17 months

Shepherd,

I sit here typing this as you sit beside me, eating your breakfast and chatting away. Some of what you say makes sense, and other words are just groups of syllables strung together that sound convincingly like a foreign language. At times, you talk about the man in the picture hanging on our dining room wall, the one of the old man with a beard praying. You used to point to him and make your sign for beard, and smile proudly. Lately, however, you've been pointing to him and signing "bear", which is comical, since I'm sure if the old man were real, he'd be quite burly and bear-like.


The other day, I bought you a pair of knock-off crocs (yes, mommy is cheap and refused to pay $25 for a pair of shoes you'll outgrow in no time). You absolutely adore these shoes, and each morning, you wake up chanting "sue! sue! sue!" By the time I reach your room, and get you out of bed, you're begging to put them on. You love all shoes, quickly pointing out our shoes, and always trying to put our discarded shoes back on our feet. There is one problem, however. Your feet can get quite smelly during the course of the day. This has led to a fun game at diaper time, where I take your shoes off, smell them, and proclaim "stinky!!" You love this game, and you try so hard to put the two words together. Last week, you succeeded as you removed your shoe, smelled it, and proclaimed "stinky sue!!"


Your climbing skills have accelerated so fast, that I can't keep up with you anymore. I've found you standing atop the coffee table, dancing on the kitchen table, and most recently, scaling the brick wall in our sunroom, only to perch yourself precariously on the window ledge. I beyond terrified to find you there, and it prompted numerous neurotic google searches on "when to transition from crib to bed". I'm terrified you'll climb out of your crib and fall and hurt yourself, however, you've shown no interest in climbing out of your crib, and are usually content to be in there. However, those google searches did show me that you are growing up so incredibly fast. You're one month away from being 18 months... exactly one and a half years... and I'm amazed at all that has changed.


I'm so excited to be a part of this journey with you. I'm blessed to be with you daily, to watch you grow, learn, and explore the world around you. I could not have asked for anything more fulfilling than this... being your mommy. I love you little man.

Happy 17 months!

-"Nonny"

Prayers

Please be praying for Sam and baby Thomas. For an update on both of them, click over to Debi's site.

Monday News

Because I'm lazy... we're doing bullets today:

-Click over to It's a Wonderful Life!! for some awesomely awesome news from Sam at Sunday School Rebel.

-Shepherd has chickenpox. Yes... he was vaccinated. No... I don't know where he go it. Yes... it's a mild case. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much.

-My 32 week checkup was today. I'm measuring 33 weeks, and my cervix is "soft". Perhaps my hunch that this lil' one will be a tad early is correct. We'll see. Everything checked out fine, and I've been instructed by the OB to find a pool and swim 3 days a week to relieve the pelvic pain I've been having. You don't have to tell me twice!! :)

-Our house is immaculatly clean. Forrest and I spent all day Saturday cleaning. The only thing that's out of place is the two piles of laundry to be folded that are on my couch. Once they're gone... my house will be perfect. Let's see how long this'll last.

-Hearty congratulations to Chris and Beth who sold their house.

-Shepherd is still down for a nap, so I'm going to go catch a few zz's before he wakes up. Hope you all are having a wonderful Monday!!

Wide Open

Excited
Originally uploaded by meandscreech.

This past week has been a crazy week. Crazy-good, not crazy-bad. Shepherd is more and more mobile (if it's possible) and runs until he is worn slap out. I mentioned the climbing yesterday, which is still going on, and then there's the running. Lord have mercy, the running. I watched him this morning as he ran around the playground, and it honestly looked as though his feet never touched the ground. He is so fast, and wide open. Yes, there are moments I gripe and complain about how active he is, but for the most part, I am so grateful for his energy. He keeps me busy (which I so desperately need) in addition to keeping me in shape. I had a co-worker of my mother's tell me today that I was one of the few pregnant women she'd seen actually get skinnier while I was pregnant. Granted, she didn't mean I was fat before, what she meant was that I'm all belly, and every other part of me seems to have either shrunk due to weight loss, or shrunk in comparison with the monstrous belly that I have. It's true... I feel huge, even though I have 57 more days to go (roughly 8 weeks). The only downside to getting huge is that it is harder and harder to keep up with the little man. I'm wanting to chase him around the house, to crawl around with him, and play, but more and more, it's difficult to get down on the ground and then get back up. Not only so, but by late evening, I'm so sore around my pelvic girdle, it's all I can do to get undressed. Have any of you gone through this with a very active toddler while pregnant? Any suggestions on things to do (bearing in mind the TV does nothing for him, and neither does quiet sit-down activities such as drawing or puzzles)? I try to get out and do something every day, mostly for my own sanity. If we do decide to stay home, I usually find my house in complete disarray by days end, books strewn everywhere, toys littered throughout the house, making pick-up a not so pleasant task (remember? the pelvic pain?). My options right now mostly involve the play area at the mall that's fenced in. I'm debating having Forrest and my Dad fence off the backyard (which wouldn't take TOO much to do, as one side is already fenced in). I'd love to go to the park, but Shepherd's way faster than I am, and I cannot keep up with him. Maybe one of these days, we'll get a jungle gym type thing for the backyard, get the yard fenced in, and I can just watch him run and run and run from the comfort of my own backyard, while sipping virgin daquari's and enjoying my huge, pregnant belly.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

He Did this All by Himself...
Originally uploaded by meandscreech.

Shepherd has totally figured out how to climb onto the coffee table in the living room. Not only does he do this, but he'll get up there, spin in circles getting dizzy, completely unaware of the dangers of being dizzy at such heights. Oh yeah, and this morning I caught him on the kitchen table, after turning my back for 10 seconds to stir the oatmeal on the stove. Am I screwed or what?

Weekend Recap

This past weekend, we traveled to the mountains of NC for a little getaway with my parents. We took Shepherd along not really knowing what to expect. He was wonderful. I am constantly amazed at my son and his ability to engage people. We had so much fun playing with him, and just resting in the little cabin on the side of the mountain. It didn't matter that Shepherd had a nasty cold, I had bronchitis, and Forrest was getting the same cold Shepherd had... we were on the side of a mountain, with a beautiful view of the valley below. We spent time reading, hanging out, watching reruns of LOST (we officially got my parents hooked), and taught Forrest how to play Rook. How anyone goes through life not knowing how to play Rook is beyond me, but nonetheless, he picked up fast, and we had a fun time playing a few hands (although, we still need to play a "real" game, cut-throat and all).

This morning, after Shepherd slept in until 8:40am (I KNOW!!! He actually slept in!), we headed to the pediatric opthomologist. We'd noticed that one of his eyes seemed to be wandering and at times, he appeared cross-eyed. My mother, my father, and my mother-in-law had all noticed too, so I knew it wasn't just my own paranoia. We took him in, and got his wee little eyes checked. Turns out he has Pseudostrabismus, a condition where it only appears he has crossed eyes, but in reality, he doesn't. Everything checked out wonderfully, including his eye exam to check for other problems. Poor thing had to have his eyes dialated. The nurse had me fill out paperwork, while Forrest took Shepherd in with the nurse for the eyedrops. I don't know what was worse, being in the room holding Shepherd while he screamed, or hearing his screams through the closed door as I filled out paperwork. I'm sure they were both equally horrific. But in the end, everything was fine, and we were relieved to find out my son has no vision troubles. :)

Well, little man is waking up from his nap... hopefully, his eyes have started to go back to normal and we can go outside! :)

16 months

Dear Shepherd,

Last week you turned 16 months old. The further along we go, the closer these months seem to come together. This past month has been filled with fun. You constantly want to go outside and run around or play in the pool. Your energy has just shot through the roof, and you run at breakneck speeds across the yard, through the house, or wherever else your little feet will carry you. It's hard for mommy to keep up with you, especially with the growing baby in mommy's tummy.


You have learned a lot of new words this month, and you're even better at communicating with us than ever before. When asked what mommy has in her belly, you make the sign for baby. We're not sure you completely understand the concept of a baby in mommy's belly, but you often will pat my belly and smile at me. This week wee pulled out a lot of old baby toys such as the swing and the bouncy chair, and you've had a blast playing with them. You'll often grab a book and sit in your swing reading the book. So many changes are ahead of you as your little sister plans to make her grand entrance, and sometimes I worry about how you'll adjust. I know you'll love her, as you're so good with other kids and other babies. I guess I'm most worried about how you'll handle the change in attention you get. As much as I'm looking forward to your sister getting here, I'm also trying every moment to hold you close, and give you extra love, as I know the days of you being an only child are numbered.


This month you've really enjoyed the water. We're very excited about this as it seemed for a while you were terrified of the water in your bathtub. With the introduction of your pool, the sprinkler, and the ocean, you have completely overcome your fear and now are totally enthralled with any type of water. You would spend hours in the pool if I let you, climbing in and out, and then back in again. You run through the sprinkler giggling and squeeling, hands up in the air trying to catch the water. The ocean, however, has proved to be your favorite. You absolutely love the sand and the waves, and you run through the water stomping your feet and splashing everyone around.


Shepherd, you continue to amaze me. Being with you every day is such a joy, it's hard to imagine my life without you.


Your smile is so contagious, and your laugh, whoa boy, your laugh makes my heart just explode within my chest. You are constantly amazing us, and constantly changing. I love you so very much,



Happy 16 months, Doodlebug,

Love,
Mommy

Stuck in my head

Great... I've got the corniest, cheesiest dumb song stuck in my head. At the mall this morning, while checking e-mail and watching Shepherd run crazy around the play area (seriously folks, I'm in love with this play area) they played Hungry Eyes, and now I cannot get the song unstuck. Between that and this weekend's movie rental, Children of Men, everything seems to get stuck in the quagmire of my mind. (That movie, by the way, one of the best I've seen in a long, LONG time)

My brain is just a bog right now, and forming intelligent thought requires so much mental energy (that I don't have), I'm often reduced to sounding just like Gomer Pyle. In fact, I believe this post is the most intelligent thing I've said in the past 48 hours. As a result, I've been particularly down lately. With my brain fried and with Shepherd showing strong preference for other people when they're around (he refuses to be held by me if daddy is home), I feel a tad useless around here. I know this will all change come September, and I'll be needed around the clock by a tiny little newborn.

At least I have managed to do something productive. Last night, I sewed my own sling. I found the design online (Jan Andrea's Sling Ring), ordered the proper safety rings, picked out some fabric at a local store, and made my own sling! I was quite proud of myself, especially when I was able to use it with Shepherd this morning. :) Makes me that much more excited about the baby coming. I may actually attempt to sew a few more slings, for extras or for friends, as it was nice to actually use my mind at something for a change.

Well, I need to get Shepherd home for a nap... hope you all are having a wonderful day!! (Hey, if you could, make sure your blogger profile allows e-mails, and if not, and you comment, let me know your e-mail addy so that I can respond to your comments).

Open Letter to the Psycho in the Pacifica

Dear Crazy Lady,

You do realize that there are such things are rear view mirrors, right? And you realize that if those malfunction, you can glance over your shoulders to check behind you, right? I ask this, because it would seem you have no earthly idea how to drive. I was carrying my 16 month old toddler into Target (and 7 month belly), when you decided to grand prix out of your parking spot while I walked directly behind your car. I don't know how you missed seeing me, as I'm the size of a cow right now, on top of the fact that I was hauling my toddler. But nonetheless, you continued to back out, despite my screaming, "HEY! HEY!" to you. I nearly fell backwards trying to get out of the way. I finally got out of your way, as you continued to back up, unaware that you'd almost killed me, my son, and my unborn child. I looked, and you were busy chatting on your cell phone, completely oblivious to your rearview mirrors and all. Then, you pulled back into your spot.

Crazy lady... you weren't even LEAVING! You were just straightening up your car, which honestly, didn't need to be straightened anyway. I looked around as I clutched my toddler in a death grip, and saw 10 witnesses, with mouths agape, so I know it wasn't my fault. Maybe next time, slow down if you're backing up and for the love of God, please use those rearview mirrors!!!

Sincerely,
The Big, Ol' Pregnant lady you almost hit

Wash Away

Somewhere in the corners of my heart and mind are tucked away memories of years gone by... Memories which have lay hidden for years, covered in dust and draped in cobwebs, untouched. Some memories are hidden in dark boxes, shut tight with padlocks and chains, hoping never to be opened again. Others, simply set aside, and forgotten. Nothing important happens to us which we can truly forget... it's just stored away, and possibly brought out from time to time to be remembered. And other times, we're jolted back to those memories, only to have to let them go, to wash them off, cherish them, and say goodbye to the other people we shared those memories with. Last night, I found out that my first boyfriend, someone I truly loved, was killed last month by a drunk driver. He was walking his dog when the driver hit them. He passed away 7 days later, leaving behind a wife, his parents, and sister. He was only 27 years old. And so, yesterday, I spent the evening holding my husband close, and rocking my son to sleep as breathed in the sweet smell of his soft hair.... and I was reminded how fragile this life is. And as I move forward with my present life, I'm also dealing with the memories... and mourning the loss of the one who shared those with me.

Requiem for Sleep

The past several nights have been tough. It seems as though our little girl really likes to boogy at night, and not only so, but prefers to lie sideways. Each night, I've tossed and turned as I tried to get comfortable, switching places with Forrest several times. He's been more than understanding, and has done his best to help. I know I'm entering the third trimester, I just didn't think I'd be this uncomfortable this soon. Now, I know that this is my body's way of getting me ready for midnight and early morning feedings, but honestly, it's not the sleep that I miss so much... it's the comfort of being able to lie down, stretch out, and feel good. Oh well, soon enough, soon enough. Only 12 more weeks left.

Friday I had my Glucose Tolerence Test. I sat next to a woman who was taking the 3 hour test. She was huge... and by huge I mean pregnant huge. (I always hate it when people point this out, so pardon my hypocrisy). I asked her how far along she was, and she said she was 32 weeks. Only 4 weeks ahead of me. And suddenly it struck me. I'm not even at the height of my girth, yet I feel enormous. With the two hottest months of the summer left, I may find myself bathing in tubs of ice and eating gallons of ice cream in single sittings. But somehow, I know I'll manage. If I could just get some goood sleep....

Bringing in the Big Guns

I totally lost my mind last night. I was cleaning out a drawer in the kitchen that holds our cooking utensils, since it was overstuffed with one too many spatulas. How we've accrued so many spatulas in our short 3 years of marriage is beyond me (actually, I blame it on Target, who failed to update our registry whenever someone bought us an OXO spatula, and refusing to accept a return without a gift receipt). Anyways... So there I was, cleaning out the drawer, when what to my horror do I discover, but tiny little black "things" littered throughout. Bending closer to inspect, I quickly realized that my entire word was being flipped on its head. The mice... had crossed a line.

Our previous attempts to eliminate the mice have resulted in mass failure, aside from the one tiny baby one we caught. After we caught and disposed of the mouse, the others seemed to get the message and high tail it out of here. We hadn't seen droppings in weeks, and now, as if they'd gone out recruiting an army, they were back.

My nightmare was only beginning with the cooking utensil drawer. I inspected our silverwear drawer, only to find droppings in there. I cautiously opened the tupperwear cabinet, only to find droppings in there as well. With each door opened, my stomached lurched further and further up my throat, until I could take it no longer. I sat in a puddle of tears in our kitchen as I thought of all the dishwashing I'd have to do to sanitize everything. Through my tears I grapsed at my stomach as I thought of the previous few days and the numerous times we'd used our silverwear and cooking utensils.

I picked up the phone and called my landlord. I begged them to please come over and look at the number of droppings themself, to assure them we weren't just dealing with one mouse. To their horror, I was right, and thankfully (God bless them) they called the pest control people to come out and deal with the problem. As I finish this post up, the exterminator just pulled up in the driveway. Pardon me while I go let him in, and possibly kiss him, as I am so happy he's here.

Oh yeah, and does anyone want to come help me do dishes? Or should I just throw them all away and start over again?

3 Year and Still Going Strong

Yesterday, we received a beautiful card in the mail wishing us a happy anniversary. My first reaction to the card was to laugh and mutter something about our anniversary not being for another few...

oh crap...

"It's tomorrow isn't it?" I thought to myself. Quickly I called Forrest to weasel out of him if he'd remembered or not. I quickly asked him what tomorrow was, and he paused, thought long and hard, and then laughed. "It's our anniversary isn't it?" he said. "So you forgot too?" "Yes... I'm so sorry!" he said. We both had a good laugh over forgetting, and made last minute arrangements to go out tonight, while my parents babysit. Living close to family ROCKS!!!

So anyways, this brought us to question. Is this something that happens to everyone with children or is it just us? Last year was easy to remember. Shepherd was just a litle baby and we were on vacation with family who insisted we go out for the evening. This year, I remembered our anniversary was coming up way back in April, and meant to make plans for it and all, but just forgot. Somewhere between chasing Shepherd off the dining room chairs (he now climbs them all the time) and begging my second little angle to pu-lease settle down a tad, because no one likes a dancing fetus in your RIBCAGE...I kind of forgot about the whole shebang.

I guess in the end, it's not that big of a deal, since we actually remembered before our anniversary, even if only a day before. All that said, I am so incredibly fortunate to have such a wonderful partner and husband in Forrest. I cannot even imagine living my life without him. With him, I feel safe, loved, accepted, and at home. I am truly blessed to have him, and my love for him grows daily. Thank you for 3 wonderful years, honey. I love you! Happy Anniversary!!!

The Trouble with Thumbkin

I am totally not going to make it through my kids learning to talk without getting the giggles and teaching them bad words. Today, a friend came over with her son. As we sat there, eating a snack, her son yelled out, "Where is F**kin'?!"

Eyes bugging out of her head, his mother, horrified, quietly asked him what he just said. He repeated, "Where is f**kin'!?" louder and clearer.

My friends eyes met mine, and together, we totally lost it laughing. I walked away from the table laughing, as my friend tried to figure out what on earth he was really trying to say, when it finally dawned on her. He'd learned the song, Where is Thumbkin earlier in the day, and was having trouble (no kidding!) with the word Thumbkin. After several moments of pleading with her son to stop, and with his escalating screams of profanity followed by exhilirated giggles, we finally were able to convince him to stop cursing, if only by convincing him that Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star was WAY funnier than Where is Thumbkin.

27 weeks

I still can't believe how fast time is flying by. I realized today that I'm in my 27th week of this pregnancy. In just a few short days, I'll be in my 28th week. Crazy. The baby is kicking up a storm. Last night, I watched as she did summersaults in my belly, making everything move. Forrest watched in amazement too, as she shifted from side to side. She's quite an active little booger, very much like her big brother was during my pregnancy with him. And much like her brother, she hates being balled up, and stretches out as much as possible, leaving my ribs already bruised only 27 weeks into this pregnancy. Despite the similarities, there are a few differences. I'm carrying lower this time, and my belly is alot more "pointy". With Shepherd, I had a very round and even belly, but with our little girl, I'm noticing odd angles, and bulges at random areas. Either you truly do carry different with girls than boys, or I weigh less this time, and can see more of the baby than last time. It's hard to believe that I only have a few months left before she's born. It seems like only yesterday I found out I was pregnant, and her I am, starting to waddle and moan about back pain. Before you know it, she'll be here!!

Wicked Witch of the West

This mouse thing has totally turned me into the Wicked Witch. With several nights of no dead mice in our traps, Forrest and I rigged several traps up with cheese jammed into the trigger. Forrest rigged a few traps to be hair sensitive, and as we left the kitchen, I caught myself rubbing my hands together, murmerring, "I'll get you my pretty, and your little buddy too!". The next morning, we awoke, and voila! DEAD MOUSE!! Of course, my stomach totally flip flopped, and and I had to recruit Forrest into disposing of the beast, but alas! The mouse is dead. I did a little victory dance around the kitchen whilst singing, "Ding Dong, the mouse is dead, the mouse is dead...." and so on. We seem to have caught our critter.

That said, I still feel ridiculously filthy when I walk in my kitchen. Granted, I've scrubbed the counters down pretty good, but for some reason, I feel as though it could be slightly more sanitary. So out with the Clorox wipes, and enter the straight up clorox solution. I plan on spending my afternoon with clorox, gloves, and a tiny toothbrush to clean out every possible crevace these vermin may have touched. Wish me luck!

Beach Bum

So Sweet
Originally uploaded by meandscreech.

This past weekend, we spent at the beach... we had such a wonderful time with Shepherd, we cannot wait to go back again. He absolutely LOVED the water, squeeling and laughing as he stomped through the tide pools. He'd run and run through the water towards the ocean, falling a few times, but getting right back up and running some more. Nothing scares this child... not even big waves (well, they did at first, but he got over it quickly). We had a blast watching him run and play. We also spent some time at the Aquarium and enjoyed looking at all the fish and turtles. He put his new signs for fish, turtle and boat to good use, and by the end of the day, was pointing at every fish in sight, signing fish. So cute! All in all, it was a good weekend...

Check out more pictures on flickr by clicking on picture above.

These are some Dadgumed Lucky Mice

Total Mouse Traps = 6
Bait = Peanut Butter


Dead Mice = 0
Mouse Traps licked clean = 6


Seriuosly, what are we doing wrong?

15 months

Shepherd,

Wow... I hardly know what to write about, since this last month has gone by so incredibly fast. And on top of that, you are changing so much every day, that it's nearly impossible to document what new things you know.

You've begun to repeat everything we say. E-VER-Y-THING. In fact, the other day, while we were riding in the car, I was joking with your daddy, and said something about someone acting like a jackass. No sooner had the word left my mouth, I heard this little voice from the back seat say "Jaaaa...", as though you were trying to say the word. Of all the words I had said, that was the one you'd picked to repeat. We now know that we must be incredibly careful what we say around you.

You're also picking up more and more words for body parts. You have known where your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hair are for a few months now, but recently added elbow, knees, feet, toes, and your favorite, bellybutton. You're quick to show anyone your bellybutton, and quick to point out their bellybutton to them by lifting up their shirts. I'm amazed at how quickly you learn now, as opposed to even a few weeks ago.

You also are learning new words every day. You have so many words and signs that I cannot keep track of all you know. This weekend, you learned the sign for boat and bird, mostly because we were at the beach and you kept pointing to both of them, as if to ask what they were. You picked up on the signs immediately, and were fascinated with every boat and bird you saw. At the aquarium, you squeeled and laughed at all of the fish. You even came up with a new sign all on your own. After seeing the big sea turtle swimming in the tank, you raised your arms up and flapped them around, just as the sea turtle was doing to swim around in the water.

Your sense of humor has really come out this past month, and you laugh at mommy and daddy when they do silly things. A silly face from daddy makes you giggle like crazy, and a silly dance by mommy makes you laugh out loud. You love to entertain us, and will dance and "shake your booty" when we ask you to. When we have company over, you love to do silly things to make them laugh, and the more they laugh, the more and more you love doing the silly things. You're quite the ham, and love being the center of attention.

I look back over the past 15 months, and realize how much things have changed. I've been doing a lot of thinking about when you were a little baby, probably because you are going to have a little sister this fall. I keep thinking what she will look like, and try so very hard to remember what you were like at that age. It's so hard to remember, even though it wasn't that long ago, but the one thing that sticks out in my mind about that time was how impossible it seemed that you'd ever reach the age that you are now. I want to remember that, because it's so hard to enjoy those first few months when it seems all you did was poop, eat, and sleep. I want to remember because when your sister comes, I'll feel the same way. I hope and pray that I don't wish those first few months away wishing she were the age you are now. I have to remember that it took that long for you to grow up, and that I wouldn't change it for the world.

I love you little man... more than you will ever know. Happy 15 months!

Love,
Mommy

Long Weekend + Best Headline of the Day

We're heading out of town for a long weekend with my father-in-law, which may or may not include lazy beach combing and lots of sand and sun. I'll be sure to post pictures when we get back, as I expect to have lots of them.

I'll leave you with the best headline in the news today... or at least the one that cracked me up:

Rogue toddler destroys monks artwork

Because, seriously? Rouge toddler?? I thought that word was reserved for secret agents or something of the sort, although if you think about it, it wouldn't be that surprising if these little guys weren't secret agents, conspiring to drive their parents absolutely insane!! :)

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!!