just funny.... this is totally me!

via Pinterest (original source unknown)

11*11*11

crazy + catch up

Ahhh… life has been crazy as of late so I have a LOT to catch up on.

Let me start back (it seems like forever ago) to when I did the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. One thing I look forward to every year. Despite a little set-back where my pal was made to cancel her trip due to a work situation (still a sore subject) I went and had a grand old time. The same routine (I do love a good routine), the same shops, the same trolley, the same race (but always exciting) and a different piece of bling to add to my collection. This was my 8th year and I plan to do it every year until I am dead.

Oh, wait, before that my baby boy turned 1!!! How could I not cover that first? Shit, I probably sound like a horrible mother. But YES! My baby boy JackJack turned 1. Me oh my. We had a celebration and my pops flew out for the occasion and it was a very busy weekend but lots of fun. I can’t believe it’s been a year. It HAS flown by so quickly. He is my 2nd and LAST baby… so I’m a wee bit sad about the not having a baby around, but I am a WHOLE LOTTA happy to sleep more than one does with a baby in da house! He does not sleep through night quite perfectly, so I still try to cherish the times when he allows me to rock him. Those days will be gone too quickly, I know.

OK… A major work project went live on October 3rd, Jack’s b-day party on October 8th, Jack turned 1 on October 11th, then Nike was on October 14-17, then Halloween on the 31st.
Let’s just say that October was a hell of a month for me!

As usual, Halloween, to me, is the beginning of the Holiday Season. I actually really got into it this year and dressed up the house a bit. We of course went to the pumpkin patch and carved pumpkins and got dressed up. Greyson was into it but Jack, not so much. Next year should be SUPER FABULOUS!

I am almost done Christmas Shopping. I just have to wrap. I almost have my xmas cards ready to go out. I am ON IT PEOPLE. And I wonder why the hell I’m so stressed out! I will be bored once the gifts are wrapped and the cards are sent! Hahahahahahaha…

Me so funny.

Oh yeah…. I’m still trying to train for that damn marathon in January…. Oi vey!

can I tell you that I am drowning here?

Chrissy needs to get her happy back.
Ugh.... work is a mess
Home is a mess (kids are GREAT- everything else is a mess)
My marathon training plan is a mess
I feel so lost and miserable and don't know what to do.

Universe... come to my rescue please.

teach my children

I'm not sure of the original source for this image... so if anyone out there does know... please share...

sorry for the detour...

but I need to make some changes in my life and one of them is to be able to actually talk about things I REALLY want to talk about without fear of retaliation b/c certain people who are reading this blog. Sorry fucking sorry if you are offended by something I write, but I am sick of self-editing so certain people don't get mad. So.... I did the chicken-shit thing and changed the address to my blog. Whatever, I'll own up to my chicken-shitted-ness. I'll also ease into this "whole truth" kick I'm on. Don't freak out on me people. OK?

OK... so on a random note... what are some things that you seem to buy over and over again, only to never use through them?

• lip balm
• spices
• certain hair care products
• rubber bands
• toothpicks
• baking powder

What can you add to my list?

Happy Birthday JackJack!

My little baby boy is ONE! Can you believe it? I can't!
He is already walking (pretty much, still needs some practice).
He is a charmer, a flirt, hilarious, so cuddly, a great napper (but SUCH AN EALRY RISER), he loves his big brother, he loves to crack up, claps, waves, has 6 teeth, has weird monkey feet (inside joke), has the biggest brown eyes and best smile!

He is loved by many, but most by me!

Happy Birthday punky punky pie. I love you so much!

The Playboy Club. Easy come, easy go.

I just got around to watching the 3 episodes on my DVR and just this morning I heard it got cancelled. What a BUMMER! I totally love this show! I don't know what the stupid protestors have against it... it's not PORN! I wouldn't watch it if it were PORN. Idiots!

Oh well... this just motivates me to pick up all of the seasons of Madmen and check out that hoopla. Sorry Playboy Club... I thought you were a good one.

Pan Am

Total keeper.... I already know this. I love the flashback to the 60's and it's dubbed a "romance" show... so far I really like it.

Free Agents

I hate to sound like a broken record, but this one needs more time too. I guess there is too much pressure to perform on the Premieres that they try to hard and just do eh.

I will give it more time which is still better than a big fat NO!

p.s. these are not necessarily in the order they aired... they are ALL DVR'd... I do not have "real" time to be watching TV. I have to sneak it in after the kids go to bed.

2 Broke Girls + 2 1/2 Men

Both need more time before I can make a final decision as to whether or not these two shows deserve valuable space on my DVR.

I have to see where they both go... can't judge the show based off of one high pressure episode. So far I do like 2 1/2 Men with Aston Kutcher, though. The Charlie Sheen bit was getting old. Plus Aston is cuter.

Up All Night

I'll give the pilot episode 3 out of 5 stars. I will give it some more time to impress me. So far it's just so-so.

Next up... Free Agents.

Fall is here!

I get so excited for Fall. It would be better if I were in Michigan at this time of year. It is my most favorite time of year in Michigan. The cool air, the great colors. LOVE. In Cali its still pretty HOT. Not very Fall-ish at all. Except for all of the Fall stuff in the stores. Makes me dream of cool nights and getting cozy.

When fall comes around, I also get excited because it's time to make my picks. And I don't mean football, baby. Where most guys gather to comb through player stats and fantasy football teams, I get my list of new and returning TV shows out and plan out my new Fall TV watching schedule. The premieres start sometime around mid-September and continue, through November this year. I figure out when my returning favorites will start up again and which new shows I will give a chance to. I LOVE FALL TV. LOVE. Finally the networks have figured out that Summer TV just sucks and released a few good shows that air in the summer... but the number is like 2. Fall TV is ready to fill up my DVR and that is just so exciting to me. Three cheers for cool weather (I wish), cool colors (palm trees only come in green. boo) and cool TV! 1 out of 3 ain't that bad!

Go the F*** to Sleep

I am SO getting this book. Watch this video... it's AWESOME!!!!

Here is the book by Adam Mansbach.

Randomness

Ahhh... I really do THINK about blogging ALL.OF.THE.TIME. But then 8 p.m. rolls around and all I can think of is getting into bed and vegging out in front of the TV.

So in order to cover all the things running through my head I'm going to resort to a list

• Big Dude turned 2 1/2 and little Dude turned 10 months old. Where does the time go?
  


• Am on week 3 of my marathon training and so far so good. Finding time for the mid-week "runs" is challenging, but I'm doing it.



• Had fun at Baby Loves Disco a few weeks ago



• Looking forward to a wedding that Greyson is in next weekend. Not looking forward to the 6 hour drive there and the 6 hour drive back.



• Going on a business trip to Denver with Claire... although it will be "work" it will be fun too!



• Signed up for an on-line art class. Hope it will be fun.



• with that in mind... I plan to clean out the garage and make a space to call my "art studio" again

The one where Jesus gives me a box of steaks

I have been known to have some crazy dreams. I mean crazy dreams. I have thought about writing a book about my dreams because I think they are that interesting. This one though ranks up there as one of the wackiest.

So I'm at a warehouse and the people are showing us how they operate, etc. They bring out a bunch of huge steaks that are meant to be cooked for our executives. A co-worker of mine accidentally dumps them on the floor and we all react with "awwww... you are in soooo much trouble!" We start to try cleaning them off, perhaps to salvage them. I say "this is Jack in the Box, we don't serve food we dropped on the floor!"
Next scene: Jesus himself comes over to me with a box of steaks and says "these are for your mother." Then he says "Tony will be fine" (a friend of mine, not my husband)... and I say, "is he going to heaven?" and Jesus says "I don't know yet, he's still in processing."

I woke up feeling really good about the part that my friend was going to be ok. I have NEVER EVER had a dream with Jesus or anybody as important as Him in it. That part is VERY interesting to me. Overall, I'd say this dream is pretty wacky, huh?

back on the road again...

OK... so it's been awahile since I've done any sort of running. As in like 4 years. Well... I mean "official" running, with the whole outfit and all. I have been "running"... you know to the fridge and after my 2 year old. Oh, and well, I've worn a sports bra a few times too... when I was trying to hold up my milk bags after birthing the two boys... oh, and I've worn stretchy pants... mostly while pregnant b/c nothing else fit. I've also worn sneakers to work on occasion b/c I am NOT a big fan of heels and the such. However, for the first time in a LONG time I have worn all of these things together AND run... 3 miles to be exact, while pushing a jog stroller! That part made it a bit harder, but I won't use that as any sort of excuse. I have been sore ever since. It's a good feeling though. I like being sore... it reminds me that I've done something good for my body. I got myself a new pair of sneakers, a new feul belt and I am making a comeback people! I had to stick with the same old running watch because we are, afterall, in a recession. I am back and redy to rock it!

I'm in one of those moods so there will probably be a lot of cussing in this post

I am at the hair salon. I'm irritated. I only get so many minutes per week that I can call my own. I schedule things precisely so that I spend as little time away from my kids as possible. I know, weird, but that's where I am in life. Anyway, when I make a 3:00 appt to get my hair did, I expect to start at 3, not at 3:30. They can't fake me out by straight ironing my hair before I get it cut, because I can see right through their bullshit stall technique to cover the fact that haircut lady is late. All I want is a plain old, all one length, straight cut. Simple. I have to repeat myself 4 times "cut it as short as you can while still allowing a ponytail.". That wasn't clear so I say "ok, my only request is that I HAVE to be able to have a ponytail, but otherwise cut it short." Still not clear. So I say... "I want it short, but it has to be long enough to pull into a ponytail." Nope. Still not clear. Blog readers, can you please tell me how to word this request next time so I don't lose it on the haircut lady? Shit. It's not a difficult request. In fact, I know I could get it done at Fantastic Sam's, when in fact I am in a reputable Aveda salon. Is it so simple that it is too hard for their overly creative brains to comprehend? OMG.
Then, because haircolor lady is running late, cutlady is doing some bullshit fancy cutting on my blunt, simple, straight cut- spending WAY too much time on each section that I'm about to fucking scream. Look, I'll pay you the $40 whether it takes you 15 minutes or not... Don't sweat it... This is a no-brainer. I'm a sure thing. Cut the fucking hair and go smoke a cig, just GET IT DONE! Color lady finally gets started and now my scalp is burning off. Ahhh, the things we go through.

So important...

Please visit and grab a button and help make a difference!

quickie update

I;m not going to go into why I haven't posted in awhile. See the last post.

Here is a quick update on what's been happening in life:

• I am feeling somewhat better... so that's a plus


• Greyson is talking more and more and in longer sentences every day... so cool and so cute!


• Jack started eating proteins... hopefully that will keep him fuller at night so he can get rid of that one night feeding. UGH!


• Greyson is into his "choo choo's" now. So cute watching him play with them. I have to admit I love playing too.


• Projects at work are keeping me busy... not a bad thing. I am actually enjoying it.


• Looking forward to a road-trip to Las Vegas for the 4th of July.


• Just saw "Bridesmaids" the movie and it was FREAKING HILARIOUS!!!!


• I plan to start training for my "come-back" marathon in July. Am getting excited for it!

So yes, I'm still out here, kicking it. I hope to start posting more regularly soon. But don't hold your breath!

ugh... not again.

Little dude is 7 months old. And about 2-3 months ago I started to get *that* feeling again. *THAT* feeling being one of anxiety and panic. If you recall, I was diagnosed with Post-Partum Anxiety (PPA) after the dude was born. It sucked and it was so bad that I couldn't bear doing it all over again, but I couldn't bear leaving dude without a sibling even more, so I did it again. This time around though, I thought for sure I would have escaped this dreaded disorder. But lo and behold... it's back! It sucks. I hate it. I am SO SICK of feeling sick, nauseated, anxious, and panicky. It's all I can do to just get through the day... work or otherwise. EVERYTHING overwhelms me. The thought of doing ANYTHING out of routine or off schedule panics me even more. Obviously I manage it by keeping things to a minimum... no extra-curriculare activities, sticking to a routine, etc. BUT... I still feel it. Some days are definately better than others.
WHY I CAN'T JUST BE ONE OF THOSE HAPPY GO-LUCKY MOMS???

So... if you are one of those people that I used to talk to a lot, or hang out with a lot ... sorry... but I have resorted to my cave for awhile... I promise to be my old self again one day.... soon I hope.

a day late... Happy Mother's Day!

Here's hoping all you mothers out there had a great day... the way YOU wanted it to be. For me? A day off was the way to celebrate! And since my husband is going to be gone for a week at a time, I will be getting plenty o' alone time with the kiddos... so I just hung out... ALONE. And I was fine with it! I still got stuff done, so it's not like I was lounging around. But it was just the way I wanted it. Oh yeah, I guess a new iPad would have been fun to find waiting for me on the counter... but a sweet card from the boys was just perfect!

How did you celebrate YOUR Mother's day?

quick update and HOPPY EASTER!!!

It's been awhile since I've done a "real" post vs. the kind where I just throw a picture up (not literally throw up... gross) or suggest a link, etc.


What's been happening?

Well... one of my very bestest friends is moving away, to Hawaii, and I'm glad for her, but sad for me. I am trying not to dwell on it since we will, of course, be in touch all of the time... but we won't ever get to hang out unless one of us spends a lot of $$ and a lot of time to get to the other's house. Chances are it will be ME flying to see HER in Hawaii because, well, duh!

JackJack sprouted his two bottom, front teeth. He was crabby for one day and that was it. I hope that's how it will always be while teething. Man, teething must SUCK. I'm glad I don't remember it. It also sucks for the parents b/c the kid is crabby everytime some new teeth decide to sprout... and in totally it takes like what? 3 years to get all of your baby teeth? Ugh.

JackJack is doing SO WELL at sleeping "through the night" and I say "through the night" in quotations because it's not MY DEFINITION of "through the night." Jack's "through the night"is 6:30 p.m. until 3:30 or 4:00 a.m., a bottle, then back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. Yeah... so not cool. So last night I actually started phase 2 of sleep training in that I didn't go in to get him at 3:45 a.m. He fussed for about an hour and then woke up at 5:45 a.m. which is when I went in and gave him a bottle. I'm not sure if he would have gone back to sleep if I tried b/c Greyson was up and making a bunch of noise, etc. so Jack got stimulated and so on...

Greyson was asked to be in a wedding. My husband's niece, which is now my niece, is getting married in August and asked Greyson to be in it. HOW CUTE! I can't wait... it's going to be adorable and I will FOR SHIZ post pictures. I sorta nominated Jack to be in it too... but that part is still up in the air.

Greyson did SO WELL with the Easter Bunny this year. He is SUPER into hunting for Easter Eggs too... very cute to watch. I was worried about the picture b/c he pretty much hated Santa this past round, so I thought we might have a repeat performance. This time, however, I prepped him by showing him last year's picture where Greyson was fine. We also saw the EB at the grocery store that same morning and I was able to slowly introduce G to the EB. All in all, a successful "visit."


Here's proof:



Jack did well too, except he didn't really know what the hell was going on... so it wasn't that much effort on his part. Happy Easter all!

OMG... another place I can spend a lot of time (& money)

Check it out... what a GREAT idea... it's called WANTIST

yes sir!

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth, Empty the dustpan, poison the moth, Hang out the washing, make up the bed, Sew on a button and butter the bread. Where is the mother whose house is so shocking? She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking. Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue, Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo. Dishes are waiting and bills are past due, Lullabye, rockaby, lullabye loo. The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo, But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo,Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo. The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep! I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep. - Author Unknown.

for your little sports enthusiast- product review

This is one of the softest (and coolest) and most unique blankets I've seen... and I've seen a LOT of blankets. Teamees offers the football as well as a baseball, soccer ball, and basketball blanket along with burp cloths that are inspired by the fields these sports are played on. I've gotten excellent customer service from this company too. The version I have is the pee-wee and it is a very generously sized baby blanket. I am going to get the varsity version for my, now, toddler. The funny thing is that before I ever heard or had seen this website, G-man had attached himself to a "lovey" that is essentially this same blanket but tiny. The size of a small lovey. So when I pulled this one out of the box, he was amazed that his lovey was SO BIG!!! Funny!

fun website

These people take recipes and make them into art. So cool. Check it out.

8th year up and running...

Yay... I'm so excited to be doing this race AGAIN... for the 8th year in a row. It has turned into more about the weekend with the girls than just about the race... which is why I think I love it so much. Oh, and the Tiffany's jewelry you get at the finish line doesn't hurt .

Happy 1/2 Birthday JackJack!!!

It's been 6 months already little dude. You are an amazing little boy (sniff sniff... are you already a boy and not my little baby?). You are so laid back and chill. You crack me up already. Your brother loves you so very much. I love you so very much. Happy 1/2 Birthday!~

just becasue I like this song...

the first part (slow down...) is what I say to my boys b/c they grow so fast... and I guess that's when I started thinking about this song, but the song has nothing to do with slowing down fast-growing kids... oh well... I still like it. 59th St. Bridge Song by Simon & Garfunkel Slow down, you move too fast.You got to make the morning last.Just kicking down the cobble stones.Looking for fun and feelin' groovy. Hello lamppost,What cha knowing?I've come to watch your flowers growing. Ain't cha got no rhymes for me?Doot-in' doo-doo,Feelin' groovy. Got no deeds to do,No promises to keep.I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep.Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.Life, I love you,All is groovy.

Pinterest

Have you guys heard of this site? I am sure you have. I can totally spend hours looking through all of the cool stuff. AND... as you are searching through your daily blog roll, you can "pin" stuff up to your own boards for inspiration or good ideas or what not. I have just started pinning stuff, but you can follow me here. Just a quickie update on the sleep training. I think the "training" part is done. Little dude is doing well. We just have some fine tuning and minor adjustments to make, but this is all fluid anyway b/c he is growing so fast. Thanks for checking in!

I'm obsessed... ST updates night 9, 10, &11

I have turned into THAT person. That person who is fixated on one thing and can't let go if it. My thing right now is SLEEP. Yes. SLEEP. That thing that so many of you take for granted. Something that I can't seem to get enough of these days. So, YES, I am obsessed right now and I apologize that it is monopolizing my blog for the time being. Night #9 bed at 6:30 ish, woke at 2 ish, cried for about 6 mintues, went back to sleep, woke at 4 ish, I fed him and he went back to sleep. Woke up at 7 ish. Night #10 bed at 6:45 or 7 ish ( a huge development in the daycare "allowing" him to nap in the afternoon- will tell that tale in a minute), woke at 3 ish, fed him, went back to sleep. Woke up at 5 ish. Night #11 bed at 6:45, slept until 4:45, I fed him, back to sleep, up at 6 ish. THIS I can handle. I truly believe if I can get him to go to bed later he will sleep until 5 or 6. PROGRESS!!!!! The daycare "thing." So I find out that they have been "keeping him awake" in the afternoon because they didn't want to make me mad that he was sleeping too much (thinking he wouldn't sleep for me at home). WHAT? I have been expressing my frustration about him going to bed so early for weeks now... and they are JUST NOW picking up on this? Aggghh.... so finally on Tuesday I gave them permission to "let him sleep... PUHLEEEEEEZE!" And they did and that's why I was able to get him to stay up later on Wednesday. Plus... he was super happy and playful when we got home so I LOVED that part too. Usually he was tired and crabby because HE WAS TIRED.... duuuuuuuuuuuuuuh. Ahhh...so... progress all around. And just to make things sweeter... here is a pic.

twin baby boys have a conversation - part 2 ORIGINAL VIDEO

Sleep Training update... nights #5, 6, 7, 8

Night 4, 5 and 6 were awesome. He slept through the night and woke up anywhere between 4:45 a.m. to 6 a.m. Damn it... on night #7 he woke up at 1 a.m. screaming bloody murder. My first instinct was to NOT let him cry it out, so I fed him and he was happy until 4 a.m. Crap. Did I just ruin it by giving in at 1 a.m.? I think he caught me off guard. Here we go again. Night #8, he went to bed at about 6:30 (turns out I keep quoting that he goes to be at 6, when really that is when I give him his last bottle and he technically doesn't go to sleep until about 6:30 p.m.- I claim MOMMY BRAIN). This time he woke up at 2:55 a.m. I let him cry it out and that he did until 4 a.m. when I just fed him. Turns out he was wet too... not just a wet diaper, but his pj's and t-shirt were wet. Maybe THAT was part of the problem? I don't know but I feel like I'm screwed. Did I just teach him that if he cries for an hour he gets food? This time of night is so tricky b/c 4 a.m. is a reasonable time for him to want to eat... but 2:55 wasn't. Aggghhh... it's the gray line. I think what I REALLY need to do is get that kid to stay up later. Maybe what I will try is to let him sleep from like 5-6? Ugh... I don't know what to do.

Sleep Training Night #4

Well... there isn't anything new to report. Really.

Little dude went to bed about 6:15 p.m. He slept all night. He woke up at about 5 a.m. and this time was getting a little fussy, so I got him up and fed him.

I really hope this is the new normal.

I am trying really hard to move his bedtime to like 6:30 or 7 but the little dude INSISTS on going to sleep at 6. Maybe when he is a little older and is playing more, I can shift his schedule a bit. It seems a bit impossible now. And to be honest, Monday through Friday this schedule works well. I'm supposed to start work at 6 a.m. So if Greyson and Jack wake up at about 5-5:30... I can get them up and ready/fed and get them to daycare and be at work at a reasonable time. Kids this age can't distinguish between weekdays and weekends so it is what it is.
On the mornings that I have to leave the house early, I'd feel better if I didn't have to rip them out of bed to get going... so if they are up it makes it that much easier.

Sleep Training Night #3

Wow. Night #3 went dreamingly.

Dude went to bed at 6:15 p.m. (I am slowly trying to extend his bedtime).
Slept until 4:30 a.m. when he woke up talking/babbling... no fussing. fell back to sleep.

He woke up at 6 a.m. (still no fussing, probably would have fell back asleep) and I fed him.

I pray that this continues.

I think he IS mad at me, though, for not picking him up the previous two nights. He is usually very smily with me but last night and this morning he wouldn't smile for me. I am sad.

Sleep Training Night #2

A tad bit harder, but more of the same.

Little dude went to bed at about 6:15 p.m.
I heard a grunt here and there but nothing until 3:30 a.m.
I set the timer for 10 minutes. In that 10 minutes he fussed a lot and cried a little.
I went in after the 10 minutes to soothe him. I didn't pick him up... just went "shhhh" and stroked his little head. And gave him the binky. He spit it out in a minute or so. I left.
I set the timer for another 10 minutes. He fussed and cried some more. Mind you, in these past 20 minutes, it was NOT a constant cry... just a cry, then quiet, a fuss, some quiet... you get the idea. At the end of the 2nd 10 minutes he was crying a bit more so I went in again. Soothed him. He started wailing. I tried to calm him down and then left again.
I set the timer for another 10 minutes. He cried for about 5 minutes and then fell asleep.

I left for work at 6 a.m. and he was still asleep.

Again... never was he wailing out of control. I could tell his cries where more of a "test"... if he WERE wailing out of control I most likely would have picked him up to soothe him. This was not the case, so I continued with the plan.
It's hard to hear your baby boo cry but like I said, I could tell it was just a "testing" cry... him having a "hissy fit" (as a new friend/fellow mom/fellow blogger Jennifer said). I feel A LOT of guilt over making him cry... even for these few minutes at a time. I am doing it because I believe that HE will be happier because WE ALL will be happier with better sleep. I'm sure he feels better too.
The guilt would be less if I were able to actually feed him in the morning... to prove to him that mama WILL in fact come and feed you and hold you... but... I have to go to work and my husband gets the glory.

Just my luck.

There are some creepy people hanging out at Taco Bell right now.... Ewww

Sleep Training Night #1

I did a few things to prepare.
I put a humidifier in Greyson's room to act as a white noise machine. I didn't want his sleep too disrupted if at all possible.
I took some time to tell JackJack, during his last bottle, that tonight is the night he sleeps through the night like a "big boy." Poor kid, he's only 5 months old and I'm already using "you're a big boy now" with him. Anyway, I needed him to know that just because I wasn't coming in to soothe him at night didn't mean I didn't love him. He seemed to understand. I said it a few more times... obviously my guilt in overdrive here.
So... Jack went down at about 6:30 p.m. Before you judge me and how early he goes down let me tell you that HE CHOOSES his bedtime. I swear to you that I try to keep the kid awake... hoping for a 7 p.m. bedtime... but he doesn't make it quite yet. OK... so, he went to bed at about 6:30 p.m.

1st wake up at 11:50 p.m. I heard him start to fuss so I set my timer for 10 minutes. He never did anything more than fuss alot, so when the timer went off I set it for 10 minutes again. At the end of THAT 10 minutes he was crying so I went in, shooshed him a little, stroked his head a little... then he REALLY started to cry (as in to say "don't tease me bitch, pick me up or hit the bricks!")... so I popped his binky in his mouth (I am really trying not to use the binky b/c I don't want another binky addict in the house... but you have to choose your battles, right?) but he spit it out about 30 seconds later. I left the room. He cried for another 2 minutes maybe and then settled down a bit and then fell asleep. All in all that round went about 25 minutes.

2nd wake up at about 5:15 a.m. All I heard coming out of his room was some babbling... so I didn't go in there. This would have been an acceptable time for him to want to eat, since it was about 11 hours since he last ate... so I was willing to go in there and get him. However, since he wasn't crying... just "talking" I didn't. He was falling back to sleep or just resting until I left the house at 6 a.m. I instructed my husband that he is to feed him if he starts to fuss.
I felt a bit sad seeing the little dude in the monitor just hanging out in his crib this morning... wondering if he has given up hope that we will ever come in there to get him. Was he thinking "why even cry? they're not gonna come in here..." OMG... the shit I come up with in my head that makes me so sad....

That was it for night 1. Can you believe it? So far all of the things I have read say that it gets easier over time, so I hope that is true and that it doesn't get worse before it gets better at my house.

Stay tuned.

Lucky boy!

In 5 short months JackJack can start eating bacon. Yummy! Does it come in a jar too?

SLEEP TRAINing... your ticket to a better nights sleep...

Wish me luck. Operation "get baby to sleep through the whole night" is in full effect starting tonight. The orginal plan was to start Thursday night, but after last night (3 wakings) I can't wait to get the show on the road.
I have read a few blogs and am psyching myself up for the work... I pray that I can do it. No mama likes to hear their baby cry and I am no exception.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

Jack can do this, Jack can do this, Jack can do this.

I will update in a few days with out progress.

things I love right now.

I think I will start posting random "things that I love right now" here on my trusty little blog... in case YOU love them too. I am not getting any kickbacks from the vendors (I WISH!!!!)... this is just my opinion, etc.

Here's my first... it's "Paris" fabric. I have no clue what I would do with it. I just like it.

via http://www.pinkchalkfabrics.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_47_625&products_id=5725

ewwww... that's creeeeepy

So the story behind this picture is that I had a box of diapers that Jack had grown out of so I was bringing them to work to give to a friend that will soon have a new baby. The box has a picture of a baby on it. I put the box in the trunk of my MINIVAN not knowing the surprise I would get.

As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I look back as I am backing out and I see this baby staring at me through a hole in the backseat. OMG... it freaked me out for a split minute. I didn't quite think I left my child in the trunk, but for a few seconds there it definitely made me think about... WTF???

You may have to click on the image to enlarge to get what I mean.

Civil duties....

As of Tuesday I have been serving on jury duty. I tried posting from my iphone but the app I have keeps crashing... so, unless someone out there has an app that will work on an iphone with Blogger, the idea of blogging remotely has gone down the toilet.

I can't share details until after the trial, but I am on a jury and we are currently deliberating. I hope to be done by Monday afternoon.

Let me tell you this. My experience thus far has been excellent and I highly recommend serving on jury duty. Yes, the waiting sometimes sucks, but the whole legal/justice system is super interesting. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Try it. You'll like it.

an ode to moms everywhere...

While juggling diaper bags, toys, and sippy cups
You still make room for the hands-raised "pick me up"
Your kiss has the power to heal every boo-boo
And you've cleaned up far more than your fair share of doo-doo
Oh, the questions you've answered, the stories you've told!
Though exhausting at times, we agree, it never gets old
Your job is the most important on earth
A great mom was born on the day you gave birth

via Babycenter.com

Happy Valentine's Day

Sometimes I miss Michigan...

so, the daycare lady calls...

let me just start by saying... nothing good ever comes out of that phrase. She never just calls to say "I just wanted to let you know how well the kids are doing today" or "just so you know, the boys ate all of their veggies today." Nope... it's always something that translates into cranky kids + missed work= sad mommy. This time the call comes in as I am on my way to get them yesterday. Whew. At least I didn't have to miss any work YESTERDAY. Turns out the big dude had a fever of 102+ and the little dude was basically cranky and fussy because he too has a cold. The daycare lady says "you'd better take them to the doctor because it's not going away" (from experience, I KNOW the doctor will not do anything unless the kid(s) has had the fever for 5 days). She, however, was like "they can't be here if they are contagious." That's understandable, if they had something OTHER THAN A FREAKING cold, because guess where they caught said colds? That's right. AT DAYCARE! Fine. I actually want to make sure little dude's cough is nothing more. I make the appointments. Turns out I couldn't get anything earlier than 11:00 a.m. today. Ugh. I go in to work for 2+ hours and come home. Husband takes the mini in for service because the engine light came on. No biggy. He is going to meet me at the doctor's office. I pack up the kids. Let's keep in mind that it is about lunchtime and almost naptime. A recipe for disaster if either thing doesn't happen. OK. I pack up the kids and am off. I need to stop for gas. I fill 'er up. I start the car. I go to put the car in gear and THERE ARE NO GEARS. Right then and there my transmission broke. Seriously? AGGGHHH....

Cue big dude screaming-

I don't know WHY or WHAT got into him, but it was as if he got scared or something? Did he also see those $$$ flying out of my wallet?

I call husband. He is on the way. I call the doctor to tell them we are running late. They say I can be 15 minutes late otherwise forget it. Damn flu season.

Husband must have called trusty neighbor, because he showed up. We move carseats and kids into his truck. husband arrives to take care of the vehicle. Trusty neighbor and I take kids to the doctor (luckily we made it with time to spare).

Mind you, trusty neighbor is there to help... but he's not "mommy" so I am essentially juggling both kids. The freaking nurse starts shouting out orders... "strip the baby", "strip that other kid", "weigh the baby", "no wait, weigh the other kid", "what do you want to do mommy?"

Are you kidding me lady? Pick a kid and follow through, this is YOUR side show... sheesh! I was so irritated. Then she had the nerve to say "can you make the baby stop wiggling so this O SAT machine will work? What? Wiggling is a baby's middle name, you meant to tell me that the guy who invented said device wants the kid to sit still? HA! Joke's on HIM!

Well... once the doctor came in... all was better... he knew what he was doing and surprisingly the kids didn't melt down as badly as I anticipated. Well... as I assumed, they both have the crud which is better than an ear infectin or worse.

We go home.

Turns out the Escape is probably not worth fixing, so we have to buy a new car... IMMEDIATELY. Aggghhh.

-----------------------------------------

(continued, next day)

I had to borrow the trusty neighbors car/tank to get to work today.

Oh, and I just found out that the husband has to travel for work, starting Thursday... for 3 weeks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

who's who? (this one's for Jean)

Can you tell them apart?

Hint: Greyson was 2 months old when the shot was taken and Jack was 3 months old.

I love my monkeys, but this is so true!!!!

11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids!

Lesson 1.
1.Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night.
Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air. You are now ready to feed a nine-month-old baby.

Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, Dora, Diego, and Yo Gabba Gabba. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel, Nick Jr or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Testing 1,2,3

I just downloaded an app to allow me to blog on my iPhone. I hope that this means I will blog more often. So, this is just a test to see what it looks like. Bear with me while I adapt to this new technology!!!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone