A stomach bug descended on our house this weekend. Not fun. And surely not my first choice for how to spend the weekend. We had to cancel on a birthday party and our small group meeting. But, instead of dwelling on the bad, I'm going to try to remember the good things of this weekend.
1. Since we all got sick on a weekend Walter didn't have to take a day off work (good thing because he used all his days off for his surgery recently).
2. Walter got sick 18 hours after me so we were kind of able to switch off with the kids.
3. Wesley, aside from a few interesting diapers, managed to miss the bug.
4. Xavier never got sick in his bed or on the carpets, only on the hardwood floors. They are soooo much easier to clean up!
5. We had plenty of fun stuff for Xavier to watch on the DVR. Great way to keep him occupied and calm when we could barely stand up! Walter and I also watched Anchorman. Very funny!
6. The kids napped together both afternoons which meant Walter and I could nap too!
7. My mom brought us get well goodies and juice to hide the nasty tasting Pedialyte for Xavier.
8. Once he was feeling better, Walter changed all the sheets and did ALL the laundry (be still my heart!)
9. I really didn't have to cook the entire weekend.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Juice is Kiddie Crack
We don't really give X juice. We just never have. It's a lot of sugar and I'd rather him eat a piece or fruit and save his calories for the important things in life like cookies :) So on the rare occasion that X is offered juice, he goes at it like a crack feign! Slurp slurp baby, he's not going to let one drop go to waste.
There are some juice boxes in our fridge in the basement left over from a recent gathering. The other day when we were playing down I offered him one as a treat. He saw me get it out of the refrigerator and obviously stored that location away in his head.
So today we were playing in the basement and the light bulb in his head must have went on that reminded him there are juice boxes. He walks over to me with bright eyes and a big ol grin and asks ever so kindly if we can have juice. He looked cute so I caved and said yes (plus there was a grape one that I wanted!) He runs over to the fridge and surveys his choices.
Here is how little he knows about juice. He thinks everything is apple juice, just in different colored boxes. So today he told me he wanted red apple juice (fruit punch). I could no sooner get the little plastic straw in it and he was sucking it down like a mad man. He drained that box in record time. Afterward he had a satisfied, glazed over look on his face like a crack addict after a fix.
Clearly we've made the right decision in not making juice a frequent occurrence. Live it up boy, there's one box left and then you're back to water!
There are some juice boxes in our fridge in the basement left over from a recent gathering. The other day when we were playing down I offered him one as a treat. He saw me get it out of the refrigerator and obviously stored that location away in his head.
So today we were playing in the basement and the light bulb in his head must have went on that reminded him there are juice boxes. He walks over to me with bright eyes and a big ol grin and asks ever so kindly if we can have juice. He looked cute so I caved and said yes (plus there was a grape one that I wanted!) He runs over to the fridge and surveys his choices.
Here is how little he knows about juice. He thinks everything is apple juice, just in different colored boxes. So today he told me he wanted red apple juice (fruit punch). I could no sooner get the little plastic straw in it and he was sucking it down like a mad man. He drained that box in record time. Afterward he had a satisfied, glazed over look on his face like a crack addict after a fix.
Clearly we've made the right decision in not making juice a frequent occurrence. Live it up boy, there's one box left and then you're back to water!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
How Texting Improved my Marriage
Say what? Texting can improve a marriage? Um, yeah!
A few months ago Walter and I got new phones and changed our plan. We now have unlimited texting. Gosh, is it amazing. Before we had pay-per-use texting so we pretty much never used it. But arm us with an unlimited plan and a QWERTY keyboard and watch out! In a matter of days we picked up on how useful this texting thing can be (I know, we are way behind the times).
Now we can have little snipits of conversation all day long while I'm at home and he's at work. (He's out and about all day so we rarely ever email each other) He'll text me good morning if I was still sleeping when he left the house. If the kids do something cute I'll let him know, and maybe even text a picture. He'll text me if he sees a funny sign or has an idea of something to do that evening. I'll even text him to vent if it's a particularly frustrating day.
Bottom line is that we are communicating more, and that is a good thing. The days can be long with Walter out of the house for 10+ hours sometimes. There isn't always a chance for a phone conversation with his work demands and screaming kids on my end, but a quick text can let the other person know you are thinking about them. In an odd way it just makes me feel like we are working more as a team, a partnership, which is what marriage is all about.
A few months ago Walter and I got new phones and changed our plan. We now have unlimited texting. Gosh, is it amazing. Before we had pay-per-use texting so we pretty much never used it. But arm us with an unlimited plan and a QWERTY keyboard and watch out! In a matter of days we picked up on how useful this texting thing can be (I know, we are way behind the times).
Now we can have little snipits of conversation all day long while I'm at home and he's at work. (He's out and about all day so we rarely ever email each other) He'll text me good morning if I was still sleeping when he left the house. If the kids do something cute I'll let him know, and maybe even text a picture. He'll text me if he sees a funny sign or has an idea of something to do that evening. I'll even text him to vent if it's a particularly frustrating day.
Bottom line is that we are communicating more, and that is a good thing. The days can be long with Walter out of the house for 10+ hours sometimes. There isn't always a chance for a phone conversation with his work demands and screaming kids on my end, but a quick text can let the other person know you are thinking about them. In an odd way it just makes me feel like we are working more as a team, a partnership, which is what marriage is all about.
Friday, August 20, 2010
How Many People Does it Take to Make Tuna Salad?
Apparently 1 adult and 3 small helpers!
Last week we had playgroup at our house and I was making tuna and egg salad for everyone. The kids came right up to help. Tuna salad isn't very complicated so I had to divide out the work somehow. Thankfully the kids are little enough that they just went along with it. Each child got to put in a spoonful of relish, take a squeeze at the mayo, and pour in a small cup of chopped up hard boiled egg. And then they each got a spoon to stir. They were so proud of themselves and it was actually fun to have them help.
Last week we had playgroup at our house and I was making tuna and egg salad for everyone. The kids came right up to help. Tuna salad isn't very complicated so I had to divide out the work somehow. Thankfully the kids are little enough that they just went along with it. Each child got to put in a spoonful of relish, take a squeeze at the mayo, and pour in a small cup of chopped up hard boiled egg. And then they each got a spoon to stir. They were so proud of themselves and it was actually fun to have them help.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Isn't Sunday Supposed to be the Day of Rest?
Sometimes I really don't know how I'm surviving on the small amount sleep that I get lately. I'm going to bed too late. Wes is STILL not sleeping through the night. And Xavier is getting up too early. Sunday was one of those days that started early....really early.....and I didn't stop going the entire day.
After getting up with Wes at 2am I could not, for the life of me, fall back asleep. Walter woke up around that time too and couldn't sleep. It was the oddest (and most frustrating) thing to be awake together (yet very tired) at 2:30am when our kids were actually sleeping peacefully for once. By 4am we were still awake and had exhausted the discussion about how much we wished we could fall asleep. We ended up watching TV. Just as 5am rolled around and we were starting to get tired again we heard X start singing Happy Birthday on the monitor. He was wide awake and had peed out of his nighttime diaper and all over the sheets that I had just changed the day before. Realizing any hope of getting more sleep was clearly gone, I decided to strip the bed and wash X's sheets.
Fast forward to 7:15am: I was trying to get dressed for church. Both boys were milling around and X has an accident all over my bathroom floor as he's trying to get to the potty. So I clean that up and continue to get the family ready to go.
8:15am --We arrive at church. I had to get there and hour early to set up the coffee bar. We were down one car so we all had to go early. I just started volunteering on the coffee bar group and it was my first day to set up alone. Clearly I didn't allow enough time to set up and was rushing around like a mad woman, but that's a whole other story. In the midst of my setup X had another accident while trying to get to the bathroom (I have no idea why this was all happening - he's been doing pretty well). I had a change of clothes for X but it was so bad that Walter had to take him home to get new shoes.
10:30am - The service is over and apparently there are some frustrated church go-ers because the coffee is now empty. I'm still not clear (as the newbie) if that was my fault or the in between services person didn't show up. At any rate, I scramble to make more coffee while people stand with empty cups glaring at me (seriously folks, this is church, back off the evil eye!) At the same time I'm trying to talk to some friends that came to try out the church today, and, oh yeah, pass the kids back and forth with Walter.
11:30am - Coffee drama is over and we finally leave church to head home to give a crabby X (remember how he got up at 5am) lunch and a nap.
12:30pm - Kids are fed, sheets are put back on X's bed, he is napping, Wes is playing with daddy, and I'm off to the store to get supplies to make tacos for our small group from church that night because I never have what I need for a recipe on hand...ever...it's like a curse with me!
2:00pm - Back from the store, fed Wes and put him down for a nap, then it was time to start cooking. You'd think tacos would be quick, but I felt like I was chopping ingredients FOREVER. In between slicing tomatoes and cutting up lettuce (all the while cursing Walmart for not carrying pre-shredded lettuce) my dad stops by to snake the drain in the basement that is apparently clogged and leaking water all over the floor. Nice.
5:00pm - Food is prepared, house is picked up, children are fed again, and our small group folks arrive. The kids start acting up (perfect timing) and Walter and I spend the bible study portion of the meeting trying to keep our kids quiet and occupied. That is an exhausting task sometimes.
7:00pm - Small group leaves after the taco feast and it's time to clean up, give the kids a bath, and put them to bed....which gets interrupted by a well meaning neighbor offering X a racetrack that her son has outgrown.
8:30pm -- Finally the little ones are in bed and I unload 2 baskets of laundry then hit the couch to relax and check email.
Isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest? Maybe next week.
After getting up with Wes at 2am I could not, for the life of me, fall back asleep. Walter woke up around that time too and couldn't sleep. It was the oddest (and most frustrating) thing to be awake together (yet very tired) at 2:30am when our kids were actually sleeping peacefully for once. By 4am we were still awake and had exhausted the discussion about how much we wished we could fall asleep. We ended up watching TV. Just as 5am rolled around and we were starting to get tired again we heard X start singing Happy Birthday on the monitor. He was wide awake and had peed out of his nighttime diaper and all over the sheets that I had just changed the day before. Realizing any hope of getting more sleep was clearly gone, I decided to strip the bed and wash X's sheets.
Fast forward to 7:15am: I was trying to get dressed for church. Both boys were milling around and X has an accident all over my bathroom floor as he's trying to get to the potty. So I clean that up and continue to get the family ready to go.
8:15am --We arrive at church. I had to get there and hour early to set up the coffee bar. We were down one car so we all had to go early. I just started volunteering on the coffee bar group and it was my first day to set up alone. Clearly I didn't allow enough time to set up and was rushing around like a mad woman, but that's a whole other story. In the midst of my setup X had another accident while trying to get to the bathroom (I have no idea why this was all happening - he's been doing pretty well). I had a change of clothes for X but it was so bad that Walter had to take him home to get new shoes.
10:30am - The service is over and apparently there are some frustrated church go-ers because the coffee is now empty. I'm still not clear (as the newbie) if that was my fault or the in between services person didn't show up. At any rate, I scramble to make more coffee while people stand with empty cups glaring at me (seriously folks, this is church, back off the evil eye!) At the same time I'm trying to talk to some friends that came to try out the church today, and, oh yeah, pass the kids back and forth with Walter.
11:30am - Coffee drama is over and we finally leave church to head home to give a crabby X (remember how he got up at 5am) lunch and a nap.
12:30pm - Kids are fed, sheets are put back on X's bed, he is napping, Wes is playing with daddy, and I'm off to the store to get supplies to make tacos for our small group from church that night because I never have what I need for a recipe on hand...ever...it's like a curse with me!
2:00pm - Back from the store, fed Wes and put him down for a nap, then it was time to start cooking. You'd think tacos would be quick, but I felt like I was chopping ingredients FOREVER. In between slicing tomatoes and cutting up lettuce (all the while cursing Walmart for not carrying pre-shredded lettuce) my dad stops by to snake the drain in the basement that is apparently clogged and leaking water all over the floor. Nice.
5:00pm - Food is prepared, house is picked up, children are fed again, and our small group folks arrive. The kids start acting up (perfect timing) and Walter and I spend the bible study portion of the meeting trying to keep our kids quiet and occupied. That is an exhausting task sometimes.
7:00pm - Small group leaves after the taco feast and it's time to clean up, give the kids a bath, and put them to bed....which gets interrupted by a well meaning neighbor offering X a racetrack that her son has outgrown.
8:30pm -- Finally the little ones are in bed and I unload 2 baskets of laundry then hit the couch to relax and check email.
Isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest? Maybe next week.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Bathroom Tour 2010
X is potty trained during the day now. And I think his new goal in life is to visit every bathroom in the tri-county area. The kid is obsessed. It's the first thing he wants to do when we get somewhere. He's fascinated with different sinks and soap holders, fancy paper towel dispensers, and the fact that he gets to flush the toilet with his foot in public restrooms. And you can't really refuse his request because he actually "goes" pretty much every time he asks to be taken to the bathroom.
Walter was going to take X into his work the other day for a visit and X refused to go to the bathroom before he left the house. Instead he told me "I'm going to go potty at daddy's work." That apparently was going to be the highlight of the trip for him. Walter joked that just leaving the house is like giving him a laxative!
I guess in a way this is a good thing because I know that lots of kids are scared of public restrooms. But seriously, we can't go ANYWHERE without a bathroom break now. He's worse than a pregnant lady!
Walter was going to take X into his work the other day for a visit and X refused to go to the bathroom before he left the house. Instead he told me "I'm going to go potty at daddy's work." That apparently was going to be the highlight of the trip for him. Walter joked that just leaving the house is like giving him a laxative!
I guess in a way this is a good thing because I know that lots of kids are scared of public restrooms. But seriously, we can't go ANYWHERE without a bathroom break now. He's worse than a pregnant lady!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Ma-Ma
Another milestone today for Wesley. His first word was spoken.....and it was MaMa!
I love it!!! Xavier's first word was DaDa so now I guess we are even.
I love it!!! Xavier's first word was DaDa so now I guess we are even.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Random Catch Up
The camera hasn't gotten much use lately. I uploaded what I had and it turned out to be a bunch of randomness. So I'm putting it all in one post to catch up.
Xavier loves pillows. Do you see how he's propped himself up with one behind his back, one on his lap, and one to hold his cup of cheezits? He sat this way for a good 20 minutes playing with the phone. He was calling Daisy Duck and apparently it was a very important conversation.
I saw this sign at the Gap recently. It should be my motto. I hate shorts with a passion. They just don't look good on me and I find them very uncomfortable. Walter gives me a hard time because I wear pants all summer long.
The boys can sit together in the cart at Costco because it's so big. I thought it looked cute so I tried to take a picture. Of course they wouldn't look at me.
X - "hey Wes, do you see that she's trying to take our picture again?"
W - "yeah, but I'm not giving her the satisfaction. Why do you think I'm staring blankly off to the side?"
Wes was looking cute in the tubby with his little spike!
Wes will not stay away from the basement steps. I've learned my lesson about the gate, but he's very determined.
Xavier loves pillows. Do you see how he's propped himself up with one behind his back, one on his lap, and one to hold his cup of cheezits? He sat this way for a good 20 minutes playing with the phone. He was calling Daisy Duck and apparently it was a very important conversation.
I saw this sign at the Gap recently. It should be my motto. I hate shorts with a passion. They just don't look good on me and I find them very uncomfortable. Walter gives me a hard time because I wear pants all summer long.
The boys can sit together in the cart at Costco because it's so big. I thought it looked cute so I tried to take a picture. Of course they wouldn't look at me.
X - "hey Wes, do you see that she's trying to take our picture again?"
W - "yeah, but I'm not giving her the satisfaction. Why do you think I'm staring blankly off to the side?"
"OK, now let's both look right. maybe she'll get the hint and put that stupid camera away."
Wes was looking cute in the tubby with his little spike!
Wes will not stay away from the basement steps. I've learned my lesson about the gate, but he's very determined.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Rough Day
Today Walter had his tonsils out and sinus surgery. Whoo hoo, he knows how to have a good time on a Tuesday morning! So, needless to say he's not feeling very hot. He did tell me that his throat was on fire though so maybe he IS feeling hot :) Surgery went well and I struck up a fun conversation with the doctor. She has kids that go to a school I used to work at.
Wes came with us because it's just easier to feed him that way, and the grandmas took shifts with Xavier at home. To my surprise Wes was pretty good considering we were there 6 hours. He even took 2 decent naps in the stroller. And of course he charmed all the nurses because he's just cute like that.
Coming home is when it all went downhill.......
Wes decided to puke all over the place requiring 2 outfit changes within an hour of being home.
Xavier decided to poop in his pants not once, but twice this evening. That's a big ol mess!
Many struggles with an "I can do it myself" 2 year old.
X landing in time out for pushing Wes over on the hardwoods.
Wes trying to (thankfully unsuccessfully) pull a plant stand down on himself.
X whining about...well, pretty much everything.
And one of the scariest things that can happen when your kids are little.....
Wes fell down an entire flight of stairs.
It was my fault. I opened the gate to the (carpeted) basement steps earlier for X and forgot to close it. I was getting some medicine for Walter and Wes crawled over and went down head first and tumbled to the bottom. I started screaming and raced down the steps. He was crying pretty hard but I was able to half way calm him within a minute or two. I nursed him and he calmed down completely and then acted as if nothing had happened. There were no cuts, no blood, just one red mark on his hairline above his eye. I called the pediatrician immediately to see if I should take Wes to the ER (ped's office already closed). Our doctor said just to watch him since he wasn't exhibiting any signs of injury but to call back (even gave me his home number) if Wes started vomiting or became very lucid. The fact that the steps were carpeted and that he tumbled rather than dropped straight down protected him somewhat.
As a mother I feel awful. I am supposed to protect him. I'm so thankful that he's ok and so mad at myself for my mistake in not remembering to close the gate. It will NOT happen again.
Poor Walter, who was half asleep when Wes fell, rushed out of the bedroom when he heard me screaming. But then he was hit with total nausea and weakness from moving so fast and could barely stand up. Not exactly a good start to his recovery.
I'm hoping for a restful night for all of us. Tomorrow will be a better day.
Wes came with us because it's just easier to feed him that way, and the grandmas took shifts with Xavier at home. To my surprise Wes was pretty good considering we were there 6 hours. He even took 2 decent naps in the stroller. And of course he charmed all the nurses because he's just cute like that.
Coming home is when it all went downhill.......
Wes decided to puke all over the place requiring 2 outfit changes within an hour of being home.
Xavier decided to poop in his pants not once, but twice this evening. That's a big ol mess!
Many struggles with an "I can do it myself" 2 year old.
X landing in time out for pushing Wes over on the hardwoods.
Wes trying to (thankfully unsuccessfully) pull a plant stand down on himself.
X whining about...well, pretty much everything.
And one of the scariest things that can happen when your kids are little.....
Wes fell down an entire flight of stairs.
It was my fault. I opened the gate to the (carpeted) basement steps earlier for X and forgot to close it. I was getting some medicine for Walter and Wes crawled over and went down head first and tumbled to the bottom. I started screaming and raced down the steps. He was crying pretty hard but I was able to half way calm him within a minute or two. I nursed him and he calmed down completely and then acted as if nothing had happened. There were no cuts, no blood, just one red mark on his hairline above his eye. I called the pediatrician immediately to see if I should take Wes to the ER (ped's office already closed). Our doctor said just to watch him since he wasn't exhibiting any signs of injury but to call back (even gave me his home number) if Wes started vomiting or became very lucid. The fact that the steps were carpeted and that he tumbled rather than dropped straight down protected him somewhat.
As a mother I feel awful. I am supposed to protect him. I'm so thankful that he's ok and so mad at myself for my mistake in not remembering to close the gate. It will NOT happen again.
Poor Walter, who was half asleep when Wes fell, rushed out of the bedroom when he heard me screaming. But then he was hit with total nausea and weakness from moving so fast and could barely stand up. Not exactly a good start to his recovery.
I'm hoping for a restful night for all of us. Tomorrow will be a better day.
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