Pink Dreams.....

Since Christmas is over.....all of the sudden my landmark for the baby is gone! Leaving me feeling completely unprepared and apprehensive about this baby that is only weeks away. I haven't been able to sleep since Christmas Eve. (Cuz honestly...I never sleep Christmas eve cuz I was just too excited to see Caleb's face in the morning). But after that.....there's still no rest. Now my mind is chalked full of things that I need to get, and things that need to be done before the little girl gets here. Luckily, my mother-in-law has been buying clothes and sewing blankets and burp-rags for this baby girl (I think she may be more excited than I am....at least not as nervous that's for sure). She gave me a TON of really cute stuff. And then my sister has graciously let me borrow all of her baby girl clothes. So I've got plenty of that. But.....there's still so much I DON'T have!

Caleb's been potty trained for over six months now, and we haven't got any baby wipes!! We've been stocking up on baby diapers....but I completely forgot about wipes!! I've got all of Caleb's old bottles, but they probably all need new nipples. And formula. Sigh. Oh formula. Terrible, expensive, but entirely essential formula. Yes I am gonna breast-feed. But sometimes you still need to suppliment. I'm gonna have to bite the bullet. Did you know that stuff is like 20 bucks a can?!! Ahh the days of wic.

I have no nursing apparel (bra, pads, etc). And I realized last night I don't even have a pacifier! Okay...enough with the list of things I DON'T have. Because all that is easily remidied with a trip to the store. But I can't seem to ease my mind. I am WAY more nervous for this baby than I was for Caleb. I think it must be because I already HAVE a kid. Am I ready to take on two? My mind is an endless web of nervous thoughts. And meanwhile my belly grows ever larger, and my back continues to ache. I can't wait to sleep on my back.

The other night I had a dream about my baby girl. It's the first time I actually had a visual. She was beautiful....and tiny. Then she grew, and her hair was long. Again....she was beautiful. I've been so busy this pregnancy, I've hardly even had time to think about HER. What if she looks like me? She will melt my heart the way Caleb does still today.....even though I truly can't imagaine loving anything as much as I love Caleb. But I know I will. I've heard how a mother's love is not divided, but simply grows. It seems impossible... I guess it's just something I'll have to experience.

I'm going to the doctor this afternoon.....maybe they'll tell me something that'll ease my mind about all this. Meanwhile......good luck to my sister, Robyn, who's having HER baby girl today (if it hasn't already happened). I'll see you on skype sis!

The Christmas Haul...

We spent Christmas eve with Parker's family this year. We sang Christmas songs, and sat around the Christmas treee while Grandpa read the Christmas story from the Bible.




I'm really glad that Jayne was so good at taking pictures, because I wasn't so good....so I was able to get quite a few from her. We also sat around the table and played some games, and grandma Lyons made her famous vegetable dip, and a cream cheese shrimp-ball, and a whole bunch of other things that are really good for you!

We hung out till about ten o'clock on Christmas eve, and then we drove home so we could spend Christmas morning at our own house. Katelyn and Jayne came too, just so they could see our house, cuz they hadn't gotten to yet. And they wanted to watch Caleb open his presents Christmas morning. We DID take a video of Caleb on Christmas morning, but it's on the other camera, and I don't know how to get the videos off that camera yet.

Caleb also got a few things that aren't pictured below. He got a nice wodden toy gun, a TONKA dump-truck, and a couple NERF swords (cuz he pretends EVERYTHING is a sword), and a new book. The picture below is all the stuff we got....and not just Caleb.

One thing we're particularly excited about is the webcam Parker's parents got for us, so now we can start using Skype. And we'll get to see Robyn and John's new baby next week. Parker also got me Star Trek, which I was SOOOOO excited about.
Here's a picture of the family sitting on the floor singing Christmas songs on Christmas Eve. in the middle is our friend, Emily. She came over to join us for a few hours in the fun and games.
And below are a few videos from Christmas Eve I thought were kinda fun.

Christmas was really nice this year. I can't wait for New Years so I can see my family. We missed them this year. And once all this craziness is over, I've got about one or two weeks left and then we'll be a family of four! I still feel so un-prepared!

Under Construction......

Ever since we closed on the house, we've been spending every spare minute over there trying to get it updated how we want it. I don't know if you'll remember the video I posted before, but I thought you guys might want to see how much we've changed already in one week.
#1. PAINT! We picked a pretty bold shade of gray to go in the main living room and dining room. It scared the crap out of me as we were painting it....I kept asking, "Is this too dark?" But once the tape came off, and the faceplates went back on....I couldn't help but love it.
#2. New Lights! There were some pathetic light fixtures in that house, with even weaker bulbs. Parker put those lights in on the first day, because we couldn't stand to be in the dark another day. We replaced the ugly stained-glass upside-down bowl that was in the dining room, for a pretty brushed-nickel 6-bulb fixture. TONS MORE LIGHT!
#3. Blinds. All the windows had ugly, smelly, sun-bleached lace curtains. Ick. We seriously considered special-ordering some blackout blinds (my parents have them and I love them) but at the last minute we found some feaux-wood white blinds that look really good, and they were already in-stock at Lowe's. MUCH CHEAPER. The only one we have to order is the master bedroom. For some reason they don't make them in that size.
#4. New microwave. We found a black-friday ad for an over-the-range microwave for 98 dollars, and then a 30 dollar rebate. So Parker got up and faced the crowds. We decided that the counter-space that we'll save is worth quite a bit as well. And the kitchen looks tons better with the microwave installed.
#5. Cabinet Lighting. Parker found some cabinet lights for 30 dollars! They totally change the way your kitchen looks. And since the kitchen was kinda the eye-sore of the house.....we decided that anything that can help....we'll do it. The wost part about the kitchen is those blue countertops. But it's just too expensive to replace them at this time. So we're trying our best to make everything else around it look good.
#6. A little elbow-grease. The oven and stove were completely DISGUSTING! Yesterday I spent over an hour scrubbing off the burner catch-trays and all the stuff that was underneath them. The bathrooms need a good scrubbing as well.....but I think I'll wait until RIGHT before we move in.
#7. Floors. Now the floors go in tomorrow. We have new wood vinyl floors that my uncle was clearancing out at Lowe's....so we bought 'em up. They're gonna brighten up the kitchen and dining area a TON!
#8. Carpet. You see how the nasty blue carpet goes with NOTHING, except maybe the nasty blue countertops. The carpet comes out on Tuesday, and the new stuff goes in Wednesday morning. After that.....it's time to move in!! I already feel like this house is our home. The apartment still has all our stuff in it, but it's just where we sleep at night. I'm so excited to move into our new place! Here's a video of how things looked yesterday.

Frog Tape

Last Friday we closed on our house! It's ours!! And Saturday we started painting..... now anybody who knows ANYTHING about painting also knows that you have to TAPE a lot when you paint. Well.....did you know that the blue painters tape they sell in the paint department SUCKS?!! Let me show you what I mean.....The strip on the right is what our ENTIRE house looked like yesterday after we pulled all that tape off. ..... OH! Except WAY WORSE. Cuz it bleeds worse on a textured wall. Well.....if you didn't read what the strip on the left is.....it's this stuff Parker's mom told us about.....a day later.....called "Frog Tape"


Luckily, we used it on the bedrooms, and it saved us a TON of touch-up work. I just wish she'd told us about this stuff a day before! Yes it's more expensive....but it's totally worth it, cuz I spent tons of time touching up the corners I'd so carefully taped off.

We've also put in a couple new light fixtures, cabinet lights, and new blinds for all the windows. The house already looks transformed....and we still haven't done the #1 thing that's REALLY gonna change it around.......new carpet! Yes we have been taking video of our progress....but the camera has been staying at the house....and the computer stays at the apartment....for now. So I don't have pictures or videos yet. But I promise they are coming.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my family, my job, my health, our new house, and FROG TAPE!

Pack-pack

I'm sure all children are guilty of calling the "backpack" their "pack-pack" at some point. Just a few minutes ago, Caleb asked Parker if he could put on his pack-pack. Now....parker is a college student, so he has a heavy backpack. Well....Caleb did his best. Take a look. It made me laugh.

is he sick or was it a one-time-thing?

WARNING: this post IS about my kid throwing up. So if you don't wanna hear it, stop reading. But I learned some things that all mothers should know....you'd think I did...but nope. Here's what happened:

Yesterday I picked up Caleb from daycare after work. He was in the process of drinking a glass of water when I got there. Nothin' to strange....the kid loves to drink. We got in the car and then proceeded to go to the library as we do every Thursday. We pick out new books and a couple movies for Caleb and sometimes for me. As we're pulling up to the library, he starts complaining, "Mommy my tummy hurts." That's strange....I thought.....why do you have a tummy ache?
"Are you hungry??"
"No....I want some milk."
"Okay, we'll get some milk when we get home."
"No I want some milk.....my tummy hurts." And then he procedes to cry. Now any mother in her right mind would be thinking "he's gonna throw up". But for some reason, I didn't see the signs. I un-buckeled him from his car-seat and as he's climbing out he throws up all over the center-console of the truck. Which is where my lovely pay-check was sitting. Now the top of the center-console of the truck is concave, so it created a perfect "bowl" for almost everything to go. And thereby completely saturating my pay-check.

Now Parker has never been there when it happened (cuz it only happened when I've over-fed him when he was a baby....and one other time when he swallowed too much blood from a bloody nose.....(which I just have to add is the ONLY other time he's ever complained about his stomach hurting)). But he always says if he has to deal with puke he's gonna puke himself. cuz he can't handle the smell. But I have to tell you, as a mother, when your child throws up.....there is nothing but compassion that I feel (until it's over and I have to clean it up). I felt so awful! Now 90% of what he threw up was water. No food from his lunch.....and the smell was very mild. (thank GOODNESS). So I'm thinking......he must have had too much water to drink. He wasn't running a fever.

So I get everything all cleaned up and we go to the Library and pick out our books and movies. And we drive home. As we're walking through the door, Caleb asks for milk again. and he says, "My throat is hurting." Now I know better. I walk him into the kitchen (where there's no carpet) and I ask him if his tummy hurts again. "No my throat hurts, I want some milk." Then he starts crying again. Then he stops....and starts salivating and I knew it was coming. One more bout of sick onto the kitchen floor. Once again....mostly clear.

NOW i'm thinking "Okay my boy is sick......what does he have?" I was just getting ready to feed him dinner......do I still feed him? .......CALL MOM! She then proceded to prepare me for what a night with a puking child might be like, and how to prepare. What to feed him., and what NOT to feed him. Can you believe I didn't know all this? No I didn't. I talked to Caleb about throwing up in a bowl. He seemed to understand.....he kept the bowl right next to him for the rest of the evening. I thought for-sure he was sick and he'd be throwing up for the rest of the night. I fed him chicken noodle soup and saltines for dinner. He LOVED it by the way! (Cuz Caleb loves soup!) But he never threw up again. And he never got a fever.

Now here comes the real truth about motherhood. I'd say a majority of the time, you can't explain why your kid is sick.....it just happens. And you can sit there and hypothesize about what he ate, or what bug he's got (Now lets not forget......Caleb has been on antibiotics for 4 days for pink-eye.....so there's no WAY he's got some kind of bacteria......it's either a virus.....or something didn't sit right). But I have no explanation for why it happened last night. And I'm VERY glad I didn't have to spend the night with him throwing up. But I will never know why.

As far as my pay-check goes. I had Dr. Thompson print me out a new one. I shreded the now dried and wrinkly, but very bad smelling one that got thrown up on. So.....that's our weekend so far!

A pink-eyed Halloween....

For Halloween we dressed Caleb up as a cowboy. He already had the gun, and the hat. I found the shirt at DI for 2 dollars, and the handkerchief around his neck was 1 dollar. Problem solved. He was more excited about the candy than dressing up anyway.

But on Friday night, I noticed that Caleb's eyes were a little red. Then when he woke up Saturday morning, they were all goopy and gross. Augh. Pink-eye. I just knew it. So we called the doctor, and got him on some antibiotics. But.....that meant no trick-or-treating that night. Thank goodness he got to do the ward trunk-or-treat the night before...so he still had a bucket full of candy.

This first picture, isn't exactly what he looked like yesterday. He insisted on wearing his snow boots today. We didn't have cowboy boots, so yesterday he just wore his brown shoes. But he wanted those red boots on for the picture. :)

Caleb has been really good at helping me out lately. Especially if I'm cooking.
He likes to stand on a chair right next me and help me stir and so-forth. He also likes to help me if I'm mopping the floors. He has to have his own rag, and of course he gets WAY more water on the floor than I'd like. But it's nice that he's trying to help.

One other thing that I'm not sure I've ever mentioned.....Caleb is OBSESSED with shoes! I think I pick up more shoes than anything else. And they're either his or mine. Hardly ever daddy's for some reason. He loves to march around in my heels, or my flats. And he likes HIS shoes too. Esepcially the ones with velcro cuz he can put them on himself. Also his boots. The picture below he's actually wearing my pink socks, which go almost up to his thighs. No I did not help him. And then his little shoes over that. It looks like he's wearing tights! Parker and I were laughing so hard that I decided to take his picture.

We have been so busy lately getting things in order for our house, I'm sorry the blog updates have been a little more sparce. I'm gonna have lots to blog about once we move though. But we're all doing well! I have to just make one mention about my 28 weeks belly. I feel like there is NO WAY I can spend the next 3 months CONTINUALLY GROWING! I feel like I'm just big enough right now. And I know that the last trimester is the one with the most weight-gain. AUGH. I feel pretty darn huge, and I just have no idea how I can get three-months bigger. There isn't any more room.
Lastly, this pregnancy has been the source of some SERIOUS back pain for me. I'm already pretty much not sleeping at night. But the back pain gets so bad sometimes, that I can't pick up Caleb AT ALL (which I really try not to do much....but sometimes I carry him to bed and stuff ..... especially if he's sleeping or something) and even things as small as bending over, or climbing out of the car can cause some SERIOUS pain. Sleeping on my back is the worst too. It causes SERIOUS discomfort when I try to move. Luckily when I'm in serious pain like that.....it never lasts. maybe a couple days max. Then it's just standard pregnancy discomfort stuff. Nothin I can't handle.