She's Home

Good news today. Sarah was given clearance to come home. I picked her up today around 4. I'll let her write a little more on her experience tomorrow. She has slept a fair amount and went to bed early.
She still has quite a bit of pain, but they seem to have the nausea taken care of.
Thank you for all of your prayers. Hopefully she heals quickly and is able to play with the kids soon.

Another Tough Day

She still isn't home. The good news is that the pain has lessened over last night. It has turned into more of the ache you would expect to have a day after surgery. However, she still is constantly nauseous and can't seem to keep anything down. She has been able to walk a few times around the hallways.
I was able to spend the day with her because my wonderful mother was able to take the day off of work to watch the kids (don't feel to bad for her, I think she enjoyed it).
The nurses think there are a few possibilities for the cause of the nausea. First of all, it could still be the anesthetic from the surgery. Some people do not react well to it and it can cause nausea. The other possibility is that there is a section of her intestines that haven't woken up since the surgery. Apparently the surgery on the abdomen causes your digestive system to shut down. It takes some people's bodies longer to wake up than others. She can help to wake it up by walking as much as possible. This will help to get the digestive juices flowing.
Whatever it is, hopefully it works soon because she has just been miserable for the last day and a half.
I am staying home with the kids tomorrow. I was fortunate to have a holiday vacation both Thursday and Friday so I'll be home to take care of things here while she is recovering.
Keep up those prayers.

Tough Day

It's been a tough day for Sarah. As she wrote yesterday, after her visit with the surgeon she was scheduled to have her gallbladder removed today. Sarah's mother Dorothy was kind enough to come and watch the boys while we were gone. We were told by the surgeon that normally the surgery takes about 35 or 45 minutes and the patient sticks around the hospital for another 3 or 4 hours and they are free to go home.
I was able to take off of work today and took Sarah in to the hospital. She was in really good spirits this morning (you are optimistic when you think you will actually be able to eat a meal after 5 days of eating nothing). The surgeon came back after the surgery and let me know that it went well, but her gallbladder was even bigger than they thought. Apparently it was 3 times the size it should have been and was really inflamed. He also brought in the gallstones that were plugging the tube that leads to her stomach. There were 11 stones (that's a lot).
However, when she came out from under the anesthesia she was in a lot of pain immediately. Pain is to be expected. Even though they were able to perform a laparoscopic surgery and there were only 4 small incisions, it is still major surgery. Her pain, however, didn't lessen over the next few hours. She remained at about a pain level of 6 (she rated the pain of childbirth at a 10). Also she had a lot of nausea. This level of pain persisted despite the IV pain medication and oral pain meds. Nothing was taking it away.
At around 4 the nurses started talking about keeping her at the hospital for the night. They thought that they could monitor her pain and medications better there. Sarah and I agreed. She is there tonight. I had to come home to take over with the kids so that Dorothy could go home for the night. When I left, Sarah still rated the pain at a 5 or 6 when I left and she was still nauseous. Because of the pain she hasn't been able to sleep at all today. She really needs the rest after the surgery. I am hoping the pain subsides over night and she is able to come home in the morning.
Overall, not a great day. I can tell you that we were both hoping for a much easier day. Please pray for her. My mom was nice enough to take the day off tomorrow and she will watch the kids while I go and get Sarah (assuming she is released from the hospital).

Change of Plans!

Evan is such a great husband. I am one of those people who doesn't like to make a fuss and will basically just roll with whatever punches are dolled out to me. Evan is not one of those people and when I told him that I couldn't get in to see a surgeon until January 6th, I heard him get more riled than I've heard him in a while. Evan got on the phone and went to bat for his wife. He raised some hell and clarified a few points with the surgeon's office and the next thing I knew, I had an appointment for 2:30 this afternoon. My consult with the surgeon resulted in us scheduling the surgery to have my gallbladder removed tomorrow!

Thank you for fighting for me, Evan! I am so happy I won't have to wait any longer to feel a whole lot better.

I'll try to touch base tomorrow when I get home from the hospital. Wish me luck!

And now we wait.

The good news? I did go to the clinic this morning and was put in touch with a surgeon.

The bad news? I can't get an appointment to see a surgeon until January 6th. So it looks like I'm just going to have to tough it out for a while. I did get some more pain medication so I am ready if I experience more attacks (which I am sure I will). In the meantime, I will be living off of applesauce.

The silver lining? Maybe I'll lose some weight! :)

Heading to the Clinic

I managed to get an appointment at our clinic for this morning at 7:20. Evan is bringing Isaiah to his babysitter so I will only have Micah to manage during my appointment. I'm not really sure what to expect as far as this visit goes, especially since my regular doc is on vacation so they got me an appointment with the on-call doc. All I know is that I hope we are able to get the surgery scheduled sooner rather than later because I have already used up all the Vicodin I was given in the ER over the weekend to manage the several attacks I experienced. I hate going through my days being too afraid to eat, but the fear of another attack is strong enough to deter me from eating anything even remotely questionable.

I look forward to sharing some good news after I return!

A Holiday in the Hospital

When the clock struck midnight on Christmas Eve, I was in a triage room of the emergency room at Waupun Memorial Hospital. I'll spare you all the gory details, but I basically had another attack/episode similar to the ones I wrote about in my previous post. This time, it was the worst one yet and I found myself violently vomiting. So, my in-laws brought me in the the E.R. and I got some morphine for the pain and a CT scan to try to figure out what the problem was. Sure enough, I have gallstones. Long story short, I was able to come back home after a very painful and tiring evening and get some sleep. Even though I only had a half of a dry english muffin for breakfast this morning, I still had another attack that led to more vomiting. So, while my family got to attend the Christmas feast at my husband's aunt's house, I was laying on a couch trying to sleep through the pain.

We are now safe and sound back in our own home and I've eaten next to nothing all day. I plan on calling our clinic right away tomorrow to see when I can get in to see my regular doctor, but based on the increasing frequency and intensity of these attacks, it would appear that surgery is going to be needed. Thankfully, gallbladder removal surgeries are some of the most common procedures done all the time, so I am just looking forward to feeling better soon.

In the meantime, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas that was free of emergency room visits and vomiting. :)

Safe, Sound and Tired

We made it back home safe and sound and the roads were actually perfect for our drive. However, we did have a somewhat difficult first night here at Grandpa & Grandma's house. Evan was up with Micah until 1:30 in the morning!!! Typically he will eat around 10:30 or 11:00 and then go to sleep until morning, but this particular evening he decided to stay wide awake until the wee hours. Evan was not impressed. Meanwhile, I was laying in bed downstairs in quite a bit of pain, feeling similar stomach pains to what I've been hit with over the past week and a half. No fun. Evan got to sleep around 1:45 am, but I was awake until after 3:00 am. Micah woke up to eat at 6:15.

I am tired.

Sleepiness aside, Merry Christmas!! We've had a great day so far and I'm really looking forward to the next day and a half of festivities. I'm a little anxious about the condition of the roads for when we're supposed to drive back home Friday night, but I guess we will cross that bridge when it comes. Say a short prayer for our safe travels!

Wordless Wednesday - Wisconsin Christmas Edition

Merry Christmas!

We are leaving tomorrow to head back to the hometown for our three day Christmas extravaganza, so I'm not sure if I will be posting much over the next couple of days. It's looking like our area is going to be hit with a decent amount of snow, so hopefully travel won't be too disgusting. I am really super excited for this Christmas since Isaiah is another year older and actually "gets" the concept of opening gifts now and he absolutely LOVES hanging out with family. It will be such a treat to see him really enjoy this Christmas!

Travel safe if you're hitting the roads and from our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!

P.S. Isn't that Little People nativity set just the cutest??

Now I'm starting to Wonder......

For the second Sunday evening in a row, I found myself doubled over with extreme abdominal pain, nausea, and back pain. It starts as just kind of a ball of pain in my gut, akin to what you might expect if you had a nasty gas bubble, but it quickly escalates until it feels like someone has tied my insides into a knot and continues to twist/pull on them. Combine this with the horrible back pain and feeling like I'm about to go throw up and it makes for a rather unpleasant experience. This was the second time in as many weeks that this has hit me. Eventually, after writhing in pain for a while and spending some time on the bathroom floor, I was able to fall asleep and basically "sleep it off." I woke up this morning (and last Monday morning) with just a lingering feeling like someone had kicked me in the stomach.

If something like this were to just happen the one time, I would consider it a fluke. Something I ate, perhaps. However, with it coming on again a second time, I can't help but start to wonder if something more serious is going on here.

Go Diego Go!

One of Isaiah's favorite TV shows is "Go Diego Go!" on Nickelodeon. He dances & sings along with the theme song and will actually go point at the TV when it is off and ask for "Deego?" I love this show too and I actually enjoy watching Isaiah watching it because he has been learning a ton of new words from it. Here's just a few of the things I heard come out of his mouth during a Diego viewing the other morning:

"Go Deego Go!"

"Hola!"

"All better."

"Hola Alicia!" (Diego's sister)

"Clap clap clap!"

"Help!"

"Jump!"

"Balloon!"

That's all I can remember right now, but I know there were more. And I forgot to mention that he is also copying the animal sounds he hears on Diego too: jaguar, whale, monkey, birds, all kinds of stuff! I tried to take a video of him, but he got wise and tried to steal the camera. I'll keep trying though!

Inside the Male Mind

I know they always say that if women don't understand men, then they're just thinking too hard. I agree with this, but I can't help but wonder about some of the things men do. Now, this is not meant to be a post full of complaints (Evan, pay attention to that distinction). I've just noticed some things over the past few years of married life that, as a woman, I don't understand. Through conversations with other women, I have found that the men in their life tend to do these things too and their wives/girlfriends are equally confused. Help us out, guys!

• If a man empties a toilet paper roll, he will ususally do one of two things: 1. Leave the empty roll for the next poor sucker who uses the toilet. 2. Grab a new roll and set it on top of the empty roll. Seriously!!??



• The process of "rinse and stack" seems to be too involved for most men. They prefer the "eat and leave wherever I want" method, which inevitably leads to dried on food and a more difficult dishwashing experience later. However, since it is assumed that the woman will be doing the dishes anyway, this is not a factor in the decision.



• They prefer throwing things in the toilet than in the garbage. Q-tips are a favorite here. Even though the garbage can is directly adjacent to the toilet, it remains the preferred receptacle. This one boggles me.



• Men hate pillows. I even heard my favorite radio morning show talking about this one. Men get genuinely annoyed when there are "too many" pillows on the bed or on the couch. What's not to like about pillows? They're fluffly, comfy, and make the object they're on look nice!



• It doesn't matter how many hampers are strategically placed throughout your home; dirty laundry goes on the floor. Bedroom floor, bathroom floor, laundry room floor - all favorite drop zones. Why is this so much more appealing than the hampers?

There are my observations! Ladies, anything to add? Men, care to help decode any of these mysteries? Oh wait...my husband is the only dude that reads this blog so not much chance of that one!! Love you, honey!

The Walmart Effect - Part 2

A while back, I wrote a post about what I called "The Walmart Effect." I think I may have to turn this into a series or something because it seems like every time I go to Walmart, I have more to add. The latest addition comes from a trip to Walmart on Wednesday. I was waiting in line at the customer service desk to return some T-shirts I had bought for Evan. As I was in the process of my return, the associate's walkie-talkie came on and the following exchange took place:

Male voice: Hey Abby, do we carry (pause) pork chitterlings? (He pronounced it chit-lins)

Female associate: Say that again?

Male voice: Um, I've got a lady here who wants to know if we have pork chitterlings. I don't even know what those are.

Me: Tell him he doesn't want to know.

Female associate: I'll check with Mark. To Mark: Do you know what he's talking about?

Mark (guy who is doing my return): (Said with a sideways grin on his face) I think so and I agree with her (pointing to me). Tell him no, we don't carry them and he really doesn't want to know what they are.

Funny stuff! I had a bunch of images running through my head of this poor guy trying to deal with the woman asking him if Walmart carries pig intestines. As it turns out, Walmart does not carry everything.

Parenting is Hard

I'm having a not so great parenting moment. There are so many times that my kids make my heart nearly burst from love overdose and they both provided me with several tonight: Isaiah's impromptu dancing in the kitchen, Micah giggling while I tickled his belly, Isaiah leaning his head into my shoulder and suddenly deciding he wants a kiss. I live for those moments.

However, there were several moments from tonight that have left me feeling frustrated rather than fulfilled. We're still struggling with bedtime issues and it is seriously stressing me out. The nightmares are happening a little less often now, but the actual going to bed part is getting more problematic. I will lay Isaiah down and he won't fly off the handle, but will point to the chair next to his bed and say "Sit." He wants us to sit next to his bed for a few minutes until he falls asleep. I did this last night and he was asleep within 5 minutes. Tonight I figured I would try to be a little more strict and told Isaiah he could go to sleep on his own. I left the room and he proceeded to scream his head off. I paced the living room and asked Evan what he thought I should do. His response of, "Whatever you think is best" was less than helpful. When I finally got his opinion out of his mouth, he figured I should just go sit in the chair. What harm is it? So, I gave in and went in to calm Isaiah down. After a couple quick hugs, I sat in the chair and listened to him scream at me for another 4-5 minutes before he calmed down enough to go to sleep.

The whole time I was in the chair, I was trying to recall episodes of Supernanny I've watched to try to get a clue of what to do about this bedtime thing. Is it a terrible, horrible idea to kee up with this whole "sit in the chair" routine or do I quit it cold turkey and deal with the screaming, sleep-deprived kid (and parents!) in the process?

Wordless Wednesday

Merry Christmas!

The Men in my Life

My mother in law sent me this email earlier today and I thought it was really pretty awesome so I stole it to share here. As it turns out, the men in my life are named after some pretty cool guys. (P.S. Evan's middle name is Malachi)

Did you know that Isaiah and Micah and Malachi were the primary prophets that foretold of Jesus coming in the OT? Your boys have quite the legacy of names! Who can dispute the reality of Jesus when the following is true??

4000 BC: Adam and Eve receive the prophecy that the Messiah (Jesus) would be born of a woman.
Promise: Genesis 3:15 – “’I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’”
Fulfillment: Galatians 4:4 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law . . .”

700 BC: Isaiah prophesies that Jesus’ mother would be a virgin who conceived by a miracle and that Jesus would be God who became a man.
Promise: Isaiah 7:14 – “’Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’”
Fulfillment: Matthew 1:18–23 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”

700 BC: Micah prophesies that Jesus would be born in the town of Bethlehem.
Promise: Micah 5:2 – “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days [eternity].”
Fulfillment: Luke 2:1–7 – “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. . . . And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

400 BC: Malachi prophesies that Jesus would enter the temple, which was destroyed in 70 AD, meaning the Messiah had to come before then.
Promise: Malachi 3:1 – “’Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.’”
Fulfillment: Luke 2:25–27 – “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law . .

I did make the joke then that I already feel bad for our third son, Phil. Poor kid is going to feel so left out! (Just joking....no, we are not pregnant. No, we do not intend on naming any future child Phil)

An Official Addiction

My scrapbooking hobby has officially crossed the line from "hobby" to "addiction." How do I know this? Last night I willingly chose to stay up until midnight to scrap. This afternoon I am choosing to postpone my long awaited shower while both boys are napping, to come down to my scraproom.I am absolutely, positively, hopelessly addicted.

Hey, it's cheaper than therapy.

Just another Manic Monday

Ah, the life of a stay-at-home Mommy. Check out how my morning went today:

5:00 am - Micah wakes up for a feeding and I can smell him the second I walk in the room. Awesome. After getting a clean diaper on, he eats and goes back to sleep.

6:40 am - Isaiah wakes up unhappily. He's in his room moaning, "No!! No!! Momma!!!" This typically means that he had a nightmare during the night. I go in and bring him to bed with me to snuggle for a while.

7:00 am - Isaiah decides it is time to get up. We venture out into the living room and I step directly in dog puke. I hobble to the bathroom to wipe off my foot all the while yelling, "Isaiah!! Come with Mommy please!! Don't touch that! Icky! Icky!!!" Grab a rag and the carpet spray. Scrub, scrub, scrub. We are seriously going to need to replace this carpet if we ever intend on selling this house.

7:30 am - Time for breakfast. While Isaiah is eating, I am collecting all the pieces of a chewed up pacifier (also courtesy of the dog) that I have discovered strewn about the house like a scavenger hunt. One more nuk bites the dust.

8:00 am - Micah wakes up and takes a sippy cup to the face. Isaiah had followed me into the bedroom to go get him and he accidentally chucked his sippy cup into the crib. Bullseye!!! Hysterics ensue from both children.

8:30 am - We've all calmed down enough to settle in the living room for Micah to eat his bottle. He wants nothing to do with it, but Isaiah is still feeling bad about having beaned his brother in the melon so he is begging to hold him. I set him up in the corner of the couch and give him Micah. Diego is guest starring on Dora the Explorer today so we might have a shot at a decent morning after all.

9:00 am - Diego sets out to save some baby polar bears and Micah finally eats his bottle. I put him in his swing and he passes out almost right away. Time to get Isaiah bundled up to go outside!

9:15 am - Micah is alseep and Isaiah looks like that kid from "A Christmas Story." We go outside and shovel the snow away from the mailbox so the postman can actually deliver our mail. Isaiah is not a big fan of playing in the snow, but he digs it when you make a snowball and let him throw it. I periodically peek in the house to check on Micah. Brian (the dog) is out on a leash with us.

10:00 am - Time to go inside! I take Brian off the leash and turn toward Isaiah for a second. This is the perfect opportunity and Brian takes off running. I try to call him back, but he's gone. I grab Isaiah and we go treking through the snow to try to find him. Brian is discovered behind a neighbor's house and I pick up him. My toddler quickly also loses interest in walking and so I am now stomping through the snow carrying a dog in my left arm and a kid in my right. When Isaiah realizes I intend on bringing him into the house, he starts to kick me and scream at the top of his lungs. We successfully reach the garage and I close the door.

10:30 am - My phone rings while attempting to strip the snow gear off Isaiah while he continues to throw a tantrum. Since I am distracted by talking to my mother on the phone, Brian runs by me and tracks dirt and snow all over the kitchen floor. I grab him and drag him back into the garage. "Mom...I gotta call you back!" Isaiah and I go attach the dog sprayer to the shower head and get out the dog shampoo and towels. We go and retreive Brian and he gets a bath.

10:45 am - Isaiah "helps" me give Brian a bath. I notice that I really need to clean my shower. I call my mother back while I am quickly mopping the floor to cover Brian's tracks. I have to make her wait a second again while I put a towel under where Brian has decided to sprawl on the couch. Isaiah "helps" me mop the floor by pushing an extra dry mop around. Mom stays on the phone with me while I make the bed, load the washing machine, preheat the oven, and start a pot of coffee.

11:15 am - While Isaiah's fish sticks are cooking in the oven, I am unloading the dishwasher, hand washing Micah's bottles, and cutting up cheese for lunch. Oh yeah....I made coffee!! Pour myself a cup of coffee and realize that I haven't seen Isaiah for five minutes and it's quiet. Uh oh. He is in the bathroom, sitting on his potty and looking at a "Parents" magazine.

11:20 am - Isaiah sits down to eat his lunch and I open the laptop to find 32 unread emails. I decide they can wait and I start to blog about my crazy morning. Wow...Micah is still asleep!

"Isaiah!!! Cheese goes in your mouth, not your nose!!!"

Gotta go.

Veggie Tales Dance

What can I say? The kid likes to dance!

Micah - 3 Months

What a difference a month makes! Micah has developed such a distinct personality in the last month and it's so cool to watch him making new discoveries and learn to use his voice. He's still such a happy baby! Micah - 3 months:

• You are ticklish!! If we tickle your sides or just under your chin, we can actually get you to giggle and wiggle. It's super-cute.



• You love to smile and laugh and you think your brother is hilarious.



• You respond to our voices and to your name.



• If all else fails, we lay you down on your back on the floor and you almost always calm down pretty quickly. You just love to watch us go about our day and to listen to the sounds of our family.



• When you wake up in the morning, you don't want to eat right away. You are much more content to hang out in the Pack n Play and observe while we have breakfast and go about our day. Sometimes it is close to an hour or two before you're ready for your bottle!



• Most nights, you are waking up around 4:30 am to eat, but you've been starting to make it to 5:00 or 5:30 more consistently. Mommy is loving this.



• You are now a formula baby. Up to this point you have been a combo kid, but the stock of boob juice in the freezer has been used up. So far, you seem to be taking to it just fine.



• You rarely have massive screaming fits or fussiness. Like any baby, you have your fussy times, but overall you are so mellow and easy going. Sustained periods of crying are few and far between.



• You've discovered your hands! Lately you just love to put your fists in your mouth and chew on your hands. You even prefer your fist to your nuk!



• I imagine you will roll over any day now. You kick your legs, wave your arms, and wiggle around like crazy while you're on your back. It's so cool to see you learning new things.

Love you little buddy!

Get this garbage off my TV!

It's no secret that more and more risque and adult things are being shown on TV in the modern era, but it's amazing how you see it in such a different light when you're a mom. I first saw this commercial when I was home with the boys in the middle of the afternoon. Yup...at about 2:30 pm. I can't remember what channel I was watching. I was immediately frozen with horror. Why on earth is this garbage showing up on my TV screen in the middle of the day when my toddler is wide awake? I got angry right away and told Evan about it and then he got to see it firsthand when we were watching TV together at about 12:30 in the afternoon last Saturday. No, we were not watching HBO (can't afford it), FX, or any of the "other" channels one might expect to see such things. Even my husband was pretty shocked that this commercial would air in the middle of the day on a Saturday like that. Now today it came on again while I was watching Supernanny!!! Yup, you heard me right. Supernanny. I had to change the channel for a few minutes so Isaiah didn't see it. I just had to come on here and vent. Here's the commercial I am all fluffed about:



Really? Is this what we have come to in an effort to sell stuff? What even is the product? Watches. Did you notice that when you watched it? I didn't think so.

The point is that this is showing up on my 42 inch screen while my two year old son is directly in front of it. I'm going to struggle enough with teaching my sons about sexuality, morality, modesty, and a plethora of other things regarding the subject. I hardly need D&G to be implanting these kind of images in his head so early on.

I'm anxious to hear what other have to say about this, especially my fellow parents of young children. Can anything be done or should we just brace ourselves for the day when we'll be seeing three-somes in between Dora the Explorer?

Snow Day!

Keep in mind, folks....this is only the second snow of the winter. The first one was little more than a dusting and then we wake up to this! It's supposed to continue snowing all day for totals of up to more than 12 inches plus 35 mph winds! Gotta love winter in Wisconsin.



Hope you have good weather in California, Evan! Isaiah seemed to enjoy it though. I really need to get him his own little guy snow shovel!

Wordless Wednesday

One of my favorite blogs that I follow on a regular basis, The Mom Creative, does a little something she calls Wordless Wednesday. Every Wednesday, Jessica (the author of the blog) just posts a single photo and lets the image speak for itself. Sometimes her heading becomes "Less Words Wednesday" because she just can't resist writing a little something, but I can certainly appreciate that!

I'm going to give this a shot! This is the first Wordless Wednesday post....only since I have already written so much I guess it is technically a Less Words Wednesday. Work with me people.

Isaiah's Anatomy Lesson

Isaiah wanted to hold Micah while he sat in his toy basket this morning so I took the opportunity to give him another shot at naming Micah's body parts. He has improved, don't you think??



We're all about using the correct terms in this house. :)

Those Darn Michigan Kooimans!

Looks like the Michigan branch of our family is hogging the spotlight! I hope they don't end up being hounded too badly by the paparazzi.

It's all in the family for four GVSU students - GVNow - - Grand Valley State University

Seriously though - Love all you guys!! And a big congrats to the "original" Sarah Kooiman on graduating this weekend!

Isaiah's Nightmares

Isaiah has really been having problems with nightmares lately and I'm running out of ideas of how to handle it. Previously a great sleeper, Isaiah used to be able to just go to sleep on his own with no problem. Now he will scream and scream when we lay him down to bed unless one of us sits in the rocking chair next to the bed until he passes out. Even after he finally goes to sleep, he is waking up at least once during the night from what I can only guess to be a nightmare. I've left him to try to self soothe himself back to sleep, but he won't. He actually screamed and called for us for more than 30 minutes one night before I came to the conclusion that it wasn't going to happen. The same technique usually works to get him to fall back asleep - rocking in the chair for a few minutes and then I put him to bed while I sit in the chair until he falls asleep. We have a bedtime routine that has been working well for months now, but all of a sudden this is becoming a nightly problem. Any ideas?

P.S. There is a new format for commenting on this blog now that hopefully can foster better discussion of topics and posts with a bit more ease. Check it out below and be sure to leave a comment, even if it is just to say hi!

California Dreamin'

I'm a business trip widow again for most of this week. Evan left this afternoon to fly out to California for yet another business trip for his company. I continue to be grateful that not only is he employed, but has reached a level in his career where they want to send him on trips to ensure their company's success. However, I do miss him very much when he is gone and I think this week it is going to be especially hard to swallow that I'm left alone in Wisconsin with a winter storm on the way while he gets to soak up the sun in California. Not fair! Anyway, the boys and I will just be bumming around until Daddy gets home Thursday night, so let me know if you're up for a visit!

What's wrong with my joints?

I'm just going to put this out there in the hopes that somebody who has somewhat of a medical background might read it and offer me some insight. Yes, I do plan on talking to my doctor about this problem, but I'm going to wait until I'm already in the office for Micah's well child visit than to fork out a copay for a specific visit for me. That being said, here's my issue.

I've got weird joint pain that is only getting worse. It started when I was about 6 months pregnant with Micah. I would suddenly experience pain like I had twisted my ankle, only I hadn't done anything to make the ankle hurt. I would limp around on it for a couple days and then it would go back to feeling normal. This happened with both ankles and then to one of my wrists while I was pregnant. I just attributed it to pregnancy and my doctor said that the hormones released during pregnancy do cause the ligaments to loosen, so that was a good possibility. The only problem with this theory is that my pain has continued now well beyond my pregnancy.

So, in the past six months I have experience this kind of joint pain in both ankles, both wrists, my left shoulder, my left hip, and my right knee. The ankles and wrists have occured more than once and I end up having to wear a brace or an ace bandage. It pops up out of nowhere. For example, I woke up in the middle of the night last night with excruciating pain in my knee and was unable to bend it with full range of motion. It was only with a dose of Aleve that I was able to go back to sleep.

Any ideas?

Good Morning Mama!!

Isaiah can open the doors in our house now, including the one in his bedroom. This discovery has opened up a hole new world of possibilities for him and he is taking full advantage. No longer does he holler for Mom or Dad after he wakes up in the morning or from a nap. Instead, he just gets up, puts his nuk in the drawer, and comes out to find you! This morning was particularly cute because Evan and I were still in bed when all of a sudden I felt like someone was watching me. I rolled over to see a cute little face right at the level of the bed. Isaiah smiled and said, "Hi Mama."

About 30 minutes later, after we were done playing and tickling him, we finally got out of bed. It was a good morning.

Date Night Beefcake

Evan and I had our first date night since August last night and Ashley was kind enough to watch the boys for us. We grabbed a quick bite at Quizno's and I can't help but think that place is overpriced. Anyway, we went to the Walgreens next door to Quizno's so we could buy our movie candy for cheap and smuggled our contraband into the theater to see "New Moon." (And no, I don't feel bad about taking in the snacks. The prices they charge for that stuff there is nothing short of armed robbery and we still bought popcorn.) Having read the Twilight series (see this post), I was looking forward to seeing this movie because I was really hoping they would do a better job with it than the first one and I wasn't disappointed. I'm going to come right out and say that part of the reason I really liked it was the pretty constant serving of beefcake via the pack of werewolves! I mean, seriously. Wow. I felt kind of guilty for digging the shirtless smorgasbord so much on my date night, but I was quickly distracted by Taylor Lautner standing in the rain and I forgot my own name. Is it creepy that he's only 17? I'm going to pretend that he's 20. Yeah....that's better.

A Bad Haircut

I have a bad haircut. Usually I love Sadie, my stylist, because she always make my hair look great when I have no clue what to do with it. This time....not so much. I admit that my instructions were hardly specific: I said, "Let's go back short again." I just assumed she would give me the same cut I had last time, which I loved. She did not. So, now I have hair that is MUCH shorter than I had anticipated and I have no clue how to actually style it. The worst part? Evan hates it.

Let's look at the positives here:
1. It's just hair. It grows back and mine always grows back fast. It won't be long before I can get a better cut.
2. I don't really leave the house all the much anyway and I don't go back to teaching until January. Plenty of time for it to grow in a bit.
3. My kids are so cute that I don't really have to worry about people wanting to take photos of me.
4. I'll use less shampoo, conditioner, and hair products. It's all about saving money in this economy, right?
5. If a bad haircut is the worst thing that happens to me this month, I will have many blessing to thank the Lord for.

Digging in My Heels

Scrapbooking is not a cult, Evan.

Bite me.

Black Friday - Part 2

I did not end up dragging my tired (and sick) behind out of bed at all hours of the morning to go to Walmart. I was a good wife and obeyed my husband's veto of buying the Cricut Expression even though it was still available online (and in RED!!!!) for $11 cheaper than it would have been at the store. I was on the computer at midnight and at 5:00 am to try to nab a couple Black Friday deals and I did ok. There were several things I had my eye on that were sold out by the time I was able to get online, but I did manage to get a sheet set for our bed, a gift for our friends' little girl, and a surprise gift for our family at some really great prices. And, I got to stay in my PJs and at home. Not bad!

Right now I'm trying to get things settled here at home this morning so I can pack the boys up to go out for a while. The hope is that Evan will get done what he needs to in the basement so I can go play with Ashley, Sarah & Janna tomorrow without feeling guilty! So, I may end up shopping out in the stores on Black Friday after all!

Toy Story 3

As many of you already know, my little guy absolutely LOVES Toy Story. He will literally sit and watch the entire movie from start to finish. That goes for Toy Story 2 as well. So, I am really looking forward to the release of Toy Story 3 in June! Check out the official trailer:


Ah, Buzz in Spanish. Too funny!

Isaiah will be 2 1/2 when this movie comes out. Do you think that's old enough for me to bring him to see the movie in the theater?

Happy Little Micah

I wish I would have started taping about five seconds earlier because he was actually giggling!

Yee haw!

Isaiah is feeling pretty sick thanks to a cold his Daddy gave him, so he's been feeling out of sorts and extra tired the last couple days. Today we were on our way back from Piggly Wiggly and I could see him starting to fall asleep back in his carseat, but we were still 15 minutes from home. This is dangerous territory because if he sleeps for that 15 minutes, it's just enough of a recharge that he won't want to go to sleep when he gets home. So, I kept saying his name and tickling his ankle to keep him awake! Aren't I mean? Poor kid couldn't even hold his eyelids up and here I am keeping him awake. It worked and I managed to get home without him passing out. I quickly got him out of the carseat and took of his hat, coat and shoes. I put him right into bed and said "Ni Night" and went out to unload the groceries.

For the next 30 minutes, I was hearing him softly talking/singing in there so I finally went to check on him. There was Isaiah, still tucked snug as a bug into his bed, "flying" his Sheriff Woody doll around and saying softly, "Yee haw! Yee haw!"

He fell asleep about 45 minutes after I originally put him down, but it was just so cute!

Black Friday

I've always been very anti-Black Friday. Nothing about dragging myself out of bed in the wee hours of the morning to shop ever really appealed to me. I like my sleep too much and it didn't exactly sound fun to be fighting with other crazy sleep-deprived people in line just to buy stuff. I have been dreading the day when a Black Friday deal would actually tempt me and that day has arrived. The deep discounts on flat screen TVs aren't what have me actually considering joining the lunacy. Nope, not the deals on laptops (most of the ones on sale are kind of crappy ones anyway). We already have a GPS for the car and we don't travel all that much anyway. Here's what has my little shopping antennae all tingly:

• The Cricut Expression - This is the mack daddy of scrapbooking cutting machines. I have the older version of the Cricut, but this one takes 12x12 sheets of card stock and can do so much more!! Walmart has them on a Black Friday special of only $188 including two cartridges!! The Expression typically is priced around $300 and cartridges are always at least $35 to $40 each. I am very tempted to go hang out at the Walmart in Baraboo at 4:30 am just to wait until 5:00 am when I can snag this honey of a deal. I promise to sell my old one on eBay to help pay for it! Figures it would take a scrapbooking gadget to get me out on Black Friday, huh?
• RCA Dual Screen Portable DVD Player - Two kids, two DVD screens for long drives. Need I say more?? Target has an awesome Black Friday deal of only $88!

So now I get to stew on this for a few days: To shop or not to shop? That is the question.

Potty Practice

Ok, so I know I said we weren't going to aggressively pursue potty training right away since putting Isaiah's potty in the bathroom, but I'm starting to think he might be ready to give it a shot sooner than I thought. Isaiah has been just enthralled with that potty from the first moment it arrived and I also showed him his big-boy Pull Ups and he really dug those too. In fact, today he brought me a pair of his Pull Ups when I got home from work today, so I asked him if he wanted to try them out. He said yes, so we changed him from a diaper into a Pull Up. I showed him how to pull them down so he could sit on the potty and I left him in the bathroom for a few minutes while I changed out of my work clothes. When I came back into the bathroom, Isaiah was standing by the potty, pulling up his Pull Ups and he had peed in the potty!! I got all excited and gave him a big high five. I'll guess we'll keep trying to remind him about the potty this week and see how things go. Maybe we can be diaper-free come 2010....wouldn't that be cool?

One of Those Days

Today was one of those days that reminds you about the not so glamorous side of parenting. Let me walk you through my train wreck of an evening. It all started while I was at work today. With it being opening day of gun deer hunting season, we were DEAD. Things we so slow, which gets me all antsy because I end up either A: Watching the clock, B: Eating, C: Reading the newspaper, or D: All of the above. Today was definite a Choice D kind of day. All of a sudden, I started to get a headache. Within five minutes it had escalated to a full blown migraine, the kind where your vision gets funky and you're super-sensitive to light and sound. No sooner did this upgrade take place, but a toddler at the table right next to where I was trying to take an order melted down into a full blown tantrum complete with shrieking at the top of his lungs. Normally this wouldn't really get to me because I hear something quite similar on a regular basis from my kid, but the migraine made that boy's wails penetrate my brain like flaming swords. It was excruciating.


I finally headed home and planned on just taking it kind of easy to help appease my migraine. I got to relax until about 4:00 when Isaiah woke up from his nap. By this time, Evan had headed down to the basement to get to work on finishing his trim work. Isaiah woke up in a crazy bad mood and was screaming from the second he got out of bed. Cue: Micah! Baby brother promptly also woke up from his nap and not only refused to eat a bottle, but hollered at the top of his lungs. So, I have both boys screaming their bloody heads off at the same time. Remember that migraine??

Time for dinner. I make Isaiah a grilled cheese sandwich and he is actually coloring at the table rather calmly. Whew! All this goes out the window the second he sits down to eat. I move the colors away so he can eat and he immediately flies into a massive tantrum. I try my tried and true methods to calm him down and get him to eat, but instead he throws his plate to the floor, sending grilled cheese and ketchup everywhere. I put him into time out and try to hold it together while Micah screams from the Pack n Play, Isaiah screams from the naughty corner, and I go to clean up the mess. By this time, my head is hurting worse than ever and in the middle of this din the doorbell rings! Brian starts barking like Cujo on steroids and I open the door with a mop in my hand and two screaming children in the background to the Schwans man. Surprise!! I manage to stammer out that I don't need anything before Evan emerges from the basement to come lend a hand. I lose it. I slam the chairs back in place, throw the mop against the wall, scream a very nasty word at Evan, and collapse onto a stool and start to sob hysterically.

Wow. I'll spare you the gory details of the rest of the evening, but just know it was more of the same. I felt horrible, like I had completely lost control of my kids, my home, and myself. I just couldn't stop crying, no matter what I did. Isaiah said sorry, but I kept crying. When I put him to bed at 8:30, he was still screaming and I was still crying. I was left feeling like the worst Mommy in the world. Evan, the ever level-headed rock of a man that he is, was quick to reassure me that everyone has days like this where the deck seems stacked against them and that I shouldn't blame myself or feel guilty for how it went down. I know that logically makes sense, but I can't help but do exactly that. Isn't it my job as Mommy to keep a cool head and avoid stuff like this? Maybe, but perhaps I just also needed a reminder that I do need help, that parenting is not supposed to be easy. I found a verse from Psalms to help me feel better about this whole fiasco:

For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment. (Psalm 66: 10-12)


If parenting was a walk in the park, where everything came easily and we didn't have those days like today, I'd be willing to bet we wouldn't feel as fulfilled by it. There is nothing more fulfilling than those amazing moments with your child where you look at them and say to yourself, "This kid is amazing. I'm a good Mom." Those moments are EARNED, not given. Thank you, LORD, for reminding me today that parenting is so rewarding because it is so difficult.

After taking some cool-down time after Isaiah had gone to bed, I feel much better. I've stayed up past my bedtime to have some quiet time with God and to partake in my therapy - scrapbooking. I'll leave you with the fruit of my labor tonight, I layout I am very proud of and that represents a great catharsis for me. Looking at the sweet faces of my boys in these photos as I worked on this layout was a great reminder that I have great kids and I know that the awesome moments will make days like today just fade into the background.

Tip your Waitress, or Else!!

I've always said it: Don't mess with the people that bring your food. As a waitress, I get kind of a kick out of this news story about a couple who were actually arrested for not paying gratuity on their check!!



Ok, here's how I see this. Gratuity is certainly expected, but (as much as I hate to admit it) it is NOT required. I don't care if it is the restaurant's policy to automatically add on gratuity for large groups. I've been to many restaurants that do this and I think it's fine. However, if the service is really honestly and truly lousy, why should a patron be forced to pay that gratuity? It was this precise reason that my previous employer, Red Lobster, did not add on gratuity for large parties. Sure, it was a pain in the butt when you just worked your butt off waiting on a table of 10 and they only leave a 5% tip. It's a big bummer that is quickly followed by some select curse words in their direction. The question becomes, if you already know you're going to get an 18% tip no matter how well you take care of that table, what motivation is there for you to provide good service? None. So, the argument can be made that the server is more likely to not sweat it if they can't attend to the needs of that table. In the case of this couple from PA, I feel for them. There's no excuse for having to go get your own drink refills, napkins and silverware. Even from the perspective of someone who has waited tables for years, they absolutely should not have been arrested for refusing to pay that tip. Hopefully they will get a judge with a decent head on his shoulders who will throw this right out of court.

Isaiah's New Toy!

Tonight we presented Isaiah with an early Christmas present - his very own potty.
Yes, I realize that you can't really see the actual potty in this photo, but I didn't really want to post the full shots on the blog because he was butt nekkid. You never know what kind of creepies are out there, right? Anyway...so Isaiah has his own potty in the bathroom now and he was really digging on sitting on that thing. He got mad at me when I had to take him off it to take a bath and then go get PJs on! Hopefully that is a good sign. We're not really moving full steam ahead on the whole potty training thing yet, but rather just trying to get the idea in his head. He'll be getting a pack of PIXAR undies for Christmas too, so he'll even have Buzz Lightyear undies. If that doesn't do it, nothing will!

My Little Gleek

As it turns out, Isaiah digs Glee too!

What my Kids have Taught Me

As a teacher by trade, I am a firm believer that we learn as much from our students as we hope they are learning from us. Over the past two years, I have come to realize the same holds true for our children. You suddenly become a mother the moment that first child is born, but no instruction manual comes with them. Instead, it is your child who teaches you what it means to take on the title of "Mommy." Who then is the student? Is it your child, to whom you teach to say "Please" and "Thank You" and how to share? Or, is it the parent who learns patience, perseverance, dedication, and how to love beyond measure? Clearly the answer is both. So in honor of my greatest teachers, my darling boys, here are just a few of the lessons I have learned:

• Sleep is precious and neccessary, but the wee hours of the morning have a unique way of creating lasting memories. There's just something special about a 3:00 am cuddle.



• If you're not going to be leaving the house all day, it doesn't matter what your hair looks like. Unexpected guests run the risk of seeing you with bed head and bare face if they show up unannounced. No, the Schwans man does not count as an "expected guest."



• "Family dinner" can be as simple as a box of Macaroni & Cheese with cut up hot dogs. What's important is that we enjoy our time together!



• Follow through! Honor your promises and follow through with your discipline. It's important that your child knows he can trust you and also that you mean what you say!



• PIXAR is the best thing to ever happen to Disney. Ever.



• I never understood why anyone would name a flower "Baby's Breath." Once I had a baby sleeping on my shoulder with his face turned toward mine and I breathed him in....I got it.



• Grandparents will disregard every single rule you have put in place. Unfortunately, they have earned the right to do this and your kid knows it!! The good news? You'll get to do it to them when they have kids. And the cycle continues....



• Blowout bowel movements, massive farts, and loud belches can be some of the most welcome things in the world. Never thought that would happen!


• To your child, you're a superhero. Until they discover Buzz Lightyear. Then you're hosed.

What lessons have your kids taught you??

He slept through the night!

I can hardly believe it, but Micah slept through the night last night! Evan put him to bed at a little after 11:00 last night and he didn't wake me up until 5:15 am!! Now, I'm not going to be naive enough to expect a repeat performance every night now, but at least I know he is physically capable of doing it. Sweet!

Just me, a bottle of wine, and my scrapbook!

I had the house completely to myself today. Evan took the kids to Waupun to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa while he went to watch the Packer game with a buddy, so I came home to an empty house after work! I did venture into Madison first to make a return, hit up Target for a sweet deal on a banquet table, and visit my fave scrapbook store, but when I did finally get home.....ah quiet. It was dead quiet. I opened a bottle of my favorite wine (Prairie Fume from Wollersheim Winery) and watched the last quarter and a half of the Packer game down in our basement family room. After the Packers completed their victory I headed to my scrapbook room where I easily polished off the entire bottle of wine and completed four scrapbook layouts. This was a GREAT night. I love my boys, but I need nights like this more often.

Just one of my layouts I completed tonight.

Micah - 2 Months

I'm a few days over the official date, but my Micah is two months old already! It is amazing how fast he has grown already and I'm happy to report that he has left the scary stage behind. What's the scary stage? Newborns!! Bless their hearts, but newborn babies are scary to me. They're small, they look kind of funny (face it, they do!), they look so fragile, and they need you constantly. I always joke that I wish I could give birth to a four month old! Thankfully, Micah has already started to venture into the exciting part of infancy where he is learning new tricks all the time.

Micah - 2 months old:

• You can smile and coo! If you're in the right mood, squeezing those cheeks just a little bit is usually enough to encourage a smile. You love to look right at faces and just talk away and I swear you have tried more than once to giggle. You're such a happy kid!


• You are not sleeping through the night just yet. Much to Mommy's dismay, you continue to wake during the night to eat. Most of the time it is only once, but there are some nights where you need that extra feeding. I'm holding out hope that you'll be able to make it through the night by 3 months!


• You eat like crazy! You are very sloppy and love to let your milk drip down your chin and sputter all over the place, but you are typically a very good eater. At this point, you are a "combo kid" who gets about 50/50 breastmilk to formula. You usually eat about 30 ounces every day, give or take. I'm no longer nursing you, but you do just fine eating out of your AVENT bottles.


• I can tell you're trying to roll over already. When you're laying on your back you will stick your arms out and wiggle your legs. It's pretty clear you're trying to turn over.


• You're chubby!! At your checkup on September 5th, you weighed in at 13 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 23 inches long. Your big brother was only 12 pounds, 12 ounces at that point, so you can safely say you've got him beat so far.
  
• Already starting to grow out of your 0-3 month clothes, I have had to start sorting through the 3-6 month stuff to make sure you've got sleepers to wear.
  
• You look just like your Grandpa Howie!

Dear Santa....

The Kooiman family is doing something a little different this year for our Christmas gift giving. We were randomly assigned names by an objective third party (aka Grandma) to buy a gift for instead of getting something for every single person. I'm excited about this because it ends up being more economical, but also because I can focus more on finding a really great gift for that one person rather than stress about finding something for everyone. That being said, I still need lists! Here are the wish lists for myself and my boys.

Evan

• JC Penney gift cards
• Folding banquet tables (check Farm & Fleet or Fleet Farm)
• More folding chairs

Sarah

• Scrapbook Stuff: 12x12 storage drawers for paper, Xyron 250 Create a Sticker Maker, A circle cutter, Circle cutter templates, 13x13 glass mat, Gift card to Archivers
• The first season of Glee on DVD (available 12/29, Preorder HERE!)
• A set of makeup brushes
• Assorted games (Monopoly, Catch Phrase, Trivial Pursuit)
• A Bissell Little Green
• CDs: Michael Buble - Crazy Love, Norah Jones - The Fall, Carrie Underwood - Play On

Isaiah

• Woody from Toy Story to match his Buzz Lightyear
• Clothes and shoes (3T for clothes, size 7 for shoes)
• Any Toy Story stuff
• Crayola Magic Light Brush
• Outdoor play toys/equipment
• LeapFrog Tag Reading System
• Games for his age group
• Big Boy Undies (2T/3T or 4T are fine)

Micah

• Pre-walkers (try Pediped, Stride Rite, or See Kai Run)
• Gift certificate for clothes (not sure what he needs for the upcoming seasons. Target, Kohls, Old Navy, Carters)
• 3-6 month sleepers

Whew!! I hope I've helped guide and direct the holiday shopping for our household.

Scaring people is fun!

Evan's family has this wacky tradition of trying to scare one another and he is carrying it on with our boys. He loves to hide around a corner and jump out at Isaiah and make him scream, but in a good way. I stumbled across this video on Facebook and it reminded me of Evan's little escapades, only with Ellen Degeneres and Taylor Swift. Still pretty funny though!

Happy Birthday Isaiah!

Happy Birthday today to my sweet boy. You keep me on my toes every day and I love you to pieces for it. Happy Birthday Isaiah!

And thank you very much to everyone who came over on Saturday to help us celebrate. We had a great party and Isaiah really enjoyed it! Oh, and he's watching a Veggie Tales DVD while I type this. :)

Isaiah's 2nd Birthday Party!!

Isaiah - 1 day old

His actual birthday isn't until Monday, but tomorrow we are celebrating my little boy's 2nd birthday!! Where did the time go? I just can't quite get my head around the idea that I can now say my son's age in years versus in months. Crazy. It really doesn't seem that long ago that we brought him home as a baby, yet it is hard for me to remember him being as small as Micah. Is that weird? I do remember talking with Evan about how we couldn't wait to see what his personality would be like or to hear him say, "Hi Mama! Hi Daddy!" Now I get to hear those things every day and his exuberant personality makes me smile all the time. I love you, Isaiah. Happy Birthday (a couple days early)!

Isaiah - 1st birthday party!

Thank You Supernanny!

The Style network plays re-runs of the show Supernanny and I really enjoy watching it because it has really helped me pick up some great parenting tips. I scored my time-out technique from watching Jo (the Supernanny) and have archived some great ideas for when the boys are older. Last night, I had an opportunity to put into practice one of the methods I saw on the show just the other day - the separation technique. Typically used for children who struggle to go to sleep by themselves, I found myself using it on my two year old who usually goes to sleep just fine! Isaiah woke up last night around 1:30 am and cried and cried for a good 20 minutes. When he hollers for this long of a time period, I start to think something is wrong. The last time it happened, he had wet through his diaper something fierce and was absolutely soaked. So, I went in to check on him and he was fine. Just fine. Dry as a bone, nuk in mouth, just wanting Mommy. It was hard, but I didn't give in because I knew it would be absolutely hellish to try to put him back to bed after I had cuddled him. So, I busted out the separation technique!

I told Isaiah it was time to go back to sleep and I sat down on the floor so he could see my profile. I did not look at him or talk to him, despite the fact that he was staring right at me and screaming, "Mama!! Mama!!!" It took about 15 minutes or so of this and he finally quieted. I waited another three minutes and then tried to leave the room without waking him. He did wake up and start in on screaming again, but I went back to bed. He only cried for another few minutes before he was back asleep! I'd call that a success! I'm still pretty tired this morning because I was awake for quite some time dealing with Isaiah, followed by a rather eventful feeding for Micah (he threw up on my lap). Still, I'm pleased with how it went.

Thanks Supernanny!!

The music of "Glee!"

Until I can get the CD for my very own, I will just have to settle for this website. Enjoy all the music of "Glee!" Big fan.

http://www.gleethemusic.com/

Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!

Here's Isaiah as his favorite action hero for Halloween! I really wish I had tried to score some video of him pointing to himself and saying, "Buzz!"Micah got to join in the dressing up a little bit. I didn't see the point in putting a 7-weeker in a costume, so he got a Halloween "outfit." Still looks pretty darn cute, if I say so myself.

I didn't take the boys trick or treating just because Isaiah is still a little young and Micah is VERY young and the wind was cold and nasty. Plus, Isaiah didn't finally go down for a nap until just before the trick or treating hours started, so that was out. He got to be Buzz Lightyear on our trip out for breakfast and to Walmart and he enjoyed helping me hand out candy after his nap. We'll hit the streets next year, I think.

Glee does the National Anthem

The only time in my life I've been bummed I missed watching a World Series game!

Brothers

It took me three sittings to finish this very simple scrapbook layout. One was a quick five minute session to pick out the photos that was interrupted by feeding time. The second was a very hectic 20 minutes of layout, cutting, and pasting that was frequently interrupted by shouts of "Mama!! Please!!" Finally, I manged to get down here for the final five minutes to finish off the title and journalling. Whew!

The Walmart Effect

What is it about Walmart that apparantly brings out the idiotic and inappropriate in people? I seriously think this is an actual phenomena that is taking place right under our noses and I'm interested to hear if you all are noticing this too. Here's my evidence.

1. There are always people shopping in their pajamas. I saw someone getting groceries on Saturday in Tweety Bird PJ pants, a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, and slippers. Yes, all on the same person. I'm all for being comfortable, but this is going a bit far, isn't it? I mean, at what point does "It's only Walmart" become "I don't need to actually get dressed to go out in public?" Don't even get me started on the people that put on so little clothing that they are barely dressed. Tube tops are NOT ok for shopping at Walmart and especially not in October!! I'm not even going to talk about the woman I saw once who had a serious issue with back sweat and poorly fitting stretchy pants. Yikes.

2. People in Walmart forget that other people can see/hear them. On a recent trip to Walmart, I was pushing my cart (and my children) down the baking aisle when a woman came storming down the aisle at me, screaming on her cellphone. Apparantly, whoever it was on the other end was a completely incompetent moron and she was letting them know this....loudly. And with curse words....lots of them. Hello!!! You're in WALMART!! My two year old was incredibly interested in the show she was putting on. Thank God he did not try to copy her behavior.

3. People in Walmart can be downright rude. I have three anecdotes to support this point.

• The woman on the cellphone was also in my checkout line on that day and someone sprayed some body spray on while she was waiting in line. I was in the process of paying when someone slammed into my back, pushing me up against the card-swiper thingy. Yup, it was Miss Congeniality, storming through the line cursing up and down about the effing "bleeper" who sprayed that nasty "stuff" that was making her sick. Lovely.


• My cousin Christine relayed a story about when she was shopping at Walmart one day with her three year old daughter, Emma. A complete stranger came up to her and said, "It's such a shame when you young people nowadays have children before you're even done with high school." Christine (who has WAY more moxie than me) replied, "Excuse me? I'm 26 and married!!" This woman looked surprised and said, "Oh, I thought you were 18." And that makes it ok to say such a thing? Wrong.


• Finally, on my recent trip to Wallyworld on Halloween, I was again in the checkout line. (They like it when you actually pay for things so this is a good place to visit before you leave.) Isaiah is two years old and was reaching the limits of his patience for this particular trip. He likes to grab at the things hanging by the checkout and he managed to get his mitts on a stack of gift cards, which promptly went to the floor. I scolded him and gathered them up as quickly as I could. Cue Micah to start crying. Perfect. I continued to unload the cart and one of the items I put on the conveyer belt was something Isaiah would have preferred to hang on to, so he started to have a bit of a fit. It was at this moment (with both boys crying) that the woman behind me in line looked and me and very seriously said, "Boy, I feel so sorry for you." Really? Thanks.
  

So, there is my evidence. Is there indeed a "Walmart Effect" or perhaps it's just that a certain percentage of the women who go to Walmart are rude, sloppy psychos. And they all seem to get in the same checkout lane as me.

And come to think of it, tube tops are never ok. Ever.

Lambeau Loss

Oh, the pain of defeat. After all my confidence that my team would pull out a hard fought win up at the Tundra, we once again lost to the Vikings. I won't make excuses because my team certainly made their share of mistakes that cost them the game, but I would argue that the personal foul penalty against Johnny Jolly early in the game was critical. Without that penalty, it's a four point swing in the other direction and if you add in the missed field goal by "Wide Left" Crosby....well, you get the idea.

It just gets under my fingernails that Brett won in our house. Oh well.

Packers vs. Vikings

I've waited for this day ever since I found out Favre was going to be wearing that awful purple jersey. Sure, we lost up in Minnesota. But now, he has to come back to Titletown and face the fans he has betrayed. For the very first time, Favre will run through the tunnel to a throng of boos from the Cheesehead Nation. I can't wait. I can't wait to see Kampman send him to the turf the first time. I can't wait to see Woodson pick him off and take it to the house. It's going to be an ugly homecoming for Mr. Favre, as this is now Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood.

Bring it.

Why the Packers are going to win: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/10279298/Schein-9:-Favre-in-for-rough-day-at-Lambeau

Come on Target, work with me.

This always seems to happen to me. I just got home from a trip to Target where I purchased a large box of Target brand diapers and a value sized can of Target baby formula. Guess what was in my mailbox upon arrival?

You guessed it. Coupons for Target brand diapers and formula. Seriously, work with me here.

Glee!!

Since it wasn't on tonight because of the stupid World Series, I am going to blog about it instead!

When Teri from work asked if I wanted to switch nights with her and work Thursdays instead of Wednesdays, I was a little hesitant at first. I liked working with Serena on Wednesdays and I had grown accustomed to my CSI on Thursday nights. Thank God for Glee!! While I was on maternity leave, FOX debuted this TV show and I am officially obsessed. I absolutely LOVE this show and I will literally build my evening around it because, since I don't have the luxury of DVR, I will be darned if I'm going to miss it!





Have you seen this show yet?

I'm already tempted to pre-order Season One on DVD, scheduled to come out in December. I really could watch it over and over. This might be my next "Gilmore Girl-like" obsession. That reminds me.....Ashley, will I get my Rory and Lorelai back someday?? :)

My future Badgers

The weather was pretty nice yesterday, so I decided to take the boys on a trip to campus to introduce them to their future college.....I mean, my alma mater. No pressure, boys! This was also our first outing with the double stroller and that made for some interesting moments. I had completely forgotten how to open the dang thing!! Here I am in the parking garage on Lake Street, cursing under my breath because I can hear Isaiah in the car yelling, "Mama??? Mama??" and I'm stuck behind the car trying to wrench the stroller open. Finally I got it figured out and got Isaiah all strapped in. I reclined the other stroller seat all the way back for Micah and even managed to get him secured without too much drama. I grabbed the diaper bag and the camera and we were ready to go! Not so much. How the heck do you unlock the wheels??

We had a very enjoyable outing! Isaiah loved being able to lean over and check on Micah and say, "Hi Baby!" whenever he wanted. He also said hello to many a passer-by along our way. The stroller itself worked out pretty well on our first adventure. It definitely has its drawbacks, but I had to make some sacrifices to be able to get a double stroller we could afford. I look forward to using it more when spring rolls around and Micah can sit up and enjoy the view like his brother!

First Smile

Micah has been smiling for a little over a week now, but he is a pro at clamming up the very second I get the camera out. Many a photo has been taken of the moments just before and after a smile, but only just today was I able to finally capture one of his smiles on camera. As a special bonus, he's rocking his Badger gear!!
For those of you playing along at home, I will try to get Snapfish updated with all the recent photos by the end of the week. Really, I will try.

I need new underwear.

Isaiah likes to help me "fold" the laundry.

Thank You Maribeth!

Waupun on Letterman

Speaking of Letterman, a friend from high school posted this little video on Facebook. Looks like all those fall decorations lining Main Street in Waupun are famous!




Hilarious! Anyone know who this was?? I'm just dying to know.

Letterman, Leno, and the BCS??

Bear with me for a moment because I'm about to go all political on you, but I just have to vent about this. It annoys me to no end that President Obama seems to have nothing better to do than to make appearances on late night television, as he has shown up on Letterman and Leno to joke around and promote his health care agenda. Seriously? Late night TV? Shouldn't he be, oh I don't know....in Washington running the country? I guess others have caught on to the fact that the President has some free time on his hands because now someone is trying to get him to reform the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) system! Now, I am a football fan. This is no secret. Do I think the BCS could use some tweaking? Sure. But, come on. This is not something the President should be dealing with, especially not with the economy in the toilet, a war on, and health care up in the air. But then again, Obama has made himself the "entertainment President," so why not?

Read all about it HERE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091021/ap_on_go_co/us_bcs_championship_congress

Tom Dooley

This is as close as we have come to a "fall outing" so far this year. I really want to take the boys to the corn maze/pumpkin patch over on Hwy 60 between Sauk & Lodi, but I want to wait until Evan can be along with us. It's just one of those things that we need Daddy for. In the meantime, Grandma and I took Isaiah and Micah to Tom Dooley in Waupun for some apple square, cider donuts, and carmel apples. It started to drizzle about 2 minutes after I started taking pictures, so things got cut a bit short. I still managed to get a couple nice ones of Isaiah though!

Isaiah and the Breast Pump

I'll let the photos do the talking this time. Anyone care to create the captions for these??

Back to Work!

I just got home from my second night back at work and thankfully the boys have been absolute angels for my mother. She stepped in like a knight in shining armor when we found out that Evan was going to go back to China and offered to come stay with me and watch the boys while I was at work. It's been such a blessing because I don't have to worry about what's going on with my kids while I'm at work. I know they're getting taken care of and loved on like crazy and they've been so good for her. She and Isaiah even made homemade applesauce together today with apples from Grandma's trees! He ended up pretty much just having Goldfish crackers and apples for lunch today, but oh well! Isaiah loves to play with Grandma and he was apparantly really getting his snuggle on with her tonight while she was feeding Micah. Oh, and his lip is healing nicely.

So, long story short, thanks Mom!! It's only been two nights of you watching my boys for me and I am so thankful for you. I really love having you around.

As for Evan, he's just working! I spoke to him this morning (Friday night for him) and he told me about completing an audit at one of their vendors and about how they were going to be meeting with some folks from Tonglu. I'm not sure what's on tap for the rest of his trip, but he promised to send me an email with a blog if things got interesting. So far there have not been any baiju related incidents, so that's a plus. I'll keep you posted!