I'm (*sniff*) So (*sniff*) Proud

Andrew's been doing well when I drop him off at daycare. He usually wants me to hold him, but eventually we can coax him to going to a teacher with no tears. Well, today, he walked in the door all by himself and never looked back. I didn't know whether to cheer or cry. I signed in like usual, and then just stood there, like I didn't know what to do with myself. So, I told the teachers, "well, I guess I'm going to go, then". And I did. I really am glad...I really am. (But I didn't get my hug goodbye!)

If everything tasted like cheese - life would be good.

It’s Monday again…. And the weekend is over. But it was a good weekend. We went to church yesterday morning and had a little excitement when someone totally passed out. Well, at the time it was pretty scary. But we had multiple nurses and doctors in the congregation and the “faintee” eventually was ok. We came home from church, had a snack and took naps. Then a little later in the afternoon, we met up with the Uelands and went to Grand Haven. It was really nice and we had perfect weather. We weren’t there really long enough to let the kiddo get out and run or play in the sand, but we did eat at Kirby’s and walked down the pier and lighthouse. It was busy, but we got to see lots of boats, dogs and birds. Things Andrew loves. Of course, we got a shaved ice, too…he didn’t mind that too much either. We got home a little later than his bedtime, but he did well and was asleep only 3 minutes after I sat down to rock him.

Today was back to work and it was a busy one. I worked a full day today so I was covering the phones and got 20 chart copies called in. SUPER BUSY. Andrew must have had a busy one too, because he was super tired (he only napped an hour today at daycare). So we hit Aldi’s quick for a few things, then I put him down for a nap while I made dinner of Chicken Alfredo over pasta. Mmmm. We had a little bit of sherbet for dessert. Which technically, Andrew should not have gotten any of, since he didn’t eat a good dinner (He was still tired and cranky and I think he might have been teething a bit – he’s had rosy cheeks, felt warm, was chewing on fingers and drooling…although I thought he had all the teeth he is supposed to have for a while, but what do I know?) He refused everything we offered except cheese. Anyway, who can resist a little boy who comes up face to face all smiles wanting a bite of your sherbet? Both daddy and I gave in.

Then he just got silly. We let him watch a little bit of Sesame Street after dinner while I vegged a bit and Marc worked. Andrew was dancing to the music. Then he was spinning until he fell, over and over again. It was so funny. He had too many close calls of totally nailing himself on the table or entertainment center or something…that we had to discourage him from continuing… but it was really funny. Then he found our squirt bottle we keep to spray winkles out of clothes. (It’s just water). He brought it down to daddy and daddy would squirt him and he would run and laugh. Then run right back to daddy to do it again. It was pretty funny. Then we started squirting Rocky and Rocky would bite at the spray and well, Andrew just thought that was hilarious. We were all laughing.

But now little man is in bed, I just finished paying bills (blah!), Marc is making popcorn, and Monday Night Football is on. I still need to clean up the kitchen from dinner, put a load of clothes in the dryer and pull things together for tomorrow. So…that being said…. adieu.

Airplanes are L.O.U.D.

J’ever have one of those days where…the more you sleep the more tired you are? That is today. I think the last three days caught up with Andrew and I because he let us sleep in today until 10! Ten o’clock! I know Marc got up twice just to check on him. Then finally we woke him up. We didn’t want him to get too far off his schedule.

Then I set up him with waffles, Sesame Street and daddy, and I went garage sale shopping. I didn’t find much of anything. Got a few jeans for Andrew that I think might be too small for him now that I bring him home. Darn it…there went that buck. When I got home around 12:30, Andrew was back down for a nap and slept for a solid two more hours! Wowzers. We had one tired boy on our hands. Meanwhile, Marc and I just lounged around, ignored the mountain of housework that needed to be done and packed up a few things so that when Andrew did finally wake up we could go on a PICNIC!

Yep, after deciding that we didn’t have much food in the house that is pack-able (i.e.: lunchmeat), we hit Taco Bell (I know, shame on us) and took our tacos to the airport observation park. It’s just a parking lot off a hill off to the side of the airport runway. It’s got picnic tables, trash bins and port-a-potties. Andrew loves airplanes so we thought this would be perfect. We set all up and got our food out just as a big plane is getting ready to take off. And boy, I forgot how loud they are when you are that close. I look over and our son has this terrified look on his face that lasts about 1 second before tears and sobs come. It scared the poor kiddo so badly. Marc and I couldn’t help but giggle a bit as we consoled him. For each plane after that, we made sure of us was holding him, and he would watch up until the plane got really loud, then just hug us really tight and bury his face against us. Once the loudness was gone, he was fine and would wave at the plane and say “bye bye”. The last few times, Marc would just sit him on his lap and cover Andrew’s ears and he seems ok. Funny. But we took our football and Andrew’s basketball and played in the grass between planes. It was a little windy, (yes, I was chasing taco wrappers everywhere) but really enjoyable.

We got home, and I was ready for a nap. I went up and laid down for an hour or so, when I came back down, Andrew was sleeping again, hard. We finally woke him around 7 since bedtime was in less than 2 hours. So got him some dinner, played for a bit (we put pillows on the ground and Andrew jumped off the first step onto them) and now…. at 9:05 he is back in bed.

Tomorrow is church in the AM, then after lunch and naps we are going to trying to head to Grand Haven again with the Uelands. Hopefully it will be nice and we can walk the beach and pier with the kiddos. Ok…have a nice night.

Beware of Domestic Leaks

Today, work lasted forever. I was SO ready for the weekend. I may have to reconsider saying yes to working 3 full days in a row again. It took a toll on us. Oh, and the extra money I earned, was gone because I was no mood to cook dinner and gave in to Burger King. Plus it made Andrew extra fussing and clingy and I caught myself trying rush around and rush him, which just makes him frustrated and frazzled. Boy am I glad it's the weekend. (Did I mention I work all day on Monday, too?)

On a good note, Marc had his first sale today since he started this new job. And it was a pretty good one, too. So he was just beaming all night and talking my ear off and making me listen to his congrats voicemails, etc... So we did go out and celebrate by hitting Applebee’s for dinner. Andrew was a little less than an angel since he hardly ate at daycare except for “lots of milk” his teacher said. And he refused his early evening 'rest'. (I don't call it a nap, because we like him to lie down for about 1/2 hour when we get home. Often he doesn't sleep, just talks or plays in his crib, but it helps him get through 'till bedtime without being so cranky. Well, he just cried tonight.) So by the time we got to Applebee’s he was very hungry and very tired. Thankfully they give out balloons… this helped for a while. Once his food did come, he just played with it. Little stinker.

After dinner, we went to the small mall to play a bit in the play area.... but due to a "domestic leak" (no kidding - that's what they called it...when we asked what that was we were told a diaper exploded), the play area was closed and being cleaned. So we walked for a while, Andrew played on a little ice cream truck that you put quarters in, but we didn't put quarters in, and we watched the skateboarders at the indoor skate park. Then all the milk that Andrew drank that day made it's appearance and we had the closest thing to our own 'domestic leak' that we've had since I think he was breastfed. Wowzers. It was awful and I had to use all my travel wipes. It was a doozy.... took all I had to keep from gagging. I am thinking maybe it was a good thing the play area was closed, or it could have been MY KID that 'caused it to be closed.

So, on the way home, Andrew is happily playing with his balloon, when all of a sudden the air goes out of it. It didn’t pop, so I am not sure if he bit it or poked his fingernail through it or what…. but it deflated quickly. And the tears came even quicker. It was the end of the world for our little man. If it hadn’t been late enough that it was bedtime as soon as we got home, I might have considered hitting Meijer on the way home and picking up another one. It was quiet sad. Especially since I have a memory of being at the fair when I was little and accidentally letting go of my balloon and remembering how devastated I was. Fortunately, he recovered eventually and I bet he’s not even thinking about it now. Oh yea…he’s sleeping.

Well, I am going to head to bed here shortly. I am planning on going garage sailing tomorrow. Marc said he would keep Andrew at home for me. Waffle maker here I come…

Sometimes...

It helps when you decide to keep your trail mix in a cup so you can munch while working that you don't keep your water in the exact SAME kind of cup, then not look which one you grab when tipping back for a bite.

No Shorts. No Shoes. No Diaper.

It's Wednesday evening, Marc is out for his walk and Andrew is in bed. Get this... I just went up there to check on him and he is totally zonked with his diaper OFF! Little stinker. We keep saying that we are going to stop putting him to bed without his shorts, but it's just so easy to plop him in bed and forgot. Since I had just changed it before bed, the diaper (and everything else) was dry so I just re-fastened it and he never even budged.

Tonight while Andrew went down for his quick nap after daycare, I made dinner (apple pork chops and noodles). Then Marc took Andrew to Geoff's because they got two new puppies. I stayed home and cleaned up the kitchen then just chilled a bit in my quiet house. Kinda nice.

Tomorrow and the next two days I work full days downtown. I am really not looking forward to it. It just makes for long days and crazy evenings. Right after work tomorrow, once I pick up Andrew, we are heading straight over for haircuts. Much needed haircuts.

Well, I need to get to bed since I need to get up extra early tomorrow. Blah. Sorry this post is anything but intresting.

My Sleepy Bear

This morning my little man woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  He was cranky and clingy all morning.  I almost wonder if his teeth were bothering him.  He woke up about a 1/2 hour early and by the time I drove him to daycare, and hour earlier than usual, he was falling asleep in the car.  I had to keep waking him up when he'd nod off before he totally crashed.   Although he did really well and went to his teacher ok today with no tears.   It helped that it was playground time (since we were earlier than usual).

 

And the whole reason I had to be at work early today was because I had a meeting downtown from 1:30 to 2:30 which would have only given me from 3-4 to do my job, so I came in early.  Well, I cover phones from 12-1, but the ladies I cover for didn't come back until 1:30 so I didn't make my meeting anyway.  Oh well, it ended up being a busy day and being here the extra time helped out. 

 

Well, not much to update on...tonight is an exciting night of paying bills, doing laundry, eating burgers, and searching desperately for my work ID.  (I can't find it...and it's how I clock in and out.   So - not a good thing to lose).  Have a good evening.

Mini Get Away

Well, Marc and I decided kinda last minute to blow off our big exciting evening plans and head down with Rocky and Andrew to Uncle Art's cabin. (Sounds like a book). Marc goes down there quite a bit and I've talked about going with him, but it's never been a big draw for me. I've been there a couple times before but for some reason I didn't really remember it right. I was pleasantly surprised when it was REALLY nice! I don't know what I was picturing, but this was nicer. We really had a fun time.

We got down there around 7 and Marc started fishing from shore while Andrew and I just played outside. Andrew and Rocky L.O.V.E.D. it there!! Andrew drove his truck around the entire site. Rocky felt sweet freedom as he was free to roam and smell all new smells. While Marc was fishing he caught two little fish, so we put them in a bowl of lake water for Andrew to watch. The cabin is near a small airport so planes were constantly taking off over the water and Andrew would point and wave and say “by by” every time. So cute.

Then Marc worked hard at starting a fire, which was very difficult since it had rained that morning. After burning our entire bag of recycle paper and an hour later we got a fire going and got the hot dogs a’cookin. No sooner as I was just finished with my first dog and Marc was working on his first, the rain just up and came and drenches us and put out our hard earned fired. We had to make mad dashes in and out of the cabin gathering all our stuff before it got soaked. It was rather funny.

So we finished our hot dogs in the microwave, ate dinner on their porch and got Andrew to bed. It stopped raining so Marc went back to fishing and I read my book (which I forgot there – darn it).

This morning we got up and had waffles and sausage for breakfast then went back outside for more playing and fishing. After giving the cabin a good cleaning and wipe down we were back home around 1:00. We were only gone about 18 hours, but it was a really nice get-away.

I took a nap when I got home and Marc had his fantasy football draft. (Hard to believe it is that time already). Well, we have plenty we need to do tonight, so I will get going.

Sticky Waffles

Apparently waffles NEED oil to turn out just right. I thought I would healthify them by substituting applesauce for the oil. Um.... not a great idea. They'll work and they're edible...but they are not nice and firm and but flimsy and sticking to the waffle maker something fierce. I have to spray non-stick spray between each batch which is probably adding all my oil right back in. Oh well. This waffle making has become a bimonthly thing around here. Andrew and I love waffles with peanut butter and syrup. Still looking for my garage sale steal of a 4-waffle maker for $4. Not sure where I would put it in my kitchen, but then I could whip out my couple dozen+ waffles in no time.

This morning, Andrew blessed me by sleeping in (or at least not making enough of a fuss) until 9:00. It was nice! However, when Marc brought him in and told me it was 9, I realized that we were supposed to be at a product testing at 9. Shoot! So I call quick and we were able to get into the 10:00 testing. So we have our oatmeal, get ourselves ready and head out. It was veggie crackers and they weren’t bad, but they weren’t great. Definitely had a grown up taste to them. I didn’t mind them but Andrew did not like them. At least he tasted them. Yesterday we went to a testing of puddings with fruit and I couldn’t even get him to try them. Granted they were pretty bad.

After the crackers this morning, I hit a few garage sales (looking for my garage sale steal). It had rained and was still threatening, so there weren’t many out…and I didn’t find anything worthwhile.

Right now, I am posting & finishing up the waffles, and Marc and Andrew are napping upstairs in our bed. I think today is a work around the house day. I have a lot I want to get done today, especially since I am working practically a full-time week next week. 3 full days, one regular day and one day with a couple extra hours. I think they are actually considering hiring another ‘float’ person…someone to just pick up hours when needed, such as when people call in sick, take time off etc, since I am the only back up for 6 positions, but then my position needs backed up, since it’s becoming really busy.

Yesterday was my busiest day E.V.E.R. at work. (this was coming off the slowest day at work). An average day is around 7-10 transfer requests. A busy day is around 13-16. My busiest ever day before yesterday was 19…. yesterday was 26!! AUGH! I was practically running and truthfully was a little stressed out. I had to call daycare and tell them I would be late. I knew the day was going to be busy…but I had no clue that it was going to be THAT busy. Holy Cow.

Last night, we had homemade pizza and the Dressler’s came over. The girls beat the boys in Euchre and we had Oreo Shakes that the boys had to make since they lost. I think tonight Kari and I (and maybe Kelly) are going to scrapbook. I haven’t scrapped much of anything in what seems like forever… I have a lot of catch up on.

Ok, this post turned into a novel. Can you tell I am procrastinating actually working? Have a great weekend.

Blame it on the Rain

Well, I can't say much has happened since I posted last.   Work, play, cook, clean, that's about it.   Oh, Andrew did totally wipe out yesterday on our driveway and he scraped his chin up pretty good.  He got a nice bloody lip and now looks like he has a little goatee.  It wasn't that a freeze-pop wouldn't fix.

 

Tonight we are planning on heading to the Lakeshore with the Uelands and their kiddo to have dinner and walk the pier, play in the sand, etc.. (which reminds me, I should pack a change of clothes for jr.).  But we've been watching the weather and it's been saying scattered thunderstorms with 40% chance of rain.  So we are still on the fence whether we are going to try and go for it.  I mean, that's 60% chance that it won't right?

 

Other than that, I'm just at work and it's a super light day (which means it will creep by).   Andrew is doing well at daycare.  We've had two tear-free days.  He's still not thrilled when I leave, but he doesn't cry and goes to his teacher pretty well.  When I pick him up, he just as happy as a clam.  (Not because I'm there...but just because).   He's even got an "Andrew's had a Happy Day" on his note home.   So, it's going well.  Yesterday they had little play horses and then had sand and oatmeal that they 'fed' to the horses at the sensory table.   How cute.

 

Well, I just got word that tonight's little field trip is rained out.  Bummer.   Well, not sure what we are going to do tonight.  Oh well, Maybe we'll get there this weekend.