Casa del Platt

Compliments in the Morning

2012-02-08T13:04:00.003-05:00

Daniel: Do you want to take a shower now?
Me: I already took a shower.
Daniel: Is that what your hair looks like when it's not blow-dried?
Me: Yes.
Daniel: I like it better blow dried.

Us Lately, In Pictures

2012-02-04T20:31:00.001-05:00

Mister Man had pajama day at preschool.

I skipped "nap time" for an afternoon at Coolidge Park and the walking bridge with the boys.

This guy chased birds until the Lightning McQueen that goes inside his brother's Mack Truck fell out and bounced through one of those fence holes. Needless to say, Lightning went for a little swim in the Tennessee River. We had to get some mini cupcakes to make up for such a sad loss.

We made a "fishbowl" out of sandbox sand, rocks and some bath toys.

Junior continues to be all smiles, always laughing and always begging for food. Although he has suddenly decided that the bath - formerly his favorite activity in the world - is now unacceptable. That's a Platt baby for you.

And he loves to be outside. If we open the door for the dog but don't let him crawl out to the grass too, he throws a royal fit.

My mom brought the race car tent up from Birmingham.

Why does he look so much older in this picture??? Literally this is only about two weeks after PJ picture number one. (Top of page.)

Both kiddos got new pajamas from Nana. And I actually got a picture with both of them.

The babe feeds himself. Be still my heart.

We May All Get eColi

2012-01-31T20:30:00.002-05:00

Because there's no such thing as too many potty stories...

I have mastered taking a two year old to public bathrooms with a baby in tow. It requires a lot of balance and coordination to hold a nine month old on your hip and a kiddo on the toilet at the same time. Yesterday, however, we encountered a little hiccup in our balancing act. All because of a pair of tiny wet underwear.

We're at the park. I ask Mister Man three different times if he has to go potty. He says no. Finally, I realize he is a little wet. So we head to the bathroom. I have a double stroller that will not fit through the bathroom door. How do I change boy number one while keeping boy number two out of trouble? While shedding my oldest's shoes, socks, jeans, etc. I realize I simply cannot hold Junior and change Mister Man without at least two of us having a conniption. So I do the unthinkable. I put the (crawling) baby down on the disgusting cement floor. "I can be quick," I tell myself. Unfortunately, no one can move faster than my baby can crawl.

I pop Mister Man on the potty and grimace as Junior explores the swinging stall door and paws at the toilet paper roll. Afterwards, I start to re-dress Mister Man when I notice a little something on my hand. It was poop. (My own child's at least.) At the exact same moment, I see Junior pulling up on a toilet. And splashing his hands in it. He was very amused.

So what do I do? Wash my hand, or pick up my baby and risk him smearing the poo all over both of us? I try not to curse and run for the sink. Mister Man stands there bare-bummed, waiting for me to finish helping him get dressed. (Because there's no way I'm going to let him sit down on that nasty floor and put his own pants on. At least one of us is going to come out of this without a disease.) Finally I grab Junior - who has just put his hands IN HIS MOUTH - and rush both boys to the sink.

I felt disgusting (and disgusted) until we had all bathed. The end.

Surprise!

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Daniel was turning the laundry over when he informed me there was some mud still on the clothes. But wait. No. What's that smell? Okay, so it's not mud. It's poop. In the washing machine.

Mommy Sleuth deducted that a certain potty training child must have had an accident, put the dirty underwear in his hamper, gotten dressed again and gone about his day. How nice of him.

Lest You Think We Are All Frowny Faces...

2012-01-28T10:04:00.005-05:00

My pediatrician called late last night to let me know Mister Man has no visible fractures and should be walking better by Monday. He took a few steps in shoes this morning but has since returned to scooting around the house. Either way, I'm glad to know he shouldn't need any bandages.

And, as much as I complain, the Terrible Twos are not taking over our entire lives. But I make sure to have one Mommy Meltdown per week, just to keep Daniel on his toes. You know, the whole "you get to go to work tomorrow, but I have to do this all over again" kind of speech. Today I am much better.

One thing I have been working on to simplify our lives and help the kiddos get more into resourcefulness with their alone time - getting rid of toys. We have so many. Generous friends and family members have filled up our buckets and closets and shelves over and over again. But we've gotta let it go. Yesterday I filled up two garbage bags full of excess balls, things that take batteries and things that don't really lend themselves toward pretend play.

The result:

"Look Mom, I made a duck!"

As a parent, that is much more fulfilling than watching him push an actual plastic duck around the floor. And really, he wouldn't do that anyways. He'd just hold it for five seconds then follow me around, asking me to make up a game for him.

Notice I also put up our old gates to keep a certain nine month old from destroying his brother's towers.

An excerpt from my favorite book for this age, Making the Terrible Twos Terrific:

A child doesn't learn to do a lot with a little if his parents gift him with a lot of store-bought toys. Too many toys overwhelm a child's ability to choose a plaything and keep himself occupied. Too many toys prevent the emergence of imaginative play. Too many toys make it all but impossible for a child to learn to make do. Invariably, children who complain a great deal of being "bored," or having "nothing to do," are children who have been given too much. They can simply make no creative sense of the clutter of toys in their environments.

Thus, I will continue to pick and choose which toys stay and which toys go. And thus is why we are having a NO GIFTS birthday party when Andrew turns one. Sorry mom!

Not Our Best 24 Hours

2012-01-27T19:18:00.001-05:00

Thursday afternoon, Mister Man took a brave leap off the top of a climbing toy at the mall and hurt his foot. He can't walk, or even bear weight. While he claims the pain is concentrated on one big toe - and it doesn't seem to hurt him when we poke and wiggle at the rest of his foot/ankle/leg - we decided to go ahead and take him in for x-rays this morning. That was at 10:00 a.m. When the pediatrician's office closed at 5:00 p.m., the radiologist still hadn't reviewed the films. Annoying. Part of me really wanted to call the imaging office and say, "Can someone please just tell me if my two year old fractured something and needs a splint?" Guess we get to wait until Monday for the results.

Daniel and I are pretty convinced it's just a bad sprain. But you never know if a two year old is properly describing his pain. For now, he is in decent spirits and has mastered scooting around the house to play. And wearing his cushy Lightning McQueen slippers seems to keep him from bumping his toe too much.

In other news, he has also decided to stop eating. We are in the middle of a fairly large pile of power struggles with him, so I'm guessing he just wants to tick us off by living on air. Today I gave him Kid Crack (Nutragrain Bar) for breakfast, then two peanut butter crackers while waiting for x-rays. He had a few sips of a milkshake as a reward for putting up with nurses having to hurt him and hold him down at the imaging center. Then he went the rest of the day refusing every plate we put in front of him, except for a handful of Cheerios. A child with no calories is a really nasty child. He is no fun.

Last night I read in a book that 30 months is typically the peak of tantrums and defiance. Mister Man is 30 months. I'm happy to hear this may be as bad as it gets.

Here is a picture after an "I'm Tired" meltdown at 5:45 p.m. (We didn't let him nap today in case we needed to take him in to get his leg wrapped up after the imaging results came in. Nice, right?) He fell asleep with a dried prune in his hand.

Daniel works tomorrow. I have a feeling we are going to watch a lot of movies.

Blah Blah Blah

2012-01-24T20:33:00.001-05:00

I really don't have anything special to blog about. I just decided to pen out a few things we've been up to. Sorry if this is a snore. I've been...

Really digging the recipe for homemade enchiladas I found here. It is so easy, and it already won a spot in my "favorite recipes" cookbook. Like the blogger recommends, we only used a tad over one can of cream of chicken soup. Next time we probably won't bother with opening a second can. For meat, we simmered rotisserie chicken in a taco flavor packet and then tossed it with black beans. We are going to make these for a second time tonight, and as an experiment, we are going to add a layer of enchilada sauce.
Using the Bob Duallie (when the weather agrees) and occasionally driving up the street at 6:15 a.m. to do workout videos with a friend. I've lost ten pounds since September and only have about five more to go. My summary of the best possible run/walk: it is at least 45 minutes long, Junior sleeps and Mister Man stays awake (so he will be tired for naptime/bedtime later). Today, the magic happened. It was bliss.
Finishing a humongous editing job. I turned it in and billed out $338.47, but I haven't heard much back from the client. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if they think I changed too much, too little, just the right amount? Either way, I know my Stylebook, so if they want it right, they will hit "accept all changes!"
Being patient with potty training. After two solid months, we are back to having about two accidents a day. It's still better than diapers.
Crossing my fingers this mostly-mild winter lasts. How could anyone with two kids under the age of three actually like snow? It traps us inside. And when we do go outside, there is much slipping and cold and fumbling with gloves.

Two More Wins

2012-01-19T11:06:00.002-05:00

The crockpot cooking continues! This week I've had two more successful dinners. And not having to ask Daniel to cook when he gets home (which happens to coincide with at least one kid's bedtime) is nice. Unfortunately, the blog where I gleaned several of my new recipes has shut down. Luckily I had already copied these onto paper.

The first, Orange Beef Stew, is a good alternative to pot roast because the meat has no connective tissue or fat to scare meat-phobics like me away from the dish. My mother-in-law was here the afternoon we popped it in the pot, and we were so convinced the steak wouldn't defrost, cook and soften in four hours that she actually prepared something else in the meantime. But it was ready - and it was good. The spinach and water chestnuts really made the dish for me, and the orange flavor came through without overpowering. It was perfect served over rice.

Orange-BeefStew

4-5 poundsof flank steak (cut into smaller sections, not tiny, just enough to fit intothe bag, you can cut them up more after they are cooked)

2 cupsorange juice

2tablespoons of cornstarch

2tablespoons of soy sauce

1tablespoon of sugar

2tablespoons of minced garlic

8 greenonions chopped

Add dayof cooking:

2 packagesof frozen spinach

1 8 ouncecan of water chesnuts

2 teaspoonsof beef bouillion

Assembleall ingredients (except spinach, water chesnuts and beef bouillion) into two freezer bags. Place in freezer. Day of cooking, place in slow cookerand add spinach, water chesnuts and beef bouillion. Cook on low for 8hours or on high for 4. Serve with rice or couscous or make sandwiches.

I was excited about the second, Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken, because the freezer bag included the components of a homemade barbecue sauce (tomato sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar) and vegetables. I opted for chicken breast instead of thighs and drumsticks, but Daniel requested I give the "scary meat" a try next time. The sauce was sweet and the chicken fell apart when cut along the grain with a fork, but I think it could have come out before the four-hour mark because the peppers, zucchini and onion were a tad mushy for my liking.

HealthyMama Barbecue Chicken

3 mediumunpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 largegreen pepper, cut into strips

1 largered pepper, cut into strips

1zucchini, chopped

1 mediumonion, sliced

1tablespoon quick cooking tapioca

2 poundschicken thighs or drumsticks

1 8-ouncecan of tomato sauce

2tablespoons packed brown sugar

1tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1tablespoon yellow mustard (I wasn't sure if this meant actual mustard or thespice so I did a little of both)

1 clovegarlic, minced

1/4teaspoon salt

Dumpeverything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put inthe freezer. The day you want to cook it, put it on the counter for 30 minutes then in the crockpot on high for 4 hours.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures for you. But I am glad I have one more bag of each of these in the freezer. IMPORTANT: Each recipe makes two freezer bags worth. I only cook one at a time. Unless you have an oversized crockpot, two probably would not fit anyways. Also, one bag of Orange Beef Stew could have served about four adults. Because I only put two chicken breasts in each bag of Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken, it is really better suited for two adults. But had I followed the recipe and used thighs and drumsticks, it may have gone farther.

Chuckle.

2012-01-17T21:22:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was reading Mister Man Go Dog Go when he pointed to the yellow dog in this picture and said, "Look Mama! He's going to do a helicopter!"

I thought. And thought. And thought some more. Then I realized what he meant:

It Will Do

2012-01-15T12:02:00.001-05:00

Chattanooga used to have a really great indoor playground for kids called Playworld Down Under. Think Chic-fil-A playplace on steroids. It was huge. And it had a cushioned toddler area, plenty of tables for snacking, a little merry-go-round and video games. (Video games with tickets, which of course you exchange for prizes. Very important.) Unfortunately, Playworld went out of business last year because the building's owner raised the rent too many times. I keep crossing my fingers the family who ran this place will find a new location. It was too good.

Anyways. We have discovered a similar indoor playground in Cleveland. It's a 22-mile drive, but it was worth the distance considering how much energy the kids burned once we got there. In a warehouse on the corner across the highway from the YMCA, Jumpin Junction is part climbing/tunneling/sliding and part inflatable bouncy houses. I took the boys up there with some friends this week, and they were thrilled. Mister Man thought sliding into the ball pit was the best. I wasn't a fan of the "toddler area" (basically a bunch of old toys without batteries, a play kitchen and a cushy slide), but the woman running the register told me they were expanding soon with some new features.

In the open area between the fun stuff, there were quite a few Cozy Coupes and other ride-on toys to make the trek from slide to slide more interesting. I stole these pictures from my friend's blog:

Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down

2012-01-14T10:28:00.003-05:00

The Year of the Crockpot has begun! (Note: my spellcheck just suggested I change the word crockpot to "crackpot." Is that like a crack pipe?)

Last weekend I bagged up six dinners and threw them in the freezer. So far we have had one failure and one success. The Loser was Crankberry Chicken. The textures were great, the chicken was moist and it was more of a meal with sauce than a stew - which was what I wanted - but even when served over rice it was too sweet. When fresh, it wasn't unbearable. But we agreed we wouldn't make it again. When I tried the leftovers the next day, I liked it even less and ended up dumping it in the trash. It didn't help that I bit into a lemon peel and chewed it a few times before realizing my mouth was sad. (By the way, if you attempt this regardless of the poor review, pick out the lemon slices before you serve.)

The winner, in a big way, was Green Chili Stew. I got this recipe out of my old Fix It and Forget It Cookbook, which I just realized has a blog (yah!), and made it straight away, without freezing. I was so surprised at how two little cans of chopped green chilies could spice this thing up so well. With beef and potatoes, it is far better than any chili I have ever made and is perfect for this winter weather. You have to try it.

Green Chili Stew

3 Tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used the jarred stuff)
1 large onion, diced
1 lb ground sirloin
1/2 lb ground pork (I used breakfast sausage)
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 4-oz cans diced green chilies
10-oz pkg frozen corn
4 large potatoes, diced
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp crushed dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt

Brown onion, garlic, sirloin and pork in oil in skillet. Cook until meat is no longer pink. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 4-5 hours, or until potatoes are soft.

I love any recipes that says "combine all ingredients in slow cooker." If I can get away with only browning a little meat and chopping a few vegetables, I'm happy.

Tonight we are trying Orange-Beef Stew. Will report back tomorrow.

Junior, 9 Months

2012-01-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of his favorite things:

Taking a bath.
Trying to climb into the tub when it's not bath time.
Standing at the side of the tub watching his brother take a bath.
Copying Mister Man - specifically shrieking and shaking his head back and forth really fast.
Pulling up on everything.
Begging for bites of our food.
Crawling towards his favorite blanket, sticking his face in it and biting it.
Sitting on the mini trampoline.
Sitting on Mister Man's bed.
Family dance parties.
Trying to beat us to the dog water bowl.
Banging things together.
Pulling things out of buckets and boxes.
Crawling over to give me kisses.
Racing his brother on their push cars.
Only drinking three ounces of formula at a time - a big change from a month ago.

Here are a few of his least favorite things:

Tart fruits. He prefers them cut with yogurt or cereal.
Being banished to the playpen so I can leave the room for a few minutes.
Getting pulled off the fireplace ledge.
Teething (he's working on number six).
Falling over (happens regularly).

My Eyes are Bleeding!

2012-01-10T07:13:00.000-05:00

Typically when I edit a document for someone, I print it out on paper to make markings then transfer my edits to the computer when I'm done. It saves my eyes from staring at the glowing screen for so long. But right now, I'm working on a 165-page Word document with the margins stretched as wide as possible. It would take way too long to do it the way I like, so for both my sake and the sake of my client's budget, I am doing it all digitally. Yesterday (during the football game, because I fear my deadline 10 days from now) I only worked for two hours, but when I went to bed my eyes were burning. I can't look in the general direction of the television or lamps. Any tips for reducing eye strain? I have the brightness on my computer set all the way down. For now I have to embrace the pain because I have a lot of work to do.

In other news...

A friend helped Daniel build shelves in our garage.

And while we were celebrating over Green Chili Stew (recipe later), Mister Man and his friend did this with the baby powder upstairs. At least it smells good. And I kind of needed to vacuum and dust his room anyways.

He helped clean up.

BOB'in

2012-01-09T20:31:00.003-05:00

Here she is! I like to call my new jogging stroller "The Hoss," because it is certainly too big for the mall. But it is perfect for outdoors. I regret to say I have only taken it out twice, but the weather hasn't cooperated. Today neither boy fell asleep at nap time, so I threw them in here and about five minutes after I took this picture, they were snoozing. It did rain on us, but the sun shades are so large that only the blankets covering their feet got damp. Pushing this thing uphill is good for the rear, legs and back. Time to get some ibuprofen.

Goals, Anyone?

2012-01-04T16:24:00.004-05:00

I have never been one for New Year's Resolutions. This year, however, I have a few things in mind.

Continue to get back into my profession. If I could get a writing or editing job every other month, it would help me stay sharp. So far I have quarterly work heading my way from a non-profit in Washington, D.C. and a local Christian author emailing her latest Bible study for review by the end of January. The tricky part: switching back and forth from AP Style (newspapers, magazines and public relations) to Chicago Manual of Style (book publishing). It fries my brain.
Lose those last seven pounds. It's not much, but I could do without the slight muffin top leftover from my last pregnancy. (I still use the rubber band trick for two pairs of jeans.) Eating well isn't hard for me. But eating well alone never helps me lose weight. I have to exercise.
Use my crock pot more. Someone put a bug in my ear this week about Crock Pot Freezer Cooking. You assemble an entire meal in a gallon zip lock bag - meat, vegetables, spices, sauce - then shake it up and throw it in the freezer. On the day you plan to eat it, you simply let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes then throw it in the crock pot on high for four hours. We are starting with Orange-Beef Stew, Cranberry Chicken and a "Healthy Mama" Barbecue Chicken. This is the website that got me started.
Build up my craft supplies. I keep all of our art "stuff" in a single cupboard in my kitchen. We have stickers, paint, coloring books and chalk. I want to add stamps, construction paper, glue sticks and fun shaped sponges for sponge painting.
Watch more movies. This means I will have to stop collapsing in bed after the kids go to sleep. This week I have already managed to stay up late enough to watch the final Harry Potter (woah!) and Invictus (meh.). And one afternoon I squeezed in One Fine Day with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. Clooney at his finest. And by finest, I mean most handsome.

Cue The Year of Trying to Keep My Sanity

2012-01-02T20:05:00.000-05:00

So far, that is what I'm dubbing 2012. Staying home with a two and a half year old and an eight month old is wearing on me a tad. And it's only January 2! Here's a few snippets from our everyday life:

I pick Mister Man up and put him in his car seat.
He cries, goes limp noodle on me, yells, "Wait, mama! Wait! I can do it by myself!"

I dump the contents of the training potty into the big potty.
Mister Man cries and yells, "No, Mama! I can do it!"
He then plops back down onto his potty, insisting that he is going to pee again so that he can dump it on his own.

I stick the sippy cup straw into the sippy cup lid, preparing a glass of milk for my son.
Mister Man cries, throws himself to the ground and yells, "Wait! No! I want to do it!"
I make him ask nicely, disassemble the lid and hand him the pieces.
Five seconds later, he says, "Mama, I need help."
I try not to roll my eyes.

In the meantime, whilst all these conversations are occurring, Junior is climbing on top of the fireplace ledge, pulling up on chairs, tugging on my leg, falling and smacking his head against the floor. And I am questioning whether giving in to my older son's demands counts as helping him develop independence (if i make him stop crying and ask nicely?) or letting him order me around.

In honor of how close I am to completely losing my mind at the end of each day - Daniel doesn't get home until 7:15 - I have made a rather large purchase:

This is going to give me about 45 minutes a day of not negotiating, not trying to convince anyone to eat, not putting anyone in time out, not facilitating sharing, and not trying to figure out how to play Memory with one kid while keeping the other from chewing on the pieces. They can each have a lollipop, and I can have my peace.

Slight problem: The high today was 40 degrees. I may have to stare at this and dream until early Spring.

I'm thinking my mood will shift when it is no longer Christmas break and I am no longer scared of leaving the house with these guys, lest the crowds at our usual hangouts drive us bonkers. On January 9, we shall no longer be shut-ins. I am looking forward to it.

The Loot

2011-12-27T20:50:00.001-05:00

Let's get materialistic for a moment. I have a very generous family, on both sides. They love to give, and I am going to brag on a few of the treats they sent our way this season...

Red Envelope Deluxe Wall Gallery

I have been disappointed with my own attempt at hanging (crooked) picture frames in a set, so this will take tilt out of the equation.

Melissa and Doug Wooden Pounding Bench

The "nails" are thin at the top, fat at the bottom, and a little wooden seesaw underneath each pair makes one nail go up while the opposite nail goes down. Since they don't come out, they don't get lost (or swallowed).

Magic Grow Dinosaurs

Mister Man ripped the tail off of his yellow Stegosaurus last night and then proceeded to cry about it. "Fix it, fit it!" Only one thing calmed him down: Daniel promising to send it to the Island of Misfit Toys. Whatever works.

The North Face Maya Jacket

I love raincoats, and yet I haven't had one that fits in years. I drooled over this online and my mom scoured eBay to find it for me.

Crayola Color Wonder Fingerpaints

This stuff is CLEAR - as in, will not stain carpet or walls or clothes - until it hits the special Color Wonder paper. Then it turns the appropriate color. Mister Man loves arts and crafts, but with a crawling baby getting into everything, I can rarely sit nicely to help him not make a mess. This is a dream. I don't care how much the "refills" cost in the future. It's a winner. I will probably buy the markers too.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

My brother is a great resource for book recommendations. Right now I am reading his copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I suppose this one will be next. I am told it is written from the perspective of a dog. Thanks bro!

Melissa and Doug Shape Sorting Cube

I love wooden toys, and this shape sorter came all the way from family in Texas. What I like best about it is the more obscure shapes it includes - the heptagon, octagon, rhombus, etc. I need to brush up on my geometry so I can teach my kids to count sides.

Ravensberger Puzzles

This is our favorite brand, hands down. I like any puzzles, even the 24-piece Thomas the Train puzzles Mister Man got for his second birthday. This one may interfere with my quest to get back in shape. It kind of makes me want to look in the freezer for some ice cream.

Play Doh Beach Creations

I am going to have to get over my fear of mixing Play Doh colors for this one. Making lobsters, starfish and dolphins just looks like too much fun.

iBaby Monitor

We are hooked on our iPad, so what's better than a baby monitor with software that turns the iPad into the screen? You can log in from anywhere in the world to see your kid's room and scroll up, down, left and right to move the camera and survey the entire space. I am going to use it to spy on babysitters. No joke.

Wacky Water 4-Square Mat

We have tried and failed time and time again to find an outdoor water toy that actually works as depicted. (Don't ever get the rainbow sprinkler your kids can run under from Toys R Us. It's a disaster.) Uncle Joel hit us with this one for the spring (ours is CARS themed, of course), and it has gotten really good reviews. With how much Mister Man likes to stomp the water at the Coolidge Park fountain, this should be a winner.

The Grand Finale

Daniel really outdid himself this year. I spied a small wrapped box in his sock drawer about a week before Christmas and he played it cool (but still hinted he had gotten me something shiny). This David Yurman ring matches a necklace my dad got me years ago. It is so pretty.

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T15:05:00.002-05:00

We spent a day in Nashville with Daniel's side of the family a few days ago, but I didn't take pictures, so you'll have to wait on that post. For now, let's do Christmas In Pictures with the Smiths, who traveled to Chattanooga for our first Christmas Day all together in years.

Christmas Eve, posing in mismatched pajamas.

Uncle D love.

Junior gave his Daddy a giant bubble wand for Christmas, and Daniel and Corey spent the morning waving their hands around the bubbles, making them spin and change shape.

When he wasn't busy crying or not napping (dang those teeth), this guy ran amok.

Corey got some mustaches to fill in the gaps until he's done with chemo.

Junior thought he was hot stuff when his brother took a nap and he could commandeer the Lightning McQueen.

A new push car from Memaw! Junior cried every time we tried to push it away and give him a new present.

The big surprise. Early in the day, he didn't give it much attention. But once we took it outside, he drove it 15 houses up and back.

The "other" red car in his life. Plus the slippers. I'm never showing him another movie again. We're going to make this CARS theme last.

Somehow we didn't snap any pictures with my parents or my sister, but they were here, I swear! The boys weren't exactly on their best behavior, so once they were in bed, I capped off the night with a round of Balderdash, a slice of peanut butter pie and a few shots of tequila. Merry Christmas indeed. Stay tuned for a very materialistic post about some of my favorite gifts of the year...

Ouch.

2011-12-26T10:25:00.004-05:00

Basically we are just waiting for this to be over...

This Made Me Smile

2011-12-23T10:25:00.001-05:00

Daniel's Sock Drawer

2011-12-21T13:42:00.001-05:00

Of the two of us, I am typically the less organized spouse. I don't put things back where they belong right away. I keep a pile of laundry on the ottoman in our room. When I need to tidy up for guests, I throw a bunch of junk in a laundry basket and hide it in our room. It takes about a week for said basket to be properly emptied.

However, yesterday Daniel decided to clean out his sock drawer, which is apparently his dirty little secret. This is a lot of not-socks, people. A monkey hat. A pack of cards about how to tie knots. A taser. I sack of pennies. A stethoscope. A waterproof cell phone holder. Measuring tape. An air pressure gauge.

I feel a little better about my baskets.

Not QUITE Going As Planned

2011-12-20T20:40:00.001-05:00

Mister Man has had a hard time falling asleep at night lately. He spends about 20 minutes laying in bed before climbing out to read books, sing songs, practice hopping like a frog and sit on his Spiderman couch. This goes on for at least 90 minutes, sometimes two and a half hours. He falls asleep on the floor, or with his feet on his pillow, and we tuck him in properly before we turn in ourselves. But typically he is not fully asleep until 10:30 p.m. Which, honestly, is later than I care to be up myself most nights.

Assuming maybe he is getting too much daytime rest, this week I have tried replacing Mister Man's nap with an hour-long "quiet time" in his room. The only way for this schedule to work, however, is for him to go to bed between 7 and 7:30 p.m. and sleep for at least 12 hours. Otherwise he is short on rest.

Today was a "short on rest" kind of day. I found him like this at 5:30 p.m. and moved him to his bed for the night:

I'm not yet sold on the idea of no-nap. His attitude really tanks in the afternoon, and if he goes to bed at 7:00 p.m., he will not see Daniel get home from work many days of the week. I think I'm going to re-instate nap time but limit the length of his naps to about 90 minutes.

At what age did your kiddos give up naps?

Fitness Repost

2011-12-19T07:41:00.001-05:00

This was a friend's Facebook status this morning, and I thought it was worthy of a repost. He owns a small gym in town and was my trainer after I had Mister Man. I think I'm going back there three mornings a week (at 5:30 a.m.) starting in the New Year. Not because I have a significant amount of weight to lose, but simply because I want to feel strong, fit into all of my old clothes, feel better about myself and make sure I don't develop a lifestyle of laziness. And I love the other girls that work out there in the morning. It is amazing how much harder I work when put alongside friends.

Obesity is a major issue around the world and that's due in large part to the kinds of foods we're eating. Let's take a moment to examine the impact a banana split would have on your exercise routine.

"You can't stay at the gym long enough to overcome a banana split," says Dr Allison. "To burn off the calories that you can eat in 10 minutes with a big bowl of ice-cream with nuts and fruit and syrup on it, you would have to exercise vigorously for two hours or more. If you don't control the dietary intake, almost any amount of exercise is insufficient to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight."

It's not just banana splits we're talking about here. You'd need to lift weights for three hours to burn off a cheeseburger, ride a bike for 90 minutes to see off a muffin and play tennis for two hours to burn a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza.

How's that for a pre-holiday shocker? Granted, I do not know who Dr. Allison is. But little reminders like this help me make good choices year-round. (Except for the box of cookies I've been working on since my neighborhood cookie swap a few days ago. That doesn't count, right?)

A Christmas Oops

2011-12-17T09:49:00.003-05:00

Mister Man has done surprisingly well with the temptation of gifts under the tree. None of them are for him yet, they are all from me and Daniel to each other, but he takes "waiting for Jesus' birthday" very seriously. He even scolds his brother for touching them. (Who can resist crunchy paper? Almost as good as a trip to the pediatrician.)

This past week I realized I had made a boo-boo in the gift department, though. I told Mister Man we were going to a park with a tank and a helicopter (it has a war memorial). Randomly, he said, "A helicopter! And I will unwrap it and share it with the boys and girls."

I had no idea what he was talking about.

Then, two days ago, we were talking about the stockings over the fireplace, which already have a few surprises in them, when he announced that one of them had a helicopter. This is not true. But I finally realized what he meant. He was referencing two months ago when we saw a remote control helicopter at Brookstone and I told him that maybe we would surprise Daddy with it for Christmas. However, I never bought it. I had completely forgotten about it.

I told Daniel about our predicament. Even though we were done shopping, would we risk ruining Mister Man's Christmas morning expectations over a $25 helicopter? Nope. We ordered one from Amazon and added it to the pile under the tree.

Craft and a Haircut

2011-12-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

As much as I really like Mister Man's poofy, tangled hair, I got the itch to get him a holiday haircut a few days ago. I had heard horrible stories of kids' cuts around town and almost attempted it myself (in the past we've just give him a buzz with the dog shears), but in the end decided to take a chance on SportsClips. He was so excited to get a haircut that he woke up from his nap and asked for it immediately. No snack. Just ran to the car. He was a little hesitant when we walked in but adjusted quickly. Besides the spritz of water on his head that make him scowl, he did great for his first time in a salon. He even let his stylist use a hairdryer to correct her sin of spraying him down.

I'm going to confess, I already miss the curls. He just looks so old now! They'll grow back.

During...

After #1...

After #2...

Now, on to a craft I've been saving for a rainy day. (Not that it rained today.) Mister Man loves to paint, and I bought some cardboard cutouts of cars at Hobby Lobby on discount several months ago. When I told him we were going to paint cars, he assumed this:

(Notice the pile of cars on the craft table.)

I clarified that we weren't actually painting his toys. We were painting paper shaped like cars. He didn't think that sounded quite as fun but complied regardless. We did a few together, trying to get them to match his favorite characters from CARS 2. And each one had a name. Because naming toy cars is very important in this house. We even look up obscure CARS 2 characters on the internet to be sure each one is referenced correctly.

While we were already making a mess, I also decided to see how well Mister Man could copy my art. I was really impressed with how well he did.

Christmas Trees

Snowmen

This kid isn't even two and a half! Genius child. Artistic genius. I swear I did not help him with his.

Because Only Awesome People Take Pictures of Their Kids at Sam's Club

2011-12-11T14:06:00.000-05:00

A little shopping for the things we burn through pretty fast - formula, Nutragrain Bars, peanut butter crackers, dog food - followed by a family swim date at Southern Adventist University.

8 Months

2011-12-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

This guy has had a big month. Army crawling. Rocking on his knees. Pushing himself up from his tummy into a sitting position. Saying "Mama." Crawling on his knees (short distances). Pulling up. He's a destructive one; he basically rockets around the playroom dumping out buckets and swatting Mister Man's rows of Hot Wheels into a big mess. He also...

has a few tiny holes where top teeth will drop soon.
will only take the Soothie pacis attached to stuffed anim als.
doesn't sit very long for baby food but loves Cheerios, canned peaches, banana and black beans.
has finally stopped crying in the car.
laughs hysterically when his big brother is jumping, running and being silly.
does not cry in the church nursery (Hallelujah!).
loves swimming on his tummy in the bath so much that he kicks his legs and squeals when he hears the water running.
bites my shoulder while teething, thus leaving a stain of drool and baby oatmeal on the right shoulder of many of my shirts.
loves for me to help him jump on the mini-trampoline alongside Mister Man.
really hates it when I make him play in his crib so I read his brother a few books before nap time in peace.

I love seeing him wear all of his brother's old clothes and am glad I have a cousin expecting a boy this Spring who can make use of all the boy garb once I'm done with it.

Chuckles

2011-12-07T15:54:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I wonder what I used to laugh about before I had kids. Were there really that many funny moments in a day? Doubtful. Yesterday Mister Man started singing his favorite song, "This Little Light of Mine," with a slight variation. "This Little Lightning of Mine." As in Lightning McQueen. (If you're in the dark, CARS is his favorite movie. Lightning McQueen is the man character.) It's the first time I've ever caught him purposefully making a joke. Now we insert CARS characters into all sorts of lyrics. Example:

How much is that Lightning in the window?
The one with the red paint, Ka-Chow.
How much is that Lightning in the window?
I would like to drive him right now.

(Yes, I came up with that awesomeness.)

A few other moments worth giggling about...

Every time we get to this page in Max's Breakfast, Mister Man shouts, "Look Mama - a slide!" I suppose the angle of the table does look like a slide. And I'm pretty sure he isn't trying to make a joke; he actually thinks it is a slide.

Today I paused a movie to initiate a potty break. Mister Man looks back at the television, which has frozen one of the race cars mid-speech, and declares, "Francesco is taking a nap! He is so sleepy!"

No real joke here. Just super cuteness. For once, they are not fussing over sharing, which they do a lot of now that Junior is a crawling fool. (More on that later.)

I Have the Heebie Jeebies

2011-12-06T15:58:00.001-05:00

There has been a lot of theft in our neighborhood recently. Our friends who just moved up the street had a computer stolen from their car their second night living here. People have complained of missing packages, missing hubcaps. The neighborhood behind us had five break-ins this week. I'm a little on edge (and re-learning how to use our home alarm system.)

Today I was playing with Junior in the playroom when I heard remarkably loud thudding that I could only associate with a door being kicked in. My heart jumped into my throat. I started to tear up. I got brave, stepped into the hallway... then realized the noise was coming from Mister Man's room. During naptime. He was jumping. A lot.

(End Note: He never did fall asleep.)

A Registry!

2011-12-05T15:48:00.001-05:00

The best part about getting married: making a registry. The best part about being pregnant: making a registry. I was actually kind of sad before I had Mister Man, realizing that I was probably creating the very last registry of my life.

Not so fast.

A few years ago, my family discovered alliwantforchristmas.com, an interactive "registry" where we can put gift ideas up online then secretly mark off what we plan on getting each other. Now I don't have to break up the kids' Christmas lists between two sets of grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc. They just go to the site, peruse the list and check off what they plan on putting under the tree. It is similar to an Amazon or Toys R Us Wish List, except you can put links to products from all over the Web and leave a note about what size/color/etc. you prefer. As long as you are signed into your account, you cannot see which gift items have already been reserved. Should you choose to cheat - log out and search for yourself - you will see the check marks next to certain items but still will not know who is getting it for you. Genius!

Free Holiday Gift Tags

2011-12-05T09:02:00.001-05:00

Click here! (Hope you have a printer.)

Five, Four, Three, Two, One

2011-11-29T10:11:00.001-05:00

Since Thanksgiving, I have....

5) Committed to potty training Mister Man. I didn't feel like reading any books for tips. I just winged it. The first two days I had to whisk him off to the bathroom every 25 minutes. Now I set my watch and tell him if he is still dry when it beeps, he gets a treat. Sometimes it's an M&M, sometimes it's a gummy (vitamin). Sometimes I let it beep after 30 minutes, sometimes after 50 minutes. Yesterday, Day 3, he only had one accident. I am putting him in Pull-Ups for preschool but regular underwear at home (except for naps/night). Once we have a few more days of success I will work on having him tell me when he has to go.

4) Got Junior on a schedule, moved him to his own room and got him sleeping through the night. I put Mister Man's old crib in the guest room. He does seem to need one small bottle around 11:00 p.m., but otherwise he is sleeping well and waking up happy. I'm betting once he cuts the top teeth he will give up that bottle.

3) Put up Christmas decorations. Daniel's dad and brother were here for a few days last week, so we had someone to run interference with the kids while we put up garland, lights and stockings. Mister Man helped put up the tree and surprisingly hasn't been messing with the ornaments. It helps that there is a button on the floor so he can turn the lights on and off at his discretion.

2) Started shopping. Hopefully the punk kids who have been stealing packages off of doorsteps in my neighborhood are finished with their shenanigans, because most of my stuff is coming from Amazon. Tis the season the Amazon Prime membership pays off!

1) Panicked about Daniel's gift. I do this every year. I am horrible at getting him more than one awesome gift per year. This year, I cashed it out for his birthday - the Keurig coffee pot. I have a few little things I am happy about so far, but I am digging deep for a "big gift." Luckily I have a few more weeks to dig.

I Suppose It Could Be True

2011-11-26T14:28:00.001-05:00

Me: Daniel, we should take the kids to see Santa at The Pool Place this afternoon.
Mister Man: I want to go!
Me: Well they aren't open right now, maybe after nap.
Mister Man: I want to see Santa!
Me: He isn't ready yet.
Mister Man: He's taking a shower.

Better Late Than Never

2011-11-24T20:51:00.001-05:00

Someone complained that I never put up pictures from Halloween. So here we go.

Halloween was fun but over pretty quickly. We walked in the neighborhood parade and Mister Man won one of the Best Costume Awards. (Confession: I knew nearly all the judges and I paid for the prizes... so...). He knocked on about 10 doors and asked for candy for about three days after. Then he forgot about it, and I munched on Tootsie Rolls until I decided they really weren't as good as I remembered. We switched gears to talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas, and even though he has put the costume back on to play, he hasn't asked for trick-or-treating since.

Although he was quite pumped about Thanksgiving Dinner with his grandpa and Uncle Joel, I didn't push him to taste many new things. He did chew up (then spit out) a pecan. And he knocked back some serious lemon pound cake. As for eating habits, he is still gagging but fully understands that the way to fix it is to use his tongue to push the food back to his molars. But I have to remind him, especially with vegetables. He is also eating chicken fingers (except for Becky's nasty dinosaur nuggets which literally taste like mush), and jelly spread on crackers. That may seem like a lame thing to get excited about, but combining textures is a good step for him. He hasn't had a jar of baby food in a long time.

Speaking of progress, this week's goal is to get Junior on a more predictable daytime schedule, move him to his new room, and then potty train Mister Man. I'm more prepared than a was last month, and since we'll be home getting little brother's new schedule worked out, we might as well go for it.

I will do my best not to share stories about poop as we work out the big boy underwear situation. But Mister Man did tell the cashier at Bi-Lo last week that he got a new Hot Wheels Car for doing a big poop on the potty. And those kind of things are too funny not to blog about.

In Case You Were in the Mood for Easter Memories...

2011-11-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

It's Spring of 2006. My mom has a tradition of hiding our Easter baskets around her house and making her search for them. Even though we are in college, we play along. My basket is pink. It was probably in the drier, under a sink, behind a television.

In my basket this time is a DVD. My very first ever DVD. Then it strikes me: I must be getting a DVD player!

Nope. Just a DVD. My mom had no idea I did not own anything on which to watch it. I end up buying my own.

How Daniel and I came to that memory on a rainy night in November 2011, I do not recall. But it was a good laugh. Which I needed, to balance out all the baby crying I have been listening to. No child. You may not get in my bed. I will be strong!

Whacko

2011-11-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

I read Chattanoogan.com every day. Especially the Opinion columns. Yesterday I got a good laugh out of this little ditty. Apparently mothers across the country are outraged that a talking doll sold at Toys R Us curses... if you listen hard enough. The truth: the doll babbles. It says nothing. One person posted online that they heard the "b-word" and now nobody can listen to poor plastic gal without hearing it too. We expect to hear it, and therefore we hear it.

Kind of like how after I had Mister Man, when I had to listen to random mechanical noise put out by my breastpump over and over again, and I swore it said, "Whacko, whacko, whacko, whacko." It was taunting me. I hated that thing.

P.S. I am really torn about whether to spell it "whacko" or "wacko." The first just felt right.

The End.

This Either Makes Me the World's Worst, or Best, Driver. I'm Torn.

2011-11-22T09:50:00.001-05:00

All I wanted to do this morning was drop a birthday present off on my friend's doorstep. Simple project. However, she lives on a skinny street with a slight cliff off one side. And there was a little orange cone at the turn onto her road. I ignored it. Then I get the gist: Chattanooga Gas Company Trucks. On the skinny road. By a cliff. Awe, I can squeeze past one truck, I tell myself. Although I regret it while in the works, I pull it off. I am awesome.

Problem: There's a second truck. A bigger truck. I cannot squeeze past this one. And I cannot do a three-point turn to get out. I start to tear up. I start to call Daniel and tell him I'll be sitting in the car, with my infant, for a few hours waiting on the Chattanooga Gas Company to finish whatever they are doing. Then I decide I have to act. I have to squeeze past Truck #1 again, backwards, without falling off the cliff.

I did it. We lived to tell about it. I will never drive past a little orange cone again.

Moving Things About

2011-11-21T13:59:00.001-05:00

A few days ago, we started gearing Mister Man up for giving his crib (currently converted down to a toddler bed) to his little brother. How do we make it sound like a super awesome idea? Promise him a Lightning McQueen bed. He jumped right on board. Problem: Instead of bringing this up minutes from the actual swap, I made him wait days. I told him "when Grandpa comes to visit for Thanksgiving, he will help put together your new bed." Every time Mister Man has emerged from his room for the last four days, he has whined, "I want Grandpa." I can read between the lines. What he means is "I want my Lightning McQueen bed."

I've been itching to move the furniture around anyways - we are kicking Junior out of our room and setting up the big crib in the guest room - so today I convinced Daniel to make the plunge early. After deciding a pricey plastic race car bed wasn't going to be right for us, I took Mister Man to Toys R Us to pick up his Cars bedding set. (He has never had sheets before, or a pillow. We'll see how that goes.) Then we lucked out at the furniture store and bought a wooden toddler bed that was already on display. No assembly required. Totally worth the two or three scratches already on the footboard.

It's finally nap time. We'll see if he sleeps.

No Sleep November

2011-11-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Junior is following in his brother's footsteps and attempting to stop sleeping altogether after hitting seven months old. Granted, he just got over being sick, just started crawling and has ridiculously swollen gums where his first four top teeth are about to pop through. We are putting up with a little crying and giving in for snuggles around 3:00 a.m. most nights. Come on teeth! Let's do this!

For now, Daniel and I are taking turns sleeping in and tossing back the coffee like there's no tomorrow. And I'm getting my shoulder and face bit on (for teething purposes I suppose) all day long. Gotta love babies!

In other news, I just scored a contract as a part time (from home) copyeditor for a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. I can't wait to get back into my element.

Funny Day

2011-11-17T20:28:00.001-05:00

First, for those interested in an update on my brother-in-law's Farewell Tumor Surgery, click here. Otherwise, proceed.

Now, for my little story. Tonight, after his bath, Daniel left Mister Man in his room while going to fetch him a glass of milk before bed. When he came back, he found that Mister Man had picked out some pajamas and gotten himself dressed.

Earlier today, I made up some "goo" for him to play with. Basically it's water, cornstarch and sugar, heated on the stove until thickened and divided into three different bowls with food coloring. He can mix the colors, finger paint, etc. Except today he decided to pretend it was soap and wash his entire body while no one was looking. Luckily I know better than to let him do most "crafts" with clothes on.

JC Penney Has Never Done Me Wrong

2011-11-16T14:16:00.001-05:00

Our church is having a pictorial directory put together this year, sponsored by Olan Mills. Each family gets one free shot (typically an 8x10 or 5x7), chooses one picture to put in the directory, then has the opportunity to look at all the proofs and order extras to take home. The problem: Olan Mills is expensive. Very expensive. After our (very cute) photo session at the church a few weeks back, I asked how much it would cost just to order three extra 5x7 shots to give out as gifts. It was something like $65. For three pictures. No thank you.

We re-took family pictures at JC Penney last week, for the sake of Christmas cards. I pay $3.99 per sheet there, with a coupon. Which means I can get four 3x5 shots for $3.99, or one 8x10 shot for $3.99. If it fits on one piece of paper, it's $3.99. Love it. I go there at least three times a year to get shots of one or both boys, plus once a year for a family picture. They will always have my business. They are fast, and even when the kids are crying or being bribed to smile, they always pull off a few good shots.

Here are two from the order I just picked up. But these aren't the ones going on the Christmas card. You'll have to watch the mail for those...

Marital Problems

2011-11-15T21:23:00.001-05:00

My husband is annoyed that I use a plastic ladle (aka: soup spoon) for serving food that is not soup. It is my favorite serving spoon. I use it proudly for casserole and stir-fry. And I shall not stop.

If that's our biggest problem today, I think we're doing OK.

The Goings On.

2011-11-14T20:44:00.001-05:00

Junior has hand-foot-mouth disease. This is my second run with this nasty virus, as Mister Man had it just before his first birthday in 2010. It's bad.

First, they stop eating. Junior had 7-9 ounces of milk PER 24 HOURS for three days straight. He lost a pound. It took two visits to the pediatrician to find the sores in the back of his throat.

Then they get a fever. Today he hit 102 and slept nearly all day, in my arms. My back hurts. Mister Man watched a lot of television. Oh, and he accomplished something he has wanted to do for the last seven months. He hopped over his brother. Clarification: he hopped on his face. It was a shining moment for us all. Really.

Then the blisters spread to the hands and feet. (Crossing my fingers we can skip this step this go around.)

Then Mommy gets a sore throat and starts finding little sore bumps on her hands and feet. (Again, maybe that won't happen this year.)

We are approaching DAY 9 of the illness. Day 9. Day 9. Maybe if I say it a few more times, you will feel my exhaustion. He is still only drinking about half the milk he needs per day.

But at least the barfing is at a minimum.

Peace

2011-11-11T08:38:00.001-05:00

The earlier nap and earlier bedtime for Mister Man has helped our little behavior situation. The tantrums have stopped. He must have been horribly overtired from changing the clocks. Here are a few little laughs we had this week.

Me: Did you meet a fireman today at preschool?

Mister Man: Yes, and his dog!

Me: What did the dog say?

Mister Man: Woof!

Me: Did the fireman teach you about stop, drop and roll?

Mister Man: Stop, drop and roll!

Me: When are you supposed to stop, drop and roll?

Mister Man: In the summer!

Daniel: Where does Daddy work?

Mister Man: Bi-Lo.

Daniel: What does Daddy do at Bi-Lo?

Mister Man: Give people medicine.

Daniel: What's the name of Daddy's job?

Mister Man: Hero!

Tantrum Logic

2011-11-08T21:08:00.006-05:00

The Scene: I am dancing in the living room with my boys. It is 6:00 p.m. Suddenly, he strikes.
Mister Man (crying, flinging himself around the room): I need more dance party!
Me: We are still dancing. I am dancing. Your brother is (sort of) dancing. The music is still on.
Mister Man (walking to the radio and turning it off): I need more music. I need dance party!
Closing Argument: If you need music, why did you just turn it off? Mommy logic wins. It's time for bed.

The Scene: I am feeling generous; I present my child with an unsolicited cup of water.
Mister Man (crying, flinging himself around the room, running to the fridge): I need more water!
Closing Argument: Your cup is full of water. More cannot fit. You haven't even had a single sip. Mommy logic wins. Go to your room.

The Scene: Mister Man has announced me needs a snack.
Mister Man (climbing in chair): I can do it by myself.
Me: Good job! Let's have a snack!
Mister Man (crying, flinging arms in the air): I need to play! I need to get down!
Me (removing the tray to the booster seat): You just said you were hungry. If you aren't hungry that's OK, we will wait for lunchtime.
Mister Man (snatching tray, pulling back to himself): I need to eat!
Closing Argument: You are delusional.

Brace Yourself

2011-11-08T12:59:00.001-05:00

This video basically sums up the last four days. After our short trip to Birmingham last week, Mister Man woke up Friday morning and decided that he would like to develop a God complex. He screams and kicks when I try to turn a page in his book. When his brother touches something. When it's time to eat. When I need to go to the bathroom and he doesn't want me to. When it's time to get out of the stroller. Basically about everything. All day. I am not exaggerating. This is not my child.

We are going to need some Supernanny or Dr Phil or something before this is all over with.

I know he is two years old and all kids do this. But the number of hours a day that this goes on, and that we are disciplining and sending him to his room, is out of control. Where is my fun loving kid???? He is acting like he hasn't slept in days, when he has. For now I'm trying to put him down for a nap earlier and put him to bed earlier. Yesterday he took a four hour nap and didn't do this AT ALL in the evening. This morning, it started all over again. That's all I have to say about that.

In other news, the dog has also lost her marbles. Eating food off the counters when I'm not at home. Sneaking out the garage every time I come in with the kids.

Oh and the babe is about to cut four top teeth.

We're not exactly up for visitors right now.

Can't Stop Laughing

2011-11-06T10:27:00.001-05:00

Then and Now

2011-11-05T19:17:00.001-04:00

Big Brother Big Sister Halloween Party 2007

Big Brother Big Sister Halloween Party 2011

I promise we've had cooler costumes than the cop-out cat in the years in between. January will be our five year "anniversary" of being matched, and she turns sixteen in a few weeks. Yikes!

"Unc" Corey!

2011-11-04T14:00:00.000-04:00

Uncle Corey may not know it, but Mister Man is a pretty big fan of him. It is possible he comes in second to Uncle D (pronounced "Unc D"), but he does get quite a few shout-outs throughout the week. Especially since he visited Chattanooga with my sister a few weeks ago. Mister Man sees random guys walking through parking lots, or hears Daniel's friends downstairs when they come over for dinner, and shouts that he sees/hears one of his uncles. It's cute.

Anyways, Uncle Corey has been championing his way through a cancer diagnosis over the last six months. (I think I'm allowed to use champion as a verb, right?) He found a large lump in his abdomen late last winter and after a few months of testing discovered it was Ewing's Sarcoma. Usually a childhood bone cancer, but ocassionally (and quite rarely) shows up in adult soft tissues. It had not metastisized to other parts of the body, and the chemotherapy has shrunk the tumor to a size suitable for surgery. He will get a big chunk of ab muscle removed mid-November, will be on bed rest for a while, then will hopefully be on the mend.

The cool part: the university where he works at studies this exact type of cancer. Provided it still has living cells inside, the lady who works across the hall from him will be getting his tumor to help further her research. And he will probably get to help poke, prod and microscope the thing. We told him he should ask for a piece of it to burn, shoot on a gun range, torture in some way. I think it would make me feel better, to destroy a piece of it personally.

Here's a cute picture of chemo, day 1:

And here's a picture of him and the boys from our late summer beach trip... rocking the bald:

We love you bro! Stay off your feet so Daniel can take you on that sweet fishing trip in the spring!

Yep, I Did That

2011-11-03T16:21:00.001-04:00

Occassionally, as people with small children do, I get tired. Last week in a stupor I was carrying a pile of clean towels to my closet and literally leaned over and kissed it. I kissed the towels. Like they were my child. And quickly realized that was delusional.

Audubon Acres

2011-10-24T14:08:00.001-04:00

We've been talking about taking a family trip to Audubon Acres (just a few miles from our house) for years. I've been in a funk and desperately needing to get outside, so this morning's sunny weather was the perfect opportunity. All in all, I'd give this place (at this time of year) a thumbs up. But there were two pretty major disappointments. One, the mosquitos. We all got bit on the face multiple times. I put on a sweater just to keep them off my arms. I had to smack my six month old on the cheeks over and over again just to wave them away. Daniel says after the first "freeze" they'll all die off and we will try this hiking spot again sans bugs. Two, the trail is only sort-of jogging stroller friendly. There are some small rotten bridges and a few fallen logs. Here are the shots:

This kid is always smiling. Seriously. Always.

Heading towards the suspension bridge.

This guy is obsessed with "hiking in the woods" these days.

Self portrait.

Along for the ride, not noticing the bugs like the rest of us.

I kept begging him to smile at the camera for a shot with the train tracks, without realizing the sun was right in his eyes.

My guys.

Learning about moss and burrows.

There was water.

The awesome ride home after a quick stop at a local playground. Overtired and hungry.

Basic Math

2011-10-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

Special price on a three-part menu at 212 Market this past weekend: $35 for a starter, an entree and a dessert. Sounded like a deal.

The problem: if you chose the salad (regularly $5), the walnut-spinach ravioli (regularly $16) and the bread pudding (regularly $6), it really only adds up to $27. So in reality, choosing the "special" is a rip-off.

Glad we did the math before we really ordered. It's still my favorite restaurant regardless.

For Those Who Ask If They Look Alike...

2011-10-21T14:46:00.000-04:00

Two Weeks:

One Month:

Two Months:

Mister Man: 9 lb 7 ounces (25%) and 21.25 inches (25%)
Junior: 10 lb 2 ounces (25%) and 22.5 inches (25%)

Three Months:

The resemblance starts to show...

Four Months:

Five Months:

Six Months:

Mister Man: 15 lb (10%), 27 inches (75%)
Junior: 14 lb 7 ounces (7%) and 27.75 inches (88%)

I'm On a Roll!

2011-10-20T15:02:00.002-04:00

It's been a productive week over here...

I made this mess. I dumped out all the toy buckets, reorganized them and swapped some of the upstairs/downstairs toys. It's funny how much more attention something gets when you move it to another room.

I hung a rope on the wall in the playroom so Mister Man could display his art. He just got into painting, and it is really fun to watch him at work. Although it requires much supervision.

We Took the Easy Road on This Year's Pumpkins...

2011-10-20T09:46:00.002-04:00

This Is So Not Like Me...

2011-10-16T12:13:00.002-04:00

I'm not a crafty person. I don't sew. I don't even iron. Redecorating rooms in my house is possibly the last thing that comes to my mind when I have free time. But last week, I decided to go for it. I used to have a huge mirror hanging above the china hutch in my dining room. It was there for seven years (even in our old apartment). I decided to sell it at a yard sale and instead hang a collage of picture frames with a few pictures of the boys and the rest of old family photos. Daniel and his brothers as kids. My parents when they were dating. Daniel's grandfather on the cover of Business Week magazine. Me and my sister as toddlers. There are a few empty ones waiting on my next Snapfish order to arrive. Here's how it all went down.

I traced the picture frames onto the back of a piece of wrapping paper and drew dots where the nail holes needed to go. (The frames all match; it was a box set from Target that I bought on Black Friday two years ago. That's how long I've been wanting to do this.)

I put the nails where the dots went, then ripped the paper out from behind it.

Up go the pictures. (See the one on the right of Daniel in Paris? Love it.) I have since straightened them so they aren't so crooked.

The buffet needed some love...

All done. I am also in love with this new table runner my mom got me. I've been looking for some kind of tablecloth to match the blue for a long time. I wonder if this comes in a full cloth as well?

Quitters

2011-10-14T19:45:00.003-04:00

So, we've been in "big boy underwear" for about six hours, and now Mister Man is changing his mind. Tugging at his pants. "I want my diapers!!!!" It's almost bedtime, so I put one on him. I really was just jumping in with both feet because he seemed to want it so badly. Now, however, he is backing out on me. So... do I make him adjust or do I wait until he gets a little closer to three before putting my foot down? The pull-ups (for preschool) and the extra bag of underwear are by the door to return tomorrow. Unless you guys convince me to make him transition since we already did half a day. He's 2 years, 3 months.

Well OK Then...

2011-10-14T14:21:00.001-04:00

My child has thrown me into potty training. I, honestly, wasn't going to go for it until after the holidays. In the meantime, he has been practicing on a little potty, maybe once a day, and gets an M&M for going. But recently he has been telling me he has to go multiple times a day. He even got out of the bath to pee last night. And this morning when I was putting a new diaper on him, he told me he wanted big boy underwear like his friends. I suppose I can't squash his desire to make that milestone.

Today we went to Target to pick out underwear. May I whine for a moment that a pack of Disney underwear costs $11.99? I'm assuming I need at least 20 pairs, considering the accidents that are in my future, right? I am only opening two seven-packs, hoping I can return the third. We got pull-ups for preschool. I got a large pack of Matchbox Cars to reward Number 2's. He jumped right on board and said he had to potty at Target. And he did.

Here's my current situation. The kid wants to "try" all day long. If he trickles a tiny bit of pee, he wants an M&M. If he toots and a small amount of Number 2 emerges, he wants a car. I figure I have to indulge him, at least for the first few days, right? He also gets upset if he tries and can't go. He wants to sit there for 30 minutes, hoping it will happen so he can get candy. I just give him a pile of books and tell him to come find me when he is done trying.

The best part: Day 2 of potty training will involve an hour and a half car ride to a family wedding. I really wanted to wait until Monday to start, but he's just so dang excited. So I guess we'll just take some pull-ups and make do tomorrow.

Look, A Blog with Words!

2011-10-12T17:20:00.001-04:00

Alternate Title: I'm Hungry

I have lost all the weight I gained at the beach and am now laying in on the 10 pounds of baby weight that needs to go before I can wear my old pants and about half of my old shirts. I literally have two pair of pants I can wear right now (if you don't count yoga pants). One pair of jeans and one pair of black capris. I am hoping to knock it out before it gets too cold because right now all I can wear to church are dresses and skirts with jackets. I have a running buddy to keep me company, and she has exactly the same amount of weight to lose. But she did bring me cupcakes the other day... shame on her... I didn't eat any. My main concern is trying not to hurt my back, so I'm alternating running days with riding my exercise bike at home.

I let my sister know about my progress and it appears the Weight Loss Challenge is back on.

In other news...

Mister Man started napping again when we stripped his room of all toys (besides books) and put a hook & eye on the outside of his door. He tends to nap on the floor and save his bed for nighttime.
Mister Man has been dismissed from regular therapy at Siskin Children's Institute. He is eating carrots, green beans, peaches, pears, apples, mandarin oranges, turkey, ham and vienna sausages (gag - no pun intended) without gagging. I never thought the day would come. We will check in with our therapists in a month or two to see how the jaw strengthening comes along.

Cowboy Shirts

2011-10-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

It is nearly impossible to get a picture of these two together, both looking in the general direction of the camera. We got close yesterday morning before church, with the boys wearing their matching cowboy shirts from Uncle Joel.

Music Channels on the TV, According to a Toddler...

2011-10-09T12:57:00.000-04:00

"That's Daddy!"

"Daddy has red fingers!"

It's Sidewalk Chalk Weather...

2011-10-03T06:14:00.000-04:00

Best Buds...

2011-10-01T18:10:00.002-04:00

Mister Man's best friend is about to turn four, but their age difference doesn't slow them down. They've been buddies for years and see each other about once a week. Here are some pictures from this week's outing to the aquarium. Mister Man asked very nicely if they could hold hands... I love how patient they are with each other.

Here's a picture of them from two years ago...

Farewell Paci

2011-10-01T06:45:00.000-04:00

A few months ago I talked to Mister Man about giving me all his pacis in exchange for a "special prize." He thought it was a really good idea, piled them up on the floor and went to tell Daddy our new mantra. "I'm so big now!" Then we got back to the room and he started crying. "Mama, I'm little! I'm little!" It was pretty cute. I gave them back.

This week I decided to try again and be a little more stern about it. I put a new toy (still in the box) on the floor of his room and told him that after he went all night with no pacis, we would open it. He cried a little, but he has other bed friends for soothing, so I just gave him a hug and told him to hold his gloworm. I swear it played on the monitor all night long. He may have been wakeful, but he didn't cry.

The next day at naptime (after LOVING the toy for hours), he asked for a paci. I told him we said bye-bye to pacis and hello to "ball castle." (See picture.) He thought about it for a minute, looked at the toy, then started disassembling it and putting it back in the box. "Mama, put it back. I don't like it." It took everything in me not to laugh. I assured him that yes, he did like it, and the pacis were gone for good.

He really doesn't ask for them anymore. But the downside is he isn't sleeping quite as much. He basically piddles all through his naptime. I let him out of his room after about 90 minutes. And he's up around 7:00 in the morning. But we are no worse for ware.

And the Winner Is...

2011-09-30T15:36:00.003-04:00

You may remember that my sister and I set a little wager a few months back to see who could lose the most weight in two months. Well, about a week into "the challenge" we both basically quit. I was getting up too much at night to wake up early for exercise, and her husband got an unexpected cancer diagnosis (more on that later) and had to start chemotherapy. I was proud to have lost a whopping one pound before last week's beach trip. Then, literally in five days, I gained four pounds. I weaned Junior and had to take a pack of Prednisone to clear up some poison ivy... so it must have been one of those. But seriously... four pounds in five days? That's kind of insane. And I swear it all went to my stomach. My pants are so tight.

That's all it took to get me running. I've gotten up at 6:00 a.m. for a 50 minute walk/run with a neighbor five days in a row. (We're taking weekends off.) The scale hasn't budged, but at least I feel a little more toned. Sigh. I am old.

Big News...

2011-09-28T19:05:00.001-04:00

Today we got word that Mister Man has "graduated" his occupational therapy program, meaning he has caught up on fine motor skills and no longer has issues with general textures and motions. He has also made huge progress in eating without gagging this week. In the fruit/veggie department, he is throwing back carrots, peaches and mandarin oranges. So it appears he has finally desensitized that overactive gag reflex. Our final hurdle in speech/food therapy will be to strengthen his jaw so he can try more complex foods without wearing out while chewing. He also still drools constantly, which is probably a product of both weak jaw and lack of practice breathing through his nose. We have been having him blow on straws and whistles to tighten the muscles around his lips. And our next project: chewing gum. Here's to only buying baby food for ONE CHILD in the near future!

A Little Unpacking Story...

2011-09-27T12:56:00.001-04:00

We've been at the beach. My house is covered in clothes, toys, towels, baby gear, etc. that needs to be put back away. Today, I leave you with this:

I put a pile of crayons on the playroom floor and forget about them. I come back from putting Junior down for a nap to find a little bit of red crayon drawn onto the carpet. Then the dog walks over. With red crayon on her nose and paw. Hmmm....

A Tale of Poison Ivy Travels

2011-09-21T22:02:00.001-04:00

The Beginning: A small patch on my left forearm after pulling weeds, which I assumed was ant bites.The First Jump: A few itchy dots on my right shoulder.The Nightmare: Full on rash across my stomach, waistline, chest, back, both thighs, as well as left ankle and now my right thumb and pinkie finger. Oh, and two random welts on my neck.This rival's last summer's hand-foot-mouth disease. The painful rash was less maddening than the itchy rash. I am on prednesone, lanacane, caladryl, benedryl. And I am on Day Six of this adventure. That's all I have to say about that.

A Few Portraits

2011-09-15T21:46:00.002-04:00

Junior's Five Month Update:

Teething like crazy. He cut his first tooth this week and obviously has more on the way.
Frustrated with his inability to play with big kid toys. He wants to crawl so badly. And manipulate cars and trains and blocks. But his hands are so tiny. He is happiest when I hold him up to the train table so he can watch his big brother push Thomas and Percy around the track.
Can finally sit up in a stroller, which is perfect timing for this week's weather and is a good distraction from his boredom with the baby toys.
Was eating cereal and sweet potatoes with excitement until the tooth cut. Now he wants nothing to do with the stuff.
Is officially weaned. It makes me sad, but it was the right call for us. On the upside, I am looking forward to fitting into some of my fall clothes.
Loves to ride around in the Ergo carrier.
Sleeps better at night when he gets lots of Mama cuddles during the day. (I'm not going to complain.)

On another note, to get that picture with both boys, I had to offer many M&Ms as a reward for Mister Man's compliance. Plus my mother in law was there to help. I can't believe they both looked at the camera at the same time!

The Free Pants I Ruined

2011-09-15T14:06:00.005-04:00

The day before Daniel's birthday, when I had NOTHING to give him yet, I was picking up a cookie cake at the mall and decided to pop into Banana Republic. Right before my eyes was an entire rack of $70 men's chinos marked down to $15. They had his size. It was a good color. I decided to ruin the surprise and call him before the purchase because I knew we had a coupon at home. If he really wanted them, I'd come back later and get them even cheaper. Daniel decided to take a picture of the coupon and text it to me, to see if the sales rep would accept it. She totally did... She wrote down a code off the picture, rung me up and announced that I owed her NOTHING.

Fast forward a few weeks. Daniel is digging the new khakis because he got bleach on his old ones. Then I did a load of laundry, like good wifeys do, and my new hot pink underwear leaves a huge pink stain on the chinos. Dang it.

The awesome part: I did it AGAIN today. But this time it was just a few undershirts that came out tie-dyed. Yes Mom, sometimes I put whites in with the colors.

Poor Mister Man

2011-09-11T15:53:00.002-04:00

He wants to go

1) to the moon
2) to elmo's house

so badly. I keep telling him over and over that they are both indeed too far away. Sorry kiddo. Maybe our upcoming beach trip will take his mind off his disappointment.

We Were So Purty...

2011-09-09T03:10:00.000-04:00

I'm working on a photo collage for my dining room and have been digging through old picture boxes for some good shots to put in frames. Today I stumbled across these beauties. Engagement pictures and honeymoon pictures. One day, when my kids are older and I have time to, ohhh, go to the gym, I will be that awesomely skinny again. Ha!

Mia concurs. Here is her formerly active self:

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-08T09:29:00.001-04:00

Mister Man started a two-morning-a-week preschool program today. He was very excited. There were no tears. However, there may be a little trouble come music time.

Me: Do you think Mrs. Brenda knows "This Little Light of Mine?"

Mister Man: No! Mama sing Let It Shine!

Me: What about the ABCs? Mrs. Brenda might want to sing the ABCs.

Mister Man: No! Mama sing that one.

This has been a trend at home as well. The songs that Mama sings, Daddy may not sing. Quirky kid.

At Least It's Getting Some Sort of Action...

2011-09-06T17:46:00.001-04:00

Back when I bought the bedding for Mister Man's room, I knew I probably wouldn't use the bumper. For one, the whole SIDS risk. For two, it took up about half the crib. It's still in the closet where I put it two and a half years ago. But I can't let it go. It matches the curtains, the quilt, the changing pad, the baskets. Today I almost put it on Craigslist with the mattress cover (which never actually fit) and bedskirt (which looks crummy when the bed is lowered to the floor, which it is now). Then I decided we could use it in other ways...

Meet our new balance beam / road / whatever.

Peachy Day We're Having Here

2011-08-31T14:35:00.001-04:00

I will preface this post with the announcement that we all slept great last night. Either Junior is feeling better or he got the message when we made him boo-hoo excessively the night before. Regardless, he only got up to eat, and I feel rested. Now, on to today...

I take Mister Man to play with friends up the street at 10:10, vowing to be home by 11:00 for an eating evaluation I have with a representative from a state program that might help fund our ongoing feeding therapy. We aren't there for ten minutes until someone says, "Oh look, Mister Man is up on the play-gym." He had let himself out their back door and climbed up onto the playground equipment by himself. He's a decent climber, but I haven't ever let him go up that ladder or down the big slide without supervision.
We get home a little before 11, and Mister Man is super hungry, ready for the evaluator to show up. I wonder why she's late. Then I check the calendar and realize she was supposed to come at 10:00, not 11:00. So either we both screwed up or she got here after I went to the neighbor's house.
I proceed to give Mister Man his snack anyways, even though it is full of challenging food items I had wanted the evaluator to watch him eat. Lo and behold, the only thing he gags on is the fresh fruit. He ate the chicken finger and the canned carrots just fine. So had she been there to observe, she would have probably said something along the lines of, "Ummm why am I here?"
We pick up Junior, who was being watched by our friend across the street, and I bring him home to eat and take a nap. While I'm rocking him, I hear the doorbell ring. It's our friend from across the street. She informs me that Mister Man had just been back to her house, knocking at her door. By the time she got outside, he had given up on visiting her more and had walked himself back to our yard. When he saw her, he ran back inside (our house) and locked her out. WHAT!? Time to switch to fancier deadbolts.
About 20 minutes into Mister Man's nap time, I notice on the monitor that the lights are on in his room and he isn't in bed. I go to see what he is doing, and when I open the door I smack him in the head. He is asleep on the floor.

I wonder what the rest of the day will bring...

One-Liners

2011-08-30T11:37:00.003-04:00

I got Daniel a Keurig single-cup coffee maker for his birthday, and it's fabulous. In addition to brewing single servings of coffee and lattes, you can make apple cider, sweet tea, hot chocolate and Earl Grey. There are more than 200 different flavors to choose from. Apparently, however, the Chai Latte has caffeine in it, because I've been downing them and Mister Man is having restless nights again. (OK and I ate some fudge at church on Sunday too.) Time to cut me off. When will I learn?
I hate it when I blog in incorrect grammar. Example: "more than 200 different flavors to choose from." I should have instead written "more than 200 different flavors from which to choose." Never end a sentence with a preposition, people. Never.
I slept so little last night I feel like someone beat me with a stick. Lots of television for the toddler today.
On Saturday, we are going to Nashville to meet our new nephew and celebrate our niece's second birthday, and I cannot wait. Mister Man is also going to ride on Thomas the Train at the depot downtown. It will be a good bonding experience for him and Daddy. I'm sad I won't be able to see the look on his face when Thomas pulls up. It will be priceless.
I saw The Help yesterday and am tempted to call it the best book-to-movie I have ever seen. I was worried it would be presented as too much of a comedy, but the director kept just the right amount of tension in the plot. Enough to understand the severity of the times and yet not too much to ruin the fun. I cried at the very end.
I just Googled "Chai Latte Caffeine" and yes, it has a little pep.
The dog my family had most of my childhood passed away yesterday. It's sad, but she was old and miserable.
Did you know that caffeine in a sensitive infant's system has a HALF LIFE of 48 hours? Luckily between 3-5 months it switches to 14 hours. That stinks.

I leave you with this...

Caption: You can make me stay in bed, but you can't make me sleep!

P.S. Only #6 ended up being a one-liner.

Oh Yes I Did...

2011-08-27T14:07:00.001-04:00

... tighten the Woombie with office supplies.

Whew, Found It

2011-08-25T12:45:00.001-04:00

While talking with my mom yesterday about whether or not she wanted to go through the boys' clothes as they got older and take back some of her favorite outfits that she purchased (whether for nostalgia or to pass on to somebody else), she reminded me that a few years back she gave me a box of my old baby keepsakes.

Hmmm. Where did I put that. I kept that, right?

I figured I had probably "edited" the box down and put the rest somewhere. But where? Luckily today I found it in the second place I looked. (Hope it's all there mom!) And a bonus: In that same box was my bag of old soccer jerseys and socks I haven't been able to find in ages. Two birds with one stone!

I also found these little beauties... gotta love a good airbrush from the early 90's!

If You Like Posts With LOTS of Pictures...

2011-08-24T10:47:00.001-04:00

My mom came in for a quick visit last week and we took the kids to Coolidge Park for the afternoon. Here are a few of her best shots:

Outside!

2011-08-23T13:45:00.000-04:00

We basically spent all morning, 8:00 a.m. to noon, outside. The weather is so nice! Even when it got hot, there was a breeze. First we met friends at the park for sliding, running, feeding bread to fish and borrowing a really nice older boy's remote control car. When we got home we hit the back yard, where we met a fuzzy caterpillar and played in the water hose. Then I tried to convince Mister Man to practice "driving" his black truck in the driveway, but instead we turned on the sprinklers out front. I foresee a very long nap today. Be warned: Mister Man doesn't wear much clothes when we're at home. It just ends up stained and full of dirt, right?

Caterpillar!

Brotherly love.

He quit crying when he realized that yes, he did have to stay in this seat while everyone else ran around having fun.

Pirate ship water table. We recently learned that Mister Man knows how to turn the water hose on out back. Luckily it makes a huge squeaky sound in the kitchen wall, so I know to remember to go turn it off later.

Not practicing driving the truck. Heading to see if he can turn on the FRONT hoses.

Gassing up.

Washing the car.

If this is any indication of how much outdoor time we are going to get in the fall, I am pumped! In other news, Mister Man has been getting ahold of my camera lately. Once it took a sailing trip down the stairs, which resulted in some, ummmm, discipline. Here are a few of his shots:

Resolutions...

2011-08-22T21:19:00.000-04:00

The Woombie isn't here yet, and I have agreed (with the hubby) to stop swaddling for now and see if Junior can adjust. So far, his sleep has gotten worse... which is funny because it had already gone from "so-so" to "bad," but when we put him back in the swaddle, he screams more, so we are just going to let it ride. Maybe he'll get used to it with fewer and fewer tears each night. Or find his thumb. I'm just resolved that four months is the magical age where Platt babies decide to make me really tired. We're letting him cry more at bedtime (no rocking) to see if that helps him self soothe a bit. But really he's just teething. And if he's anything like Mister Man was at this age, it's gonna be a long first year!
My keys disappeared for 48 hours this week. It was the first time ever that Daniel hasn't been able to help me find them. (Yes, this happens a lot.) We completely tossed the house looking for them. Took the car seats out of the car. We had his 30th birthday party last night and joked with our friends that no one could leave until someone found them. One of the guys chimed up, "That's funny because I just saw a pair of keys hanging from a mailbox up the street." Yep. They were mine. Apparently I set them on top of the car to get the kids out then later drove off with the spare. They got run over a few times, but the ones that really matter survived.

Fingers Crossed

2011-08-20T15:18:00.000-04:00

I'm calling around town looking for a blanket called The Woombie in hopes it will solve our swaddle issues. Junior cannot sleep without a swaddle. And yet, as of this week, we cannot keep him in it. He wants his little hands up by his face. More than once we have walked out of the room frustrated just trying to get him wrapped up initially. We used one of these when he was just home from the hospital and like it. Fingers crossed someone around town will have one today so I don't have to wait on something to ship! (Although I'm pretty sure they're only available online.)

Not That It Really Matters But...

2011-08-20T07:44:00.002-04:00

I'm bad at math. The first list of foods in the previous post was Mister Man's 19 month old diet, not 15 month.

Progress Report

2011-08-17T14:03:00.000-04:00

We have a little situation with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina right now. Mister Man's speech (food) therapist applied for pre-certification for more sessions... and they declined. What is strange is the reasoning behind the decline: our contract doesn't cover developmental delays or behavioral issues. There are two reasons this does not make sense. 1) Our contract hasn't changed since last year, and they have already been paying for this exact therapy since February. 2) We were just approved for more occupational therapy (which meets right before speech/food)... which also falls under "developmental/behavioral." So why one and not the other? Maybe I should just tell them this isn't developmental but instead is related to texture issues and oral motor ability.

I spent a few hours on the phone yesterday and talked to no less than six different people at the insurance company. Of course the M.D. who "declined" us does not take calls. But all the customer service agents and nurses see my point. I haven't found the right person to turn this around quite yet. I'm still trying to file for an appeal, provided "Katie H" calls me back today. Regardless of what happens, Mister Man will continue his therapy. Even if it has to be paid for out of pocket. Mama and Daddy (and Grumpa) think it is too important. Today I was reflecting on his progress...

15 Month Old Diet
- Stage 2 Baby Foods, Fruit and Vegetable (any except peas)
- Goldfish Crackers
- Cheerios
- Graham Crackers
- Pretzels
- Nutragrain Bars
- Crystal Farm String Cheese
- Yogurt (no chunks)

Everything else made him gag heavily or scream with anxiety. We had tried everything. Fresh fruit. Steamed vegetables. Meats. Not only would he refuse to eat the stuff, he wouldn't even touch it with his hands. Remember his first birthday when he started dry heaving because icing got on his finger? Some people encouraged us to use tough love and just take away the baby food. I just couldn't do it. I read a few books about kids whose texture issues and food anxiety went way beyond pickiness, talked to a few local therapists and finally got him into treatment.

25 Month Diet
- Stage 2 Baby Foods
- Goldfish Crackers
- Cheerios
- Graham Crackers
- Pretzels
- Nutragrain bars (a heavy favorite)
- String Cheese
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Provalone Cheese
- American Cheese
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Yogurt
- Turkey lunchmeat
- Rotissere chicken (not really a favorite)
- Peanut Butter
- Raisins
- Dried blueberries
- Strawberry and apple fruit leather
- Strawberry applesauce
- Ritz Crackers
- Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers
- Ritz Cheese Crackers
- Veggie Sticks
- Doritos
- Fritos
- Cheese Puffs/Cheetos
- Cheese-Its
- Wheat Thin Sticks
- Pringles
- Pringle Sticks
- Muffins
- Kashi Chewy Mocha Granola Bar
- Sunbeam Honey/Oat Granola Bar
- Krueller Donut
- Pudding
- Chocolate
- Gerber Fruit Twists

I know this looks like a ridiculous amount of junk food... and I'm sure you couldn't care less how many different kind of chips he likes now... but overall it's a big deal. His ability to tolerate different textures in his mouth and different looking foods on his plate has grown significantly. He still gags, even with some of his favorites, but he has learned to move the food off his tongue, where it gets stuck, to his molars ("big teeth"). A lot of times he sticks his fingers in to do this, but he is getting better about using his tongue.

Of course, the big missing component is fruit and vegetables that are not fine purees. Wet foods are hardest for him. Right now he succeeds if he can hold a piece of fruit in his mouth for three to five seconds before the gagging makes him spit it out. He will lick and taste anything, but getting it chewed and swallowed is still a challenge. So we continue.

Probably Not a Blog for the Menfolk

2011-08-16T10:56:00.000-04:00

Thus describes my week of nursing crisis...

Junior starts breaking his latch a ton, getting fussy at mealtime, not eating much. I over-do it on the Orajel (say-eth the pediatrician), so I decide to pump and bottle feed to track his ounces and see what's going on.
Junior likes the bottles and eats willingly. Guess we didn't need the Orajel after all. He must have been frustrated with let-down.
Junior discovers formula, decides it's not so bad, maybe Mama can leave the house without him now and then. We use the formula to fill in the gaps of pumping for our little two-day experiment.
Junior decides he will no longer take a bottle of breastmilk from Mama. Formula only.
Mama decides that in order to conquer this "I want my milky and I want it NOW, not after working for it for a few minutes" situation, she is going to have to pump before nursing to get things started.

Annoying. Ask me again in a few weeks how long I'm willing to keep this up. Maybe he'll get back on track soon if we go back to doing formula less frequently. I don't want to cut it out entirely, though, because if he can stay familiar with the formula bottle it will make weaning much easier in the future.

At least he's handsome...

The Stats...

2011-08-13T08:56:00.000-04:00

Junior had his four month appointment yesterday, so for those who care, here's where we're at:

30% weight, 50% height
Getting a little flat headed on one side from sleeping in the same position over and over. Time to flip him the other direction in the crib and make him work that neck the other direction.
Puts himself to sleep, if swaddled and has a paci.
Loves to stand; can pull himself up if you hold his hands just so.
Needs to lay off the Orajel a little, thanks to some new stupid studies.
Moving to bottles during the daytime so I can track his ounces, because not knowing how much he really eats when he nurses for, oh, two minutes (like he tends to do), really irks me.
Likes to hold lovies and little blankies and chew on them.
Giggled and squealed for five minutes yesterday when I got the dog to bark on command. Today he tried to take a mouthful of fur... I saved the day.

Baldyhead...

2011-08-10T22:15:00.001-04:00

Hmmm. I'm going to have to do something about my hair. Maybe get some layers (and fix those roots).

Loving being old enough for real entertainment.

Thank you Momma Lynn for taking a movie! (Even if it is silent.) I'll have to get out my video camera tomorrow and capture some of the giggling... his latest trick.

Yawn.

2011-08-09T14:16:00.000-04:00

Platt babies have no concept of the phrase "take it like a man" when it comes to teething. Having done this before, I can simply roll my eyes at the fact that I haven't slept more than two hours in a row for about a week. Junior is chewing and slobbering and boo-hooing. I've been able to see his first two teeth under the gums for more than a month now. He can't fall asleep at night without Tylenol and Orajel. He can't eat without Orajel. Hopefully it will be over soon. (Only to start again on the top teeth, right?) I have this vision that maybe he'll pop six teeth at once and we'll have a nice, restful fall. Ha.

I was actually talking to Daniel about what memories we have of Mister Man being this age, and we agreed that unfortunately we have very few. I remember sleeping in the guest bed with him when he teethed. I remember feeding him yogurt when he popped top teeth because he was in so much pain he wouldn't nurse or take a bottle. It's really all a blur until he hit about six months old. We must have been really tired. I think I remember a lot of whiny blogs from back then. I'll spare you this time. I know the drill. One of my best friends and neighbors is going through the exact same thing with her six month old. So I can vent to her.

In other news, we took the front rail off of Mister Man's crib and added a toddler rail last week. Why subject yourself to such a thing, you ask? Because we are traveling a lot in September and want him to be disciplined enough to stay on a mattress on the floor. He has done surprisingly well. At bedtime I have been stressing "no getting up to play." But I'm letting nap-time slide a little, as long as he realizes that he cannot come out of his room until he lays down and sleeps. It really buys me a lot of free time, his toodling around before finally deciding to oblige. God bless the video monitor.

We're Sharing Over Here...

2011-08-05T11:52:00.001-04:00

Junior, 3.5 Months

Mister Man, 2 Years 1 Month

In other news, I am sitting around today waiting on someone from Craigslist to come buy a giant mirror from me for $75. We paid $15 for it at Hobby Lobby (scratch and dent) many moons ago. I'd say that's a win (if she shows). I also took Mister Man to a "free trial" class at The Little Gym this morning... and he loved it. There was much jumping and somersaulting and hanging and swinging. He cried when we left. I'm not a fan of the price, but I may consider letting him go for a few months after he graduates from therapy. (He starts Mother's Day Out this fall and I don't want us to be overbooked.) Otherwise we are just camping out inside, trying not to get heat stroke. And I occasionally go bump the air conditioner back to 72 after Daniel moves it up to 75.

P.S. Junior is backwards in the exersaucer on purpose. He's going to "fall" towards the short side in his lack of balance, so he's less likely to smash his face when his torso gets tired facing this way.

We Went to Birmingham...

2011-08-02T12:31:00.000-04:00

Since I have vowed to stay home all of August, we took a little trip to Birmingham last week. As usual someone came home sick (sorry Junior!), but overall it was good times. Mister Man, however, has decided that he can no longer sleep in the car. I don't really blame him. His little head just bobs all around. Why can't the car seat folk make a toddler seat that reclines a tiny bit? Anyways, here are a few shots:

Swimming in my Paw-Paw's pool.

He only stood in the ring while on the steps. This photo was probably 10 minutes pre "I need a nap" meltdown.

This guy hung out in the shade.

At the McWane Center. Pushing discs and balls onto a spinning thing.

Fossil dig. The "sand" is really just little tiny pieces of rubber. Found some in the shoes and suitcase when we got home.

Pull the string then release to increase air pressure and pop a tennis ball into the air.

Ergo love. I'm a little shiny. It was hot. And yet I refuse to wear shorts. (Post-baby-leg-yuck.)

Visiting Memaw.

Under the weather. This guy came down with a virus and started hard teething while we were out of town.

Cheese.

NOW I Remember...

2011-07-30T17:04:00.000-04:00

Where all the 3-6 month onesies went from when Mister Man was a baby. In. The. Trash. About an hour after I took this picture...

...we had a little diaper incident. As we do several days a week these days. And the poor little white shirt just didn't survive. Is it bad that I'm too lazy to Clorox?

We're Holding Toys These Days (And Rocking Tummy Time)

2011-07-25T14:56:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of words in my posts these days. I just don't have the time. Welcome to life with two kids!

One of My Favorite Parts of the Day

2011-07-24T13:02:00.000-04:00

(provided no one is crying)

Books Before Naps

His Love of Books Makes Me Happy

2011-07-23T09:52:00.002-04:00

But it sure does sound like a herd of elephants downstairs when he's up in his room emptying the book cabinet...

... and he occasionally finds the need to rip a page in a book then whine about it and ask me to fix it. Off to find the tape so The Little Engine That Could can live on. (Although it never was a favorite of mine.)

Oh... and he also found the Easter buckets... I think our motto these days is "Mama cleans up one room while I wreck another."

Two... Take Two...

2011-07-22T07:50:00.000-04:00

Mister Man thinks the number two is superior to all other numbers. Example:

Me: "You can have three cookies."
Mister Man: "Two!"

Two.

2011-07-20T13:41:00.005-04:00

A few little tidbits on this guy lately...

Just started speaking in semi-full-sentences. He likes to say "Bye Mama, see you later." "Dada's truck broke, Aaron fix it." "Sun goes down means night time." It's fun to get a glimpse of what goes on inside his head when he's just wandering around the house. I recently interpreted, "New Cesco Lights" to mean "Not this Francesco car, Mom. I want my new Francesco car with the button that makes sound and lights." Master linguist.
Sleeps on his back with his hands under his head like he's laying out at the beach.
Could stay at the Creative Discovery Museum or mall play-place all day.
Asked to walk (instead of ride in the basket) at the grocery store for the first time yesterday. I only lost him once, and he tried to fill our cart with multiple blocks of cheese.
Loves dinosaurs, cars, trucks, trains, sports, puzzles, Play-Doh.
Doesn't have much of an attention span for coloring.
Just started eating fruit leather and rotisserie chicken, provided it's in tiny little pieces that don't make him gag. I call the chicken "dump trucks" for fun, and he drives them around the plate before throwing them into his mouth.
Decided post-surgery that his former go-to favorite food (yogurt) is now gross. I kind of wonder if he just liked it to sooth sore throats that we didn't really know about. Guess we'll never know.
Occasionally asks to take his nap early.
Drags his Little Tykes "gas pump" over to my car in the garage and "fills us up" (at the keyhole) every time we leave the house.
Has decided the church nursery is indeed an excellent alternative to Sunday services. (Remember the kid who used to cry so hard in there that he barfed?)
Thinks it's hilarious when we sing "The Name Game."
Hates for any part of his nap or bedtime routine to be done out of order or left out. Specifically the singing of "This Little Light of Mine."
Is finally willing to admit that God made the trees and animals and sun and moon... instead of Nana.
Is very patient when his little brother accidentally kicks or smacks him.
Willingly walks up the stairs to his playroom when I tell him he is being too rowdy and needs to go play by himself.
Gets to watch a cartoon first thing in the morning and right after his nap.
Sneaks a pacifier out of his bed while performing the above alone playtime... and shoots me a mischievous grin while running to toss it back in when he sees me coming.
Doesn't argue when I make him wear a hat outside.
Has never tried to escape Time Out without being excused.
Thinks being in his diaper qualifies as naked.
Likes to help make scrambled eggs but gags and nearly vomits when I require him to try one small bite.
Talks about his friend Carson all the time. And is occasionally disappointed at church when he realizes Carson does, in fact, have other friends besides him.
Let himself onto the back porch the other day in his pajamas, where I found him sitting fully clothed in the baby pool dumping old water on his own head.

Green Light

2011-07-18T16:07:00.000-04:00

Since Mister Man's surgery, he is now properly using his tongue and molars when he eats. What that means: We now have the go-ahead from his therapists to call his bluff at the table. As long as it isn't a "wet" food (think fresh or frozen fruit, spaghetti, cooked beans) - which he truly does have gagging and texture issues with - the rest is just behavior or preference from here on out. So after this morning's session we decided to get tough at mealtime and start requiring he eat certain non-preference items like freeze-dried/salted vegetables, fruit leather, etc. It also means that when he randomly starts spitting out something he normally eats (like turkey or raisins), it's just because he's being a pill. So today when he decided he didn't want his dried blueberries, I got to make him sit strapped into his chair until he gave in and chewed and swallowed five of them. It took ten minutes before he gave in, but afterwards he asked for more. Little stinker.

This is a huge relief for me, although it is going to lead to some pretty good stand-offs in the kitchen in the weeks to come. Either way, I have been waiting to get permission to do this for a while. Once we can get him into chicken and a few fruit and vegetable sources that aren't pureed, he'll be a normal kid!

Curse You, Huggies

2011-07-16T20:20:00.001-04:00

Neither of my kids can wear Pampers DryMax diapers. They get horrid rashes. So we're a Huggies family tried and true. Or shall I say, we were a Huggies family. Today it all came to an end. I opened a 200-count box of Size 4's from SAM's Club and noticed the Mickey Mouse picture on the front was different. "Cute," I thought, and slapped one on Mister Man. A few hours later, and two diapers in, he woke up from his nap in serious pain. Daniel and I tried to think of something new from his diet that could have changed things... maybe something acidic... but nothing rang a bell. I found two old diapers in my bag and compared them to the new batch. Definitely different. The new ones are lined in some kind of blue padding. The Huggies website boasts some kind of new "leak lock" system. Thanks for nothing "leak lock." You ruined my day.

It is possibly the worst diaper rash of Mister Man's life. Rivals the one he had during the 20-diaper-a-day-stomach-bug a few months back. He waddles. He cries. I made him rinse off in the bath tonight and he screamed. Luckily SAM's has agreed to take back the diapers. Time to switch brands. Fingers crossed Luv's is a winner, because Earth's Best is dang expensive! But anything for my boys' booties, right?

Farewell, Old Friends.

Evil. Pure Evil.

So I'm Making a Craft Box...

2011-07-15T13:27:00.004-04:00

I finally got this book out to start entertaining Mister Man in more interactive ways. He is good at making his own fun, but post-nap he is usually wandering, climbing things and generally getting into trouble. So I'm going to be more intentional about planning activities for this time of the day. He's a fan so far. He'll see the book sitting on the couch, bring it to me and say, "More games!" Then he'll look at the pictures on the cover and point out which one looks appealing. Some day's it's the ribbon dancer (although when i tried to get him to play, he thought ribbon dancing was pretty lame). Other day's it's the balloons.

Winning games of late:

Tape a paper plate to the end of a stick (we used a back scratcher) and try to keep a balloon up in the air with it. This proved a little difficult for a two year old, so instead he just throws the balloon up and gives it one good swat.
Take a cup of (nearly) brimming water to the back porch and drop coins (or rocks) in until the displacement makes a "waterfall" over the edge of the cup. We switched to rocks when I realized dropping money between wood slats was good toddler fun.

Tonight I'm going to tie a long piece of yarn to one of his stuffed animals, hide the animal then trail the yarn around the house. He will have to follow the trail to find the toy. I also have a big box I was going to draw a face on, tape "hair" to and cut out a mouth... so we could feed it plastic food, balls, etc. But he got so attached to hiding under the box, I'm guessing he will freak out when I go to alter it in any way. Mission aborted.

Along these same lines, I've also started a little craft box. Well, it's a craft pile on the kitchen counter. It will become a craft box once it gets moved to an actual box. I have three empty yogurt containers, one empty paper towel roll and a two liter bottle. What else should I remember to save?

A Birthday and A Baptism

2011-07-10T14:22:00.000-04:00

Hope you like pictures... I'll spare you the captions...