Yabba Dabba Doo

Don't really know what else to say.

Happy Turkey day to everyone! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, our first in our new home. We baked and cooked and hung out and chilled and enjoyed every second of it. We are thankful for many many things this year and finally living in our own home is a biggie.

It took a day or so to recover from the super long weekend but we got right back into the swing of things, the gym and all. Wednesday night Willie started coughing but I didn't really think anything of it. By Friday it was bad enough that it was nagging at me so we went off to the dr. She thought it was reflux related since he sounded clear and had no other symptoms. By Saturday I was counting his breaths, listening to him wheeze and no one was sleeping a wink. We called the nurse line and they said to watch him and run steam showers with him and see if it helps. It did a little but by Sunday morning he was sounding terrible and when I called in they said to come on in to the ER. Yuck. That was not fun for Willie. They sucked a bunch of stuff out and gave him steroids and breathing treatments and within a couple of hours we were home on breathing treatments with a follow up the next day. We even caught part of the 4th quarter!


He's already doing much much better. He's making himself puke to get all that gunk out. Poor babe.

We had Billy and Jacob this weekend too and we all had fun. We all went to the parade SAturday morning which was awesome. J was in heaven when those marching bands went by. WE were lucky enough to get a really good look too when they had to stop the parade for the trains to go by. What a trip. 3 different times they stopped the parade and wow, J was shaking with excitement. As soon as he heard the bell go off he was vibrating, "mommeeee, choo choo. mommeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jimmy had J on his shoulders so they could get a closer look. It was great. After the parade we went to get our tree which is still waiting patiently outside. The excitement is building. Since I need to have the tree down before we leave we got a small mystery tree this year. Normally I spend days thinking about what tree I'll pick and then hours pondering which one is "the one" when we go to get it. Not this year. We picked a tree that is still wrapped. No clue what she looks like and it's killing me! But, Willie is feeling much better so we'll get her in tomorrow.

That's about it. We're all totally excited it's the holidays. J is amazed with all the 'mismas lights every where and keeps asking for his 'mismas Santa tree. Tomorrow.

I'm walkin'!

He is on the move.

How big is Willie?

Look out, this kid is a riot......loves the attention. Wonder where he could get that from!?!

Ha! Boy was I wrong....

And to think I thought J's fever was going to break last night and we'd be out and about today. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor baby was hot like fire all night long and miserable. this morning he walked out to the living room from our room and I propped him up on a pillow on the couch and that was it. He became pretty non responsive, was hot as can be and was lethargic. The only thing he could move were his eyes. Poor baby. So I called in and we had to go back to the dr. Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!! When we got there it was packed of course. After a long wait......which normally would have been fine but I had J laying on me and well, I couldn't very well let Willie roam about unsupervised so he was on my back. Normally this is his happy place but not when I'm just sitting there. So he was ticked off. Anyway, we finally got back to a room and J's fever was 103.8. They treated him right there with ibuprofen and gave him 2 big shots full of antibiotics. We stayed for a while after to be sure there was no reaction and then we were on our way back home. He pretty well has just been laying around all day. He's in bed with JImmy now. They said he'll feel a little better tomorrow but much better by friday.

Please let this be it for a while. We can all get sick again in January but next week is turkey day and then it's only a few weeks until Christmas. So stay away sickies........

Almost 2 weeks!

Wow. It's been crazy around here. I got sick right after Hallowe'en and then we ALL got it. Poor J has been hit last and he is feeling blah! I think his fever will finally break tonight and he'll wake up feeling a lot better tomorrow. Maybe we can even venture out of the house to somewhere other than the dr's office!

EXCITING THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN WILLIE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Willie is walking!!!!! He is so cute. He has taken bunches of steps and loves it, especially going sideways. He giggles the whole time!!! He's also clapping and loves to play the how big is willie game! He's waving 'bye, giving high five's and has a few good signs. He is doing so much better on the Prevacid! I can't believe in just over a month he'll be ONE!!! Where did my fat little baby go?

I have got to go to bed but had to share the walking news!

the story of J and his "horse man hat"

A couple of weeks ago I took J for a haircut. He's not a big fan of having short hair or having his hair cut. He's not interested in it one bit. Hoping it would loosen him up I talked it up with him for nearly a week....constantly. All day long our conversations would often go "hey J, we're going to get your hair cut Friday right?" "um, ya mommy. j haircut friday" At first he was unsure so I had to start thinking. Bribery was my answer. So I started with the "so J,when you get a haircut mommy will get you a little prize ok?". now the idea seemed a little more interesting. I was thinking I'd bring 50 cents to get him a bouncy ball out of the machine, ha! ha! Little did I know that when Friday came I'd be looking for a cowboy hat for J. We go to the hair salon and he kinda starts freaking out. "no thank you mommy. no thank you hair cut. 'bye." and then blows a kiss. after the first few times I'm thinking "do I just turn back now? how do i handle this? what's the worst and best case scenario?" I didn't want to just bail out but I (with Willie on my back too) was really hopinig to avoid the tantrum thing. I started panicking and remembered the key to sucessful parenting in public with a toddler.................................BRIBERY!!!!!!!! It was like the lightbulb went off! So I say "well, don't forget.....if you let mommy get your hair cut just a little bit I'll buy you a little prize". He thinks hard.....and says with his head tilted down looking at me from the top of his eyes, eyebrows raised and all, "umm....horse man hat mommy?" whoa! I wasn't expecting that one! Now I'm thinking oh my goodness, please let them have a horse hat at Walmart....., "ya baby. mommy will buy you a horse man hat". He grinned from ear to ear and when the lady came to cut his hair he just grinned and suffered through it like a trooper. I was thrilled when we got to the toy section and there it was sitting on the shelf like it'd been waiting for him......a black horse man hat. Wouldn't you know that horse man hat has come everywhere with us since. He LOVES his horse man hat! If we're fixin' to leave the house he runs to get his hat. No matter what, even if it's to go to the gym. It is so funny. Also, he has to wear his hat to get his "work done". Like if he's dumped all the puzzle pieces, he has to put his hat on to put them back together. Or the treats are dumped from his bucket, he put his hat on and as he's putting everything back in the bucket and says he's getting his work done. "oh mommy, horse man hat for work done." Too stinkin' funny. He loves his horse man hat and looks so cute in it. My friend Jess said "he owns that hat!" awesome.

Happy Hallowe'en!!!!!

Ok. Eggs are cracked, coffee is on and I just got willie nursed down (again!) but I wanted to quickly share our day.

It was awesome!!!! We've been so excited for today, J's been anxious to wear his costume for weeks. When I went in to get him this morning he remembered and said "J choo choo ticky teat (trick or treat) mommy. I went in saying spooky in our funny way too so it was off to a good start even with the little sleep anyone got last night.

After breakfast we played for a while and then while Willie napped J and I finished up the decorations outside. Well, we attempted to but Willie and I actually finished while J was napping. (they've been tag teaming me with naps for weeks. hard to get stuff done you know!?!) So, we decorated we practiced trick or treating and we even had a few treats.

Jimmy picked up some yummy BBQ from the Smokin' Pig for dinner and we were eating by 4:15 and by 5:10 or so the boys were suited up and we were ready to hit the streets. We were definitely the first ones out but who cares! J was so awesome. He was a little shy but very very polite it was really sweet. He said "ticky teat please" and as soon as the treat was in the choo choo bucket he's say "thank you". It was awesome. He rode in the wagon here and there but really enjoyed himself. He was so excited to see all the treats going into his basket. He inspected each and every one and hollered about each one equally. He wasn't into running up to every single house just every once in a while he's point and say let's go. Cutie pie. Willie rode on my back in his pumpkin suit and was by far the cutest pumpkinator i've seen. He was really sleepy from our night last night but he still enjoyed himself. I think just riding on my back outside makes him happy.

When we got home it was already 6:30 or so and J was even more excited to get to give out treats. Once he got the hang of it he was double fisting it and giving each kid 2 great big handfuls. At first I thought we were going to run out of candy but nope, still have lots left. He would look out the window with Jimmy and say nope, no kids. and when Jimmy would tell him he saw some kids coming he'd run to the door, open it himself and wait anxiously. He was loving every second of it. Jimmy and I were just laughing and having a blast watching his little eyes light up. He was so excited. Oh, and it was so cute too. As soon as we got home he had to dump out the bucket and inspect everything. I remember vividly doing the same thing. Being a kid is so cool and it's even cooler to be the grown up and remembering feeling the way I see J and Willie feel. You relive the excitement and the wonder. It's like being a kid all over again but being wise enough to embrace it and engrave it in your memory.

So, after a wonderful holiday day today I just have to say. I am so in love with my boys. They are just amazing little beings and I feel so blessed every day to have them in my life. I love watching them explore and discover just regular life things and be completely excited and fascinated. They are truly thrilling. I know Jimmy feels the same way. It's just so awesome to be blessed enough to have them in our lives. What a cool little family! Thank you God!

So along with Hallowe'en comes something very exciting in the Towne house. It's the kickoff to the HOLIDAY SEASON!!!! Are you ready? Are you stoked? We love this time of year. Bring it on!!!!!

Good night!

FREE TACOS!

Do you like tacos? If so, go to Taco Bell today between 2pm and 5pm for your free taco.

Why are you getting a free taco?

Don't you watch baseball? There was a base stolen during the World Series. The owner of Taco Bell said he'd buy everyone in America a taco if someone stole a base!

Enjoy your tacos I know we will!

Pray for Ethan

Ethan is a little baby who was diagnosed with leukemia at his 2 month appt. in February. He is the same age as Willie and is not doing very well.

His parents are asking for prayers. Please pray for Ethan. You can read up about Ethan and his battle at www.ethanpowell.com

I know I need to update on us but I just can't tonight. We're all ok.

Please take the time and pray for Ethan.

BeLIeVe.

Dr Update for Willie

So after months of begging we finally got in to see a ped GI specialist on Friday. The Dr was awesome, he played with J, seemed to listen and talked to me so I could understand. I didn't get that "you're wasting my and everyones time" feeling. I just wish I didn't get that bottled up nervous feeling when we're there. It's just trying to watch to make sure no one is getting into trouble (wink wink boys) and really have a conversation with the dr is hard. Anyway, he's where we're at. Seems like the infant reflux is GERD so he won't really grow out of it. Of course it's easily managed especially when he's older and we can really hit on his symptoms. For now we are on Prevacid Solutabs 15mg one (holy cow, what will i do with all my free time) time a day. He recommended stopping the Reglan immediately but to use the Zantac as a back up until the Prevacid really kicks in. We talked quite a bit about how hard of a time Willie is having with solids. And this seems to be a misunderstood problem to a lot of people we talk to. It's not that Willie isn't interested in solids or that he's just bored with it or doesn't like it or whatever. It's that he has a hard time swallowing the food all the way down. It seems like he really has to work for it and sometimes it doesn't happen. period. this is a bummer for me to see because he IS very interested in solids. he's trying to eat, he's munching at everything it's just that he can't seem to get things down. It stinks.

We go back in 3 weeks, November 6th, for a follow up. At that point if he's better we'll give it some more time. If he is the same or worse we'll start a little more testing. His first test would be a modified swallow study. I haven't done near enough research on this yet to really make any good thoughts on it.

Uh oh. Somebody is stirrin' again. I better run, i will be back to finish later or tomorrow.

By the way, Willie took baby steps today!!!!!!!!!!!!1

You know you're a sleep deprived mom when.......

So in my 2 1/2 years of being a mom I have done my fair share of silly things. Mostly just goofy things like putting milk in the cupboard and cereal in the fridge, looking for my glasses everywhere when they are already on my face and other fairly common things. The funniest thing up until today I'd done was while we were living in Florida and J was just a newborn. At the time I was still trying to figure out the whole nursing and baby thing and was nursing endlessly and was super duper sleep deprived. The doorbell rang and it was the UPS lady delivering a package. I signed for the package and it wasn't until a half hour later that I realized I had just answered the door with the milk maker hanging out. Silly mama.

But today was funny. We went to our new playgroup downtown at Forsyth Park. I was sitting on the grass beside a couple other moms when I looked down at my legs. I thought for a moment and then looked down again and yep, sure enough one leg shaved, one leg not. We had a good giggle about that one.

J did a funny too. We were all just sitting around talking about baby carriers and cloth diapers when J just randomly stood up and blurted out "my daddy has goatee". He was so proud of this fact. Then he did the goatee rub for the next 10 minutes saying "no J goatee, daddy goatee". He is so funny!

And Willie. Willie stood today for 25 seconds (yes, i counted) all by himself in the grass not holding onto anything. He even had a little bounce going. I just know that boy will be walking soon. It's so unbelievable to me that it has been almost a year since our baby Willie was born. Nuts I say! He is so funny these days too. We still have the ball pit set up in the living room from Football Sunday and he has spent the last few days getting himself up on the edge and rocking until he falls in face first. Then he laughs at himself and does the same thing out of the ball pit. When the ball pit isn't set up he spends his time crawling all over MaryJane. He is a climber. He'll be the one jumping from the table I just know it!

No wonder I have gray hairs!

The Ice Cream Man

Today J and I were outside picking up the MaryJane bombs in the yard and all of a sudden J heard the ice cream man. He had to have been a few blocks over but sure enough super-ears heard him. So we ran inside put shorts on, found some change and ran out front. Billy and Jacob were over after school so they came out too. It took him about 10 minutes to make it over and I was just fixin' to give up when alas, there he was.

J had the hugest most proud smile on his face and he held my hand and told Billy and Jacob "c'mon mice meam man". He and Jacob got the deluxe ice cream bar and billy got a nutty something that looked like a drumstick.

He held my hand the whole time and he was bouncing up and down, totally anticipating getting to eat that ice cream. We held hands the whole way up the driveway and then he ran to the "baby's seat" and ate his ice cream.

It was so awesome. And then once he'd had a few bites he says "Thank you mice meam man mommy" "thank you, thank you mommy" in his sweet little J voice. He is such an awesome little guy.

The ice cream man rocks. He plays that perfect little ice cream truck tune and everything in the world is perfect for a few minutes. Boy, I wanted an ice cream too. I wanted a Creamsicle so bad. Oh well, won't be long now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

All you crazy Canadians!

I am roasting a turkey breast for supper tonight.

Have a great day.

Hello? Mama and grampa?

My parents are in Vancouver BC visiting with one of my dads oldest and best friends. The boys and I are suffering from withdrawal symptoms. It's kinda crazy how affected we (ok, ok mostly me) are. Now, I'm half kidding but half not. I talk to my mom and dad almost everyday. Maybe once during the week we'll skip a day but no more then a day at a time. Yikes. This is nuts. I haven't even got to talk about the bugs at the Indians/Yankees game the other night.

Umm....hellloooooooooooooooooo! Just 'cause you are on vacation doesn't mean I've waived the rights to my daily phone call.

Here's my random babble I would normally yap about
baseball:
can you believe that 3 of 4 teams in the divisional series' have swept? Holy moly, it's nuts. These teams are on fire! With Manny being Manny I don't know if anyone will touch the Red Sox. And the Yankees, geesh. Avoid the sweep. I guess it's a good thing, at least now they can't blame it on the bugs right?

football:
Why would you take Joey Harrington out in the 4th quarter? Come on, what kind of message does that send? After everything this team has been through these last few months, you've got to support these guys. It's not like it's been 5 weeks of getting worse, they are all just gelling. Ugh. So frustrating but on the bright side, how tough was our defense? 5 turnovers.

Willie:
we finally got a referral to a specialist. Maybe we can get off this nasty Reglan and get on something a little better. Don't have the appointment date yet but we should hear something today.

Me:
I am running a 10 minute mile now. Totally awesome. Of course I'd like to get it a little better but in less then a month I'm already running a 10 minute and I've increased my runs to 4 miles. Awesome.

My glasses broke. Man, it just stinks. I have my old ones but that prescription is ancient. Oh well, just have to deal with it for now.

J:
got the coolest cow toy on Saturday. You pull this little trigger thing by the cows butt and his mouth opens and he moos and there's a light (like a flashlight) that shines out. It's super cool and he loves it. I won't let him take it to bed wince it is bright and noisy so it's had to sleep beside our bed the last 2 nights. That kid is so funny!

Jimmy: back to work. Mondays are such a bummer. Oh well, we had a great weekend and are counting down until Friday.

Just quickly,

when we get home we take J's shoes off and ask him to put them by the door. He sure takes us literally. This is where he makes sure his shoes are before going to bed.

How cute is that?

I survived!!!!

My first public toddler tantrum and boy was it a doozie! There are some things about parenthood you hope you'll avoid but I think this is one of those unavoidables. There we were at Target on a mission to find a new "juice" (which is really water, J doesn't like juice but calls water juice) cup. We lost the "baby's juice" at playgroup yesterday and it has really bummed my boy out. Anyway, we were on a mission and while we were there I thought we'd check out the shoe section. Well, wouldn't you know there were a beautiful pair of choo choo shoes. I knew J would be thrilled. Just last night Jimmy and I were telling him that now that it would be getting cooler he was going to have to get some new shoes. When his little eyes spotted the choo choo shoes it was love at first sight. I thought to myself, great! what a score. And it was until it was time to try them on....that's when J lost it. He did not want to try on a shoe. He wanted to hold them and give them to the lady at the check out and that was it. I tried to explain to him that we needed to try them on because I didn't know what size to get. Of course explaining anything to a 2 year old usually falls on deaf ears. He started crying first, then he got his little face all red and then the screaming started. Oh my! All the while Willie was on my back fussing because he was tired. So, I figure it would be best to just remove ourselves from the situation.....

wrong. this brings on even more screaming and then J tried to stand up in the cart. oy. what do I do? So, we sneak into an aisle of towels where no one was looking. He finally calms down enough for me to explain to him that we need to get shoes but we need to try them on. Everyone calms down. We go back to the shoe area and take J out of the buggy. We start trying on shoes, Willie is still fussing. I figure I'd take him off my back and let him sit on the floor for a minute. This made Willie happy happy happy.....but he was off and crawling faster then I can say Go Braves. Little stinker. But, this did make the J laugh. So we try on shoes, chase Willie, try shoes, chase Willie. Willie thinks this whole process is hilarious, the funniest thing ever. Finally we decided on a pair of 71/2 choo choo shoes and all seems well in the world of my boys.

So I think, cool now I can grab a couple other things we need.

Wrong mama! The screaming starts again. This time it's because we aren't wearing the shoes. Oh my I quickly make my way to the checkout and of course it would be just my luck today that they have ONE checker working and a store full of people ready to leave. I think they must have all been trying to get away from that poor screaming toddler. At this point the thought crosses my mind that we should just go and then this nice lady looks at me in that knowing mom way. Like with just a glance she made me feel like it was ok. Wouldn't you know she had on that glorious red Target shirt and she opened up another lane and I was first! We quickly got out of there.

By this point, it didn't matter what I did or said. J was determined to be mad and he was the whole way home.....then didn't want to come in the house.....then I decided it would be best for all if it was nap time. 5 minutes after he laid down in his bed he was out like shout.

I survived it. I can't believe it. There was a point when I wanted to crawl up under the buggy and disappear into the red.

I'm sure this won't be the last tantrum.....from what I gather it's a pretty normal thing.......I do hope it's a while before it happens again though.

By the way, we didn't even get a juice cup!

Manic Mondays....

ever have a day when you feel like you should just sit and bang your head against the table? Oy, that was our monday. Just one of those days you know? So, the boys and I decided this morning that since it was Monday we would play and eat fun stuff all day.....so different then every other day? nope, not really. we did venture out to the gym this afternoon and the boys did great. J even gave the lady a big ol' hug and kiss when we left. then tonight when it was bedtime he said 'thanks for the mym mommmy. thanks to take j and baby mym". how sweet is that?

So, nothing exciting going on.....just another manic monday.

And we have a tooth.....

Wow. My baby has a tooth poking through. it's nuts. I felt it starting to come through so we had pictures taken yesterday afternoon. When we got home we put him down for a nap and wouldn't you know it, when he woke up the tooth was poking through. I'm not really sure how I feel about the whole thing. Kinda sad but excited.......no more big gummy grins. Where does the time go? Slow down baby.....

J is so funny!

I have to tell y'all about that picture of J on the potty. It was so stinkin' funny. Hmm... I think he's in his Falcons shirt so it must have been Sunday afternoon. J said he had to pee so I went and sat him on the potty and told him I'd be right back, hollar if he needed anything. I went into our bathroom and came out a minute later. As I walked past the boys bathroon I took a little peek and there sat J on the potty holding up a home decorating type magazine like a 40 year old man would.......it was so funny. By the time I got the camera and went back to sneak a pic he had found a page that had some people that look like they're dancing or partying and he was doing this little dance on the potty...shakin' his rear and movin' his arms....singin' "olly mon, thank you hawaiii" I nearly fell over laughing.

So, that was the best shot I could get, I should've taken a video. Darn, if I don't always forget I can take videos with that camera. Anyway, it was a total hoot. J is such a funny little guy. He is constantly surprising us with funny little things. He does a lot of singing and dancing that would entertain you for hours. He is such a cutie pie.

Oh, the "olly mon, thank you hawaiiii" is from the new Jimmy Buffett cd J got me for my birthday. We listen and sing to it in the van and he loves to shout out "Thank You......thank you hawaiiiii". I definitely need that one on video.

Mama's payday

So we as moms don't get a regular paycheck. We're not paid in dollars and cents but in hugs and kisses, gummy grins and giggles and today must have been my payday.

The boys and I went to the gym which has been going really well. I dropped them at the nursery and they didn't even kiss or wave to me good bye. I guess that is a good thing, seems like I must be raising confident, attached kids who don't have to fuss when I leave......they know I'll be back. Anyway, I ran and lifted a few weights and after 50 minutes or so went to pick them up. I was able to quietly open the door.....I was doing this with the hope that I could watch them interact for a minute or two. But then, out of the corner of his eye my Willie saw me. His little face lit up like a Christmas tree and he let out the loudest, cutest squeal of delight I have ever heard. It made my heart sing. Then he got down on all fours and wiggled his way over to me all the while squealing!

That was my payday, happy squeals of delight at the sight of me....little, old me! Thanks Willie!

Making Milk is my super power!

Hey all! Today we had Willie's 9 month check up and I am a super milk making momma! Our baby boy weighed in at 21 and 1/2 pounds even. All that on breastmilk alone. Making milk is officially my super hero power. The nurses at the dr's office could not believe what a little (wink) chunker Willie is. With him having so many problems trying out solids I was a worried momma but the nurses and Dr. R set my mind at ease when they repeated over and over how well Willie is doing on breastmilk.

We are going to keep him on the same medicine plan at least until his one year check. I was half hoping they would say he didn't need them anymore but I knew better. With him doing so well on them they don't want to irritate the condition by weaning him off the meds earlier then necessary. They did suggest holding off on any more vaccines right now and that suited me just fine. That boy has enough weird stuff going into his body, there is no reason to add more to the mix.

I was worried that he may be anemic because he seems to always have bruises but they assured me that he is ok. The bruises, they said, are because he is a bruiser! Meaning he is a big ol' boy who is cruising around everything, every where and has NO FEAR!!!! Plus he and J are wrestling daily now and I'm sure bruises and scratches will soon be the least of my worries.

I did ask about the reintroduction of dairy into my diet but they were pretty hesitant with that. They said to try a spoonful of organic yogurt and see how he does. The impression I got though was that they would prefer holding off another 3 months or so. It's no big deal, I've been off dairy (including anything with dairy protein) for so long now that my body seems to have adjusted. It's just that man oh man, do I crave a big fat glass of milk with my peanut butter and a big heaping bowl of ice cream here and there would make this momma squeal with delight. Sigh, oh well. This won't last forever. At least I can do creamer in my coffee and a few m&ms here and there.

Here's to big ol' breastfed babies and their mommas! here's to the boobie bar being open 24/7, where happy hour never ends.

Cheers!

If you ever want to know about J's day all you have to do is listen to the monitor as he falls asleep. It is so cute. He goes through everything that happened that day over and over until he falls asleep. He even does that thing where you kinda jump and wake up when you're just about asleep. He'll hollar out some funny random thing like, "mommy yummy chickey", meaning we had good chicken for dinner and I'll know it's not too far off until there's quiet in the air. Its super sweet to hear him repeating "mommy pancakes, j pancakes, daddy eggs. daddy no pancakes. lets go mym, lets go mym. mommy baby mym j go gym. noodles and cheese" and it goes on and on.

Anyway, that's about it. Braves are tied and I'm pretty sure I may have just heard the last thought before drifting off to sleep "nigh Pooh" so I am out of here. Just wanted to share that sweet memory.

Day Two!

Today was day two of the gym. I thought 45 minutes would be a good goal and it was great. J was excited and wanted to go as soon as I mentioned it this morning. He even did his little "Let's go mym (gym in j-ese)" march that he does when he's excited to do something. He sang it all the way there and was counting steps on the way up. He walked right in happily and started playing. Willie, no problem at all. So I went on my way and ran 3 miles! Yay! 45 minutes later I went to get the boys and they were happy to see me but J wanted to stay. He even cried for 1/2 minute but I said we'd come back and he was good to go. I hope it keeps up. It'd be nice to get to go a few times a week.

I'm feeling great, I even feel like I have more energy. I'm not draggin' my rear. After the work out we went to get groceries and we had fun. Willie slept on my back while J and I gabbed about whatever he thought about for an hour.

Now everyone is finally asleep so I cut two chickens and they are marinating for tomorrow's dinner. Mmm....smells yummy.

Braves are winning, but already in the 8th. Gotta go.

Is is weird that I feel like everyone has to be asleep before I go to bed? Hmm.....I think it's just a mama thing.

Am I a blogging failure?

Ugh. How annoying I am to have not posted but once in a month. So much for keeping up with us huh? Sorry to anyone who may be reading. I vow to do better, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

So, in a nutshell, here's what's been going on.

Willie has been put on some pretty hardcore meds. He's on Reglan 6x a day and Zantac 2x. These are both to help with his reflux which should be getting better by now but isn't. I've asked for a referral to a pediatric GI specialist but our doctor seems to think it isn't necessary. He thinks that with Willie gaining weight as well as he is it would be a waste of everyone's time. Fine, I understand that from a medical professionals view BUT you are not the one watching your child choke down food to just throw it all back up. Now, he has improved drastically with the meds. Where I have the issue is that the Reglan specifically is a neurological medication. It is something that he will need to be weaned from. I watch him like he is a ticking time bomb for side effects but we have been lucky so far. It just makes me nuts to have to give him medicine all day and all night long. I know there are many who have it way worse but when it's your baby, it your baby you know what I mean? In a nutshell, he is thriving on the meds. He is even eating 2 tablespoons of pureed food now. Yay Willie. In other Willie news, he is motoring around this house like it's nobody's business. He is cruising the furniture like a pro and walking behind anything he can move. He is happy, smiley, giggly, loving and fascinated with J. Having said that, he holds his own when they wrestle these days.

J is doing great. His vocabulary is multiplying in leaps and bounds. Not a day passes where he doesn't amaze me. He is so funny and sharp as a whip. He was so funny during football yesterday, screaming and hollering like a true fan. Kid is a trip!

I finally went last week and got my gym membership. Today was our first day and the boys did great at the daycare. No crying, no craziness, they just played while I ran 2 miles on the treadmill. Just a half hour today to start but it'll get better and better. I feel like a zillion bucks having finally taken the step to just do it. It's not like I think they won't survive without me for an hour here and there, it's just that I'm the mommy!

We had a great weekend. We got our new shirts (thanks a lot Michael Vick) so we were in our Falcons gear yesterday. Since we were playing the vikings we tried to do the local food, turkey legs, brats and sauerkraut. We hogged out all day long. It was a blast even though we lost.

I can't believe it is already September. December and Willies first birthday are creeping up on me. I just feel like the time is flying by and it's making me a little nuts. Can't it just slow down for a while? Can't we operate in slow mo' for a while? Please? My little boys are getting too big too quickly.

Oh, in other big big news. J is nearly potty trained. Just like that, I thought we'd give it a whirl one day and we've been diaper free for 3 weeks! We have an accident here and there and he's still in a 'sposie at night but we're nearly there. He is so proud of himself too and I am so thrilled. Talk about a break in the laundry.

Ok, I think the boys are nearly asleep and the Braves are already in the 6th so I must go relax for just a little bit before bed. I promise to try to be a better blogger. There are a million other things I need to talk about....all in good time. Tomorrow maybe I will have time to tell you all about our outing to watch the train demo. J was in heaven!

It's my birthday!!!!

Yay! Happy Birthday to me, I am 31 today. Into my 30's now but hey, they say it's the new 20's right? Ha! Ha!

What a weekend. Friday I woke up feeling terrible, my throat hurt and it was hard to swallow and my head felt like it was about to blow!!! By the time Jimmy got home from work, which was earlier then normal, I was in the bed trying to get some rest. Jimmy suggested blowing up the air mattress in the living room and baby proofing all around it so that I could just lay around and relax while he made dinner. He also told me that he had planned a party for my birthday on Saturday night. How exciting and what a nice surprise. I knew I had to get better so we totally took it easy Friday night and went to bed early.

More of the same Saturday for most of the day, I rested while Jimmy and J went shopping and Jimmy got prepared for the party!! Willie even took a little nap with me on the air mattress. Jimmy made some yummy basil chicken with smashed potatoes and gravy, curly fries and hot dogs. It was all delish. They also had a baseball cake made for me, totally awesome! With a "A" for the Braves and all. Happy Birthday Mommy. I can't believe how bright it was with all those candles, it took two big breaths to blow out all 31 but I blamed it on not feeling so hot. I even got some presents! Dwight, Tracey, the boys and Jenn, Matt and Milo bought me a beautiful orchard. Jimmy got me a gym membership (holy moly, look out!), MaryJane got me a gift certificate for the Dixie Outfitters, J got me the new Jimmy Buffett live in Hawaii cd set (which also came with a DVD...16 minutes of live footage) and Willie got me a new Braves licence plate for the van and a dual spray nozzle for watering the fall/winter garden. I also got a Falcons key to have cut into a house key! Score! The party was wonderful and sweet and everyone had a great time, we even played Risk until 3:30. Nuts!

Sunday was a toughie. We were all tired, under the weather and wore out. I think there may have been a case of the Whippoorwill flu in the house too! I think Jimmy thought about swearing off beer! It was a nice relaxing Sunday battling the headcold but we watched the Braves, we watched Georgia win the Little League World Series and retired early.

Today I got to sleep in, thanks J and Willie!!!! When we woke up there was a message from Jimmy singing Happy Birthday in his best Marilyn Monroe and also a message from my Daddy. The boys and I just hung out and enjoyed the day. We watched the Tigger movie and a Thomas movie, we snacked, they napped here and there and I managed to read a few pages of a book. UPS knocked on the door and delivered a beautiful gift from my mom and dad. A 14 piece stainless steel cookware set. Awesome! So at every chance I had I cleaned and played with my pots and Jimmy and I cooked dinner. Rotini and meatsauce that was delicious! We had dinner, played with the boys and watched a little of the Braves game. Falcons are playing too, Jimmy is sleeping and the boys are also sleeping. A small miracle in itself.

On that note, I know I need to update on all that's been going on the last couple of weeks. It's been a little hairy but things are really starting to settle down and get normal. As normal as it can around here anyway. I will start updating tomorrow but I am outta here for the night.

I had an awesome birthday. Seems like it is always a celebration that lasts a few days.....thank you Jimmy! The party was awesome, the cake was amazing. You and the boys ROCK! Thanks mom and dad for the cookware, it is perfect and I am so excited to get to use it everyday.

I am off to watch my two favorite teams play, drink a Miller Lite and quite possibly read a page or two of Year 7. We'll see........................................'night.

Frustrated with solids

So, for the last month or so we've tried to give Willie a few different solid foods. Well, mashed up solids that is. First food we tried was avocado or baby guac. avocado and breastmilk all mashed up. He gobbled up a couple of bites then fussed a bit and then made himself throw it all up. In a dramatic fashion of course. Then I thought I'd try banana. This one he didn't throw up but it blocked him up for 3 days. I thought I'd try apple, same thing. So then I was reminded about the BRAT diet for kids with the runs. Bananas, Rice, Apples and Toast. All binding foods so I guess that's where I went wrong with that one. So today I thought I'd mash up some peas and give that a whirl. No luck. At first he seemed to really be enjoying it and had 4 or 5 little spoons and then the face changed. he got all red and mad and threw it all back up, again in a dramatic, sound like I'm choking fashion.

I guess I'm at a loss here. Is he not ready? Are we going to have food and texture aversions or am I being paranoid? I just am not sure. Maybe it's the homemade food. I hate to buy that jar stuff. I don't know what to do.

I guess wait a couple days and try again?

I smell momentum......

it's brewing like a cup of hot coffee if you are a Braves fan!!!!! I am so excited. The Braves made some big big moves and we got a few great players to add you our already tough offense. Look out World Series, here we come!!!!!!! For real though if you watch any baseball you know the excitement around trade deadlines. If you feel you're in contention you're a big name in deals and there we were headlining!

Our offense is unarguably the best offense in baseball. Lead-off through the pitcher we are almost untouchable. There's no one to even pitch around in our line up aside the the pitchers. Even 6th, 7th, 8th hitters are about .30o with the lowest being .297.

AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mark Teixeira, our new big trade switch hitting first baseman, just hit a home run. First hit in Atlanta, a 3-run dinger!

Enough said. Baseball rant over.........

like J says, "let's go Braves! Woo-hoo!"

Goodnight, I'm going to watch the game.

My Monday humble jumble.....

Whew! Everyone is asleep and I'm hoping for a good sleeping night. I think everyone is tired enough that it just might be....we'll see.

Monday is the day of the week when my body sinks into the mattress at night and feels heavy.
It's a relief to be horizontal and kinda weightless. I'm looking forward to it tonight! What a great weekend though. We bounced back from our late night Friday and had a fun and relaxing day Saturday. Braves lost another heartbreaker, extra innings again, but we came back strong Sunday and avoided the sweep. Had a great game too, Huddy pitched a gem and our bats were tough. Good end to a tough west coast roadtrip. 3-4 so not too bad but we're 41/2 back from the Mets and a game back (hopefully still tonight) to the Phillies. Jimmy fried off some chicken wings and we munched and played with the boys all day Sunday. We even caught the ice cream man finally! J got to buy his first Push Up and he was completely thrilled. He let us each have a lick but that's it. He was lookin' for the "mice cream man" today.

We even picked our first tomato at our new house. I perfect little grape tomato. I guess we'll each get a bite tomorrow or maybe we'll have to rock-paper-scissors for it. Hmmm.....

Willie has been running a low grade fever since Saturday afternoon. He's also kind of avoiding the right side so it's bothering me. I know he was backed up and might be teething but I still hate that it comes back if I don't give him some Motrin. I've also noticed him pulling at his ears a little which could, and most likely is, more discovery then anything but I hate to let it go if there's an infection or something. So I think tomorrow if he's still feeling kinda cranky and feverish I'll call Dr. R and run him in. I'd much rather run him in quickly and have them say, "nope, his ears are fine. looks fine it's probably just teeth." then to let it go and it turn out to be something. I guess i'm one of "those" run to the dr. for nothing moms.....sigh. oh well.

That about sums up the weekend. In a nutshell anyway. This week is a biggie, Grandma's coming on Friday. J is so excited and he keeps telling me "mama? grandma be j's house. mama? grandma be j's house....buh no grampa. no grampa j's house mama."

Billy and Jacob (my nephews) are with us this week too. Should be fun and eventful!!!! I'm sure they're hoping I don't say "Let's go fill the water jug"

I've added some pics today from the weekend. The tomato, Willie playing in J's seat, sweet baby snuggles and where I found all our keys Sunday night. Silly J.

TTFN!!

Fridays ROCK!!!!

Fridays are the most anticipated day of the week by far and we all feel it. Morning conversation with J on Fridays goes something like this;
Mama?
Yeah j.
Mama, daddy work?
Yeah babe, daddys working but today is Friday so daddy doesn't have to work tomorrow. (you can see the thoughts running through him_
Mama?
yeah babe
j' s daddy no work 'moro?
Nope. It's Saturday tomorrow.
Woo-hoo, pancakes!!!!
and the madness begins. It's even nuttier then normal! Ha! Ha!

The boys and I had a really great day yesterday. We got to play lots, get outside and wait anxiously for daddy to get home for the weekend. Usually 4 o'clock hits and J starts pacing the window. Daddy? Hello (in his best Pooh voice) Daddy? Hellooooooooo? J's daddy? and this goes on until he sees Jimmy pull up in the driveway. The arms are thrown in the air, his tiny little hands tightened into the cutest little fists and the whoo-hoos start. From the second Jimmy walks through that door he gets a second shadow, J.

The boys and I danced while Jimmy got cleaned up and then J and Jimmy cooked bubba burgers and hot dogs. Yummy Friday night food. After dinner we saw Grandma and Grandpa on the web cab and then played until bedtime. The boys are starting to adjust to the new sleeping arrangement and they were both sleeping by 8:30 or so. It's getting a little better every night and thank goodness for that! I was starting to get worn out of the 3 hour bedtime.

Braves game started at 9:40 and somehow Jimmy and I managed to stay up for the whole darn thing. I think it was the couple of beers. Har! Har! Wouldn't you know they were losing 7-0 and came back to tie it up and force extra innings! What a game but we didn't pull it out and lost in the 11th. Bummer, stayed up until 1:30am and for a heartbreaking loss.

Good day though, good Friday.

Today we're tired but no biggie. It was well worth it and wouldn't have been so bad if Willie and I hadn't needed our 4am playtime.

I said Fridays rock but really it's just the kickoff to our fun family weekends. We've already hit the park this morning and Jimmy's out hitting a bucket of balls. We don't have too much planned but baseball watching, playing and eating and maybe the consumption of a brown bottle or two.

A funny thing happened yesterday.....

Yesterday early afternoon the phone rang and it was Tracey (my sister in law) an emergency had come up at their carpet store and she was wondering if she could bring her boys over. Not long after Billy (10) and Jacob (8) are here. J had just gone down for his nap and Willie had just woken up so I got to visit for a few minutes. The boys had just got back Wednesday night from visiting my mom, dad and rest of the family in Canada so we'd not seen them in a while. It was a nice surprise for J when he woke up from his nap. Very exciting and he was hog wild for the rest of the day. Anyway, I needed to get to the Kroger and pick up a few things and fill the 5gal water jug. Here's where it gets interesting.

We get into the van and head off. Just as we're turning out a severe thunderstorm warning is issued and we can see the storm heading our way. No biggie, we'll be quick. Pull into the parking lot and get a great spot. Get all four kids out of the van, J in a buggy and I carry Willie. This is the first time I've been to the store on my own and not worn Willie but I was trying to be quick and beat the rain. I should've stuck with wearing him. It was already starting to thunder and lightning so we ran in. We picked up everything we needed and checked out. Of course the look I was getting from the lady behind us made me want to scream. Here I am with 4 boys, J chatting non stop in a very ambitious toddler voice, a strange collection of groceries in my buggy and a 12 pack. Oh well, so we're off to refill the water.

We get to the water machine and for the first time the thought crosses my mind how in the heck am I going to do this while holding Willie? Didn't think this one through. Billy, can you hold Willie for a quick minute? No problem. I get the jug in, all the while answering a zillion questions on how it works and mama? Hi mommeeeee. I get the water started and we're off. I suddenly realize Billy is still holding Willie so I grab him. We go through the filling process 5 times (only fills a gallon a time). Now J has started his loud fake sneeze and is being really funny and entertaining. The jug is filled so I say ok, who wants to hold Willie and Billy says it's Jacobs turn. So I hand Willie to Jacob saying don't drop him, har har. I grab the jug and just as I'm making the transfer into the buggy something happens, a time lapse of sorts, and boom the jug hits the floor. I think to myself why am I standing in water, I have the jug right here? Then it hits me, no you idiot you just dropped the 5 gallon jug on the floor. We are all laughing hysterically. Jacob says "Good thing I wore my water shoes". So here he is drenched from the burst of water that came spraying up holding 21 pound Willie so I say hang on let me get the jug. For some reason it hadn't processed that it had broke. So I try to pick it up and another gush. I couldn't help feeling like my water must have just broke! Or at least finally knowing what it must feel like when out of no where you get that sudden gush! So I ask Billy to go let them know at customer service (right beside us) that I've spilled some (!) water on the floor and then we were outta there! We laughed all the way to the van in the rain.

What a mess I made. Billy said it was "so embarrassing" but we had a good story at the end of the day.

Before I started typing I made J breakfast. He's been eating a ton of food in the mornings so last night I told him I'd make him eggs, grits and toast. You can't get much past J these days and as soon as he was finished nursing this morning he started asking for his eggs. Somehow I forgot the toast and boy did he let me know! About 10 minutes into eating he starts "uh-oh mommeeee" "uh-oh" over and over. "What's the matter J?" I'm thinking to myself mmm....hot coffee......must drink hot coffee "Mommeee, J no toasts. J no toast mommeee......uh-oh. please mommeeee. pleaasseeee." Oops, silly mama........how could I forget the toast? Now I'm drinking re-reheated coffee. Gross!

Recycle and going green-er

I've been trying to go a little "greener". I started out with trying to recycle. It's hard to imagine in this day and age that a community like Richmond Hill who is growing so fast has no program for recycle. It's nuts. This is the first house we've lived in that only has trash pick up once a week and I was shocked at how much trash we actually have. My first response was to complain about only having pick up once a week but then I started thinking a little harder. Look out! I realized that we would only need trash picked up once a week if I would just put the time and effort into cutting down on our waste. I figured the best place to start would be with recycling. I didn't realize what a pain it was going to be to carry everything to the recycle center but it'll be worth it. So, I'm starting out slowly until I can get an area organized in the garage. In the past month I have recycled glass and plastic and I honestly cannot get over the difference in our trash. The can is no longer overflowing by mid week. Yay for making that small difference in the world.

My next big going greener project is to get some kind of clothesline system rigged up outside. The amount of energy (yikes, electricity) I'm using on a daily basis just drying clothes and diapers is criminal. Running the dryer is pricey to begin with, then the house gets hot, the A/C has to work harder yadda yadda. With having 2 in cloth diapers and washing jimmy's work clothes I'm probably running the dryer at least 2 hours a day. So, I found an umbrella clothesline available at Target. Although I'd much prefer a line I'd be happy to start with the umbrella style. No it's not pretty but who cares. Plus who doesn't like the smell of freshly air dried clothes, especially towels. Now I need to convince Jimmy. Maybe just maybe that could be a weekend project? Here's to hoping.

Bedtime......

So after sleeping for just an hour or so last night Willie woke up around 10 and was up for a long time. i think i finally remember looking at the lock and it read 1:15. Hopefully tonight will be better. He was a little blocked up and I think it was kicking his butt (no pun intended) last night but today we solved that problem. Two moos and 5 minutes in the exersaucer and we were blocked no more! What a trip that was first thing in the morning. I hadn't even had the chance to finish my first coffee before it was ice cold since that blockage required an insta-bath. Anyways, back to bedtime.

It's been a tough couple of nights. Well 10 actually. We finally moved Willie's bed into J's-or what is now known as the boys room- a week ago Friday. It's been going fairly well and it had actually gotten quite a bit better until the weekend and we were gone until nearly 11 and well, that kinda put things a little out of whack but we'll recover. The boys are loving it. J is just so excited to have his baby in the room with him. Before we moved him in J would get a "free ride" to bed with Daddy and then he and I would have a book, nurse and then call Daddy and Willie. They'd come in and peak around the corner and then it was in the bed for J. That didn't mean he'd be sleeping......usually he'd play for a while and then fall asleep singing or blabbering to himself. Sometimes Willie would go down in our room quickly and then Jimmy and I would sit and listen to J. Now the boys are in there for a while cutting up but once Willies ready I go in and nurse him and rock him to sleep. Now I get to see first hand the craziness in that room at night. Too funny. It's taking a little longer to get Willie to sleep but it's getting better and better. We've got to work on naps but we're getting there too. Usually by the early morning Willie ends up sleeping in the bed with us. A good block of sleep for mama. Yay!
Crazy thing is, I know it's only a little while until they both go down quickly at night and are out until the morning. I'll be all sad and bummed. Missing the excitement at night. Missing those quiet moments. Nothing beats the smell of a baby cuddled into you nursing at 3 in the morning. It's pure bliss.

On that note, the boys are both sleeping. It's officially been 41 minutes and I must use my time wisely. I'm going to run a hot bath, soak for a few minutes and hit the sack just on time for the Braves game. If I'm lucky I should be good for one more hour. maybe 45 minutes, or it could go the other way and I have 5 minutes. ha! ha! still have to crack some eggs and make some coffee.....i'm out of here!
Let's go Huddy! Go Braves!

diapers diapers and more diapers

Wow. I feel like I am in diaper hell. Har! Har! Seriously I think I have spent at least 15 minutes of every hour today either washing or changing a butt. Is there an end in sight? I don't know. My J started telling me yesterday that he was wet. I'm just not sure he knows what that means or what to do about it. He also is obvious when he is poo pooing. He just won't do it on the potty. Last week Dr. R said to let him go potty on his time, not to make it a power struggle. So, I feel all I can do now is offer constantly and hope something will go off and he'll get it. I've never met a 10 yo in diapers so I do know there's hope. Hee. Hee. At least this time he waited until we got home from the walmart. Ok, off to change another poo poo, just needed to vent a little first.

Smell ya later!

The challenge begins, I am committed.

Ok, so a month ago, or more I'm sure, my friend Sarah put a challenge out to do photo a day. Along with that some of the girls thought they'd try to blog or blog more often. Anyway I said then that I was in and would join in on the fun but haven't done it yet. Argh. One of those things I say I'll do but don't make the time for it. So here we go. I'm in. I'm committed.

I'm going to babble about random crap that won't be all that interesting. But, it will be a great place to keep up with the boys and I. And by the boys I mean all three, Jimmy, J and Willie. I'm sure I'll go on and on and on about the babies but it'll be ok. Jimmy will be relieved I'm sure.

Today J is 2 years, 3 months, 2 weeks and 2 days old. He rocks my world. He weighed in at a not so whopping 27.5 pounds last week at the dr and is 34.5" tall. Perfect. He is smart and funny. He is witty and loving. He gives the best hugs and will give them to you out of the blue. He has the most brilliant smile I've seen. His eyes sparkle every second they are open. He is starting to sing and has the sweetest sounding voice I've heard carry a tune. when he finishes his song he claps for himself and then says "thank you, thank you" with his hands in the air. He loves his new thomas tshirt from Aunt Patsy. Keeps saying "Mama, J's choo choo shirt. all aboard." At least 500 times a day he says "mama?" i say "ya babe" he says "hi" and I say "hi babe" and this goes on and on, every quiet moment of the day. Last week we had his appt with Dr. Ramos. For a week or more before the appt. we kept telling him he was going to the dr. when he was at the dr. he should talk to him lots and tell him all kinds of words. we told him it'd be neat if he'd jump and run and open his mouth really wide when the dr said. he just kept saying "j doctor' and would say mama dr., baby dr., j dr. no daddy dr. daddy work. anyway, Monday comes and we're off. We get there and wouldn't you know it they'd cancelled the appt. and couldn't find our change of address paper. We'd have to go again the next day. J was so confused. Next day we go. Dr comes into the room and J says Hi Dr. J Dr. and out comes the random babble. Non stop. It went something like this:

Daddy work. Daddy big truck. J pancakes. mommy pancakes. daddy no pancakes, daddy eggs. baby boobbed. j boob bed. maryjane food. maryjane cookies. j maryjane food in bowl. baby in j room. baby in baby bed j's room. j luv baby. mommy luv baby. mommy love j. mommy love daddy. daddy work big truck. grandma j house not grampa. no grampa. grampa baseball. grampa no condo. daddy luv mommy. car vroom. j's van. j's house. lets go smoltzie. go braves go. football!!!!!!! touch down!!!!! j eat banana. j loves baby. woo hoo. lets go mommy lets go. c'mon baby. lets go baby! jump. bounce. yummy good.

you get the point. dr. R and I were both in stitches laughing at how funny j was being. so sweet.

Willie. willie is 7 months and 1 week old. He is such a little ham. He keeps me movin'! He is cruising the furniture like it is nobodys business. pulling up like a champ and even just the last couple of days he can get himself back to the floor from standing up. way less falling and crying, ha! ha! he crawls so fast and is so funny, his little butt wiggles like mad. He gets his little body into the perfect crawling position and is off like a mad man. J chases after him laughing saying "mama, j's baby butt funny". Willie also loves it when J plays with him or even just looks his way. He is in love with his big brother. thinks he is so funny and gets so excited when J says "C'mon baby

well, the willie is up so i'll have to come back later, or more likely, tomorrow.
night night.