WW

I forgot to announce another successful weigh-in this past wed morning. 1.8lbs down now for a total of 10.2.

So, we're all boxed up and packed for the movers tomorrow.

John is crawling.

I got a job. No, don't get all excited. It's not the one in D.C., it's just something to pay the bills (sort of). I actually ended up having my choice between two very unexciting offers this morning.

Life is kinda depressing lately.

Pictures

My sister complained tonight that I hadn't put up any pictures in a while.....so I took a couple.




















They weren't all that happy with me snapping the flash in the dark though.
Ok, so he was only pretending to be asleep but they're cuter when they're sleeping anyways right?

Crazy

So the past two days have been both good and bad. Mostly though, they've just been completely crazy. I'll start with the good.

Seth LOVES his new pre-school. His teachers said that he fit right in. He couldn't wait to show me the fish in the aquarium, how he can play the acordion, and his name on the table where his seat is. In the evenings he talks so much it's almost annoying, not necessarily about school but just in an excited "I had a great day" kind of chatter. We have already noticed that he's picked up some new words and phrases (good ones). When I pick him up he is hungry, which tells me he's been active and he'll eat a good dinner. Overall, I'm thrilled with his school and how well he's doing. A small unpleasant side-effect of a dozen 3-4 year olds in one room.......Seth's already starting to get a stuffy nose/cold. We've been really fortunate for the past year in how healthy Seth has been, but I suppose it's better to build up his immune system to it now than to miss school when attendance really counts.

Second, so far I have not been called to work. I have been calling the temp agency every morning but haven't gotten any call backs yet. My hope is that I'll have an interview or two this week for work on Tuesday next. I just want to get past all this moving and unpacking business.

So, I didn't end up getting my hair done yesterday. Mainly because of issues with John's daycare. No.....solely because of it. We ended up having a bad experience when we dropped him off for our first day. John wasn't hurt or anything, he's just fine. It's a long story. But I ended up leaving him there for only 2 hours, and I won't take him back again. This morning I went there to get his things and give them notice and even that didn't go so well. So, yesterday afternoon I missed my hair appointment and dropped all my other plans to look around at other daycares. I went to about 5 new ones, and Dave and I visited one today. We found one that is actually just minutes from our new house and it turned out to be just what I was looking for. The only downside is that Seth's preschool is about 10-15 minutes away, so it will take me longer to drop them off in the morning. An insignificant inconvenience.

Other than that, I've been dealing with switching to a bottle issues with John, and biting (breastfeeding biting) issues too. Neither are going well, but thanks to my friend Emily I got some great advice on how to deal with them. I've been busy running around getting our utilities set to change, baking treats for kinship group (why'd I sign up for that?), returning library movies, shopping for an extra set of carseats (yes 2 cars and 2 working parents=4 carseats yikes!), and a wic appointment. Tomorrow is WW, an appt with the army reserves and somewhere in there I have to clean and organize the entire house for the packers on Thursday. And I have to do the hokey-pokey and turn myself around. That's what it's all about.

A busy day for us today. We are getting ready for pre-school to start tomorrow and trying to make it special for Seth. After church we went to buy him new school shoes, socks, toothbrush and paste, a small Thomas pillow to match his blanket, etc. and I have been busy with my sharpie putting his name on all the tags of all his clothes, as well as John's name on all his bottles, binkies, bibs, clothes tags etc. Tomorrow will be a busy one. I have several things to get done, particularly my hair, and the lawn (assuming the rain stops tonight). I've been very emotional today. With the exception of my trip to D.C. several months ago, John and I have never been separated for more than an hour and a half. On the other hand, I am very excited for Seth. He's been looking forward to going to pre-school and I know he's going to love it.

florida etc

Back from our trip to Florida and still trying to unwind from the car trip. We had a great time. Grandma was great, it was nice to see her and get to know her better. She loved holding John, as did John all the attention from the nursing home grandmas. We stayed in a few guest rooms that the nursing home has for visitors of their residents and ate all our meals with her there, so we got to spend a lot of time with her.

I'm SOO glad Dave came with me, as Seth had a bit of a difficult time (at times). Seth got to swim, see some alligators and some birds that I don't know what their name is. This trip made me a lot more aware of the need for me to practice a little more etiquette so that I can teach Seth appropriate times not to belch, even if he does say excuse me, or when not to talk about his penis, and why pulling the string in the bathroom and the bedroom on the wall is not a good idea either (as we had the emergency and security folks knocking on our door twice).

Florida is just beautiful, even the sky is a lighter blue and higher than the sky here in Ga. The architecture is more colorful, it seems cleaner and better kept, and what struck us most was how nice people seemed to be, especially in the nursing home. I thought how nice it might be to work in an environment like that where you get to give to others, and where everyone is so respectful and pleasant. It made me wish I had gone into nursing or some other profession than just language, which I love of course but don't seem to be having much luck with. It sucks to be 30 and still not really know what you're going to do with your life.

I’m not a bad parent, per se. I just have no clue what I’m doing is all.

My parents used to always say that my older sister was the guinea pig when it came to learning how to parent. And I must say that is quite an accurate assessment of Seth, as we try to learn how to be parents to him he is our little guinea pig. I used to think I was a good mom, my little boy being so good and all, but I am learning that it is more his personality rather than my parenting style that gave himself that reputation. He can choose to be such a sweet good polite boy sometimes. And then there are the other times…….like earlier this afternoon when his personality takes a very abrupt “give my mom and everyone else around me hell” kind of attitude. It is times like that, of course always in public, when I just throw my hands up and wonder what the hell I am doing. HELP!, I Just don’t know how to handle this!

So, why aren’t there more parenting classes out there? Why doesn’t every town have an institute of parenting or something? It should be a public service available to all parents. You can go to dog obedience school…..how about kids?

our going ons

Ok, so after another hiatus away from blogging because my computer software became corrupt, I think we're back on line....at least tonight. Tomorrow we leave to go visit my grandma in Florida, and next weekend we'll be going to a wedding and preparating for the kids to start pre-school and the move. In other words, blogging is going to slow down considerably. However, I'll do my best to update of our family's goings on.

This weekend was busy with swimming fun now that the weather has cooled down into the 90s. John has 4 teeth now and the 5th is emerging in the little blister-like spot on his bottom gum, and he discovered his penis, the beginning of a long friendship.

I'm really looking forward to this trip. It's like our last family vacation before I go back to work for a long time, even though I don't have a job yet. Oh, and by the way the interview I had last week WAS successful. They felt very strongly about me, but needed someone to start today, and I can't start until next Monday. So, my temp agency told me not to call them again until I return from the trip, which is fair I suppose. I was feeling quite loser-ish when I didn't think I got the job. But I feel a little relief too though, because the hours weren't all that ideal, nor was the work all that exciting (not that I have room to be picky, but I'm just gonna trust that God has the perfect job in mind for me that will pay exactly what we need).

I LOOOOVE comments. :-)

WW

Week 2, another 3.8 lbs lost! So far....8.4 lbs.

I'm Back

Yay! Our computer feels all better! I'm so happy to be back. Things are better here. Not any less crazy, for the most part, but just less stressful. I had a job interview this afternoon. It went well I think, but the hours are late morning to evening, which is do-able but not exactly desireable. And, the location is only a few miles away from our new apartment, as well as our friends who will be watching our boys. I am still searching in other areas for jobs, but ultimately I guess I'll just have to take what I can get. John is trying SO hard to crawl, and the little bugger is super quick! He grabbed my ice cream right out of my hand and sunk his 3 little teeth in it before I could even react. Butthe look on his face when he realized he just bit into something frozen was priceless!!! Seth is doing well too. He's just restless mostly. It's so incredibly hot lately that going outside to play, to the park, or even to the pool (the water is like bath water!) is just too much for John (and me).

I'm here

So, our computer is not feeling very good lately so I'm here at the library until it gets better. Things have been a little crazy lately. Biggest think for us is that we are moving. We found an apartment in a better and safer neighborhood and will be moving at the end of the month. That same week, Seth and John will start pre-school and I will be going back to work (hopefully if I get a job) and we are having Seth's 4th birthday party that weekend. So....I may not be blogging much for the next few weeks. Hopefully we will be getting into a routine very quickly.

Seth is excited to start school, and very excited about the new apartment (as are we) which makes the thought of staying in Augusta for another year or however long seem much easer, and ok. We have made some great friends here, and we have decided to go ahead and start getting more involved in things like church groups and whatnot. For the past 6 months we have been living like we need to be ready to up and move to Virginia tomorrow, and we have made no committments, no contributions to others or our church, no efforts to make new friends despite our current ones moving away, etc. because we didn't think we'd be around very long. Well, the job hasn't come through yet, so we have begun to change our attitude and want to make the best of living in Ga.

Is Anyone Hot?

Ok, seriously, it's really really HOT. Yesterday high was 104, Thursday was 106. Today....well it's just HOT. I need to do laundry, but the thought of running my dryer just makes me groan. So......it'll just have to wait.

Crazy

So life is kinda crazy around here lately. In the past few days we've made some decisions that are going to mean some big time changes in our lives in the very near future. And, there are more decisions that need to be made that haven't been yet. I could write a novel, but perhaps it's better just to wait and tell you what we've decided. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't stressful. The biggest thing for me is that I must go back to work. Yesterday I went to a temp agency to put my name in for work. I hope something comes quickly. Please keep us and our situation in your prayers.

WW

Woo Hoo! I lost 4.6 lbs this week!

Elephant Bib

John is so cute in his new elephant bib! The trunk is a binkie holder, I just don't have it attached yet.

FYI, I got this pattern from crochetcafe.blogspot.com. Someone started it a few years ago and quit after a few days, but they left some really cute free patterns.

WW

The past few days have been a huge battle for me. I feel like I've been on this diet forever, but it's only been a few days. I've struggled physically, emotionally, and willpowerly. It's a no wonder so many people give up after a few days. I feel a lot like I'm mourning an old friend. Food was my company at night, my friend when I was bored, any excuse to celebrate even a simple accomplishment. It was there when I needed it. Now, it is not.

I used all my flex points at the baby shower on Sunday. My friend made a trifle with dark chocolate brownies, rasperries, and a raspberry bavarian creme-like layered together and I must tell you that I....literally......cried when I ate it. After the first few days I figured out how to spread my points out so I wasn't stuck with a bunch at the end of the day that I had to use up, so that helps. But that leaves me feeling slightly above hungry all day long. It's a strange feeling to get used to. There are times when I was SO tempted to break down and just chow down. My sister saved me yesterday from polishing of the remainder of Seth's little pizza. I called her up like a rehab partner to convince me not to eat it. It worked, I didn't even eat the crust. Today I ate half of some fries at McDonalds (I don't let Seth eat a whole one), and that satisfied my fast food craving. That's what I do LOVE about WW. I can eat whatever I want still, I just have to balance it out.

The one thing I do love about all of this, and this is the reason I think it'll work this time around, is that I have much more support. My sister inspired me to start on this new adventure. My husband is doing this with me, though not going to meetings. I started just doing all his points for him and telling him what to eat, but he got tired of that quick and figured out the points and stuff for himself and is now following it along with me. And lastly, I think it will work this time because I am going to the meetings. The meetings give me a goal to meet, a weekly finish line of weigh-in where I can celebrate my little accomplishments with people who are doing the same thing with me. I'm really looking forward to this week being over and going to get on that scale. I know that the longer I'm sticking with it the easier it will get.

Wow! Baby John!

Very cool! John's getting up a bit from his tummy! Yay! Ok, so I put him in this position but look how strong he's getting holding himself up without help!

Sunday

Seth pulled the lawn mower box out of the cardboard pile and decided to make a rocket out of it (Rocket from Disney's Little Einstein), and then insisted that John play with him in it too. I thought it was cute that Seth wanted his brother to play with him. John turned 6 months yesterday. It's crazy how time has flewn by these past few months. And in a few weeks we'll be celebrating Seth's 4th birthday too. Wow! Seth is growing up. His speach phrases and vocabulary have really expanded lately, including concepts like "favorites" and "growing up vs. grown-ups". His imagination has grown too, which has caused some 2am freak-outs and needing to sleep in my bed, but I welcome the snuggle time, and am glad that I have a big bed. We also have some new arrivals at our house. There is a nest under the beam in our carport, and now there are babies there too. It's fun to hear them cheep and watch their little birdy beaks stick up when their Mommy arrives with food.

Another Baby Blankie

I'm just about finished with this next baby blankie, and of course by the time I show this to you it will be on to it's new owner's Mommy. This one was another fun one for me, simply because it's so bright, and it went very quickly. A simple yellow daisy with watermelon and a green stem/border. I did this one a few years back in pastels and white. I must say I like the brighter colors better. Or perhaps it's just a phase.

WW

Day 2 on WW and the grump-factor settled in around 2 0'clock. My body is going through some low-sugar shock and increased veggie intake shock. This, however is normal and should go away in a few days...hopefully. In the mean time, I'm very grouchy. This evening I made a few desserts for the baby shower tomorrow, which just made things worse. I wonder how many points a beater lick is.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Book 7, a book review

Yet another exciting adventure for Harry and his trusty friends Hermione and Ron. I know some of you out there have not read it yet, so I'm not going to give too many details about it. It was overall a nice story. I was really glad that I took a long time to read it (it is, after all a 750 page book) because I always hate it when a good book is done, and in this case a really good series of books. So I was able to enjoy it for a long time. I did get frustrated with it at times. Half-way through the book it seems like the trio isn't getting anywhere. They keep doing these dangerous excursions which turned out to be nothing, and then suddenly out of nowhere some magic happens (that they themselves have nothing to do with) to save them. Like they did a whole lot for nothing and nothing for a whole lot. It was kind of irritating. But once Harry does make a few decisions, things pick up and move rather quickly. I found myself staying up late hours for a few days in a row so that I could continue. It gets pretty exciting.
Then the end comes, and you get a whole lot of information thrown at you all at once. Now, I know this is a kids book... so I think perhaps I show my age when I say that I just didn't get it....or I should say all of it. I think I need to read it again to get it all in. It's just that it is really long. So, I doubt this will help anyone in deciding whether or not to read it. If any of my local readers want to borrow it, you are welcome.

WW

So, only one day into Weight Watchers (ie Cheeseburger rehab) and that's exactly what we eat for dinner...cheeseburgers. No worries though. Since I am still nursing, I get an insane amt of points to use. Almost too many. I just sat down and did the math, and I still have 9.5 points that I HAVE to eat today. That's like...another entire meal! I'm wondering...am I really going to lose any weight? Not that I'm really complaining about having to eat, but is it really ok to finish off the rest of the points with ice cream? Isn't that bad? Hm...I guess we'll see in a week.

Temporarily Insane Adventures in Poo

So, I used the think the ability to plead temporary insanity was a load of bullcrap. If a guy chops someone into 12 pieces he, simply put, is just a psychopath and should be put away. There is no way that someone who does something like that can ever be rehabilited and be a normal productive part of society, and it makes me mad that people can get off of a crime by saying that they just went temporarily crazy. Now, I am no psychologist but I think I did actually go temporarily insane this morning.

REWIND.......so I'm in McDonalds getting some coffee so that I can sit and drink and read my new Weight Watchers (ie. cheeseburger rehab) materials while Seth plays with the kids. They were brewing a new pot, when Seth says to me....Mama I need to go pee pee. I look around, there's only like....two other people in the restaurant. So (and this is where the insanity part comes in) I think, Seth's pretty good now at doing the potty routine and getting older. I'll let him go by himself....what could happen? Seth announces he'll be right back, and runs off to the ladies room.

I got my coffee, did the cream and sugar thing and then find a table in the kids room. I put my stuff down and then look up to see my son coming out of the bathroom. I called him name and waved him down but he didn't see me, and runs over to the counter area to find me. By this time, a line has formed. When suddenly I realize that Seth is not wearing any shoes.......and what was that in his hand? His underwear? OH NO! I cried out in my head. So I grab the baby, the bag, ditch the coffee and book on the table and run to where he is. Yes, it was in fact his underwear and I quickly escort him back into the bathroom. His underwear had three lovely little turds in it (he didn't make it ) and his shoes were left on the floor in the bathroom. All in all, no harm done (with the exception of the poor people in line who suddenly didn't feel like eating anymore). In fact I'm very surprised that he bothered to put his shorts back on too. What was I thinking? I'm telling you......temporary insanity.

This entire past six months, and I have said it to some of my family members, has been one big adventure in Poo. Seth being our first, and us not really knowing how to go about it, we have just finally cracked down on the potty training adventure, though it is still not without a few bumps along the way. I also used cloth diapers with John, which was a learning experience for me, and now that he has outgrown the ones be bought he has many more diaper explosions since paper diapers just don't contain breast-fed baby poo like cloth do. So where am I going with this? um...I dont' know. Maybe I'm going insane again.