My son is eating like a Brat.

AAUUUGGHHH!!! I JUST WROTE A WHOLE POST AND LOST IT ALL!!!

I'm tired so I am going to write it again in a nutshell.

After yesterday was prepared to call dr asap this AM.
Decided to wait and see and thought was in the clear until blow-outs began
Still pushing Pedialyte and following the BRAT diet (bananas, applesauce, rice, toast)
Little man feeling much better and his personality and mobility was present.
I had busy day cleaning, lot of laundry, etc...
It snowed all stinkin' day.
I'm still bummed I lost my post and resorted to this lousy post.

Pushing Water

Marc made it to church this morning....I did not. Andrew is still under the weather. I'm almost beginning to think it's more 'bug' than teething. He ran a fever pretty much all night, or at least the many times I was up with him. Still having some 'runny' diapers and still not eating anything. This morning, the fever was down, be he is still so lethargic. He just wants to be held and still won't eat anything. I finally gave him a smoothie which is one of his favorites and he did drink some of that....shortly before throwing it (and I think more) all back up. (I am praying my kitchen rugs survive the washing machine as I write). Then he just went into wimper mode. I laid him down to sleep, but he's up there right now still lightly fussing off and on. Poor little man. I've been pushing water..I'm worried about dehydration since all the runny diapers, lack of eating, and now vomiting. Maybe we'll run out and get some pedialyte later this afternoon and see if that will work. Bummer since we were supposed to go to some friends house for lunch. We'll just have to take a raincheck on that one. Well, that's my not too pleasant update. Prayers would be appreciated. Thanks!

Daddy Survives Dirty Duty

Girls day out. I got to get up early this morning and head to Lansing to meet up with Jen and Jill (HI GIRLS) and spend the day shopping after a nice brunch at her place. It was really nice seeing them although shopping was a bomb. We had lunch at Applebees and I had a WONDERFUL lunch - the Oriental Chicken Rollup. I was SO good it was surprising.

But what do you know. I leave Marc (who is exhausted from his trip) with Andrew for the day....and Andrew is sick all day. He had diarrhea all day and went through multiple outfits, even being showered off by Marc at one point. He also was fussy, lethargic and wouldn't hardly eat all day. He was running a fever when I got home, so we pushed a little Tylenol and put him to bed. I pray it's just teething and not something else. But then again...he has a lot more teeth to get in...might be rough.

So, I am heading to bed...we have church in the morning, then we are going to lunch at some friends house.

Oh, I must mention that I have been getting A.LOT of feedback lately about the movie "The Notebook". Well, I will probably need to convince my hubby to rent it...so help if you've seen it by leaving a comment to convince him, and I'll pass them along.

Home Stretch

Well, Andrew seems to be doing a little better this morning. Still fussy and doesn't really let me get anything done while he awake, but the temp has dropped and the other "issue" seems fine too. I am thinking it was maybe just teeth...but that doesn't explain the other part. I don't know. Anyway, he is sleeping now, which I should be doing also, since we were both up A-LOT last night. But I am trying to get a bunch of stuff done today, so that tomorrow, I can just work on finish getting the house nice and neat and rice krispy treats and a nice dinner made and maybe a "welcome home poster" because....MARC COMES HOME TOMORROW!!! Woo Hoo!

Thank you all who are praying for him. He is really doing well, though this has stretched him beyond what he thought he was capable of. He still has a final test tomorrow and of course a flight home, so prayers would still be appreciated.

We have a product testing later this afternoon and then we are taking dinner to some friends of ours who just had a baby this week and then tonight is TV NIGHT!! Ok, I need to get busy before little man wakes up.

Little Whole Milk

Short little update. I didn't get my list of things done this evening...I didn't even get to lay down since Andrew woke up shortly after I posted last. The little guy isn't feeling well. He was very fussy and was running a high enough fever, that I took his temp. It was only a little over 101. But then he got diarrhea. He got pretty lethargic and just laid on me for a while. Then it seemed like he tried to sleep (which, if you know my son...he would NEVER try to sleep when surrounded by toys). So I took him upstairs at 7:30 to put him to bed and he didn't even want to nurse. I just rocked him a few minutes and he was out. I did give him a little whole milk this afternoon for the first time, but have no idea if it's related or not. He really seemed to like the milk. So anyway, I am hoping he sleeps well tonight and feels better in the AM.

Well, I could go work on the stuff that I didn't get done this afternoon....OR, I could put some chocolate chip cookies in the oven and watch a DVD. :) 'Night.

Home!

Home again, home again... It's nice to be home again.

We got home around 9 last night and stayed up and played a bit before Andrew went down for the night. Then I unloaded most of the car and was ready to collapse. It was a long day. Good, but long. We left OH around 12:30pm and stopped to visit Tayrn and Gideon for a bit, before heading up and visiting my HS friend, Becky, and her family. It was really nice, but by the time I left her place...I was so ready to be home.

This morning we had church, then Andrew napped and I worked around the house a bit and shoveled. We didn't really have any fresh food in the house, so we splurged (well, we had coupons) and split a sandwich from Arby's before doing some grocery shopping. We also stopped at the library. Now little man is down again and I put the cold food away. I need to do laundry, put the rest of the food away and pick up the rest of the house. But I am very very tired today. I might go lay down a bit before Andrew gets back up. Yea, that sounds good, so I am going to go now.

Oh - quick update on Marc. He is doing well, but working his tail off. Please continue to pray for him to finish the class strong and have a safe trip home on Friday. We are anxious to see him!

God is good and I've got proof.

OK, I know I kinda left things hangin', so I would like to give a quick update. I am in OH now visiting my folks, so I don't get online much here.

Last Tuesday, was a horrible day!! Marc sprained his ankle badly the day before and come to find out he was supposed on be in NY that morning, instead the next day. So we were calling, packing, sweating like mad to get him to NY (without being able to walk really) as soon as possible. It was crazy, but God was good. We got him there and even though he missed his first day of training, he caught up quickly. Someone who works at the hotel is a part time basketball coach and even showed Marc how to wrap his ankle and found crutches for him to use. Please continue to pray for him. He is under extreme pressure and is enduring intense training right now that I don't think I would wish on anyone. Again, God has been good, but more prayer would be appreciated.

Wednesday, I had church in the AM and then we headed down to OH. We stopped and saw my friend Kristy and her adorable little 2 mo. old on the way. It was a really nice visit. I got into OH around 8:30 pm

Thursday, Andrew and I just hung around the house, went and met mom for lunch and did some grocery shopping in the evening. Nothing too exciting. It's just nice to have someone who gets excited to get to change Andrew's diapers, etc... :)

Friday, we went and got Andrew's 1 yr. pictures taken. He was a little stinker. All smiles before and after, but Mr. Serious during. Of course, he didn't want to having to stay in one place for over 2 seconds either. I think we got an acceptable picture, though. :) Then we ran some more errands, stopped in and saw my dad at work, then just went home and worked on some projects...a poster for church, scrapbooks, pillows, etc... Had homemade chicken alfredo for dinner...mmmmmm.

Today, we went and visited my Gram for a while before meeting my cousin and her fiance and her mom for lunch. We got to talk wedding a little since she is getting married this summer. YEA SARAH! (I know she checks this blog...so HI!)

Now, little man is sleeping and I am using this time to check e-mail and catch-up here. I know this post isn't real exciting...but since I wrote the last post and then didn't post at all for a while, I had gotten some e-mails of concern. Thank you all for caring. Things are better now.

Not sure when I will write again, may not be until I head home next week. So until the next time...have a good one and keep Marc in your prayers. Thanks!!

Today

FRAZZLED DAY!

I can't get into to details right now...but today has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, day. Pray for Marc - he's in NY and the more people we have lifting him up right now, the better. Thank you.

Whose your daddy?

Happy Valentine's Day. We woke up this morning and brought Andrew in bed with us. He was playing with the baby monitor and threw it against my jaw, so I have been suffering from a nice headache most of the day. Then Andrew and I headed out to run some errands. I bought him a red heart shaped mylar ballon while we were out. Best $.59 I've spent in a long time. I tied it short to a toy, so it's at his level and he is having a blast with it. We also got Marc a simple picture frame and I put Andrew's pictures in it for his desk at work. It looks really nice and makes me want to have more pictures around the house and not just in scrapbooks. Then Marc and us headed out to lunch. We had coupons, so it was a nice, inexpensive Valentine's meal for us.

Now Andrew is down for another nap and I am feeling pretty pathetic. Why do you ask? Well, because of this headache...I'm not motivated to do anything on my long to do list. So I sit and watch Oprah and put some cookies in the oven. I never watch daytime TV...ev-er....so I am feeling guilty for it. Anyway, it happens to be on people losing weight and how they did it. AND I AM SITTING ON THE COUCH EATING COOKIES! Wait, it gets worse...I flip during a commercial to Maury Povich and it's about these two kids who have a baby and they don't know if he is the daddy or not. She cheated about a year ago and they both dealt with that, but they are still together and both of them really love this baby and want him to be the daddy, but they just don't know. So a paternity test comes back, and he IS the father and they are hugging and crying and jumping around....AND I START CRYING!! What in the world? And I'm sure you all know...crying makes your head hurt...so now it's POUNDING!

I have TONS of stuff to get done in the next two days before we leave for OH, I really should get some done. Maybe after I rest a bit...after all, I do have a headache.

Fit for a Queen

Filet Mignon, Creme brulee, stuffed mushrooms....

An episode of Emeril or my dinner tonight?? If you guessed the latter, you are correct. You see, I was invited to attend a friend's baby shower at the very nice (stress: VERY NICE) restuarant. And WOW!!! It was great!! Marc stayed homed and watched Andrew, while I got to get all gussied up and go out. It was nice to chat with other ladies, many of whom I at least was an aquaintance and who also had kids. And dinner was included. Sweet!

It sounded like Andrew and Daddy had a fun time while I was gone. From the looks of the house, they had a great time. When I got home...everything within reach of a litle boy in my kitchen was out on the kitchen floor. Everything. I also heard that Daddy let Andrew have some Pepsi. Here I leave a nice dinner for him along with a smoothie in his cool cup and he still gets Pepsi. His daddy spoils him. I guess they played with Rocky a lot, too. Andrew is getting to the age, where he can play with the tennis ball with Rocky. He can pick it up and throw it (not real far) and Rocky will get it and drop it again for him.

Well, I am going to keep this short as I need to get to bed here shortly for church tomorrow.

cRAzY sTraW

I know I mentioned earlier that Andrew knows how to drink out of a straw now. Well, he does not. You see... In any given moment, half of my kitchen that is within his reaching is sprawled out over my living room. He is especially fond of the drawer with all the plastic utensals, measuring cups, etc... Well, today he found a crazy straw that we got at the zoo. So I think to myself that we can have some fun. I pour a little bit of purple juice into a cup and suck a little up so he can see it go through the crazy path. Then I let him try. He just bites the end no matter how many times I try. Didn't even try to suck on it. Funny thing is, when I give him his cool sippy cup with a straw, he gets so excited about it and has no problem getting anything out of that. Yes, he tips it up a bit, but not too much. Weird little man.

We had a product test this morning, then we hit Micheals and the grocery store. The sad thing is...is that I was all excited because we had all this Meijer money from the tests this week. I go today with a short list (not even a grocery list per say, just some stuff we needed that I've been putting off buying) and used almost ALL the money. Diapers, toothbrush heads, kitchen shears etc... it added up and that was with lots of sales and coupons. I was shocked when I got the register. I even had to check my reciept when I left. Bummer. Se La Vie.

Well, I don't think we have much planned for this weekend. So I am signing off for now. Oh, By the way... Marc is making an attempt as I right, to get Andrew to drink some of his Pepsi from the crazy straw. :)

Pizza Hut...take me away!

Dinner Bombed!

Ok, I tried to roast a chicken for only the 2nd time today. I thought I had the meat thermometer in the right spot and thought the chicken was done. (Maybe it wasn't totally thawed like I thought...I don't know) Marc carved it all up into a dish and only when I came over did I realize that in no way was it done. Not even close. In fact, it was disgusting! 

I thought RAW chicken was gross. Well, semi raw chicken just might beat it. Still has the the disgusting slimy qualities of raw, along with red juicy liquid. Well, the rest of the meal was finished, so we just ate what we had. I didn't feel like I could put it back in the oven all cut up, as it would get really dry. So I just left it.

 We shared a measly salad of lettuce and cheese, a can of corn, and some croissants between four of us (Andy was over). So Marc decided to make cheesy fries...and burnt them. So, as we speak, we are making chocolate chip cookies to round out our balanced meal. (Kari and Al. G. showed up). 

Altogether, I did finally come around and decide that I couldn't let all that chicken go to waste. So I got what I could off the main body (ICK) since it wouldn't all fit and put it in the crockpot with a little water. We'll see how it turns out. I am writing it off as a waste and anything good that comes of it, will just be a bonus. Here's hoping.

 If money grew on trees, we would have SO called Pizza Hut tonight.

What happened??

He's 11 months today and I won't accept it! No...it can not be. He can not be rounding the corner to a year. I refuse to believe it.

It could not have possibly been 11 months ago today that I woke up with labor pains that were mild before they got bad...then worse...then horrible. Things got worse until a little boy was laid on me with the biggest brown eyes just staring at me with a schmooshed up face. Then things got really bad while waiting for a doctor with the worse bed side manners imaginable. Then... after some drugs...things were fine. Just fine. I finally had my little baby boy who I thought would NEVER come. AND NOW HE'S 11 MONTHS OLD! What happened?!!??

I know for all purposes, he really is a little boy now...but when he turns a year...then it will be official. What happened to my baby? The one I could just sit and hold and snuggle? Now he's on the move...go, go, go. So many things to do, to see, to get in to. Busy, busy, busy.

Ok, I admit, he is still good for many hugs throughout the day. And his laugh just melts my heart. And his silliness never stops surprising me. And I could watch him and Daddy chase each other back and forth across our house all day long.

I guess I really can't complain. Babies are hard...11 month olds are a blast. And I wouldn't have traded a minute of the last 11 months.

"That'll teach him" picture removed.

Due to this article, and a heads up from my mother-in-law - I've decided to pull the picture of Andrew playing in Rocky's kennel. This blog is open to the general public and well, who knows what could happen.

Two for the Price of $0

Quick Note: The messy picture I mentioned in my previous post is now down below.
We've been on the move this morning. We had product testing at 9:00. And for the first time...all the samples were BAD! Maybe because we were testing dinner samples in the morning, but all were pretty gross. And not just in flavor...texture, consistancy, color, etc... Because we were testing first thing this morning, we didn't eat breakfast before we came either.

Our plan was to go to the testing then head to the mall to play a bit. Well, we got done with the testing early and since it IS Fat Tuesday, and we were't exactly thrilled with our samples....Andrew and I took a field trip to Krispy Kreme. We went in and watched the dough go through the process of rising, frying, flipping, and getting iced. We even saw some get a topping of chocolate before plopped in some sprinkles. We get near the front of the store and a worker offers us a free donut. (He actually offers both Andrew and I one, but I thought we could just share one). So, we sit and Andrew has his first Krispy Kreme. (First Oreo yesterday, first Krispy Kreme today...I do feed him veggies, I swear). Now, I am not sure what to do, since we only came in for one donut and have now eaten one for free. I feel like I should buy something. So I go to the counter and ask for one donut to go. Another worker reaches back and just hands me one (with their little paper holders) and says that I can just have it. I ask if she is sure and she is. So we got TWO donuts for free today.

Moral of the story: If you go into Krispy Kreme with the intention of just buying one you can get away with two free. JUST KIDDING! The real moral is that thier workers are nice to thier customers. (Am I considered a customer since I didn't buy anything? I let you ponder that).

Then we head to the mall, and Andrew plays for a while in the play area. When finished we shared our second donut before walking the mall a bit. (Had to burn some of the donut off), before heading home. He was totally pooped and is sleeping now. So I need to get to work around here.

Have a great Fat Tuesday!

How. Me Red Beard.

HE JUST POOPED IN THE TUB!

AAUUUGGGHHH!!!!

Of course, Marc isn't here, either. He's off playing racquetball, and of course, it wasn't nice and solid and easy to pick up.... nooooooooooooooo....it crumbled upon contact! ICK!

I guess it's just figures for this evening...it's been a day of mess. For dinner, we had leftover chili spooned over biscuits with cheese on top. I let him feed himself and as you can imagine... It was a mess. Looked like he had a red beard. So I figure, "What the hey, he's gonna need to go straight in the tub anyway". I pulled out the Oreos.

February, 7th, 2005 - Andrew's first Oreo.

It was dunked in milk to nicely soften it first. Well...I can't really explain the mess...you just need to see it. I will post a picture below later tonight.

So I strip him and head up to the tub. He played and I sang until he was adequetely shriveled. Then...

HE JUST POOPED IN THE TUB!

He's now in his jammies and I am draining the tub before I try to get out the rest. I'm not looking forward to it and am thinking about pawning the job off onto Marc. Teach him to play racquettball. OK, well, I need to get off the computer...the power button is a nice pretty blue light that I am trying to keep my son from pushing.

May you sleep well and may your tub be clean.

Silly Quirky Man

I just got Andrew down for his second nap today. We've been busy, today. I'm trying to make up for the last couple days where I did nothing but fly through Puffs Plus. This morning, I paid bills and worked around the house a bit, picking up and cleaning the bathroom. I also finished watching an episode of Alias (while Andrew napped) so I could get it back to the library, today. Then after Andrew and I shared a lunch of Raman Noodles and peas, we headed to the library. I got the next book, Desecration. I'm not sure if anyone's checked out the Left Behind site lately, but the PREQUEL of the series comes out March 1. Anyway, I placed the next Alias DVD's on hold and then Andrew and I went and played a bit.

First we played with a wooden puzzle. The kind with nobs sticking out of each piece. He would pull them out and I would put them back. It was a great game...then...he found out how loud he could be by 'clapping' two pieces together. Then, as usual, he has to see how many pieces he could fit in one hand. Silly quirky man.

Then we went over and played with the Dalmation. They have a large book shelve that looks like a firetruck with a large stuffed dalmation on it. Everytime Andrew sees it, he laughs. Then I piled bean bags by the little step on the fire truck and he would climb up the step and them fall on the bean bags...over...and over...and over...and over again. It was quite funny, actually.

Anyway, we are home now, and he's sleeping. I thought I would drop a quick line here before I'm off to clean the kitchen and work on laundry. Have I mentioned that I HATE laundry?! If I had a maid who would only do 1 thing...it would be laundry.

Ok, well, I am off.

Gedunk Run

Well, here it is, Sunday morning, and we are playing hooky from church. Which is a huge bummer, because Marc and I really wanted to go. But, I would be sneezing and coughing over the congregration and thought it best to stay home today. I think I might be feeling a little bit better as I was MISERABLE yesterday. My nose to close to being rubbed off.

We really didn't do much of anything yesterday. Marc played raquetball in the morning, we took a short walk in the afternoon, just to get out of the germ infested house and enjoy a bit of extremely missed sun. Then we just laid around the rest of the day. Marc still has a touch of it, but it feeling much better, which gives me hope.

Then last night, he said he was going to Meijer to bring back dinner. He came back with some steaks, french fries, Oreos, vanilla ice cream, teddy grahams for Andrew, and Pepsi. I can't say that I promote this type of shopping on a regular basis, but it was sweet. Closest thing to a "gedunk run" in a long time. (Gedunk Run = trip to store soley for the sake of buying junk food, such as before a slumber party).

So we started with the fries as an appetizer...baking them (more healthy) with cheese and bacon on top (canceled out the healthy part). I dipped mine in ranch mixed with ketchup (negative again). Then we broiled the steaks we had marinating (great recipe). They were really good. Then after little man went to bed, we had Oreos. I opted for a simple glass of milk to dunk, Marc chose to break his into his ice cream. We watched "What Women Want" on tv and headed to bed. Nothing too exciting.

Tonight we really don't have big plans for the Super Bowl. We've been invited a few places, but we'll just see how I'm feeling. I hope you all have an enjoyable evening.

Never fear...pureed corn is here.

Never fear, Mom Dykstra. Your grandson does in fact like corn. I ground some up today and he ate it just fine. Must have just been the texture. Just thougth I would set your mind at ease.

I am still under the weather and haven't got much done today other than basic pickup and what's necessary to take care of myself and my son. I have already let him watch Little People twice this morning. (Not something I am proud of). He's still in his jammies (which are just too cute) and I still in my glasses, however, I am out of my jammies.

Fortunatly, we don't have anything going on today or tonight, although with my husband, we probably will end up doing something with someone tonight.

OK, that's all for now.

Little People vs. Baby Einstein

This will short as, thanks to my sweet hubby of mine, I now am not feeling well. Got a stuffy nose and tons of pressure around my eyes. Thanks Hon! Well, we had our dessert tasting this morning. And get this....Andrew is signed up for three more next week for a whopping $70. We'll be eating on the high horse next week.

After we got back and Andrew had a nap, we headed to the Library. I wanted to get the next book, the Mark. I also picked up a couple Baby Einstein DVD's for Andrew. He got a Little People Video for Christmas that he LOVES! We can have the television on, even little kid television like the Wiggles, and Seseme Street and what-not and he could care less. But put in the Little People and he sits still and watches it. We have to watch him because when the 25 minute tape is finished it automatically rewinds and ejects. Well, he knows how to push it back in. And trust me, even though it's nice to have something to keep him busy when I need to get dinner made or something like that...I AM TIRED OF IT! I have the song and the dialog memorized. And we don't let him watch all that much. So anyway, I thought maybe he would like these new DVD's. Again, wanted nothing to do with them. But the second he hears the tape go into the VCR, before the show even comes on, he sits and watches the WHOLE thing! Strange little boy likes his Little People.

So, tonight, we had a nice roast (I pulled it out Saturday for Sunday's dinner but just now got to eating it). Little man had a bath and smelled SO GOOD! I love the way he smells after a bath. Then of course, there Thursday TV... Joey, Apprentice, and ER. But I am taping ER, as I don't feel like stay up to watch it tonight.

Ok, I wrote much longer than I had planned and I need to get to bed.

Throw it all in a blender...

I got to scrapbook tonight FOR ME! All for me. Sounds selfish, I know. But you see, I made these picture calendars and another small scrapbook for Christmas presents, & while I am glad I did them, they took a lot of time and drained my creative scrapbooking juices. So, I really haven't scrapped since like October. Tonight, Jen and Kari came over and I got a page done. Yes, it is one lone page, but it's done none-the-less and I like it! AND....due to this blogging thing I got going one...the journaling was already done. (If you frequent this blog at all, you'll recognize both the journaling and the pictures.) I'll post the page below.

Well, last night I made Enchalata soup and beer bread and we had some friends over. It was really nice. I accidently bought green chile enchalata sauce instead of the regular sauce....and it was great!! Will be doing that again. It was just as good again for lunch today. (It's a hit with Andrew as well).

This morning we had church and again...Andrew was zonked when we left. I brought him home and laid him down. Marc was in bed (he is under the weather with a nasty cold that is threatening the health of the rest of the household). Anyway, I crawled in for a little nap myself. (Did I not say that when Marc is home, I get nothing done?!). So anyway, and HOUR & HALF LATER.....I wake up, almost panicked that I haven't heard from my son. He was still sleeping and woke up about 15 minutes later. Essentially he slept from 11:45am until 2:15pm. And I got a nice nap. Of course, I had that groggy feeling for a while afterward and didn't get nearly the chores done that I had aspired to do during the day. I just managed to do the bare minimum to have the house presentable for Jen and Kari. Andy came over with pizza after work for us.

So, Andrew has a new tooth and I'm chalking his fever a few days ago up to that, since I have no stinkin' clue what else it could have been. That's five...count 'em...five teeth for the DrewMan. However, I've been on this kick of making him smoothies for his lunch. He just learned to drink through a straw a day or two ago. So, I can get him to eat a half carton of fruit yogurt, a half banana and some juice, if I throw it all in a blender and put it in his cool cup with a straw. Plus, he can be mobile and doesn't have to sit in the evil constraining device of a high chair. He seems to like it and seems to fill him up. Then I just push veggies and protein for dinner. Well, tonight, he didn't really want the carrots that I offered, but was more than happy to accept the pizza that Uncle Andy was offering. Although, Andrew responded in kind, by offering to put Cheerios in Andy's mouth for him....sometimes AFTER they had been in his own. (In unison now...."Eeeewwwwweeeee!!!")

Ok, Ok, I'll wrap this up. Tomorrow, we have a dessert testing, I want to hit the library, and get my to do list from today and tomorrow done all in time for good TV. So, night, y'all.

Four Minutes of Snow 

I am a MOP

I went to MOP's today! And I liked it! (Mothers Of Preschoolers). Our church has it and even though I knew about it, for the longest time I thought your kid had to be in 'preschool'...but preschool means before any school...so that means me. We met our old small group leaders (they are not old) last night at Chili's (MY FAVORITE!) and she goes and invited me to come along. So Andrew and I got up and about this morning, and even had enough time to hit the grocery store before heading to church.

By the way, Andrew is feeling much better and back to his old happy silly self again, thankfully. He is sleeping right now. He usually naps around 10 or 11ish, so when we go the church in the morning... he is totally wiped out and usually is asleep before we get out of the parking lot. (I am having de ja vu...if I have written about this before, forgive me). Anyway, so it's 1:21 and he's been asleep since about 11:45. In fact, Marc was home for lunch, so I dropped Andrew off and went and hit Aldi's already.

We have company coming over for dinner tonight, so I am making Enchalata Soup and Beer Bread, by request of my hubby. Mmmmm...good choice. So, I really have a lot to do...clean the house, work on dinner, and come up with a dessert that's simple and easy using what we have on hand, since I didn't think about it while I was at the store.

Well, Marc started his first day of work yesterday. We have really been blessed. You see, normally an employee would have to go to NY his first day for training for 10 days. But Marc's training doesn't start until the 16th of this month. So rather than not have him start until then, his boss let him start yesterday...even though there is like NOTHING for him to do. In fact, his boss told him to kinda come and go as he pleases during this time. It's rough for Marc because it makes for long boring days, but it is really good for us overall. 1) We will get an extra and much needed pay period in 2) benefits will start earlier 3) he will be able to study before going to NY and hopefully have a leg up to pass the test at the end of the training and take some pressure off.

Then get this...while I was employed at Charter, I participated in "Healthy Expectations" through our insurance program when I was pregnant. So anyway, Andrew is almost 11 months, right? AND, I don't even work for Charter anymore.... but I get this letter in the mail from them yesterday congradulating me on the birth of my baby and telling me about a toll-free number I can use if I have any questions the first 6 weeks postpardum. AND, as a thank you for using thier program, they sent me a Babies R Us gift card for $50 off a purchase of $50 or more. So pretty much it's a free $50 as long as I use it all at once. How cool is that?!!

Ok, Andrew is up and probably hungry...so will get going.