A trip to the fire station

Yesterday M took a trip to the fire station with his class. The pictures aren't great but he had such a good time. He was talking about it all night last night when he got home.

Last year after they went he used everything as a hose and went around saying Wee Wee Wee - I guess that it the water going. That is one of my favorite memories of him.

Tomorrow we are off to visit Ellen and whole clan. I can't wait! It is going to be hot and humid but the kids are going to love it! Swimming, running around, going to pick strawberries. Hopefully the adults will have a little relaxation in the form of a beer or wine after they have all gone to bed.

Getting rid of more junk mail

I had a previous post about a service you sign up for that helps get rid of junk mail and also plants trees. I am still a member of that but the other day I went to their new website to get rid of a couple of catalogues and I couldn't find the login page. I sent them a note because I thought I was losing my mind. The new company, Precycle won't be handling catalogues in the future so they recommended the following website. It is free. I signed up and added a few catalogues. Hopefully it works! Sign up now before they start to charge a fee!

http://www.catalogchoice.org

Family Photo

This was taken while I was done in Charleston with Ellen. How often do you get all five people (three of them being little people) looking at the camera at the same time?! I thought this was great.

Updates - what has been going on?!

Deucey went back to the surgeon today for her 10 week check-up and she has been cleared! They said that the bone has grown back perfectly and her leg is very stable. I can't tell you how excited I am about this. It has been a long road though I am now so scared of her either blowing the other knee our or having it happen to this knee again!

T is crawling up a storm, now she is pulling herself up to a standing position, and yesterday at school she went up the three stairs of the climber! I think we are in big trouble. Two mobile kids is much different than one crazy guy running around the house. It is so funny how much she laughs, the fact that she wakes up in the morning and you hear her talking to herself (read in-between the lines not screaming or crying!) and the fact that you can just put her down awake and she goes to bed. She has two teeth, she feeds her the bottle now, and she gets very upset if someone else has a banana she gets very upset if she can't have one. She loves to wave like the queen and she loves to spin in circles on her bum. So cute!

M is crazy! Talking up a storm - there are new words every day. Now I ask him to 'read' stories to me - he tells me what all of the pictures are. He has learned to be dramatic - sticking his lower lip out if he is pretending to be sad and kind of slumping over if he doesn't want to do something. I laugh every time. He is now building 'spaceship's - which are basically all of his toys in a big circle. T is allowed in and she just chews on things while she is in there. M now loves to draw - I tape paper to the ground so it doesn't get too messy. We are planting strawberries and they are HIS strawberries as he likes to tell us. I thought him how food goes through his body so he now says esophagus. So cute! He still holds my hand, gives me kisses and hugs, and wants to lay around with me. I am so going to miss when that is gone. He also leans to the one side of his bum to toot and then let's us know that he is doing it - I wonder where that comes from?! He runs around singing nursery rhyms - that entertains me every time. Andy got him a little hockey net and stick - he shots them in and then T crawls in and gets the ball/puck and puts it in her mouth.

4 Small Words

I'll have another drink.
Yes I'll have dessert.
Let's take a nap.
What an awesome weekend!

Ellen and I traveled to Charleston this passed weekend for a girls weekend. We left our husbands, kids, and stress at home and escaped for just over 2 days and it was awesome! I loved Charleston - I ate too much, caught up on some sleep, saw some great houses on our walks, and I had such a great time with Ellen. The weekend was great - get up eat, walk, nap, and then have drinks and dinner. We walked the town two separate times but we didn't do any true sight seeing and I have to say I am so happy about that. It was so nice to go to a new city and just do what I wanted - we was tired in the afternoon so we napped instead of feeling guilty about not seeing all of the churches, forts, etc. in the area. It is so nice knowing that there is no real agenda that has to happen when I am with Ellen. We talked about our kids, our husbands, our jobs, aging, our crazy 20's, and a million other things. I didn't have to think about editing what I was saying and I knew that I could talk about my kids for 30 minutes and Ellen wouldn't mind at all. It is so nice to be in someone's company like that. Plus she is a lot of fun and makes me laugh.

Bumps and Bruises

M and I were having dinner together last night and he was telling me about his day including all of the bumps he had received at school - he had a big scratch on his face from one of the other kids, he has a big bump under his eye which happened while playing with a bucket, a scratch on his hand, etc. We reviewed all of his battle scars and then he asked me if I had any boo boos. And I said yes I do, someone pushed me on the train when the door was opening and my arm got pinched in the door so I had a big bruise. He was basically obsessed with seeing it and I had to pretty much take my shirt off because it is on my deltoid. M inspected the whole boo boo and then gave me a big hug and asked me if I was okay. It was so nice.

He then proceeded to sit back down in his seat to eat dinner, he leaned a little to his right and farted. All I could do was laugh.

Pause or Paws

I took French for many years in middle school and high school and honestly I pretty much sucked at a foreign language. When we got to the concept of past perfect my small brain just didn't get it and I was just hoping to get through the semester without failing. As much as I hated French and the classes in my mind I would still like to speak a foreign language though at this point in my life I think I would basically need to move somewhere or have a job where I used it every day, otherwise you just lose it.

Last night M and I were talking about parts of the body and counting how many thing we have - like feet, eyes, etc. As he often does he will ask if everyone in our family has something. Last night we were talking about feet and he said in his normal fashion - T have feet?, Daddy have feet?, You have feet Mommy?, Deucey have feet?. I said yes except that Deucey's feet were call paws. Murdoch's response to that was 'Yes, Daddy pause the TV for me'. :) I don't envy him having to learn a new language.

During French they always said that French has 1000 rules and 10 exception. English has 10 rules and 1000 exceptions. Poor M! This weekend he also learned esophagus - he knows food goes through it after it goes in his mouth but I don't know that he really gets it. It sounds funny coming out of a little person so I ask him to say it all of the time.

Seriously?!

Yes this should be an Earth Day post but I read this article and it really pissed me off. It was in my free newspaper I read every morning on the train and I saw the title on the front page, 'Get Your Partner to Pitch In', and I thought oh that might be useful, until I read the article. Here are a few highlights:

Do not boss him
This leads to an unhealthy dynamic and makes you more of the pain-in-the-butt mother than the loving girlfriend. Being the mother will have a profoundly negative impact, especially in the bedroom as resentment builds. Be polite and courteous, and treat him as you want to be treated.

I think the way I would like to be treated is not as a free house cleaner that has to run around picking everything up and vacuuming in order to keep the roaches away!

Empower him
Ask him what chores he might want to do. By letting him choose, he can tap into what he is comfortable doing, providing a sense of control and independence that might be necessary during this new phase in the relationship.

I don't really want to clean the toilet either but someone has to!

Define clean
Are your expectations realistic? You and he may have different opinions as to what clean means. Reach an agreement as to what are new, mutually acceptable standards for cleanliness. Focus on the end goal, making it about “our house.”

I would simply like to walk on the floor without my feet sticking to it - is that so wrong?!

Compliment him
Acknowledge what your boyfriend does well. This will provide a much needed positive reinforcement and encourage more of the same behavior.

Wow! You really work well with that glass cleaner!

Get in the mind of a man
Tell him: “I find it sexy when a man can clean.” Indirectly he’ll get that housework can lead to sex.

How about - There will be a Gucci bag on the bed if you do that load of laundry!

This article was written by a man and it was in response to a woman writing in about her boyfriend not cleaning and that it was ruining their relationship. I think this is a common problem for people but I found these suggestions a little crazy! No one compliments me about how well I fold the laundry or that the kids aren't covered in grass, dirt, and god knows what other types of stains - that is just what I do. I wipe down the table not because I like to do it, I do it because there would be a layer of crap where my toddler eats everyday that would eventually not come off. Sometimes you just have to get it done without talking about it, defining roles, etc. At the end of the day I think everyone likes a clean house and a little relaxation time so just shut up, wash the dishes already and then you can sit down with a beer to watch the game!

A Month of Earth Days - Food

I find that organic food is the big one. I try to buy organic but it is very expensive and not as easy to find. My family has decided that we will go out and pay a little more for groceries and less money in other areas so we shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes a lot. It is more expensive but I have also found that I am pickier about what I buy so I tend to buy less - I buy closer to exactly what I need and I end up throwing out a lot less food. I have also found organic products at unexpected places like Target and Walmart. Target has a brand called Archer Farms that they carry and it is all organic. A half gallon of organic milk in my area is $3.69 at Whole Foods - and that is the cheapest for their 365 brand. At Target it is $3.19 every day and it often goes on sale for $2.99. I don't have a Walmart near me but my Mom had a brand new Walmart built near her and she said they carry a lot of things like organic cereal and other packaged items for very good prices.

I know it is hard to find the money to buy organic so I thought I would look up where you get the 'most for your buck' when buying organic. Meaning where you really should buy organic and where you really don't have to. This is what I found on www.thedailygreen.com:

Top 12 Foods to Eat Organic:

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Leafy Greens
Grapes
Carrots
Pears
Potatoes
Tomatoes

The on the flip side, 10 things you don't have to buy organic, just try to buy local:

Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Sweet Potato

Out of the buy organic list I find peppers to be very expensive especially when I consider how many I buy and how much our whole family loves them. So this summer in addition to tomatoes I am going to also grow peppers. Most of the other ones on the list are a little too hard for me to grow. And when I think about the cost of local and organic lettuce that is one of the cheaper ones on the list so I am going to continue to buy that at the store.

Another way I think is an easy way to save money at the grocery store - don't go in with a list unless it is just the things that you really need. I find if I decide what I want before I go into the store I spend more. I go in and look for what is in season - it is fresh and usually on sale - and then I just look at what meat is in sale - that is what we end up having that week. I also buy meat that is on sale and freeze it for later when I feel like having that dinner.

A month of Earth Days - Cleaning House!

As I sit here drinking my organic tea, that costs me about 3 cents per cup, out of my reusable cup I think about the million other people that are doing the same thing and that makes me feel like I am making a big difference instead of just thinking of it as one cup at a time.

I started thinking about issues that people have in life (issues I have in life) and how people can help themselves, help the environment, and save some money all at the same time.

At work and at parties some people make fun of me - oh you make your own baby food, I don't have organic fruit so I don't know if there will be anything for you to drink. I honestly don't find myself to be very green and all that. I find that there are a lot of aspects to a green lifestyle that people just can't relate to so it is like talking to a wall. One thing I feel that everyone has in common is too much stuff and the desire to get rid of it and declutter their lives.

Mail/Catalogues - the first area that I feel where everyone has an issue. You order a $20 pillow from Pottery Barn and suddenly you not only get that catalogue but a million other catalogues. I find this incredibly obnoxious. Several years ago I saw an article about a company called GreenDimes. They offered a service where you sign up and pay and one-time fee and they will stop the catalogues that you request, so you don't have to stop all catalogues, and they will also plant trees with the fee that you pay. That company is now called Tonic, http://precycle.tonic.com/. When I signed up it was $15 and now I believe it is $30 but I would still sign up. I can't tell you how well this has worked! We barely get any catalogues now and I love it! All of that stuff that just comes in the mail and you throw away in the recycling bin you can stop. I know that recycling is good but it is even better if it is never produced. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Mail/Credit card offers and such - Every time I get one of these in the mail - from the airline that you have a frequent flier account with or the hotel where you stayed, I call them and have them remove me from all of their marketing mailings and let me tell you it worked.

I find with mail - if there is anything that you constantly just throw in the recycling bin there is a way to get rid of it.

Tennis Shoes/Sneakers - we take a lot of things to Good Will or get rid of them on craiglists.com or freecycle.com but old tennis shoes were one thing that I had no idea what to do with and I felt guilty about just throwing them in the trash but I knew that no one wanted to wear my old shoes. I found an outlet - http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/. You can either go to one of their drop off centers or mail your old shoes in and they use the materials to build playgrounds for kids. Check the site out - it is pretty cool. They have a whole video of how the process works. I have a drop off center about 3 blocks from work so I let people know at work I am going to drop some shoes off that week and I have had several people bring their shoes and we drop them off and then go and grab a coffee now that it is getting warmer out.

Newspaper - I read most things online now - I can't seem to keep up with newspapers and they end up laying all over my house and the husband gets mad. So the newspapers have been canceled and we are saving a little money. I do read a free newspaper every morning on the way to work and there is a little recycling center right when I get off the train so I usually throw it in there. But for the past couple of months I have been collecting them to help in my garden. I had heard this trick from a few people. When you are working in your garden if you lay down newspaper, about three sheets deep, wet it and then put down mulch it is a chemical free and cheap way to help with weeds. I have done this for the past two years and it works well - it doesn't stop all weeds but it stops a lot of them and I feel better about that compared to the other alternatives. I do use some organic food for the vegetables and such but that can be expensive. Plus it gave M a chance to play with the hose and be an very helpful assistant one Saturday.

I know there are a million other things that you can do to get rid of clutter so please share them. I loved that The Gap was taking in old jeans to recycle them into insulation and then they gave you a discount on a new pair - I think that is great! Does anyone know of a service, kind of like Nike, that takes jeans for insulation from the public?

A Month of Earth Days - Making one small change

Every couple of weeks or even months I try to take a look at my day and see how I could reduce my consumption or do something else that is 'green'. Everyone's day is different so everyone will have a different change. Over a year or so ago I decide to no longer go down to the cafeteria to get my tea every day. I brought a mug in from home, bought a box of tea for about $3, and I bring in my own milk because I like skim with tea and they only have cream at work. So not only am I saving the $1.50 for tea each day - now I have about 100 tea packets for about $3 but I am also saving that cup each day. I am getting rid of that extra trash as well as the energy that is takes to produce that cup and top.

I realize that tea is much different from coffee. People love their coffee and it isn't quite as easy to make your own coffee at work like it is to make your own tea. But you can still get rid of the cup and save money! Most places including Starbucks will give you a discount on your coffee if you bring in your own mug.

I know one cup once a day doesn't seem like much so I try to think about 100 people or 1000 people deciding to do the same thing that I did. Then when I think about 100 cups everyday and the 36500 cups a year that really adds up!

Now I just need to find my next small change that can help make a big difference.

A Month of Earth Days - Entry 1

Earth Day is this month so I thought some entries of easy things to do or change in order to become a little more green was appropriate.

I think the issue with becoming Green and the whole movement is that people think it is expensive and that it takes a lot of effort. For some things this is very true - an organic apple is just going to be more expensive compared to a conventional apple. But I think there are a lot of other areas that can be cheaper and some only require a little more effort.

Just think about recycling today. Most people I know recycle, maybe not as much as they could/should, but they still recycle. If you think about recycling and trash it is much easier to just throw everything into your trash can instead of having separate cans for trash and recycling. I think one reason is works so well is that it has become so mainstream. If you are over at someone's house for a beer it isn't odd to ask where you should put recycling.

I think the recycling piece of the reduce, reuse, and recycling is very accepted. Those other two pieces are ones that are a little harder for some. A lot of people don't like consignment stores - my husband was part of that, until we had kids. Most of my kids clothes come from consignments shops - this helps us save money because it is so much less expensive, and we are helping to reduce by not buying new clothes which would increase the demand to produce more and we are obviously reusing because we are reusing other people's clothes. In this case if you can get over the whole other people's clothes thing - by the way I find plenty of clothes at these stores that still have the original tags on them - I think this could go a long way and it is saving you money.

So as you go throw your day looks for ways that you can help reduce your intake of things and reuse them in original and new ways. I wash all of my plastic bags and use them several times before I throw them out. Again - this is saving me money because I don't buy as many and it just takes the effort of washing the bag.

Let me know what you are doing to help reduce, reuse, and recycle this month.

7 Year Itch

So 7 years ago today I got engaged. We were down in Turks & Caicos for about 4 or 5 days before we went to the Bahamas for a free work trip. We got up early that day, around 6:30 or 7 which is now sleeping in, and we went diving, hung around the pool, watched the sunset in a hammock, Andy proposed, and we went out to dinner. If he reads this he can logon and do a post for the whole proposal - my response didn't involved tears and not being able to speak so he was a little disappointed.

Now here I am 7 years later. Up at 4:30 to get ready before the kids get up, take the dog out and do her PT, get the kids up, people are screaming and crying because it is too early to get up, get them out of the house, at work now, pick M up early then T. Hoping maybe I can get some caffeine on the way home. I made a casserole but I will probably end up eating cereal, get kids in the bath and then to bed. Do Deucey's PT and then prime a door. We are putting our first floor unit on the market and there are some last minute things that need to happen. So I am hoping to make it to bed before 11. Andy is traveling in case you are wondering why his name isn't listed anywhere.

Then this weekend the weather is supposed to be nice so I am hoping for the best. I think some yard work needs to happen but I would also like some time with the kids relaxing. Deucey seems to be getting better so maybe we can all go on a walk and hang out at the playground.

I would like to say that it has been an awesome 7 years and all that stuff. There have definitely been some good times but I can also see why they call it the 7 year itch - and we haven't even reached that for our anniversary - I am still just talking about being engaged that long. I don't think the issue is with the other person, at least it isn't for me, it is the fact that you have so many other things going on that your marriage and your relationship tend to take a backseat to everything else.

I am not exactly itchy but I think I could defintely use a little Benadryl with my wine.

More pictures!

But these are the professional kind. Andy use to work with Owen. He got married and they had two kids - a boy and a girl each one year older than our kids. After I had T, Kristina was kind enough to give us a free session. She used to work in the corporate world but quit to follow her dream and as you can see by our pictures and her entire blog she is doing quite well. Here is the link to some of our pictures.

Closing out March

I have to say that 2010 has been pretty rough so far. I am sure you can tell that from my posts. We have had a lot of fun though so I thought I would finally post some pictures of the kids from this month. This weekend has been a nice one. Coldish but we got some things done around the house and we are having fun at the same time.

Pictures of M&T.

Pictures of T.

Pictures of M.

I think April is going to bring us warmer temperatures, some teeth, maybe real crawling instead of dragging your body across the floor, and hopefully a dog that is a little closer to her original self. I am looking forward to a boring April.

My baby is 8 months old!

So I looked back at my blog when I had M and he had a video every month. Poor T - she is lucky to get a picture. By 8 months M was crawling - T has no interest - she just pulls herself around and gets things or she screams and she gets what she wants. However she can stand somewhat by herself if she has something to hold onto. I am so not ready for two mobil kids! I hope she doesn't move for months! If this was M I would have been freaking out because he was 'behind'. This week T started waving hi/bye bye - I don't think she knows exactly what she is doing but everyone else loves it so I am sure she will do it more and more because of the reaction. Still no teeth - poor girl! Her hand is constantly in her mouth. They look like they are so close but still they haven't come through.

I really need to find the video software and load it onto my computer - I have about a year of video backlog. I look back at the blog with all of this stuff about M and what he was doing and T is really getting only a small percentage of that. I know that happens with the second kid and I always thought it was bad but now I am able to enjoy my time with her. I am not quite as obsessed with pictures, videos, and documenting. It would be nice to have all of that but sometimes you just have to shut that computer down and have fun with your kids.

On a more positive note...

I realize that I have been a little negative and complaining a lot lately. It just feels like 2010 hasn't been that kind so far. Q1 is almost over and I am hoping Q2 is a better one. It should be lighter and warmer so that is something that is guaranteed even if everything else isn't. Here are some things making me smile:

-M's has changed from want to 'NEED IT!' He not longer wants the toy he NEEDS IT! He needs milk, he needs Manny (tv show) he needs tools, etc.

-M was pointing out bridges to me on the way to school the other day - it sounded like he was saying bitches.

-M tells everyone that he loves them.

-T is starting to hold her bottle - that will be so nice!

-T will smile back at your when you smile at her 99% of the time and she has the cutest dimple on her right side - how can you not smile when you see that.

-T sounds like she is saying Bye bye, ma ma, and other words. I know they aren't real words but I still love hearing it.

-M will hold up two fingers (instead of one) and say hold on I will be right back and run to get something and bring it back.

-M will give T stuffed animals, kisses, and hugs, when she is crying - that is so nice to watch.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

The week in review

Andy has been gone for one week as of tomorrow but he is getting home after the kids to go bed so for all intensive purposes he is gone until Thursday.

Day One, Thursday - Andy leaves for Vegas. Pick kids up, I honestly don't remember too much about the day so it couldn't have been that bad

Day two, Friday - drop kids off, take Deucey to get her staples out, they say she looks awesome and she is right on schedule if not ahead of schedule - so thrilled and pleased! Grand plans to do some painting because I have taken a vacation day but I decide that Deucey's ear looks nasty so I make another appointment with the regular vet. Mom is schedule to come in, the flight is delayed so I decide to pick up T first not after the airport. I get there, she is sleeping. Leave go to airport, go to pick up M, he is thrilled to see my Mom, who he calls Gray, and actually runs up and gives her a huge kiss and hug. Now if you know M you will know that this is highly unusual - he usually won't talk to you for quite awhile. Go to pick up T and we head home. Evening is nice - M even wants Gray to put him to bed - shocking again! I think this is going to be a great weekend. The rain starts...

Day three, Saturday - we go to the Science Museum, we have a good time. Try to keep M awake on drive home in order to get a real nap at home. Again he asks for Gray to put him down for the nap. Catch up on TV via the DVR, again should be painting but I don't. M wakes up crazy. Evening is good - at least I don't remember anything about it. Still raining....

Day four, Sunday - We hit the mall as on 'outing'. I had some thing to return and we got there early with the time change so there weren't a lot of people there and there is a Starbucks. Have fun. Small fight over tools. Leave the toy store and the tools but M is good for the rest of the mall so we go back to get the tools. Now we have about 300 different tools at my house. Go back to the car, kids are in the car, putting the stroller in the trunk, back go out. I can't move for 5-10 minutes and after that it is extremely painful. Somehow I get into the car. We have no food so I go to the store, the one that will load your car with the groceries because at this point I can barely walk. My Mom stays in the car with the kids who are now sleeping - that god she was there and thank god they were sleeping. Do the shopping, head home. Deucey still needs to be carried up and down the stairs. What do I do? I do a little of her doing it and me still carrying her. No dinner made, ate cereal. Andy is due to arrive at 5 AM the next morning so at least I don't have to carry the dog until Monday night. He makes it to LA then flight is canceled. No help in the morning there. Email from renter - there is a stain on the ceiling in the apartment - I am reading this as I am getting into bed around 10:30. Get back out of bed, go over to that house. Find the problem in the attic - the roof is leaking. Go and find things to collect the water while in a lot of pain - going up and down ladders and in the attic wasn't the best idea. Get home around 1 AM. Still raining....

Day Five, Monday - no way I can make it to work because I will have to meet with someone about the roof. Get up, get kids ready, ice back, and send Mom in a cab to the airport because the kids are still sleeping due to the time change which I hate!!! Kids don't just automatically go to bed an hour earlier! Mom is off. Kids are ready and I go back upstairs to change. Come back down to brown sugar all over the dining room - I resist the urge to throw M out the window. Finish getting them ready and off to school. Get back home, logon to do some work. How do you clean up all of this brown suger? I let it just sit there and dry and get hard - much easier to vacuum up. Evening is relatively uneventful.

Day Six, Tuesday - M wakes up crying and whining and didn't really stop all that much until we dropped T off. Get them to school, run to work late due to drop offs. Work, work, work. head home. M has another round of crying and screaming. Finally get them down and I try to clean up the house - it is awful by this point. The rain has stopped - that was the highlight of my day.

Day Seven, Wednesday - Small crying in the AM but otherwise good. Wednesday is trash day and M is scared of the garage truck because it is so loud - that is a very motivating thing to use when you want to get a kid into the car quickly. They are dropped off and I am at work. I am hoping that the evening is a good one. Everyone needs a bath but I am not sure my back will allow that so I will probably send in dirty children to school tomorrow. Oh well.

Here is to a better 7 days starting tomorrow.

How to get your child to eat his/her greens....

On Monday night M had this dinner right when he walked in the door, as usual. We started our dinner and had that after he was finished. He walked over to check out what we were eating and announced that he wanted it. We were having steak, mushrooms, and asparagus. He wanted the asparagus. Andy responded by saying the following:

'If you go around and clean up all of your toys you can have a plate of asparagus'.

Now let me just say that he has liked asparagus in the past. So M ran around gathering up most of his toys and then sat down for his plate of asparagus that he loved and said 'I ate that all up!'. Somehow we got our child to eat vegetables and clean up toys without cookies or other bribes. I don't know if that will work again in the future but for one night all was right.

Week #2

So we have started week two of Deucey's recovery. It is actually much better than the first:

- 15-20 minute walks 3 times a day
-Anti-inflamatory - 2 times a day
-Pain pills - 2 times a day - though we run out tomorrow - hopefully she isn't in too much pain
-Massage as needed - that is happening less because honestly she stinks! I think with that collars on stuff is getting caught in there and not getting out. I honestly don't want to pet her because she smells! And I don't want to take the collar off because then I feel like she would know somehow it comes off and she would try to do it herself. It already has many rips and breaks after only 10 days. We had to tape it back together after only a few days - she doesn't really get the fact that she can't take tight corners and she has to lift her head up when walking.
-Icing - Honestly that has totally fallen off the map. Sitting there with a dog for 15 minutes on the ground holding an ice pack doesn't seem like much but with two kids running around and total exhaustion happening due to earlier mornings for the walks and later nights for the walking and such.

So we are going to enjoy the 'easy' Week 2 & 3 because Week 4 comes back with a vengence. Deucey gets her staples out on Friday and my Mom arrives on Friday to help out - Andy is leaving for Vegas on Thursday so I needed to call in the troops.

Excuse Me, Excuse Me, Excuse Me

Murdoch has mastered 'Thank you', 'Please', and a few other polite phrases. You have to reminder him but he will pretty much always say them. We have now started to teach him to say 'Excuse Me' if you burp or make any other bodily noise or if an adult is speaking and you want to say something. The Excuse Me when someone is speaking isn't going that well but the other one is as I witnessed the other night.

The two of us were sitting on the couch watching Handy Manny before bedtime and he got the hiccups. Murdoch would hiccup, then say 'Excuse Me', another hiccup, another 'Excuse Me', etc. It was so cute! He was clearly tired so he was just kind of staring at the TV and saying excuse me every couple of seconds. I tried not to giggle but I couldn't help myself. Luckily he did notice.

Aleve and Narcotics

I picked Deucey up on Friday and we have made it through almost two days of PT for her. I know that plenty of other people have to do PT and it is way more than we have to do but the thought of 14 weeks of this is a little overwhelming - especially when it is only day two. So we are taking it one day at a time and hoping the light at the end of the tunnel comes soon.

One thing that I thought was pretty cool/interesting is the patch that is on Deucey's leg. The doctor told me to take it off on Monday, and that it has to be returned to them. She said that if we just threw it out and someone found it in our trash we could get in big trouble. I didn't ask but I think I should - what kind of drugs are those?! I know it is a narcotic but what kind? I wonder what would happen if I ripped it off her leg and put it on my arm like one of those patches that help you stop smoking - that is essentially what it looks like.

Here is the PT for the first week:

Ice - 4 times a day for 10-20 minutes - of course a dog doesn't just sit there while you put a bag of peas on their leg so you get to sit there with them and give them support

Leash walks for 5-10 minutes, 3 times a day.

Passive range of motion (flex and extend) for 10 repetitions, 3 times a day

Massage thigh muscles for 5 minutes before and after range of motion exercises

No stairs - so we have to carry her up and down the stairs when she has to go to the bathroom

Contain her to one room - not hard so far but she has already started to whine when we are in the other room. Not sure how well this is going to work.

Anti-inflammatories 2 times a day

Pain meds 2-3 times a day

Now this doesn't seem that bad but combining this into a schedule that is already a mess and overbooked is presenting some problems. April can't come soon enough!

Post-OP

Deucey is doing well. I spoke with the surgeon around 7 PM last night and he was really happy with the surgery. Her knee is very stable now. Her miniscus was torn so they had to take the back half out and leave the front which basically means that she is going to have arthritus but I was expecting that. She was on IV pain meds all night and they are going to start weining her off and switch to oral pain meds today. Assuming she looks okay I am going to pick her up later today. I am washing all of her bedding and everything else just to try to avoid any infection in the wound and she has a brand new bed so she will hopefully be more comfortable. It is going to be a long road of PT that we have to do at home but hopefully is goes by relatively quickly and we have our old Deucey back by late Spring.

TTA or TPLO?

About a month and a half ago Deucey came back from the dog park on three legs - she had hurt her back right leg. We waited a few days to see how things looked - maybe she just twisted her email - though we really didn't think so. We took her to the vet and she thought she had blown her knee out but we would need to go to a specialist. They gave us some pain pills and anti-inflammatories and said to wait a few days to see if that did anything. It didn't and then we were off to an orthopedic surgeon for animals. They confirmed within a matter of minutes that she did indeed blown her knee out and that she needed surgery. At this point they gave us three options. One that wasn't very invasive and then that were. We decided against the one that wasn't very invasive because she is so young and so active. If she was a 12 year old dog that slept most of the day we would have gone down that route. So then we were left to TTA or TPLO. We spoke with the two doctors, one does TTA, one does TPLO. They had no recommendations so we did a little research, got the expert opinion from Craig & Ellen and we decided to go with TTA.

So now we pick a date for surgery, March 11th. You aren't supposed to feed your dog past 8 PM the night before. So what do I do? Feed the dog the morning of - surgery scheduled for March 18th. March 18th rolls around, Andy's car battery is dead. Reschedule for March 25th.

So my first baby, yes I said baby for all of you people out there that don't think dogs are part of a family, is in surgery today. I dropped her off at 6:30 AM unable to tell her anything about what was going to happen. I guess in a way it is better not to know about pain because she slept well last night but the inability to explain what we are doing and how in the end it should help her brings tears to my eyes. I just hope she is okay when we pick her up tomorrow.

No stairs for 6 weeks - that is going to kill me! She weighs just over 60 pounds and let me tell you that I feel everyone of them when I pick her up, especially when she doesn't want to be picked up. So that is going to be a long road - I am going to want to shoot her even after a few days but as the weather gets warmer and the days get longer my baby will heal and we will be out on our family walks again. So I am trying to stay positive and look forward to that time. I am sure I will complain at some point about it though. That can't be helped!

Things that made me smile this week

Murdoch got out of the bath last night and told me that his nipples were tired. I guess that means that it is time to go to bed!

Thayer kicks her left foot/leg over and over again when you change her diaper.

Thayer was face/belly down in her crib with both legs sticking out of the crib at a 90 degree angle when I went in to get her. You would think that she was either very uncomfortable or dead. When I turned the lights on low she just turned/lifted her head and smiled.

We got snow this week - I love that Murdoch calls it 'BIG SNOW!' with such enthusiam.

Murdoch is slowly potty training and he says bye-bye to his poo when we flush it down the toilet.

Murdoch was almost gabbing his toy dust buster on Thayer's leg and she was just laughing the whole time.

Murdoch and I were shoveling together. He enjoys shoveling with a golf club - I am sure you can imagine how effective that is.

Murdoch calls dog poop, poop dog. It always takes me a second to figure that out.

We finally downloaded some pictures

It has been a tough month or so around our house. Lots of travel by Andy and lots of sickness for everyone. Andy is away for part of this week and Deucey's surgery is scheduled for Thursday so the week will still be a little crazy but I am hoping things settle down a little.

Thayer got a tutu from my Mom and Murdoch and I went to the Museum of Science for a play date this weekend. Today we are just hanging out and starting to get ready for the week. I hope you enjoy all of the the pictures.

Hoping for a better month in February

So I have decided to continue my whining Wednesdays though it is Thursday so I can't even seem to get that right! :) On Sunday I ended up going to the emergency room - yes I went twice in one week. I cut a piece of my left index finger and nail off while cooking Sunday night. It didn't seem bad - it wasn't bleeding all that much and honestly I just didn't want to go to the ER again. I went to bed with it wrapped up and over my head. Well I woke up about an hour later to blood all the way down my arm, all over my head (it looked like someone tried to scalp me), and blood all over my pillow. Andy looked at me and said go to the ER - no options - this is bleeding too much. So I jumped in the shower - because there was blood everywhere and drove to the hospital down the street. Well I got there, no one else was there, thank god, so they took me in right away. I pulled off the wrap I had on there and you want to know how much it bleed - one drop!!!! I felt like such an idiot. They sent me home with band aids and bacitracin. My theory is that the combo of getting in the shower and then running out into the cold with wet hair and such made me cold enough, my hands were practically purple, that the bleeding stopped due to my hands being frozen. So back home and back to work a few hours later.

Then Wednesday comes. Deucey's appointment with the orthopedic surgeon is at 11 AM. I wait by the phone for the update from Andy - knowing that she has blown out her knee but there is that 1% chance that it is just fine and we have to do nothing. Well the 1% didn't win so we are looking at a really expensive surgery, not to mention at least 6 weeks of recovery which is really going to suck - no stairs for her at all. I barely survived three days of carrying her up and down the stairs. I think we need to have one of those chairs installed that she can sit in and it takes her down the stairs. So not shocking news but it sucked to have it confirmed that she needs the surgery.

Then daycare called - Murdoch has a 103 fever. Again - not surprised because he seemed off but once again I was crossing my fingers that it was nothing.

So I am not really sure how February is going to be better when we have a dog that basically can't do anything and it is still winter so the kids will be sick but like I have in the past I will cross my fingers and hope for the best, knowing that most likely the worst will occur.

Yoga and my BFF

This is a picture of Murdoch doing yoga at school with his BFF Alex. They are basically the exact same child - Alex's mother says that they share a brain.

On a separate note I am thinking of making Wednesday either Whining Wednesday or Worn out Wednesday! Laura has wordless Wednesdays where she posts cute pictures or videos of her kids. That is a much better option but yesterday I was worn out and I wanted to whine! Andy traveled three days last week which made it a long week with the drop off and pick up and then I had a three-day weekend so I was thinking yes! This will be good. It started off really well. I was sick on Friday night so I just went to bed. I got up early, ran errands, went to spinning, and then I ran some more errands. Back home to hang out with Murdoch while Andy, Thayer, and Deucey went to the dog park. Deucey comes home and she can't use her back left leg at all. Crossing my fingers I am hoping that clears up, well it doesn't. Sunday is fine. Monday Thayer doesn't have daycare and is a little off so I didn't get much done and Andy left to travel. I take the Deucey to the vet. They tell me she might have torn her ACL or MCL. GREAT! Not only is she is pain but this will be A LOT of money. And I am carrying a 65 pound dog up and down the stairs - Andy fell down the stairs on Sunday doing that when he slipped on ice. Back home. Tuesday - back to work after dropping the kids off and popping Aleve because by this time my lower back is killing me! Tuesday afternoon, daycare calls and says that Thayer sounds weird when she is breathing and they are concerned. I exchange calls with the nurse at the doctor's office and they say that if she is wheasing then they will see her the next day but if she is having an issue breathing she should come in right away. I call daycare back to get an better idea of things. I call the doctor back and now it is after 4 so I am having trouble getting in touch with anyone. I talk to daycare again. They feel like it is pretty bad so I say screw it I will go to the emergency room. I make a bunch of phonecalls trying to find someone who will watch Murdoch - I don't want to expose him to those germs, not to mention the fact that it could be hours and trying to take care of her and watch him would be a nightmare. Andy's friend came over and Murdoch loves him and didn't even care when I left. So I headed to the ER. Things were looking good when I got there but it quickly fell apart. About 90% of the ER were kids and then about 80% of the kids were babies. So we were there for about 5 hours to find out that she had a cold. By the time I got home and got ready for bed and all that I would have gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep if I was going to go to work so I just decided to take a sick day. Especially knowing that Thayer would be sleeping with me for most if not all of the night. Yesterday wasn't bad and Andy got back late last night. So hopefully we are back to normal. And I know a lot of other people have it a lot worse than I do so I don't mean to complain but there are times when I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

2010 is Here. Yeah!

Since I now have 2 kids and already dedicated one post to Murdoch, here is one for Thayer.

I was always kind of scared of having a little girl because I never had a sister and almost none of my friends growing up had sisters either. Well so far she's been great. Doesn't cry or make a fuss that much. Sleeps a lot (just like her old man). And is generally in a happy mood.

Well this morning, my 2010 started off in the usual crappy way. Murdoch comes prancing into our room like a raging bull. Starts proclaiming everything under the sun as his and grabbing it to throw in a giant pile around himself. Yelling at the top of his lungs that he wants to eat. So we start to get up to get breakfast when he decides to grab some screws that had been lying around. I do the usual "Don't touch those you might get hurt!" which clearly means nothing as he smiles, laughs, and runs off. Eventually I determine the bizzare little hiding spot that he has for them so we can finally get breakfast. At which point something, I'm still not sure what sets him off into orbit in a tantrum that lasts a good 20 minutes. All I can think of is Happy New Year!! Definitely not an It's a Wonderful Life moment for me.

Then we hear some noise on the monitor and it sounds like Thayer is ready to eat. So I go upstairs to grab her, very grumpy at this point, only to find a shiny, happy face smiling up at me. And I realized, I'm so glad that I have a little girl to go along with the train wreck. Any time he makes me crazy I can run away to someone else who always seems so happy to see me. At least until she's 12....

My Girlfriend works at the bar

Since I was the cause of the latest funny Murdoch story, Sarah asked me to give the Blogging a try. Here goes...

Lately on Sundays we've been taking the family down to the local bar for some good Bloody Marys, food we don't have to cook, and some football. Murdoch seems to like going and the staff is very kid friendly so it all seems to work out OK. Well this past weekend we brought along Sarah's parents for the experience and got a nice table right near the big screen. Our waitress was very nice and was trying to make friends with Murdoch who was clearly in over his head and got very shy. Just for fun, I decided to tell him that she was his Girlfriend. Well, upon hearing that he was now VERY interested in this girl and kept watching her walk all around the bar. Anytime he lost sight of her he would ask "Where my girlfriend go dada?" or when she came near the table it was "That my girlfriend". When it was time to wrap up the outing, we stopped over to the bar and said goodbye, but Murdoch couldn't hold it together and hid his head on my shoulder. She loved it though, so I think he managed to work a little magic even with no confidence. She was cute, but I know to Murdoch she looked more like this.

Later when we got home he asked me where his girlfriend was and I said at the bar where she works. He repeated this a couple of time trying to work through the details in his head and then has been proudly telling any and everyone since that "My Girlfriend work at Bar!" Funny stuff. Can't wait to see what happens this Sunday. Maybe he'll even bulk up the courage to say hi.

Cleaning House

One of my goals on maternity leave was to clean out the basement. That like many other goals didn't actually happen. Though I did make a good dent in the clutter but the place is still a mess. When I started the process I didn't want to just throw everything away because a lot of it was in good shape but we just didn't use it any more. There are the regular outlets like GoodWill and The Salvation Army but I wanted to see if I could maybe trade a few of these and get something back. Here is a little summary of what I found.

To Donate clothing and housewares:

-Goodwill
-The Salvation Army
-Dress for Success

To donate children's items:

-Newborns in Need - newbornsinneed.org
-Project Night Night - projectnightnight.org

To donate books, CDs, or DVDs:

-Books for Soldiers - booksforsoldiers.org
-Read to Reader - readertoreader.org

To swap items online:

-For clothing and accessories - rehash.com or swapstyle.com
-For children's items - handmedowns.com or thebabychain.com
-For books, CDs, DVDs, and video games - bookins.com, bookmooch.com, chancexchange.com, goozex.com, or swaptree.com
-For everything else - freecycle.org, neighborrow.com, swapthing.com, titletrader.com

I haven't tried all of these but I have use a few and I have gotten rid of a lot of things while helping others or trading to get something that I do want. I also ran into a way to give away gently used shoes. If you go to piperlime.com there is a link in the lower right-hand corner for soles for souls. You send your shoes to them and they distribute them to people worldwide who are in need and they send you a receipt to use for your taxes. I just sent them a big box yesterday.

So get on out there and clean your house out and help someone else out in the process! And reusing is also green!

One, Two, Tres...

Murdoch has learned/is learning to count and say the alphabet. The counting has been going on for awhile. We walk up the stairs and count the stairs so he was counting to 15 pretty well. We count to three for a lot of things - one, two, three, jump, or I am going to count to three and you better stop hitting your sister or you get a timeout - he doesn't really help us when we do that :) Lately instead of saying one, two three, he has started saying one, two, tres. It is cute. It took me a couple of times to realize what he was saying. I guess they count in Spanish at school and he has started to pick some of that up.

I am loving....

That little piece of her head where you can see her heart beating. And it is almost gone...

Nice!

As Murdoch has started to talk more and more you start to realize quickly words that you use often. I never realized how often I use the word 'Nice' until Murdoch started using it all of the time. A couple of months ago we went out to get some new shoes together and he wore them out of the store I guess I said 'Murdoch those are nice shoes!' basically because I didn't want him to take them off. Then he started saying nice shoes to his shoes and everyone elses shoes which was kind of funny. Earlier this week I gave Murdoch a bath and then asked him if he wanted any lotion or cream - often times he enjoys a 'massage' after his bath. So he said yes and I asked him where he wanted the lotion. He told me his left foot and lifted it up in the air so I put lotion on that foot and started to rub it in. After about 5 seconds of that he said 'OOOOOHHHH Nice!' and I started dying laughing. And of course because I laughed at what he said he kept doing it over and over again.

I guess 'Nice' is better for him to pick up from me than compared to a lot of other words!

What doin'?

That is Murdoch's way of asking you what is happening or what is going on. I personally love it. Not sure why but it makes me laugh. Last night we had police cars speed down our street, happens often enough to not make it alarming but not often enough to make it exciting. So three cop cars pull up two houses down, and they get out and start walking up and down the street. Murdoch and I turned out the lights and pulled up the shades so we could see what was happening. Not too much happened - I still don't know why they were there but the whole time Murdoch keep saying 'What doin' Mama?' The kid is leaning over the back of the couch looking outside with his bum up in the air and he is choosing this over Handy Manny! I am not sure if this is the best lesson to teach your children - yes go spy on your neighbors but make sure you turn the lights out so they don't know!

4 Months!

Thayer turned 4 months last week and there are a lot of changes! She can roll over, blow rasberries, she wakes up with a smile (so nice :), and her smile lights up a room. I have been taking lots of pictures and videos - now I just need to download them and post them!

What is it about those Twilight books?

Yes I admit I have read them and I love them! Friday the new movie comes out. I am not going on Friday but maybe in a few weeks when it dies down a little bit. I was totally skeptical of the books and then I couldn't get enough. Well I feel a little better after reading the following article:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/16/older.twilight.fans/index.html
It isn't just me. Actually the more I talk about it the more I run into people around the same age that love the books as well. I was a little embarrassed but now I just don't care. I read those while I was pregnant and I loved them! It is just hard to get into new books now but I am sure I will find something. If you haven't read them go out there and read them!

Bribbing your child

I am sure most parents think that they aren't going to bribe their child and then there is lack of sleep, crying, screaming, whining, etc. and suddenly you are bribing your child with anything to get them to do something small that should be easy but isn't because sometimes a toddler just doesn't make sense. Last night Murdoch wasn't eating while we were having dinner and one of the Prius commercials came on. Murdoch loves commercials, especially the Prius ones and the local furniture company ones with stupid jingles. So last night I got him to eat a sandwich by replaying the Prius commercial over and over again. For each bite he got to watch the commercial again. At the time it was a little annoying but I have to say looking back at it, it is kind of funny that a commercial gets your kid to eat a sandwich. Ah the funny things that you can't predict will happen to you as a parent.

Swimming

One thing I really enjoy is working out. It is the one time of my day that is just for me. No kids asking for milk, food, read me a book, etc. And no one is showing up at my office to ask for something, calling me for something, or sending me an email asking me for something. When I was pregnant I got caught up in a boring workout routine which involved a lot of cardio and a lot of watching TV while I did it and not too much work on my part. I think I just did the same machine day in and day out. My body got used to it and it was easy and mindless for me to do.

Now post-baby and knowing that there aren't any more I have decided to re-dedicate myself to working out and really getting in shape. So today I went swimming for the first time in about 15 years. I swam for about 15 years or so before that. I swam about 36 laps and I was tired and it feels like I am going to be sore but it is a good feeling.

I have set a goal for myself - a sprint triathlon in the Spring. I don't really know how to ride a bike very well, I hate running, and I have never done an open water swim. So it is definitely going to be a challenge but having a goal I think will go a long way in getting me back at the gym on a regular basis and really working hard when I go. I will post little updates as I reach more and more goals throughout the process.

The new things they can do!

• Murdoch is now using every other foot to walk up the stairs instead of just the left or just the right
• Thayer loves staring in the mirror and 'chatting' and giggling while do that - Murdoch never really did that so it is so cute!
• The word 'Why' has made a strong appearance in Murdoch's vocabulary
• Murdoch gives you a play by play of everything going on around him and basically anything that pops into his head - it is pretty funny at times.

Nothing else going on here. Just getting used to being back at work and trying to get a routine down and then also trying to have a little downtime and me time.

Welcome Cooper!

One of my best friends had a baby boy on Friday - Cooper! Love the name. I went to visit them at the hospital yesterday and he is so cute and they look great - just a little tired as all new parents are. They started a blog to track the progress of the little guy.

I finally downloaded some pictures!

So these are at least a month old but they are still good.

Here is our Labor Day weekend in Maine.

Here are the pictures from Murdoch's birthday party.

Differences already

I know that my two kids will be/are different but I have to share a difference between the two that is just due to the fact that one is a boy and one is a girl. I went to Target the other day to get some new clothes and I bought Murdoch some new pants and I got some pants for Thayer. I was just searching for 3T and 9M. When I got home I started to take the tags and stickers off to get them ready for the wash and I noticed the funniest thing. Murdoch's pants had a label of 3T, Pants. Thayer's pants said 9M, Boot Cut Pants. Boot cut pants at 9M are you kidding me!? I was not expecting something like that so young. I am clearly not ready for a daughter! :)

First Day Back

Yesterday was my first day back at work. It was like I was starting a new job the night before. But once I arrived it was like I never left. Everyone stopped by to say hello, I visited with people, some projects had moved forward and some where in the same place as they were when I left. I hate getting up that early because it makes for a long day but the day went by quickly and I honestly really enjoyed myself. I got to talk to some adults, I went to the gym, and I felt completely overwhelmed and like there weren't enough hours in the day to get my work done so things are back to normal :) I picked Thayer up and they said that she was smiling and talking to herself in the mirror. I was a little sad to miss that but she was so happy and smiley when I picked her up that it didn't matter. I miss seeing Murdoch in the AM but I had a really nice evening with him. I have started to get caught up in what I am missing and what has already passed me by and I need to remember to enjoy what is going on right now because it will be gone before I know it. Happy Halloween!

Things to remember...

1. She now smiles
2. She loves to have Andy rub his head on her stomach
3. She lifts her legs up and falls to the side - the first step to rolling over!
4. The little lower lip comes out and then her whole face crumbles - I absolutely love it!
5. Huge eyes
6. She likes to look side to side
7. She likes to sleep with one arm in your armpit

Recipe - Tuna Salad

I made this last night for the first time and I love it! It is not your traditional tuna salad. It is still fast and I think way better. Great for a quick dinner on a week night.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tuna-salad-recipe/index.html

Emily's Visit

My sister headed out for a visit this past weekend and we had a great time. She spent a lot of time with Thayer relaxing and time with Murdoch running around. Just in case you don't think the second child gets a lot of pictures here is a link to way too many pictures of Thayer.

In one week...

I will be back to work. Or I should say I will be back at my office job because being at home with kids isn't exactly a vacation. Thayer is 13 weeks tomorrow so she will be about 14 weeks and just over 3 months. I went back to work when Murdoch was 10 weeks old and I couldn't wait to go back. That leave was much harder for me and I don't know exactly why. He was a good baby, he slept pretty well, I had an easy recovery, etc. I could wait to get back to work and talk to adults again. Now here I am 13 weeks away from work with one more to go and I don't have that same drive. I am not really sure why. One part of me really wants to go back and then there is the other part that doesn't. I have really enjoyed my leave this time though I am not sure why it is so different. Is Thayer easier, did I know what to expect so that made it easier, is it because I know the amount of crazy that is about to happen, is it that I am a little scared to go back to work after being out for some long, is it because I know this is my last maternity leave, is it because I thought I would get so much more done when I was on leave? I really don't know the answer - maybe it is a little bit of all of those and more. Either way next Thursday morning and day is going to be much different than this one. I am going to try and enjoy the last week at home instead of thinking about next week and how crazy things are going to be which would ruin my last week. If I had a week vacation normally I would be thrilled. But right now a week feels like just a blink of an eye and I will be back to the exhaustion and crazy that goes along with work. Here is to the longest week of my life!

Websites I want to remember

I saw these two websites in a magazine article and I want to make sure I remember them. These have coupons for green products and coupon codes good for discount or free shopping.

www.ecobunga.com

www.sustainlane.com

Recipe - Lasagna Rolls

I have started to look at some old recipes now that the weather is getting colder. I don't like the fact that the weather person said don't expect 60's any time soon. I am just not ready for that. But ready or not the cold is coming so I am looking for some comforting recipes. Here is one I really enjoy.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lasagna-rolls-recipe/index.html

One question I have for you guys, which is better - organic frozen spinach from China or non-organic local frozen spinach? I know the organic is better but what about all of the pollution put into the air getting it here? Is local always better even if it isn't organic compared to organic from half way across the world?

Memories

I have been getting all of Murdoch's old clothes out to wash and either get ready for Thayer or give away to one of our friends. I have so many clothes and there really is no reason to keep them all. After I washed them and finally started to fold them a lot of memories came back to me that were associated to clothes that Murdoch wore and specific events. I remember a particular outfit that he wore during a family trip to Maine, his first Halloween costume, and several others. It was a little depressing and sad to know that my little guy has grown so much. On one hand I want to keep them but that isn't going to bring back my little guy it is just going to junk up my basement a little more and be one more box I need to move in a few years. I know this will happen over and over again - different things that the kids outgrow will hold specific memories for me and it will be a little depressing but there are more memories ahead so I am trying to focus on those.

Recipe - Stomboli

I made this on Saturday night. Two shortcuts - don't make the dough yourself - I buy it at Bertuccis and it works really well. Also you can make the pepper and onion piece ahead of time and just store that in the fridge for later in the day and then you just have to assemble. Great recipe to do with your kids and they will love it!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/stromboli-recipe/index.html

Here is to another good family meal!

Kid stats

Murdoch went in for his 2 year check-up and Thayer went in for her 2 month check-up last week. There were some tears after the vaccinations and Murdoch had his blood drawn but they are both very healthy.

Murdoch

• 38 Inches - 99th percentile
  

• 33.5 pounds - 94th percentile

Thayer

• 24.25 inches - 96th percentile
• 14 pounds, 1 ounce - 98th percentile

So grateful for healthy strong kids!

3 things I learned from my toddler this week....

1. After you eat half of your hot dog bun it becomes a flip phone and you can call everyone in your family.
2. You can have an entire conversation with a hammer that you find outside of school. And you then check for it every time you go to school and leave school for the rest of the week.
3. Don't eat a lollipop before or during your haircut because you end up with a beard made of hair from your head.

PS - He just went pee on the potty - I can't wait until that is no longer and exciting event!

Recipe - Heavenly Broiled Fish

I have been meaning to post recipes for quite awhile and I am finally getting around to it. I like to try new recipes and I think the question 'What should we have for dinner tonight?' to be a really annoying one. So I thought I would post some recipes that I like and I find pretty easy. This one is good for a weeknight and I think kids would like it as well. I got it from my Mom on my last try home. I hope you enjoy it.

Heavenly Broiled Fish

• 2 lb. skinned fish fillets (I used tilapia)
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. softened butter
• 3 T. mayo
• 3 T. Chopped green onions
• 1/4 t. salt
• Dash of liquid hot pepper sauce

• Place the fish in a single layer on a well greased baking platter or dish.
• Brush with lemon juice.
• Combine the remaining ingredients.
• Broil fish about 4-6 inches from the heat for 4-6 minutes or until it flakes easily.
• Remove from heat and spread with cheese mixture.
• Broil for additional 2-3 minutes until lightly browned.
• Serve immediately.

Enjoy! I should be organized for some pictures on the next post.

Ask your mother...

One of my goals while being on maternity leave has been to get through my backlog of magazines which is probably around 18 months or so. I found the following articles in on of the magazines and I thought I would share it with you. I plan on sending these to my Mom. The title is '10 questions to ask your mother'. I thought it was a great idea. Here are the questions:

1. What's the one thing you would have done differently as a Mom? (Now that I am a Mom I am guessing that there is probably more than one :)
   
2. Why did you choose to be with my father?
3. In what ways do you think I'm like you? And not like you?
4. Which one of us kids did you like the best?
5. Is there anything you have always wanted to tell me but never have?
6. Do you think it's easier or harder to be a mother now than when you were raising our family?
7. Is there anything you regret not have asked your parents?
8. What's the best thing I can do for you right now?
9. Is there anything that you wish had been different between us - or that you would still like to change?
10. When did you realize you were no longer a child?

I thought it was a good article. Something good to ask your Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, or someone else that is special to you.

Hoping to be a better blogger in October!

No alarm needed

Thayer had her one month appointment yesterday and I was given very good news - not only is she healthy but she is big enough that I can let her sleep at night! Which means no more alarms in the middle of the night reminding me to wake her up.

For the first two weeks I fed her every 2.5 - 3 hours. At her two week appointment the doctor said that I could let her go a little longer at night but that she shouldn't sleep more than 5 hours. So I set my alarm for 4.5 hours. And now she is allowed to sleep as much as she wants at night. That is not to say that she sleep through the night but she slept about 5 hours and then 4 hours which meant only one wake up for me in the middle of the night which was so nice!

I feel like it was about 3 months before the doctor said to let Murdoch go but I am sure it was about the same time period but it just seemed like a really long time. This first month with her has flown by. She has been such a good baby and I am really enjoying my leave. If I don't get anything done one day then that is fine - it was hard to accept that with Murdoch but now it feels pretty normal.

Happy Birthday Emily!

We wanted to wish Emily/Aunt Emily a Happy Birthday!

We hope you are able to get in some relax time just like Thayer:



We hope are able to get out and enjoy the weather as much as Deucey enjoys swimming and chasing the ducks:


And we hope you have a good meal on your special day and enjoy it as much as Murdoch enjoys his spreadable cheese:

We miss you and love you lots! Happy Birthday!

I'm back baby!

It is a little depressing to think that my kids won't get that title as a Seinfeld reference. But there will be a lot of things that they don't get that will just make me feel older and older.

After a nice weekend in Maine something nice happened last night. I put Murdoch to bed, sang him a couple of songs, and then left him while he was still awake. I left the door open and he came right out. I put him back to bed and told him good night again and closed the door. He got right up and opened the door but I was standing there so he closed it, he tried that again and then put himself back to bed without any crying. I know this sound stupid and small but it made me feel great. Not only did he listen to me, which is always a nice feeling, but he went to bed by himself without needing one of us to sit there which is a big step after he moved to his toddler bed. I know there will be nights when we have to stay there longer but at least we are making progress. It is just another light at the end of the tunnel that I can now see, and that I really need now especially with a newborn.

Today Thayer is 1 month old. I feel like maybe her first month has gone by a lot faster than Murdoch's. Everyone says that happens with the second. Probably because you have done it before and you don't have as much time to watch everything that happens with the baby. Maybe I should celebrate with a glass of wine!

Mommy's out gettin' drunk tonight!

Ellen, Andy, the kids, and I went up the street for a drink on Tuesday night around 7. It is a small restaurant/bar that has good drinks so I thought it would be a nice outing on the last night Ellen was hear. It was crowded but not that bad so we took the seats away from the bar where no one was sitting and ordered our drinks. I have to say that both kids were really good. Then we started to notice that the hostess was basically throwing daggers at us the whole time we were there. We had a double stroller but we had it well out of the way. Then these two girls came in and kept staring at us again looking a little annoyed. We continued with our drink and Andy took the kids home so that Ellen and I could stay and talk. Right before Andy left he said that those two girls had left and as they left they said 'Looks like Mommy's out gettin' drunk tonight!' That plus the hostesses behavior really pissed me off. We went out for one drink at 7 PM on a Tuesday night. We have always taken our kids everywhere and we have never been treated like that. We also try to go off hours, not on a Friday or Saturday night, and not to a really nice place. We have taken Murdoch to this bar before with no negative reaction. Maybe it was the double stroller - I don't know. I just found it annoying that someone couldn't tolerate a child for about 40 minutes who wasn't screaming, running around or misbehaving in any way. And the fact that I have one drink doesn't make me drunk. Am I supposed to sit at home until my kids are grown? And we don't have any family for babysitting so it isn't like we can just drop them off somewhere if we decide to do a quick outing on a nice summer evening. At the end of the night it gave us something to talk about I guess.

Ellen - you should be happy you left yesterday morning, Wednesday night Murdoch started vomiting everywhere - Mommy wasn't out at a bar getting drunk last night! :) I hope you had a sage flight.

Ellen arrives today!

And I can't wait!

Doorknobs

The dictator has learned how to open doorknobs. Which is a big deal. Now when he wakes up in the morning we no longer get that 5-10 minutes to adjust to the day while he calls for us in his room. I wake up to a little face saying 'Hi Mama' or I just feel something tickling my hands which is him or just his hair as he stands there. Unfortunately he can also let himself out if he just doesn't want to go to sleep which has been a little annoying. So we took the locking side of the door and that is now facing the hallway and I know it sounds mean but I have locked him in there when he gets a little sassy about going to bed. Usually after 30 seconds or so he settles down and I can go in and put him to bed.

Andy is away for a bachelor party this weekend (next weekend as well) so Bob & Talli came to help out today. And they brought Liam with them - I don't know that I have experiences 3 kids at one time like this - I guess it is good that we have three adults so we are doing pretty well. It is the first time in a long time that I am actually writing down nap times, eating time, diaper time, etc. because it is the only way I can keep up with this many schedules. I got a few cute pictures and I will post those later. I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Some days I feel like a failure

Two days ago Murdoch, Deucey, and I went for a walk to have a little Murdoch alone time - I don't want him to feel like I am always with the baby - and it was also for me - the weather was gorgeous and I could use the exercise to start to tone this body up. Near the end of the walk we were on a steep hill, Murdoch stood up in the stroller, and as he did this I jerked the stroller which them caused him to literally do a somersault from the standing position off the stroller and he landed on his back on the concrete. There were a lot of tears and some scrapes but it wasn't too bad. Of course there was an older woman on her porch enjoying the evening and she screamed 'Oh my God!'. Well as if I didn't feel badly enough about causing him pain then I have this lady screaming and I feel like the worst mother in the world.

And today and many other days this week Murdoch has really been testing his boundaries. I am sure it is the age, the new baby, and whatever else goes on in his head but there are times when this is happening that I feel like a failure. He doesn't mind me, and what makes it worse is the fact that he does mind Andy so much more than me. He used to go to bed no issue with me, now it is a battle. Today I finally just left his bedroom and told Andy to put up a gate outside of his room because he just learned how to open doorknobs. I was trying to get him down for a nap and he just kept giggling and playing with me - which is what he does when he knows he is doing something wrong. I didn't have the patience. I am sure it is the lack of sleep that isn't helping but I left that room feeling like a totally loser that had lost control and basically had no respect in my own house.

I know it will change but right now I am tired and my patience level is short which then annoys me that I can't deal with him at times. I am looking forward to a nice day with him tomorrow. We had an awesome morning together on a walk and at the park but the nap time killed me. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

Thayer - The First Week

Finally I downloaded some pictures and I have a little time to do a quick post. We welcomed Thayer Stevens at 1:20 PM on July 24th. She arrived at 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 1/4 inches. Here is a little summary of her first week:

-I am happy to no longer be pregnant and know I won't be doing it again. Though the memory of the pregnancy has already started to fade.
-The labor and delivery was much easier than Murdoch. The start was a little slow and initially it looked like I might have a C-section but she was a strong little girl that 'loved' the contractions so with a little help from some drugs she popped right out after about 3 pushes. And Andy was happy that there were less 'colors' this time. :) You can ask him about that.
-Thayer is much easier than Murdoch - at least so far. I thought Murdoch was really good but she is even better which still scares me to say that. She is a really good eater, good sleeper, and loves to just look around. I am thinking of asking the doctor if anything is wrong - I am sure he will laugh at me and say enjoy it while you can! :)
-I love the way she looks when she stretches after being swaddled - she looks exactly the same as Murdoch.
-In general she looks exactly the same as Murdoch - it is scary.
-She loves your pinkie finger just like Murdoch - and I love in-between sucking she does this a little thing where she kind of gnaws on your finger about 4 or 5 times quickly and softly - again something Murdoch did but I forgot about.
-She has the dark grayish eyes just like Murdoch so she might end up with brown eyes like her brother.
-Murdoch has been a very good big brother without any major issues. Though when we got home Thayer needed to be changed she we took her up to Murdoch's room and changed her on Murdoch's changing pad. Well let me tell you he lost it! I guess I should have thought about it but the kid hates getting his diapers changed and hates being on the changing pad in general - always has. So what did her want after her diaper was changed - he wanted to lay on the pad. Toddlers are a funny breed.

I am sure that I have already forgotten a lot of other things in just the first week but it is something. Here are some pictures from the hospital and her first week at home including some of Murdoch.

I-Day

So I have moved from D-Day to I-Day(inducement day). I didn't actually think I would make it - I thought for sure that I would have already gone into labor, had the baby, and maybe we would even be home by now and Andy and I would be staring at each other thinking/saying what did we get ourselves into?! So tonight we head to the hospital, the inducement is scheduled for 8:30 PM but I think there are a whole bunch of tests and such that need to happen so I don't see things moving very quickly. I am thinking baby sometime tomorrow or maybe even Saturday. At this point things are really out of my hands. It is very odd thinking that I will be going to the hospital today no matter what. I wasn't expecting this scenario at all. But I guess there really isn't one way to give birth. I am just hoping that it doesn't take too long and that is about it. The rest will just fall into place.

If anyone is reading this please go to the following blog and send out some good and positive thoughts or prayers - which ever you prefer.

http://byronladybugs.blogspot.com/

D-Day

I have made it to D-day. No baby yet and if he/she wants to stay with its due date things will have to start and happen quickly. So I am thinking that this baby will be late as well. This time I was kind of expecting it so it doesn't seem like as big of a deal and maybe the fact that I know what is coming makes me not quite as anxious.

Murdoch was up at 4 AM. Maybe the whole toddler bed isn't going as well as I thought it was. Or maybe he knows something is up because he has been really clingy lately. I started working from home this week looking to avoid being in labor at work. And Talli is staying with us to help out with Murdoch so those are two changes. So I don't know if it is just that or if he would be like this whether or not I was pregnant. I know I am being impatient but I would like this toddler bed to work and get back to sleep before sleep is taken away yet again.

Heading to the doctor tomorrow. She will set my inducement date which was about 10 or so days past my due date so I assume it will be about the same. I am really hoping I don't reach that date. I am hoping it comes on its own schedule which is before that date. And luckily the weather has been pretty nice which makes things easier.

So thank you for all of your emails and phone calls but we are still in a holding pattern. As Andy says that makes scheduling meetings and social outings kind of difficult - tell me about it! :)