on body parts. Usually, though, if I ask him to point to something he'll just giggle at me. The other day though, Martin asked him to point to his nose, and he did. So we decided to see how much he had really picked up. So far he knows nose, ears, eyes, mouth, teeth, tongue, feet, fingers, and head. He's so proud of himself too, it's adorable.
Kaleb's new favorite thing is throwing his diaper in the garbage after he gets changed. The first time we asked him to do it (jokingly) he picked it up, toddled over to the trash, tossed it in, and looked to see our reactions. We clapped and told him how well he did, so now he'll throw it away, then start clapping for himself. Unfortunately we've had to start doing frequent trash can checks for things that shouldn't be in there...
My parents took Kaleb from Thanksgiving day until Sunday. He was nearly inconsolable when they left to go home after dropping him off. I love that he loves his namma and papa so much.
There are more updates, but I think I'll add them to another post at a later date. It's almost time for the munchkin to wake up from his nap.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Over the river and through the woods....
...to Grandmother's house we go.
A tea party with Lilly:
A tea party with Lilly:
Getting ready for bed:
Favorite bedtime story:
His stubborn face lol:
Snack time:
Watching Papa set up Thomas to ride on. Not a fan, apparently. They got him on for one time around the track and he was done:
Just love his face in this one. And I love that his favorite toys are still books:
Thanks Giving
I have so many things to give thanks for this year. My family and I are (relatively) healthy, I'm in school and able to work towards a career I'm loving more every day, I'm close with my family and have plenty of friends to rely on in good and bad times. My life is no where near perfect, or even where I would like it to be right now, but I'm working on it. I know that life is a journey, not a destination, and I've had many detours so far. It's ok, though, it makes me who I am.
We had a good Thanksgiving this year, for the most part. We ended up with entirely too much food, but the leftovers are being put to good use. We had a big turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, french onion and green bean casserole, cheesy potato bake, Hawaiian rolls, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and homemade cranberry sauce. It was a busy day to say the least. I had my mom there to help me juggle everything, so it all went pretty smoothly.
I feel like I can't focus tonight... My parents took Kaleb back with them on Thursday night. My mom was going to meet me tomorrow night to hand him back off, but they decided to bring him back today instead. My dad bought a new truck (well to him--I hardly call 237,000 miles new) on Saturday and they have to get some paperwork done on that tomorrow, so they brought him today.
Poor little munchkin bawled his eyes out when they left. He was brave and waved bye-bye when they were getting ready to leave, but once they walked out the door and left for real he lost it. I felt bad, but I love that he loves his Namma and Papa so much.
I always miss my boy when he's gone, but I know he has a good time, and this visit my parents had my niece Lilly too, and those two are the best little friends it's adorable. It was kind of nice to have a few munchkin free days too. I got up early (1:30 early) to help Martin with the paper routes, then we called and woke his mom up. He and I ran to Old Navy ($5 fleeces!!!) then back to pick his mom up, then to Kohl's. After Kohl's we decided we were in the shopping mood and checked out Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target. While I can't say we contributed much to the economy, it was fun to get out and do something spontaneous for a change :)
Later in the afternoon we took Martin's mom to see a movie. She chose The Blind Side, and if you haven't seen it, I think you should. It was a long day, and I was in bed and snoring (according to Martin, but I think he exaggerates) by 9:30 that night. A full night of sleep felt fantastic! Saturday we decided to make the trek out to IKEA and brought Martin's mom along again since she'd never been. She claims she's sick of us now.
I don't have much else to write for now--I've been fighting a headache all day and I'm afraid it's going into migraine mode. It's really hard to concentrate and focus, which is unfortunate since I still have a ton of homework to do tonight. Martin's been entertaining the munchkin and now it's dinner time, so off I go.
We had a good Thanksgiving this year, for the most part. We ended up with entirely too much food, but the leftovers are being put to good use. We had a big turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, french onion and green bean casserole, cheesy potato bake, Hawaiian rolls, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and homemade cranberry sauce. It was a busy day to say the least. I had my mom there to help me juggle everything, so it all went pretty smoothly.
I feel like I can't focus tonight... My parents took Kaleb back with them on Thursday night. My mom was going to meet me tomorrow night to hand him back off, but they decided to bring him back today instead. My dad bought a new truck (well to him--I hardly call 237,000 miles new) on Saturday and they have to get some paperwork done on that tomorrow, so they brought him today.
Poor little munchkin bawled his eyes out when they left. He was brave and waved bye-bye when they were getting ready to leave, but once they walked out the door and left for real he lost it. I felt bad, but I love that he loves his Namma and Papa so much.
I always miss my boy when he's gone, but I know he has a good time, and this visit my parents had my niece Lilly too, and those two are the best little friends it's adorable. It was kind of nice to have a few munchkin free days too. I got up early (1:30 early) to help Martin with the paper routes, then we called and woke his mom up. He and I ran to Old Navy ($5 fleeces!!!) then back to pick his mom up, then to Kohl's. After Kohl's we decided we were in the shopping mood and checked out Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target. While I can't say we contributed much to the economy, it was fun to get out and do something spontaneous for a change :)
Later in the afternoon we took Martin's mom to see a movie. She chose The Blind Side, and if you haven't seen it, I think you should. It was a long day, and I was in bed and snoring (according to Martin, but I think he exaggerates) by 9:30 that night. A full night of sleep felt fantastic! Saturday we decided to make the trek out to IKEA and brought Martin's mom along again since she'd never been. She claims she's sick of us now.
I don't have much else to write for now--I've been fighting a headache all day and I'm afraid it's going into migraine mode. It's really hard to concentrate and focus, which is unfortunate since I still have a ton of homework to do tonight. Martin's been entertaining the munchkin and now it's dinner time, so off I go.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Baby Fever
Working L&D (labor and delivery) and post partum, even just one day, has given me a severe case of baby fever.
That is all.
P.S. I have plans to catch up (writing, that is) later this week.
That is all.
P.S. I have plans to catch up (writing, that is) later this week.
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