Sleeping out

Last night Meredith slept over at her Mimi's. I know she had a wonderful time, she always does. I mean she gets donuts and Mimi and Poppa's undivided attention, and Mimi gets on the floor and plays with her. And magically, Mimi always has "pwesents" hidden throughout the house. The Meredith used the potty pwesent, the you ate all your dinner pwesent, the meredith is sick pwesent, the because I LOVE you so much pwesent....they are hidden everywere. So yes, sleeping at Mimi's is a blast. But I miss her so much when she does, I miss rocking her to sleep and getting those great snuggles in the moring. This morning when she called me bright and early to say "good morning" she started crying for her mommy and daddy when she heard my voice.....I have to say a little part of me was thrilled she missed me so much too! I hate to hear her cry, but somewhere in me there was a smile. (no offense mom!) Of course when I called back 10 minutes later, Poppa had arrived with her chocolate covered donuts and she was all better! Little booger! I cannot wait to see her and get my "best kind". (best kind of hug that is!)

sobbing, crocodile tears from my little man

Yesterday Noah went for his 2 month check-up. The pediatrician said he is a "perfectly normal baby boy who is growing like a weed." And really what else do you want your pediatrician to say.....his weight is in the 75% percentile and his head and length are in the 50% percentile. So he is my better than average, average little guy! She also said his green poop was normal and that sometimes seeing the whites above his eyes was normal too. She said he really just likes to open his very wide. (Yes, my husband and a good friend who is an opthamologist also said it was normal, but a mom likes to be sure!)

Now to the bad part.....After we got the good report, that mean old nurse came in with not 1, but 3 shots. The needles were bigger than Noah's arms and legs. She stuck him twice in one leg and he screamed and had real tears and then right when he calmed down, she stuck him again in the other leg. It was awful. In the last 12 months I have forgotten how awful that cry is. He cried the whole way home and he has cried everytime his eyes are open since then. Even with his tylenol every 4 hours. It is not his hunger cry, his boredom cry, his tired cry, this is a heart breaking "I am hurt cry". I hope he starts to feeling better soon. It really is breaking his momma's heart!

Oh the remorse???

Yes, I have classic buyers remorse and when I think of the gigantic play structure in our backyard I get a little nauseated. I really do not think you can call this thing a swingset. It definitely is not a swing set, I am hoping when Meredith and Noah go off to college we can move it to the town their school is in and save big $$ on rent money. Oh yes, the big ass play structure in my back yard.....Last night before bed Josh and I stood at the back door taking it all in. Here is the conversation that transpired....

"You know this is the kind of swing set kids want.....Not the kind they get!"

"Yeah....I know......Isn't it neat!"

"Do you think it is too late to return it?"

"Yeah...they would probably charge twice as much to take it down."

I have to hand it to my husband, it is neat. I think Josh and I have been down those slides as much as Meredith. Let's just say....happy vacations to us. Perhaps we can sleep out there for a week or two. That would be similar to the beach or disney world....wouldn't it!?!?!

The face that makes the gigantic play structure worth it!

and to show you he is getting to be a big boy too! Thanks Mimi for the wrist and feet rattles!

My sweet baby boy

Noah and I were laying here tonight, in my bed with my laptop looking at our favorite blogs together, okay he was laying here smiling and cooing and I was surfing the blogs. And then I thought....wait, here is my sweet baby and me....just me....no toddler....no brownie dog....no distractions, except for my stinking laptop (which I am seriously addicted too!)....why not spend time with my baby. So I did and I nuggled right into him. Do you know how sweet a baby smells? Or how soft their skin is? or how when you talk to them with that babyease their whole face lights up and they have that sweet little grin? Talk about melt your heart! This is life, this is why we are here, not to work all day and night and make money. Albeit necessary, but if we don't take time to enjoy the small things, what is the point. If I had a wish right now it would not be for money, or to be out of debt, especially in this mortgage crisis and threatening recession.....It would be to slow down time. I do not want to stop it, I just want to slow it down. I want to remember to not worry so much over everything else and play with my kids. To snuggle close to my baby, who will be in highschool before I know it. I just want it to slooooooooooowww down. Do you know how quickly time flies when you have a 3 hour alarm clock. Mine goes off every 3 hours day and night, it makes the day fly! Only 3 feedings until Josh is home, 1 feeding to lunch, 2 feedings for bed time, 4 hours of sleep before the next feeding.

Please time, slow down, my baby boy is growing way too fast!

Playdates for who??

So today Meredith and Noah had a playdate with some NEW friends, Marion and David. They are roughly the same ages as my 2 tikes. See another mom who has lost her mind and is braving the world of 2 tikes under 2!

The playdate was fun, Noah and David hung out in the swing and infant seat. I think they discussed politics and how to fix the economy, nothing major. Meredith and Marion did a little cooking, played with some balloons and other toys in the toy room.

Their mom, Olivia and I discussed scheduling more playdates! Why? Because we NEED them! So that brings the question of "who are the playdates for, the mom or the tikes?" Both, kids need social interaction to develop those social skills, but moms need the adult interaction too. I loved our playdate and now we are going to make it a weekly thing. That and who else is Meredith going to play with on the gorilla of a swing set that is being built in our backyard!

Preparing for Buyers Remorse

***This is the husband, Josh. I am guest blogging today for Mandi, who is busy with work!

There is a lot of pressure that I am feeling right now. I have big shoes to fill. All the feedback that I get is that everyone loves my wife's blog. So here we go. Mandi and I have been looking some time for a backyard playground. We think we have found something the kids will grow into and like. Now, it is a little big (the company is going to come build it) so I know I am going get a call at work tomorrow from my wife. She has classic buyers remorse. It kicks in when the purchase has been made and usually she is driving home. I always get the call--"Honey, I went to the store and bought some clothes" She may have checked out 10 minutes before, but now she wants to return everything because... can we afford it? do we need it? I really can wear something else, or I don't really like it. It doesn't matter what is bought, big or small she always does this. Even if it is going out to eat for lunch. So tomorrow at work I will expect the call from my wonderful wife. Now, I have to go. I have to get her some potato bites from Arby's and some brownies from Chick-fil-A then clean the kitchen and do some laundry when I get back. It is hard having a small business owner as a wife but worth every moment. LOVE YOU, MANDI!!

My Father-in-law came to town...

Well I have to say overall it was not that bad. I mean he stayed at the hotel Josh's sister was staying at and not at my home so overall it was pretty damn good now that I think about it. He really is not a bad man, he has done some things in the past that have hurt and while I am trying to fogive they are still impossible to forget. I like to hold on to things, healthy or not I do it. But since that all happened a few years ago, he has gotten better. He is still like a kid when he comes over, you have to wait on him and clean up after him, but overall he is bearable.

Or at least he would be if someone would break his damn camera. Yeah basically my FIL has two hands, and in those hands he has a cameral glued to each one. He takes pictures of everything and if he is not taking a snap shot he is videoing it. He has videoed me in labor (until I grabbed my husband by the neck and told him I would break his neck if he didn't break his dad's camera), he has videoed birthday parties, Meredith dancing, people eating, baptismal invitations, Josh making a hot dog (with commentary) and many, many more. While most things are appropriate to video, some are really absurd.

This visit was the same as always. Two hands, two cameras. Although this time he did not try to stop the mass to take the "perfect shot", he did not knock anyone over during communion to take the "perfect shot", he did not jump up on the altar to take the "perfect shot" and although he did literally step on a few toes, no one was really injured.

The good new is my sister-in-law is really normal and sweet! I hope she comes back to visit real soon!

She wants her cake and she wants to eat it too

So Meredith has become quite the parrot lately. Do not say anything you do not want her to repeat or at least try to. My favorite new word of hers is her name. She is so cute when she says it. Let's face it Meredith is a really hard name to say. Most people would not know she was saying her own name if I did not tell them. And when you here it, it is so funny you want to laugh and make her say it again. But my smart cookie does not like to be laughed at, so if you do she will shut down and she will not say it again. She does not like to say it on command either, she will say it when she wants and only when she wants. Today at lunch this is what she said.....

"Mommy lunch, Miz-zit lunch" while pointing at our lunches

"yep that is right, this is Mommy's lunch and that is Meredith's lunch!"

"Mommy juice, Miz-zit juice!" while pointing to the cups of water

"Yep that is Mommy's water and Meredith's water"

"Mommy cack, Miz-zit cack!!!!" while pointing to the leftover cake in the cake box from Noah's christening

"Do you want some cake Meredith?"

"uh-huh....uh-huh mommy!"

Like I said she is a girl that knows what she wants!

Men, can't live with em....

So I have been a little stressed lately. You know with a baptism and making sure the house is cleaned, making sure we have enough food, my father-in-law coming to visit and Josh's sister who he has not seen since highschool coming over too. I know...... how I mentally made it to the weekend is beyond me.

Anyway our car is worse than a disaster and the sad news is, it stays that way. So I begged my husband to clean it since people were getting in it and needed to climb in past the carseats to the back. I really was not sure anyone would make it to the back without falling into the deep, dark hole containing sippies, cheerios, dirty diapers and everything else that sometimes never makes it out the car. Let's face it after I get two kids, my purse and a diaper bag out, I rarely have energy or time to go back and get anything else.

So he went and cleaned it as I put the tikes down for naps and finished last minute things before we had to head to the train depot to pick up our guest in the van. It took him a mere 5 minutes to clean it out. Part of me was impressed he did it so quickly and part of me felt guilty....if it only took him 5 minutes surely I could find time each day to clean it out. I quickly got over the guilt and started loading the tikes back into the car. As I opened Noah's side the van I got a quick glance of the car. It was not clean.....there were still dirty diapers in it, meredith's empty lunch pail from Monday, ribbons from presents, sippy cups all over, and much, much more. It did not even appear a little clean, it was definitely better....but clean is not a word I would have used to describe it's current condition. The shit, was now just shoved under the front seats to make a path to the back seat. It did look cleaner, but the car was not in fact clean. No wonder it only took him 5 mintues....all my guilt was now gone. (did I mention he drives a little luxury sports car that is always clean, while I drive a loser cruiser...I am hoping my mentioning this will make you feel a little bit bad for me!)

So as he opened Meredith's side the van to put her in, here is the conversation that transpired....

"honey, I thought you cleaned out the car?"

"I did"

"You did? really?"

"yeah, why?"....you asked buddy

"uhm, what about the diaper and the lunch pail on the floor and all these sippies?"

"where?"

"right there on the floor in front of you?"

"yeah I thought that lunch pail stayed in here"

"Really?!?! do you think I pack her lunch from the pantry in the van?"

"well I thought maybe you packed it with snacks for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, because how many other times have we brought a LUNCH PAIL full of snacks with us to dinner?????"

silence

"Yeah that is what I thought.....Just get in!"

Dum, dadumdum Dum!!!!

My father-in-law is on his way to town. He is coming in for Noah's christening. And while he is a nice man and has a good heart, he is CrAZy! I mean really nuts. I am sure I will have plenty to blog about after this visit! In-laws why do we have them again????

We have a new cousin!!!!

Meredith and Noah have a new cousin and new partner in crime!!!

Welcome to the world

Connor Michael!!!!

I can't wait to see pictures of the little guy and meet him soon!

Congratulions Timmy & Lisa, we are thrilled for you guys.

a Mimi, a Mee-Maw, a Roux, and a Zoo!

Whew! What a day! Mimi and Mee-Maw came over to make chicken and sausage gumbo for Noah's christening this weekend. I have to say my house never smelled so good from home cooking. While the Mimi and Mee-Maw were cooking, I had 4 children to watch over. My own 2 tikes along with...Adalyn and Ian who came to play. I can't complain, they were very well behaved. It is cold and rainy here so we couldn't go outside, but between the playroom, the potty and the train table we were pretty occupied. Yes, i did say the potty, ever hear of monkey see monkey do? well i had 3 little monkeys in line to use the big girl/boy potty! I did reach the decision that 4 children were too much for me. I stayed busy....I changed 5 diapers in 1 hour. It was like an assembly line, line them up, by the time I finished the 4th diaper change, Noah needed another one. Thankfully the Mimi and Mee-Maw got the stinky ones that came later. We had a good time and survived, I did feel like we were at the zoo with the kiddos running around. But they are so sweet and such good kids and honestly they entertained one another. Whew! Daddy is on duty tonight!

Toyz!!!!

Why play in the toy room, when you can play in the toy box!!!! Yes Mama - I am a mess!

Tips for shopping with a toddler and a newborn

1. - Forget the damn double stroller go somewhere that has a buggy! That son-of-a-you-know-what is hard to open by yourself.

2. - Make sure that the baby is in the buggy in the infant seat out of harms way of the toddler who will try to throw things at the baby.

3. - Bring lots of food to occupy said toddler who is riding in the seat in the front where you can grab their arms as they try to grab things off the shelf and shove them ontop of the baby.

4. - Learn to say no - when the toddler points to toys and says "peeeeze, peeeeze mommy!"

5. - Know exactly what you went to the store for and find it quickly and get out!

6. - Learn to ignore the comments "you have your hands full!"..... Yes I have my damn hands full! thanks Einstein!!!!

7. - Make sure you aren't going for too much. Tere will be absolutely no room left in the buggy..... with a toddler and the baby in an infant seat in the buggy. You will have to carry ALL of your purchases while pushing the damn buggy and keeping your toddler from pulling things off shelves, emptying your purse, throwing snacks on the floor and throwing snacks at the baby. ***refer back to #6

Trust me these are good tips, we used them today in our 15 minutes that we were at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I did manage to get 2 storage bins, 6 picture frames and a prize for when a certain someone goes to the big girl potty. Hey it was on clearence and she did say "peeeze!"

Mommys night out!

Last night some friends took Josh and I to dinner to celebrate his awesome score on his boards! We sat and ate and drank wine for over 3 1/2 hours. It surely didn't feel like that long. We had a wonderful time being adults and hanging out with friends. It was nice to know our tikes were in good hands and snug in their beds when we got home! Although I did miss my goodnight kisses. It was fun to remember how it is to be an adult, I highly recommend it.

Don't worry about Elmo...he gets milk too

I didn't want anyone to worry about Elmo, his belly is full. Meredith went ahead and nursed him last night before bed. She also rocked him as she burped him. Amazingly he slept all night peacefully, now I just wish she would.

Up and at 'em..... not so much

Well my 2 tikes were up very early today. Meredith woke at 5:30am screaming for her daddy, Noah was also up at the same time screaming for the boob. I handled Noah and Josh got Meredith. When everyone was done screaming and eating, all 4 of us laid in the bed. Josh and Noah snuggled and went right back to sleep. Meredith snuggled with me and this is what transpired.....

Meredith whispers: "Momma.....Momma"

"Yes?"

"Momma....out"

"No ....lay down"

"Momma out!" a little louder

"Meredith, shhhhh bubby and daddy are sleeping, lay down"

"Mama, shhhh! out"

"Lay down we are not getting out of bed!"

"Momma......no, no out"

"that's right lay down and go night, night!"

tiniest whisper..."momma...... no, no out"

at that point I just put the pillow over my head, eventually she did lay back down with her head on my feet and fall asleep.

**out -- means out of the bed!

Learning way to early....

Meredith walked up to her daddy with his wallet in hand. She handed it to him and said....

"mon-ee"

"what baby?"

"mon-ee, daddy!"

"Did you say money?"

"uh-huh, mon-ee daddy!"

I did not teach her that, she learned on her own!

Noah's new pal

Noah got a new pal today! We (me, him, and Mimi) went up to the hospital (in the snow) to await his arrival. I had to be there for my friend Katey and Noah wanted to meet his pal (through a glass of course). I am sure these two will get in lots of trouble together as they grow up and torment their big sisters.....or maybe their big sisters will torment them. Who knows?

Seeing his new friend for the first time!

His new pal..isn't he gorgeous!!!! Congrats Katey!!!

Look how cute I am!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

I know snow in Southern Mississippi! What the hell! And these were taken this morning, tonight the snow is still there!