in process...

See ya 2011, Hello 2012

2011-12-31T19:33:00.000-08:00

So time to reflect on the past year & look ahead to what may lie ahead in the future year!

2011- It really was a great year. God has truly blessed us! Even in trials he has drawn us closer to Him & that makes it so worth it! We are at a pretty awesome time in our lives. There are always bumps, but this year (from what I remember) they have all been relatively small. Or more likely, my view from here makes them appear small. Here are some highlights. If I forgot one that you can think of, comment it!

* Had many good dates with my honey
* iPad for Valentines Day, we love our iPad
* Will turned 2 with an AWESOME Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme!
* We spent Corey's Birthday in Myrtle Beach with the wonderful Boeckhs! In a really nice condo, btw!
* Will's first real-ish Easter Egg Hunt! (he knew what he was doing & got a bunch of loot!)
* Will & Sophie experienced their first ever fireworks! They LOVED it!
* Meeting the Steinkopfs! I am so glad God crossed our paths!
* Being a DGL for the Silver Sparklettes at MOPS!
* We survived Corey's month long TDY to Alaska (even managed to have some fun & learn somethings!)
* Will started preschool!!! 3 hours, 3 days a week.
* Sophia's 1st Birthday! (that was the beginning of the month of sickness, but my Lil Ladybug had a great day!)
* Fun dressing up for Halloween
* Thanksgiving with my family (the best part was ordering the main parts)
* Christmas-time with Corey's family & some of my family up in Maryland

2012- I'm excited to see where God takes us this year. I feel like we are pretty open. Here are some things that I am looking forward to.

* Corey coming home!!! This is so much on my mind & my heart! I hope it's soon!
* My baby boy turning 3!! He is such a fun little guy!
* Speaking of little boy... Will being fully potty trained! (the week we have no misses will be a glorious one & I will throw a party! Seriously, I think I will! lol)
* Ocean City trip! We always look forward to this! Hopefully Corey will come home early enough to join us for this!
* Both kids will be in preschool! Which is so weird to me! I think I might not like it, but I can learn to ;) I'll be able to get SO much done in those 9 hours a week!
* Sophia will be turning 2!!
* Starting to plan Corey's 30th Birthday Week at Disney World!!! what what!! I have to go to ITT after I get the tax return haha.
* Start fantasizing about my 30th Birthday in Paris (okay okay, a little too early, but whatever! haha)

So, I don't really do resolutions, but I guess I kind of do... Last Year I wanted to lose 30lbs. (I lost 15!), I can't remember what else (I should have looked at past blogs to see if I blogged it, oh well).

For 2012,
* Daily giving up my plans & wants & ideas to God. Daily Dependence.
* Focus on my calling from God. I am called to show God's love to my children, to teach them who he is. I have a purpose!
* I want to spend 15 minutes outside everyday with the kids (even if the weather is extreme), we've already started doing this, but I'll throw it out here.
* Take more pictures. Too general right? Well, I signed up for a 365/52 project, I'm not sure if I'll stick with it, but I just got a kick-ass new PS which I'm able to carry around with me all the time. So that's a step in the right direction
* Workout more often & more consistently. There is always something coming up, but I love working out & it's good for me & my kids! My ultimate goal would be jogging 4 days a week with 3 days of strength training.

Thanks for your encouragement & support! What are some of your highlights? What are you looking forward to? Have any resolutions?

Potty Learning Saga

2011-12-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

Wow. Really with the potty learning?! We started with Will in September. He did GREAT, at first. Slowly he has progressed to not pooping in the toilet at all. He will pee & is perfect with pee, but poop has not touched his potty in a long time.
I've been through a wide range of emotions over this. I knew the whole time I should stay calm & not make a big deal about misses, but I failed several times along the way! I decided a couple weeks ago to back off (with the stress in it) & see if that improved things. Maybe I need to just work on it longer, but so far it hasn't improved anything.
I know it's really not something you can push. They'll get it when the choose to. I guess I'm just stressed that I'm messing things up on my part. Either from my stressed out moments or from not giving him the thing he needs to encourage him to do it!
We started out with the bare bottom approach & that worked for awhile, but then it didn't. I've tried rewards, that worked for awhile, but now it only does sometimes & not for poop. I think I just need to get back to my original plan. The Montessori way. I am going to help him to be as independent in this process as I can. No pushing, inviting him to use the toilet at regular times. Maybe keep record of when he poops. I think I may even start having Sophie sit on the potty after meals & before nap/bed.
I know this is silly. I know he will eventually get it. I'm not really stressed about the cleaning up anymore, I've resigned myself to it. I really don't want him to feel bad, because i huff & puff about misses. He is a great, strong, competent boy & I know he'll get it soon. Just know if you are doing this, or about to, I'm here with you. I feel ya. I smell what you're steppin' in!

Our Advent Activities

2011-12-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Instead of a chocolate advent calendar (because we'll get enough of that anyway), I decided to make the advent a little more special & do activities with the kids! So here's our countdown list

1. Hot chocolate with candy cane stirrers
2. Decorate house
3. Open & hang special Christmas ornament for the year
4. Decorate the little Christmas tree
5. Make & hang snowflakes in the window
6. Visit Santa
7. Christmas art (trying to decide which one I want to do)
8. Cotton ball Snowmen
9. Gingerbread house
10. Make grandparent's ornaments
11. Hot Cocoa & Cookies Party (a small party)
12. Christmas Movie Night: Elf
13. Make a gift for the Moppettes (childcare providers at Mom's group)
14. Holiday Treats
15. Go out with Uncle Mike
16. Swan Lake Lights
17. Snowmen Ornament craft
18. Take the neighbors their gifts (muddy buddies)
19. Christmas Movie Night w/Steinkopf's: (not sure which one yet)
20. Visit Janet & "Papa" (btw Janet, lol, I was thinking what if I stayed with you to break my trip up to Maryland up. Im not 100% on this, but tell me your thoughts since here it is, lol)
21. Leave for Maryland
22. ICE @ Gaylord Nationals (Indoor thing with tons of ice sculptures with the Merry Madagascar theme)
23. Make cookies for Santa & family
24. Tutu's Christmas Eve dinner

What do you all think? What are your plans for the holidays? What are you doing for your advent calendars?

I want... a Girl's Nite

2011-11-30T21:18:00.000-08:00

I want a few things... okay, technically, I want a lot of things all the time. But as for now, I want 2 things.

1) My husband home. Obviously, this one is always on my mind. I could not say I want anything without acknowledging the fact, that really I want this one.

&

2) I want to get together with some of my best girl friends for a weekend retreat. I imagine Starbucks would be there & of course Happy Hour(s) would be involved. Here are some of the girls I would love to hang out with:
Michelle
Abi
Korinne
Trinity
Janet
Lindsey
Emily
Tammy

There are of course more. I just want you to know, if I was a millionaire I would fly all these girls to some awesome spa in the Maldives for a week. Not only that, I would go as far to make sure their husbands/boyfriends & kids were shacked up somewhere super fun, so there would be no worries. HAHA!

That is all.

S talks!

2011-10-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well... she is starting to say words. Today she said "bubble" (holding up a bubble wand), it came out more "buba" but you get the idea.
I can't really think of the other words she has said, but you know the norms: "momma", "daddy", "byebye", "hi". Some that are used a lot in our family "aw dn" (all done), "more", etc.
I can see her putting thoughts & ideas together more. She shares well, is curious, is going through a whiny phase, is learning face parts, likes pointing & learning what we call things.

ahh, as hard as the whiny phase is, i still manage to be completely amazed by her & in love with her!

that's it.
p.s. i really want to tell you all about the fabulous things W is doing too, but I'll make a W blog next. haha

Ohhh, that's why...

2011-10-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

Ohhhhh, that's why I've been a hot mess!!! I'm about to start my period! Wow. I really hate, hate, HATE to admit it, but my monthly hormones have been having a real effect on me.

I just pieced it together. I have been feeling way more emotional the last couple days & overwhelmed & wound up. Nothing I was doing was really helping, even praying and the such. Then as I talk to Corey it dawns on me, I'm about to start my period! Totally dramatic feelings, check. Hard time with self-control (with food & kids), check. Outbursts, check! Wanting to quit my "hard" volunteer commitment, check. Then I realized about once a month I get a little fed up with this volunteer commitment! bahaha. It could also be because I don't know if I had really asked God if this was something I was supposed to do, or jumped into it because it sounded fun. Because I do have other volunteer commitments I LOVE & really help me through these hard times. That's another story.

So, there you have it... I am lame! I am one of those women. ;) I will blame it on the Mirena. ha! I'll also put off any big decisions until after my visit from "aunt rose".
Sorry all those affected by my craziness. But now that I see what's causing it, I can not listen to my feelings so much & trust God. Blessed!

253 more days

2011-10-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

God, Do you know I hate that number?! I hate it!

I'm doing good, seriously, things are alright, but it sucks. I hate that he's gone. Today when I think of how long it's going to be it's hard to breathe. It's not always like that.

I'm used to crying when everything in my world is chaotic. When the kids are running amok & God knows what else on my plate. I'm not really used to having this long aching that I know will be here for what seems like such a long time.

I want to say that I shouldn't be complaining & that I'm not even complaining. But none of that seems true. I love God & I praise him & pray to him all day, & I will forever. But this hurts. I miss him & I don't want to do this.

That is all

God's Love vs. butt kicking

2011-10-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

So, today the kids slept in again! I surely am blessed for this new development. I was pretty groggy (stayed up late) & semi-dragged my feet through the morning routine (rushed because of said sleeping in). I started to get little bits of frustration at my children running from me as I tried to dress them, whining as I was trying to feed them, whining & wiggling as I tried to fix their hair. All pretty normal stuff that yesterday didn't faze me at all. Follow that by S a little whiny from extended car seat time, lunch falling all over the car, carrying both W & S to the car because I was late & didn't get out the stroller & lots more fussing.

I put them down for nap & was determined to read my bible study (which I'm behind in). With a cup of coffee, I sat down to the dinning room table. I was sure I was going to find some answer to my attitude issues. Ready for God to hand me the lashing I deserved. Kick my butt into gear, if you will. I read 3 pages or a bible study & the bible. I felt the same. Frustrated, I stopped. Taking note from the new sermon series from church, i thought to ask God to speak to me.

Me: "God, this is not working. Can you hear me? I'm so frustrated, I can't seem to get anything done, & I don't like this attitude in my heart so tell me how to be better. Speak to me."
God: "I love you"
Me: "Right, I know that, now how do I fix myself?"
God: "Theresa... I love you"
Me: "Ok... (wondering where he was going with this one)"
God: "I love you when you don't do the chores.... I love you when haven't made Corey's cookies... I love you when you have yelled at the kids... I love you."
Me: "Ohh... (enter crying) but why God?! Why do you love me? I'm so messed up"
God: "I love you because you are so valuable to me! You are precious, my daughter. You are strong & bold. You are mine."
Me: "But I mess up"
God: "Every one does, but I. love. you. I love you"

He kept telling me that he loved me until I was able to stop my tears, pick up my head & hear him tell me how to move on with the day.

I totally asked God for an ass-kicking & he poured out his love. & it was just what I needed. Amazing or what?!
I'm a type-A person & even though I've grown leaps & bounds in my type-A issues, I still have a tendency to measure my worth by the things I do & don't do. While I should do good things, even when I fail (even epically) God still loves me. The great news is, when I stopped & accepted Gods love in my imperfectness today, I felt revived & ready to love on my babies & get done what I can & let the other stuff slide.
So, if you are having a hard day, or maybe the next time you are (because we ALL have those days), stop & ask God to speak to you. You may hear something different than I did today, but trust me, it'll be just what you need!

Praise be to God!

It is all in His hands

2011-09-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

One of the toughest parts about military life has hit us. Deployment.

I was waiting to write this post until I was on an up part of the deployment roller coaster. He's been gone for a little over a week & I feel like we are beginning our new normal. Although, I imagine that, like I said, it's a roller coaster. Times when you feel good, things are truckin' along & times where it feels like the day couldn't get worse & it lasts forever.

I pour my heart out to God daily & he shows me the many ways I am blessed. How vast is His love! I am so thankful for the man my husband is. I am thankful I have two healthy babies that keep me on my toes. I am thankful for miss. molly who cuddles me at night. I am thankful for family who checks on me. I am thankful for friends who love on me & encourage me & inspire me. I am thankful for sisters in Christ!
Someone said to me today that I am a godly woman. a godly woman... I am so thankful that God has chosen me, changes me, refines me. My heart overflows with God's love.

I miss C so much & wish he was right here with me (maybe rubbing my shoulders, ha!), it kills me when W cries for his daddy, & my life is NOT perfect, hunky-dori, but I KNOW who is in charge! I know my God is not a chaotic god. Everything we are given has gone through his hands. There might not be some glorious, big, obvious reason for C to be deployed, but God has this for us, we will bring Him glory in it! I have learned (mostly) how to trust God with my life & surrender it to His will, now I am learning to trust him with my children. How much more he loves them than even I do, he will surely help W & S through their pain.

I pray for my family, for my kids, for all the military families that have been or are separated from loved ones. I pray that you can have hope in God & that you can reunite your family soon.

Unit Ideas

2011-09-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

So during the summer I may have slacked off a little with teaching W. We don't sit down & do rote learning or anything like that, but just things I would've done in my 2-year-old classroom back in the day. W is going to school 3 days a week now (for 3 hours each day), so I have less time to teach him, but now it's more exciting to teach him, because I miss him. Plus, S is getting to the age where I can start teaching her more intentionally. She loves the one-on-one mommy time & so do I!

I've decided to come up with some ideas for themed units (especially for the time C is deployed, it'll help things go faster). I am planning for each unit to be a week in length, but am fine with them overlapping because we will inevitably end up missing things. So here is what I've got so far.

September-

Apple

October-

Autumn
Pumpkin

November-

Thanksgiving
Mommy (my birth month), but will NOT be the whole week

December-

Advent
Family
Maryland
Jesus birth & Christmas

January-

Winter
Hot Chocolate

February-

Love
W (his birthday is this month & this week will be ALL about him)

March-

Spring
Garden
St. Patrick
Cleaning

April-

Easter
Rain
Daddy (his birth month), again not the whole week

May-

Mother's Day
Beach (we'll be preparing for a beach vacay)
Travel (we'll be in MD)

June-

Maryland
California
Father's Day

I don't want to fill up every week, because I want to leave room to create units/themes based on their interests as well. Like right now W is into ~~hoarding~~ collecting rocks, so Earth might be a unit. S is really into climbing & standing, so Climbing or something might be a unit. However, I still need some more theme ideas, so if you have any please feel free to send 'em my way by leaving a comment, FBing, emailing, or texting me! haha Thanks & I hope I've given you some ideas!

Look for posts about our units!

Sensory Table Fillers

2011-09-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have missed using the sensory table/sand & water table. So I'm going out to buy another one. (Ours broke this summer. It had been left out in the sun & apparently cracked easily when Corey stepped on it?) All I use is a clear Rubbermaid container. I think this time I will get the kind that roll under the bed (ie shallow) & maybe I can make some sort of stand so it W/S height!

So I've come up with a list (with the help of the web) of sensory table fillers! Hope you use 'em!

1) Rice
2) Fish tank gravel (clean first)
3) cornmeal
4) bubble solution (with things to make bubbles of course)
5) cotton balls (good one for S)
6) Clean mud (wet, soapy, toilet paper)
7) gelatin (you can buy packets in the baking aisle)
8) dirt/soil
9) shredded paper
10) hay
11) lids (different sizes, another good one for S)
12) poker chips (? where would i get these?!)
13) cut up sponges/sponge shapes
14) colored sand
15) ice cubes
16) leaves
17) shells (although I like the idea of this one in sand)
18) various size beads & buttons (large ones for S)
19) pebbles & rocks (W is LOVING rocks lately, so this is a MUST)
20) grass clippings
21) shaving cream
22) cut up yarn (I have a bunch leftover from my crocheting days)
23) fabric scraps (YES!!, don't have to throw away bits of my favorite fabric anymore!)
24) gel (not for me)
25) ooblek (cornstarch & water)
26) Styrofoam peanuts
27) bubble wrap
28) flour
29) flower petals
30) dried corn on the cob (not for S)
31) different colors of play dough
32) pompoms
33) strips of newspaper (have wipes handy for cleaning hands)
34) bird seed
35) macaroni (although I personally try to stay away from food items as much as I can. People can eat that!)
36) cocoa & flour together (mmm just got an idea for hot chocolate themed week)

On a side note...

2011-07-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sensitive right now. haha. Not sensitive "I'm going to cry any moment", more like heightened feelings. Does that make sense.

Someone who has always lived in the same populous region (ie there are plenty of things to do withing 15 mins), with lots of family nearby (ie to help with kids & emotional well-being), just said to me Corey is going to be deployed for "only 6 months". Now, obviously, after thinking about it I realize she just was re-checking that that was the deployment length... or so I am giving the benefit of the doubt. BUT when I first ready it I felt like she was saying "only 6 months, that's not anything", which IS true in the sense that people are deployed/remote for longer periods of time. BUT I felt hurt, because she has no idea what it would be like & even if she did, I don't think anyone should talk about their friends spouse being gone in terms of "only". It's hard to have a spouse gone! especially if they will be in a more dangerous area! & you have 2 little ones! & he's already gone & you likely wont have much time with him before he goes!

haha, SEE sensitive! Totally illogical right? But at least I'm taking the time to wait before I say things that will let everyone in on my illogical craziness! (well besides you blog readers!) Don't worry you don't have to walk on eggshells around me, I just have to 2nd guess any strong feelings I have, HA! It may be that C's been gone. It may be the looming deployment. It may be that it's that time of the month soon. It may be I'm just crazy! haha

That's it. O, except I have a tv guilty pleasure... Love In the Wild. It's on NBC Wednesday nights. I'm totally addicted! Now, that is it!

Our first TDY

2011-07-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

This morning Corey left for TDY for about a month to Alaska. I'm a little jealous, because I'd like to see Alaska, especially this time of year.
So, this will be the longest Corey and I have ever been apart since before we were dating. Weird right? We have been blessed to never had to go through a deployment or a remote tour.
This is also his first TDY since we've had Will.
I know one month is nothing for most military wives, but it is something for me. I know I will be fine, especially if I lean on the Lord during the trying times! It's just something different for us. I imagine the hardest part will be when I can sense the kids missing him. That or the monotony of doing the same basic things day in & day out.
Well, he's my best friend & I love him. Please remember us in your prayers if you don't mind (it never hurts to have extra prayers). Today was a great day, I felt God with me the whole day (even though we just started), I have a feeling he will be here with me the whole time. He's awesome like that!

Obsessions & Over it

2011-06-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody!

It's been a really long time since I've updated you, right?! That's Wills & Sophie up there. Just hanging out one day. We had a music fest & then I started taking pictures. Well, Will found his camera (from a happy meal from JBX) & started taking pictures too! CUTE!

I'm going to mix things up this time & talk about our new obsessions & thing we like to call "over it"s.

Corey,

obsessed with- Minecraft, an internet game with basic BASIC graphics where he is focused on building his island (as in a game with NO ending!!!) I will get back at Iosif & Brett for introducing him to this...

over it- XBOX (until he resolves his minecraft obsession), cloth diapering, his Celica (it needs to be fixed, but he's so not on the ball about it).

ME (aka Theresa),

obsessed with- Sewing, Hulu+, running! (right? how could that EVER happen?!!) if only things didn't always get in the way! (i.e. Corey stealing my car for work, childcare being closed at the gym, volunteer commitments)

over it- cable TV, cooking & laundry (well sometimes), trying to do it all (kinda), Sumter, SC.

Wills,

obsessed with- hugging & other ways of unknowingly torturing his sister (in a cute, sweet way), water, his Little Einsteins rocket ship (from the cartoon), toy story, hitting & throwing (yeah, that's fun)

over it- unknowingly torturing Molly, TV, juice (not that he needs it), his diaper! (do I smell potty learning coming our way?), making a big stink when going to bed (he was out of whack from vacay).

Sophia,

obsessed with- EVERYTHING in her mouth! EVERYTHING (will was not this mouthy), growing up (?! geez!), scrunching her nose, pulling up on mommy to stand!

over it- being left alone (we are working on that with "alone time" in the pack-n-play, she's up to 15mins.), getting her nose wiped (she must have allergies, hopefully not to Molly), baby food (LOVES our food).

Molly,

obsessed with- toys! (she's actually playing with toys!), going outside & coming right back in after chasing the squirrels, scratching at the baby gates when we accidentally leave her up or downstairs.

over it- nothing... she's a pretty resilient doggy, maybe over it being so stinkin' hot that she only gets a short walk?

Well, now you know! HA! I'm off to shop online for cute fabric, I have a big long list of projects I want to do, starting with fixing the cloth diapers!

Have a fun day!

Theresa

How Fast Do You Eat?

2011-04-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

How fast do you eat your meals? Are you slow, everyone is finished before you're half way through? Are you fast, always waiting for someone to finish?
Studies link the speed of your eating back to childhood & the way your family ate.
I was reading another blog that had this topic & asked people to comment which they were, if it was linked to their childhood & what not. I was somewhat surprised by the majority of fast eaters. I guess I shouldn't be. People gave such crazy reasons why they are either way.
One person blamed their fast eating on their kids. I have kids too, but that doesn't change how I eat. I like to take my time, taste my food, talk, talk, & talk some more, I still somehow manage to take care of my kids issues & even feed Sophie. Mealtime just takes longer now, because there are more things in between my bites.
One person said they eat fast so food stays the right temperature. I feel ya girl! I really do. I like my food to be served piping hot. It does suck when I get to the last few bites & it's starting to get cool. BUT whenever that happens it is because I'm having a wonderful conversation & enjoying life.
I don't think there is anything wrong with being a fast eater. I just am not one & I don't think I ever will be. Corey sped me up a little & I've slowed him down a bit. In his defense when I met him he still was under Basic Training's you-better-eat-fast-or-you-wont-fini... HA!
Breakfast: I usually have Will eat his breakfast while I feed Sophie, sometimes I eat with them too, but most of the time I wait until I put Sophie down for her 1st nap & I have a little "me time" with my breakfast & bible.
Lunch: I have Will eat his while I feed Sophie. When they are both down for their naps I eat my lunch (usually in front of the TV, but I portion control)
Dinner: We all eat dinner at the table together. Usually Corey feeds Sophie right before our dinner & she eats finger foods in the highchair while we eat (Sometimes he eats & feeds her). I take my time, we talk, watch Will (who usually gets down rather quickly & plays outside), & help whoever needs help. We linger. I usually linger longer.
In my ideal life each meal would be long, social, & good. I never really pay attention to how others are eating when we eat with others. Is that rude? I feel pressured when I realize I'm the last one eating, but I can't help but talk & take small bites & really enjoy my food.
Oh yea, & if we are out & the kids are out of control, I would rather pack up my food & eat it later, than try to shove it in.
My family ate some meals together (more in the earlier years of my life), some in front of the TV. I've always been a talker & a foodie so I think those things together make me slow. I'm the slowest one in all of my family (maybe except my aunt Mardee), but I wouldn't really say they eat fast, just not as slow as me. haha
How about you?

Will waking up his Deydee & a little more

2011-04-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

First I should clarify that Will does not call Corey "daddy" but instead it's "deydee". I don't know.
Corey works the 11pm to 7am shift, so we at the Shipe household have giddy anticipation for the 4pm hour! Time to wake up Deydee! I've been trying new ways to wake him up, because Corey doesn't wake well.

Today we tried the Kiss Attack method. Apparently Corey is not a fan of that, as his first utterances were sharp "too much, too much". So, the quick thinking clever wife/mom I am, I tried the Let's All Sleep method. Cute, little, adorable, bull-in-a-china-cabinet Will did this...

Crawl over Deydee, stretch to turn off lamp, crawl back over to Deydee, push Deydee, push feet under covers, pull covers up, wiggle to get comfy, leans head back knocking Deydee in the mouth (yes, he was THAT close), makes a snorting snoring sound, lifts head up, says "scoose me", leans head back, wiggles, sits up, crawls over to lamp, stretches to turn light on, sits back, looks at parental units, & the whole process starts again!

Now imagine that no less than 15 times!! Seriously, I'm not exaggerating!! I could help but laugh every single time! He had this whole little process & what was with him repeating it so many times! haha
LOVE IT!!!

A little bit more about my little man...
We keep flirting with the idea of potty learning, but man does he know how to fight! For now we are changing him in the bathroom (a teeny, tiny bathroom btw) & offering him the option of sitting on the toilet. He has recently started throwing a tantrum every time I changed his diaper. It is starting to calm down & he even sits on the toilet after I get the diaper off. It's just getting him there! Oh well, everyone pees & poops in the potty eventually right?!

He seems like such a big boy now! He knows so much & does so much for himself. He is using mostly real cups, pours his own milk or water (from a small plastic pitcher), can make some simple snacks, helps me with almost all my cooking, serves himself, sets the table (-ish, he takes the stuff to the table), he can put on his outside boots all by himself! There is so much more, but you get the idea. It's so great to see him turning into himself! I really like him.
He is pretty considerate for his age & shares pretty well for his age. As you all probably know 2 is an emotional time in a kids life. They have all these really strong emotions they just don't know how to handle. They know so much, but can communicate so little. They have all these ideas of how they want things, but in general so little power. Sometimes I literally see Will a little scared of how intense his emotions are. Something that is SO strange to me, Will will do something not acceptable (like throw a toy) & I have to deliver the consequence (put it away for the day), he'll get mad at me, I try to help him through those feelings, he'll push me away, and not even a second later is asking me for comfort. It's getting more normal, but I remember thinking how ridiculous it is when it first began. haha. I am the enforcer, the helper, the teacher, & the comforter! What is great is that parenting is opening my eyes more to who God is! If only we were like children, so quick to turn to God for our comfort.

Will, you are such a sweet boy. You are growing so fast. I know that there are times when life seems very hard & your emotions are so strong, but I want you to know that I am here in those times. I will comfort you. I LOVE hearing your laugh, it brings so much happiness to my heart! I love your little expressions. I love how much you love your deydee. You are so caring! I feel so very blessed to be your mom, that you want to share your toys, day, world with me. Thank you for letting me teach you, thank you for making me Mom. I can't wait to hug you. You're my lovey!

Sophia's Best Friend/ 7 month update

2011-04-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Sophie has a best friend, her thumb! I remove it during the day, unless she is in a stressful situation (like a big ol' brother accidentally bopped her upside the head). But she is so cute with it. She was laying in bed under her blanket when I went to wake her from her nap. Her arms were spread out. As I pulled the blanket off she jostled awake & her thumb reflexively went into her mouth super quick! lol. When she was coherent enough to see me she popped it out & gave me her big, beautiful, dimpled smile, along with some "I'm happy" kicky action! LOVE IT! LOVE HER!!

She's doing great! She is a very happy baby. She is also pretty content to play by herself. She is officially mobile! She gets around in the weirdest ways! She arches her back so her weight is on her feet & head & pushes herself around like that. She also has started rolling EVERYWHERE! Her newest thing is going into plank position (toes & arms, with body off the ground), which she sometimes transitions into downward dog. Yes my little girl has MAD abs, great strength, & is already into yoga! haha. I could take tips from her. She is also sitting up really well now! Not completely independent, but mostly.

Like I mentioned before she is happy. She is always smiling & I love it! There is nothing greater than entering a room (or someones eyesight) & seeing them light up with happiness!

She is on solids for 3 meals a day now. I make her baby food, except the oatmeal & whole wheat baby cereals. I am also substituting fruit in the jar with the stuff I make, because fruit is a lot more time consuming that veggies! We have introduced the straw cup & she took right to it, so we offer it once a day. She has started finger foods, but can only do the big things for now. Honestly, I love when they are off the bottle & when they can feed themselves, but I wont rush... too much.

She is still a heavenly sleeper. Sleeps from 7:30/8pm to 7:30/8am with 3-4 naps totaling about 5 hours during the day! She is getting over a virus so maybe she'll change her napping habits soon.

She and Will have started "playing" together. They really are playing next to each other & sometimes talk at each other. It's really nice to see. Will always looks for her. The other day just he & I went to the store & when we got in the car he freaked out that Sophie wasn't in her seat. Also a couple weeks ago, they held hands while we were driving! (I was so bummed that I packed my camera in the back!) But they keep doing it, so one day I will catch it! Sophie lights up when she sees Will. Will loves to hold her & is constantly trying to carry her around with him! haha

Likes:
*thumb sucking
*William
*mommy's jewelry (no joke she plays with my jewelry longer than ANY toy)
*daddy's tickles
*molly
*yoga
*sitting up
*the wind
*scarves

Dislikes:
*loud, sudden noises
*mangoes

yeah, see I can't even come up with dislikes!!

well, Sophia, You are 7 months this week. I am so glad you are a part of our family. You bring such happiness & fun into our lives. You are so strong & pretty coordinated for your age! You impress me that way. I love cuddling with you. I love nuzzling your cheeks. Everyone compliments your cheeks! Thank you for lighting up when you see me. Thank you for playing with my hair, it makes me feel loved. I am so glad your brother has you & know that you have a good, strong, protective brother. Your daddy loves you so much, you are already his lil princess! You are so special. We love you,
Mommy

Dear Sophia, 6 months

2011-03-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Sophia,

I love you.
I don't really know who you are yet. You have been here for only six months, but oh how I love you.
You are beautiful.
You are laid back.
You enjoy spending time on your own.
You have the weirdest way of getting around, but I love it. Maybe it means you'll be creative. Even if you don't end up being creative, I'll still love it.
You are my daughter.
I love that you play with my hair.
That you always reach for any piece of jewelry I have on.
I don't want to say you're going to be a girly-girl, because really it doesn't matter.
Being a mom of a daughter is so special.
You make me more feminine. I don't really know how, or why, but you do.
I was taking off a necklace your father gave me when I thought that I would pass this down to you. It's not really what most would consider an heirloom quality necklace. I don't think I will ever own anything like that. But your dad loves me, I love him, & I would love to give that to you. I am so thankful I have you to give that to.
I look forward to all the ways that I will get to teach you (about love, God, the world, yourself).
I look forward to all the ways that I can encourage and support you.
I'm sure there will be bumps in the road (most notably in the teen years, right?), but I look forward to us.
I look forward to YOU.

I will try to always cherish the moment you are in. Live in the present. But my golly, sometimes I look onto your face & my heart does this thing & I am filled with love. Thank you for bringing that to me.

Love You,
Mom

The Splinter

2011-03-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

I have a secret... splinters scare me. Not getting them, but getting them out. I've never been able to get splinters out. I think maybe once I got my own splinter out, maybe. Corey has come to me numerous times to get a splinter out, but he always has to do it. I actually get nervous when someone asks me to help them with their splinter, because I know I can't do it! Ha! (is the perfectionist in me coming out?). While this isn't something most people think about ever, I have to admit to on occasion wondering what the heck am I going to do when my kids get a splinter?! In my eyes getting the splinters out is totally a mom-job, filed under article 3 section 4: To fix "owies" and make everything better. Right? But I can't, I'll fail. Worse, I'll push it in further & make it really hard for Corey to get it out & make the child cry more!

This morning, it happened! Will was washing his hands & points to a splinter in his palm. No lie, a little panic goes off in me. If I'm honest with you & myself, I saw this yesterday, but I guess I was hoping that 1a) it was just a scab, or b) that is would go away on its own. Does that make me a bad mom?

Well, today it hit me in the face with my little expectant boy looking to me for help! I rubbed it with my nail hopping to figure out how to approach this sucker. I couldn't feel the opening at all **panic**. I gulp, I bust out the tweezers, praying that I don't make him cry, telling myself "you can do this". I feel the opening, I prod a little, I push a little, a little wiggle here, a little wiggle there & VOILA half of it is out! a little relief, a little confidence. A little more prodding & a little more pushing, mixed in with some poking (no crying on either of our parts).And VOILA! It's completely out!!
What?!
I did it?
I did it!
Will looks at me, points to the hole in his skin, smiles, & says "dank ooo". SMILES! Says "dank ooo"!

I AM his mommy! I did my job! I am the splinter killer! Victory! Mommy 1, Splinter 0!

He skips away happily, oblivious to our victory. I do a little happy dance (inside of course) knowing that I can do all of my job as a mommy, even the mundane tasks of splinter-get-er-out-er. I will be there for my little injury prone boy. Love it!

Really?! Seriously?!

2011-02-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

I am so frustrated with myself for being so easily frustrated!

How does that work?!

Some days I have all the patience in the world.

Some days I struggle to have patience & somewhat do.

Some seemingly good days quickly dissolve into a day without patience in the matter of an hour.

I hope I'm not alone in this. I don't think I am, or I probably wouldn't write it. Haha.

Want to know what most easily sets me down the road to "where is my patience!?"

Here's a scenario: Playing with toddler, while baby naps happily upstairs. Toddler becomes increasingly whiny (he still isn't talking very much) and loud. Time for baby to wake up. Baby cries as bottle is made. Toddler is jumping too close to baby. Feed baby. Baby dribbles formula bc baby is too interested in the world (aka toddler). Rotate so baby is facing wall (it does have art for her to look at!). Burp Baby, Baby spits up copious amounts of formula+spit, which goes everywhere (pants, shirt, feet, baby's clothes, & floor). Place Baby in bouncer. Toddler whining starts pushing Mommy. Correct behavior. Clean up spit up. Baby screams. Clean snot from Toddler & Baby. Baby screams. Toddler sneezes on Mommy. Toddler smells poopy. Change Toddler, put away spit up clothes, change mommy. Take Toddler's poopy diap to pail. Decide to spray with sprayer. Poop water EVERYWHERE! (this is where blood pressure starts to go up). Clean up. Bring poop-watered toys downstairs to be bleached. Carry Toddler downstairs. Toddler wipes nose on new shirt. Whatever. Move baby to tummy time. Go into kitchen to make lunch. Toddler whining at feet. Gently push away with crackers in hands. Toddler screams "OH NO", run into living area, Baby spit up all over play mat. Clean up. Good thing baby is naked. Heat up leftovers with Toddler playing at feet. Set it at kid table, bc why would anyone try to force toddler to sit at big table. Toddler doesn't want to eat. Toddler drinks his lunch. Baby spits up AGAIN! Sitting on the floor near kid table, encouraging toddler to eat, spot something out of the corner of eye... Dog poop stain from a few days ago. Think: well i guess we didn't clean it all up... NEED steam vaccum desperately. Try to clean up. Toddler finishes, whines to be put to bed. Check on Baby, little bit of spit up. Roll Baby over. Baby cries. Reassure Baby then put Toddler to bed. WHEW! Go to baby change diapers, dress, & tickle. Pray to spit up gods that it's over, pick up Baby. Upstairs cuddle baby to sleepy, place gently in crib. Come into computer room to blog about how inpatient you are because you yelled at Toddler, when it wasn't his fault. Then feel remarkably better from venting. Thank Blogger & blogging. FUTURE: Go downstairs to eat lots of chocolate. Remember there is no chocolate, pout, nap. OVER. lol

Sickness is blah

2011-02-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sick! Corey gave it to me AND the kids! My kids tend to sleep fine while sick, most of the time, so it's not too bad. We don't have the flu or anything god-awful like that. Pretty yucky colds though. With a bad cough. Corey was up all night with a cough. I hope that we (me, Soph, & Wills) get through it faster than Corey. He's had it about a week! I keep downing the water & pushing it on Will (tehehe I chase after him, "Here's some water honey") I've been working hard at keeping the house & myself sanitized. I have to wipe Will's nose every few minutes. The scary thought is what does he do at night with the snot? MEMO TO ME: change & wash Will's sheets more often!!
I am already starting to feel better, so I think the water is helping. I guess we aren't really that sick though, because we are still doing things around the house. I remember before we had kids it seemed the slightest cold would be reason enough to lie in bed all day watching the boob-tube or surfing the web. I guess once you have kids, and can't lie around all day, you figure might as well get something done!
That is all for now. I'm going to go curl up on the couch with a big mug of Sleepytime Tea & a book... or TV show... what?! Don't judge me!

Blue & Yellow Easel Painting

2011-02-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

We got the easel! I've been setting it up for markers, chalk, and crayon art, but haven't had the time/energy to do paint. I LOVE the easel. I especially love that it was $15 and I had a great friend who picked it up for me, so I didn't have to drive the 2 hours to the closest Ikea (my Ikea Kristin friend). There is only one thing I would change about the easel, that the cup tray is on the chalkboard side & I would prefer it to be on the whiteboard side.

Anyways, Corey had the day off, so we went for it. I am so glad to mention that the Ikea paper held up to the vigorous movements of a toddler! Wills had so much fun he nicely asked for another "peesh" (piece) of paper "peese" (please).

He started off with the brush, got some paint on his finger (& was bothered by it), then started finger painting. When I suggested using the brush he picked up the brush & painted his hand. I thought that was clever.

Then we had a bit of leftover paint (I always put too much in), so I put it in a zippy bag & now Sophia has a Squishy Bag*. I'll let her use it at dinner time when she has highchair time.

*Squishy Bag- it is somewhat a sensory activity and in this case a science/color activity. I keep the bag closed & she can squish the paint around, somewhat feel its contents, and see what happens when you mix blue & yellow.

Colored Waterplay

2011-02-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

I decided to do this project when I noticed how much fun Will was having squeezing the color out of the sponges from a sponge painting day. Will LOVES water play with a passion. Every time I am in the kitchen he gets his step stool from the bathroom & brings it in & ~~asks~~ demands to play in the sink. I set this up in the morning and he played with it all day, until I couldn't take the dish clutter on the counter.

I wasn't sure if it was going to work, but I added a squirt of Crayola paint to each tub & whisked it. I LOVED the results. As you can see I added the sponges from a previous activity here. I also put in measure cups & spoons, cups, bowls, a ball, an old formula scooper, & a whisk.

Like I said, he LOVES water play & played for a very long time, I'm remembering an hour. I believe it was time for lunch & as soon as his nap was over, he was back at it! The red water became purple, which he didn't seem to notice until after nap, but that is when I learned he knew the color "url" purple and "boo" blue.

note: Will does have a hard time with keeping the water in the sink, not because he's being defiant, but because it is still hard for him to pour down in the sink, so he tries to use the ledge. I try to only encourage him to pour inside the sink, but this time I also laid a thick towel on the side of the sink & I was very happy that no water spilled all over the floor & the towel wasn't too wet. The rule in our home is that if he is purposely pouring water on the floor, he gets a warning. I try to find a way to replace whatever he was doing with something I'm okay with that still helps him to learn the same concept. If he keeps doing it, then he is done with that activity for awhile. By awhile I mean he has to get involved in another activity and finish that before he can try the sink again.

Sponge Art

2011-02-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here's an idea I came up with when I found a large sponge I hadn't used. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. We are working on shapes. So I busted out the large kitchen shears & cut shapes. I tried to make them the right size to fit in his hands, not too big or too small. I'm actually a little suprised how many shapes I got out of it.

I chose to use only 2 colors of paint, because at this stage he still mostly ends up rubbing all the paint together; which if I had added blue we would've ended up with brown art.

I put the paint in one of those cheap paint palates. I already had it from college. You could use a plate, next time I will.

I used a heavy cardboard on the floor. I used to pin them up, but if Will was too fast it could knock the pins out. So the floor worked fine. It was easier to clean up too.

Here is the masterpiece! You can't really tell it's shape sponges, but that's to be expected at his stage. We did, however, get to talk a LOT about shapes. Even things I didn't expect to happen. When you hold the triangle on it's side, it now makes a rectangle shape. You can roll the circle & make a track.

The greatest part was Will helped with the clean up & it was a learning experience! I put him in front of the bathroom sink with warm water & asked him to squeeze the sponges under the water. I went to make lunch & I had to pry him away from the sink to eat lunch.

I already have more ideas for how to use these sponges.

Really Ikea?!

2011-01-29T06:25:00.000-08:00

So, I'm reading this lady's blog & she mentions she got an easel from Ikea for cheap. I've been searching for a cheap easel. I log on to their Ikea.com & now I hate them. I love them and I hate them. Reasons why I love them: they had that cheap easel ($20), it was made of wood, they had other stuff that I wanted, it's all created/decorated to inspire kids imagination, the adult furniture is pretty! Reasons I hate them: I want everything!
I am trying really hard to lessen my desire for things. Really trying. I know that things don't bring happiness. I really truely know that & believe it whole-heartedly. But I guess I don't. I want to provide my kids with the things one would fine in a good preschool (not all of them, but the gist of each center). I want my home to be organized & look clean. I want art. I know there are other ways to go about this & I do try to make things at home & with what I've already got. Im sad with myself. Im sad that I keep wanting. I am happy, I love my life, so whats up with this desire for things...? Do you think it's within reason? Do you think I'm just bored? lol.
I think it would be okay for me to eventually buy the easel, but it sucks that there is always something else i will want. When is enough enough?!

Our Schedule (2 y.o. & 4 m.o.)

2011-01-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

Something that has been driving me a little nuts is our lack of a schedule! I am definitely more laid back than ever before (God does work miracles), but I am still happiest organized & structured! HA. We've always had feeding/nap schedules set up. Sophie's schedule is starting to change because she can stay awake longer. So why have I been craving a schedule, because I want to get things done, I don't want Will to watch too much TV, & I want to help Sophie get the best sleep, & therefore the best awake time, she can.
So, without further ado, this is our schedule until Sophie moves to a 4-hour schedule.

6:45am- I wake up & get ready
7:00am- Kids wake, Will has TV time & his rice milk, Sophie gets a bottle & solids (although we just decided last night to suspend the solids, she's not ready)
8:00am- Will & I eat Breakfast, Sophie sits in the highchair & plays with a toy
8:30am- Sophie is down for nap#1 by this point, Will gets ready
9:00am- Will has Structured* play, I do chores
9:30am- Will has Freeplay*, I continue chores
10:00am- Will has Roomtime*, Sophie wakes, gets a bottle & one-on-one time with Mommy
11:00am- Lunch, Sophie has highchair time or Blanket Time*
11:30am- Sophie is down for nap #2 by this time, Will goes down for his nap, Mommy naps, rests, or very rarely does a little non-stressful work
1:30pm- Sophie gets a bottle, if Will wakes up he has TV time & some rice milk
2:00pm- Snack
2:30pm- Sibling Playtime*
3:00pm- Sophie gets nap #3, Will has Learning Time*
3:30pm- Freeplay or Outdoor play during good-enough weather
4:30pm- Sophie wakes, gets a bottle & solids (again, suspended for now), I start making dinner
5:30pm- Dinner, Sophie has highchair time or Blanket time (whichever she's in the mood for)
6:00pm- Sophie gets nap #4 (I know right!?), Family Time
6:45pm- Sophie wakes
7:30pm- Baths/Bedtime routines- we alternate who gets a bath every other night, unless both are dirty; Sophie gets a bottle
8:00pm- BEDTIME!!!

If Corey is home for dinner, he & I have 15-20 minutes of Mommy-Daddy time after dinner, while Will plays freely.
*Structured Time is when I choose an activity/ies for Will to play with. Today it was waterplay (i made one side of the sink red & one side blue & gave him various tools to manipulate). I stay with him & interact, but also give him some space & get some housework done ;-)
*Freeplay is when he chooses what to play. Again, I am with him some of this time, but sometimes sneak in some housework.
*Roomtime is when he spends 30-60 minutes in his room playing with toys I've set out, or ones that are on his shelves. Today it was books, Legos, cars with his race track, & he also used his music instruments. This is when I get some one-on-one time with Sophie & get some housework done
*Learning Time has different focuses each day (they usually overlap). I work on these things throughout the day, but its a special time to really focus in on an area. I'll use next week as an example:
M- Language Development- Read 3 books related to trains & cars
T- Creative Art- Car Track Painting (letting him roll the cars in paint & then on the paper)
W- Gross Motor Skills- ChooChoo Dancing, like a train
Th- Math/Science- Line up & Count the cars & trains (not very imaginative, i know)
F- Fine Motor Skills- Train & Car Lacing Cards (made from card stock)
Wednesday is going to be when he takes gymnastics starting next month!
*Blanket Time is stared only because this is time she spends alone, in a nearby room.
*Sibling Playtime is not fully developed for obvious reasons. This is a special time I help Will & Sophie play with something(s) together. Usually its a ball or Music Table (on the floor).

And that is it. We let our schedule serve us, we don't serve our schedule. There are days we run errands instead of Outdoor play, Thursday mornings we have MOPS instead of all that stuff, and so forth. I had been scheduling too much things to keep myself from being bored at home, but I started to see the negative effects it was having on the kids (well, honestly, more on Sophie than Will, because he only takes one nap & is okay with breaking that one into 2). It's hard sometimes because some of my friends go out all the time during the day, but they are either at a different stage in life (has only 1 older kid) or they don't have the same philosophy I do when it comes to naps & bedtimes. I get over the hard by talking to other similar mommies & knowing that this is only for a season of my life & I get to enjoy/absorb all of my kids!

What is your Sweet Spot?

2011-01-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

One of my good friends is a life coach and she recently sent out an email asking some questions, trying to entice people into using her services. Well, I dont have money for that sort of thing, but one of her questions really hit me.

What is your Sweet Spot?

This question encourages me so much during the hard times of my day. Having 2 kids under 2 can get pretty hectic or overwhelming at times. I wouldn't trade my life of course, but this one visualization can change my heart. Are you ready for it?

I close my eyes & I see... a big mug of the perfect coffee in front of me (starbucks' house blend with 3 spoons of sugar & 3 spoons of milk), a little table in front of me with a little whatever pastry on a little plate. I look up and I see the familiar sight of Barnes and Noble all around me. I look around and see no children. Corey could be there, but he's not needed in this scenario (sorry babe, its true). The fact hits me that I have the whole day to stay here if I want to, no obligations, no kids needing to be rocked or bounced or changed. No husband asking if I'm done. Just me, my coffee, my pastry, and endless book options. *sigh*

There are a lot of different Sweet Spots I have, but this one is always there. Its so peaceful, I would go there anytime. ANYTIME!

Now reality is that the nearest bookstore is an hour away & that it will likely be a LONG time before I could do this again, but just closing my eyes & thinking of this (maybe smelling my favorite coffee made by me) brings me calm... well, at least in my heart.

So one more time I close my eyes & now I dash off to rescue the crying Will from the torture that is life without his paci. What is your Sweet Spot?

Review & Goals

2011-01-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been such a long time since I've blogged. I've started several blog posts, but always have to stop them in the middle to rescue the kids. I'm not usually one to make New Year Resolutions & to look back over the previous year, but for some reason I am this time around. I have a lot on my plate & although I love it, I need to set priorities because with two kids I seem to miss the mark more than I'd like.

A lot of great things happened in 2010. The best & most obvious was the pregnancy & birth of our little girl, Sophia. We love her so much & I am loving getting to know her. Will turned 1, Corey turned 27 & I turned 26. We went to Maryland on vacation, which was a blast. We spent time with Corey's family & my grandma. We went to the beach. We had Korinne & Reese come stay with us for a little bit. We spent the summer at the pool. We went to Maryland for Kelly's wedding. We built family traditions throughout the year. Will went from a baby to a full-fledge toddler! It was a good year. Life is starting to go by really fast; its a little scary!

For this year
*I want to have a special activity for our family each month. I have written one activity for each month. (ex: July is Waterpark Day, May is Strawberry Picking Day, etc.)
*I want to spend more time scrapbooking memories & on that note, taking more pictures. I am starting by giving up a night of TV to spend scrapping instead. I am also taking advantage of my church's wonderful Scraps Of Faith ministry, which is a scrapbooking get-together one friday a month with free childcare!
*I want to spend more time with my family & the Boeckh's. We will make a monthly trip to visit either my dad in NC or the Boeckh's in GA.
*I want to reconnect with good friends & family. I am going to call loved ones at least once a month. On this list: Janet, the Hoh's, my brother, my grandma Joyce, my grandma tutu, my mom, the Shipe's, & the Warren's. I am going to email friends once a month.
*I want to be more pro-active in teaching Will. I am going to plan activities for each month. I am going to get us out of the house more often.
*I want to lose 30 lbs. (don't be dismissive please). I am going to do strength training & cardio every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am going to be more active througout the day. I am going to reduce my caloric intake, but not deprive myself of what I want.

Please, check up on me to see how Im doing & encourage me to keep marching towards those goals. I'll try to remember to keep you all updated on how my goals are going too!

Newborn Summary Week 5

2010-10-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

This a summary for Sophie's 5th week!

GAS
Her gas is definitely better. She burps very easily & when she doesn't it doesnt seem to be a problem. I think next week I am going to use the gas drops every other feeding & see how that goes.

FEEDINGS
Turns out Sophie is like me & Will, she has milk protein intolerance (or allergy, depending on who you ask). So she is on Enfamil Nutramigen. It's the Enfamil version of what Will had. It's expensive, so thankfully we are on WIC. Although I know eventually we will have to start paying for it out of pocket, so I'm on the lookout for coupons!
She is eating 3 1/2oz. every 3 hours, ending at 1030pm then we let her eat when she wakes. I have to wake her for most of her feedings still. It only takes her about 20 minutes to finish the bottle, with two or three burpings.

WAKETIME
Waketimes are somewhere between 50-60 minutes, leaning more to 60. Sometimes there is still a waketime where she can only stay awake a short while after the feeding. If we go out for errands or something & she stays in her carseat, she will sleep the whole time (practically). During waketimes she is more alert and smiles (especially at Will).

NAPS
I am still swaying with her until she's drowsy, mostly because I want to know she's tired since she doesn't show any signs of being tired until she is overtired. She goes down without crying 98% of the time, the other 2% I'll pick her right back up and sway a little more, then she goes down without crying. There have been a few naps she wakes early or at the 45minute mark, usually later in the day. I let her cry it out & she usually is fine with only a few minutes. At the nap from 8-1030, she has a tendency to fuss a lot on & off. I take this as her witching hour, because if I go in as soon as I pick her up she is quiet & sleeping. Not sure whats up with that! haha.

NIGHTTIME SLEEP
Sophie is still waking up once a night to eat. It used to be 3am, but now its anywhere between 2:20am and 3:30am. I can't lie & say Im not anxious for this to be gone. I know she still needs a night feeding, but she isn't very hungry at this feeding, so I hope it's not a waking out of habit. She also has started to wake up at 6am, but she is not hungry at all. As soon as I pick her up she quiets & closes her eyes, but she keeps waking up as soon as we put her down. We can't really let her cry it out, because at this time in the morning Will would wake up & not go back to bed. So we've decided to use the swing if she doesn't go back to bed after a few minutes. Will did this waking early too, but I remember his being even earlier, we did the same thing with the swing & then one day (around 8 months or so) he just snapped out of it. If they were hungry at this time I might consider making this our wake up time, but since they aren't Im going to sleep some more!
On a side note: I am always the one waking up in the middle of the night & it is really starting to wear on me! Corey doesn't do well at all with waking in the middle of the night, he would want to sleep all day, so I've just done it. I think I might ask him to do it tomorrow & just power through this one day. Not too much to ask, right?

OUTINGS/EVENTS
There were a few outings this week, but FAR less than previously. We went to the pumpkin patch & dinner at a friend's Saturday. She slept the whole time at the pumpkin patch. At the friend's dinner she had her normal waketime & slept well in her carseat & my arms for her naps. Sunday we went to a kids museum & she slept in the sling almost the whole time. BUT suprisingly when she sleeps right after eating while we're out it doesnt make her more awake later in the day or anything. I think this is because she's still so young. We had a few appointments earlier in the week & went to MOPS on Thursday. This time at MOPS she actually stayed awake after I fed her for the whole waketime! Then as it was time to nap she happily fell asleep in my arms. Now if I could transfer her to the carseat. haha. I don't think I'll use the nursery at all, maybe when she's 6 months old, or at earliest after flu season.

SICKNESS
So, I wasn't this way with Will, maybe because it wasn't flu season when he was born or because I was focused on other things with his development, but I do not want Sophie to get sick. I feel like she was born sick with a cold. I dont like a lot of people to hold her & I freak out at the thought of her in nursery. Will was really sick a week ago & I made sure he kept his distance as much as he could & I washed my hands as much as I could. She didnt get it thankfully. I would worry that Im too concerned with her not getting sick, but it's flu season & if my overprotectiveness keeps her without flu or colds, it works for me. I'll be better once she's older.

That's it! Look forward to toddler summary of Will!!!

Will, 18-month Summary

2010-08-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

Things have been so hectic around here the last couple of weeks. We are preparing for the birth of Sophia, moving houses, and with the school-year starting there are more activities starting up also (like MOPS & bible studies). Will has really been doing great.

Eating- Will is up & down with how much he eats. One day he will eat a ton & want more all day & the next he'll eat only fruit and cereal. haha. I don't worry about how much he eats, I just make sure that I offer him something I know he likes & a variety so I can hopefully get every food group into him in a week. Which is normally doable. I do think I need to vary up the kinds of fruits & veggies I cook. I usually stick to the same, but I dont want him to grow aversions for anything.
Oh, the best thing I have learned to get him to try new things: Don't say anything! Just put it on his plate. I don't even say anything when I eat my portion. He has tried several things this way.

Playing- Ugh, I have been forgetting independent play. I guess I had a little mommy guilt that I've been so busy packing & unpacking & he's been playing by himself. I figure it's 2 weeks maximum of off-schedule & it wont ruin him. I'll just have to start up again next week & start slow.

Sleeping- He's doing really well with sleeping. His afternoon nap is now extending to 2-3 hours, since we've dropped his morning nap a few weeks ago. I much prefer one long nap. He did have a few nights of night waking about 30 minutes after going down for the bed when we were moving. I went in there a few times to comfort him, but after the third time I let him CIO & he was asleep in 10 minutes. It brought back memories of how hard CIO it is.

Communication- He is getting more vocal for sure! He has an opinion on almost everything. haha. He has said a lot of words here & there. He doesn't say very many words on a regular basis. I'm not worried though. He understands everything I say, follows 2-step commands, and all that good stuff. I do really like hearing him talk though! His voice is so cute. But yes, he is communicating through words, grunts, & signs more & more.
He's started signing "thank you". I have made a point to really use "thank you" & "please" in my daily life & everytime I say "thank you" he does the sign, it's funny.

Helper- He is such a helper! I've taken two of the metal sections off the swiffer so its his size. That is his favorite toy! He has helped pack, always cleans the table off after he eats, & knows the steps to wash his hands & face. I'm amazed at this kid!

Fits- He does have some fits, but I am getting better at handling them & preventing them. His worst time of the day has got to be while I'm making dinner, which apparently is the hardest time of day for most children. I have learned not to feed him any appetizers (he's not really hungry, because he wont eat dinner if I do). If Corey is home it's not too bad, but I haven't yet figured how to handle this one on my own. SO, if you have any suggestions, please send them my way! haha.

Animal Care- Will loves Molly, our dog... well, he at least likes her. She, on the other hand, avoids him like the plague. It's getting to the point that we have to start working on their relationship. Will is rough, which I think is normal, but still he needs to learn to be gentle with her. He likes to feed her. Sometimes he will yell when he feeds her, thouroughly confussing her. I have a section in the What To Expect The Toddler Years to read about toddlers & pets. Hopefully they will have some good suggestions. I can tell it makes corey sad that Will & Molly aren't best friends, haha.

Schedule- ugh, right now things are so hectic, but this is what it is (a little less planned activities this week)
7:30-wake, tv time
8:00- breakfast
8:30- clean up/tv time
9:00- art time/science time
9:30- outdoor play/errands
10:30- free play/independent play
11:00- lunch
11:30- nap
1:45-2:00- wake, snack
2:30- learning time (numbers right now)
2:45-3:00 errands
5:00- Daddy-time/free play
5:30-6:00- Dinner
6:30- outdoor play
7:15- family time
7:40- bathtime
8:00- bedtime

I'm hopeful Sophia will slide right into our schedule, but we are expecting to make adjustments & figure it all out with grace! haha

Moving Day

2010-08-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

It's here! Yaye for us getting to move into the bigger house before Miss. Sophia arrives! People keep commenting on me moving while 9 months pregnant, but it's way better than having a newborn & a toddler and moving. I am sick, so that part sucks!

This week, of course, flew by & didn't seem that hard actually. My least favorite part about moving is that some stuff has to wait until the last minute & it feels super chaotic. I HATE feeling disorganized!! Luckily, the Holy Spirit has grown in me a better sense of go-with-the-flow. Gotta love what God does to you through your kids! haha.

Aha, the guys are back to start the next load, so I guess my little break is over! hehe. I'll finish this up tonight.... or actually I guess in a few days (I forgot to schedule our cable & internet to switch over, oopsies).

BumGenius 4.0 review link

2010-07-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a review of the BumGenius 4.0 cloth diaper. I'm scared to try them now! I really liked the 3.0 & I really dont get why they had to discontinue them, blah. Hopefully these will suit me well, it's not like I had much time to get attached to the 3.0's but whatever.

BumGenius 4.0 review by awesome blogger

Menu Plan Monday... a lil late

2010-07-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

So, I still Menu Plan at home, but I havent posted it in a long time. I love menu planning, I just don't really see how people do it otherwise. But that's my OCD, right?

When Will turned 1 I planned all the meals & snacks for the day so that I made sure he got all the food groups he needed. Now, I'm a little more flexible. I know that each meal/snack has to have certain things.

Breakfast we have a grain, a fruit, and every other day we make eggs. Grains for breakfast vary from bagels, toast, cold cereal, & once a week I make something special like pancakes or french toast & I make enough to have that one more time during the week. Fruit is either strawberries, blueberries, applesauce, peaches or even mandarin oranges.

Lunch we have grains, veggies, protein, & dairy (sometimes). Things like sandwiches, organic mac & cheese with veggies mixed in it, or leftovers.

Snack we have fruit & a grain. Grains like whole wheat crackers, nilla wafers, teddy grahams (which are actually pretty healthy!!), goldfish, & lately he LOVES pretzels!

So, anyway for dinner this week we have...
Monday- Cheese Ravioli in marinara & mixed baby califonia veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, & carrots)
Tuesday- Taco Salad
Wednesday- Out to Eat at the Melting Pot to celebrate Corey's success at work!!!
Thursday- Baked Crispy Chicken, smashed potatoes, broccoli
Friday- Vegetarian Lasagna (ricotta & spinach)
Saturday- Leftovers
Sunday-BLTs & homemade tomato soup

I'm really looking forward to the lasagna, it's been awhile since we've had it!
Also, wanna hear some good news? I convinced Corey, my dear husband, to learn how to cook, so he can make dinner one night, every other week. lol. I know some of you are blessed with husbands who cook, but mine is scared & this is a big step for us. Usually I cook or we go out to eat! haha. I never really mind, but I think this will be good for him/us. He'll gain confidence in his abilities, we'll save money not going out to eat just because I'm too tired to cook (we are having another baby!!), & I wont have all the pressure on me. I'll let you know soon what he plans on learning next week!!

Long time... Will Update

2010-07-13T19:33:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!

It's been awhile since I've blogged & even longer since I've blogged about something relevant!

So first I'll update ya on Will...

16.5 month old

Things have been pretty full lately. We are on a pretty good schedule during the week, sometimes it's too much the same for ME, but it works.

Eating- Will has finally slowed down on the eating front. I've been reading since he was 1 that his appetite will decrease. I have to admit, even though I knew it was normal & what to do, I still freaked out a little. I almost started letting him snack a lot. I snapped out of it before the day was over. hehe. He still gets all of his nutrients because there is always something in each food group he'll eat. I offer a wide variety still & sometime he surprises me. The other day he ate carrots (something he hasn't ate in months) because Corey used chopsticks to feed them. He really ate 8 carrot coins!!
He is really good at using his fork now (we have these mini-metal ones), so we are moving on to regular cups. We were starting off with little bits of water at one meal a day (lunch), but I gave him some of my soda (i know, evil mom) & he was more successful. Was it because it was brown so he could see it, or because he really wanted it! haha. We aren't switching over to soda though. He doesn't like the cold water spilling on him, so I think he will get it.
Another big change on the eating front... he's in a booster now! Bye Bye highchair!

Playing- We are moving to room time! He's been having alone time in a pack-n-play since he was 8 months old, but recently he was really protesting it. So move on we must! So far I've stayed in there with him for 20 minutes at a time, to make sure he can't hurt himself & to ease him into it. Soon I'll be leaving him for longer periods of time & then start extending the amount of time he is in there. I'm aiming for about 45mins.
We have been out of the house a lot more, mostly because we try to go to the pool every afternoon. Sometimes it's stormy or I have errands I have to run during that time, but I much prefer the pool. It's so hot & muggy here it's almost his only outdoor time. blah.

Sleeping- Things are great here. He is still taking two naps (totalling 2-3 hours) & sleeping for 11-12 hours at night. I really thought with how he napped the first year of his life that he would drop the morning nap a LONG time ago, but he doesn't seem anywhere near ready still. C'est la vie! I'm not in a rush, although I see the benefits of a free morning. Maybe it's because I know with Sophia coming soon that I'll be limited again. Why get used to a freedom? haha.

Communication- Will still isn't saying very many clear words often, but he does say them sporadically. I feel like he's just a guy! Let's see the words he does say clearly enough for me to understand... hi, dadda, maa (mom), okay, no, yea, dg, talk, peese (please), aa dun (all done), & that's all I can think of. Actually, that's not bad & way better than a month ago. He does jabber a lot & uses signs (all done, outside, more, please, sorry, up, diaper, & bye).
He understands a lot & is very helpful around the house! He throws away his own diapers (that will be changing because we are switching to cloth diapers), he puts his bowl & cups in the sink, he is obsessed with swiffering (I've taken two of the metal poles out so it's his size), he cleans his spot on the table, his hands, & his seat with a rag, he brushes Molly (if she wants him to or not)... he just does a lot & I'm pretty amazed by him!

Fits- He's there! He has been building up from mini-fits that were so cute I had to hide my face so he wouldn't see me laugh/smile. Now he gets frustrated & it's totally understandable to me why he gets frustrated, but that doesn't mean I give in.

Discipline- Will has been throwing things like crazy. It's frustrating for me, because I'm already so tired from being pregnant! I will admit I need to be more consistent & I think I have chosen my guidance/discipline technique I will be sticking with. So yaye for that! I think a lot of the throwing could be solved if we could go out in the morning & get some energy out, BUT like I said it's really too hot/muggy for that. So he's in the house until 3pm way too long for a toddler boy! I'll have to figure something out.

Schedule-
7:30 (give or take 15 minutes)- wake, cuddle with mom, & a little bit of tv time
8:00- breakfast
8:30- maybe more tv time, free play/helping mom clean
9:00- independent playtime
9:30- brush teeth, read with mom
9:45-10:00 Nap #1
11:00-11:30 wake, lunch, free play
12:00 Daddy's break so play with dad,
12:30 learning time (I'll blog about this some other time), climber time
1:00-1:30- Nap #2
2:30-3:00- wake, snack, pool time/errands
5:00- play with daddy while mommy makes dinner
6:00- dinner
6:30- walk/park/errands
7:30- bath time
8:00-bedtime

Okay I'm too tired to update more... I'll update about me, Corey & Sophia tomorrow! haha

Begining Photography

2010-05-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

I love photography and when I first got my digital camera I tried to become a photographer, but that dream faded with all the demands of life & the fear that I would never have enough money to be good enough (you know all the equipment). BUT recently I've had a few friends that are showcasing their photography & I wanna do it too! haha.

My sister-in-law, Kelly, is really good & after picking her brain a little this morning, I decided to just pick up my skirt & just start clicking! She recommended finding weekly assignments online to get me going.

I have a plain old point & shoot camera & the only photo programs I have on my computer are the ones that come with it! (Although Kelly has a way of getting me Photoshop, shhh).

My first assignment is to take 30 pictures of my favorite subject... can you guess who that is? Well, if you can't you're weird! I'll give myself until Wednesday to post them (so I can somewhat edit them!) I'll probably only post a few of the best.

I invite you to join me on any & all of the assignments I set. If you do, please comment me a link to your photos!

Purse Dump

2010-03-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

So... I have a normal size purse. It's not too big, definitely not to small (although... it's getting cramped). Corey teases me a lot that I have "everything" in my purse & some friends also tease. The other day after finding some crazy things in my purse I decided to dump my purse & see all what was in there!

I haven't dumped my purse since... well let's just say Will wasn't mobile. I've cleaned it here & there, but not a dump.

So as I dump, I'm going to let you all laugh at what was all in there.

*notebook
*2 pens
*toy fire truck
*grocery list
*keys
*2 bracelets
*Will's shot record card
*loose puffs (toddler snack)
*ear plug (just one)
*mirror compact
*little Swiss army knife
*Lysol sanitizing spray
*digital camera (case & adapter too)
*sunglasses
*Neosporin
*band-aids
*Metoclopram (anti nausea medicine)
*prenatal record (a little card that tracks important things in case)
*Ultrasound pics
*2 appt cards
*Purell hand sanitizer
*nail polish
*epipen
*2 things of dental floss (I thought I ran out of one!)
*granola bar
*candy wrappers
*hand lotion
*peppermint candies (for nausea)
*Tootsie Pop (gift from tax man for Will, c'mon 1year old cant have lolli's!)
*extra memory card for camera
*lip gloss
*chapstick
*military ID
*wallet (credit cards, reward cards, business cards, cash, change, receipts, stamps, ID, insur. cards)
*Will's spending money
*7 receipts
*coupons
*fritos (I get low blood sugar & pressure, I need food!)
*check book
*WIC stuff
*pamphlets
*EMS Key Spouse button
*pantyliner
*58 cents in loose change
*some crumbs & dirt

Not too bad... right? Hey if I ever have to go to a shower & they do that What's in Your Purse game, I'll soooo win!

Thanks for letting me share with you, now share with me! What's in Your Purse?
*

Busy Boy

2010-03-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

WOW! I really have a toddler! He is busy busy busy! By the end of the day I thought to myself, I should have recorded everything he does in one day!!! So, I will try tomorrow. Emphasis on the TRY!

Cute things/ busy toddler things he did today:

*climbed in the cabinet

*used mommy's eyeshadow (I was tweezing my eyebrows, thinking he was playing with his bath toys...)

*tried to eat the camera

*perfected climbing up the climber

*washed his hands with a wipe at the restaurant! (I swear I'm not that much of a clean freak!!)

*washed the bathtub knobs

*gave Molly broccoli & chicken (naughty naughty)

*put away his legos by himself!

*brought mommy his shoes as we were getting ready to leave (okay, shoe, the other one only made it a few feet)

*fed mommy cheerios, egg, & broccoli

*climbed on the couch with lego box

*said "dog" clearly as he chased Molly all over the house!
*threw the big ball & went to get it several times

*closed all the open doors in the house

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting, but it was such a full day. I love it! I officially have a toddler!!! haha. Now time for me to pass out on the couch from exhaustion because he just fell asleep!

Will's First Birthday!

2010-03-10T20:18:00.001-08:00

I'm going to keep this post simple. We had such a great time with a few friends and family. Of course we wished all of our family could've been there, but obviously that is hard with our life! Will loved his carrot cake. He got a lot of presents (thanks everybody)! He loved having other kids over & of course seeing Grampy & Uncle Brandon!

Grampy & his lil man

a ball from the Borgs, Blocks from Grampy & Brandon, an outfit & stunnaz from Jessica & Sawyer!

His carrot cake, the song, big bite, & ready for some milk!

After a long day he & daddy cuddled on the couch... that was my favorite part of the day!

Pregnant!

2010-03-10T19:14:00.001-08:00

Am I going completely crazy?! I think so!!! I cannot believe it has taken me THIS long to blog about our new to-be-baby! As a second child I promised I would try my best to record the memories of my second child. I remember growing up sad that my brother had a somewhat filled out baby book & I had NONE! The gaul of my parents! Then of course with the coming of the twins 8 years later, they we're special so they got a baby book too.

Now look at me 12 weeks pregnant with #2 & no blogging! Uh I'm horrible! lol. Okay so on to blogging about #2!

Yaye! I'm pregnant again! We were able to see little bean for the first time today! It is very, very active! Flipping around so much that the ultrasound technician had a hard time measuring lil Shipe-y.

I keep wanting to call #2 "him" & seeing babe made me all the more sure it is a boy. BUT if it is a girl, I would be SOOO excited!

I wont lie (I mean I've told most of you already), I was scared at first at the idea of having a girl, but it's spring and I am SO over it! Have you seen all those cute dresses?! Also, I had the idea that I was a really trying, whinny girl growing up & how could I possibly deal with that?! I have a few older friends that have somewhat tense relationships with their daughters that are their spitting images. Oh so worried I couldn't be a good enough mom to a girl! BUT then this awesome guy known as my dad told me I was "crazy" that I was "the best little girl" and I was "sweet and caring". Granted he's a guy & I'm a woman. Granted he is getting older & it's been a long time since I was little (20 years), so maybe his memory is getting fuzzy. LOL. Whatever it was, probably the praying to God to prepare my heart, I would be thrilled to have a girl.

...that said, I just think it's a boy. I would also be very happy to have 2 boys! FUN! ADVENTURE! BUGS! MUD! yes, I can do that!

Corey is really pulling for a girl. As it seems are most people.

So, now for the negatives... unfortunately, I've been really sick this time around. Although I am now starting to get more energy (I woke up at 6:45am, didn't nap, & I'm still up at 10:30pm!!), I'm still sick. With Wills I was sick in the am, either threw up (sorry if that's gross) or at a Jimmy Dean Sausage biscut, and was fine the rest of the day. Well, fine as far as nauseousness goes. THIS time, sick all day, nothing regularly helps & most things make it way worse! Because of this aversion to almost everything (paticularly large amounts of liquids) I have been struggling with major dehydration & weakness from not eating enough. I think the last few weeks I've been struggling with low blood pressure, I for sure did today. It is getting better in all honesty... so hopefully any day now I'll be totally cured!

Now the part you've been waiting for, PICTURES!

I have a 1 year old!!!

2010-03-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

It's crazy, my lil man is 1! He's a toddler! I love it.

He is officially OFF the bottle! wahoo! He's still adjusting in the morning. He is doing way better than I feared. He ended up tolerating milk perfectly fine & loves it. He does like to keep his milk throughout the day & I was letting him because I wanted him to get enough milk, but we replaced it with water & he likes that too.

He walked down the street today. Such a big boy! He is now bending his knees when he walks so he's not toddling as much, but still lots of falls, bumping into things, & toddling. I expect that for a long time, no rush. He also walked all around the dog park, chasing Reese, our friend's dog (a little jack russel-pug mix). He sure loves dogs!

I decided to wait on potty training. I am just so tired from a regular day & there is a lot of change going on for him. I plan on starting up once the energy returns (soon, please God!!!). Also, I need to get Corey more comfortable with taking him to the potty. Another reason we are putting it off... since we've changed his eating & drinking habits his normal times for peeing and pooping has changed & I would like to wait until it is more predictable again. He did pee twice before we stopped & he was getting more used to sitting... is it bad that I am putting it off for mostly selfish reasons?

Pregnancy is going well, well... well enough. haha. I had been nauseated a lot, but this past weekend I picked up a yucky cold that is still with me. At first, it somehow kept me from feeling nauseated which was a welcome relief, even though my head was SO stuffy. NOW however, it is making it worse!!! I guess the congestion moved more to a postnasal drip & is making me cough a lot more. If I cough too heavy = throwing up. YUCK! I'm definitely getting an IUD as soon as this baby comes out!! lol. I go to see the OB & get the 1st ultrasound next wednesday! I cannot wait!!! I can't wait to see the little bugger & to make sure it isn't twins! I keep having nightmares! Okay okay, technically they aren't nightmares except for the fact that I have twins in them! lol.

Great news on the Corey job front (!!!) he is going to day shift!!! Normal work hours!!! Bummer I wont be able to sleep in during the week, but I guess that is just me being spoiled. It'll be so nice to have him home in the evening!

okay that's all the blabbering I have for for today. Cor is home & I am so in need of a cuddle! lol
goodnight!

Before Bathtime Video

2010-02-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

Will LOVES baths! He also LOVES being naked! His best buddy is his Daddy! They have lots of fun together!

Approaching 1...

2010-02-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

So here we are, about a week away from Will's first birthday! I cannot believe it!!! I am so excited for my little boy! He is walking so much & with that exploring EVERYTHING!

He loves...
*walking, everywhere as much as he can

*balls, & with that...

*throwing (he was throwing everything & now I'm trying to teach him that he "can throw balls, that's it")

*climbing, he pushed a container to the couch & used it to climb up the couch

*dad & mom, he's starting to become apprehensive of strangers or even people he knows when he first sees them.

*Molly

*stacking cups, endless minutes of entertainment

*the laptop... yeah that's a "No", haha

*eating regular food, especially feeding himself.

he hates...
*not having his paci, we are trying to wean from it, so far he can only have it during his witching hour (6pm) & out in public if he gets fussy.

He doesn't really hate things I guess. He has been a little more fussy, but that's because he is now officially in the stage of wanting things he can't have, or wants to do things he can't.

He is so fun! He has been a lot more cuddly. He's more aware of what a stranger is & is apprehensive of even my friends who he sees often, until he warms up.

Everything is going pretty well. He just recently got over a yucky virus, which was aggravated by some teething. He now has 8 teeth, 4 on the top & 4 on the bottom. That bottom one is still making it's way all the way up, which I think is still causing pain. We all know that means a harder time with naps & bedtime. C'est la vie.

Will is pretty obedient, but of course that is something that will be worked on over his whole life! He tries to listen, except when something is just THAT interesting.

He hasn't said very many words, Momma & Dadda of course. The other words are "sounds likes" but he's trying.

He's eating well. Figuring out how to really use those teeth. I'm trying to be inventive about the foods to serve him. Corey & I are eating more veggies now that we have to make them for Will! hehe. Soon it'll be time to drop his bottle! We are starting with switching the formula to milk slowly & then we'll slowly drop the bottle. I'm worried that he'll have a problem with milk (like lactose intolerance), since he is on Alimentum (milk proteins are broken down), but I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there.

He's such a great kid & wish all of you could know him like we do!

Here he is exploring...

Picking up Daddy's habits...

His first snow, sadly he was getting sick, so he did NOT like it

Jesus' Birthday 2009

2009-12-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun this year & I really understand how Christmas becomes all about the kids when you have them!

We started the day by celebrating Jesus' Birthday with cinnamon rolls & then we opened presents! We took a nap & then started on dinner. Grampy (my dad), Brandon, Katie, Michael, Veronica & Andrew came over. We hung out & had a big Christmas Feast of ham (my first ham!), greenbean casserole, rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, & stuffing. Corey & I had Pinot Noir from the Biltmore (very good). Dessert was brownies made by Veronica! We hung out a little more. After the fam left the Dunham's (V & Andrew), Corey, & I played Guesstures. Then we put Will down for bed, the Dunham's left & Corey & I cuddled.

Here are the pictures (they are out of order)!

Will walking to me!

Will loves books, these will get lots of love

(from aunt barbra, mom-mom & pop-pop)

thanking Grampy for his gift (activity center)

yaye for Socks! (aunt B, mom-mom & pop-pop)

Opening a gift from Tutu & Pa

(stacking cups)

More books he'll enjoy

he is amazed at this fish tank

Will's Birth Sampler from Anut Barbara

Corey's present (except I accidently grabbed the one for Mac's)

OoooOOOoo Catapillar

Me, Katie, Mike, & Brandon, YAYE!

I LOVE them soo much!

He was pointing at the bears on the paper, so cute, my lil genius! hehe

Update

2009-12-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

So I feel like blogging about our life. Nothing paticular, just rambling.

I have free time because Corey is working 12-hour shifts, 6pm-6am. It's not fun, but it'll be over soon. I've been having a hard time falling asleep without him, but I think it has more to do with barely seeing him. I'm not usually the type that has a hard time falling asleep, period. haha

Will is doing awesome. He is growing of course. It's crazy how fast this happens. He is really on the verge of walking. He is taking 1 1/2 steps, as of now. He is really bonding with Molly. Sometimes I catch them cuddling on Molly's bed. Molly is still apprehensive about him, because he sometimes (gets too excited) hits her/pulls her hair. It's cute.

We are all done with christmas shopping. However, I didn't send out all the cards yet. haha. It's not my fault I ran out of envelopes & kept forgetting to get them. You'll get them, geez!

I am done with all the have-to's & now get to enjoy the season!

Hope you do too!

My Birthday- pretty late

2009-12-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

This is exactly a month late, but hey whatever.

I turned 25 this year, whoa! haha yeah right! I feel young & do not at all feel like 25 is "old". I feel accomplished & very happy with life.

My day started off with breakfast in bed from my guys! Crepes, eggs, sausage & milk. YUM! (Corey went to IHOP hehe).

Then as the day wore on Will developed a fever. We took him to the Dr. His fever came down quickly & the Dr. wasn't sure if it was bacterial or viral. So we went back the next day and he still wasn't sure. Will seemed a little better, but apparently his numbers (blood test) went up. So he gave him an antibiotic shot (just in case) & we went back again the next day. Will was all better, the Dr. wasnt sure it was from the shot (& he would need follow-up medicine to make sure it was all gone) or he was just getting better. I llistened to my instincts & watched him closely for the next two days (w/o the meds) & decided not to give them.

So the night of my birthday...

We went out with Faith, the Borg's, & the Dunham's to the Melting Pot. It was AMAZING!! I definitely reccomend it! Because we had a large party we were able to order 3 of all the fondues! Now you know I'm a foodie (or fatty, tomayto-tomawto) so here you go...

We ordered the Fiesta Cheese, Spinach Artichoke, & Cheddar Cheese Fondues for appetizers. Fiesta was my fav. The Spinach Artichoke was a little too garlic-y for moi. So with the cheese they give veegies, breads, tortilla chips, & apples. (yes the apples are great with cheese!)

Dinner we had the oil & the vegetable broth. I ordered chicken (not reccomended, it was plain & though they gave seasonings it wasnt enough). Faith however ordered the Teryaki Steak which was YUM! You also get a salad before your entree, I got ceasar (i didn't like their ceasar). You get veggies, batters, & dips with your fondues.

Dessert (are you excited to hear about it?) we ordered s'mores, dark chocolate, and the original (crunchy peanut butter & milk chocolate). Now I LOVE dark chocolate & on a date that would've been it, very sexy to me. However, I cannot deny the heaven-on-earth that was the Original. I would've eaten the WHOLE pot was it not on the other side of the table! haha. Dessert comes with marshmallows, rice crispy treats, cheesecake, strawberries, pound cake, & brownies! & yes, free refills of the dipables! Amazing, right?

If you haven't gone, GO!

That weekend Corey had to work, so Will and I went up to celebrate with my dad and the twins. Dad made our family recipe brisket (sooo good) and bought a good, cute cake. I really loved that they celebrated with me.

That was that! I had recieved a few great gifts & a lot of well wishes! Here's some pictures...

Dunham's, Borg's, Faith & Moi...

again at the Melting Pot, but now with my guys Cor & Wills...

Me, Wills, & My Family Birthday Cake...

blowin' out the candles!

Yummy candle! I LOVE him!

Oh Blog...

2009-11-28T20:44:00.001-08:00

Oh Blog how I've missed you!

I know I have been horrible about updating you for my friends & family. What with the mobile pre-toddler, the outside-of-home volunteering, the whole running a house business, and trying to do extra things like have me-time or leading women's bible study, I haven't had time to update you. I haven't even uploaded any pictures from November (or the rest of October for that matter) onto my laptop.

Now it is the holiday season & things are REALLY picking up speed. I LOVE the holidays, but there is that teeny part of me that looks forward to that plain, boring, empty month of January. With all its coldness, that makes you stay indoors as much as humanely possible.

Alas, here are some of the things I hope to accomplish in the next month... or so. I must let any readers know that this list is more for me (to take this list OFF repeat in my head), but thought you might giggle at my ambitiousness... craziness... good ideas... and whatever it is that comes out.

In no particular order (yet):
*make picture flashcards for Will of all the people he should love in my life (family & friends)
*bake several different types of cookies for CLOSE friends & family (close in relational sense, not geographical)
*go to Trinity's wedding (FUN & actually gets me out of several other things, wahoo)
*make Corey a non-nag-y list of reminders of Will's schedule (YES, I cannot take Will with me to Cali... my heart drops every time I say it... avoid topic at all costs)
*Buy Christmas presents (yeah, it looks so unassuming taking up only one asterisk!)
*decorate house in Christmas getup (including my first ever hanging lights outside!)
*finish making Christmas cards & (very important this year...) mail them.
*make the Shipe Gingerbread house!
*mail goodies & gifts
*get through my whole list of deep cleaning tasks for the month (1-a-day)
*finish Gilmore Girls (I'm on season 6)
*Help with MXG Kids Christmas Party (I'm the official face painter forever, fine by me)
*Help with the EMS Squadron Christmas Party
*Cookie Exchange with MOPS
*Have the pre-Christmas Boeckh-Shipe Christmas (yaye)
*Figure something romantic for the anniversary (4 years wahoo)
*Take LOTS of pictures
*finish paintings with Faith (that's a "January")
*finish covering the garden beds (really it's not fall anymore... eek)

Okay, my brain hurts. That's all you're getting out of me. I'm tired... want bed... waaaa!

I WILL get on here & give you info on Will... maybe while I'm in Cali w/o my life (aka Will). Sadness overcomes, cannot win.

ta ta

Visit from Korinne & Reese

2009-10-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Yaye, Korinne & Reese came to visit us Monday!!! I feel so blessed!

For those of you who don't know, Korinne is one of my best friends. Her husband is in the Air Force & right now they are living in the Azores. Unfortunately Joey, her hubby, wasn't able to take leave or something, but she and her adorable daughter Reese took a HOP to the states! Luckily, her momma lives in SC, so we were able to see them!

Korinne, is a wonderful friend. She's honest, fun, encouraging, hilarious, kindhearted, real, and well, I could go on, but you probably already think I'm gay for her. lol.

Reese is so adorable & so smart! She's 1 1/2 years old. She is so obedient & loving to animals. I want to eat her little head!

We didn't really do anything special, then again, them being here was special in & of its self. We hung out at the house. I showed her a little bit of the base, since she might move here later. Here's some pics from the Partay.

Highlights of the Week 9/27-10/03

2009-10-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

I was so busy this week, but I have a feeling that the rest of this year will be pretty busy.

I'll start with the most recent, cutest thing Will has done. He howled at the moon. We were driving around tonight & I saw the full moon & started to howl, so did Corey & next thing we know, Will starts "howling"! He is so flippin' cute! Granted his "howl" was his high-pitched babble, but it sounded like our howls. haha

So Monday I met with Corey's first shirt & am starting my training to become a Key Spouse.
Tuesday I had a MOPS Steering meeting (the leadership & people in comittees) & finally got to meet all the people in Special Events Comittee (4 people).
There was also a picnic for the Junior Enlisted Appreciation Day for the military, so Corey got home early & we love that!
Wednesday was hectic with little things. I made Shredded Pork in the crockpot & cookies for some friends of ours that are leaving.
Thursday was MOPS, we learned about throwing birthday parties, we decorated cupcakes, & had a 3-legged race. fun! haha
Friday was my "relax" day. Corey didn't have to go in until 7pm! We ended up going to Target in Columbia & got a few things to Autumn out our house. Love it! Of course Starbucks was involved.
Finally, today, Saturday, Will and I went out early to check out the yard sales on base (4) and we got a moving ball thing for $1!!! Awesome find because I really wanted one & almost bought it a few days earlier for like $30! We just hung out mostly this day. We went out to dinner at Hibachi & Will was adored by everyone who worked there. He got free candy too! (Corey will eat it). There is talk of him becoming the Hibachi Baby. lol. We got ice cream & now here I am at home.

I saw the first inkling of his upper left front tooth peeking out of his gums today! The right tooth is pressing on the gum, it's all white. He will be having a gap, because they are about a mile apart! haha. Good news is he isn't more drool-y or cranky.

Did I tell you guys he is growling (I think he learned it from Molly & Corey wrestling) & making slurp-y sounds (I think he learned from me trying to teach him how to drink from a sippy). Both are hilarious.

Now here is a picture of the world's cutest baby!

Bathtime video

2009-09-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

We give Will a bath every night, unless we are out for some reason. We don't always wash, but he always gets in the water. Sometimes Corey or I will jump in with him. Now, just so you know, Will likes his bathwater hot. We used to use that little bath sensor thing you can buy & he hated how cold it was (& it really was!). We turn on only the hot water (set to 120) & turn on the shower, so it has time to cool down & also steams up the bathroom. So here is his little escapade with the shower... haha

7 months old

2009-09-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

William Thomas Shipe...

is 7 months old today!

This month flew by!

Let's see Willzum's favorite things:
*trying to get my cell phone
*Molly
*eating Earth Best's Teething Biscuts
*pooping while in his exersaucer (everytime!)
*lil crunchies
*playing with paper
*his playskool pop-up toy
*his lovey (a small blanket with a bear body in the middle)

*straws

*peek-a-boo

Things he's doing:

*watching his shadow
*making wierd sucking/slurping sounds (I taught him when I was trying to teach him how to use a sippy cup)

*eating some finger foods (hasn't mastered getting little pieces into his mouth)

*rocking on his hands & knees

*getting from a sitting position onto his tummy/all-fours

*sitting up all by himself in the bathtub!

*starting to climb mommy & daddy to get up

*open mouth kisses!

*2 2-hour naps & 1 1-hour nap a day! Sometimes it's a little less than 2 hours.

*rolling over during diaper changes, nice!

I love him so much! We are having so much fun (me, corey, & wills) I hope life will always be this great!

all-fours, not mastered, but starting

teething biscuts

Hello Shadow

Bathtime! Grab the camera!

Mr. Blow-up Lion (we already had a Mr. Lion...)

This is the baby I get to see every morning, I heart his happiness

Lookin at the world with Dada

Daddy Kiss time

just cute

Menu Plan Monday~ Sept 21st

2009-09-19T21:22:00.001-07:00

Starting back on posting Menu's! I always do menus now. I don't always follow them to a T, somedays frozen pizza just sounds better. BUT here is my plan for the upcoming week:

Breakfasts: oatmeal, cereal, banana bread, or toast & fruit

Lunch: salad, sandwich, chicken & organic Mac, taquitos, or pizza

Dinners:
monday: Lemon Pepper Chicken, garlicy broccoli, & rice pilaf
tuesday: Spinach Ricotta Lasagna, salad, & garlic buns (using leftover hot dog buns)
wednesday: BBQ Chicken, salad, & corn
thursday: Taco Casserole & fiesta rice
friday: Pulled Pork sandwiches, green beans & glazed carrots
saturday: Leftovers
sunday: Probably more leftovers

I plan on making banana bread or muffins (or both) because we have 3 bananas very ripe. Sometimes Corey eats them all & wants more, other times he doesn't even look at them. Maybe we'll have banana smoothies & muffins for Corey to take to work.

I also want to make whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, but we'll see. BTW, they are WAY better than with white flour (just remember to cut back on the flour, I leftout 1/4c for the tollhouse recipe).

For more Menu's or to do your own Menu Plan Monday, check out the Organized Junkie's site!

A Week in Review Sept 12-18th

2009-09-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

I thought I would keep you all updated weekly, unless there is something special to write about.

The week before & half of this past week Corey was on day shift (6am-3pm). It was lovely, we were able to go on nice long walks after dinner & snuggle up alot with William before he went to bed & alone after he did. hehe. I miss it. He's back on swings (2pm-11pm).

So Saturday the 12th, we had a cookout with some of the guys from Corey's work & their wives/girlfriends. It was really fun. I met a few people & got to know some others better. The guys ended up playing video games & us women sat around talking, playing with babies, & ultimately playing boad games. People stayed over super late (think 1am), but it was all worth it.

Sunday we missed church. I was really bummed, but you can't always get what you want huh? It was our lazy day. We just hung out at home, took some walks, went to the dog park on base. I made minestrone, which is great because it fed us for a few dinners.

Monday I had a painting date with my friend Faith. She came over & I taught her the miniscule things I know about painting. I started painting 2 trees, we'll see how it ends up. If you never hear about it again... that means it's not good. haha. I mowed the lawn (I love to). I also found out our debit cards had been compromised!! So I spent the better part of the evening trying to sort that out.

Tuesday was Will's 6-month check-up. He is doing so well. 90th for height, 70th for weight, & 20th for head circumfrence (so weird, that last one). He got two shots & the nurse took a long pause in between them to ask a question. (Um Hello!!! My baby is in pain & wants his mommy, can we hurry this up & ask questions later?!) Other than that everything was dandy. Such a wonderful boy we have! By the time we got home Corey basically just had to check back in with work & he was off. Heaven! We spent time together, walked to our friends house & hung out for a little bit before Will's bedtime.

Wednesday Corey was back on swing shift (BOO). Faith & I went to Columbia to go to Michael's & of course we had to hit up starbucks! We also went to the BX & I finally bought a scale! Now I wont fall off the deep end of the weight gain 2009! haha. I still didn't have the whole debit card thing situated although each day I was trying!

Thursday was my first MOPS meeting of the season, Yaye! It was lots of fun & I don't know anyone in my group so maybe I'll make a lot more friends. I have to say one plus of Corey being on swings is MOPS is in the middle of Will's first nap (an important one), so he can just take his nap at home & I still get me-time. There are a lot of military wives in the group which is nice. So later in the day me & my buddy just hung out. We went to our friend Krystal's house, went on a walk & that's about it.

Friday it was raining so I couldn't go running! I did end up going to the grocery store spur of the moment (but I did make a menu & a list before we left). My friend Tracey & her daughter Hailey came over for a little while. This was the day we FINALLY got the whole debit card thing settled. Travis Credit Union gave us the $300+ back, but we are still waiting for our new debit cards.

It was a good week. Busy for us, but I'd rather be a bit busy than bored.
Next week I have on my agenda:
*Go to Lake Wateree with Corey's Flt.
*Call my Korinne, yes, she's MINE! haha jk
*get new jeans (I have 2 pairs & one has a hole!)
*call Corey's first shirt to become a Key Spouse
*paint my painting & the office wall
*post pictures
*start the cross-stitch I got at Michaels
*go running MWF
*settle dates to take pictures with the family

Vacation!!!

2009-09-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

Ahhh I am so bad at this blog thing now.

We went on vacation to Maryland & California to visit family & friends. I wrote down what we did everyday & was planning on updating you all each week... well we know how that went down. So instead of boring you with a play-by-play, I'll give you the "quick" version.

Saturday thru Wednesday we were in Maryland. We hung out with Corey's family & friends. It was mucho fun & we went out a couple nights. It is really nice to have family.

Wednesday we flew to California. Will's FIRST plane ride! He did really well. The first flight & layover was a little off, but I chaulk that up to him being so curious & confused. He LOVED take-off & landings. The second flight he was out the WHOLE time. The third flight (yup, three) he slept the majority of the time, but did have a nice let's-pee-on-mom-3-times-in-the-tiny-airplane-bathroom time.

Anyways, we spent Wednesday thru Wednesday in California. We spent time with my family & a lot of our friends. We were very busy in Cali, we'd leave at 10am & get back aroun 9pm most days. We went out to eat everywhere, we had to get our fill of things not available in SC. Will did really great considering our schedule, being on vacay, & the fact that he was teething! Yup the morning we were leaving my brother discovered his teeth had cut through! Two teeny tiny pearly whites! They are my favorite teeth! I'll keep them forever!

So, when we got back to Maryland, there was a lot of relaxing & casually hanging with family & friends. Then Wednesday we headed back to South Carolina. It was nice to be back in my house, but we had SO much fun. It was a great vacation! Here are a million pictures for you!

Corey giving Will a bath at Mommom & Poppop's

Will taking of for California!!!

Cool Guys (My brother, Mike & Wills)

My Obason (grandma)/Will's Hebason!!

We went to the Jelly Belly, woot!

Will's Obason/my mom

Yum, this was delightful!!! I ate a LOT of food in Cali

Uncle Elliott

Totally passed out playing! haha

Hanging with the Relik's

Hanging with Tiffani Strong

me & Trinity, breakfast the morning we left

me & Bubba (brother), breakfast the morning we left

Iosif's first time holding Wills

Preparing for vacation

2009-08-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

So, I used to have Will sleep in his playpen once a week at least, so that he wouldn't get too attached to his crib & be able to sleep other places. He slept well enough anywhere, so I wasn't too concerned. Well, somehow I lost that as part of our routine... Can you see where this is going?

In my mind I knew we were going on vacation soon & I kept saying next week we'll start the playpen again for one nap a day, next week, tomorrow. Well, not that his naps had been perfect, but they were good & I enjoy nap time. He is happier & more interactive when he gets a good nap.

Yesterday for nap #2 we used the playpen. He didn't do too well at all maybe 30mins total, maybe. (normally it's 2 hours). My flexible child is now attached to his crib in a dark room. The poor thing looked so tired. Nap #3, better, but not good at all, maybe 45mins. So he went to bed early, he didn't even finish his last bottle.

He slept well last night until about 7:10am & that's when Corey woke him up. Now it's first naptime & he slept for 3o mins. & has been crying/whining on & off.

It's hard once you get pass sleep training to hear them start to cry again. I'm trying to not let my emotions rule me. I know I am doing good teaching my son to fall asleep & stay asleep by himself in different places. Not to mention, he wont fall asleep with us (although I wouldnt really want that), he's not a happy camper without naps, he doesn't sleep anywhere without crying, except maybe when he's really tired in my arms as I'm swaying back & forth for maybe 40 mins.

Hopefully, he will be doing okay by the time we get there. I believe it'll all work out. I'd rather deal with this now than on vacation. I do want him to get rest though (I know if they dont it makes it harder to sleep) so I think I will be putting him in the swing for his 3rd nap if #2 doesn't go well & he can't fall asleep on his own for #3.

I guess I should realize that I have done a good job getting him to nap well in his crib & that is a success. He naps 3x for 2 hours each, that is awesome! He's always getting noticed for being alert & aware. I know that is all because of the training we did with babywise. It was work, it is NOT natural. I am happy for him.

The crazy part is, Corey is in the same room with crying baby & sleeping right through it. Granted he has ear plugs, but I can't even sleep with the ear plugs when he's in his room! Men. Gotta love 'em.

I love my guys.

Yeah, & for anyone who hasn't noticed, he's spitting image of dada!

Making Babyfood

2009-08-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

YUM!
So I FINALLY found organic produce! Sure, I had to drive over an hour to get it (& it was not local, I miss CA). I bought a whole bunch, came home & started going to town. Well... on the carrots & green beans at least. It was FUN!

Today I took them out of the ice cube trays. I dont like the blue trays I have, but the white ones from Target are awesome ($2). Good news is, they all work. I have 2 ziplock bags of carrots (Will's to-die-for favorite)& one of green beans. Also today, was Will's first taste of these homemade concoctions. Obviously more fresh tasting he was a little aback at the green beans, but ate a ton of both. score!

So, I'll really have to calculate how much (including gas) it costs to make babyfood compared to buying organic babyfood from the store to see if I'll do it again. It's around $10 a week for store food (as of now), not including cereal. That doesn't sound too bad... I spend $25 at the organic store & didnt get the green beans there & they didnt have a variety...

Now if I lived in CA I'm sure this would work out so much better... wahn wahn wahn.

Pictures & a Video

2009-08-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

So, my Will is growing up.

He sits up by himself (mostly)

He always plays with his toesies

He is always reaching for our food & drinks

He turns to look for me when I call him

He looks around when I ask "where's daddy?"

He watches me when I leave the room
He rolls all around the living room (this actually started today, before he knew how, but didn't care to)

He rolls around when daddy is trying to change his poopy diaper (haha)

Just Mr. Big Boy now, I guess. Whatev! haha jk

The Challenge

2009-08-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

So with the challenge...
I have gotten to the point where I am not craving it at all. Corey desperately wants me to dive into sweets. Apparently, he misses eating sweets with me. I thought that maybe I would end it, because I'm not really craving it. I smelled a piece of chocolate & although it smelled good, I didn't want it. So, I think even though it hasnt been 28 days I'm ready to slowly introduce them back into my life.

I guess breaking a habit doesn't neccissarily take 28 days, but creating one does.

Picturefest

2009-07-29T13:57:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted pictures. Hey I'm busy! lol.

Here are some...

This was Will's first bite of carrots (he had other babyfood before)

He LOVES them!

He's working on the sippy cup, we might need to try one that you dont have to suck as hard...

Janet came for a short visit! Yaye!

We went on a trip to Florida for a family reunion. This was Will's first time hanging out naked, hey, we're scared of pee! Of course he LOVES it!

This is what our Mornings of Laziness look like...

notice Corey's wake-up smoothie? I was awake.

Corey went to put Wills to bed & he was in there for a long time, I went to check on them...

Feeding the baby, this is where we always feed Will. It's very worn in, haha, we have to rotate the cushions. Yes I know the burp cloth is yucky sorry.

Finally, this is an exersaucer we got for free. We wanted to test it out to see if he'd like it before we bought one. This one is very old, so we are ordering a new one online, wha what!

Oh yeah, he LOVES it too!

So Will is a very happy baby. I get two compliments almost everytime I go out. "He's so cute" (or something along those lines) and/or "He's so happy/alert". Yes he is. I love him. He laughs, giggles, smiles almost all the time. He is very ticklish, just like mom & dad.

Today, I was out with Will & there was a freak downpour just as we were leaving. It was Will's naptime soon so I decided to just go for it. I brought the car around, so Will wouldnt get too wet, but I totally forgot to unlock the doors! I looked down at him as I was running around the car to unlock to doors & he was laughing! We got soaked! but it was so much fun.

Alrighty I'll update you on more stuff later, I've got to make a baba.

Will is growing up

2009-07-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Will wont sit back in his infant seat anymore. He tries to sit up all the way. Which is good (sad he's growing up so fast), but when I sit him up on the floor he leans over a lot (which upsets his tummy). I know that's what they do before they sit up for real, it's just amazing how fast it's happening.

He's also rolling over more. Corey was playing with Molly & Will couldn't see so he rolled over. He's a genius! haha. He wants to play with his feet, but cant quite keep them in his hands.

He's eating in a highchair & eating well. For Breakfast he has cereal & a fruit (so far only pears), Lunch is a green veggie & a yellow veggie, Dinner is cereal & a veggie. Dinner is hit or miss, so sometimes we only try cereal. I had grand plans of making my own babyfood, but there is a severe lack of organic fruits & veggies suitable for Will. I might check to see if Food Lion has any before I give up.

So, now I know why they say babies are so expensive. We are at a point where we are needing to buy more clothes, more bibs & burp cloths, a stroller (his is only his carseat & he wants to sit up now), & one of those exersaucers. Oh & food. I guess I'll have to reevaluate our budget.

Well, I think that's all we've got for now.
Oh on & me & Corey note: Corey might not get deployed. There are 29 people in a bucket & they are only choosing 7 people in the bucket to be deployed & 6 spots are already filled. So Corey has a 5% chance of going, but they already have 3 Ssgts. so we are trying to remain calm. haha

Day 1

2009-07-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

Really, it's 4:43 & I've already thought of adjusting my plan or starting "tomorrow". haha. I have realized one thing about my sweets habit already. When Will cries I look for sweets. Maybe not right away, but after he goes down for his nap for sure. I guess this will be when I turn to God, for help dealing with the emotions & stop myself from eating that swiss cake roll. It's not like I'm super stressed when he cries or anything. It's wierd. So far, we're good.

the 28 day challenge

2009-07-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, here it goes. I almost chickened out.

The Mission: Go 28 days without any sweets
The Reason: I am a sweet junkie & I can't seem to eat them in moderation, so I think the best thing would be to detox from them. I want to lose weight & more improtantly be healthy. I heard that it takes 28 days to create a habit.
The Exceptions: Now to clarify, to me sweets are candy, cakes, cookies, ice cream, and the like. I'm not going to count my starbucks drink as a sweet (I hardly ever go there anyway). If I am having a really sluggish day I can have a caffinated beverage (including soda), but only one.
The Substitutes: yogurt, fruit, 100% fruit juice, 100% fruit juice homemade popsicles, yogurt raisins, banana bread, homemade whole wheat muffins, & stuff like that.
The Support: God, Corey, & whoever reads this.

I'm scared to write about this, because I really don't want to fail & then everyone on here know I'm a loser. So that is the reason I am writting about this. haha. Thanks for your help!

We ARE still young at heart!

2009-07-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

So it has been pretty rainy the last few days. Corey had been sick for a week, a week ago, & now I have been sick for about a week. It's yucky. But the best thing happened Monday. Well... I should back up.

The Monday before, I had a wonderful friend, Janet Moon, come. She stayed the night! We just hung out at my house & it felt like we hadn't been apart. I love that feeling!

Then Wednesday, Abi, Tristan & Skylar came up to visit us! They stayed until Friday. We went to Ft. Jackson (my first time) that was fun to be at a real BX (except they call it a PX, oh BX= Base eXchange & P= Post). We had so much fun. I love them.

Then to top it off...

Corey had a fabulous 4 day weekend!!! I think that is the FIRST time since we've been at this base that Corey had the days-off he was supposed to get. Anyways! It was fabulous. We hung out all friday & went on a super long walk around the whole base & to the corner store. Saturday was 4th of July & we were lazy during the day & then went to Dillion park for festivities, but I left early with Will. (fireworks & babies I don't think sound like a swell plan). Sunday we drove my brother home to NC, I didn't end up getting lovely Chipotle, but one day I will have it again... Finally, Monday Corey let me sleep in & took the morning shift! I also went to the movies with my friend Faith, for some much needed "no-baby" girl time! For the first time ever, I didn't feel guilty leaving my lil Will man with Cor. But no, none of those things were the best thing that happened...

I grew up in California, so although we have plenty of downpours they are freezing! Right before we were going to put Wills to bed, a torrential downpour started. It looked stronger than a shower! We looked out the sliding glass door, then at each other & without a moment hesitation, Corey read my mind & said "Let's do it!". At those words we both stripped down to our underwear & ran outside (I was wearing a tank top & we have no neighbors).
We ran, jumped, sang, kissed, & ran some more. Molly barked. We kissed, hugged, laughing the whole time.
Then we came back in & video recorded us running around again. (you'll have to wait for the clip).

I LOVE my husband! I L-O-V-E him! I love that we are young at heart, that we are silly together. I love that he will run into the rain with me. aww, love.

Today, oh Today

2009-06-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish Today was already over. I wish it were tomorrow!

I could right a huge blog whining & crying & ranting about how today (& yesterday for that matter) sucks. Instead I will just call today a "crying day", a "go to God day".

My House at Shaw

2009-06-24T13:01:00.001-07:00

So, I have had a couple requests to post pictures of my casa here at Shaw AFB. This is a long blog so be prepared!

So, Here is our dining room when you walk in the side door (the one we use). To the left of me is a big closet, we store shoes etc. in there.

Here is another view of the dining room looking into the kitchen & living room

Here is the kitchen from the dining room...

The other side of the kitchen (this is from the hallway)...
And across from the sink is the fridge, my coffee center (yum), & the laundry closet, It's a small kitchen, but it works...
Here is the view of the Living room from the dining area...

Here is the HUGE TV Corey had to have & the view into the hallway...

Here is the view from the front door, behind me is a coat closet...

Will's room from the door...

The other side of his room from the door...

This is the view from the window. I wanted to paint his room, but now that we are moving, so thankful I was lazy...

Here is the view into Our bedroom from the hallway. Our room is to the right of Will's...

Here is a view from the closet, you can see our bed in the mirror...

Here is a giant closet to the right of our bedroom. Seriously, we could make those shelves bunkbeds for guests...

Here is our teeny, tiny bathroom. We don't spend lots of time in here anyway, haha.

And finally, our office/game room/guest room. I rarely come back here (it's in the back of our house), it's corey's domain. Hence the mess. To the left is a tv & video consoles & the desk with the laptop. There is also a sliding glass door leading into the backyard.

One day I will post pictures of the outside & the backyard. I didn't have time to take pictures of it today.

Hopefully you loved seeing my tiny abode. We like it. Except the linoleum that is...

Disgruntled Will

2009-06-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

So, this baby boy is hilarious! When he is falling asleep or when we are in the car & he's tired & nobody is in the back seat to entertain him or help him fall asleep, he makes these disgruntled noises. Like he's complaining & speaking his own language. Maybe it's mean that we find this SO funny, but we can't help it. We try to think of what he's thinking & make up things.

Well, Corey captured it one night this week when I was out. I think I was at the Dr.s. I dare you to try not to laugh!! (oh by the way, we dont let this go on forever, except for in the middle of the night) (the little orange light is his baby monitor's night-light feature)

Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

There is a great quote

"The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother"

My Corey does this so well. I love him so much & am so thankful for all the ways he shows me he loves me.

Yesterday we had a big BBQ. We invited everyone we could think of. Corey LOVED it. Those of you who know Corey, know he LOVES people. It was pretty hectic, but oh so much fun!

Today we had a fun day. We went to church. Went out to lunch after church at our new favorite restaurant. The we had a friend sit Will, while he was napping, & went to the movies. Then we came home & enjoyed some great family time.

I love seeing Corey with Will & even more, I love that he loves his son so much & wants to be with him. They already have this fun bond & it melts my heart! My guys!

Corey reading his Boy Scout book to Will...

Solids & Sleep

2009-06-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

So, my little man has started eating rice cereal! He did a great job! I was debating it for awhile, but he started acting hungry after his bottle & that was the decision maker. So we have 4 days of introducing it & then he'll be eating it 3 times a day. I've read that the amount of formula he eats will decrease gradually, not sure how that works though. If you know, tell me. Will he just stop eating so much? Is it a long time after he starts on rice cereal? (thanks)

Sleep. He's sleeping a little bit more. It's definitely 2 steps forward, 1 step back & thats IF nothing throws off his schedule too bad. He has yet to sleep even 7 hours solid. Oh well, it'll happen. I just hope he doesn't decide to be a 6am baby. haha

Prince William, Corey made this...

He's starting to roll!

His A's outfit from Uncle Mike, I'm a Giants fan, but I love my brother...

Pregnancy Symptoms Return!

2009-06-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know this is a flattering picture of me, huh?

So, technically there aren't symptoms, just one... fatigue! According to Corey I was tired with Will. Oh how quickly we forget! Well, technically I just haven't had time to stop & think about what pregnancy was like. When I do stop & think about it, I'm pretty sure being a parent of a newborn is way more exhausting. Now I get to experience both. haha. I'm not complaining, it might sound like it, but my heart isn't. I better get used to it too, because that's being a mom!

I figured it out, I'm 6 weeks pregnant. Turns out I did remember to mark my phone calendar when my last period started. My estimated due date is officially February 4th, 2010. I have yet to go to my OB (my primary doctor has to refer me & he takes a bit of time to do that), but as long as I'm in Sumter, SC it will be Sumter OB again.

Anyways, it's a lot of hardwork taking care of a home & a baby, plus being pregnant, but then I see this little face...

& it's a freakin' energy boost!Well... most of the time & for those other times, that's why we have coffee & soda! haha

Thank you mom for taking care of me & making sure I survived! Now, I'm off to curl in bed with the laptop & watch one of the netflix movies that arrived!

Bonus: Corey is out with the guys tonight (I'm so happy for him!) & I'm going out tomorrow afternoon for a pedi & lunch with the girls!!! I'm so excited! I'll blog about it later.

These are pictures from during the week, when Corey got off early a couple days...

About to go on a walk...

Playing in the pool, we didn't reblow it up, because then we'd have to fill it up again with water & it would be too cold for Wills.

yes, he LOVES to pee in the pool, it's his favorite!

Good News...

2009-06-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

I'm pregnant again! We found out last week & got the bloood test to confirm it today! I think he or she will be due in the begining of February (so, 11 months younger than Wills).

We are very excited & feel blessed. We are also a little nervous, but "trust in the Lord your God with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways know him and he will make your path straight."

So, to explain a little more, we are mostly nervous about Corey's deployment. I hope he will be able to get out of it or at very least come back early, so he wont miss the birth. We have no idea if his work will let him do either. He is supposed to leave in September & be gone for 4 months. So it's cutting it close & with the military things tend to get delayed. Also, because these two are so close I have "to be aware that the chances of having a preterm delivery are increased".

So, besides that, I am a little nervous about how hard it's going to be, especially the first few months. You know newborn is hard and getting everything adjusted & into a routine. I feel confident that I will survive & even that I'll have a bit of fun in there. haha

Oh how great it will be though when they are a bit older! They can play together!
I also don't have to get rid of anything (like the major stuff) & buy it again (or have it sitting around collecting dust for years).
Even if this one is a girl, she can still wear some of Will's more neutral clothes.
I'm already in baby-mode.
We wanted them close together.
Will will most likely be too young to really show jealousy/rivalry when s/he arrives (from what I hear from other moms with 2 little ones).

Corey thinks it's a girl, I think it's a boy. We don't really care either way (honestly). I have a feeling this pregnancy is going to go by a LOT faster than the last one. haha.

I hate...

2009-06-08T15:33:00.001-07:00

I hate mosquitos!! Freakin' South has a million & 500!
I get a new bug bite every day!
I have been going on walks with Wills & Molly-girl everyday, sometimes Cor comes too. Anyways, today Cor got off early, so we went to the dog park. Not only was it a little too hot for my babe, a mosquito landed on his face!! Right by his lil eye. boo. I know, it's not that big of a deal (there isn't even a bump... well when he went down for his nap there was no bump).
I think tomorrow I will head to Walmart (another sucky thing about this place = no Target close) & buy that Off Fan thing I keep seeing commercials for & some Off Wipes too (just in case the fan doesn't work). I'll let you all know how they work.

p.s. for everyone living in beautiful places like CA that have like one mosquito for the whole state, you're lucky! I miss it!

My lil Talker!

2009-06-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Will is such a talker already! Man, my house is never going to be quiet again! I love it!

Sick & Milestones

2009-06-07T18:26:00.001-07:00

My little man had his first cold this past week. Technically it started the 28th night, but it took a couple days before we knew what was going on. First he just stopped eating as much, but when the stuffy nose, post-nasal drip cough, & super tired baby signs showed up, we figured it out. I super cleaned his room (in case it was allergies), we propped up his mattress, bought a humidifier, & saline nose drops to help with the suctioning of boogies!

He seemed a LOT better after those things, but he threw up so we went to see the Dr., which was very good, because he was developing an ear infection!!! My poor baby! He wasn't showing signs of pain & no fever, so I was shocked. The Dr. was funny & showed Corey what an ear infection looks like. (i wanna see!)

He is all better now. He is still taking the antibiotics for the ear infection. He seems to like the taste. He's eating well. He's breathing well. We are still using the humidifier, because it helps him sleep better with the "white noise", or... so it seems.

Another milestone is approaching... solids!

We are trying to hold off on introducing organic whole grain rice cereal (yes, I am trying to be completely organic, but that's another blog), but he seems soooo ready already. He sits up so well propped or while we are holding him. Actually he's pretty obsessed with sitting & "standing". He seems to have lost the tongue-thrust reflex. He seems hungry & he's already getting about 32-36oz. a day. The next Dr. appt. isn't until July! I guess we'll wait until he cries after 6 oz. all the time (he gets 6 feedings a day).

He's also staying awake longer & I think he is wanting longer naps (I have to wake him up for all his naps except the late afternoon one), BUT he has to sleep through the night before I extend his schedule.

Oh! Being a mom is so much fun! I feel so unbelievably blessed. The Lord is so good.

Here is Corey nakify-ing Will for bathtime...

This is how Cor gives Wills a bath...

This is how I wash Wills, no washcloth anymore, the hands are faster & easier, plus I can tickle him!

Here is his doggie mobile from his playpen, he loves it...

This is one of his lovies...
& finally he is sleeping, so cute!

Long Time

2009-05-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged. There is no good reason, except I have been spending less time online. I've been doing a lot more cleaning & projects around the house. Oh & I've had friends stopping by.

This past weekend we were lucky enough to be able to drive up to Ocean City, Maryland to spend some time with Corey's family. Originally the trip was supposed to be longer & we were going to visit friends in Corey's hometown as well as my grandma. Well, with military life comes the unexpected, Corey had to work more & had to be back earlier. Bummer, but it still worked out that we got to spend some time there. It was a good time & good for us. Unfortunately, I must have lost my brain, because I didn't really take any pictures!! Mom-mom (corey's mom) & Aunt Jennifer probably took lots of pictures so I will have to mooch.

So, tomorrow Will is officially 3 months old!! Crazy! He's such a big boy now. He is very animated, always smilling & "talking".

He Loves:

~his lion rattle

~sitting up

~when people make funny noises with their mouth

~making spit bubbles

~sucking on his hands

~my feeling his gums (I want him to be used to this for when I need to check for teeth/brush)

~his doggie mobile above his changing station
~bathtime

~rain

~his swing

He Dislikes:

~being swaddled (he likes his hands now)

~gas

~Molly & Corey wrestling loudly
~not being held when it's close to naptime

So more likes than dislikes. haha. Here are some pictures I took before our trip.

Smiley Boy

Spit Bubbles starting

Bathtime with Momma

Blog I Love

2009-05-08T20:15:00.001-07:00

I am a Babywise freak! I love it!

For those of you who don't know, Babywise is a book, or rather a series of books, on parenting. The first book is mostly about getting baby on a routine & how their routine helps baby sleep through the night. The second book focuses more so on introducing baby to solids, although it covers other things. There are several other books in the series, toddlerwise, childwise, preteenwise, & teenwise. The book is written by the Ezzo's & Dr. Buckham.

My friend Korinne introduced me to it & it has been a blessing.

ANYWAYS, a couple of weeks into parenting I was confused on something from the book & stumbled upon a blog by a babywise mom. THIS blog has been a life saver for me (although it might have contributed to my over-analyzing EVERYTHING in the begining, that is my fault though, not the blog. lol). I love it!

If you are about to have a baby, I highly reccomend you check out the book officially titled "On Becoming Babywise". I also reccomend the blog, Babywise Mom Blog. Even if you already have children, she has a LOT of info/advice on parenting.

By the way, there is a lot of flack going around about the "danger" of babywise & how it's bad. Everyone I have heard this from is just repeating things from people who are misrepresenting babywise.

Video bummer

2009-05-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

So, I realized I never posted any video footage of dear sweet Will. Today I filmed some of his cooing, smiling, & batting the fishies. I was so excited to share it with you all, but I had to wait for Cor to get home to show me how to put it on the computer.

Well... I can't. I guess we have to wait for the little dvd to be finished. How stupid. It's a really long dvd & then the begining stuff would be outdated by the time I filled it up! Maybe there is some sort of connector I can buy... Corey says nope. grr...

oh I know, I will just have to film him on my digital camera & figure out how to upload that! Wahoo. He's asleep now, so I'll film him tomorrow.

Oh you guys are going to LOVE him! He's flippin' cute!

2 months old!

2009-04-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

So, my little man is two months old!

He did his first really big cheesy smile today! It was so fun! I was fixing the blinds stepped down off the couch, turned around & was greeted by the biggest smile on the most handsome boy!

He is getting more control over his arms & legs. He has even started to bat & kick things! He can hold things for a little bit, except for the burp cloths, he ALWAYS pulls those off my shoulder when I burp him! haha.

He can lift his head pretty high & is working on those push ups. He does roll onto his side (from the back position).

I've been playing a game with him that gets him to laugh almost everytime (not when he's tired, haha). I call out his facial features (eyes, nose, cheeks, etc.) & use his hands to touch my face or my fingers to touch his & the last feature is always lips & then I yell "Kisses!" & kiss him! He squeals in delight! It's amazing! He also loves when we grumble/eat his belly.

He still really loves the mobile from his pack-n-play (thank you tutu, mamaw, & aunt mardee). Whenever I change him on it's changing table I have to let him lay there & watch it!

Let's see...

He is in LOVE with bathtime! He prefers when Dada is in charge of it though, because somehow Corey just does it better than me (ie. less tears from Will) haha.

We've been chilling in the backyard a lot more now that the weather is nice, so I'll have to take some pictures & put them up here too.

Okay, well I think that's a lot, so now the pictures!

almost the smile I got,

again almost the smile,

Oh yeah, that is a poopy-face!

Okay, so I put it in his hand, but he's holding it!

He totally has got it!

Grampy came to visit,

And he was done taking pictures & paparazzi Mom had to put down the camera!

Eye Opener!!!

2009-04-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness!
Last night was a hard night. Will woke up 4 times (only ate 2x, the others were from swaddle issues & his weird wake up @ 5am habit). I was so frustrated & when Corey came home from PT (physical training) to take a shower, I lamented to him. He offered to burp Will if I wanted to take a break. At first I said no, because what's the point of a 5 min. break, but God pushed me (& Corey too).
I knew I wasn't having the right heart. I knew that I shouldn't have been complaining to Corey when he is stressed with work. I knew, as everyone tells me, I should be cherishing every moment. I wasn't, but I knew that even if I felt bad, I could still do the right things. So I asked God for help & told him I will act right.
I had MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) this morning & lamented last night about how hard it would be to make it (it's a 9:15am) & that Will would be off his schedule, PLUS 8-10am is when I nap. Well, God was calling me to go, so I made a big pot of coffee (thank you lord!) & did it.

I am SO thankful God drug me there! Today 4 women shared their testimonies & they were all very moving. Especially my friend Laurie's. I just met her so I didn't know any of her history. God really used her testimony to remind me how thankful I should be to have my William. She had a late miscarriage after having lots of trouble getting pregnant.

God carried me through SOOOOOO much & how quick I am to forget all that he has carried me through. I know the Lord is with me always, but I forget what that deeply means & how blessed I am because I have that comfort & strength!

I wanted a child SO badly & after a time God blessed me with Will. Not because I was right that I should have a child & God just caught on, but because he knew I was ready & that was what I needed. I think of Will being taken away from me or if I can't have anymore children & my heart breaks, but it makes me see the preciousness that Will is.

I hope to never forget how precious he is & how precious, wonderful, glorious, amazing, comforting, & all powerful He (God) is.

Thank you Heavenly Father for reminding me to stop and smell my precious boy. How blessed I am to have my dream of being a mom. May I glorfiy you & not take for granted all that you have blessed me with. Thank you for the relationship I have with you, thank you for never ever turning your back on me, even when I am a selfish brat that I so often am. I am so sorry for the evil I had in my heart this morning. Please forgive me. Thank you so much. Amen.

Question

2009-04-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to ask someone a question, but it's not really appropriate. Like you've wanted to know something for a long time & think you kind of know the answer, but aren't sure. It would be pretty embarassing if you were wrong, but you are dying to know. Although... knowing would really change anything, just make you feel better.

Yeah, I'm there. & no I'm not telling you guys what the question is & to whom it is directed.

I suppose we all have those questions to mulitple people sometimes. I just have one that has been on my mind lately. I think it's because I read an article in the May issue of Real Simple magazine, something along the lines of "10 questions to ask your mother" (no it's not to my mom). One of the questions you ask is "Is there anything you wish you would've told me if I died?" or something like that. lol. So, NOW I'm thinking of all the things I'd want people to know if I died & I want to know if they have anything they want to tell me before I die. lol.

This one case is paticularly upsetting... ugh. lol.

One of those days...

2009-04-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

ugh, it's only 2:26pm & I'm so ready for this day to be over already! haha

I know it's not that bad. but ugh is all I can come up with.

Will is fussy baby today. There are so many reasons running through my head as to why he is fussy.
He could be gassy.
It could be because 3 naps yesterday were disturbed (1 at church, 2 in the car).
He could be sick (took his temp. auxillary 99.2, but don't know if it's accurate, plan to take rectal temp later)
He could be having a growth spurt (doesn't seem especially hungry when I feed him, if anything isn't finishing bottles)
I could've been overfeeding him (yes, I'll admit it I was trying to fill him up so he'd sleep longer at night. BTW, his last feeding he projectile vomitted... yeah back to 4 oz. unless he cries after that)
It also could just be one of those days.

so with all that & all the crying, I think today should be over already.

Did I mention my dear husband asked me if I was okay (during his lunch break), I said "yeah why?" He responds with "you have these wierd dark lines under your eyes, they look all puffy". Thanks dear, it's jacked up sleep.

I want to go running so bad, but I don't know if I trust the co-op at the gym to watch Will, Corey works so hard I hate just "pawning" Will off on him after he's had a long hard day, & there is no good jogging trails around here! I'm also worried about how much I suck now that it's been almost a year since I ran!!!

Well... I hope things get better today & if they don't I hope tomorrow is better.

Smile!!

2009-04-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

So here are some pictures I took over the last couple of days. Included are pics of the first smiles (well... first smiles not attributed to gas, lol)! I personally got to see better smiles, but wasn't able to capture them on film. He has dimples!

Uncle Brandon

Look @ that height!!

oh yeah all up in his face, I love it!

almost there...

Oh yeah, that's a golden moment right there!

Easter Picture & more

2009-04-15T12:36:00.001-07:00

goofy balls, balls of goofy

ah!! LOVE THEM!!

Happy Birthday Corey!

Easter Sunday @ our pastor's house. I was wearing a dress, but I changed for lunch & forgot to get a family pic before I changed. Can't wait for next year & he'll be able to look for some eggs (filled with healthy snacks, haha yeah right!)

Menu Planning, HA!

2009-04-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

yeah... just thought about this, I am sucking at making dinner regularly for the family. I don't know if it's cause I'm rarely hungry, if I'm just too tired, if I'm just being lazy, or if it's harder making it around Will's schedule. I think it's the last one (mostly) because Corey doesn't like to eat til later & before then is when Will is awake... I'll have to figure it out & get back into the swing of things. Okay, that's mostly the reason, I haven't done menu planning & regular cooking in what... 6 weeks, so now I have to get back in that mode. but sometimes cereal for dinner just sounds so good, haha.

Empending Deployment

2009-04-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

So, most of you already know this, but for those of you who don't...

Corey is getting deployed this September. We were expecting him to get deployed September 2010, but his AFE (group he's assigned to) was changed & he'll be going THIS September.

Of course it's a bummer because he'll miss 4 months or so of Will's life, but it's not too big of a deal. It could be WAY worse & with Corey's job, he likely wont be in a place that is really dangerous. I think we've been very blessed to have not had to deal with a deployment yet.

So, now, I had always planned on just moving in with Corey's family (yes, I invited myself to stay with them, lol), but now I don't know. I'd love to visit all of our friends in different states. That would really help the time fly by, but it wouldn't be very stable enviorment for Will.

Here are my options (kinda):

California- pros: lots of friends, great church family, it's home, I miss it; cons: don't know who I would stay with & it's far away (how would I get around & all of our stuff).

Maryland- pros: Corey's awesome family, lot's of stuff to do; cons: no friends, what would I do there?

Georgia- pros: Boeckh's, lots of stuff to pass time, close to here; cons: technically haven't been asked to stay formally, I don't think they have a room for me (although they would probably make room).

Texas- pros: hanging with Chelle & Sam, super fun! Maybe watching Sama for her momma; cons: don't know if they'll have a place by then, I'd have to be pretty dependent on Sam & chelle.

Indiana- pros: Brummel's; cons- no friends

Arizona- pros: Liz; cons- have to be pretty dependent on Liz, & don't want to intrude on their family time

finally....

South Carolina- pros: we are already here, I'm making friends, have a good church; cons: lonely at home (you know people can't hang out all the time).

On top of all that, I also have the choice of what I'm going to fill my time with...
1)Go back to school & finish my AA, or get my ECE certificate
2)Go back to work part-time
or
3)Continue Staying at Home with Will-will.
all those have their pros & cons too.

We are praying, but I know God is in control & will help us make the best decision for our family. GA & MD are looking very promising after making that list. But we'll see what God has in store...

Snapped out of it!

2009-04-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! Something magical happened over the last week or so, I've snapped out of it!

Well, it wasn't magical, it was God & the people he worked through. Thanks friends & family!

Now that I'm out of it, I can be honest & tell you what it was & why I didn't even know I was in it.

I was super stressed, anxious, not eating well at all, I over analyzed EVERYTHING, felt guilty, felt like I couldn't be a good enough mom, & had self-doubt. Yeah... so I think it was postpartum depression. I didn't know all the signs & they werent all strong & I incorrectly assumed, you had to be super sad/almost suicidal to be "depressed". Yeah... I have been coming out of it for a few weeks (since my friend Suzanne came to visit), but the other day was a beautiful day, with no anxiety!!! ahhh relief.

God is so awesome to help us through things like that & I really feel like I learned a lot through it. Like how to RELAX! haha. People told me to just relax when I first got home & stuff, but that is easier said than done. I mean seriously, if it was that easy I'm pretty sure everybody would just relax. haha. (thanks though for trying to help people).

Okay, so now I'm going to go download pictures from Easter, so expect easter pics in a couple more days. (I know you'd like them now, & I'd love to put them up now, but with the babes, housework, & my lucious husBAND, I'll get them up later. *giggle*giggle*)

Get This!

2009-04-06T17:49:00.001-07:00

So, today has been a great day with my little man. He's so adorable & I love his little cooing & I love to watch him look around trying to absorb all the world.

I still wonder in random off-moments what I did to myself, but those are getting less & less. The good news is that I have felt all alone in those thoughts. Well, today on Oprah they were talking openly about motherhood & how everyone has those moments of "what did I get myself into" thinking. Obviously, I do not want to dwell on that type of thinking & I love Will. It just helps to know I'm not a horrible person.

Now, here is a BIG confession, I even have toyed around with the idea of going back to work!! How horrible am I? I was a self-proclaimed SAHM (stay at home mom) since I was born! How could I think about it! Well... I do. I tell myself during the hard times that I'll give it until he's 6 months then reevaluate.

So today I was really thinking what it would be like to be a working mom. I think I would be rushing to be with my baby & absorb all that I can when I have time with him, so that would be a plus. BUT I would be away from him a good chunk of his waketime & I'd miss milestones, negative. I'd get to have some freedom/my own life, plus. I'd have to go to work everyday, negative.

Then, I had to run to the store today for various items & I decided it would be easiest to wait til Cor got home & go solo. It was awkward without my family. (I also hate Shaw's BX, but that's another blog)
Then, I remembered I had the Enlisted Spouse Club meeting (a friend really wanted me to go tonight), Corey really encouraged me to go. I went & was thinking I should be home with my family. While, that is not true, I am allowed to have me time & it's okay to go out. I kept thinking of them & Will's schedule, & if he was crying & all that stuff.

SOO all that to say, while I look at the idea of going back to work, I think it comes down to the fact that the grass is greener. I don't need to go back to work out of financial reasons & Corey prefers me to be the stay-at-home momma.

So I'll keep that reevaluate date, but I think I can get over daydreaming about having a life, because I think it's already gone. It being my old way of life. I'm a new woman.

Did you go back to work? Did you ever daydream about staying at home or going back to work?

p.s. I think my anxiety issues are resurfacing, I'm going to have to talk to my Dr. tomorrow (it's my 6-week check-up, excited to see how much I weigh...). Tonight in the meeting I just thought of Will maybe crying & my heart starting beating like crazy & I got a little sweaty. I chilled out fast, but geesh! Then I realized this actually happens a couple of times a day, although it IS diminishing as he is getting older & I am getting more used to motherhood. okay this could've been another blog. lol.

Menu Plan Monday April 6-12th

2009-04-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

So... it's been a long time since I menu planned! I had a baby so things have been hectic & my appetite was pretty much non-existent. Poor Corey had nights he had to fend for himself. lol.
Anyways, Will's naps are getting more consistent, I'm not as stressed, so I'm eating more & I have the time to Menu Plan, so here I go. I'm not sure how much of this is actually going to be made, but I'm going to try.

Monday- Bean Burritos & fiesta corn (easy peasy)

Tuesday- Chicken Fried Rice

Wednesday- Steak, Juliene Potatoes, & green beans

Thursday- Taco Ring

Friday- Corey's Birthday, I think we will go out to eat for this one!

Saturday- BLT's (corey makes the most awesome bacon!)

Sunday- Burgers (we are going to invite people to come hang out)

So, there we go. I think I might even try to make a dessert or two. Well, I'll definitely have to make Corey a cake! lol
Wish me luck!

to get more recipe ideas & to join menu plan monday's visit the organized junkie's blog here

Pictures

2009-04-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, So these are old pictures, & you've probably already saw them, but I wanted to post them just in case you haven't.

This was me just starting to get really adjusted, lol

I really want to smoother him with kisses all the time!

He loves his daddy time

he LOVES his bathtime now, apparently before the water was too cold for him.

Visiting Myrtle Beach with Korinne, before they leave for the Azores!

Joey & amazing Reese! (Korinne's hubby & daughter, btw)

CIO

2009-04-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

Crying it Out... whew.

So, we have been following a flexible schedule since the day little Will got home. The schedule part has worked great, but along with it we have been trying to let him cry it out.

Now, first I have to say, there are TONS of people who have discouraged me from doing this. Telling me to just "go with the flow". Which I assume means pick him up & hold him all the time & stuff like that, because what baby wouldn't prefer to be held to sleep. I understand that that works for them & that's great, but it's not me. I tried doing it one day. I couldn't even do it half the day.

There are also some people who have encouraged me to keep on going.

Well, to say I have been in prayer about this & motherhood in general, is an understatement. It is excrutiating to listen to him cry, but I have a purpose in letting him self-soothe. Our goal is that he will be able to fall asleep by himself, which gives him healthier sleep, because he is not reliant on me to fall back asleep in the middle of the night.

People say babies this age are too young to cry-it-out, but that is not true. He is starting to get it. He would've likely gotten it much sooner, but we weren't very consistent & he is very persistent.

So, yes, I have bad feelings about cry-it-out, but I do believe that this is best for our family & more importantly for Will.

Anyways, I just thought I'd share with you all what we are going through. Yesterday, was killer. Today, so far, has been smooth sailing.

If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear them.

Random blurb

2009-03-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

Things are going so well. Suzanne came & left already. She was such a great help. I am so thankful she came down.

Today we are going to go visit my Dad, brother & sister. They haven't been able to meet Will yet, & I just realized that tomorrow he is officially 1 month old!!! Crazy!! We are going to stay the night, so hopefully they wont be too annoyed if Will decides to have a fussy night.

Speaking of night... Corey decided that tonight is my night to get the first full night of sleep since before Will came. (Even when he has taken a night feeding or two, I tend to get up to make sure everything is alright). Now Will is sleeping very well at night & Corey threatened to beat me up if I get out of the bed. lol. He also is bringing home earplugs. He's serious & I love him for doing this. It's going to be weird to get continuous sleep. What was it like for you when you first got to sleep through the night after being used to getting naps?

Can I just reiterate (spelling?) that I am so thankful that I can keep in touch with friends & family through the internet. I don't really like being glued to the phone, but with the internet I can email, myspace, facebook, & blog & keep up with all my buddies through it, at whatever time is convenient for me. I have actually renewed & strengthened relationships since I moved & started spending more time online. I do need to make more friends here (in time), but I am thankful that I'm not alone during this time in my life. Praise the Lord. Now... how do I make friends here... haha, jk

I was going to add some pictures, but it's not letting me... I guess I'll try again later, sorry

Settling in

2009-03-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

So, I think we, Will & I, are starting to settle into each other. Whew it's harder than I anticipated, but what a wonderful time for God to mold me into a better reflection of him.

God is really teaching me to be flexible & relax. I don't know if you know... but I have a tendency to be Type-A. This is something I see God breaking me of all the time. Thankfully he doesn't give up on me. lol.

I have a great friend, Suzanne, coming in from Indiana tonight & I am SOOO excited. She is so much fun, but she also knows me so well. She'll be able to look at me & tell me "Chill girl" & it actually work. lol. Plus, it'll be so nice to have someone who's been through it helping me through it.

Corey is hopefully off of his 12-hour shifts, so that's another bonus! He's been working 8am-8pm, so I've been baby "master". I love the Air Force, but sometimes I really don't like it. lol.

Ooo I hear Will stirring & there are some things I need to finish up, so I will end this early. Just wanted to give you all updates.

p.s. Thanks to everyone who has emailed, called, or texted words of encouragement & for your prayers. It really helps so much just knowing people care & I'm not alone. love you!

Breastfeeding Woes

2009-03-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

So, I have to admit that while pregnant I thought breastfeeding would be "easy". Even if it wasn't, I would MAKE it work, because I was apparently that cool. ROFL!!! HAHAHA! How delusional I was.

God has definitely already started using my beautiful, wonderful son to mold me.
Those of you who know me, know that I tend to run on the control-freak side. God is constantly trying to break me of this (so thankful for his persistence). I have grown leaps-and-bounds from just a few years ago, but this is something I'll always learn more about. haha.

Anyways, the story goes that I have had several problems trying to breastfeed Will. At first, he wouldn't latch. Then he would either be 1)too sleepy & refuse to open his mouth (I did try prying it open everyway possible & yes I tried to wake him every way short of poking him with something sharp) or 2)get very angry at me for trying to press his face into my boob. If #2 happened, then I would have to pull him off & calm him down, but then he'd turn into #1. If #1 happened, I'd have to use techniques to wake him & he'd turn into #2.

Then, the hospital nurses told me that babies can sleep & be fed every 4 hours. (umm, didn't sound right, but in my exhausted state I didn't put up a fight).

Oh yeah & when things couldn't get any worse, he stopped sucking & swallowing. I would hand express some milk into his mouth to get him going, but sit him up to calm him down (cause you know he freaked out) & all of the expressed milk poured out.

So, I have a Lactation Consultant (LC) & have been in daily contact with her. Because he had stopped sucking/swallowing I had to start supplementing. My pump hadn't come in the mail yet, so we used formula & when I could hand expressed milk.

Well, anyways... I had been praying about my feelings & for help from God. Yeah, I was so exhausted, stressed, disappointed, frustrated, etc. In the course of a day, He really helped me work through some of my feelings & attitudes. I read some things online & talked to a really good friend. Oh I felt so much better!

Today, I went in to see my LC & she was really baffled by Will. She even pointed out that when he bottle feeds, he's really slow & relaxed about it. I was afraid she was going to tell me to just keep trying (it's really exhausting spending an hour trying to feed a screaming/sleeping baby, only to have to supplement with a bottle & an hour after that try it all again), but she actually helped me feel even better. She said I'm doing everything I can do & that he's just not wanting to do it. She reccommended the nipple shield (which didn't work at the office, but I'm willing to try it for today), but also encouraged something I had found out about online.

Explusive Pumping. For mom's who can't nurse, but still want to give their baby breastmilk. Perfect for me because I would rather be a happy, bottle-feeding mom than a stressed-out, struggling, "nursing" mom. The main thing I care about it the nurtients he's getting. So, there is a strong chance that slowly my milk supply will diminish, but some is better than none, no?

I realize this is super long & oh look at the time, I need to pump! Please pray for me that my milk supply would increase to 2oz. (that's where he's at now). Thanks so much! Praise God that he really helped me through this to find a great solutiong. I'll keep ya updated!

He's Here!!

2009-03-04T12:47:00.001-08:00

You all pretty much knew that, right? It's just the best fitting title.

Isn't he the most HANDSOME boy ever?! Yeah I know you think so! hehe. He looks like his Daddy for sure.

He was born February 28, 2009 @ 8:21am! Oh it was such a great labor & delivery! It flew by.

I was anxiously awaiting his arrival, so I tried a natural induction suggested by some friends from church. I started drinking raspberry leaf tea in the afternoon & within 3 hours I was having regular contractions!

So, around 2:30 am things were getting pretty intense, so we went to the hospital. When I arrived I was 5cm, 80% effaced & he was "really really far down" (nurse). Also when I got to the hospital I decided I didn't want to try it all natural. I saw the benefit of peacefully enjoying the process rather than struggling to get through it. I have so much respect for women who go all natural & thought I wanted that for myself, but nope. haha.

Anyways, so I get the epidural & I feel fabulous!!! That thing is the best invention EVER! So... an hour or two after getting the epidural I was feeling the beginings of the need to push. They checked me & I was 7cm & 100% effaced, but when the doctor came (about 5 mins. later) He said I was sitting on the baby & was ready. (I still felt fabulous!). The nurses were getting everything ready & we were all joking around & laughing. Then I started to push & in 3 little pushes he was crowning! They told me to stop pushing (way easier said than done) & went to get the doctor. BUT... we were all joking around & Corey & I were cracking up. I couldn't stop laughing & before the nurses could get half way to the door, I see Corey look down there in suprise & say "uh the baby!" & start cracking up (as I'm laughing) the nurses freaked out because he was popping out & they didn't have gloves on & the doctor was down the hall. They are yelling at me to stop laughing, which only makes me laugh harder (& Corey is crying from laughing so hard). As soon as the doctor walks in, before he gets to my bed, POP out is little William's big head! haha. I literally laughed him out!!! Which is so fitting with me & Corey!

So, He's here, weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. & measured 21 inches long! His stats have lots of 8's, 1's & 2's! We can't wait to see his social security number!

We got to go home Monday morning.

Oh, well looky look, I guess I'll have to finish this up later, mommy duties call.

I really don't know how you all who have kids do everything. I feel like my day is all Will, but I sometimes get to choose between sleep & something else. So... it may be a bit before I continue this. Don't hold your breath, but eventually I will get to it. haha

To hold you over, here are some more pics of Will.

The Vicious Cycle

2009-02-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

Here it is,

1)You get sick,
2)Then you have to drink more water (you know to flush it out & because you are breathing through your mouth & thus losing more fluids),
3)Then you end up getting up several times during the night, to go potty from all the water (& a bit of achiness & to blow your nose),
4)Because you aren't getting much sleep, what happens? Your immune system is compromised & weak,
5)Making you... SICK, AGAIN!!

~Add to this a husband who insists on kissing you regardless (because he's in the Air Force, he's "invincible") & then you pass it back & forth.
~Add to this that you spend all day (well kind of) sanatizing doorknobs, comp. mouse, etc.
~Add to this growing a baby!! & All the other symptoms that come with THAT.

& you have a lovely VICIOUS cycle! lol

Just thought I'd share... ohh I should take a picture of sick me & Corey (he's still invincible in my eyes, lol) & add it to this. lol I will tomorrow. Poor baby, he had to work tonight.

Art for Will

2009-02-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

Oh, forgot to post these pictures on the last blog. These are the paintings I made for Will's room. They are sporty. His room isn't sports themed. It's these colors (with army green also) & I'm not that skilled, so I went with a simple look.

Corey wants to get me some more canvases to paint an "S" & other things for the whole house. I don't know why HE doesn't start painting. He is a really great artist (way better than me!). I love that he likes my simple, silly art though, it makes me feel good. Maybe we can start doing it together.

Ahh, I can't wait until Will is making his own art! (i

know, i know, it'll be a long time, but still)

Man-o-Man

2009-02-17T11:27:00.000-08:00

Is this baby ever going to come out?!!?

I really thought he would have arrived by now, but I suppose all mom's think that. I know God will bring him in due time & there are things we are still taking care of, so it's good.

Corey's mom's birthday is the 24th, so that would be really special if we had it on her birthday.

We finally got our "family car". It's a beautiful 2003 RAV4! It's blue, which I never thought of, but it's really pretty. It's wonderful & we are so happy with it. Here are some pictures of it. I didn't feel like moving it to get better pictures, sorry.

Also, I've been making some simple paintings for William's room. They are sporty-themed, even though his room is not themed at all. But while I was making those... I got creative & painted what I call "baby boy". It wasn't on purpose, but it ended up being the same size as me! Well, practically. (hope it doesn't make any of you blush)

So, other than being really uncomfortable, I am doing great! William & Corey are both doing great also.

Corey has been off of XBOX for almost 2 weeks!! The reason... Cor had been playing on one of my dad's tvs that he left here. Well, when my dad moved, he took it. Cor would've just moved it to the living room, but apparently we need all kinds of cables for the internet (his fav. game needs to be online to play w/others). So... my honey has been sober. lol. It'll be back to normal in March. Apparently, that is the best time to buy a new TV (that's what Real Simple told me, because all the new tvs are coming in april). Although... William will be here then, so things wont really be normal, will they?

Molly (our puppy) is doing really good too. She listens so well to her mommy (that's me) & they recently opened a dog park on base! FUN! I think I should take her now, I need a little break from cleaning.

Alright, well I hope you all are doing well. Have a great rest of the week & I will totally call you if I go into labor!

oh yeah, fyi, Tuesday nights between 6pm-10pm @ Baskin Robbins, scoops are only $1, $1.50 for 2 scoops!!! Guess where we are going tonight?!

How Wonderful

2009-02-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

How Wonderful is this Man?!

He is so flippin' fantastic! I really love him & he really takes such great care of me.

Not only does he keep me laughing all the time & looking on the bright side, he knows exactly how to make me feel better in almost every situation.

He's hot, caring, selfless, funny, honest, hardworking, creative, godly, motivating, passionate, respectable, & everything else I can think of.

He has been working a lot lately & today he spent his first day off in a while helping my Dad move, again! I tried to help as much as I could, but that's not very much at all. He didn't complain about it at all, although I know he wanted to relax this weekend. So, not only did he have to load the truck (with the help of my wonderful little bro, & a little help from dad, me & katie) he had to drive 2 hours up there, help unload, take my Dad on some errands, fix some stuff around their house, & now he is driving 2 hours back here. All by himself. He asked me to stay here because a) he knew I didn't want to drive in the car for 4 hours & b) he didn't want me to be too far from the hospital incase I went into labor. Sweetie!

On top of all that, I got my Valentine's Day present early! It is something I've been wanting for the last year or two... Edible Arrangements!! It looks soooo pretty & it's covered in Dark Chocolate, my absolute favorite!! I am so excited to chow down on it when he gets home.

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such a truely wonderful husband. I really mean that & I really hope that I show not only everybody in the world how much I love him, but most of all him. He isn't perfect, I know, but he is such a blessing to me every single day. I want to dip him in dark chocolate, wrap him in a crepe & eat him all up! lol. I'm so goofy.

p.s. please don't get sick from all my cheesiness. lol I know it was a lot.

My Bunny!

2009-02-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

Check this out!!

It's my BUNNY! My great-grandma (Mamaw) made this bunny for me when I was born. That's what my parents always told me. I hope that is right. lol.

I love this bunny, but I am so amazed that somehow I managed to hold on to it.

There are several things from childhood we, as a family, lost because of losing storage units & moving ALOT.

I found this bunny awhile back, but refound it as we were setting up William's room. So, even though he's a boy & this is, obviously, a very girly bunny, I decided to wash it, praying it wouldn't fall apart.

To my suprise & delight it looks practically brand new!!! I should've taken a picture of it before I washed it. It was disgusting, I'm pretty sure my parents NEVER washed it! lol. So 24 years of yuck & a 30 minute meeting with some laundry soap & Oxyclean. Voila! Clean, beautiful, sanitary Bunny!

There are a few strings that have come loose & the elasticity on the bonnet isn't elastic anymore, but it's great!

Did I mention it has a super cool zipper in it's back?! I used to hide notes, pictures, toys, and the like in there. Awww, memories!

He has dropped!

2009-02-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to blog about a few things, but keep getting distracted.

The newest news, I've "dropped" (that means he's lowered his head into the pelvic area & is ready to come out). Well, that's what the doctor said. He's definitely head down. So, it really is anyday now. Whenever these Braxton Hicks contractions decide to become REAL contractions.

Yesterday, we had one of our childbirth classes & we got to tour the Labor & Delivery area at the hospital. It was really cool. I have to tell you all though, I got a little panicky when we were in the delivery room. It was a little warm in there, but then all of a sudden I realized I'm going to be in that freakin' bed soon! Then it was really hot in there. lol. I was able to keep my cool, but ahh! I'm really going to have this baby! (I know, I'm a genius! lol) As we were ending the tour & heading back to class, we walked by the nursery & one of the couples that is the class was there! She had her baby the day before, crazy!! She was a month early. Talk about making it real.

I figured out a way to describe how it feels. It's like going on a roller coaster. You think it's a great idea & waited in line & are all excited, now you're on it. Then you start going up, clunk-clunk, no big deal your still close to the ground, but after 8 months of clunk-clunk, clunk-clunk, you start to think, "well, this is pretty high, huh?", clunk-clunk, "what am I doing?...", clunk-clunk, "ummm.... maybe they can let me off...", "i don't think i want to do this", "ahhh". (lol). It's that nervousness. BUT as I was describing this to Corey last night, I realized THIS! When you get off the roller coaster (heck, after the first dip sometimes) you are so excited. You may be a little shakey, but you are sooo happy that you did it! You almost can't wait to do it again.

I don't know if the roller coaster should represent just the delivery, or all of parenthood, but I feel better. I am excited to deliver him & I can't wait to meet him, for real, for real.

I wish my friends could be here when I have him. I know some of them are coming eventually & that I'll visit some of them eventually. but you know, right?

Alright, well, I have a few more things to write, but they'll have to wait until my camera is charged so I can add the pictures that go with those things! So check back soon!

Chicken Panini Recipe

2009-01-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

Chicken Panini is a super easy, yummy, hot meal. We LOVE them our way, but there are endless ways to make them. Here is the recipe from our menu from this week (Jan 26th- Feb 1st).

Whole wheat bread
olive oil
shredded mozerella
feta cheese
roma tomatoes
garlic & herb chicken (skinless, boneless), sliced at an angle
mayo

I don't have an official panini machine, so I just go with my George Foreman grill. You can also use a skillet & just press another skillet on top.

I spread a teeny bit of the olive oil on one side of each piece of bread. Then make a sandwich with the rest of the ingredients. I only use a little feta, because it's strong & Corey just likes a little kick. Add a little mayo on the last piece of bread. Then press it on the George & it takes... ehhh... 5 minutes & it's perfectly grilled, cheese melted. Yumm! It's great with soup, chips, or salad (depending on your diet).

I also love to add basil & spinach, but I didn't have any fresh though.
You can do anything really. It's best to experiment with your favorite ingredients!

One great thing I love (not everyone does) is brie & chocolate. It's a great snack or dessert. I would use italian bread though, not whole wheat. A few slices of brie (without the rind, for me) & some chocolate chips. Talk about addicting!!!

Menu Plan Monday- 26Jan- 01Feb

2009-01-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been a very long time since I posted a planned menu! I have been menu planning, just not getting around to posting it.

I decided to increase our grocery budget, I actually doubled it. It was too small & then with the prices going up, something HAD to be done. Not to mention the fact that we eat out about once a week (weither for lunch or dinner).

Before I post, can I share some good news? I am eating better throughout the day. Not craving as much fast food & junk. Although chocolate is still a fave, I go for two pieces of dark chocolate (rich in antioxidants) rather than endless amounts of cookies & candy bars. lol. Yaye!

Okay so here is my menu for this week:

Monday: Chicken Paninis with broccoli cheese soup

Tuesday: Steak, baked potatoes, & green beans

Wednesday: Minestrone (we can't get enough!)

Thursday: Spaghetti w/mixed green salad & garlic bread (ohhh I can't resist)

Friday: Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes, corn (Corey's fav)

Saturday: Fettucine Alfredo with Broccoli

Sunday: Chicken Ceasar Salad

If you want ideas on how to menu plan or if your in need of fresh menu ideas visit the Organized Junkie's webblog.