Wow. It's been a long time since I've posted anything; it's been that long since I've even checked for comments or looked at other people's blogs. I guess it is the season to be busy. But I want you all to know, I haven't lost any love for my blogging pals. I thought about you on Sunday morning at about 12:45 when I was cleaning up puke. And then I thought about you again at about 2 a.m. and again at about 3...
I was considering the fact that many of you who read my blog are moms or will be moms in the future. I was also thinking about all the blog posts I've read about sick babies or grandbabies. Honestly, I couldn't really relate. Until this weekend, I've only once had to clean up my own child's puke. But in the last 48 hours, I have truly become a real, honest-to-goodness mom. So many of you have reached this stage before me, even with children younger than mine. Just want you to know that now I'm a member of your club.
I have found myself to be grateful to be among you official mothers at this point in my career. Cole picked up on the concept of hitting the trash or toilet pretty easily as a two-year-old. I know that this would not be the case if he were much younger. Don't get me wrong. He rarely hit the can with the first heave of the spell (sorry for the graphics), but those that came after usually landed in the garbage can. I know that saved me a lot of mess. My three loads of laundry from this ordeal could have turned quickly to six or more.
More good news is that the only time he's felt bad in all of this is about 5-15 minutes before he gets sick again. Between those times (which has gotten to be every 3-5 hours), he feels fine: eating popsicles, drinking Sprite, watching Little Einsteins, and riding his bicycle in circles around the kitchen. But the trash can has lurched behind him wherever he's gone.
I'm writing, though, after sleeping almost the entire night in my own bed (I was in his floor the night before) uninterrupted. The only sheets changed were at 8:45, just after he'd fallen asleep. The next time he woke up was at 5 a.m., thirsty. So I'm hoping that he'll be in good shape today. Nurse Daddy will be on duty for the day. And another bit of good news, as if a boy on the road to recovery and joining your club isn't good enough: I was greeted by a two-hour school delay. How else would I get a chance to fill you in on my news?
12.15.2008
11.10.2008
Just when you thought...
Just when you thought it didn't get any cuter than that hiney in those Halloween leggings...just when I thought I couldn't be prouder of my little guy than I am...just when I thought I had maxed out on my love for him, here comes a story like this one:
I fixed chili for dinner tonight (irrelevant, but you know me). Gilbert had taken Cole over to his seat and I brought over his bowl, as well as a hot dog that I'd cut up for him. Gilbert was fixing his own bowl while I got Cole situated. Cole started saying, "Mom, pray? Pray, Mom?" It took me a minute to figure out what he was saying, but when I saw his hands folded, I got the idea. I told him to hang on and when the three of us sat down, we'd pray. He agreed, but he kept sitting there with his hands folded, so I asked Gilbert to come over so we could go ahead and pray. I expected Gilbert to come over and lead the prayer as usual, but instead he asked Cole if he wanted to pray. Cole agreed. I thought he'd sit there without saying anything, but I was wrong. As soon as we bowed our heads, this is what we heard: "God, [jibberish] food, [jibberish] hot dog, [more jibberish]." Then he lifted his head and grinned. I couldn't believe it. It was the sweetest thing I think I've ever heard, and trust me, living with this child, I've heard lots of sweet things. But I think this tops it. It's like I told Gilbert--each day I can't imagine that I'll be more shocked at his big boy-hood than I was the day before, but somehow I am. It's amazing.
I fixed chili for dinner tonight (irrelevant, but you know me). Gilbert had taken Cole over to his seat and I brought over his bowl, as well as a hot dog that I'd cut up for him. Gilbert was fixing his own bowl while I got Cole situated. Cole started saying, "Mom, pray? Pray, Mom?" It took me a minute to figure out what he was saying, but when I saw his hands folded, I got the idea. I told him to hang on and when the three of us sat down, we'd pray. He agreed, but he kept sitting there with his hands folded, so I asked Gilbert to come over so we could go ahead and pray. I expected Gilbert to come over and lead the prayer as usual, but instead he asked Cole if he wanted to pray. Cole agreed. I thought he'd sit there without saying anything, but I was wrong. As soon as we bowed our heads, this is what we heard: "God, [jibberish] food, [jibberish] hot dog, [more jibberish]." Then he lifted his head and grinned. I couldn't believe it. It was the sweetest thing I think I've ever heard, and trust me, living with this child, I've heard lots of sweet things. But I think this tops it. It's like I told Gilbert--each day I can't imagine that I'll be more shocked at his big boy-hood than I was the day before, but somehow I am. It's amazing.
10.31.2008
Finally!
Okay. I'm finally ready to share pictures of the house. I took some before we officially moved in but never got around to posting them. Then it looked so much better when we started to fix things up, so I intended to take more, but then we moved the real stuff in, and it was a wreck (yes, I took pictures of that for you to see but my camera somehow deleted them. Seriously. I promise). But now the downstairs is cleaned up and I took some more yesterday. Take a look. 
Our dining room and kitchen. I chose this color and I love it. Some of you know the drama that preceded the choice, however. 
Our very cool living room; my personal favorite. That's a painting of my grandparents' house over the fireplace, which I love. 
Our bedroom's pretty cool too (we painted it red) but considering the fact that the bed is never, ever made, and it has a quilt on it now that totally clashes with the color, I'll spare you the picture.
And since it's Halloween and my husband bought me a cool new camera as an early birthday gift, I'll share some photos of Cole's costume. This is the first holiday we've had that he's been able to really get into, and he's had so much fun. I can't wait until Christmas time.
I had to get a shot of that cute booty in those (ahem) leggings I had him in. 
Before he broke into the candy 
And after
What a fun night!
Our dining room and kitchen. I chose this color and I love it. Some of you know the drama that preceded the choice, however. 
Our very cool living room; my personal favorite. That's a painting of my grandparents' house over the fireplace, which I love. 
Our bedroom's pretty cool too (we painted it red) but considering the fact that the bed is never, ever made, and it has a quilt on it now that totally clashes with the color, I'll spare you the picture.And since it's Halloween and my husband bought me a cool new camera as an early birthday gift, I'll share some photos of Cole's costume. This is the first holiday we've had that he's been able to really get into, and he's had so much fun. I can't wait until Christmas time.
I had to get a shot of that cute booty in those (ahem) leggings I had him in. 
Before he broke into the candy 
And after
What a fun night!
10.23.2008
Tagged, I guess
Well since I'm failing to post anything else productive these days...And because you don't even want to see pictures of the house in the condition it's in (yikes!)...I'll respond to being chosen by Carla to post in response to a tag of sorts. I think the rule is that you have to tag 10 other people, but I won't force anyone. Okay. Maybe I'll force a few of you. See the bottom of this post to find out if you're one of the lucky ones. Here goes...
1. Where is your cell phone? unknown
2. Where is your significant other? bed
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? precious
5. Your father? busy
6. Your favorite thing? boys
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your dream/goal? cleanliness
9. The room you're in? crowded
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? content
13. Where were you last night? church
14. What you're not? tired
15. One of your wish-list items? maid
16. Where you grew up? Alabama
17. The last thing you did? Facebook
18. What are you wearing? glasses
19. Your TV? quiet
20. Your pet? nope
21. Your computer? adequate
22. Your mood? restless
23. Missing someone? girlfriends
24. Your car? Sienna
25. Something you're not wearing? earrings
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? nice
28. Love someone? yep
29. Your favorite color? purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? recently
Okay. Forget it. I choose anyone who hasn't been chosen and thinks this would be fun to do. Enjoy!
1. Where is your cell phone? unknown
2. Where is your significant other? bed
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? precious
5. Your father? busy
6. Your favorite thing? boys
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your dream/goal? cleanliness
9. The room you're in? crowded
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? content
13. Where were you last night? church
14. What you're not? tired
15. One of your wish-list items? maid
16. Where you grew up? Alabama
17. The last thing you did? Facebook
18. What are you wearing? glasses
19. Your TV? quiet
20. Your pet? nope
21. Your computer? adequate
22. Your mood? restless
23. Missing someone? girlfriends
24. Your car? Sienna
25. Something you're not wearing? earrings
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? nice
28. Love someone? yep
29. Your favorite color? purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? recently
Okay. Forget it. I choose anyone who hasn't been chosen and thinks this would be fun to do. Enjoy!
9.30.2008
Fog and Tunnels
It's 8 a.m. on Tuesday and I'm sitting in my classroom with no students. This is strange, considering the fact that usually my room is busy with adolescent banter at 7:20 each weekday. The issue today is the fact that we're on a 2 hour fog delay and I didn't get the message until I walked in to the school at 6:53 and noticed the usual people here at that time weren't here. A fog delay, you ask? Yep. Ridiculous as it may sound, when you teach in the middle of a corn field, fog is truly a hazardous thing. As I drove to work this morning I considered the fact that if we weren't delayed, we should be. So here I am. I've finished grading one set of papers, entered them into the computer, and decided to blog before I get crackin' on the next set.
We're in the house. Not completely. The duplex still has plenty of stuff in it, but the house is livable and we're doing just that--living in it. It's great. I do have a few pictures taken to share, but considering the fact that I have this unexpected time to blog, I don't have them with me.
The most blog-able news for a time such as this is the fact that Cole is in a "big boy bed." I foolishly failed to realize that about 20 months ago when I marveled and whined at my "big boy" for the first time, it would only get worse. Every day I'm amazed at how big he is getting. I'm shocked at all he can do today that he couldn't do a week ago. I find myself asking, "Did he just say that? He really did that?" It's shocking. And now I'm wise enough to acknowledge that it's only going to be more shocking tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day...
His big boy bed is actually his crib, converted to a toddler bed, which in our case means that he still has three sides just like the crib, but the front side is gone. The first night (which was also the first night at the new place) I put him in, continued with our usual routine, give kisses and cuddles, and walked out, closing the door behind me. Almost immediately (just after I got down the hallway), I heard the door open, and out he comes. I take his hand, tell him it's bedtime, and try to drag him back. He's crying at this point, but I tell him I'm close and tuck him back in. The crying lasts about 10 seconds and that's it. I don't hear another peep until morning, when he runs down the hallway to me, gives me a hug, and says, "I sleep!" I think he was really proud of himself, and I was really proud too.
The next night goes smoothly. He stayed in bed and slept until about 2 a.m. when I found him standing at his closet door. I put him back in, stayed with him for a couple of minutes, and walked out. Piece of cake. Until, according to Gilbert, about 7:45 yesterday morning when he started whining. Gilbert went to get him and couldn't find him. He could hear him crying, but didn't see him. Turns out he had crawled under the bed and tried to come out on the back side, which was pushed against the wall. He was curled under there with his blankie, soaking wet from a leaky diaper, crying. Gilbert says he was a little traumatized. Understandably so. Gilbert: "Did you go in the tunnel?" (UNDER anything is a "tunnel") Cole, whining: "Yeah. Tunnel." Poor baby.
As far as I know, last night was fine. Oh. We did put a rail on the side of the bed in hopes that we would prevent any further tunnel experiences. He didn't wake up during the night. I'm not sure how his morning's been. I guess I could have been home to find out, if I'd anticipated that fog might allow me to sleep in just a little longer...
We're in the house. Not completely. The duplex still has plenty of stuff in it, but the house is livable and we're doing just that--living in it. It's great. I do have a few pictures taken to share, but considering the fact that I have this unexpected time to blog, I don't have them with me.
The most blog-able news for a time such as this is the fact that Cole is in a "big boy bed." I foolishly failed to realize that about 20 months ago when I marveled and whined at my "big boy" for the first time, it would only get worse. Every day I'm amazed at how big he is getting. I'm shocked at all he can do today that he couldn't do a week ago. I find myself asking, "Did he just say that? He really did that?" It's shocking. And now I'm wise enough to acknowledge that it's only going to be more shocking tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day...
His big boy bed is actually his crib, converted to a toddler bed, which in our case means that he still has three sides just like the crib, but the front side is gone. The first night (which was also the first night at the new place) I put him in, continued with our usual routine, give kisses and cuddles, and walked out, closing the door behind me. Almost immediately (just after I got down the hallway), I heard the door open, and out he comes. I take his hand, tell him it's bedtime, and try to drag him back. He's crying at this point, but I tell him I'm close and tuck him back in. The crying lasts about 10 seconds and that's it. I don't hear another peep until morning, when he runs down the hallway to me, gives me a hug, and says, "I sleep!" I think he was really proud of himself, and I was really proud too.
The next night goes smoothly. He stayed in bed and slept until about 2 a.m. when I found him standing at his closet door. I put him back in, stayed with him for a couple of minutes, and walked out. Piece of cake. Until, according to Gilbert, about 7:45 yesterday morning when he started whining. Gilbert went to get him and couldn't find him. He could hear him crying, but didn't see him. Turns out he had crawled under the bed and tried to come out on the back side, which was pushed against the wall. He was curled under there with his blankie, soaking wet from a leaky diaper, crying. Gilbert says he was a little traumatized. Understandably so. Gilbert: "Did you go in the tunnel?" (UNDER anything is a "tunnel") Cole, whining: "Yeah. Tunnel." Poor baby.
As far as I know, last night was fine. Oh. We did put a rail on the side of the bed in hopes that we would prevent any further tunnel experiences. He didn't wake up during the night. I'm not sure how his morning's been. I guess I could have been home to find out, if I'd anticipated that fog might allow me to sleep in just a little longer...
9.12.2008
We're Hooooome!
It's official. We are homeowners again. After looking, looking, looking, and waiting, waiting, waiting, we've closed on a great house. It's nice. Not a starter home anymore. A "my kids can grow up here" home. I love it. We finalized things this afternoon and spent the rest of the evening scrubbing someone else's germs off light switches, doorknobs, baseboards, etc. and preparing for some church friends to come over tomorrow afternoon to help us paint (even though we haven't decided on paint colors yet). Then Monday we'll have the carpets cleaned and appliances delivered. We'll spend the rest of this month, probably, continuing to paint and gradually moving things in. We are so excited! I'll post pictures when I get some made.
9.08.2008
I Know, I Know
Just wanted you all to see a performance of Cole's new favorite worship song. On the days we sing it at church, he sings it for the rest of the day.
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