Treat-or-Treat!!!

Yesterday we drove out to the country to trick-or-treat at Newbie's grandparents' and great-grandparents' house. 

Newbie got a haul including Swimmers diapers (so we can hit the pool at Daddy's work), an adorable book, a slew of Thanksgiving bibs, and a host of candy that I mourned because I knew if I indulged, it would mark the beginning of the end of my success in the BLC which only started this week. 

I hid the candy from myself this morning(which is very hard to do), and I forced myself to eat a salad for lunch.  The salad was repentance for the apple pie I ate in the country last night and possibly the two hot dogs and fries I had when the Hubs took Newbie and I out to lunch yesterday.

Apple pie?  Fries?  Hot dogs?  TOOTSIE ROLLS?!?!   

It's a sick, sick world.

I am hoping they are passing out carrots and granola bars when Newbie and I hit up G-Mama's and G-Daddy's for some more trick-or-treating on Sunday.  Otherwise, Biggest Loser Challenge FAIL.

The evening's activities were a smorgasbord of fun.  Newbie snuggled his Great Grandma for a while and he had a lot of fun checking out some of Grandma and Grandpa's new toys.  Then we headed out to his other Great Grandparents' house for some trick-or-treating....we didn't last long, but he did pretty well considering it was near bed time and his mother had dressed him up in a fleece sauna for Halloween.

Somehow the Hubs talked me into hauling Newbie out of his car seat for a whirl-wind tour of his high school while we were in town.  It involved a lot of orange lockers and smelly hallways and a football coaching meeting interruption that I would prefer to forget on account of what is a lady carrying a 6 month old baby through a high school suppose to say to 15 high school football coaches sitting around in desks too small for them staring at her and her husband who used to play football for them?  Have mercy.

When we pulled up to my FIL and MIL's house, we were greeted by two "pumpkins" that represent all the reasons why my sister and bro-in-law are considered the family crazies.  Oh, wait....the family crazy might be me.  Can we get a ruling on that?

Regardless, WHAT the WHAT?!?  And please note the pumpkin the Hubs and I doubled teamed rotting away in the background.  It may be fading fast, but at least it is orange.

Here's Newbie loving the snuggles he got from his Great-Grandma H....and the Hubs giving me the "will you take the darn picture already, I can't smile forever" face.  BA ha ha!

Grandma and Newbie

Newbie hanging with the menfolk and checking out his new toy

Then it was time to get the party started.  He was SUPER excited about getting into his costume!

Do you believe me when I say that this was the best family picture we got of the evening?  Believe it, baby.

Do you ever notice how all 17 chins seem to arrive any time you are holding a baby in a picture?  Oh, is that just me? That doesn't happen to you?  Awesome.

He takes after Opie....chewing on stuff is a good time.

Knock-Knock......Trick-or-Treat!!!

Newbie was excited to see his other Great Grandparents!

Thank you to all our family in the country for a fun Halloween!!!

Now, can we just visit the return-trip home from the country for a moment?  These events are what memories are made of, folks.  We should probably begin with a moment of silence for my sanity, for it passed away at about 7:47 yester eve when the candy hit the fan.

It all began with me, the idiot.  After trick-or-treating at Newbie's Great-Grandparents' house on our way out of town, I commenced to buckle Newbie into his car seat while still donning his Halloween garb.

Guess what?

That was a bad idea.

That was at 7:37 pm.

By 7:47 pm, the Hubs had pulled the car over and poor Newbie was screaming, and I was opening the car door on a dark road in the middle of nowhere with an assortment of candy and diapers and butternut squash pouring out of the vehicle, as it was packed to the brim with the day's happenings, and I was grumbling all matter of words and accusations that later required an apology to the Hubs.   Awesome. 

Needless to say, we're going to be hitting the hay a little earlier around here and reigning in our evening excursions on account of I have about three marbles left after last night and the Hubs simply can't pacify a crazy woman more than once or three times a day.  Bless his heart. 

And don't worry about Newbie, we shed the costume STAT on the side of the road and he continued the ride home comfortably asleep in his skivvies.  The end.

Actually, that's not the end.

Because you know what?  Chet is out to sabotage my LIFE. 

I've been writing this post throughout Newbie's nap this afternoon, and WHAT do I hear over the baby monitor but the clank and bang of an intruder.  So I grab the temporal thermometer as my weapon of choice (the battery in that thing is heavy, and I'm willing to bet with my mean softball bat swing, I could clock somebody pretty good with it....also, it was the only thing besides my Bible and a hair tie within reaching distance on my nightstand.) and I tip-toe into Newbie's nursery.  I hear a sound over by the window.  Clearly, a burglar is trying to open the screen and crawl in.  I pull back the drapes, thermometer in hand, and WHAT TO MY WONDERING EYES DID APPEAR but CHET and his manged, furry little self going all vertical Army-crawl on my window screen. 

I was beside myself in anger, and I whispered out all kinds of "you stupid manged squirrel! don't wake up my baby" through gritted teeth because Newbie was snoozing only steps away and far be it from me to wake my son from his first nap of the day.  GRRRRRRRRR!

I hate Chet.

The end.

Boo!

Seventeen billion mile per hour wind gusts are dead to me.

So long, picture day. 

On the up side, we're headed out to the country to trick-or-treat at Newbie's grandma and grandpa's house this afternoon since the Hubs has the day off.  I'm hoping to get a Kit-Kat or Butterfinger out of the deal. =)

Shhh....Don't tell Jillian. 

Safe to say I will probably owe a dollar at our Biggest Loser weigh-in this Saturday.  It's a dollar for every pound gained, and let's just say I didn't exactly pass up the sliver of pumpkin cheesecake I was offered last night.  Nor did I turn down Chinese food at the mall.  The Biggest Loser Challenge is going to end up being how we lost the farm.  Have mercy.

But I'm not giving up yet. After all, this is the first week. And Kit-Kats and Butterfingers come in caloric free varieties anyway...right?  RIGHT?!?!?

Si, es verdad.

Sorry.  I just saw that as a good opportunity to use some Spanish.

I'm off to snuggle my boys (who are chilling on the couch watching some HGTV right now) and tie Opie to a tree before he gets swept away.

Hold on to your hats!

Picture Peek-A-Boo

On an entirely un-related note...

Here's a sneak peek of Newbie's 6 month picture outfit that may or may not involve the leg warmers every male in my life is boycotting.  Shhh....

Picture day is Thursday....pray for dry noses and preferably no tornadoes. =)

HOKEY 'NADO!

We woke up this morning after a rooough night of sleep restlessness at a whopping 9:00 and to the tune of a tornado watch and high wind warning... in effect until 8 pm TOMORROW night.

Awesome.

If you think I didn't load up an emergency bag of snacks, toys, rice cereal, complete with a flashlight and blanket, then you have highly underestimated my crazy and the effect living in the heart of Tornado Alley had on me for the first 10 years of my life. The bag is placed strategically on the washing machine so I can grab it on our way if we have to take cover and go down to the basement.  I'm telling you, when the "Tornado Watch" hits the lower right hand corner of the TV, I regress to multiple points in my childhood where the sky was churning with green clouds, the wind was screaming through the window screens, and I was ready to have a panic attack, because no matter what the Weather Channel said about the best way to take cover, THERE WERE NO BASEMENTS IN TEXAS, and we were for sure going to get blown away with the storm like Mickey Mouse and all his pals on that freaky movie we watched at my grandma's house. (Not ringing a bell?  Click HERE to watch.)

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You will NOT BELIEVE what occured just moments after that last sentence was typed.  I will recount it for you because the irony of it is REMARKABLE.

 I can't make this kind of stuff up, friends.

As I was typing "house" above, I get a call from my dad telling me they just evacuated his building and am I watching the news and have I gotten my hiney down to the basement and can I hear the sirens.

Of course I'm watching the news....and blogging....and drinking green tea....and listening to Newbie squawk in his exersaucer- and, hold on, Daddy- the Hubs is beeping in.

I answer the other line and the Hubs informs me his building, just blocks away from our house, is being evacuated and am I watching the news and have I gotten my hiney down to the basement and can I hear the sirens.

I hang up and go outside.

Yes, I hear the sirens.

Yes, I nearly wet my pants.

Blogging about being prepared for a tornado while the tornado sirens wail outside= Family Tornado Emergency Plan FAIL!

So Newbie and I go all hands on deck and grab the partially packed emergency bag from the washer on our way down to the basement.

Only you know what isn't helpful in an emergency?  A partially packed emergency bag.  As in, NO diapers, NO binkies, NO water, and NO radio. 

Emergency Bag FAIL!

So I risk life and limb and run upstairs to the first floor and grab a binkie and the diaper bag and then throw in ALL MY CHIPS and run all the way upstairs to Newbie's room to grab the radio.

At this point, I am convinced I will be swept away with Mickey and the gang never to be heard from again because the sirens are blaring and I'm racing around the house AND WHAT IS MY NAME AND WHERE ARE MY OREOS?!?

By the time I get downstairs, Opie is freaking out, so I grab his curly tailed butt and haul him down to the basement with me.

By now I am perspiring and can't remember who I am or where I came from.

Also, my hiney is wet, and I can't remember if I wet myself or if I sat in some bat guano or water pipe drain-off in our creepy crawly dungeon of a basement.

So me and the gang sit there and gripe at each other and share the woes and misery of hanging out in a basement without the Bossman around to tell us its OK, and don't worry, and you're all a bunch of wimps, this will blow over and we'll be feasting on our Oreos in no time. 

Then I commence texting some of my girlfriends who were also in the warning zone because misery loves company and there's nothing like sharing the trauma of having sick babies in the basement during nap time.

Finally we get the "all clear" on the radio and I haul Newbie and Opie and the baby bouncer and the diaper bag and the emergency pack and my wet hiney up the stairs.

NO SOONER do I set everything down in the living room and decide its time for a diaper change then THE SIRENS START BLARING AGAIN signifying the warning has been re-issued.

You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me.

So I grab everything up off the floor, take my little man and his wet diapered buns back down to the basement and tell Opie to kiss his hiney good bye because I'm not lugging him down there again. 

Harsh?  Sure.  Necessary?  Absolutely.

So we set up camp in the nasty basement again and while Newbie starts kung-fooing the bouncer he is now way too big for, I start making a list of Honey-Do's involving clearing out a space in the basement for emergencies such as these that includes a carpeted area, a portable refrigerator, Internet access, a diaper changing table, a crib, and preferably a Dairy Queen. 

Finally we get the "all clear" on Round 2, and I haul my team back up the stairs, change a blow-out diaper Newbie manufactured just as the "all clear" came through, plop him in the swing for a nap, and here I sit, blogging about the IRONY of the whole thing.

BECAUSE WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?!?!?

Moral of the story:  Pack a COMPLETE emergency bag, never turn your back on the local weather channel while blogging, wear diapers in case of emergency, and if you've got one, don't let your husband go to work because the whole brew-ha-ha would be a lot easier with someone a little more level-headed in control.  Most importantly, never let the crazy lady be in charge of executing the Family Emergency Plan because it will be an enormous FAIL.

Here's documentation of The Event, taken with my cell phone in the midst of the chaos:

Trip to the basement, Round One.  Note the pink, partially packed emergency bag and the brown diaper bag in the background.  Also the nasty cement floor, walls, and the various surrounding buckets and boxes filled with I-don't-wanna-know.

Trip to the basement Round Two.  Notice the second bouncer, it was easier to snag and Newbie kung-fu-ing it because it's too small for him.  Again, various bags and buckets of nasty.  And the kennel to the left that Opie filled on Round One, but not Round Two.

Me.  Middle of Round Two.  Going a little more than a little nuts.



The last time this happened, Newbie was a lot smaller.  If you recall, we lived out a similar scenario early in the summer just weeks after he was born:

The times, they are a'changin'.  And the wind, it is a' blowin'. And the Mama?

She's a' goin' bonkers. 

Tune in later for a full recap on what it is like to drive to a well child appointment during a High Wind Advisory.  I'm guessing it will make for some good reading.

Fair thee well.   

My Revelation

Tonight I had a revelation.

I was giving Newbie a bath, juggling the circus that is parenthood alone because the Hubs works til 9 tonight, when it hit me.

If my friend knew about the 24-hour LIFE SAVING on-call pharmacy, is there something I know that other mamas don't know that they should know because it could SAVE THEIR LIFE or at least a few moments of sanity?

And my answer was a resounding, "PROBABLY NOT."

But I've decided to blog about a few things that have helped us through the plague this week anyway, in the event that someone out there with a baby recently invited to the Booger Party needs a little something to help the crew make it through until the party's over.

So, in no particular order, here are a few lovies I've been loving lately:

"Praise Baby" DVD's

(Image missing either because my lap top is an idiot or I am...also, all the pics below came from Google images...that's my lame attempt at crediting my sources.  You're welcome.)

Snuggle your little one up on the couch to the tune of this DVD and you will have carved out 30 minutes of calm and quiet time for him and for you.  We have watched more than one of these in the past 6 days.  There's fun images of babies playing and animals frolicking and weird angles on lava lamps, all set to worship music.  If nothing else, it reminds me that I can trust God to take care of my little one even when he's miserable, and to be praying for him to feel better while he sits and snuggles with Mama for a while.

Johnson's Vapor Bath

Good heavens.  Where was this stuff when I had bronchitis back in college? Probably the Baby Aisle.  Who knew?!?  This stuff is awesome.  It's a mild bubble bath that is lightly mentholated and helps clear out Newbie's head right before bed time.  Plus it makes bubbles.  Who doesn't like bubbles?

Sassy's Bath Cup

Again, where was this when I was babysitting for years and using scratchy plastic McDonald's souveneer cups to rinse kids' heads?!?! I have a love-hate relationship with plastic.  I love that it can go in my dishwasher and that they make American Girls out of it, but I hate that I'm not suppose to microwave food in it or the feeling of it raking across my skin when my hands are wet.  This little lovie was the solution to my problem.  It's a flexible plasticy, siliconey cup with a handle to scoop and pour water over baby in the bath.  The sides conform to Newbie's head, so when I washed his hair, I could control where the water went and keep it out of his aching little ears.  No weird scratchy feeling to the plastic, and at 5 bucks, it was an absolute steal!

Vick's Warm Mist Humidifier

Buy this sucker and humidify your baby's buns off.  And don't settle for the cute Crane cool mist ones that are on sale for half off at Babies R Us on Black Friday like yours truly did, because let me tell you something, sister, there is NO COMPARISON.  I have the damp carpet and plugged sinuses to prove it.  Vicks is the way to go, it has kept it's surroundings dry and has helped Newbie's nose feel better. 

Contour Changing Pad

OK.  You're about to find out how weird I am, in the off-chance you didn't already know.  We used Newbie's changing pad this week when he was so miserable at night by plopping that puppy down in the middle of our bed and letting our restless little guy sleep in it in between Mama and Daddy all night.  The reason: the sides of the pad kept him from rolling over onto his belly in our too-soft, too-fluffy for babies bed, and it kept us from rolling our beached whale selves onto Newbie in the middle of the night, so Newbie got to sleep with us.  Win. Win. Win. Don't go rushing off and dropping some heavy cash for this one (rumor has it my sister paid and arm and a leg for this as a shower gift- thanks, C-Dog!) just use what ya got, and put this one on the next baby registry. =)

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

This is a family favorite for us since I bought it for the Hubs to read to Newbie.  The alliteration and rhyme in this story is such fun, and the characters are ADORABLE.  We have it in the board book because I'm a book worm and freak out when Newbie tries to rip pages from a paperback.  Either way, this book is a winner for bed time stories- especially when the little guy is down and out.  He loves the illustrations, and the familiar rhyme was soothing. Also, he likes the voices I give the badger and the mouse. =)

Benadryl

This one is "Mamas Only"...pop one after the little tike snuggles in for the night and put Daddy on duty.  It worked wonders for me. ;)  Just keepin' it real.

Also, a little after hours "The Office" or "30 Rock" viewing doesn't hurt. 

Now that I've passed on those little pearls of wisdom, I can sleep in peace tonight.  Partially because I fulfilled my duty by passing along parenting secrets to fellow mamas, and partially because I'm about to pop a couple Benadryl.  =)

It's like a nasty Mucinex commercial over here

Whoa. 

I don't know how to even begin coming back from that last post.  I blame it all on the late hour, the sleep deprivation, and the massive amounts of Benadryl coursing through my veins at that point in time.

I wish I could promise I won't hit up the Benadryl again tonight, but that's simply something I cannot do based on the fact that last night I slept better than I have in 25 years.  But I can promise not to blog under the influence again.  Consider it done.

This morning the Hubs and I had big plans.  We took Newbie for a drive to get an oil change.  Yes, we live a glamorous and exciting life.  We were pumped to have an outing planned, and I LOVE getting the oil changed because I feel like we're just getting a once-over on the car.  It's like a well child check-up.  It just feels good to be seen by someone who knows what they're talking about every once in a while.

Speaking of well child check-ups, Newbie has his 6 month appointment tomorrow afternoon, although I wouldn't exactly call it a "well child check up" because we're still in the middle of a booger party over here.  There isn't enough Kleenex in the world to help us out, though that doesn't really seem to matter since 6 month olds apparently just wipe those runny noses wherever they please, which in Newbie's case, is most often his mother's shirt, pants, face and hair. 

Shower?  Yes, please!

Enough about vehicular and nasal fluids. It's so gross and out of character for me to write about.  But when you've been blowing noses for 6 days, it's just hard to avoid blogging about it.  It was that or talking about the worms I found in the sack of potatoes in my kitchen today.  I thought boogers were a little less disturbing.

Commence awkward change of subject...

Do you know what is fun to watch?

...Your son fall in love with the BARGAIN you found at a garage sale three months ago.  I ran into a HUGE bag of Fisher Price blocks- the ones full of wiggly little plastic animals, and sprinkles, and whirly gigs that move when ya shake 'em- and I bought the set of 30 for ONE DOLLAR. They are in perfect condition. That's a 50 dollar value, folks.  HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!!!  Newbie was too little to play with them when I bought them, so I just pulled them out for him today since he's been so into toys lately.  He LOVES them.  I thought it might be a good pick-me-up after not feeling good for so long. 

And yes, that is basket one of five unfolded laundry baskets sitting in the living room that has been chilling there for the past 6 days.  You didn't actually think I chose to be productive during the plague outbreak, did you?!?  No way, dude.  Anyway, my washing machine is still broken, so its a good 25 minute drive to hit up the 'rents for some free laundering. That's a tall order for a sick lady and her baby.  I've just been living in my velour, which is nothing new. =)

I've got a little guy here who is tired of watching his mama blog and who wants company while he plays with his new collection de awesome garage sale finds.  I'm outta here...

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Did you know I have a goat that wraps presents?

Dear Benadryl,

You are awesome.

I don't know that you're doing much for this cold, but you are one heck of a sand man.

My gratitude to you and your little pink self.

Love,

Me

We are still trudging through the first cold of the year around here.  From the Hubs to Newbie to me. And GET THIS: I was scouring the Internet tonight hoping to find some kind of insight into my "to take or not to take Nyquil" dilemma when I finally gave up and popped a Benadryl if for nothing else than to knock me out tonight.  I had the OK from the doc on the Benadryl when Newbie was a month old, so I figured we were good to go.  Then, THEN, I get an email from a friend suggesting I call the 24-hour Walgreens Pharmacy if I ever have a question about what I can take while nursing when my doctor's office is closed.

AND THAT'S WHEN THE ALLELUIA CHORUS RANG. 

It was a germaphobe's dream come true: 24-hour pharmaceutical advice.  I always feel stranded by the medical professionals from Friday at 5 til Monday at 8, forced to rely on my own intuitions when determining what I can and cannot take while nursing.  Which is not a good thing, because most of my information regarding medical information comes from an interesting cocktail involving a few episodes of "The Doctors" and "Rescue 9-1-1" mixed in with a couple hours of some shady CPR training in a fire fighter's basement.   My lack of know-how always results in me just self medicating with food because everybody knows a couple Oreos dipped in millk before bed can do what a few tablespoons of Nyquil can if the world would just give them a chance. 

So from now on, its the 24-hour pharmacy for me when I'm so chugged up with a cold that I can't see straight.  Tonight, however, it's the Benadryl, because we've been there, done that.  In fact, I'm writing 45 minutes post Benadryl dosage, and I can almost feel it pumping through my veins and making me loopy and tired.  That probably explains why I felt it was really important that I get online and update my blog to tell everyone about which medications I am taking for my common cold instead of sleeping.  The 'Dryl messes with you, man.  Impaired judgement?  Check.

But I had to.  Because we had a record breaking number of comments from family and friends worried I was guzzling the 'Quil without the doctor's OK.  I had to inform my peeps that all was well, and I opted for the junk food (namely various Costco samples on Saturday) then the Benadryl instead. 

That last sentence makes me feel like if I said, "the three-legged purple goat in my backyard just ate the shoes under my bed and then wrapped my Christmas presents" I'd be making more sense right now. 

It's the 'Dryl.

So I'm off to bed.

Wishing you all sweet dreams and clear sinuses.

Somebody lost her marbles, and it was me.

Coming out of a cave full of tissues and questions regarding whether or not it is OK to hit up the Nyquil if I'm nursing to bring you the following irrelevant information (yes, I have officially caught Newbie's cold- and now I feel worse for him than ever!)...

I just found this picture of myself at 16 weeks pregnant this time last year, and I KID YOU NOT, the first thought that came to mind when I saw it was,

"Gee, I remember that. That was before I went crazy."

Somewhere around week 20 or so of my pregnancy I went absolutely bonkers, and I haven't returned to sanity since.  I forget things, my mind is jelly, I freak out about everything, and I'm balding.

Who knew the "pregnancy crazy" would hang around this long?

What is it about getting pregnant and having a baby that turns your mind to jello?

I don't know. But I can tell you mine is gone.  Like, so, SO far gone.

Which would explain why we had to have tacos instead of spaghetti for dinner tonight because I had not, in fact, bought the spaghetti noodles like I thought I had.

That is all.

No, actually, that is not all.

I'd also like to add that Chet the squirrel has unleashed either the Beav or an army of raccoons with chain saws, or possibly an unexpected and destructive combination of both, into our bedroom walls.  I seriously thought the walls were going to cave in around us during our afternoon nap today. 

That is all.

For reals.

My Little Sparrow

Here's my little pumpkin on our way out to the doctor yesterday...

...I know, smiley as ever, but if you look closely, you can see there are only about three to four hours of sleep in those little blue eyes.

After two very restless nights in a row, I am left to ponder how on earth I survived the first eight weeks of Newbie's life in which I was constantly functioning in an entirely sleep deprived state.

Because, boy, am I tired. But not as tired as yesterday.  Whew.

It certainly helped that the Hubs wasn't doped up on Nyquil last night.  He is such a good daddy.  He took the first shift, and I took the second, and somehow we mangaged to come out on the other side of things this morning.  Newbie slept OK, he just woke up several times ready for another hit on the Tylenol dropper.  I can't blame him.  If my ibuprofen tasted like wild berries, I'd want another hit at 3 in the morning too. 

He was lookin' good this morning when he woke Daddy up to come downstairs and play.  The Hubs has the day off today, so we're looking forward to a low-keyed snuggly day just the three of us.

Nothing like getting up at the break of dawn on your "Saturday" after a less than mediocre night of sleep.

But we can't complain, because this little smiley bundle is who we get to wake up to!

We're off to pick out a movie and a cuddly blanket.  Hope you have a fabulous Friday and your early birds sleep in tomorrow!!!

Ariel, you are my meatloaf.

Last night was L-O-N-G long.

Newbie was fussing from 8-12 and just wouldn't fall asleep unless I rocked him. As soon as I lay him down in the crib, he would wake up wailing.  To make things more interesting, the Hubs had popped some Nyquil before bed due to a bad cough and chugged up head, so he was dead to the world after about 7 pm.

I moved into Newbie's room around 10 pm after staying in there to rock him since 8 pm, and by 5 am we were both sharing the big bed with the Hubs (who was still dead to the world.)  Too bad Nyquil isn't for 6 month olds!  When Newbie put his little palm to my cheek like he does when he wakes up in our bed, his hand was on fire.  And I knew.  I knew right away that my little buggy was running a fever and was sick.  I opened my eyes and his big blue eyes were looking up at me above the most plugged up gunky nose I have ever seen. 

So I dumped a cooler of Gatorade on the Hubs, effectively waking him up, then we swept Newbie off to the doctor this morning and came back with an ear infection diagnosis and all kinds of bubble gum pink medicine that should make him feel better.  Poor little guy.  He slept all the way home and all the way through our 57 hour stay in the pharmacy drive-thru window line. 

Now we're back home and taking it easy this afternoon while the Hubs is at work.  Lots of snuggles on the couch and The Little Mermaid on the TV.  The Little Mermaid is for me, not Newbie.  Thaaaat's right.  It was a long night for both of us, and there's just something about a good Disney movie that is light years better than comfort food to me.  I grew up with Ariel and Belle and Simba and Peter Pan, and on a bad day, those pals are just the meatloaf and mashed potatoes this girl needs.  Don't worry, I skip over the scary parts- like when Ariel visits Ursula, because who's a fan of a black octopus anyway? She gives me the creeps.

Is now a good time to mention that I occasionally revert to eating macaroni with hot dogs on a bad day too?  Sometimes it is fun to be five years old.  It just makes a girl feel better. Like when you're having a rough go and you just want to be a mermaid and eat some mac and cheese.

Newbie appreciates the "under the sea" ambiance.  He told me so.

So we're huddling down for the next couple days while Newbie works his way through his first official sickness.  Bless his heart, he's still smiling at his mama despite feeling just awful.  What a sweet little boy I have! 

Wishing you a day free of bubble gum pink medicine and hoping your seaweed is greener.

Daddy's Day Off

First it was pumpkin pancakes followed by sweet potatoes and mac and cheese at lunch time...

 Then we bundled up and took off for a walk at the park...

And then we went to Petco to get Opie's mani and pedi combo, where we were red-lighted and asked not to come back.  Ever.  Because "he was quite a handful."  We always knew it was just a matter of time.

Now we're snuggled up watching some TV and hanging out before dinner time. 

 I love lazy days. =)

Here are a few pictures of my blue-eyed boy yesterday when we enjoyed a lazy afternoon crunching in the leaves together before his daddy got home from work...

Hope you find time this week to have a lazy day!

You are the allspice in my pumpkin pancake

Today I made
PUMPKIN PANCAKES
with whip cream and cinnamon on top for breakfast.  The Hubs has the day off, so I decided it was go big or go home.

I also whipped out the Beaba Baby Cook and took my first whack at making Newbie's baby food.  Sweet potatoes, comin' right up!  I have to say, it was a breeze, even for me.  Which is saying a lot, because this lady burns EVERYTHING.  So I think there's a good chance my little man will be feasting on homemade baby food on a regular basis. 

That last sentence looks so ambitious, it makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and hide.  But we shall keep calm and carry on with our lofty goals. 

Speaking of lofty goals, when Newbie gets up from his nap, we are headed out to a local park to walk some nature trails and have a picnic together.  Lofty? you ask.  Yes, lofty.  Because we are taking Opie.  And Newbie.  And we plan to have lunch and enjoy Creation's serenity together.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Have mercy.

This would be a great place to share some pictures of our homemade baby food and our delicious pancakes and my sweet little guy playing the leaves yesterday afternoon, but my camera is downstairs, and I am not.  While I'm feeling ambitious today, I'm not feeling that ambitious.  So I'll update later with some munchable pictures of food and baby rolls.

For now I just thought I'd drop in to share my food endeavors and inform you that I am still missing the "u" key on my laptop thanks to a vigorous birthday message a la 6 month old. 

Also, I love when the Hubs has a day off.  It is like the allspice in my pumpkin pancake....life just isn't the same without it.

I hope you have allspice in your pumpkin pancakes today.

Movin' Up in the World

Does it get any better than a warm cup of hot chocolate on a chilly fall day?  Mmm....I am soaking in a productive morning with the Hubs at home while Newbie naps.

Eggs for breakfast- check!

Laundry- check!

Trash out- check!

Get out of my pj's- check!

Then comes the hot chocolate reward.  Loving it.

We went to the grocery store yesterday and Newbie did a great job! Since he's moved up to his big boy car seat, we don't have a car seat for him to ride in at the store, so he had to go it alone yesterday in the cart.  He did so well!  He was looking all over the place for the first half of our grocery shopping and was gumming and drooling on all of his stuffed animal buddies for the second half.  I crammed two big stuffed animals on either side of him in case he got tired and couldn't sit up anymore, but he didn't start to lean til we hit the check out line.  Such a big boy! 

Here he is cruising through the parking lot on our way in:

I may or may not have bought him one  three toys because I was so proud of his endurance.  Ha!

We took some fun pictures this afternoon out in the leaves.....brace yourself for some blue eyes- coming soon!
Have a happy day!

Home, Sweet, Messy Home

This morning I got to wake up to this sweet little face and these teensy toes and all was right in my world. 



I had a good trip to Chicago, spent a lot of the weekend walking and shopping and came home with a slew of IKEA wares that I don't have room for.  Good, not great, because CHICK-FIL-A IS CLOSED ON SUNDAYS.  My bestie talked me into a Chick-Fil-A road trip on the way home, and just as I was deciding the rabbit trail to get there was probably worth it, we were reminded that they are closed on Sunday.  CLOSED!  And it was Sunday.  The reminder came in just in time (thanks, B!), and we were able to hop back on the highway before we reached an empty Chick-Fil-A parking lot where we surely would have been swallowed in despair.

After my WORLD CLASS navigator managed to talk me out of a panic attack driving through downtown Chicago, and after we subjected ourselves to a germaphobe's worst nightmare that is the subway system, we sucessfully hit up the Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  BLT salad and a plate full of "I'm about to start the Biggest Loser Challenge...but not 'til Monday"?  Yes, please!



Then we hit the Magnificent Mile for some shopping.  Six hours and eighteen hip replacements later we learned that a GPS is made for driving, not walking.  You live and learn.   You walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and hurt really bad.  But you live and learn. I would have had pictures to show for it, but, well, depression.

Then the day was redeemed when we met up with my uncle for dinner at Italian Village and dessert at a spot where we experienced the autumn wonder that is: Snapple Lantern Ice Cream....pumpkin spice ice cream with gingersnaps- yes, that happened.

We crashed at my uncle's apartment, where earlier that day my WORLD CLASS navigator had talked me out of a panic attack while PARALLEL PARKING in a 3 foot by 2 foot spot just outside of my uncle's place.  We should have won a medal for that parking job.  Here we are on Day 2 bright-eyed and bushy tailed. We were semi-well rested, considering all the hip replacements of Saturday, and we were ready to hit up IKEA.

Chicago Starbucks' Vanilla Latte and Perfect Oatmeal.  Yes, please.

Road trip buddies =) At least, I hope we can still be buddies after this trip.  Something about letting someone see all of your crazy by allowing them to witness your reaction to driving through downtown Chicago at 60 miles per hour makes you question whether or not they will ever want to talk to you again. 

 Forgive me, L.  Please, forgive me. =)

A big fat THANK YOU to my uncle who let us crash at his Halloween pad while we were in town and who paid for a taxi cab so we didn't have to haul our battered hips and feet onto the germ-infested subway after a day trekking through the concrete jungle. You. are. the. best!

Then it was off to IKEA.  I had my WORLD CLASS navigator and Richard, our GPS, to lead us.  Except Richard must have been a little hopped up on something or rebelling from the insanity of our expectation that he lead us down sidewalks and not roads on Saturday because his directions were, at times, less than mediocre.  But we made it.  By George, 34 minutes after pulling out of our 3 by 2 foot parking spot in Chicago, we made it. Here is our first view of that sweet and incredibly large warehouse full of home decor....Have mercy.

Then we embarked on our trip home.  A trip involving Richard in all his wrong-directions glory and a Chick-Fil-A that was closed.  I was beat to a pulp by the time I finally pulled into my driveway, where I was greeted by the Hubs who was running a 99.4 degree temperature and a sweet roly poly little boy who was all "why do I have to come home to mama when I could just hang out with G-Mama and G-Daddy some more? I like it there.  They let me do what I want."

Ahh, it's good to be back.

And now my living room looks like this. 

Worth it.

 I'm off with Newbie in a few to hit the store in hopes of filling a pantry that currently consists only of rice cereal and popcorn.

Hope you all have a day full of food.  Good food that doesn't taste like a store brand version of Frosted Flakes or something you would find at a movie theatre.