How times have changed....

With this start of another new year, I thought I would post a then and now. I was talking with my husband the other day about our relationship and how I want to keep the romance alive (you know with two kids and all.) Not that I have to worry too much, because my husband is a super romantic guy (when he has the time.) Anyway I was thinking through the past few years the different ways I have defined romance, take a look.....

in grade school, it was romatic to get a card and maybe a teddy bear from a boy! Kissing would be really gross.

in junior high, teddy bear is still really romatic, but add that kiss too!

in high school, nothing is more romantic than flowers being delivered to your high school from your boyfriend.

in college, being asked to a fraternity mixer or party is pretty romantic, with dinner at pizza hut or western sizzler even! Dinner and a movie was romantic too!

in graduate school, going to a more sophisticated restaraunt and possibly a play like "Mama Mia" is very romantic, or riding the ferry across the Mississippi late at night, being carried 6 blocks because your feet are blistered from your sister's shoes are all pretty romantic.

in the working world as a single girl, nothing was more romantic than going to eat at Bella Luna and then walking on the river walk in the rain as Josh got down on one knee.

as a newlywed, well you know what is romantic about that right???? I mean Meredith was concieved 3 months after we were married....need I say more?!?!?

as a mom of two tikes, my husband doing the dishes knocks my socks off, doing laundry and then folding it and putting it away is really romance, and cleaning the floors (mopping, vacuming, sweeping) is damn near orgasmic!!!!

Yeah times have changed and so has the definition of romance. What do you find romantic this year????

Where does the time go????

It is 10:45am and I finally have a minute to myself. I have been up since 3am! Noah woke to eat at 3am, well actually I was awake so I woke him to eat so he wouldn't wake me later. After I fed him and got him back to sleep in his glider, I remembered Meredith was in bed with us. And really that means no sleep for anyone else in the bed with her, unless you call being kicked on sleep! Then Noah was up at 7am to eat and I got up with him, at 8am he was ready for a nap so I climbed back in my bed with Meredith to catch a little snooze. Well that lasted for 10 minutes and then she was up wanting "juice, eeeeegggzzzzz, and O-meal!" umm we did yogurt juice and otameal. Then Noah was up at 9:30 to eat again and now they are both in beds, not sleeping, but there because I just needed a miiiii-nut! As meredith would say!

And I am not complaining really, I mean I just need a little "me time" to unload/reload the dishwasher, do a little laundry, pick up a toy room, put folded clothes away, fold a few clothes, wipe down countertops and do some general picking up since this mornings tornado (tornado meredith came through about 8:15am.) And then I need to do the basics....
I haven't brushed my teeth/hair or showered, I havent' eaten breakfast (I did ask my husband for a pop tart at 7am before he headed to work, but I have yet to find it!) I did get a quick potty break, but other than that I am in the same shape as I was at 3am! And now the little time I do have, I am blogging!!!! What is wrong with me. Toodles and happy new year! I hope this year brings more sleep and me time.

Quoting Meredith....what she says

Here are a few things she has said lately.....

Mommy: meredith we need to change your diaper.
Meredith: no mommy, in a Miiiii-nut

***

opening presents from her mimi
Mimi: hands meredith a pretty bag with lots of tissue
Meredith: opens it up looks inside at the clothes and hands it back to mimi .....No Mimi! No!

***

this morning when she wasn't feeling to well, she climbed up in my bed, laid down on my pillow and...
Meredith: Mommy toons?
Mommy: Do you want to watch cartoons?
Meredith: mmmhmmm
Mommy: opening up the dvd case Do you want to watch wiggles?
Meredith: (the most pathetic mmmhmmm) and hands the dvd to daddy
Daddy: puts the Wiggles DVD as Mommy continues flipping through the dvd case
Meredith: No No Daddy! No Wiggles.....Tubbies!!!! (waving her hands in the air in a panic as she hurries to grab it out the case)

***

tonight as she was on a sugar high after eating only dessert for dinner (her parents are softies when she is sick)
Meredith & Mimi: on the floor with her shoot(basketball) playing "throw, run, maybe catch, and laugh a lot"
Meredith: running after the shoot, falls to the floor and is semi-tackled by Brownie, she then jumps up and says....It's otay! It's otay!......and then takes off running again

our new ride!!!!

While I would have loved for Santa to have dropped off one of these....He dropped this off instead....

Yep we got a new Maclaren Stroller that fits two. Thank you Grandpa! Meredith & Noah's great-grandpa. They will love their new stroller. I debated getting one at all, but everytime I have put Noah in a stroller to go get the mail, meredith wants in one too. Thankfully the other day at the mall I had two strollers and my husband. We got it in all grey and for a great price!

Thanks gramps! Love ya!

**FYI I don't drive a lexus or SUV, but a minivan! the loser cruiser!

Lunch!

Today was the first day in a long time that I did lunch with the gals and no kiddos! Very impromptu, a few friends and I got together for some sushi. It was lunch, a bitch fest, a gossip session, whatever. It was really nice and much needed. No mac-n-cheese being thrown on the floor, no spit up on me, no wrestling someone in a high chair, no bribing someone to sit in the high chair, no kiddie menus, no tears, and no frustrations. Now if I could just find the time to do that every week.

Now we are home and they are both down for naps! What a wonderful day! Oh wait my father-in-law will be here in a couple hours...........Great day over!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone want a weekend visiter, I will pay big $$$ bucks!!!!

Christmas at our house!

Our family on Christmas Eve

Look at me how handsome!Who said I wasn't handsome.....Lemme at 'em! The loot, I said it was obnoxious! We did donate 3 big bags of toys to charity though!!!!
My ballerina playing basketball....
Hmmm, what do you guys want for breakfast?
Yes! I got gifts too!! No stocking stuffers though! thanks Santa!
I don't know what you guys are eating, but my belly is full....good milk mom!

So sweet, Christmas day lunch
And the two people who make it all possible, for the two kids that make it all worthwhile!

brother and sisterly love...

No!!! Sissy I don't want to lay by you!!!! Fine Bubby! Then don't....

***No one was hurt during the process of taking this series of photos!

Here comes Santa Claus....

So the children are snuggled all warm in their beds, well Noah in the soothing motions glider that was loaned by a friend that we have to give back soon!!!!! Anyway they are snuggled and Santa who has been here since 9pm is still hard at work! His elf has given up, she has dutifully set up all the presents and arranged everything in neat little piles for both Meredith and Noah while Santa works on a little kitchen!!!! Who knew a Little Tikes kitchen could take sooo long to put together and require a hammer(that is loud), an electric screwdiver and a few choice words that should NEVER be uttered by Santa himself! Not to mention Santa forgot to bring one child's stocking stuffers, it must be an off year for Santa, it isn't like he had a lot going on this year.

It may be a long night for Santa and his poor elf! She needs some sleep!

What was I thinking????

So for the past month I have been telling my husband, that I wasn't sure Santa had enough loot this year. Then, this Santa would run out and by just one more thing. Well last night the two Santas got together and pulled out the loot to make sure we had enough. I am embarrased to say how much we had. What was I thinking???? My children have so much loot that I put some away for birthdays, Easter, and other holidays. I know I went overboard, but I grew up in a house where my Santa went overboard too. It comes hand in hand with wanting to give your children everything (within reason of course). I don't think my child is a brat or overly spoiled, she is a rather sweet child with a great disposition. And I don't think I am brat and am overly spoiled and think I grew up to be a decent adult and there was nothing I needed or wanted for growing up. We had great Christmas mornings growing up, as well as great birthdays, and a fabulous education. All the things in life that I hope we can give our kids too. So is too much wrong? Am I spoiling them and turning them into a brats? Am I setting the bar too high? Is it okay to make this holiday magical and light up their lives with tons of loot?

I will say.... the day after Christmas we are going through old toys that we don't play with anymore and donating them to charity. But to answer myself..... No I don't think teaching them to believe in a magical holiday where they get tons of gifts once a year and spoiling them while they are little and believe and while I am able to is bad. As long as I teach them the real meaning of the holiday and to respect others and love others and share their good fortunes with those less fortunate, I think we will be okay.

So Merry Christmas all, I will post some pictures of the loot after Christmas. And who knows once all the toys are open and they are spread throughout my house, I will think I am nuts and did go overboard and wish I would have never stepped foot in a toy store.

Just call us Britney & K-Fed

What started out as a nice family outing, ended as parenting going wrong! Very wrong. Josh and I woke up and took the kids for donuts. We normally do this every weekend, but since he had off today for a wedding out of town that we didn't quite make (a story for another post) we decided to go today. After donuts, we hit up the park and the train table at a local toy store; this is when our parenting skills went wrong. We were more of a Brit and K-Fed parenting team then mandi and josh. We walked out of the toy store, children and loot in hand and proceeded to dump the loot, put Meredith in the car seat and I took Noah into the drivers seat with me to nurse him. As I was nursing him I started telling Josh an interesting story, I finished nursing him, handed him off to K-Fed, I mean Josh and started to adjust my bra and shirt while continuing my story. Then, I put the car in reverse, backed out of the spot and took off. We were went about a 1/4 of a mile when we realized that Noah was still in the front seat in Josh's arms!!!!!!

Josh looks at me and asked "Why is Noah still in my arms?" .....

To which I replied..."Ummmm I don't know, what the hell?!?!"

Then I quickly looked for somewhere to pull over, pulled into the oncoming lane of traffic's turning lane and quickly made it to the safety of a fast food parking lot.

So yeah just call us Brit and K-Fed!

my sweetest girl

So today Meredith did some really sweet things and it warmed my heart.......

This morning when I brought Meredith into my bed to snuggle, Noah was already laying in it wide awake. When she got in, she immediately crawled over to him, snuggled up next to him and put her arm gently around him. She then laid a very gentle kiss right on his cheek. It nearly brought me to tears to watch this little girl, who last week would have given him away to the UPS man, really love on her brother.

Then this evening my little family bravely ventured out of the house and to a restaruant. We did pick a very unpopular restaraunt for Noah, that had decent food and great service. We went to Fiorella's and had some "noo-nuls and cheese". And as my big girl sat in her high chair eating her noo-nuls and cheese, she leaned over to me and said "Mommy, I love you!"
Then my husband bought me dessert, who needs christmas?

Fun days!!!

Yesterday we went to Mimi's house and had a blast. We went over about lunch time and had Spicy Pickle take out for like the 952nd time this month! Ummmm it was soooo good! Then we just hung out all afternoon and evening into the night. Meredith did a little dancing to Madonna (well mommy singing Madonna), Mimi made some turtles which I ate!, and I just sat back and relaxed letting my family help entertain and take care of my kiddos! Good times! Even Nannie was there to play with us. Thanks for such a great day Mom, we had so much fun.



Today is a not so fun day! I am doing laundry and packing, we head to Memphis tomorrow for a wedding. I have a feeling things won't be slowing down anytime soon. Not to mention I am a little stressed packing for 4 to head out of town to a wedding. Yay for good times!

Things I find myself saying over and over in the course of day...

- meredith use your words
- don't poke bubby's eyes out
- BE GENTLE!
- DANGER!!!
- do you want to go to timeout!
- NO TOUCH! THAT IS A NO TOUCH!
- Tootie we HAVE to change your diaper!
- la,la,la-la la,la,la-la Meredith's World!
- Don't take bubby's paci!!!
- No standing on chairs!
- hurry, hurry!
- No MORE Wiggles!!!
- Brownie Hush!
- what kind of snack do you want?
- and of course the I Love You's all day long!

we have a tooth!!!

Yep! Yesssirrreee! uh-huh We have a tooth!!!!!

It works great!

It looks great!

It hasn't fallen out!

No more sleeping with a toothless old man!

Christmas dinner!

This year I am so excited about Christmas dinner. Trust me that is a huge deal for me, everyone who knows me knows why. I am the pickiest eater ever and I HATE traditional Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner. I despise turkey and I'm not a fan of all the trimmings and fixings. In fact my favorite dishes for both is normally bread and dessert and I am really not a huge pie fan so even dessert stinks a little.

But this year, my family is going the classic New Orleans route! After years of me suggesting this, they are finally coming around. This year our menu includes...

• Seafood Gumbo
• Crawfish Pies
• Some oyster dish
• Shrimp Fettuchini
• Shrimp & Macaroni Salad
• Green Salad
• Potato Salad
• French Bread (key element)
• Desserts (of which I am in charge and there won't be a pie to be had!!!)

So yes my mouth is watering and I can't wait. I love food, I just love good food or food that I love. Anyone want to join us???

A date with my hubby!!!

So Josh and I went on a date today! It is the first date we have had since Noah has arrived. I know 4 weeks! yes Noah is 4 weeks old today and Josh and I haven't been together alone with no kiddos since then. Anyway we went on a date, gues where.....you won't believe it......go ahead and guess...... you will never believe it......

State Farm!

Yep we went to the State Farm Insurance office to review all of our policies and update our coverage. I know very romantic and exciting. We did inhale lunch at the French bakery next door after and then run home. Mimi had a date to go shopping. See what life with two kids gets ya!

Luminaries at a la Neighborhood!

So last night our neighborhood did our 2nd annual "Luminaries at a la Neighborhood". Needless to say what was planned to be a huge success turned into a three ringed circus. It was quite the entertainment and we did get to see our neighbors and kibitz so all was good.

The luminaries were set to run from 6pm - 9pm, a horse drawn buggy would then take people throughout the neighborhood to see the luminaries. The buggy rides were open to homeowners, their guest and the public. It was a free buggy ride and someone was going to collect money for the Salvation Army's angel tree.

So all the planning for our 2nd annual Luminaries at a la Neighborhood started last weekend, when I decided to have a little Christmas party and invite our friends over for some shrimp stew and potato salad and my yummy chocolate cake. Good friends, good times and some luminaries. Not to mention a free buggy ride, it would have been a helluva good time! So I invited everyone and then Meredith and Noah got sick, then I got sick, then Josh was suffering from exhaustion so I cancelled. However, the luminaries still had to take place and since Josh is 2nd vice president of our Homes Owners Association, we had to participate. They even advertised this event in our local paper.

So at 4pm Josh and Meredith set out to fill the white bags for the luminaries. Josh filled the bags and Meredith danced to the wiggles CD Josh gave her that day for being sick. Meredith was very cute dancing in the drive way with her little radio. The bags were filled and ready about 5:15pm and just then the clouds started rolling in and the wind picked up.

Then at 5:45pm we were ready to head out and set them up and it started raining. We began to wonder what to do, the wind was wipping furiously, it was wet and the luminaries were set to take place. There was no contingency plan for rain and wind. At 6pm the rain had stopped so I told Josh to go ahead and put them out. He started and as he laid a few down in the driveway our neighbor told him the event was cancelled. So he picked them up and headed in, his wagon toting the luminaries behind him. Then we looked out the window and what did appear...... a horse drawn buggy that was empty my dear. So again we looked up and down the street to see what everyone else was doing, but we didn't see any luminaires.

So we called in takeout to Spicy Pickle for the 857th time this month and decided to forget the luminaries this year. 15 minutes later, Josh walked in with dinner and in a frenzy he yelled "It isn't cancelled, everyone has theirs out and the buggy is still going around with people now!" So out we rushed to set up the luminaries. The little white burning bags were out all of 20 minutes when 4 of them had caught on fire! There were mini bonfires up and down the whole street. All of our neighbors were outside watching this spectacle of luminaries. The kids were running to the burning bags and putting them out with their feet. Meredith was holding my hand watching in awe and pointing and saying "Hot! Hot Mama!". So after 25 minutes, some small talk with the neighbors, losing 4 luminaries tragically; we picked them up until next weekend.

Yes our neighborhood is doing this again next Saturday too! No free buggy rides, but a bunch of houses decorated with lights and luminaries, it really is very pretty! You should come and see.

A new look

So I am giving 2 tikes under 2 a new look! I decided it was time for a change. Change is good, I like change for the most part. We have been cooped up for almost a month now and with the kiddos sick we are really homebound and going stir crazy soooooo, at least the blog gets a new look.

And today's funny...
Meredith: throws a face rag on the floor that mimi just folded

Mommy: "Meredith pick up that rag!"

Mommy: "Meredith Grace pick up that rag!"

Mimi: "Miss pick up that rag right now!"

Meredith: continues to ignore us both

Mimi: "Pick up that rag or you will get a smack!"

Meredith: quickly bends over and picks up the rag and hands it to Mimi

Mommy: is rather impressed that the threat worked so easily

Meredith: looks up with those big, brown eyes at Mimi and says..."Mack! Mack" and runs to the kitchen!

***mack to meredith means snack! she totally missed that threat!

Under the weather

Yep that is right, we are under the weather here at the house. Meredith woke up with a runny nose yesterday, which then led to a cough, her feeling miserable, a low grade fever and big crocodile tears! Then today Noah started with congestion, hopefully we will avoid any fever (keeping my fingers crossed!) The only thing my dear husband and I are suffering from is exhaustion and wishing it was us and not them!

All I want for Christmas.....

Is a new front tooth! A new front tooth!

That is the song my dear husband has been singing for two years now and finally it he is getting it this Christmas!!! Remember that storm that blew through the great city of Nawlins, I think they called it Katrina. Yeah that is the one. Well after that storm our house had a little water damage, well a lot of damage in a little area. Anyway the roof came off, everything was wet, mildewed and smelled rather nasty! So Josh and my mom were pulling off sheetrock with hammers and I was in the shower. Do you see where this is going.... Next thing you know my mom comes barreling into the bathroom yelling "Josh just knocked his tooth out! Hurry!" I think she said something like that, it was on top of her either crying or laughing. Well knowing my mom, I will go with the latter, she was laughing. So like a nut I jump out the shower, soap in my hair and run to see what is going on and there is Josh missing his top front tooth. My mom is killing herself laughing, Josh is between laughing and crying, but thankfully not in pain. And I am sitting there thinking....you have no tooth and a very important job interview very soon!!!

Needless to say in Katrina land the people were all evacuated, including dentist. I think it took a good 2 weeks before I got him an appointment with one. We did get one a few days later in a different city that is 45 mintues away, but with katrina traffic it took 2+ hours to get there. Well on the day of his appointment after sitting in traffic and road blocks and having his ID's checked at various checkpoints, he gets there only to find out the dentist was sick that day and couldn't make it in. Why didn't they tell us you are wondering...... well we were in Katrina Land..... NO cell phone service and phones lines were non-existant. We lived in times before the Flintstones - people! No phones, no tv's, no groceries, no fast food, no delivery, no INTERNET! Eventually our dentist opened his clinic in Nola one day a week and after begging he fit Josh in! Yay for a replacement temporary tooth! Did I mention he had an interview with his new job, like the next day. I mean who would have hired a doctor missing a front tooth.

Fast forward to today.....after 2 temporary replacement teeth, 3 dentist, 2 oral surgeons, 1 appointment where they pulled 4 teeth and he was swollen and looked awful, 1 implant put in, 6 months with a denture, a broken denture, a panicked call from my husband saying get me a dentist appointment now "TO FIX THIS DAMN DENTURE!", his wife telling him if they can't fix that denture you CANNOT have clinic tomorrow or ever again with real life patients until they fix that DAMN DENTURE!, sleeping next to a toothless man for many months and a couple of dinners where he took the denture out at a restaurant to entertain our friends.......... he is finally getting a REAL permanent tooth. I am so excited I can't see straight!

So yes, all Josh wants for Christmas is a new front tooth! and then he can actually say tooth instead of toof!

Edited to add: he got home yesterday 45 minutes after his appointment with no tooth! Ugh! It was off on color so they are changing it and maybe monday! maybe! The tooth saga continues!!!!

A little bit of Meredith....

"mommy! mommy!"
***
"mommy help!"
***
"help pease"
***
"help pease"
***
"mommy help PEASE!!!!"
***
"DANGER! DANGER! HU-WEE! HU-WEE!"
***
I run into the kitchen to see the little squirt on top my kitchen table.
***
"Mommy help down pease!"

Mimi's and Meemaw's

Here is Meredith and her cute little friend Adalyn. And even at the tender ages of 20 months and a little over 2, they know where the bread is buttered.
One day last week, my mom and I brought Meredith and Noah to have their christmas pictures taken with a local photographer. We met up with Adalyn and her Mommy and Meemaw. After Meredith and Adalyn had their picture taken, they each got a cookie and balloon from the photographer. Those picture people really know what they are doing, as that was the highlight of Meredith's day. Anyway once Meredith consumed her cookie she started playing with her balloon. She let it go twice and both times I reached up and got it and handed it back to her only to have her let it go again! Clearly this was a game. So after the third time I looked up at the balloon and said "bye bye balloon! Mommy can't reach!" Meredith started to whine a little and that is when Adalyn came to her rescue and said "That's okay Mimi will get it!"

Brunch with Mommy & Santa

Okay so now I really feel like my baby girl is all grown up! Today was our first mother/daughter brunch! Well it was really Brunch with Santa, but her and I went and that was special too! bubby stayed home with Mimi, he isn't quite old enough for brunch yet!!!
Here she is all dressed up for brunch! Ooooh Santa just walked in the room!!!
Wow mom this man always has candy canes!!!

Santa Claus is coming to town!

So I bought a Santa visit as part of a fundraiser for an organization I am in! It is pretty neat, I buy the ticket and then the big guy dressed in red, comes to my house, picks up gifts I leave on the porch for the kids and then hands them out to them.


anyway here is my little elf waiting for Santa...Now that you are here...please don't talk or touch me!!Noah loving him some Santa Man! He really loved that beard!!!
Okay I will take a quick picture if I can have a candy cane!

And that is the truth, Meredith wouldn't go to Santa for a present or to say hello, but the minute he mentioned "candy" she was all over that! Not long enough to get a picture though! She did give him a cookie, of course she had to take a bite first to make sure it was okay!!!

Oh and Josh plays Santa tonight! See what me being a member of the garden club does for him!!!!

The poor little shoe....

This is a story about a shoe so bear with me...
***
So the first few days we were home, Noah had his days and nights mixed up....which was hard. Okay really hard! Okay VERY, VERY HARD! Not so much that I wasn't getting much sleep at night, but that I wasn't getting much sleep at night and then having to entertain a toddler during the day! But now Noah is in a pretty good rythym. Really only waking once to eat and when I awake in the morning I actually feel like I got a good night sleep. But running and caring for both during the day has got me running around like a chicken with my head cut off some days! (although I wouldn't have it any other way!)
***
And since I am always running like a chicken with my head cut off, I have done some pretty dumb things. Did I mention I put Meredith shoes on the wrong feet at least twice during the last 2 weeks (and that is only the times I noticed, who knows how many I didn't). In the past two weeks though did manage to get out of the house and to a friend's house alone, with both kiddos and no one was left at home and no one rode on the roof of the van on the way to her house! (oops did I spill the beans I drive a van -- I pretend it is a mercedes) The only thing I did forget on this outing was Meredith's diapers, which is the second time I did this. The first time was at Noah's two day check up with the pediatrician. On both occasions Meredith made some poop that smelled darn right rancid! Thankfully my friends daughter wears the same size diapers and gave us one! No such luck at the pediatrician's office, we just stunk up the place and heard Meredith say "Mama Poop!" about a dozen or twenty or so times.
***
But my biggest Ooops! since having two to take care of is something that only affects me! (thank goodness) Well me and my wallet (so in a way Josh too!) Anyway I went to Belks and got some new black heels to wear to my grandpa's birthday party! Well me being me, I actually got a pair of black heels, a pair of black boots, and a pair of red heels to wear to my grandpa's party! I know I now have as many pairs of red shoes as meredith (and trust me she has too many! Her momma loves red shoes!) Anyway I got a pair of black heels for the party. Very cute, match the dress very nicely! I didn't actually wear them to the party though, I wore the red ones. However I fully intended to keep all 3 pairs to go with 1 dress and had plans to wear them sometime soon.
***
Back to the story.....
So the black shoes were hanging out in my room with everything else that was out of place in this house. Meredith has played in them a few times this week as well as all the other shoes laying on the floor in my room (including Josh's). I was okay with that, both Meredith playing in them and them laying on the floor. And then on Tuesday I couldnt' take the mess anymore so I started to clean up my room (gasp!) I put the laundry in the hampers, the dirty diapers in the trash, the toys in the playroom, the empty diet coke cans in the trash, cups in the sink and the shoes in the closet! Whew, it makes me tired just thinking of the picking up I did in our room. Then I took the shoe boxes from all the new shoes I had just bought that were thrown haphazardly throughout the room and debated on keeping them and stacking them neatly on the shelf in my closet with the shoes in them. Then I had to laugh at myself and thought....yeah right! Just throw the damn boxes out, they will take up so much room and the shoes will never wind up back in the boxes after I try them on with an outfit, much less wear them. When I wear them they barely make it out the car when we get home as my feet always hurt (I don't wear comfortable shoes).
***
So I picked up the shoes, threw them in the closet, the new ones, some old ones and some of Josh's. And then I picked up the bags and boxes and put them by the back door to go out for the trash. Well trash day is Wednesday..... do you see where this is going? And my husband who normally needs 10 thousand reminders to take the boxes by the back door out with the trash, actually picked up all those boxes and bags with no reminder. Wednesday afternoon I was standing in my closet and only saw 1 black heel, so I searched high and low for that other new shoe. And then I remembered, I had never taken the 2nd shoe out the box. The night before the party I tried on the black heel on the right foot, the red heel on the left foot and asked Josh which looked better. He said red, so the black one stayed camped out on the floor and the mate tucked neatly in it's box. Poor shoe never made it to the floor, much less the closet.
***
So needless to say I am now in search for another pair of cute, closed toe black heels to wear with a very cute sweater dress! I will need them by Noah's christening, unless I find another very cute dress and then I have to start all over!

Things you would of never dramed of doing with the 1st....

So yesterday a friend of mine and I were talking and she asked if caring for a newborn came back naturally? My response was no! There are tons of things I forgot...... like how to help them set their internal clock, what to eat and not eat that can cause gas, how to swaddle appropriately & effectively!

I did alot of things to prepare for my first pregnancy, that I didn't do with this one, for instance....
- I never read one book. With Meredith I had read a ton!
- I had her car seat out for months, making sure everything was just right. With Noah, Josh grabbed it out the attick a day or two before we went to the hospital. I am embarrassed to say there were cheerios and cookie crumbs all under the padding. I am even more embarrassed to say it is all still there.

And I do a lot more things as a mother, that I would never have dreamed of doing with my first....
- Noah's little behind stays in his poop a little longer than Meredith ever did! I just can't drop Meredith or what I am doing at that moment to always change him. But I do try!
- Josh and I threw out that rule that the baby will never sleep with us, right now it is SURVIVAL people...all about doing what works!
- I would have died if a toddler head butted my newborn! Now I just make sure he isn't bruised and he is breathing and move on! He will be tough!
- I washed Meredith clothes daily and every blanket that hit the floor! Yeah right now Noah covers with whatever we can get our hands on that his big sister doesn't take first! And I bought a lot of gowns for days when the laundry piles up.
- Powdered donuts are now a healthy breakfast! That is when you have a toddler crying to eat and a newborn crying to nurse and no time to fix an egg or oatmeal! (I know my mom and aunts got on me for making Meredith eat healthy and not give her sweets --- ladies that isn't a bad thing when she wasn't asking for sweets.... I knew that would come in time!)
- Staying in pjs all day is perfectly acceptable! I used to dress meredith because she had so many clothes she had to wear. It is really okay if noah doesn't wear them all because I am too tired to put an outfit on him. If there isn't a decent amount of spit up on his gown, he is good! Me too! I can wear a certain amount of spit up before I meet my "change clothes threshold"

All in all, it is going well! I think we may plan the third soon!

Happy 2 week birthday Little Man!

Happy 2 week Birthday Momma's Little Man!

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Can you believe 2 weeks have flown by already!?!?!?! Where does the time go? It always amazed me how quickly time flew once I became an adult. I was pretty sure it couldn't go by any faster, but then I had children and was proven very wrong!

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I count my blessings daily! Both of them

(she was going to kiss him, not bite his head off!)

Happy Birthday Old Paw!

Sunday we celebrated Old Paw's 90th birthday! Yep that is my grandfather, my children's great grandfather! Wow 90, I know. All 14 of his grandchildren got together to throw him a party, we all put in, rented out a nice place and threw a helluva shindig, if I may say so myself. It was the first time in I don't know how many years we were all under the same roof. And I must say it felt good. The only person missing was my grandmother and I am sure she was looking down on us very jealous that she wasn't there. I think she would have loved to have seen the whole family together!

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And the picture above warms my heart, because I know Old Paw (as Meredith calls him) won't be around forever! And I am just so happy that I was able to get this photo and that Meredith was able to get to know him. I hope Noah gets the same opportunity.

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I have many fond memories of my grandfather growing up! Riding on the "hump" in his car between him and my grandmother. Shopping at TJ Maxx for clothes for church when I would sleep over! Him fixing me stuffed bell peppers for my entire grade for cajun week. Eating stewed chicken at his house with everyone weekly! The way he would fix me french bread pizzas when I didn't like what they were eating! I was the "apple of his eye"! I have always loved this Old Man... my grandfather! So this is to you....Happy Birthday!

The Wiggles!!!

There are some days that I would like to strangle the Wiggles (yes all 4 of them, Wags, Captain Feathersword & Dorothy the Dinosaur!)

And there are other days that I think they are the best darn babysitter around!

Right now I am somewhere between the two! My head is ready to kill them, my patience is thanking the TV gods for them!

Last nights BIG accomplishments!!!!

Last night was a big night for my little family of 4! Or 5 if you count the dog I want to drop off far, far away some days! Anyway it was a big night of accomplishments! Where should I start....

I got into a size small dress from Banana Republic! Yay for losing baby weight!
I also got into 2 pairs of size 27 jeans no prob! I may be ready for my 26's soon!

Now the big accomplishments.....
Noah took a bottle for his mimi. Josh and I had a Home Owners Assoc. Christmas party to go to and Mimi and Poppa babysat here! And yes my little noah took a bottle! Woohoo, Meredith never did that if you want to know why I am so darn excited!

Meredith took a cup of milk. After seeing her brother with the bottle, she wanted her own milk and actually drank half the cup! She has been asking for it since he is here and she knows when I nurse him, Noah gets milk. Well last night she drank half the cup instead of a few sips! This child hasn't drank milk since we took her bottle away at 18 mos. I mean 15mos, in case any pediatricians are reading!!!!

And my hubby got elected to 2nd Vice President of the neighborhood! Woohoo, which means he is on the campaign track to be president of our neighborhood in 2010!!!! Anyone wishing to donated money to his campaign can make the check out to me and send it to me! Oh wait! Him being president will only mean he is going to be gone more and will have more obligations and responsibilities and the poor stressed out man, doesn't need that and neither do I!!!!
SHIT!!!!!! Maybe he will be impeached!