Band for a Lifetime:
Choose a band/artist and answer ONLY in titles of their songs.

1. Are you male or female? Something In The Way She Moves

2. Describe yourself. Night Owl

3. How do some people feel about you? Steamroller

4. How do you feel about yourself? Long Ago And Far Away

5. Describe your ex: Bitter Sweet

6. Describe your current significant other: Your Smiling Face

7. Describe where you want to be: Anywhere Like Heaven

8. Describe how you live: Traffic Jam

9. Describe how you love: Fire And Rain

10. What would you ask for if you had just one wish? Enough To Be On Your Way

11. Share a few words of wisdom: Shower the People

12. Now say goodbye: You Can Close Your Eyes

Deep Breaths

Okay, so it is really just hitting me that we have approximately 3 weeks to pack up our house. I know it can be done, but we still have to live here while we are packing up - you know.

So, the game plan so far is to pack up the garage first (because this is where everything will be stored in the meantime and we won't be able to get to anything if we don't do it first), then the nursery and the office. Then we can start packing up non-essential stuff from our and Dylan's rooms. We are hiring movers to help with the heavy stuff, so the majority of the furniture will stay in place until they move it down.

In the midst of all of this, we are having Dylan's b-day party. Luckily, we only planned for it to be a family party this year, so it won't be too stressful.

Oh, yeah, and we are leaving for a week vacation in Vegas 1 week after we move. Hopefully, things will be under control enough so that we can enjoy our vacation.

And, hooray for my SIL who offerred to keep Dylan this weekend so we can get a head start on the packing. She is also keeping Dylan the week we go to Vegas. I am thinking we will be getting her a pretty nice gift.

Crazy, crazy times . . .

So, we have a contract on our existing house. We were only on the market 8 days. CRAZY, I tell ya. We are set to close on June 2.

We have changed our minds about which house we want to purchase and will be signing a new contract tomorrow. The new house is right next door to the old one. LOL!! Here is the new house and the floorplan:

We Signed a Contract Today . . .

If all goes according to plan, this will be our new home in the next couple of months or so . . .

House Hunting

So, it looks like we are buying a new house.

We went on a Sunday drive last weekend and visited a nice, new neighborhood. We had been there before and thought we would love to live there. Well, it turns out that we can afford it.

So, since Sunday we have decided to sell our house and buy a new one. I don't know how long this process will take or anything, but I am scared and excited at the same time.

Please send us "easy home selling" vibes.

Splish Splash

Dylan has his first swimming lesson tomorrow. I actually convinced Jason that he should be the one in the pool with Dylan (I am one smart momma - LOL).

I will let you know how it goes. Dylan seems to be really excited about it, so I hope he doesn't freak out when we get to the pool.

This is where we are going for the lessons:

http://www.swimatlanta.com/

They actually have swim teams and compete at meets. Some of the swimmers they have trained have gone on to be part of the Olympic swim teams. That, however, is not my goal for Dylan. I just want him to be more comfortable in the water and get a little exposure to the pool.

More to follow (and pictures too). . .

I Have An Announcement To Make . . .

I am so freakin' tired.

That is all.

The Potty Dance

I just have to share that Dylan has been in underwear since last Tuesday. He has been wearing it to daycare and has had minimal accidents. I still put a pullup on him at night, but he has only woken up wet 2 nights since we started this process. It's like putting the underwear on him made it just click for him (and offering 2 jellybeans for a pee in the potty and 4 for a poop in the potty probably didn't hurt either). YEAH, DYLAN!!!

Last week was spring break here. Traditionally, a lot of kids don't go to daycare during spring break. On Monday, I asked Dylan's teacher if we could send him to school in underwear because he was doing well for us on the weekends. She said yes and we haven't looked back. The first couple of days he had one or two accidents a day. Toward the end of the week, he was really getting the hang of it. I even set up a "treasure box" with some cheap toys so he can pick one prize out for each accident free day at daycare (the first day he wore underwear to daycare he got a prize just for trying so hard). However, anytime we put him back in a pullup, he has no desire to potty. He knows the difference without a doubt.

He still won't poop on the potty, but when I put his nighttime pullup on him he goes almost immediately. I know that it will happen in time. And, since he's not pooping in his underwear, I really don't mind that much that he waits for a pullup. At least he's going and not getting constipated.

I know we will still probably have some accidents along the way (who doesn't??), but I am so proud of my little guy.

We Just Bought a New (to us) Car

We got a good deal on the Jeep (photo is not of our actual Jeep, but the year, model, and color are the same) and we got what we wanted on our trade in.

And, best of all, we pay it off in 2 years.



Last week, the "service engine soon" light in the Maxima came on. We had diagnostics run and it was going to cost over $1000 to fix. Add that to the new tires we needed and the service that would need to be performed in the next couple of months (approaching 90,000 miles), it just seemed like the perfect time to trade it in.

I haven't actually seen the Jeep yet. Jason and I discussed our options last night and he bought it today. I have to sign some papers tomorrow, but the deal is essentially final.

We Went to the Zoo

With all of the turmoil surrounding my nephew last week, I forgot to write about our trip to the zoo. We went on Saturday, March 18. Jason, Dylan, myself, FIL and FIL's girlfriend went. SIL, BIL, and nephew were supposed to go too, but that was the day nephew was admitted to the hospital. (BTW, SIL told us to go on to the zoo because it would be hours before we could see her or nephew - for those of you who might think we were heartless to continue on to the zoo with nephew in the hospital).

Dylan had a blast and I think we saw every animal that lives at the zoo. Here are a couple of pics from our trip.
















Dylan @ the petting zoo
















Dylan studying about the pandas















Dylan and a big lizard















Dylan and Poppy (Jason's dad)















Dylan and Gigi (Poppy's girlfriend)


Dylan loved the otters and pandas the best. The lions weren't very exciting because they were asleep. The gorillas weren't very active either; though they did have a couple of babies that were entertaining. He had a blast at the petting zoo. It amazes me sometimes how much my shy little guy is coming out of his shell. He wasn't thrilled with the snakes (or anything else in the reptile house). He rode the train (all 3 minutes of it) and he rode on the endangered species carousel. All in all, Dylan had a blast and we will definitely be going back. I am sure he will love showing his cousin around.

Update on Nephew

He is going home today. He was diagnosed with RSV (apparently it was something different last time he was in the hospital and MIL got mixed up when she passed the information on to me), in addition to several other respiratory conditions (SIL said that there are about 6 or 7 official diagnosises on the discharge papers). But he has been off of oxygen for 24 hours and doing great. The doctor still fully expects to see them back in the hospital in the next couple of months simply due to the compromised state of his lungs at this time.

My nephew (10 mo) is sick

Saturday he was taken in a helicopter to the hospital because he wasn't stable enough for an ambulance ride. His breathing was labored and he was becoming lethargic. He spent Saturday and most of Sunday in the ICU and has been in a regular room since Sunday night (but every time they take him off of oxygen, his oxygen levels drop). He has (in the past month or so) been diagnosed with RSV and was diagnosed with croup upon admission to the hospital. Now, the doctors are 98% sure he has Achalasia of the Esophagus and Bronchial Tubes and this is why he is so susceptible to all of the respiratory problems. He should outgrow this by 14-18 months, but the doctor said he fully expects at least one more hospital stay in that time.

So, any P&PT would be appreciated and if you know anything about this diagnosis, I would love to hear about it.

What I Need/Want To Do Tomorrow (On My Day Off)

• grocery shopping
• sign Dylan up for swimming lessons (and then I may have to take on the agonizing task of finding a new suit - I'm thinking boycut this year - LOL!!)
• laundry
• put away the 6 or 7 baskets of already clean, folded laundry
• put clean sheets on the futon (guest bed)
• declutter as much as possible
• get my hair thinned (and maybe trimmed)

Jason's dad and girlfriend are coming to visit this weekend. And, you know, nothing gets your house cleaned and straightened like guests.

I really am looking forward to my day tomorrow, even though it is going to be quite busy. This is the first time in I-don't-know-how-long that I am taking a day off without having to take care of a sick kid/hubby/self.

Saturday, we (Me, Jason, Dylan, FIL, FIL's GF, SIL, BIL, DN) are going to the zoo. Dylan is so excited. I am taking my camera, so I hope to have pictures to share next week. Have a good weekend.

You are Meredith Grey. You relate easily to people,

though you have a hard time letting people

in, and though are a an amazing person, you

have a hard time seeing that yourself


Which Grey's Anatomy Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Interesting . . .

American Cities That Best Fit You:

80% Austin

75% Atlanta

70% Miami

65% Denver

65% Las Vegas

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

Well, it's good to know that I live somewhere that "fits" me. Very interesting.

What I (We) Did This Weekend

• Touched up the ceiling and door frames in the guest bathroom (we painted it about a year ago, I never finished the ceiling)
• Touched up the ceiling and door frames in the office (same time frame as the guest bath)
• Hung curtains in Dylan's room
• Hung a stuffed animal cage in Dylan's room
• Hung curtains in the dining room
• Hung curtains in the family room
• Framed some photos
• Copied some photos
• Tried to hand above photos, but the screws supplied with the frames wouldn't work
• Weeded front flower beds
• Weeded one of the rear flower beds (This one bed probably took me an hour and a half. It was bad.)
• Dylan dug in his sandbox (and in the flower beds a little) and played on his slide (He played outside for over 3 hours yesterday, it is probably the longest stretch of independant play he has ever had. Of course, we were outside with him at all times. But he did his thing and we did ours.)
• Jason (and Dylan) went to SC to pick up a jet ski for FIL's girlfriend
• Jason pressure washed the entire house (or at least as far up as he could reach using our ladder).
• Jason cleaned up Dylan's pool (Yes, it was still up from last summer and was quite nasty. We just never got around to putting it away and were debating whether or not we should just toss it.)
• Jason painted some of the trim around the house
• Jason painted the mailbox and the mailbox post

All in all, a very busy and productive weekend.

Um . . . okay

Nothing Sucks Like A Lisa.

My Anti-Drug is Jason.

Dylan with the Less Fattening Centres.

Get your own slogan here: http://www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi?word=mary

50 Things About Me

1. Until I went to college, I had only lived in one house.
2. Since I went to college, I have lived in 2 dorm rooms, 2 apartments, 1 townhouse, and 1 house.
3. My first memory is my mom being pregnant with my little brother and feeling him kick.
4. Other than this memory, I have no recollection of being an only child.
5. My “little” brother is 3 years, 10 months, and 2 weeks younger than me and he is about 6 feet tall.
6. Growing up, I didn’t realize how little money my parents had.
7. Now, I really wonder how the heck they made it.
8. Now that I work and am a mom, I don’t understand how my mom had time to cook dinner every night.
9. I do, however, realize it was a necessity since we couldn’t just go out to pick up dinner (see # 4 and because we lived about 15-20 miles away from the closest fast food joint).
10. I went to a private school K – 3rd grade.
11. My grandmother was the school secretary at the school that I went to in 4th grade.
12. That might be the only reason I was able to survive the transition.
13. I learned how to shoot a gun when I was in 6th or 7th grade.
14. I killed a deer when I was in 7th grade.
15. I don’t think I ever went hunting again. I wasn’t traumatized or anything, I just hated getting up that early in the morning.
16. I still hate getting up early in the morning.
17. I hate surprises.
18. The most angry I have ever been at my dad (disregarding all things divorce related) was when he planned a surprise party for me for my 16th birthday. I didn’t speak to him for days.
19. I had 3 different cars before I graduated from high school: an Oldsmobile Cutlas Supreme (burned up in a garage fire), a Dodge Daytona (wrecked), and a Pontiac Le Mans (wrecked, but not until after graduation).
20. I was valedictorian of my graduating class (Class of 1995).
21. I hated high school and almost didn’t walk for graduation.
22. Someone convinced me that if I didn’t walk I would regret it (and I was supposed to give a speech).
23. I now know I wouldn’t have regretted not walking, but I don’t regret walking either. It’s just a non-issue.
24. I said as soon as I graduated that I wouldn’t go to any reunions.
25. I didn’t go to my 10year reunion.
26. I didn’t walk for my college graduations (B.B.A. or M.B.A.).
27. I don’t regret it.
28. If any of my children ever ask me if it’s okay if they don’t walk for any graduation, I will still probably try to convince them to do it.
29. The only friends that I have remained in contact with from middle school, high school, or college are guys or family.
30. When I graduated from college in May 1999 (B.B.A), I swore I would never go back to school.
31. I started my M.B.A. in January 2001, at night while working full-time.
32. I finished my M.B.A. in July 2002.
33. I enjoyed my M.B.A. classes 10x more than my B.B.A. classes.
34. I prefer to have a man as a boss. It’s just an added bonus if he has kids.
35. I hate to be micromanaged.
36. I have a messed-up self-image.
37. Growing up, I was always concerned about my weight. Looking back now, I shouldn’t have worried about it because (with the exception of my fashion choices) I looked pretty good most of the time. As a matter of fact, the times that I thought I was at my best weight, I actually looked like a skeleton (and I still thought it wouldn’t hurt to lose another 10 lbs.).
38. As sad as it is, I used to always wish I had to the will power to be anorexic to lose weight and then be able to stop.
39. I didn’t realize that it doesn’t work that way.
40. I am grateful now that I didn’t go down that road.
41. Since I have graduated from college, I have had 4 jobs.
42. I have never worked less than 1 year or more than 2 years at any of those jobs.
43. I have been at my current job for 2 years as of last week.
44. Because of this (among other things), I am wondering if it is time to look for a new job.
45. I didn’t realize how much I would love my children until Dylan was born.
46. When he was in the hospital after he was born (premature), I would get extremely pissed off when my MIL would freely admit she didn’t want to get attached to him in case something bad happened.
47. I never believed anything bad would happen. I knew he would come home and he would be fine (I just didn’t know when).
48. I worry about the transition from 1 child to 2 children, but I can’t wait to make it.
49. I don’t have an opinion on a lot of issues.
50. This bothers my husband.
    

Catching Up . . .

• Work is crazy.
• Dylan is sick. He has some kind of virus. It has made him pretty miserable and crazy tired. This (Thursday) is his first day back at school. We tried to go to school on Tuesday, but he wasn't quite up to it.
• Work is crazy.
• Daycare just called and Dylan has had diarreha twice in the past hour. He is on augmentin, so that is the reason and he can stay, but I hate getting calls that my baby doesn't feel good. And I hate that the teachers have to clean him up.
• Work is crazy.

But tomorrow is Friday and next week will be better. Right?!?! Right?!?!

Thirteen Things That Make Me Happy My son My husband Thinking about having more kids Fresh flowers in the house Making a list and checking off the things that I finish Reading and relaxing in a warm (almost hot) bubble bath Being relatively financially secure New clothes Clean laundry, folded, and put away (not that I actually do this that often) Organizing just about anything A clean, organized house (not that I actually do this that often, either) Someone else doing my hair The idea that I will be thin again (but maybe not until I am done having kids)

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Enlarged Glands

Not me, Dylan.

Several weeks ago, I mentioned that Dylan had swollen glands and strep throat. Well, 10 days of antibiotics and his glands were still swollen. I gave it another week or so and saw no improvement. So, back to the doctor we go.

DR: Yes, his glands are swollen. No, he doesn’t have strep throat. His tonsils are a little large, but he will probably “grow into them”.

ME: Um, okay.

DR: And, you don’t need to worry about cancer.

ME: Excuse me, CANCER?!?!?!

DR: You don’t need to worry about it. Some parents bring their kids in with swollen glands and are really worried about cancer. So, if you were worrying about it, I wanted you to know you didn’t need to.

ME (laughing, but not really finding it funny): Well, I wasn’t worried, but I probably will now. Thanks!!

So, I am off to do research about pediatric cancer of the glands and throat. Fun, fun.

Thirteen Things From My "Childhood" (Up To and Including College)

1. My earliest memory is my mom being pregnant with my brother. I remember feeling him kick. I was about 3 1/2.
2. I went to a private school K-3rd grade. The transition to public school in 4th grade was hard for me because I went from 10 kids in my entire grade (and class) to 30 kids in my class (and about 300 in my grade).
3. I remember being hurt when I realized my mom paid for my "Aunt" Vera to keep my brother and I. I know she loved/loves us, but for some reason it stung. I was very bratty to her after that realization.
4. I took piano lessons for 5 years (3rd - 8th grades).
5. When I was about 8 or 9, I overheard my dad telling someone that the only reason he was here was because of the kids. I forgot about this until years later and now wonder about the significance of the statement.
6. I started dating at 14 and have only gone very short periods of time without a boyfriend, but have only seriously dated 3 guys (and I married 1 of them).
7. In high school, I sang at Carnegie Hall with my school choir.
8. I was first runner-up in my county's "Junior Miss" contest.
9. I was in 4 musicals in high school (1 per year). My senior year I was the female lead.
10. I was the valedictorian of my graduating class.
11. In college, I drank like a fish. Now, I can't drink at all without breaking out into hives.
12. I tried to smoke in college (see #11). I wasn't very good at it and I hate to practice anything, so I didn't try again.
13. I pretty much quick drinking once I turned 21. I guess the thrill was gone.

This is so cool . . .

http://www.snapshirts.com/custom.php

Potty Training Update

Well, we decided to give potty training a serious go on Sunday. Dylan is showing lots of signs that he is ready, but I just don't think he is quite there yet.

10:00 AM - Put underwear on and asked if he needed to go potty. Negative

10:32 AM - Peed under the chair

10:34 AM - Put different underwear on

11:00 AM - Peed on potty

12:30 PM - Changed into pull-up for nap after going potty again.

3:00 PM - Woke up dry from nap and went potty. Put on underwear again.

4:00 PM - Peed next to loveseat after saying he didn't need to go potty.

4:05 PM - Put on different underwear

4:30 PM - Pooped in underwear (and tried to deny it)

4:32 PM - Put pull-up back on for the remainder of the day.

So, tally is - 2 pee accidents, 1 poop accident, and 2 pees on the potty.

Lesson is: He knows what to do, he just can't be bothered right now.

Plan of action: Try again in a couple of weeks.

One More Month

I just got back from my annual OB/GYN appt. I feel like I have seen these guys way too much lately.

Anyway, the doctor suggested that we wait one more month to start TTC again. His reasoning is that it took a little longer than he expected for my beta-HCG levels to drop to negative, so he wants to give my body a little more "time" at normal before we get pg again.

I'm okay with that. I really want everything to be just right, no chances for second guessing whether my body was ready or not.

Least Common Denominator

Do you remember way back in school when you learned about fractions and breaking those things down to the least common denominator? Well, I have been reminded of that phrase a lot lately, but in a different context.

Here at work, we have a lot of people who probably shouldn't be in the positions they are in or at least they shouldn't be responsible for the things that they are responsible for. I have been working for the past several weeks writing and re-writing financial reports. Most people with any sort of financial background (hell, with any sort of exposure to financial reports in their past lives) would be able to understand what is printed on the pages of the financial reports. But, not here. No, we have to take the financial reports and regroup and restate them 3 or 4 different ways. This, my friends, is why the phrase least common denominator has been bouncing around in my brain. We have taken the information, broken it down to it's simplest form, and then had to write a narrative explaining the information.

Not only are we presenting the information in the simplest way possible, we are doing in 3 or 4 different ways because so-and-so likes to read it and so-and-so likes to see it grouped this way and so-and-so likes the traditional presentation. God forbid these people actually take the information and manipulate the structure themselves. UGH!! I don't know how much longer I can take this!!

La La Land

Okay, so somewhere out there in La La Land, my last post has disappeared. This is really just a test post to see if comments work.

BTW - Thanks, Allison. I was wondering why the hell no one was commenting.

MeMe

RELATIONSHIP STATUS...
[single or taken] Taken.
[Shoe size] 6 ½ or 7
[Parents still together] My parents divorced about 6 years ago
[Siblings] 1 younger brother
[Pets] Yes, 1 dog (Boston Terrier)

FAVOURITES...
[Colors] green
[Number] 14
[Animal] I don’t have a favorite animal
[Drink] Coke
[Book] I don’t really have a favorite book
[Flower] Wildflowers

DO YOU...
[Color your hair?] No
[Twirl your hair?] Nol
[Have tattoos?] No
[Have Piercings?] Just my ears
[Cheat on tests/homework?] In the past, yes – if I knew I could get away with it. Recently, no
[Like roller coasters?] yes
[Wish you could live somewhere else?] Not really
[Like cleaning?] Um, no.
[Write in cursive or print?] Print, usually
[Own a cell phone?] Yes
[Ever get off the damn computer] Yes, I am not on much when I am at home.

HAVE YOU EVER...
[Been in a fist fight?] No
[Considered a life of crime?] Yes, but the fear of getting caught always stopped me
[Considered being a hooker?] No
[Lied to someone?] Yes
[Been in love?] Yes
[Made out with JUST a friend?] No
[Been in lust?] Yes
[Used someone] I'd like to think I haven't, but I probably have
[Been used?] I'd like to think I haven't, but I probably have
[Kicked someone in the nuts?] Yes, and it was on purpose
[Stolen anything?] Yes
[Held a gun] Yes

CURRENTS...
[Current clothing] Jeans n' a l/s t-shirt
[Current mood] Overwhelmed
[Current taste] ??
[What you currently smell like] My deodorant
[Current hair] Short and flippy out
[Thing I ought to be doing] Writing financial reports, verifying financial info, etc, etc, etc
[Current cd in stereo] None
[Last book you read] The Lovely Bones
[Last movie you saw] Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
[Last thing you ate] Shrimp and scallops with mashed potatoes
[Last person you talked to on the phone] Jason

DO YOU...
[Believe there is life on other planets?] No
[Remember your first love?] Yes
[Read the newspaper?] No
[Have any gay or lesbian friends?] Yes
[Believe in miracles?] Yes
[Do well in school?] Yes, I did
[Wear hats] No
[Hate yourself?] No
[Have an obsession?] No
[Collect anything?] Not really
[Have a best friend?] Yes
[Close friends?] Yes
[Like your handwriting?] Sometimes, yes
[Care about looks] Not really

LOVE...
[First crush] Lance
[Do you believe in love at first sight?] Yes
[Do you believe in "the one?"] Yes
[Are you a tease?] Not really
[Too shy to make the first move?] Yes

ARE YOU A...
[Daydreamer] No
[Bitch/Asshole] I can be
[Sarcastic] I can be
[Shy] Sometimes
[Talkative] Sometimes

And again . . .

Everyone at my home is recovering well.

However, we got a call last night from MIL. She told us that our nephew (9 mo) had been admitted to Scottish Rite with pneumonia. This just isn't our week.

Lightening Strikes Again . . .

Okay, so Jason is starting to get better. That's good.

However, last night I had to take Dylan to the ER. He has a scratch on his cornea (the reason for the ER visit) and STREP THROAT!!

Will write more later as I am crazy busy at work right now too. Why do these things happen when you don't have time for them. One week prior or later and everything would have not been so hectic. ARGH!!

Update on Jason's Illness

Jason called me at work today. He told me I needed to come home (he had not gone to work because he was sick). This actually scared me. So, I got him to the doctor and expected to hear that he had the flu. Nope, pneumonia!! Good news is, he isn’t contagious. Bad news is, if he isn’t getting better by Wednesday morning (when I take him back to the doctor) he may have to go into the hospital.

Weekend To Do and Ta Da Lists

To Do

· 8-10 loads of laundry
· reload closet (it was emptied due to being painted earlier in the week)
· reload the linen closet
· clean up the nursery (it was trashed when everything was thrown into it due to having our master bed and bath painted earlier in the week)
· grocery shopping
· hang curtain rods
· hang curtains
· pick out and purchase new comforter and shams for master bedroom (to go with new paint color)
· pick out and purchase new bathroom accessories (to go with new paint color)
· buy new towels (just because we need some and I do like to have one set that coordinates in each bathroom)
· touch up ceiling in guest/Dylan’s bathroom ( I got paint on the ceiling when I painted that bathroom almost a year ago. I think it’s about time to fix it)
· reload Dylan’s toys into his toy closet (the closet under the stairs – they were thrown into the dining room due to the closet being painted earlier in the week)


Ta Da

· 2 loads of laundry
· Jason reloaded his part of the closet, but we never got around to mine
· Minor grocery shopping (just enough to get by)
· Picked out, but did not purchase new comforter (couldn’t find shams and Dylan was “done” shopping, so we needed to leave before it got ugly)
· Picked out, but did not purchase new bathroom accessories (the master bath is a color called Camel by Behr [think traditional camel hair jacket], so we are doing the accessories in a chocolate brown color).
· Got Dylan’s hair cut (not on the list of to do’s, but he was overdue)
· Jason and I both got sick (with different things, so now it seems like we gave each other what the other one had), so far it looks like Dylan has been unphased.
· Due to illness, the remainder of the previous list will be delayed until further notice (at least two weeks anyway)

I just want to mention that in the midst of all the illness at our house this weekend (and yesterday was pretty bad), Dylan was a trooper. You know that he had to be bored out of his mind, especially since we didn’t leave the house at all yesterday. He played by himself much of the day, bringing over small toys to interact with us. He watched some movies and took a great nap (which meant I could get a nap also). He really picked up on the fact that we felt bad and took it easy on us (for the most part – I mean, he is only two).

English Genius You scored 92% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 80% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go! Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it! For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Strange Men in My House

There are two strange men in my house right now. They are there alone. Don't worry, though. They are painting my master bed and bath and closet, living room, kitchen, hall, pantry, laundry room, and a couple of smaller closets. I can't wait to see the finished product. I hope we like it.

We painted our foyer several months (maybe a year) ago. We love the color of the foyer now, but it didn't seem to flow with the living room and our bedroom. So, we knew at some point we would need to repaint. I hate to paint. So, we agreed that if we could get a good deal, we would hire someone to paint the rooms for us. So, we are getting almost half of our house painted. Scary, but exciting.

And, to top it all off, I get to buy new bedding and we are going to set up a sitting/reading area in our bedroom. I feel like we are on a spending spree. Luckily, we only do this once or twice a year.

Potty Training

Potty training is not going well. I thought we were on our way to the "great, big underwear adventure", but it doesn't seem like Dylan is all that interested right now. He never wants to go potty when I ask, but he wants out of the dirty pull-up almost immediately. His bladder control is pretty good, I think. He can go hours without peeing in his pull-up, but says he doesn't need to go potty. Then, 10 minutes later, he is complaining (and walking really funny) because he is wet or poopy, so maybe that is a step in the right direction.

He seems to do okay at daycare - he goes potty their at least 3 or 4 times a day. Problem is, they usually pull off a wet pull-up and then he goes potty again. So, he can do it, but he still prefers to go in his pull-up.

And as funny as it sounds, I'm not really looking forward to having to scout out the closest potty in each and every store we enter. Pull-ups are great for long trips, you don't have to stop the car every 30 minutes for a potty break. But, once we make the switch to underwear (daytime - naptime/nighttime wear will continue for a while, I'm sure), we will not go back to pull-ups for trips. I just think that would be too confusing. We will, however, invest in a waterproof pad for the carseat. LOL!!

Really, I'm not all that concerned. I know it will happen (and I'm not completely sure that he isn't just testing us - you know, 2 year old stuff) when it happens.

OMG, I am so tired . . .

I am just so tired lately. I'm not really doing anything more than usual, so I just don't get it. I thought I might have a UTI, but the doctor ruled that out on Tuesday. I have been sleeping in Dylan's room the past few nights, but I don't think that is the problem.

Actually, I think we all may sleeping a little better this way. Before I slept in Dylan's room, he would usually wind up in our bed by about 2:00 AM. This added up to 3 people in a queen size bed and 1 of those people (can you guess who?) likes to sleep sideways in the bed. Dylan sleeping with us just recently started disturbing my sleep. (Man, that kid is getting tall.) So, I thought the best solution when he came into our room in the middle of the night would be to take him back to his room and lie down with him until he fell back asleep. Problem is, by the time he falls back asleep, I am too far-gone to make it back to our room. So, I wind up sleeping the majority of the night with Dylan.

I don't remember ever getting a solid night of sleep on my own (without the aid of medication), so maybe that is finally catching up to me. Maybe I should go in for one of those sleep study things. You know, I hardly ever dream. And, no I don't mean that I don't remember my dreams (like so many people try to convince me - why can't they believe that I would know whether or not I dreamed). When I do dream, I remember that I dreamed - maybe not what I dreamed about, but definitely the fact that I did actually dream. But I dream very rarely. Does that mean that I am not getting to the deep, recuperative sleep state? Am I only ever getting to a light sleep? Is this why I wake up so often at night? Who knows, maybe one day I will go in for that sleep study and find out. Until then, yes, I am tired.

Bribery is a good thing, but threats work too . . .

• -We bribe Dylan with 2 jelly beans every night to get him to watch a movie in his room instead of ours when we are getting him ready for bed

-We bribe Dylan with stickers and tattoos to get him to behave in any given situation

-We bribe Dylan with the ability to wear cool underwear if he will pee and poop in the potty (speaking of which, I have to go out and find some Bob the Builder underwear as a reward if he pees in the potty all day at daycare today)

-We bribe Dylan with a treat (cheap toy or special candy) if he behaves in the store

-We threaten Dylan with timeout (and follow through when needed)

-We threaten Dylan that we aren't going to see whoever he wants to see if he doesn't behave (i.e. Nana, Papa, Grandma, Poppy, Aunt Mindi, Uncle Scott, Ty)

Now, he's two and I know that he eventually needs to learn how to behave without bribery and threats, but it's working for now. (And, don't we all still react to bribery and threats just in grander forms - raises, bonuses, termination, jail).

Once he's a little older I want to establish a rewards chart. This way, he can work toward a reward for consistent good behavior. He just doesn't grasp the concept right now. I guess the reward/bribe still needs to be immediate right now.

The Power of Four

Four Jobs You've Had
1. Grocery store cashier
2. Telemarketer
3. Parts associate and cashier at a Discount Auto Parts store
4. Accountant

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1. The Usual Suspects
2. Kiss the Girls
3. Along Came a Spider
4. Serendipity

Four Places You've Lived
1. With my parents in Meigs, GA
2. In the dorm and in an apartment at college in Valdosta, GA
3. In a townhouse and then an apartment in Augusta, GA
4. At my home now in Atlanta, GA

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch
1. Desperate Housewives
2. Law and Order (all of them)
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. NCIS

Four of Your Favorite Books
1. She's Come Undone
2. Harry Potter (all of them)
3. I Know This Much Is True
4. Angels and Demons and DaVinci Code

Four Places You've Been On Vacation
1. Bahamas
2. Switzerland
3. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
4. Las Vegas

Four Websites You Visit Daily
1. MSN
2. My Mommies Board
3. A whole bunch of blogs
4. My bank's site

Four of Your Favorite Foods
1. Pollo Rosa Maria
2. Cheese Tortellini w/ creamy pesto sauce
3. Steak and Twice Baked Potatoes
4. Sesame Chicken

Four Places You Would Rather Be Right Now
1. At home
2. In bed
3. Under the covers
4. In dreamland

I think everyone I know has been tagged.

My Childhood Powers of Reasoning

1. I used to wish on a lot of stars.




Star light, Star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I’ve wished tonight.




However, my wishes never came true. So, I came to the perfectly logical conclusion that my wishes must not be specific enough and were getting granted for someone else. So, I started making really specific wishes. These wishes were usually made on a Sunday night on my way home from church (because what better chance do you think you could have to have a wish granted than when you were returning home from spending time at church). These wishes were always for a million dollars to be waiting for me on my bed at home (and then I recited the address – this is one area that I believed the first wishes had gone wrong) that night (and then I said the date – this is another area that the first wishes could have gone wrong) when I got home from church (looking back, maybe we were just going to the wrong church – maybe the stars didn’t accept my church as a legitimate place of worship).

2. I rationalized that the way that Santa Claus could visit all the children in the world on one night was because of the time zones. I mean, if he circled the globe in the right direction, he could gain an hour for each time zone he passed through.

3. I was always really annoyed (actually, I still get annoyed) when the president would preempt my regularly scheduled programming. I had heard about these Neilson people that knew how many people were watching each show at night (though I hadn’t figured out how they knew what I was watching). So each time the president would come on to make a speech, I would repeatedly turn my TV off and on for the entire speech. I believed that somehow these Neilson people would notice that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of TV sets were turning on and finding the president making a speech and immediately turning off. I thought, at some point, these Neilson people will have to realize that no one wants to watch/listen to the president talk about whatever he was talking about. Then, surely, they will tell the TV stations that they are losing viewers left and right and my TV show would come back on. My plan hinged on the fact that the Neilson people knew when TV sets were turning on and off, what they were watching, and the fact that they couldn’t trace it to the individual set (otherwise, I would have just looked like an idiot turning my TV on and off throughout the president’s speech).

How stupid is it . . .

that I am checking my blog to see if there is anything new. I mean, I know that I haven't added anything, but I still have this urge to check to see if anything has changed.

Itchy, Itchy Me . . .

• Stop complaining, fix it or accept it.
• I do not have to take my own advice. I love to complain and I am quite good at it, if I do say so myself.
• No one owes you anything. With the exception of most medical issues, the choices you have made in your life have brought you to where you are.
• Just because you are related to someone does not entitle you to his or her possessions.
• Take care of your own stuff before you ask to borrow someone else's. If you trash what you own, why would anyone want to lend you anything.
• Just because you think someone could do something, it doesn't mean they actually can. You don't know everything that goes on in their home/head; you don't know what they could actually do. And even if they could, it doesn't mean they should feel obligated to.
• If someone is ignoring you, maybe you have done something to cause you to be ignored. If not, maybe you have annoyed the person so that they can't be civil to you so they believe ignoring you is the most polite response.
• Ask, don't assume. The answer may still be "no", but the response may be phrased more gently.
• No one wants you to be unhappy (well, most people anyway), but you are responsible for your own happiness. Until you are happy with who you are, no one else could make you happy even if they wanted to.
• Stop finding fault with everyone. Most times, the problem lies in you.
• Unless you are paying someone for those services, do not assume that anyone is your maid/waitress/caregiver.

Stream of Consciousness

So, it only 9:45 PM on a Friday night and I am the only one awake in the house. It's a little odd, actually. I need to do laundry, but just don't want to. I need to do dishes, but I absolutely refuse to. I probably should go to sleep, but I'm not really tired. I stayed home sick from work today, so I go a little extra sleep and I'm not tired. I thought I had some sort of stomach virus, but now I wonder if I just wasn't a little run down from everything that has gone on in the last couple of weeks.

My dad is staying with us for a little while. He had a pre-op appointment (for a minor surgery, nothing serious) today and will be here through the weekend. I take him to the hospital early Monday morning for his surgery and he will probably be released from the hospital sometime Wednesday. He will be staying with us until he feels that he can make the drive home (4 hours). I love him, but it is difficult to have him here for any extended period of time. He is a pretty weak, needy person and plays the "victim" a lot. He needs to be taken care of on a good day, so I am not really looking forward to caring for him after this surgery. And, I feel absolutely awful for feeling that way.

His being here (especially if it is going to be for more than a week or so) puts a strain on my marriage because Jason is easily annoyed with my dad. So, I feel like I have to work extra hard to keep Jason happy and to make sure that my dad doesn't pick up on the tension.

I am doing relatively well dealing with our recent loss of pregnancy. I know that I am not completely "okay" because the kindness of someone asking how I am doing can quickly bring on the tears as I rush to assure whoever it is that I am fine. And, I really am (or as fine as I can be under the circumstances). I truly don't believe the full extent of my emotions will be revealed until we get pregnant again. Then, I am sure the worry will outweigh the happiness and hope until we see a heartbeat. Blood tests have confirmed (as much as anything can confirm) that this pregnancy stopped developing at around 4-5 weeks. There was never a baby, only an empty sac. I was pregnant for 2-3 weeks after the pregnancy stopped. I really thought something was wrong when I hit the 6 week mark and didn't have any sign of "morning" sickness. I tried to tell myself that each pregnancy was different, but it just didn't feel right. Then, my breasts stopped be tender. About a week later is when the spotting started. The day the spotting started, I called the doctor and she actually reopened the closed office to let me see the baby on ultrasound. Until we did the ultrasound, she was certain that we would find a heartbeat and that she could reassure me with the statistic that half of women have bleeding during their pregnancies. But, we didn't see a heartbeat. All we saw was a sac that she said looked like I was about 4-5 weeks pregnant. She said that the sac looked perfectly developed and that if I was starting to miscarry, she should be able to see some sort of deformaty. At that point, we talked about dates. She tried to convince me that I could be wrong and I tried to believe it, but I just couldn't buy it. I had a positive pregnancy test in early December. If I was only 4-5 weeks pregnant, there is no way I could have had a positive pregnancy test that early. She told me to take it easy and that we might want to hold off telling the family about the pregnancy until we could come back and have some more tests. I miscarried over that weekend. I can't decide if she knew what was happening and was just trying not to ruin our Christmas or if she really didn't know. I mean the human body is an amazing thing and who is to say that in the same set of circimstances, the next pregnancy won't go on to result in a perfect baby. I don't know. There are just so many unknowns and things that I will never know about what happened. I hate not knowing. I hate uncertainty. But, I will learn to live with it. I mean, what else can I do?

I think that daycare is getting ready to try to move Dylan up to the 3 year old room. They are asking about his potty training progress and they had him visit the class today. He is nowhere near being completely potty trained and I swear that I will delay doing it if it keeps him from moving to the next class for a while. He isn't ready and he is only 2 1/2. Why do they keep trying to move my child up before he is ready. He is taller than some of the other kids in his class, but he doesn't beat them up or anything. I really hope that they just forgot how old/young he is and they will hold off for a little while. This is one move that I will fight. I never have before. The only way I will agree to it is if they are moving all of his friends at the same time. The last time they moved him, they moved him by himself and he had a horrible transition. It was awful. I can't do it again and I won't. So, there!!

Jason is working hard on his thesis (for this PhD in Educational Leadership). It has been a long road and a lot of papers (that I had to edit for him). I can't wait until he is done, though that will probably mean we will have to sell our house and move so he can get a principal's job. He has pretty much decided that he doesn't want to work in the county that we live in now. We will probably wait until he gets a job before we make any decisions about moving, but just knowing that it could happen in the next year or two makes me very anxious. I Hate Moving!!

Okay, I think that is all that is running through my mind tonight. I think that's enough anyway.

Happy New Year!!!

Well, another year has come and gone. I can't really say they seem to be going any faster since I am an adult (most people seem to think the years are flying by), but there does seem to be less distinction from one year to the next. Growing up, it seems like so many new things were happening in each year. Now, not so much. So, here are a few of the things that stand out as the highlights and lowlights of 2005 (if they didn't make the list, I probably just don't remember them).

• Dylan is growing into an awesome little boy. He is no longer my baby, though he doesn't appear to notice it. I think I am okay with that for a while.
• Landscaped the backyard. It still looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.
• Became an aunt.
• Started trying to potty train Dylan. He's doing pretty good.
• Made out a Last Will & Testament and Legal Guardianship papers.
• Went to Vegas for the first time. We had a blast. We need to make arrangements to go back.
• Started TTC.
• Dylan built his first snowman over Thanksgiving.
• Had a lot of stupid fights, but nothing too serious.
• Conceived and miscarried.

Goals for 2006:

• Get Dylan to fall asleep on his own and sleep in his own bed for at least the majority of each night.
• Walk at least three times a week to get into better shape and maybe lose some weight.
• Get Dylan daytime potty trained (I'm not so concerned about nighttime training yet).
• Start scrapbooking again (paper and electronic).

To you and yours, I wish you a Happy New Year.

May this next year lead you to twice the good and half the bad as the last year.

Pregnancy Announcement and Update (Loss)

I found out I was pregnant on December 2, 2005. We planned to announce it to our families at Christmas by having Dylan wear his "I'm the Big Brother" tee-shirt.

I started spotting on Friday and my wonderful doctor actually opened up the office to get me in for an ultrasound. She thought we would be able to see a heartbeat and that would relieve all worries. We confirmed the pg, but it appeared to have stopped developing at about 4-5 weeks. She tried to be optimistic telling me I probably just had my dates wrong, but I couldn't see how. We still made the announcement to the families, we just tempered it with the fact that I was having some bleeding.

The bleeding continued over the weekend and my doctor confirmed the loss yesterday. I have to go back for testing later this week and early next week to confirm a complete miscarriage.

I think I am doing okay. I can't really talk about it without crying right now, but I think that is pretty normal. Once I started spotting on Friday, I resigned myself to the fact that this would probably be the result. It didn't make hearing it yesterday any easier, but I wasn't shocked.

To be honest with you, having Dylan is the best comfort I can imagine. I just look at him and know that I can get through anything. As I was putting him to bed last night, he was singing a song and he looked up at me with complete love and said, "I happy, Mommy". I just hugged him close and really thought about all the love and joy he has brought to us and told him I was happy too. And, in that moment, I truly was.

Christmas Chaos (not really)

We actually had a really great Christmas. Dylan got too many toys and a lot of really nice clothes. He really “got” Christmas this year. He tore into presents like a pro and helped his mommy and daddy with theirs also.

When he woke up Christmas morning, I don’t think that he remembered it was Christmas. As soon as I reminded him, you should have seen his face light up. It was all I could do to keep him upstairs until Jason got the video camera ready.

He loved everything he got, though the clothes didn’t thrill him as much as the toys. We opened presents at home with just Jason, Dylan, my mom, and me. It was a nice relaxed morning because we didn’t have to worry about anyone coming over. We left the house trashed when we left to go to SILs. She wanted to host Christmas dinner this year, and I quite enjoyed not having to clean or prepare anything other than a few appetizers. Dylan only got a 30 minute nap, but he behaved great. There was just so much going on that I don’t think he even had time to act up.

We did the present thing again when we got to SILs. By the end of the day, I don’t think Dylan knew which way was up. He had a blast and I really must clean out his toy closet to make room for all of his new toys. I think I will pack up some of the new ones to bring out in March or so, just to change things up. He won’t miss them as long as he doesn’t see them. There were a couple of gifts that are a little to “old” for him and those will definitely be put away for later.

All in all, a pretty good Christmas. Gifts highlights are:

Dylan – big teddy bear, bicycle, dump truck, bulldozer, blue truck, playdoh, many, many matchbox cars w/ carrying case and playmate, books, movies

Jason – watch display case, extra long fleece blanket, Georgia Bulldogs chair, new executive cotton dress shirts

Me – my perfume, digital camera, photo editing software, photo printer, new pjs, new shirts, chocolate

Now, I just have to get ready for my dad's visit in a week or so. He is having some minor surgery and will be staying with us for a couple of days while he recovers.

I've Been Tagged Again!!

1.Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Both, big things just sit out; little things get wrapped.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Sometime after Thanksgiving and before Christmas.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love it all.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Opening gifts at my mammaw’s house on Christmas Eve and then getting to come home and openning our gifts from mom and dad before we went off to bed. We would wake up on Christmas morning and all of our gifts from Santa would be laid out. We each (my brother and I) would have one whole couch/loveseat dedicated to out Santa gifts. It was always so much fun to explore our couch.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Around 4th or 5th grade. After that I started helping mom by keeping my little brother distracted while she was shopping.
9. Do you open presents of Christmas morning or Christmas eve? One on Xmas Eve. The rest Christmas morning.
10. What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him? I don’t know, this is the first year we will set out cookies.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love it because we rarely get it. If I lived where it snowed a lot, I’m not sure how I would feel about it.
12. Can you ice skate? NO
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No, it seemed like every year just got/gets better. Though there was the Christmas after Dylan was born that I got a 3 stone ring and diamond stud earrings.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? It’s just a fun time of year. This year we are doing Secret Santa at work, it brings back some of the majic for the adults. I also love the excitement that Dylan has this year.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I don’t know. I like so many.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Staying home or close to it instead of traveling.
17. What tops your tree? A bow
18. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving? Giving. I love seeing the person’s reaction.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Angels We Have Heard On High (Gloria)
20. Do you have a wreath on your front door? Yes.
21. What do you want most for Christmas this year? There is this one type of perfume that everyone seems to remember that my SIL loves, but forgets that I had it first. So, I made a point to ask Jason for it this year. He is the one who found it for me in Paris to begin with.

Weekend in Review

Saturday

• Went over to SILs house. She had made an appointment with Picture People to have her son's pciture taken and wanted a couple pictures with Dylan too.
• We decided to go ahead and have a full photo shoot with Dylan also.
• Spent 6 hours in a mall. I hate malls.
• Tried to have Dylan's picture taken with Santa. We were not successful and I refused to buy another crying picture.
• Spent way too much money on way too few pictures, but they were so good.
• Went home and went to bed.

Sunday

• We were all so lazy.
• Dylan and I took a 2 and 1/2 hour nap.
• Went grocery shopping.
• That's it.

I have an appointment on Thursday to have our carpets cleaned and then I am going to put up the Christmas tree. I can't wait to get the house decorated for Christmas. I think Dylan is looking forward to it too. This should be a really fun Christmas.

Fun Things in Confluence, PA

~Slipping and sliding up and down snow covered mountain roads.

~Sitting in the car on the side of a mountain road while Jason walks for help because we can't make it up the hill.

~Opening Christmas presents on Thanksgiving Day.

~Seeing Dylan really "get" the whole present thing.

~Having to keep Dylan from rolling his new toys on FILs cabin floor (he had just had them refinished). Try explaining to a 2 year old that he can only push his new toys that Poppy (FIL) gave him on the carpet on in the kitchen - it's not that easy.

~Riding four wheelers in the snow. Dylan did it everyday that we were there. He had a blast.

~Just playing in the snow with Dylan.

~Sledding.

~Building a snowman (it was Dylan's first).

~Leaving to go home.

I've Been Tagged . . .

10 Random things about me you may not know:
1. I have sung at Carnagie Hall (with my high school choir).
2. I love my son more than I ever imagined I could love another person.
3. I am intolerant of stupidity.
4. I hate auditors, especially when they are asking for something that you can’t substantiate to their satisfaction and they make an audit point, but they fully admit they know you are doing things right.
5. I see neediness as a major character weakness in adults.
6. I am not as affectionate as I want to be, but am finding it really hard to change.
7. I have been to individual and couples counseling and found out that most of the things about myself that I don’t like will be hard to change. I am just wired differently than most people.
8. I am scared of divorce. My parents, my Ils, and my brother have all been through or are going through divorce.
9. When ever I enter a scary situation, I always prepare myself for the worst possible outcome. 10. I never set goals for myself. That way I am never disappointed when I don’t reach them.

9 Places I've visited:
1. Paris
2. Las Vegas
3. Disney World
4. Switzerland
5. Pittsburgh, PA
6. Chatanooga, TN
7. New York City
8. Chicago
9. Savannah, GA

8 Ways to win my heart:
1. Tell me how smart I am
2. Tell me how beautiful I am (though I will probably call you a liar)
3. Compliment my son
4. Bring me flowers for no reason
5. Listen to me and actually hear what I am saying
6. Never talk down to me
7. Don’t be too aggressive
8. Don’t lie to me

7 Things I must do before I die:
1. Go back to Paris
2. Go skydiving
3. Hot air balloon ride
4. Parasailing
5. Have another baby
6. See my child(ren) grow up
7. Attend all important events for my children

6 Things I'm afraid of:
1. Outliving my child(ren).
2. Snakes
3. Someone breaking into my house
4. Car accidents
5. Driving on snowy mountain roads
6. Being miserable

5 Things I don't like:
1. Fake people
2. Rude people
3. Bad drivers
4. Too much time with Ils
5. Fighting with anyone

4 Ways to turn me off:
1. Comment on how “hot” I used to be or how much my face has changed.
2. Just grabbing random body parts
3. Stupidity
4. Fakeness

3 things I do every day:
1. Go to the bathroom
2. Hug and kiss Dylan
3. Kiss Jason

2 things that make me happy:
1. Dylan
2. Holidays

1 Thing that is on my mind right now:
1. How I can adjust my working hours to spend more time at home without losing any salary or flexibility.

So, what's going on . . .

• Dylan is recovering from some type of stomach virus. I got a call from daycare on Thursday afternoon and he was out of school Friday and really clingy through the weekend. I think it's the same one that Jason had last weekend.
• Friday, we just stayed home. But about 5:00, we needed to get out, so we went to Wal-mart. I completed my Christmas list for my nephew. Dylan helped to pick out the last two toys. He vetoed my first choice. LOL!!
• Saturday morning we went and Dylan got his haircut. He cried, but a lot less than last time. That's progress, right?!?
• I had a blast on Saturday night with Dylan. We went to Toys R Us. We spent about 2 hours just wandering around the store and playing with everything. He played at the train table (we must get one of those as soon as we get a bigger house), trucks, trucks, trucks, bicycles, jeeps, trucks, trucks, trucks. As we were leaving, I was letting him sit in one of the rides (this one was an ice cream truck). I hadn't put any money in it, he just likes to sit and turn the wheel. Well, a little girl walks up, so Dylan climbs in the back and lets her "drive". Her grandma puts some money in and Dylan got a free ride. Normally, when the thing starts moving he freaks out, but he really enjoyed it. Sigh ~ he is growing up so fast.
• Sunday we went to the park. Again, more proof of what a big boy he is getting to be. In the past, whenever anyone would walk up to him, he would just shut down. If he was climbing a ladder and someone walked in front of him, he would let go and try to get down as fast as he could. Now, he just keeps going. You can tell he is still a little uncomfortable with the new kids, but he's not letting them stop his good time.
• We are all getting ready for our Thanksgiving trip to visit Jason's dad. It takes a lot of planning and 9 or 10 hours of driving to get there, so I hope it's worth it. It would just be so much easier if he would just come to us. Jason and his sister live within an hour of each other. And we both have kids. UGH!! I guess I should really stop complaining. This is the only time of year we ever travel to see him. But, then again, he only visits 3 or 4 times a year at best. And, I think he lied to us. He told us that his DIRECTV would be down for the entire Thanksgiving holiday weekend (Wed-Sun). It seemed fishy that an entire area would be planned to be out of service over a holiday weekend, so I emailed DIRECTV asking if there was a planned outage. They actually got back to me and said that they couldn't find anything for area that we are going to be in. They even went so far as to say that they only schedule outages for the middle of the night (to affect the fewest # of people possible) and they only last about 15 minutes. I actually believe that FIL is going to do something to unplug his service. Last year, his girlfriend got upset that Jason and BIL were watching football games instead of visiting - so I think she put him up to it. I haven't, and probably won't, say anything about what I found out because we are bringing a portable DVD player so I can watch movies. It just makes me mad that I think they are lying to us.
• Really must spend some time cleaning the house and doing laundry this weekend. I don't want to come back to a messy house after the holidays.

Christmas list shopping update:

1. Dylan - almost done; need to pick up 1 or 2 more things
2. Jason - not sure; I just ordered his main gift, but don't really know what we are going to spend on each other this year.
3. Mom - almost done; 1 or 2 more things
4. Dad - almost done; 1 or 2 more things
5. Mike - only have 1 thing, but can't decide if I should just give him money for the rest of his present.
6. MIL - only have 1 thing, but I think I am going to leave most of it up to Jason this year.
7. FIL - done; we do Christmas for him @ Thanksgiving
8. SIL - not started
9. BIL - not started
10. nephew - done
11. GMIL - leaving it up to Jason, but he better get on it because we exchange with her @ Thanksgiving
12. FIL's GF - leaving it up to Jason, but he better get on it because we exchange with her @ Thanksgiving

LOL!!

Your Birthdate: August 30

You have the type of personality that people either love or hate. You're opinionated, dramatic, intense, and very outspoken. And some people can't get enough of you - they're totally addicted. Others, well, they wish you were a little more reserved. Your strength: Your flair Your weakness: If you think it, you say it Your power color: Scarlet red Your power symbol: Inverted triangle Your power month: March

Weekend in Review

Who went: Dylan and I - Jason stayed home and wound up getting really, really sick. So sick that he couldn't/wouldn't play with Dylan at all when we got home because we were afraid he would get Dylan sick.

Where we went: South GA - where my mom, dad, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and most of my cousins live

How long it took to get there: 4 hours

Who we saw: My mom (Grandma), my dad (Papa), my brother, (Uncle Mike), my grandparents (Mammaw and Granddaddy), my uncle (Uncle Allen), my aunt (Aunt Judy), my cousin (Kim), and Kim's daughters (Makayla and Brinsley)

What Dylan saw for the 1st time up close and personal: tractors, school buses, cows, horses, mules, chickens, and inactive electric fences (Dylan started running toward the cows and wouldn't stop even though we were yelling at him to stop. The yelling made the cows start mooing and now Dylan is scared of cows. LOL!!)


Special highlights: Dylan didn't pee in his diaper all day Saturday. He went potty everytime. He even woke up dry Saturday morning and from his nap. YEAH, DYLAN!!

It was nice to see my family. It was also nice to realize that Dylan is now old enough to remember them from visit to visit. We talked all week about going to Grandma's house and he was so excited for the trip. He couldn't wait to see Grandma and Papa and Uncle Mike. If we are lucky, we see someone in my family every other month or so, but we aren't always lucky. We try to keep Dylan aquainted with them through phone calls and pictures. I think it is working. For a while, it took Dylan up to an hour sometimes to warm up to my mom or dad. The only person who he never seems to forget is my brother. He would always run straight into my brother's arms whenever he saw him. That just have that kind of connection, I guess. All in all - a good weekend.

ABC's of Me (Stolen from EE's Blog)

A is for age: 28
B is for booze of choice: wine cooler (I hate beer and liquor gives me hives now)
C is for career: accountant
D is for your dad's name: David
E is for essential items to bring to a party: whatever we were asked to bring
F is for favorite song at the moment: Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) – Green Day
G is for favorite game: Trivial Pursuit
H is for hometown: Meigs, GA
I is for instruments you play: Piano
J is for jam or jelly you like: Strawberry
K is for kids: Dylan
L is for living arrangements: me, Jason, Dylan, and Maggie (our dog)
M is for mom's name: Glenda
N is for name of your crush: Jason (yes, I still have a crush on my DH-most days)
O is for overnight hospital stays: 2 (c-section and mastitis)
P is for phobias: someone breaking into my house when I’m at home
Q is for quotes you like: You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, she is beautiful because you love her. ~Author Unknown and Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself. ~Harvey Fierstein
R is for relationship that lasted the longest: this one – started dating in 1996 and got married in 2000, so we have been together over 9 years.
S is for sexual preference: men
T is for time you wake up: s/b 6:30, but is usually 7:00
U is for underwear: yes, thongs usually
V is for vegetable you love: sweet peas
W is for weekend plans: Taking Dylan to get a haircut and then SIL is coming to the house and we are putting together a photo album of pictures from her and DH’s childhood to adulthood. She had to make copies from MIL’s pictures. FIL asked for this for Christmas since MIL wound up with all of the pictures in the divorce.
X is for x-rays you've had: dental x-rays at each visit (2x a year) and chest x-ray when I was younger
Y is for yummy food you make: chicken pot pie
Z is for zodiac sign: Virgo

Happy Halloween!!

Friday was the Fall Carnival at daycare. Dylan wore his costume and participated in a costume parade. Jason was able to make it to the parade this year and Dylan was so excited to see him. As soon as he saw his daddy he came running over to him. Unfortunately, Dylan cried when Jason had to leave, but the candy and party soon made him happy again.

Tonight, we will go trick-or-treating at one of our local malls. You can't beat trick-or-treating inside in the warmth and Mommy only has to drive to one place.

We had a good weekend. We spent most of the weekend at home. Dylan and I painted his pumpkin (brought to daycare specially for him by the pumpkin fairy) on Saturday. It's now a special tye-dye psycodelic pumpkin. We played a little soccer while Jason cleaned out the garage. He had a blast and I can now park my car in the garage. I love being able to do that in the winter.

Random Thoughts

• Dylan is growing up so fast. He just amazes me more and more everyday. His vocabulary is exploding and he is starting to develop empathy (or is it sympathy) when someone gets hurt. (He is usually the one who caused the hurt, but he is very quick to say sorry. Last night, he even apologized to the house because he ran into the wall. Funny stuff, I tell ya.)
• I hate not being at home on the weekends. When we come home, there is so much to do and not enough time to do it. It's no wonder I can't keep up with the laundry. I'm never home long enough to complete a cycle (wash, dry, fold, put away).
• More importantly, I hate spending the weekends with my ILs. I actually don't really mind it once we're there, but I hate the planning and build up that it takes to get to that point.
• Professional changes may be occuring in our lives in the next year. Can't say more than that now, but stay tuned for further details.
• On a completely unrelated note, keep your fingers crossed for me. I will let you know if it worked.
• Saw my nephew, Ty, this weekend and he is getting so big. I guess that's what happens when you are eating more babyfood at 6 mo than you are taking bottles. (BTW, I hate to judge like that, but my BIL and SIL have made some crazy parenting choices and this is just one more in the long line of them.)
• Does it bother anyone else when Moms or MILs by seasonal clothing for you child? My MIL bought Dylan a Halloween t-shirt. Nice jesture, but she never seems to consider that I always buy these things myself (and I love going shopping for said items). For Dylan's first Christmas, she insisted on buying his Christmas pjs and she always gets him an Easter basket. Again, nice jestures, but I just feel like she is infringing on me.
• Lots of things swirling in my head that I can't really put out there yet, but need to acknowledge here anyway.

Happy Birthday, Babe!!

Well, we met 9 years ago. I was dating someone else, but meeting you made me realize all that I was missing in my relationship (and my life). I never imagined we would end up together, but I was so grateful that you helped me realize I deserved more than I was getting. When you asked me out, I thought I was dreaming. A couple of months later, when you dumped me, I wished I had been.

Yeah, we had a rough start, but we persevered. And I'm so glad we did. I know we make each other crazy sometimes and we let little stuff drive us to distraction, but all in all, our life is good, no it's pretty great. And it wouldn't be nearly as great if we weren't together.

We have been married for over 5 years now and we have an amazing son together. You are a good husband and an amazing father. We compliment each other so well, in our life choices and in parenting our son. Together, we make the perfect pair. At least, I think so and that's all that matters.

So, today, on your birthday, please know that you are loved, appreciated, and adored for ever and always.

You Oughtta Be In Pictures

It has been a long time since Dylan has had a professional picture taken. The last one he sat for was when he was 10 months old. Since then, he has refused all attempts of well-meaning photographers. He refuses whether I am there or not. This isn't that huge of a deal, but I really want new pictures (professional pictures, that is). We have tried to fill the void with pictures we take ourselves. And while some of them are very good, it just isn't the same.

Last week, it was picture day again at daycare. I was droppping Dylan off as the photographer was leading the class to the "studio". I asked Dylan if he wanted to go take a picture and he said no, so I just let it go. Well, at pick up that afternoon, I learned that as soon as I left he asked his teacher to "go take picture". She led him back, fully expecting to have to turn around as soon as they got there because she has been with Dylan for a while and knows his picture phobia. To her, and later my surprise, he sat there and (with a little effort from the photographer) smiled. She told me she is positive that the photographer got at least 2 pictures with Dylan smiling. I told her I was so excited to get a picture that I really didn't care what it looks like. I do care, but I know it will be gorgeous. I mean, it is a picture of my child, how could it not be. LOL!!

I'm so excited. I can't wait to see the proofs. I may have to order a larger package than normal just because it's been soooo long. LOL!!

Sick and Tired

Dylan and I are sick. He has a runny nose, cough, and ear infection. I took him to the doctor on Monday. We waited in the exam room for almost 30 minutes, Dylan was in full tantrum mode, and I couldn't even blame him because I would have screamed and cried too if I thought I could get away with it. When the doctor came in and made some comment about him being upset, I quickly let him know that he was happy and playing for the first 20 minutes we were waiting, but that the last 10 minutes or so he was "done" with it. He seemed to understand my point. Anyway, Dylan was prescribed an antibiotic (which, btw, is now orange and smells like a dreamsicle instead of the pink that smells like bubble gum or something).

I have a stuffy nose, headache, and just general achiness. Benedryl here I come. Neither of us are sleeping all that well, so we are both tired.

That is all.

Daycare

After months of searching, Dylan's daycare has finally found a permanent morning teacher. It is such a relief to know who is going to be in his room when I drop off in the mornings.

His last teacher had to leave due to scheduling conflicts. She was trying to go back to school for a higher degree and could never work out her work and school schedules. Dylan had just gotten used to her a couple of weeks before she left. So, I had about 2 weeks of non-crying dropoffs and then it started all over again. The teacher's aide was awesome also, but she is pregnant and as soon as she reached her second trimester (just weeks after the main teacher left), she had to transfer out of the toddler room due to weight restrictions on how much she could lift. This started the parade of subs. All of the subs were current teachers at the school, so it wasn't like they were just bringing random people off of the street, but they weren't anyone who Dylan was comfortable with, so the tearworks started again. Every morning for 2 - 2 1/2 months, I had to hand him over to some random teacher while he cried. (He never cried more than a minute or two - I know because I waited outside his room to see how long it took him to calm down). It was so sad.

Then, about a week ago, we walk into his room and there is someone new. Someone I have never seen before. She introduces herself (none of the subs ever did that) and tells us she is going to be the new morning teacher. She has a calm presence and a soft tone to her voice. She takes Dylan and he hasn't cried since. He clings a little at drop off some mornings, but no more tears. It's like he could sense that she would be around for a while. At least, I hope she is.

Department of Family and Children Services

I had this whole update typed out and it got eaten somewhere.

So, long story short - The Department of Family and Children Services here in GA sucks. Once a child turns 18, they are dropped off at a homeless shelter unless they have previously arranged for somewhere else to go. Does that seem fair? Does the state actually do anything during the time that the kids are in their custody to prepare them for life? Yeah, not so much. They make sure that they go to school, but they don't actually care whether or not they are able to graduate from high school. The most popular arrangement for DFCS kids seems to be the military. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against the military, but I hate to see kids think it is their only option other than a homeless shelter.

The reason I am on this "soapbox" is because we spent some time this weekend with a messed up 17 year old (when he was younger, his mom had allowed her boyfriends to use him as a play toy and punching bag). He is trying to get his life back on track (just spent a year in a wilderness program - a last chance for him) and now he only has a year to get his life together before he is abandoned. That just sucks.

Happy Birthday, Mom

So, today is my mom's birthday. She works in a flower shop, so sending her flowers or a plant is completely out of the question. I hate wrapping and sending gifts in the mail, so I typically have something else sent to her. This year, I decided to send some candy. So, I picked something that I thought she would like off of 1-800-flowers and picked today as the delivery date.

How ironic is it that the flower shop she works at is the one that got the order and that my grandmother is the one who actually filled the order to give to my mom. It's a good thing that my mom took today off or she might have had to prepare her own birthday gift and deliver it to herself.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!! I hope you had a great day!!

I am officially the mom of a 2 year old

Well, I guess I have been since June. But, the terrible twos have officially begun. He's not a bad kid, he's great actually. It's just so hard to see my sweet, loving child turn into a tantrum throwing monster. He can cry for so long (he has a great memory) and I can't distract him anymore. Ignoring him doesn't work, he just gets louder (then he wants to sit in my lap and he calms down). I can't talk him "down" from the tantrum. His reasoning skills are good, but he's still only 2.

I can deal with the tantrums during the daylight hours, but the ones that start at 1:00 in the morning are a little more difficult to accept. One night last week, he cried for over an hour. Not crying really, just screaming. He would fade away, then he would get a second, third, fourth, etc. wind. All because I wouldn't let him watch Clifford at 1:00 in the morning. I gave in about 2:00. I know, I know, I just reinforced to him that if he cried long enough he will get what he wants. At 2:00 in the morning, when I have to go to work the next day, he just might always get what he wants. Hopefully, he will outgrow this phase before he can tell the difference between work days and non-work days. He's only 2, he will eventually want to sleep all night.

And then, when he gets older (and doesn't live at home) he can watch whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Even Clifford at 1:00 in the morning, though I think that will lose its appeal before that time actually comes.

Man, that pisses me off!!

Last week we got a note from Dylan's daycare saying that today was Grandparent's Luncheon Day. Jason and I discussed it and decided that it was best not to even mention it to Cyndi (Jason's mom) - she is the only one who could have made it. We know she would have loved to go, but we thought it would be too hard on Dylan. He has a really hard time at drop off in the mornings and we didn't want to ruin his naptime with her leaving him after lunch.

Well, apparently, she wanted to drop by the school today to see him or she was driving by his school for some reason (she has Mondays off) and she saw the sign out in front of the school announcing the Grandparent's Lunch and she called all upset that we hadn't told her about it. I didn't get to talk to her, so she called Jason. He explained to her why we hadn't told her, but because she was already at the school he told her she could go ahead and eat lunch, if she wanted to.

So, she called me after lunch and, very smuggly, told me that he hadn't cried when she left. He asked to take him home and he started to cry, but then one of the teachers held him and he waved bye-bye to her. She said he was really, really sleepy, so she thinks that could be why he didn't put up much of a fight. He didn't eat lunch (but ate 2 pieces of cake), but I can't really blame that on her because he is going through a picky phase right now anyway.

So, on the one hand, I am glad it went well. On the other hand, I am pissed she was on our side of town (she lives an hour in the other direction), I am pissed she "forced" Jason to change our position on this issue (I don't really blame him on this one because if she had talked to me first and was sitting outside of his school, I would have told her to go ahead as well), I am pissed that she will play the "victim" in the scenario anyway, I am pissed that she didn't think enough of our position as parents to honor our wishes even though she says she understood the reasoning, but more than anything else I am pissed that if he had pitched a fit when she left, it could have all been prevented. I know, I know, he didn't pitch a fit, but we won't know the full effect of her visit until we get Dylan's daily report today. She better pray it's a good one.

Long Time No "See"

It has been a long time, old friend. I haven't seen you in almost two weeks. Not much has happened, but I should still write. I wanted you to chronicle this busy time in our lives and I am falling down on my end of the bargain. So, I am going to try to do a quick catch-up post.

1. Hurricane Katrina was devastating. It brought/brings me to tears to see the devastation in New Orleans. It also infuriated me that everyone seemed so ready to blame the president and the federal government. Come on, people, take a little personal responsibility. People who should have left didn't, the local government didn't protect the people who couldn't or wouldn't leave, the state delayed asking for help, and when help was finally requested, it was slow in coming. There is so much blame to pass around that it just infuriates me that it is all getting passed to the federal government. So, maybe they should have come in without being asked, then they would be said to have stepped on the LA governor's toes. And, if this hasn't been non-PC enough for you let me say one more thing - why would anyone think that a government dependant population (which New Orleans is/was - I saw one report that 98% of the people left in the devastation (the ones who didn't leave) were on some form of government assistance) would actually take personal responsibility for their own lives and the lives of their children in the face of a hurricane. I mean, I kind of understand not having the means to get out and not really believing it would be that bad, but why would you take a chance with the lives of your kids. How many kids, or adults for that matter, could have been saved if they had just decided to walk out of the city before the city shut down the roads?

2. Atlanta almost ran out of gas on August 31. There was a rumor that we weren't going to get any more gas for days and so panic ensued. People left work to line up at gas stations. Prices skyrocketed. Gas stations ran out of gas. People were driving around like crazy looking for any station (who cares about the price) that even had gas to sell. It was sad and quite scary.

3. I went on a shopping spree with the money that I got for my birthday. Thanks everybody!! I got new clothes, which I really needed. I have been slow to buy clothes in my current size. I don't like the size that I am and thought if I didn't buy clothes, it would motivate me to lose weight. Well, after two years of being this weight, I don't think that plan is working out too well. So, I bought new clothes. It was fun and depressing at the same time.

4. We went to the lake for Labor Day weekend. We had a good time and Dylan got into the lake 3 days in a row. He cried less and less each day, so I hope he won't be scarred by us making him get into the lake when he didn't want to. I think I am going to sign him up for swimming lessons this fall and winter. I don't want him to be afraid of the water and I want him to learn some water safety.

5. I started a new exercise class. I am only going once a week (Wednesday nights), but it is something, right?? My first class was September 7 and I really enjoyed it. It is an hour long class and it really flew by. I couldn't believe it when the teacher said time was up. But, man was I sore the next couple of days. My abs hurt so bad (and it didn't help that I came down with a cough - everytime I coughed, it hurt). It is a small class and the teacher is really nice. I may sign up for 2 nights a week next session.

6. We had a lazy weekend (Sept 9-11). It was nice not to have to do anything, but we didn't really get anything done either. We went shopping. I finally helped Jason pick out my birthday present. It took forever to find a jacket that I liked and that I was willing to pay the price. Jason would have spent more, but I just couldn't do it. We also got Dylan some shirts with trucks on them. Lately, he only wants to wear shirts with trucks. Silly boy!!

7. And finally a thought: I have decided to stop worrying about my weight until I am finished having kids. It seems a little pointless to lose weight and then get pregnant and gain weight again, so I'm not going to do it. Now, don't get me wrong. I am going to keep going to my new exercise class. I think I need to be in better shape, but I don't care if I lose weight from it right now. After I am finished having kids, I am going to lose weight and be in great shape. I know I can do it and I am willing to do what ever it takes to make it happen. I am going to approach my doctors and get their help. I will be at a healthy weight again!!!