Keeping up with Christian

Picture update...

2012-02-05T18:20:00.001-08:00

Here are some pics--some are a few weeks old, some are from this past week.

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My dad and Tammy came to visit a few weeks ago! They really got a taste of what life is like in the Lee household right now--they didn't get out the entire time they were here (except to go to the grocery store and take a drive!). That's it! We don't get out much these days :)

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These are more recent (a week or so ago)...

Christian's cape...

Typical Abe face :) I call him my little turtle.

Lucy...

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From this past weekend...

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And, watch out! This is where it all started. Whoa!

(We went through Christian's camera and found this pic! Scary!)

Twins 2-month update; and Christian, too!

2012-02-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

The twins are 2 months old! It's been a tough 2 months, but we made it. Christian brought home a fever/cold virus and we all caught it. This entailed fevers which brought us to the ER and included a spinal tap for Abe (since he had a fever and was under 8 weeks). It was just a virus, of course. Lucy still has a cough (it has been over 2 weeks)! Because of this horrible virus, we decided to pull Christian from preschool for a month--until the babies are older. We just can't take another round of sickness. The babies are too small...and there are 2 to deal with. 2, 2, 2!

We had their 2-month wellness check yesterday, and despite the sicknesses and decreased appetites, they are growing very well. Abe was 12.8 lbs and Lucy was 11.8 lbs. They are in the 65-70 percentiles for kids that are NOT preemies. If you take into account they were a month early, they would be in the 80-90 percentiles for height and weight. They are catching up!

So, Abe is a big boy. He is thick as can be. He looks nearly identical to Christian at that same age--in looks and movement. His eyes are a bit closer together and not as big as Christian's were. Other than that, identical. He has been especially fun the last week--lots of happy awake time. He's been rather chill, actually. He loves his mama, yes he does.

Lucy isn't small. I don't know what small is for a girl, though. I don't know who she looks like--definitely some of Brian, but there are similarities to me as a baby, too. She used to be laid back...not anymore. She has a TEMPER. I have never seen anything like this in a baby! She goes from 0-100 in 1 second. She scream cries. It's terrible. On the other hand, she has the biggest, sweetest smile ever! She's an interesting one, that Lucy. We love her.

Christian is a fantastic big brother. He is so proud of his "big brother" status. There hasn't been any jealousy or pouting. He just gets so excited around the babies he can barely contain himself...has to shake their hands and get really, really close! He's so helpful and sweet. He's also been doing some cool things outside of the babies. He is reading BOB books all by himself (Thanks, Joel and Cheryl)! His vocabulary is hilarious--he uses big words, sometimes incorrectly, but it's so cute. He has grown SO MUCH the during the last 6 months. He is no longer a baby--at all. He is tall and very boyish looking. He also likes to jump and climb all over everything. 100% boy.

Brian and I are managing. Nutso. Crazy life. Still managing.

I plan on posting some pics tomorrow, but don't count on anything. I get about an hour to myself a day--which is after the kids are in bed at night, and I pretty much like to sit on my butt in front of the tv. :)

The birth story.

2012-01-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to write this for some time now. Well, like 6.5 weeks, anyhow.
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The twins entered this world in the usual fashion (usual for 2011, anyway).
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On November 30th, I was trying--desperately--to build up some energy to attend my first ever baby shower. Never had a bridal shower or a baby shower with my firstborn! My mom's group gives little showers for anyone expecting, so I was looking forward to it. Of course, mother nature had other plans.
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I had invited my mother-in-law up to watch and play with Christian. I had just finished telling her how awful I had been feeling the past few weeks--0 energy, and I mean 0!, sore stomach, and some other gross stuff had been occurring. But, I really thought I was going all the way to 38-39 weeks. I told her I was going to take a nap when I felt the strongest kick possible from Abe...or so I thought. Well, it wasn't a kick--my water broke. I ran into the kitchen and got my mind together as I released a gallon or so of fluid :)
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Of course, I hadn't showered in a few days. I was so smelly and gross. No time for grooming, however. We quickly gathered some new clothes and a large bath towel out of which I created a diaper for myself. We grabbed Christian who was starting to cry because we were in such a hurry.
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Within a half hour of my water breaking, we were at the hospital. They brought me up to high-risk labor and delivery, and as soon as I got up there, serious labor hit. I mean, SERIOUS contractions. They checked me and I was 3-4 cm already. (I had just had an ultrasound the day before and nothing seemed to be happening in that area.) Things were getting so bad they checked me again a half hour or so later and I was around 5-6cm. I don't remember much because I was in pain. These babies were coming incredibly fast (Christian took 29 hours!), but we all knew I had to have a c-section since baby A (lowest baby) was breech. They wouldn't even let me stand up to go to the bathroom, so I used a bedpan. Awesome. I was there for maybe 2 hours (3?, not sure) and I was in the operating room.
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Now, during most of this, I could not reach Brian! I could always reach Brian!! I called his secretary who eventually called the office he was at (he was taking a deposition in the basement of some place), and some lady knocked on the window and pointed at him. He said he knew right then what was up.
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He made it a half hour before the c-section! I coulda killed him! :)
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So, the babies came at 4:18 and 4:20 pm. I saw them for only a few seconds and they were taken away--Lucy to the nicu and Abe to the table in the room to get checked out. He stayed with us from then on, and I was breastfeeding him within an hour or so after delivery. I guess they wheeled me into the nicu, holding Abe, to see Lucy. I don't remember that. Things get really, really fuzzy after this since I was on pain meds. I do remember crying every time I went to the nicu to see Lucy. It's so hard to connect with a baby you've never held--never met. The whole thing was surreal.
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The c-section was painful. I couldn't stand up straight for almost 2 weeks! They give you lots of pain meds, however. I did use those. Now, 6.5 weeks later, I'm fine. I'm walking and doing push-ups :) The incision is a little sensitive, but no biggie.
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I gained about 60-65 lbs with this pregnancy and I lost 50 in the first 4 weeks. I'm still hanging on to the final 15 or so.
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Abe and Lucy both have reflux, which is awesome. Why did all 3 of my kids have reflux? Makes for very fussy babies. Not fun. In fact, I would go so far as to say it sucks.
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My latest worry has been about whether or not the babies will have any developmental problems later in life since they were born at 35.5 weeks. I pray not--it just wouldn't be fair to them that I couldn't hold them in a few more weeks.
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Ok, I'm done rambling.

More pics from Christmas...Christian...twins

2012-01-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

I am so crazy busy with these 3 kiddos. I am not in the best mood tonight (argh! need sleep!) so I'm not going to write much, but I wanted to get these pics up!

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Here are some more pics of Christmas. Grandma Dawn came to visit! Yay!

Making cookies...

Milk and cookies!

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Uncle Adam got Lucy this Santa outfit! Adorable!

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Here are some random pics of the twins from Christmas to recent--they've changed so much!

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The nursing set-up...they're bigger now than in this picture so things look a bit different! Easier now than in the beginning, of course...a much different experience than nursing one!

Pretty girl!

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Most recent pics...

Getting chunkier every day!

Trying to use pacifiers, not going very well. Why won't any of my kids take pacifiers! I need quiet once in awhile!

Despite my icky comments, things are going as well as expected. I will say, twins are no joke. It is TOUGH! I often hear, "I always wanted twins...how fun!" Uh, hello! It is tough--really, really tough. It's taking everything I've got each and every day. It's difficult juggling in the demands of a 3-year-old as well. I know things will get easier and easier. Right? :)

Christian goes to work.

2012-01-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Christian went to work today. We puttin' that boy to work, people!

Actually, he went to work with daddy...just for fun. He stayed from about 9-3pm. What a good boy! Brian said he even got some work done during that time.

Here are some pics.

He HAD to wear a suit like daddy. In fact, this morning he cried since I told him the "suit coat" and tie didn't match (black tie with navy coat). He didn't care--he HAD to wear a suit coat and tie to go work! In these pics, however, he decided to nix the tie because daddy didn't wear a tie today. He HAD to take his own computer as well.

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Out to lunch...

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Working hard!

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Taking a well-deserved break at the water cooler :)

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(Well, I could write more but I'm listening to "Rhapsody in Blue"--what a great piece--and when I hear a song I like, I can't focus on anything else. I just tune out. I think it runs in the family....dad :))

Twins at 1 month

2012-01-03T18:16:00.001-08:00

The twins had their 1-month checkup today. They are doing well. Both are around 9lbs: Lucy a few ounces above and Abe a few below. That is great considering where they started...Abe has gained 3.5 lbs and grown 2-3 inches in the past 4 weeks, and Lucy has gained 2 lbs in the last 2 weeks and who knows how much she has grown (they give us lengths up and down each time). All breast milk. Lucy needs to work on holding her big old head, and Abe has a flat spot we need to watch. He has reflux just like Christian did. Blows. Whatever. They are doing fantastically considering they were a month early. They still have some catching up to do, but I think they will be all caught up in a few months.

I'm going to bed. For a few hours. Then, some babes will be calling for my boobs.

Blog of a billion pictures!

2011-12-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

Christian, during the ONLY SNOW we've had so far this year. In Cleveland. What the...?

Merry Christmas, all! I am going to put up a billion pictures. Most (all) of these are of the kiddos. I now see I still need to get good ones of the twins--and some newer ones. They have grown so much (already!) since these pics were taken. They are actually purty cute, although judging by these pics they wouldn't win any beauty pageants! (As a newborn, I wouldn't have won any pageants, either...or so I'm told.) Oh bah, I'm just kidding my little babes (not kidding.). I love them so much.

Time for pics...because who knows when I'll have time again!

Christian, before the babies came, jammin' in his party-station glasses :)

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The birthday cake Christian chose for me...!

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Lucy's first day home from the nicu...

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My little beauty king/queen :)

Abe...

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Grandpa Ken, Tammy, Auntie Brennan, and Uncle Adam sent some (tons!) of Christmas presents for the kiddos! Thank you all!

Calling to say thanks!

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Christmas with Grandparents Lee!

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Christian, the pirate!

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Christian, the explorer!

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The boys.

Abe and Lucy

2011-12-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of the new additions. Unfortunately, we didn't get many pics at the hospital since it was all such a whirlwind (water broke, rushing to hospital, no camera!). I wanted to add a few since I know some family members haven't seen any pics yet! I would love to get some better, staged pics, but I'm way too busy and I don't want the flash to EVER wake them up!

Lucy...

Lucy in nicu...

Lucy right before coming home...

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Abe...

Christian holding Abe in hospital...

I can't believe I have 3 children.

They are here!

2011-12-11T15:47:00.000-08:00

Abram Thomas, "Abe," and Lucinda Elizabeth, "Lucy," were born on November 30th @ 35 weeks and 4 days. Abe was 5lb7oz and 17 inches. Lucy was much larger at 6lb8oz and 20.5 inches. Lucy has been in the nicu due to the fluid issues I mentioned but should be coming home tomorrow! I have been nursing both which has made life quite crazy. I also pump for Lucy for the times I can't get to the hospital.

I'm excited to get them both home. Lucy needs to come home and spend some cuddle time with all of us!

I will post the birth story soon!

34+ weeks pregnant with the twinny-poos

2011-11-20T17:36:00.000-08:00

First of all, Christian says hi!

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Sheesh. I don't even remember the last time I posted anything. I had fully intended on posting at 32 weeks but some things came up with baby girl's health, and I just didn't feel like talking about anything until I was more sure about the whole situation. She has some fluid surrounding one of her lungs (just popped up at 32 weeks), and luckily, it hasn't progressed any yet (and may never progress). No idea why this happened. Rare thing. Very dangerous if it progresses--may not be too big of a deal if it does not--just monitoring after birth and possible aspiration of fluid in one way or another if it affects her breathing. Either way, I'm remaining positive and I'm happy that I'm far enough along that if she needs to come out, she can and will do well. I don't need sorries or anything like that. Please just pray that she will be okay and be a normal, healthy baby. I'm being monitored very, very closely (like 3x a week), and so far, she seems perfectly healthy besides this fluid. Thank you, God.

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As far as this mommy, I'm a very, VERY pregnant woman. In fact, I was never this pregnant with Christian :) Seriously. At 32 weeks, fatigue hit me beyond anything I've ever experienced in my life. It's like I'm in a fog. I had to stop exercising, etc. I just feel like I want to sleep every minute. It's insane. I would say I must be suffering from malnutrition due to these babies taking everything from me, but I highly doubt it since I've gained 50-55 pounds.

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Swelling has kicked in in my hands and feet. Nothing crazy, but I never had any swelling before and had none while pregnant with Christian.

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I am nesting. Everything must be clean and organized...OR ELSE. Well, I'm like that all the time actually, but now more than ever.

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So, here I am. The weight has started to level off as all the books said it would. With twins, it becomes almost impossible to keep up with their nutritional demands when they are this big. Therefore, they take it ALL. Plus, I can't eat much. My stomach is somewhere up by my throat now. There just isn't any room I'm not hungry very often, and when I am, I can't eat much. I do drink a half gallon of chocolate milk a day. It is the only thing I love to consume right now. It is fantastic.

Here's 32 weeks:

Here's 33+ weeks, 46 inch waist (started at about 27 inches pre-pregnancy, so a lot of growing has occurred). Still no stretch marks (the bruises are due to a blood thinner I'm on during pregnancy). I know they're coming. My skin is on fire in some places.

I hope you all are doing well!

Halloweeny!

2011-11-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Christian was much more into it...and LOVED being a hamburger. This was not a homemade costume--it's from Old Navy--but, surprisingly enough, I didn't see one kid with the same costume. How did no one else think this was the greatest costume ever?!! He was so cute in it--and, it was warm, so that made it even better.

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We went to a boo at the zoo thing on Friday night. We had so much fun and I moved my majorly large, preggo bum all around that zoo. I was exhausted, needless to say. Ah, the things you'll do to see your kiddo smile.

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Trick-or-treat! Smell my feet!

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Next year, there will be 3 kiddos to lug around. We'll see if I'm too lazy to lug along the whole crew :)

Hope everyone is doing well! I will be 32 weeks on Saturday and will take another pic and give an update on the latest pregnancy goings-on. Can you say, "My 2 still-breech kiddos, please remove yourself from my ribs. PLEASE!"

28+ weeks with los twinnos. Or whatever.

2011-10-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

I am just over 28 weeks pregnant with the twins. I am large. Things have changed a lot in the last four weeks. Amazing thing is, I may honestly, seriously, possibly still have 10 weeks to grow. How is this possible? I am awfully close to the same size I was when I gave birth to Christian. I'm definitely more uncomfortable than I ever was with Mr. C. (I am like the slowest exercise-walker on earth now--I'm still "exercising," however, if you can call my lumbering around the neighborhood "exercising"). On the other hand, I'm not as uncomfortable (yet) as I was led to expect by other moms of multiples. I mean, I can still get around however strange it may look. Well, like I said before, I've still got some time.

Am I ready for the babies? I don't know. How does one prepare for two babies? Yes, I'm glad I've had a child previously, so I sort of know what to expect. The down side is, also, that I've had child previously, so I know what to expect. In other words, I know I will experience 2x the hot-mess that is the first few months of newborn-dom. I try not to think about this. I am choosing to assume these babes will not have reflux or be as ornery as Mr. C was. I just don't think about the possibility of colic. Well, no matter what happens, I do know newborn-ness is very short-lived, and who knows, these babes may be perfect little angels. Right? Why not. I can't wait to meet them.

I've been anemic for the last few months, and despite my additional iron supplements and hogging down of red meat (too much for me), I can't seem to become a non-anemic individual. I have never been anemic--even when I barely eat any meat. I guess the old body can't keep up with the iron needs of all three of us. I'm sure this is contributing to my INSANE fatigue. I'm ready to take a nap an hour after I get up.

I hope my calcium levels are okay. I would hate to lose a tooth over this.

I didn't pass my one-hour glucose test, either. So, I was convinced I would also have gestational diabetes. Luckily, I did the 3-hour and passed easily. Yay, mama don't have "the shugah" (sugar, in my best southern speaky)!" In fact, my last blood glucose level was 43, and I was ready to pass out. I should've just hauled off and passed out to teach those phlebotemists a lesson: You don't have a pregnant lady fast for over 12 hours. That's just evil.

Sooo, I guess one could say I'm in the last stretch of this pregnancy. It has been a bit of a lonely pregnancy overall, but that's life living far away from family (cue the violins). However, Poppy and Gigi (my grandparents) came a few weeks ago to visit! It was a wonderful visit and it was great to share a short portion of this happy time with family...

Here I am at 28 weeks. 41 pounds up. 41 pounds. 41. Probably 42 by now. No one believes me when I tell them my weight gain so far..."Where did it all go?" Duh. I would like to turn around and show them my naked backside and then I KNOW I would hear "ooh, oh, I see..." in unison from all the doubters. You can't deny what's right there in front of you.

No stretch marks yet. I didn't get them with Christian but am expecting them this time--I mean, let's be realistic. We shall see.

24+ weeks, still moving foward, at least!

2011-09-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

I am now 24+ weeks pregnant with the twins. I haven't really talked much about the pregnancy on here, but I will say it has been a rough one--totally different than my pregnancy with Christian! I felt terrible the first 14 weeks--although I didn't throw up--and I just wanted to eat ALL day everyday. I mean, seriously, like ALL day. After 14 weeks, I started to feel a "heaviness" in the lower bits, if you know what I mean. It's been so difficult to walk or do anything--not only because it was painful, but because it's very unsettling (it feels like they're going to just "fall out"). Luckily (for now), in the past week, baby boy has turned transverse (he was head-down and VERY LOW), and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted! Walking has been so easy this week and the scary heaviness feeling has improved greatly! Yes, I know it stinks that both babies are now transverse, but there's still time for them to move back to head-down before delivery. Yes, I would like to deliver both kiddos via the normal way...although I know c-sections are extremely common with twins. I'm not sure if I should hope for too much as far as delivery goes. To be honest, my greatest hope is that they make it to term and come out healthy.

Soooo, Christian has been in preschool for all of 2 weeks and already caught a cold-like virus. He passed it along to me. I, with my lowered immunity due to pregnancy, seem to be getting it a lot worse than him. Brian also caught it but is almost over it already. Oh well, I'd much rather have this than the flu! Please God, let the flu pass over us this year!

Anywho, here I am at 24 weeks--34 pounds up. 8 pounds in the last 4 weeks. 2 pounds a week. Yes, I'm getting a bit fatter, obviously...but 34 pounds! Where is the 34 pounds? oh, lord help me. :)

Last beach pics...maybe.

2011-09-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well, beach season is coming to a close. We always have so much fun each year at the beach down the street. These will probably be the last water/sand pics taken this year! Probably...

Look how cute he is...

Just kidding, here are some better ones :)

See ya later!

Preschool is going well! Christian loves it! He wants to go everyday! He never wants to stay home with me :(. Booooo. They must be brainwashing him...

First day of school...and a few other things.

2011-09-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

Christian's first day of preschool...he appears to be really uneasy about the whole thing, as you can see.

Painting the "family birdhouse" to bring to school...

Also, I thought I'd add these cute ones....

This was right before the incredible fiasco that was getting his 3-year pics taken...with some major bribery, we did end up with a few good ones, thank goodness.

Christian the explorer.

preschool...

2011-08-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

Christian has his first "real day" at montessori school tomorrow...wish us luck! I'm not sure how I feel about giving him up to the world.

Christian is 3!!

2011-08-21T14:28:00.001-07:00

Christian turned 3 on August 11th. I can't believe he's 3 already. He looks it, too. He's grown so much this summer. He lost all babyness and is nothing but boy. :)

The day started with waking up to balloons all over his floor...

Breakfast...

During breakfast, he got a magnifying glass to take to the beach...

Birthday morning at the beach...

Drawing his letters in the sand.

Grandparents Lee came over for the birthday party!

He does NOT like being sung to. At all. In fact, this turned into a full-blown cry--just like last year!

Presents!

Trampolines!

Bikes (he does use a helmet now)!

He is such a little man! Happy 3rd birthday, Christian! I think next year we will have a birthday party with friends (assuming you will have some "real ones" by then!)! Love you!

Visiting family in CO...

2011-08-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to Colorado to see family! Sooo, as planned, we had lots of family and fun. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful trip and for the great birthday party for Christian!

Fishing...

Christian caught his first fish!

Great-grandma's house...

Go-carts!! How someone Christian's size was allowed on...who knows? But, it was a blast for him, oh my gosh.

Grandpa!

Backyard fun...

Birthday!

I didn't take enough pictures, as usual. I've got to get back into the swing of picture taking or these twins won't have any pics taken! Seriously!

Halfway there.

2011-08-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Well, probably over halfway there since twins almost always come early.

20 weeks. 26 pounds up. Yikes.

Results are in.

2011-08-02T09:20:00.001-07:00

Christian will be having a little brother AND a little sister.

I am so pumped about this. Things are becoming more and more real.

I know you think I'm b.s.ing...

2011-07-26T18:46:00.001-07:00

...but not only is my almost 3-year-old reading most words (not sentences yet, though we haven't tried), but I just found out today that he can write almost the entire alphabet. I guess he's teaching himself how to write the words he can read. Mind you, before today, I thought he could only write a handful of letters. He's been playing with this letter-writing electronic game, and I'm guessing that's what taught him...because I sure didn't.

When Brian got home, I told him what I was seeing Christian do today (writing letters left and right with his crayons). So, as usual, Brian gave him a bath crayon and quizzed him on his letters. This is what we got (he did get some help with spelling the "sh" part of shark--but no help with writing the letters at all).

Here's the writing he was doing today that I didn't know he could do (catch all that?)...

If you think I'm bragging, I admit I am. I'm just so darn proud of him. He's a genius! (wink)

We went to the zoo this weekend for a bit, and I caught some close-ups that I thought the fam might enjoy...

Love you, Christian!!!

Update 2 of 2: June/July pics

2011-07-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here's June and July!

What would Christian be without his corn-on-the-cob?

Riding his tricycle...he's getting a bike for his birthday next month!

Preggy...

Happy Father's Day...at the beach...how hilarious is Christian's face?

Visiting Gigi and Poppy in Iowa...

At the lake with G and G Lee...

Just relaxin' and listening to music @ the lake...

Baseball game!

Backpack...getting ready for preschool to start in August!

Home...

My vote for best pic! Daddy's birthday!

Update 1 of 2: May pics

2011-07-21T11:42:00.001-07:00

I'm doing a massive update in the form of pictures. First, here are some pics of Christian from our May doings. June/July pics to follow in subsequent post.

Christian spelling his name...

Apparently, he wants some privacy...

Playing golf! Loves all sports right now.

Loves to dress up these days. Really into imaginary play.

A day out with Thomas the Tank Engine...

Zoo...

Helping daddy in the yard...

A day at the farm (at his to-be preschool teacher's house)...

June/July pics coming in next post I plan to do--right now!

2011-07-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

So, uh, this is how things are coming along for me.

7 weeks: I didn't think I would be sharing these early morning bare-bellied pics, as I'm sure you can tell by my hair-do and appropriate clothing.

16 weeks:

Well, I think these pics make me look much thinner than I actually am. I think it might be the angle since the photographer (Brian) is taller than me. In fact, it doesn't look like it, but I'm 20 pounds heavier in the second picture. That's right, I've gained 20 pounds and I'm only 16 weeks. I gained a lot with Christian, too. Just the way I do things. :)

I finally downloaded the pictures on the camera that date back to May (whoops), so I will be posting (finally!) some new pics of Christian in the next few days!

Ok.

2011-06-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

I finally feel confident announcing...

Christian will be a big brother...like big time...in December!

I just finished up my first trimester. And it's twins.

:)

My little reader!

2011-05-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Christian is full-on reading (well, one word at a time)! I knew he could do it! He actually sounds out the words (mostly 3-letter words right now)! I am so proud of him! He is so proud of himself! :) Not bad for 2-and-a-half!

If I can ever figure out how to download videos from our video camera, I will post him reading (I'm sure the fam would like to see this since no one has seen him in a long time!). I need a product that makes it easy to download videos on the computer and I'm not investing in a gadgety phone--I don't need it. Unfortunately, Brian's blackberry isn't easy to use, either. I'll really need to look into this.

Hope everyone is doing well!

You're welcome, mom.

2011-04-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

Brian, Christian, and I were saying our prayers tonight before bed. I said, "Thank you, God, for my wonderful and sweet son, Christian. We love him so much...." Christian looks up and says, "You're welcome, Mom. You're welcome."

New pics, Easter, etc.

2011-04-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here are (FINALLY) some updated pics of Christian. They are from the last month or more...

Christian and Madeline at the zoo (like forever ago)...

Just started potty-training here...

Monkey-face...

Fixing his motorcycle...in his undies...

Eating again...

I walked in the room, and this is what I found...

Helping daddy put the chairs together...

Easter!

Fireman Christian!

Looking at his map...

And, there you have it.

PS: Christian has been hilarious lately, to me, that is. Many of you will find this gross, but I think it's too funny. So, here we go: Ahem...just as we all have tried to find images in the clouds, Christian has been finding images in his poo. Yes, I said it. When he stands up from pooing in his little potty, he tells me "what he pooped." For example, "Mom, look at that mountain I pooped." "Mom, look at that chicken I pooped." And, you know what, he's right. It does look like that. I actually stand there and agree with him.

PPS. I think I will puke if I hear one more person talk about the "royal wedding!" Is this celebrity obsession at it's peak or what?

Potty-training...check!

2011-03-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

Christian is now completely potty trained. We haven't had any accidents since my last post (11 days ago), and we are now leaving the house in big boy undies. I can't believe how fast and easy this whole thing was. Oh yes, he is now telling me when he has to go. It's fantastic. Well, I'm still putting him in diapers at night, even though he hasn't had a night accident since we started. I guess I really, really don't want to clean tinkle off his new mattress. :)

Suddenly, potty-trained.

2011-03-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

So, I guess I should always mention Christian's behavior I don't like. Because once I put it on this blog, he changes it. Every. time.

Christian is potty-trained now. Almost. Just 2 blogs ago, I mentioned how he was absolutely uninterested in the potty. Well, we bought him a new "Lightning McQueen" potty last weekend and he immediately started wearing his "big-boy undies" and using the potty. Within 24 hours, he was almost completely potty-trained. Not kidding. He had one rough morning and one additional accident today, but that's it. THAT'S IT! He had never pooped in the potty before and now he does it every time. He doesn't go during naps or at night (even though I still put him in diapers during these times, of course!) Now, I do ask him every 10 minutes if he needs to go, but he doesn't tell me when he needs to go. I hope that changes because I'm tired of asking him every minute!

So, I guess he was ready. I just needed to find something to ignite his curiosity! Twas the Lightning McQueen potty! I must say this potty is a total "piecer," if you get my drift. It leaks like crazy. So, after a few days, I switched back to the Baby Bjorn potty and he doesn't care--luckily, he just hates the feeling of going in his pants now.

If I could just get him to start telling me when he needs to go (see above, I'm mentioning it here--it should change tomorrow, right?...)...

Nothing much.

2011-03-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

Cute, huh.

So, Christian fell off his bed this week. It was about 3:45am and we heard a loud "thud." He got a seriously swollen, black-and-blue ear. It's healing very quickly, though. Phew. That could have been bad.

He now has railings not only on the sides of his bed, but on the bottom also. He's basically in a large crib again. :)

***For Grandma S: Christian woke up from his nap on Thursday and immediately said, "I want to go to church!" I said, "Ok." He added, "I want to go to church and sit on the bench and watch Gigi play the pwano (piano)!"

Christian: 2.5 years.

2011-02-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

Christian turned 2-and-a-half this month. He's such a big boy. He's such a little man, despite the fact that he still poops his pants. Diaper-wearing is the only things keeping him in "babydom." He has 0 desire to use the potty. I'm not sure how to get him to WANT to go in the potty. I'm thinking of buying him some sharp-looking Elmo padded potty or something. The basic Baby Bjorn doesn't excite this kiddo, I guess. Or, I guess I could put him in real underwear and see if he likes the way that feels. I'm sure it would work, but I never feel ready to clean pee and poo from clothes, floor, couch, etc.

My little man...

"Porridge mustache." He loves this stuff (kale, spinach, blueberries, mango, bananas, grapes, flaxseed, milk, ice).

He came right in the kitchen, opened the drawer, and pulled out this mit. He was ready to cook.

He's just moved to a big boy bed. This was right after we set it up, so the room's a mess and in need of rearrangement, but you get the idea. He's such a little man now!

Still drawing and surprising me...

Grandpa Tom (if you can get it close up, you can see the little body he tried to draw. So cute.)

Christmas tree. I thought this was amazing for my little 2-year-old...

This is his version of mommy...

Even big boys get mad!

I know there's more to share, but I want to post something now! If I remember, I'll post more later!

Yikes. Ramble, ramble, ramble

2011-02-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

I've been kinda missing from blogdom. I know I'm disappointing many lovely people in my family, but I just can't seem to get motivated. I have some time, I just haven't been wanting to do it.

So, what's been going on?

Well, we finally got some of the last bits of painting done in our house. I wanted the foyer, stairwell, landing, and our bedroom painted. Check. Last thing I must get done... carpet in the family room. There's very little carpeted area in this house (most areas are wood, some original), but what is carpeted needs to be replaced. It's berber and I don't like berber in my family room. I just don't. I like plush.

That was an interesting topic to start with, huh? :) Way to excite your audience, Alisha. Oh boy.

Also, I've been doing some crap I don't like to share on this blog. I may someday, I don't know. But, this crap has been consuming much of my life, and it's one of the things keeping me away from blogdom and the computer altogether. I hate to be cryptic, but I'm just not ready to share.

So, let's move onto Christian.

Well, he's been doing a lot lately, as usual. We're doing Gymboree on Thursdays and he's doing quite well. He's still a bit shy around some kids--he just can't stand it when other kids don't respect his personal space--I get it. He's very deliberate and very aware of his actions--he doesn't like chaos and disorder and people not waiting their turn. I've heard people say he's very "mature," and I'm not sure if that's really it, but I'll take it. (Sorry, this explanation is very jumbled but the whole thing is very hard to explain.) He's just very calm and collected for a 2-year-old--he gets upset around others who are not this way. But, he's got to get used to it. And, I suppose by the time he does, they'll all be 4 and things will be totally different. Sometimes, I feel like he's missing out on just being a wild, crazy 2-year-old. But, that's just not who he is. Don't get me wrong, he has fun and loves to run and jump and do all the physical things at Gymboree (and after all that time of worrying about him being behind in physical things, well, he's totally caught up now!), but he's much more aware than most his age about personal space, waiting your turn, etc. He's never wildly running around. He gets along very well with other laid-back, space-respecting kids. However, once he's got something, he hates to share it. There now, he is a regular 2-year-old!

(Note: That info was mostly for my family to see what C's personality is like now. I'm not saying his behavior is better or worse than any others, just different. And, it definitely meshes well with my personality, so thank goodness he's like that.)

Hmm.

I've been working on changing my negative thought patterns. It's been working pretty well, until very recently. I'm trying to not lose any ground on this, because it was changing my life....

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Christian is starting to draw some pretty cool stuff. He loves to draw frogs and pigs, although they both look the same to me. He can write the letters C and D, and we're working on more. He loves the alphabet and he loves learning to read. This is where he truly excels--language. I swear to gawd, that kid can memorize an entire book after reading it twice. I am absolutely and totally not kidding. It blows my mind. I am so proud of him and his language abilities.

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Still counting 1-20. We just don't get beyond that. But, pretty good for 2, kiddo!

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He still loves trucks, cars, puzzles.

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He loves the show Caillou on the Sprout network. Well, he loves TV, period.

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Sooo, here are some pictures. Some of them are from back before Christmas (my birthday was Dec. 9th), and to be honest, I had to scrounge around for any pics at all. This has just been one of those picture-taking droughts, I guess.

Still some good stuff here...

Polar Express...

Christmas Eve...doesn't like the "fussing" of getting dressed up.

Rock star face...

Daddy's boots.

Construction worker!

His "frogs" and "pigs."

Yesterday...

Christian's "QOTD."

2011-01-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

Today's quote:

Setting: A restaurant. Tired and cranky. Singing loud.

"The farmer in the dell! The farmer in the dell! Hi-ho the DERRIERE! The farmer in the dell!"

He knows and usually sings the correct words. Why was he singing it this way? I do not know. He does not know the word "derriere." Oddly enough, however, later on he was laughing hysterically singing, "The farmer in my buns...." Oh, boy.

Christian's QOTD.

2011-01-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

Christian likes to pretend he is either a teacher or a doctor.

So, as he was pretending to be a doctor, I asked him, "Christian, what does a doctor do?"

He said, "A doctor gives shots to little boys in my band-aid leg*...AND little girls!" He later told Brian the same thing but added, "Those shots are DANGEROUS!"

[*He hasn't had shots since he turned 2 in August, but he still says his "band-aid leg" hurts from those shots.]

We do not teach him these things.

Another Christian's Quote of the Day...

2011-01-05T19:42:00.001-08:00

I left my usual station (parked in front of the refrigerator--pigging out) to run upstairs just as Brian was finishing Christian's bath. I always wrap Christian in his towel and rock him for a minute. I don't know--it's just something we do. Sooo, as I'm doing this, he looks up at me and says, in a rather grossed-out manner:

"Mom, you smell like...lasagna. No, maybe spaghetti."

Guess what I was eating right before I ran up. So, I guess my kid is old enough to recognize bad breath. For some reason, like a pet, I thought he was immune to bad breath. Nope, I am once again reminded he is actually a human being.

Christian's Quote of the Day

2011-01-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

Both of these "quotes" occurred while I was rocking Christian during his naptime.

"Mommy, I'm so glad I found you!"
I was singing Jesus Loves Me and Christian said, "No, Mommy! I love you. Not Jesus. Jesus loves his mommy and daddy--Mary and Joseph!" Fair enough. I then proceeded to tell him that Jesus is with us--everywhere. Christian replied, "Jesus is in heaven with his mommy and daddy, and his camels, donkeys, sheeps...." All he really understands about Jesus, at this point, is what revolves around the nativity scene. Well, it was really funny when he said it! Maybe you had to be there.

Anywho.

Oh, and I must add this: Christian, during his prayers a few weeks ago, thanked God for TVs. That is oh-so-wrong but he is oh-so-right.

Hello 2011!

2011-01-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

This is my first post of the new year and it will be short. As usual.

I'm in a rush but I thought I'd mention that Christian got his first "brain-freeze" today while eating ice cream. He just sat quietly and scrunched up his face--the way everyone looks when the "brain-freeze" occurs. Brian and I laughed so hard. Is that bad? If he had gotten really upset, we wouldn't have laughed--I can assure you.

He also tipped over while playing in the laundry basket today. He hit his head on the knob of my dresser. The scratch looks like he split his eyebrow. Brian thought he looked tough--like a boxer. Well, I'm not sure the outside world will assume Christian is a boxer...primarily because of his age. :)

Well, before social services comes to my house, I better start mentioning some good things.

Christmas was great. Christian had 3 Christmas celebrations. Lucky kid. I won't be buying toys until his birthday in August. I literally have nowhere to put all this stuff.

Christian has been saying the funniest stuff lately. I think I'm going to have to start a "Christian's quote of the day" on this blog. Ok, will do.

Take care and I hope you all had a great Christmas/New Years.

Prayer requests.

2010-12-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have a friend in surgery today to remove a malignant mass in her colon. She has a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old. Please pray for M.

I also attended a 35th birthday party this past weekend for a wonderful person, T, who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer this fall. She is on chemo indefinitely--or for as long as she can tolerate it. She has a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. Please pray that she continues to tolerate the chemo, and that she receives her miracle.

Please pray for the continued miracle of my Grandma S, who has lived with multiple myeloma for 15 years, and is still going strong.

Please pray Grandma J remains cancer-free!

Please pray for another young friend (J) with a young child to continue to be cancer-free!

And last, please pray for the cure. How is it even possible we don't have a cure yet?

I'm still here!

2010-12-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

...just busy.

Really quickly here...

Christian's tantrum phase was just that--a phase. He's been so wonderful--so kind, so sweet. I can't even tell you what a joy he has been these last few weeks. "Don't worry, mama!" "Mama, this is the best food I've ever, ever, had!" (I hear that at every meal lately.) "This porridge will make me big, big, big and strong!" His "porridge" is actually a vegetable smoothie; I had to trick him into drinking it--he loves Goldilocks and the Three Bears. "Mama, I missed you when you when you took the les-kis (lexus, some of his pronunciations are so darn cute) to get your nails cut (eyebrows waxed)." He says he misses me every time I leave him for even a few minutes. "Mama, here I am!" He says this whenever I walk into his dark room after bedtime or a nap.

He's the best.

He's also started to read and spell a few words these past few months. These are very basic words, of course, like cow, dog, or pig. Still, he's amazing in this way. Nobody believes he can do this until they see it.

He is downright fantastic right now, and he's so excited about Santa bringing him a "motorcycle" for Christmas. Now, whenever he wants something, he'll say, "Maybe Santa will bring it to me...." :)

sorry.

2010-11-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry...it's been so long!~

My laptop crashed (the IT dude at my hubby's work says it's the motherboard), so I am having to use the desktop upstairs. I don't have time to use the desktop upstairs, hence the lack of posts.

Everything is going well, I suppose. Christian, for the past 2 weeks, had been acting like a serious 2-year-old, if you know what I mean. The last few days have been a bit better, however. Hopefully, those outrageous and constant tantrums are slowing down.... I'm not holding my breath.

Anyhow, hope I get another laptop soon! It will be soon :) I'll get back to you then.

Christian, the pilot.

2010-11-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

I've never seen a kid more obsessed with sitting and tinkering around in planes or cars...anything with an engine, really.

Cynicism challenged.

2010-11-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

I am somewhat of a cynic. Don't like it about myself--really, really don't. So, I love it when I'm proved wrong.

I went to go vote this morning and realized I did not have my id. In fact, I did not have my wallet at all (I keep it in my diaper bag). Then, I remembered I put it in my coat pocket at Target on Sunday (the coat pocket in which it always falls out, but I usually hear it fall--as I say that I see how stupid that sounds). I knew that was where I lost it. I didn't freak out, which is highly unusual. Maybe I knew somewhere inside...but it was TURNED IN! It was locked up at customer service--everything intact. [Note: I just turned in someone's wallet a few weeks ago. You get what you give, huh?]

There are good people out there. This made me feel so good about "things." I want to feel that way more often.

Halloween...all of it.

2010-11-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

[First off, we are all over the flu. To prevent anymore of that mess, I am drying our hands out with sanitizer anytime we touch anything in the outside world. I'm not messing around.]

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Anyhow. Now, I am about to post a million pictures. I am going to put all of meany-Halloweeny in one post. So, get ready.

Ahem.

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To begin, we went to a farm/pumpkin patch/hayride extravaganza on the 9th, and I'm just now getting to the pics. Well, at least now you'll get to see the end result (jack-o-lantern) in the same post.

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The farm. (Notice the sign behind says, "MAY BITE!" We were petting them anyway. I know a nice goat and/or pony when I see one.)

Riding the so-cleverly saddled haystack...or, I mean, the horse.

Hayride! The kids were throwing straw everywhere. So cute.

Picking pumpkins...

He decided on this one instead...

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Pumpkin carving. We only carved one and cheated with those stick-in body things (?) on the other two. Whatever, you'll see what I mean.

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Oh, here we are carving the pumpkin...in the unfinished, crappiest part of the basement. You see, growing up in my house meant carving pumpkins in the dirtiest area possible. If that meant sitting down on the garage floor--well then, that's what it meant. No kitchen table for us. It was too cold for the garage floor, so I chose the cold floor in the unfinished part of the basement. (Do not mind the king-size box spring behind us. I am not a hoarder; we are selling those on Craigslist.)

The finished products. (And no, I am not a jailbird for Halloween. I actually wear those pants. To the gym, mostly. But, you will catch me in them at Target.)

See the Elmo and ghost stick-in body things? Cute and quick.

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And now, the moment you've all been waiting for.

May I present...

Thomas the Tank Engine!

Trying to convince him to go trick-or-treating...

We managed to convince him.

Home. Cold and whiny. Well, (I say!) he loved it.

That's it. That was Halloween in a large nutshell.

Sickies

2010-10-28T11:48:00.001-07:00

The last few days have been pretty nasty.

As I said in my last post, Christian has the stomach flu. Just as he was starting to get a little better (yesterday), I started to feel sick. It was terrible. I felt so weak and nauseous. What a nightmare. Luckily, Brian's mom came to help out. Problem was, Christian wanted only me to hold him and do everything for him, so I couldn't get any real rest. Also, I started seeing this strange streak of color in his diapers. It appeared to be a thin layer of blood. I wasn't sure. Sooo, over-the-phone nurse #1 told me to check a few more diapers and come in the next day. I checked the next few diapers. Same streak. Sooo, I called back and over-the-phone nurse #2 said we needed to get in right away. Problem was, it was after-hours, so we had to take Christian to emergency care. They saw the diapers, agreed with me that it was strange, and decided to do a catheter to collect a urine sample. (Meanwhile, I am feeling so terrible from my flu I am nearly incoherent--freaking out because I didn't want him to go through any more pain--I mean, he had just been puking and crying for days! I called my uncle, who was once a pediatrician, and he assured me they were doing the right thing. Thanks again, Joel!) So, the cath was performed, and it wasn't fun. Poor baby! I can tell his area is still sore when he "goes" today. Good news, however. The sample came back blood-free. They think it may have been something he ate or drank. ??

To make matters more annoying, this was all happening while Brian was gone on business. He was getting stuck in airports and that whole mess, and then...the flu kicked in for him. He threw up on his flights and puked on his suit. He finally got on a flight and got back at 3am this morning. He is in bed now, sick as a dog.

I feel much better today as long as I don't eat. Like Christian, I feel great until food hits my stomach.

Oh well, tomorrow is a new day.

Yo Gabba Gabba!

2010-10-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'm behind. Again. I'm catching up. This week. It's happening. We have been out-of-town for my bro's graduation (congrats, Adam!), I had minor surgery last week, and today Christian is barfing. Life is busy, as they say.

First, I want to share some pics of our Yo Gabba Gabba outing. It was absolutely fantastic. I loved it. Christian loved it. We had fantastic seats and were lucky enough to meet the characters "backstage." Thank you, Grandpa Lee!

Here are the pics!

In our seats!

Muno (or "Nuno," as Christian calls him), Christian's favorite, coming right by us!

TONS of balloons coming down!

Bubbles everywhere!

Waving bye-bye to his favorites!

Crying because the good-bye song came on (which he knows from the show). He sobbed the entire time we exited the theater. Poor baby.

Backstage pics!

DJ Lance came to read a book! When he came in, he gave Christian a high-five. Well, he tried, anyway. Christian got so nervous that he freaked out and Brian had to grab his hand to give DJ Lance the five. Well, Christian conveniently leaves out the freaking out part when he tells this story to people. He is so proud of the fact that he gave DJ Lance this "halfway" high-five.

BIZ!

As you can see, it was awesome! I want to go again.

More updates are coming VERY soon. Like tomorrow, or something.... Well, if Christian isn't puking anymore, that is. He has his first stomach bug and I had no idea how much this would suck.

2 year doc appt...

2010-10-01T17:04:00.001-07:00

Christian had his 2 year doc appointment yesterday. It went well despite the waiting and waiting we had to endure.

He received his MMR, finally. I have him on a delayed vaccination schedule and wasn't planning on the MMR until he was 4 or so, but since I'm going to have him at the gym daycare once in awhile, I thought it was best to get it now. He is, of course, fine. Just tired. (He HATED the shot, obviously. I think it was more that he didn't like being restrained. I don't blame him.) He still has a few vaccinations to go, but I think they are relatively ridiculous shots to give to stay-at-home child, so I'm holding off until school-age. Plus, if he gets chicken pox, I think we'll live.

I'm still debating on the flu vaccine. I've never had one and have been just fine, but anywho.

He's growing, people, he's growing! He's about average height now! I can't call him Mr. Shortypants anymore. Boohoo.

He's basically average in all physical categories...except for his head which is still in the 97th-98th percentile. Large head. Yes, he wears 4-5T hats.

The doc was, of course, very impressed with his speech and all that. I told her I am as well and I write it constantly on my blog.

No, I did not say that but I wanted you to be aware that I know I talk about it all the time. For some reason, it's what I think about when I get on here.

Hmmm.

Well...

I'm going blank, once again.

Bye!

A little something, at least.

2010-09-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

I've got a few minutes here. I wanted to share some recent pics with you. They aren't anything special, but we haven't taken many pics lately.

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Christian has gotten into computers...big time. They can be adult or kid computers. I think it's part of his brainiac/geekoid personality. :) Plus, we have many-a-computer-geek in the family (dad), so it makes sense. (Also, notice his monster trucks PERFECTLY lined up on the rug. He is so, so, so particular about things. I would say it's cute but he has a fit if things aren't just so. I have no idea from whom he acquired that particular trait...whoops...my bad.)

Another example of his geekiness: We had some friends over the other day, and their kid was running around playing with toys and having a good time--like a normal 2-year-old. Christian, on the other hand, just stood there/sat there using his leapfrog reading toy--from the Stenzel family (Thank you! He loves it!). So dorky. Okay, okay, I thought it was cute. Not sure what the other family thought.

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Oh, did I just say he was a brainiac?...Well, we all have our off moments.

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I've joined the Rocky River early childhood pta. I haven't done much yet, but we attended the "night with the band." The Rocky River high school band allows the little munchkins to take a look/play with their instruments. Christian was amazed by the whole spectacle and he's wanted to see "a BIG drum parade!" ever since.

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Still riding bikes...

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He really, really loves popcorn. He snatched this bowl right off my lap.

Then, I gave him his own bowl and he settled right in to watch the tube.

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Last, Christian had his first taste of a daycare-like situation. As some of you know/guessed, Christian has never had anyone watch him except for family--and even that doesn't happen very often since we don't have family around on a regular basis. So, anyway, I wanted to start hitting the gym again (I used to be the mighty gym-rat). I've been working out at home and running outside, but I'd like to go the gym once in awhile. So, I took Christian to the gym daycare as I heard it was a good one. I left him for an hour and he did fine. He played with trucks and cars and made massive trains, or so I'm told. Good. One thing worked out. Let's hope next time goes as well.

Hello, friends.

2010-09-16T17:29:00.001-07:00

Blogging has totally slipped my mind lately. Ugh, I sometimes feel like it's hanging over my head. I try to slow down and take a break when I feel like that.

Well, you're gonna get a convoluted ramble today, my friends.

To begin, I realize I missed Christian's 2 year, 1 month post. Ok, it's 25 months. Not sure how I'm going to word that. I'm going to do my best to keep up with the formal monthly updates. Otherwise, I may not sit down and write about all he's doing! Well, actually, each month I'll sit down and write whatever I can remember, that is.

These days, Christian is a talker. He talks about anything and everything. We have the best--most interesting, to say the least--conversations. He likes to sing several songs. Side note: He catches on to way too many things--and remembers and restates way too many things--therefore, I'm becoming a lot more careful with what I say (i.e., I try not to make fun of him while he's around--it's only funny if he doesn't get it. Otherwise, I just feel mean.). He's learned how to catch balls in the air. He's using the potty a bit but is nowhere near potty-trained. Hmmm. I can't remember anything right now. Nothing is coming. My mind is blank. I need to get online and write things down as soon as he does them. Otherwise, this is what you get. Blank. Oh, lordy, lordy.

Here's an update of the past month or so...in pictures...

A few bumps and bruises, as expected...

Still drawing...

"Zoo-ing" it...

He gets stickers when he uses the potty. This is what he chooses to do with those stickers. And yes, he feels he must strip down naked (including socks) to sit on the loo.

He's reading to Toody while I'm in the bathtub. He loves to read to Toody and asks her to play with toys just as he would--like pushing cars, etc. She fails to do as he asks. (This picture is sideways, I know. I can't fix it. Well, I haven't actually tried but I'm too careless to do so.)

Playing catch!

Water time, the usual for the Lee family.

Mommy and "baby." Well, "toddler." Well, "little man" may be more like it.

More birthday pics...random blabbing.

2010-08-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Christian had a birthday on his actual birthday day. (What a fine sentence.) Brian's parents came to celebrate with us! It was a really nice night--exactly how a 2-year-old's birthday should be.

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Here are a few pics...

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Yo Gabba Gabba cake. I did not make this. It tasted fantastic. It was so very, very good despite it's very apparent--and obviously very unnatural--color.

It was so cute to see Christian get excited about this cake. We still have the characters eat with us at every meal.

The "big" present was his power-wheel "four-wheeler," as he calls it. Problem is, it doesn't have a reverse, so he gets really frustrated when he hits a roadblock. "Mama, MAMA! Help! It's stuck!" (Remember how he says that "stuck" word? Does not sound good while yelling.)

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Anywho, I haven't been keeping my family updated very well. So, I'd like to share some of Christian's new blabberish. I am still regularly reminded that his vocabulary is pretty amazing for someone his age. He continues to shock people when they meet/see him as he looks much younger than he talks. He will talk in full, complete sentences to complete strangers (strangers that he likes, that is--and that doesn't happen all the time). Lately, I've been impressed with his usage of certain words like "anymore" or "still." "No water in it anymore!" or "The water is dripping still." or "I hungry for dinner already." I think those are adverbs or something, right? Anyhow, sometimes he says these things and I think--How do you know those words already? Do I talk that much?

In addition, he also says some unbearably cute things: "Where's mama's yogurt on the face?"--as he peers from side to side. He said that tonight. He's referring to my zit creme. Oh gee, isn't that sweet. Oh yes, and we were at the zoo on Friday and he said, "Mama, the camel is pretty, not cute." Okay, smarty-pants. One more funny one: tonight we were leaving the ice cream store and he said, "Mama, the truck is farting." Meaning, the truck is "starting." He still doesn't get those "s" sounds just right. I'll cut him some slack--he's doin' purty good so far.

As well as he's doing, he's still getting confused with a few words. The past week or so he's been using the word "better" a lot. He'll use it correctly, but he'll also use it to replace the word "more." For some reason, this makes me laugh--probably because I just find it funny that he likes the word "better" so much. Here are some examples of his mistaken usage: He'll be watching Thomas on tv and will say "I want Olivia better." Meaning, he wants to watch Olivia over Thomas. Or if, let's say, he wants his spoon over his fork, he'll say, "I want spoon better." So, you see where's he's going with this, but it's not quite right. Why I'm telling you this, I have no idea whatsoever.

He's also finding out how crazy the English language is. Like, he says, "I see the fishes." How am I supposed to tell a 2-year-old that, in this instance, the plural form does not use "es." How confusing. How dumb, kind of. Who came up with this stuff?

Okay, I'm done. I'm sure you all feel very well updated. :) I'll try to do better.

Lake fun! Happy birthday, Grandpa, James, & Christian!

2010-08-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

We had three birthdays to celebrate this year (at the Stenzel family get together--mom's side of the family). Grandpa Stenzel turned 80!! James, my brother-in-law, turned 28. And, of course, little C-man turned 2.

It was a great time--lots of family time which is what I live for. It went by way too fast, and I think we need to make sure we all get together like this AT LEAST once a year. The years are passing, my dear family. We may not have many more chances at this.

There were no mishaps at all. Well, that's not true. Brian and I did some dumb stuff. We are too old for some things, I guess. I threw my back out while wakeboarding. Brian threw himself off the jet ski and tore some ligaments in his knee (no surgery needed, but he's now in a brace). I crashed and scratched up the front of a jet ski. Brian tore off a mirror on the jet ski. What were we doing? Luckily, nothing was any big deal.

All in all, we had a fantastic time! I thank everyone for coming and celebrating Grandpa's big 8-0!

Grandpa!

Dinner! Christian sat there for 2 hours! What a trooper!

Grandpa and Grandma S!

Me, Grandpa, Grandma, Maria, Mom

Ian and Alec (cousins)--putting together Christian's Thomas track. They did it!

More gifts...

Let's just say Christian doesn't appreciate being sung "Happy Birthday." Yikes!

The annual cupcake cake!

Christian's one and only shot at swimming in the lake. There wasn't a shallow area, so it wasn't really his thing.

Look at Grandma and Grandpa in their sunhats! Priceless!

Christian loves to drive that boat!

So sweet.

Love and miss everyone!

Visiting Dad/Grandpa and Company :)

2010-08-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Christian and I traveled A LOT this summer. The next few posts will be pictures from our visit to CO to see the fam (end of July) and the family get together @ the Lee's lake house in the Lake of the Ozarks (early August).

To start, I'd like to share some pics from our visit to Grandpa Ken's house. Christian has not stopped talking about Grandpa Ken, Tammy, Brennan--aka "Brownie," Uncle Adam, Aunt Katy "Kagy," Zach, Brianna, and Grandma Jo. Yes, he does remember all these names. This kid remembers EVERYTHING! (To be honest, sometimes I wonder if I should be showering/changing around him anymore. I don't want him to remember these images and be scarred for life! :))

Anyway, we had a blast in Colorado! I felt very proud of my visit this time because I filled every minute with visiting family and friends (I went out with some high school friends. Whoa! We've all changed so much!). I really didn't miss anyone this time (okay, a few still missed! argh!), so I felt good when I left. I have a large amount of family and friends there, so it's hard to see everyone when I go! PLUS, I got to spend some time in the mountains--okay, we only had time to play in the foothills-- truth is, as beautiful as Colorado is, we're usually too busy for any outside time when we visit. It was awesome to spend some time outdoors. I miss it already. Thank you, family--for everything!

Great-grandma Jo...

Lots of playing at parks!

Lots of water-play in Lyons and the foothills near there...

Zach and Briana...

Grandpa!

On the way home...Christian loved Grandpa's old truck!

Back at home...

Brownie! Uh, I mean.... Brennan!!

Thanks again, Grandpa! Please some see us soon!!

P.S. This was the first time I traveled by myself with Christian. The flights couldn't have gone smoother except for the "small" incident of a HUGE puking episode by Christian--all over himself and me on our way home. I had nothing for either of us to change into.

Brian still seemed happy to see us despite our stinky, puke-covered appearance. Lordy, Lordy.

As promised, the truck room!

2010-08-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

Christian loves trucks. We know this. So, I started the truck room--which he adores. I'm not done yet, as I'm hesitant to do much more until we get him in a bed (it will change the layout of the room--thank goodness--and I think it will prompt me to get a larger, more plush rug to warm things up in there). You'll also see that the furniture is placed a bit strangely (too snugly in areas), but in these old houses, radiators and such get in the way, and when you've got a toddler, you need certain things right next to each other. Plus, I didn't want to buy new furniture at this point, so I did the best with the goods I have. I tried to do this on the cheap. Most items are from Homegoods or Target. Cute stuff. Anyhow, despite all that jibber-jabber, you will get the gist of the whole deal.

Brian and I spent the weekend painting coat after coat of paint. I'm a paintress, if you will, so this was nothin'. Hmmm. I think I'll have to share some pics of my other painting/decorating adventures in my abode.

Here's C's new room.

This is quite different than his old Beatrix Potter-inspired "baby" room I put together (and painted!)--which was not done on the cheap--and of which he couldn't have cared less about. :)

Happy 2nd birthday, my little man!

2010-08-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Christian turns 2 today! Whoopee! He's huge! He's...fantastic!

My little nugget is 2 today. He's growing up--I love watching him grow and learn, but it's hard to know he's going to keep growing and growing until he's grown out the door. I don't ever want him to go! (Of course, I say that now!)

He's into so many things these days...books, cartoons, any form of transportation, and drawing, of course. He speaks so well. He doesn't pronounce everything perfectly, but come on, he was only 1 until today! Examples: He's been called the "little Sean Connery," because anything ending in "s" comes out as an "sh." For example, he calls his trains "Thomish" and "Mavish"--instead of Thomas and Mavis. Sounds hilarious. Additionally, most "s" sounds at the beginning and in the middle of words come out as "f"sounds ("horfie"). Once again, I will say that "stuck" (put the "f" sound in place of the "s" sound) is still a bad word for him to say out loud, and unfortunately, he says it all the time about everything. Even in public.

He is starting to sing a lot. Twinkle, Twinkle and Old MacDonald are the two he likes to sing all by himself. I finally got Twinkle recorded today.

What else...

He started doing the chicken dance and something called the "lamborghini dance", created during his excitement about his lamborghini matchbox car. This dance consists of a cranking motion with his left arm followed by a dragging of the left side of his body. He's got his dad's rhythm. Not going to say if that's a compliment.

Anyhow,

I don't know. I just really love my kid. I'm not sure if he'll ever have a sibling, but I hope I can still give him the greatest childhood in all of history. He deserves it. He's everything to me and his dad.

Happy birthday #2, Christian! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know!

mushy mush

2010-08-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

I found an old box of children's books today. My grandma gave them to me--straight from her basement with the orange shag carpet. I loved that basement.

I remember most of these books from my childhood. Many contain my very kid-like signature (I signed my name on everything back then)--some even are signed by my mom when she was a kid. Oh, how these books offered me a punch in the gut--a punch full of sentimentality, of nostalgia, of sadness. These feelings probably stem from an overly-romanticized view of my early childhood, but still.

I get hit in the gut by these type of things. I say hit in the gut because it literally takes my breath away. I don't like the thought of the good/innocent times passing (passed) away. I'm not going to grandma's anymore--playing outside in the fields, in the trees, or roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Those days are over for all of us involved. They're gone. I'm an adult. Everyone is getting older and older. I often want those days back. It's hard to accept that time has passed and is passing still. I mean, what is this whole thing for? I want that time back.

Maybe it gets me so much because it was all in the pre-divorce days (my parents' divorce), which was one of the most life-defining--definitely the worst--event in my life. As an adult, I can't see how it would have ever worked for my parents, but despite knowing that, it still makes life hard--even now--in myriad ways. I feel like I'm missing out on some stuff that other people--with intact families--have. On the other hand, maybe I've had benefits from this whole situation that I don't plainly see.

I guess you could say the divorce changed me from innocent (the time of those books) to, well, simply not. Maybe I felt I lost part of my childhood and now I want it back. I'm not done with it yet.

But, that's not an option.

Time has passed and I'm a mom. Those childhood books are here for my son. Not for me.

I'm off again...

2010-07-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

Once again, I'll be out-of-town for a bit. Take care!

Christian says- "hi!"

Eating corn @ Grandma Karen's place.

23 months.

2010-07-12T11:40:00.001-07:00

One more month until Christian is 2. It's amazing. I always tell people it does go fast--because it does, but I also definitely feel like I've had him for 2 years, know what I mean?
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Anyway, I'm already a day late on this post (a day late is early for me when it comes to blogdom, as you know) so I'm excited that I'm so on top of things today.
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Let's see about the C-man.

Food: At 23 months, I'd say his favorite food is...well...ice cream, probably. But, that doesn't really count, does it.? His favorite meal is probably this bean soup I make, followed by anything filled with cheese (grilled cheese, quesadillas, etc.). Yogurt is still a hit, but definitely not like it used to be. Oh yes, and he loves all melons.
Sleep: He's sleeping from about 9:30-10pm to 8am. He's been getting up in the early 7 o' clock hour this past week which I'm hoping is just a phase. He takes a 2-3 hour nap. Sometimes I even have to wake him up at the 3 hour point. Maybe he goes to bed too late.
Toys: He's still a car and truck man. Easy picking toys for this one. He also loves to draw--so anything drawing related is a hit. He also likes books, legos, and large puzzles. Stuffed animals are becoming constant companions.
TV, etc: He still likes Elmo movies (although he can't watch Elmo's World because he strongly dislikes Mr. Noodle. I don't blame him.), Yo Gabba Gabba (which he has backstage passes to in October--thanks Grandpa Lee!), and Olivia. He doesn't watch much TV right now because the weather is nice and we're always at the park or playing outside.
Speaking of parks, this kid has really changed these past 2 months. He loves slides--the bigger the better--he even climbs up the big slides. He loves to swing as well. This love of parks is a big change from 2 months ago when he was too scared to try anything.
And, speaking of speaking, his speaking continues to get stronger and stronger at lightening speed. He speaks full sentences and can communicate just about anything. He's actually quite the jokester, often making little jokes of his own (not knock-knock jokes, but rather saying something that he knows is completely wacko to make you laugh--and then laughs and says "No, no..." right after it. I'm most proud of his language accomplishments, as you all know well.
The cutest part about his speech right now is that every "s" sound is the "f" sound. For example, when we were at the zoo, he said, "I want to see the seal swimming." It came out sounding like, "I want to fee the feal fimming." There are words like "stuck," etc., that come out sounding not-so-good.
He loves to count EVERYTHING right now. He's always counting something. He counts objects to 11 perfectly--he used to count objects to 12 perfectly--but suddenly after 11 he says either 14 or 19--so, yeah.
He throws fits. Surprising for his age, I know. He gets so frustrated I can see him clench his teeth and shake. Poor thing. I know that feeling.
He loves everything that is "up-fide-down," as he says it. It really amuses him when something is up-side-down.
He loves the beach and wants to go every day. We don't, but we go quite a bit.
We have to put onesies on him (snap at the crotch stuff) whenever we put him to bed because he's obsessed with sticking his hands down his pants (and hence shifting his diaper which causes leaks). Maybe that's too much information, but it's a large part of his life so it must be included this month.
He's starting to really miss family when they leave. He asks about them and tells me he wants them to come home--meaning his home, I think.
Stature: He's thick and still on the shorter end of things.

Well, I know there's more but I can't think of anything. I'll add more as I think of things.

Last, here are some pics!

At the zoo...

We bought a stuffed koala which is now one of his bestest buds.

Daddy!...

Grandma Dawn got me a new tricycle!...

Yes, he's a boy.

Walking Toody! He loves this.

My life.

Happy 23 months, Christian! Mommy loves you!

What is going on with me?

2010-07-01T17:45:00.001-07:00

I completely forgot to do a 22 month post for Mr. Christian. Well, too late now. He'll be 23 months in no time (well, 10 days)--so I'll wait until then, and I assure you that particular post will be the best darn post you ever did see. Hopefully.

Anyhow, Christian has been drawing like a madman lately. Mostly cars and stuff...some faces...

Here's a fantastic face.

This one is supposed to be me. Notice all the hair...

Racecar. Of course.

Not too bad for a 1-year-old.

Well, that's all I got. Insane and crazy stuff surrounds my life these days. I wonder if there will ever be a break in this insanity. Judging by the past, my guess is: no.

Father's Day at the beach.

2010-06-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

(Note to fam: This is my 2nd post today!)

Father's Day was a week ago. Now that a week has passed, I feel I can post this on my blog. I would hate to be on time for anything.

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For Father's Day, we went to the beach down the street. It was good, clean (yes, even though it's Lake Erie) fun. Actually, the beaches are super clean and water is so clear right now. At this point, I would even swim in Lake Erie, and I've lived here for 7 years and never gone in past my knees. These beaches are fantastic near our new place.

We've actually gone several times since we've been back, but I haven't gotten any great pics yet. He loves to dig, build towers, and let the waves rush over his hands and feet. But, none of these pics show that. This is the best I got, people. Some are purty cute, though. Like this one...

And this one...

This one, not as cute.

Grandma D!

Looking at sailboats...

And looking at non-sailboats.

Dancing!

Likes the "fand." (All "s" sounds are replaced with "f" sounds!)

I'm sure there will be many more beach pics this summer. Can't get enough of trying for that one, killer shot, you know?!

At Grandma's. E-I-E-I-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2010-06-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Grandma Dawn lives on a farm. :) We spent some time there after the lake trip. Fun stuff.

Here's the little guy with Great-grandma S, or "Gigi."

Playing a duet...

Riding the "horfie"...

Hangin' outside by the tractor. Whoa!

The carousel...didn't like it once it got moving. They had to stop to let us off!

At the pool--of course we would be, we were with Grandma Dawn, goddess of sunlight!

Grandma Dawn drove back to Ohio with us and has been here ever since! It's been AWESOME to have mi madre around...to change diapers. Just kidding, mom. I like you around to bake cookies, also. :)

Back to the Ozarks :)

2010-06-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

We spent some time at Brian's parents' lakehouse. It was fantastic. Not only is the place fantastic, but we are in fantastic moods when we are there. I can't stress enough how awesome the place is--jet skis, boat, enormous lake with a million coves--fantastic. Okay, done with "fantasic." :)

Here are some pics.

Christian and Grandma Karen on the boat! Christian would get excited when it was time to put on his "boat coat."

Driving the boat with Daddy. No joke, he let Christian drive the boat himself. He even figured out that if you crank the boat one way or the other--and keep cranking it--you will eventually go over "bump, bump, BUMP" (the boat's wake).

Did NOT like it when he saw Brian help him drive.

This would have been a good makeup-less pic of Christian and me except that I have food stuck in my teeth. I mean, seriously.

Guess who caught a fish? Me. I love to fish. Well, that's a bit false. I get excited at the idea of catching a fish, but I don't really love to fish once I actually catch a fish. (Did you catch all that?) The issue is, I start to panic and feel bad for the little guy. It eats me up to think I'm making the fish scared. So, I panic and yell for someone to come and get the fish off, take a quick picture, and throw it back as fast as possible. My husband and I decided that we can't even use real worms anymore because we feel bad taking the worm's life--simply so we can have some fun. A life is a life, you know. Think what you will, but we do what we have to in order to sleep at night.

Here's Mr. Fish.

I've got quite a bit more to catch up on, but I'm taking it slow. The usual with this blog. Lo siento.

Meet the trucks!

2010-06-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we went to a little event called "Meet the Trucks." Basically, the kiddos get to sit in (and HONK--and, holy cow, did they!) the city trucks: fire trucks, garbage trucks, cherry-pickers--you name it and they could attack it.

Christian was a little overwhelmed by the noise but LOVED the trucks. Unfortunately, we couldn't get him to sit in any--except this one...

Just kidding, he sat in this one, also. He wasn't so sure about either of them.

Here are some more pics of the day.

Later on, Brian and I attended a wedding. We got all dressed up 'n' stuff. Anymore, when I get dressed up, it's an occasion for pictures.

Take care, all. We'll be out of town for awhile. We'll talk when I get back. :)

Grandpa came...with a new, green, garbage truck.

2010-06-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

And Christian still associates Grandpa with this green tonka truck...and the bubble dance.

Anyway, Grandpa Ken came to visit 2 weeks ago. Yes, 2 weeks ago and I'm just getting around to this post! Terrible, terrible me.

My Dad and Tammy flew in from Colorado to visit Christian (I'm not fooling myself, I know who people come to see, haha :)). They've been out a few times so they know Cleveland a bit and they enjoy it as much as I do. For those of you who've never been here, it's not the dump the media makes it out to be. It's fantastic and quirky in it's own way. I like it--and I'm picky.

Sooo, what did we do...hmmm. Well, we did a lot of hanging out and playing with C. That's the bulk of it. We did a lot of eating as well. **Side note: Why, when I get together with anyone, must the food seriously overfloweth?

We had an awesome time (thanks for coming!!), and I plan on getting back out to the CO sometime next month.

Here are some videos and pics...

These are some videos Tammy took...

The "bubble dance." The dancing gets better as the video progresses. I'm not sure what's funnier: Christian's dancing or my dad's little song! So cute.

This is C on the carveboard with Daddy and Grandpa...

And last, C's dunkin' it!

I have some more pics to post but I want to make sure to get these videos up for those of you who haven't seen C in action for awhile!

A few, quick pics...random.

2010-06-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Remember a few posts ago, when I was showing off the flowers (dandelions :)) Christian picked for me? Well, yes folks, I dried a dandelion and framed it. I love my kid.

Some pics of C hangin' with Toody again. It's so funny when I walk into the room and Christian is sitting on the couch right by Toody. He goes to sit by her, however--never the other way around.

But, he also chases Toody (see pic below). A lot. My dad thinks it's because she's the one "person" over which he can assert some authority. I think dad's right.

21 months..a LOT late.

2010-05-31T17:45:00.001-07:00

I am finally sitting down to write about Christian's doings at 21 months. He's been going to bed sooo late lately, due to us being so busy. So, by the time I'm done putting him to bed it's around 10-10:30, and I'm too beat to blog.

As I've said before, I'm most proud of Christian's accomplishments in the language department. He says full sentences: "Logan eating blue ice cream." or "Monkey playing guitar in book." (Sorry about the weird, random sentences. This is a selection from our most recent conversations.) Friends and family (well most, anyway) are always impressed with his mad language skills. He knows his letters (I know, he's been doing this since my 19 month post, but it's pretty impressive so I keep repeating it), can pick them out anywhere, and knows several words that start with each letter: "Q, queen or quack; T, tree--you get the picture. I am certain he'll be reading well before he hits 3. I read at 3, or so I'm told, and I assume he's smarter than me :), so I know it's possible. It blows my mind how these kids pick up on this stuff.
While his language skills are well advanced for his age, it's obviously where his body/brain puts most of its efforts at this point. He's not as confident with the physical stuff as many kids his age. He's really cautious when climbing on things, etc. Let's just say he's not going up and down slides by himself at the playground like a lot of the more adventurous kids his age. However, he does love to ride the carve board.

That said, he's great with fine motor skills like drawing. He can actually draw perfect circles and can even pick out and make scribbles to draw the eyes, nose, and mouth on a face.
He can recite and count objects up to 6 with no problem. Once in awhile (like, just started this in the past week), he'll go to ten, but it's rare. I think he has a lack of confidence when it comes to numbers past 6 :)
He loves golf. The first thing he says in the morning is "Play golf." And sometimes "bagel."

He loves anything to do with the potty (he's definitely my and Brian's spawn). Ironically, he won't use the potty.
He still loves Yo Gabba Gabba and Olivia. But, his favorite is Elmo's Potty Time movie. Thanks to this movie, he has me sing several "potty-ish" songs--all day long.
He loves music, and he's a real head-bobber, shimmy-shake kinda guy when the music plays.
He loves all fruit--frozen or not. His favorite food lately: BAGELS. We are constantly buying bagels (last thing my rear end needs, seriously).
He likes bubbles. Who doesn't?

I want bubbles, wah.

Yay!

Blowing bubbles. (He doesn't get this yet. He actually puts his lips directly on the blowhole--bad word, but what do you call it?)

Chasing bubbles. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

He's suddenly growing a lot. Thank goodness :) Just kidding, Christian. Actually, he just seems to be getting a lot bigger all of a sudden. This includes his head. He's wearing 3-4T hats. Sheesh.
Oh yah, he's finally wearing hats so I don't have to lather his hair up with sunscreen.
He's still a truck maniac, but he also loves to draw. Seriously, he will draw for an hour straight. He's got a good attention span, for sure. It's nice for me because I can get some things done during that time.

Happy!

Picasso. Or, maybe more like some modern, abstract artist.

Erase.

Umm, I can't think of anything else.

Wait, oh yes, this is a good one.

This morning while Brian was lifting up his shirt to apply deodorant, Christian proudly stated, "Daddy got big belly."

The kid speaks the truth.

We love you, Christian.

Classical binge.

2010-05-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

I go through phases of obsessively listening to classical music. I listen to it in the car, at home, wherever. For me, it helps to calm the "noise" out there. There's so much noise--popular culture, pop music blasting from every store, in every place...propaganda, really. All repeatedly telling us how to be--pushing a sort of lifestyle that we are all "supposed" to want; "supposed" to aspire to. People (including me) follow like sheep without even realizing it.

But sometimes, I take a step back.

Sometimes I have to disconnect, and classical music helps me do that.

Still here...

2010-05-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay.

We are having several rooms painted in our house. Due to the fumage and mess, we are staying at Brian's parents' house. But, Brian's parents are not here; they are at the lakehouse. So, we have been pretty bored these last few days.

For some reason, I feel like I can't write blogs away from home, so I'm not going to.

I missed Christian's 21 month post! I will write a fantastic one when I finally get back home! I will say, this kid has mad language skills. That's his talent. And burping and tooting on call.

hanging around.

2010-05-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

How funny are these pictures? Lounging around: Christian in his red Elmo shirt (which is way to big for him) with green shorts and gray socks. Nice outfit, my child. Wait, I guess I dress him. Anyhow, Christian and Toody are good friends, as you can see..

Don't know why, but those pictures just make me laugh.

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On another note, Christian will not wear a hat this year. He still doesn't have much hair, so I have to put sunscreen on his head/hair when he's outside. This 'do is the result.

Notice the trucks, of course...

Cheese! Here I am!

Sheesh. My mom never writes about me anymore.

2010-05-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sooo, I guess I have to write a story about myself.

This isn't really a story, I guess. I just want to tell you what I've been doing lately.

Here I go.

Before we moved to our new house, my grandma came to visit. She stayed one night at the new house, too. I really miss her. I always talk about how she rides on a plane to come see me.

These are the flowers I picked for my mom.

She set them out so we could enjoy them while we ate.

I have dogs, in case my mom never told you. I like them very much. Well, for the most part, anyway. These are some pictures we took the other day.

Here, Toody and I are sharing toys.

Here, I do not want to share my toys.

Yes, that is a "popple," for those of you who are as old as my mom. It was hers when she was little.

I've been falling down a lot lately. It's making my mom crazy and sad. I fell off the couch, hit my head on my train table, and fell on the concrete driveway, to name a few. Here are a few pics of my fat lip...

Even though I'm hurt, my mommy and daddy still took me to the zoo. You can really see my lip now. It's looks worse, but it's actually getting better here.

Well, that's about it. I hope my mommy has time to write again soon.

I love you, my family so far away. I miss you. Come visit soon!

We're moved.

2010-04-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we moved. That's why I haven't written much (at all) recently.

Really quickly: I will say I love it here. It's old (no offense to you, Grandma and Grandpa)--almost 80 years old--but that's what's so great about this place! Never thought I'd be one for "character" over tons of amenities (I like easy living), but that's what I went for. It feels right...and no ghosts have appeared yet. Thank goodness :)

Although the basement is totally disorganized, I'm pretty happy with what I've accomplished in the rest of the house. I've been on a decorating, organizing, cleaning, and shopping binge for the past week. I wake up, work on the house, and take care of Christian. Then, I go to bed--totally dead. I haven't given myself even a moment to think about what's going on--which is probably good in my case. (What's that old saying...? "An idle mind is the devil's playground?" That is so true for me. If I sit around and think too much, I find things to worry and stew about. Always.)

So, now that things are settling down, I'm going to take some time to think, of course.

20 months!

2010-04-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's us.

Christian turned 20 months on the 11th! He's getting so big. And, I'm getting so busy. Somehow, I have zero free time these days--NO TIME! Bunch of things going on...

For one: We are moving this Friday, supposedly. We'll see. We still haven't closed on this place yet (due to the buyer's lending issues), so we're hoping that happens today. If it doesn't, I'm not sure we'll be set to close on our place on Friday. Fingers crossed. For the past 6 months, I've been moving every which way and living out of boxes. I need to settle. I'm tired.

Whiny, whiny baby me.

Honestly...things will settle down soon, and nothing tragic is going on, so I'm feeling pretty fair.

Back to Christian.

He is brilliant. He is a really, really smart kid. He may be a bit short and painfully shy around other kids, but he's sharp as a tack. I am so proud. He's saying tons of 2 and 3 word phrases already ("mama coat on"; "dada black car"; "down walk"--when he wants to walk). He knows all the letters of the alphabet and can pick them out anywhere. We walk by signs at the store and he'll start pointing out and saying the letters. He also will connect letters to words. He'll say something like: "D, dada" or "K, key." He understands the concept of 1, 2, and 3. We don't quite count objects to four yet. Ha. Yesterday he said "cauliflower" while I was feeding it to him. The kid amazes me everyday with his language.

He even said, "pretty mama" to me while I was changing his diaper. So, so sweet.

To brag a bit more, he knows all his colors and must always announce the color of whatever is catching his attention: "Orange car", "black kitty", etc. Nothing is something unless it has a color. :) He completes some pretty tough puzzles and other mind games, too. Something is working double-time in that head of his. (Okay Christian, when you're older and reading this, you better be using that brain!!)

Okay, enough, enough.

I'm just so proud of him. He's just exploded with new talents these past 2 months!

Also, on a side note, I call him "goose" a lot. ??

There's really nothing new to report when it comes to sleeping and eating...except that he's obsessed with ice cream. He asks for it all the time: "I-ceem, i-ceem." We've got to cut down on the sugar around here. We eat almost entirely organic food, and yet we torture our bodies with sugar nearly everyday. That's my fault--I've got an insatiable sweet tooth, and I go through phases where I just can't get enough. It's just plain awful. :)

Cars and trucks are still the center of Christian's life. He can't get enough of them. Sooo, I'm going to give that kid a truck/car bedroom in the new place. Navy and white walls, red curtains, trucks galore, you get the picture.

I know there's a lot more to say, but I've got about 5 minutes here and I'd like to hunt down some pictures to add...

Well, all I found were pictures from Easter. We drove to Iowa to my sister's. Good times. Thanks again, Maria! And mom, too!

Here he is clinging to Maria for dear life...to avoid me! He's obsessed with Auntie Maria.

Here I am trying to get his attention, but, of course, look who he's paying attention to!

Looking for eggs outside...

Fine, I'll hold it up for a picture.

Silly string.

Not a hit.

Flying like the airplane...

Sports.

Kicking it with Maria...

Throwing the darn nerf ball in the flippin' wind--not a good combo...

Football! (Ick, football season is not mommy's favorite.)

Here he is showing Gigi and Papi the ladybug on the window. So, so exciting.

Oh, and here's one of C pulling his sweet, darling Olivia around in a wagon...

Typical. Little weirdo :)

Gooseman, we're on our way the the big 2. I am so proud of you! I love, love, love you!

P.S. Just so everyone knows, this "short" thing is just a joke. I have to find something at which to poke fun! Christian is growing just fine!

Hmmm.

2010-03-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile. Again. I just can't seem to come up with any good anything these days. Yes, I said any good anything.

I'll try to squeak out a little update.

Christian had his 18 month doc appointment last week (yes, he is 19.5 months old. whoops.). He is still short (by my and my husband's standards, ha) and has a HUGE head :), but overall, everything looks great. He is excelling at his language and fine motor skills. She was impressed with his 2-word combos and his knowledge of colors and the alphabet. In fact, he knows most of the letters of the alphabet already. Maybe that's normal. I don't know. Anyway, I can point at any letter and he can say it out loud. It is so darn cute.

The entire time I was rocking him tonight he kept saying, "Dada peepee, mama peepee." He's talking about the action, not the noun. He just started saying peepee and poopoo. Those are easy words to say--and used quite often--so I'm not sure why it took him so long to say them. I will say I wasn't encouraging it.

Christian is very shy. Still. I take him to a large gym and he likes to sit, hoard balls, and observe. He never gets into crawling all over the mats, etc. He does like to shoot baskets, however (just like his mom).

However, I must say he enjoyed storytime today and actually stood up when the other kids stood up. He even did the arms out--"I'm an airplane"--dance. Of course, starting today, storytime ends until June. Dang it, he was just getting into it!

My husband and I are training for a half marathon. Surprisingly enough to both of us, it's not too difficult (I know, I know. Try it yourself, you'll see! Now, a full marathon would surely kill me. No doubt.). I am a runner, but I always run the regular 4 miles daily--never more. But now, we're doing more (just slowing it down a bit) and it's not so bad. At all. Except that I must've eaten something terrible yesterday and several miles of running with the runs is hardly enjoyable. I thought I was going to blow. It was all I could think about the whole time.

We move into the new house on April 16th. I am losing my mind waiting for all this to be done!!

I hope to see my family soon.

Hey Auntie Katy, if you're reading this, we hope your knee heals soon. But, we must say, it was nice to see you!

Christian's new toys.

2010-03-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Christian got some new toys this week. Thought I'd share a few pics!

First, he finally made use of the tricycle thing that Grandma Dawn got him for his birthday back in August...

He got a fantastic train set from Grandpa and Grandma Lee (plus, Grandma Lee bought out Baby Gap! Summer clothes...check!)...

Daddy thought he needed a lounger chair. I agree, he does look pretty cute in it (don't mind the mess in my house--due to the move, things are being used for things they weren't meant for)...

Side note: He made one heck of a scribble this week as well. He's so, so into drawing.

And last, he hasn't been on the potty for the past few days. The little squirt. I guess he's not so sure about this whole potty thing anymore. Bummer!

He's a big boy now.

2010-03-18T18:53:00.001-07:00

Christian has been doing many big boy things this past week.

Let's see...

He ate in the "big" chair.

He finally sat on his potty chair in the buff--and tinkled!!!

He built huge tower cars...

...even bigger...

And last, he began to love his sunglasses. (There were so many cute pics; I just couldn't pick one. So, here are a ton of them!)

This is SUCH a fun age!!!

Christian's 18 month pics.

2010-03-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

We had Christian's 18 month pics done last weekend. He was 19 months when we took them. Whatever. :)

(These are a few pics from the cd the picture place gave us, so they aren't centered just perfectly or anything--I tried--but you get the gist of the shoot.)

So, it started out...well, you know, the usual...shy and apprehensive (Since we moved back from IA, he's become very shy again. I think it's because we don't have a bunch of people coming and going like we did out there. I don't like that he's become so shy again, but what do you do? I can't change our situation. Life happens.)...

Then, he got into it a bit.

These are my favorites...

All in all, I'm happy with the photos we got out of it. Christian loves trucks and that's how he should be remembered at 18 (19) months.

I wish I would've brushed his hair, however.

Side note: Things are so busy around here. I feel like I'm just barely keeping my head above water. Things will calm down soon, I'm sure.

19 months!

2010-03-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Christian turned 19 months old...a few days ago. (Well, I'm busy! That's my excuse.)

Here's the low-down:

First of all, he's feeling much better today! We may actually get to leave the house and do something fun tomorrow!!!!!!

He's eating 3 meals and 3 snacks a day--on schedule, of course. Loves fruit (and anything with sugar, unfortunately)!

He's begun to talk SO MUCH this past month. His vocabulary is growing every day. I can't tell you how many words he says--it's too many now. It's so much fun to hear him try new words!
He's in 24 month/2T clothes, for the most part. Some of his 18 month stuff still fits. Size 6 shoe. His feet are so fat and wide that he can only wear stride rite shoes; nothing else fits. Here he is sporting his new kicks...

Sleeping schedule is still the same: 11-12 hours at night; 1-2 hour nap in afternoon. I still rock him to sleep every night (and nap time). It's my favorite time of the day.

As for toys: Still loves trucks and cars--anything with a motor. Train sets are a huge hit around here. He's really gotten into puzzles again this past month--however, he likes the jigsaw puzzles--or any puzzle that you put together that makes one big picture. He's not into the "baby" puzzles anymore--the kind that have one piece that goes in one particular spot. (That may or may not make sense to anyone.)

I can't think of anything else right now (admittedly, I'm trying to get this one done quickly!).

Here are the pics!

Building trucks...

Making sure Olivia (his pig doll) is watching the dogs outside...

Everything that remotely resembles a phone...is a phone.

For example, the cord to my laptop...

(Well, this is actually a toy phone)...

He likes remote controls, like every kid. So, anything resembling a remote...is a remote.

Not only does he like to "airplane" his food into his own mouth...

...but he also likes to feed Elmo (on the paper plate)...

And feed his bee (beat up and missing a wing! ha)...

Additionally, anyone that hangs around Christian at all knows this face...

And that same person will also recognize something like this...

Christian can be a bit bossy (where would he get that, I ask?) :) Here he is, charging in, tell me what to do.

Grooming.

Still parties with his dad...

Happy 19 months, Christian! You are soooo loved.

Updates.

2010-03-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Christian is still coughing and full of snotty boogs. What is up with this? The runny nose started over 2 weeks ago and this minor cough has been going on for 5 days or so. How long can this hang on? He's dealing with it okay, but his appetite has definitely lessened. And he's crabby. Nothing like a crabby toddler.

We made an offer on the Rocky River house and it was accepted. The house is an old, brick beaut--and is in a fantastic neighborhood! It was built in 1931 and has great wood floors and a well-done addition. We want to do some more "adding" on in the next few years (we want to redo the master), but the house is in perfect, move-in condition. We are excited.

Flying!

2010-03-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

Christian loves this!

Hey, sorry I haven't been on much. [I know I made the commitment to write every other day. I guess I wasn't so committed after all. Not enough time!]

And, drum roll please...

OUR HOUSE SOLD!

And, we are still in negotiations for the house in Rocky River. Not sure what's going to happen there. I'm starting to get cold feet.

Christian's snot.

2010-02-26T10:36:00.000-08:00

He has tons of it, poor kid. No coughing, but tons of boogs.

I guess this (germs) is what one gets for taking the kid to something fun each and every day. Well, I guess there are a few benefits to getting out, too. :)

I'm going to crack down on the wiping/washing hands after touching ANYTHING and the usage of tons of hand sanitizer for me. It must happen. I don't think I could handle constant sickness. That's one reason I stay home with him!

Once again, some rambles.

2010-02-24T18:13:00.001-08:00

Setting: I was in a Barnes & Noble in a wealthier suburb of Cleveland. Christian and I were there for story time and to play with the Thomas the Tank Engine setup.

While I was sitting there, I noticed a few of the other moms there were totally decked out: heels, designer clothes, (coffee, ha), acrylic nails, and BLING!! I thought, "Seriously--to story time? Honestly, must we try so hard to prove to others how much $ we have?" It was quite obvious that was the goal. The unfortunate part is, when I thought about it, I'm not so, so different. I definitely sport the blingy I have from time to time (albeit rare since I had Christian). In fact, without really realizing it, I think I may have identified with that crowd--just because it's the norm--it's MTV--it's the young culture. It's what our culture values.

It's pathetic.

I definitely don't want to give that vibe to those around me, but I bet I have from time to time. I bet I have. I didn't realize this was the message I was sending out. I really don't give a hoot about those things, but it's a large part of the culture I've been exposed to; I almost fall into it absentmindedly. (I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the meaningful gift of jewelry or a good pair of boots.) But, now I see what message or vibe this sort of stuff gives off. To me, it appeared these few women thought this is what made them better than other women or other moms--what gave them worth. Maybe that's not what they think, but that's the impression it gave. For sure, it doesn't make me think: Oh, that woman looks interesting, I'd like to hang out. Instead, it made me think: Steer clear, I'm not up for being friends with someone so superficial.

Hmmm...

I think I need to buy a pair of Lisa Loeb glasses (even though I don't wear glasses). I think that would start me down the right path to having an outside that matches my inside. haha. joking. kind of.

Why didn't anyone tell me...

2010-02-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

how cool children's museums are? We went to one while we were in Iowa and Christian LOVED it! There was so much to do: airplanes, race cars, shop in a little grocery store, make pizzas, crafts. Holy cow.

Here's a few pics of the museum (once again, almost a month ago):

Airplanes!

With Auntie Maria...

With Daddy...

Checking out the ambulance...

Checkin' out the the grocery store with Mommy and Auntie...

Playing with Auntie again :)

This was only a small fraction of the fun things to do there. Can't wait to go to the one here.

Ah, poop.

2010-02-21T17:51:00.000-08:00

I miss my family today. If I just sit here and think about it, it's almost more than I can bear.

So, even though these pics are a month old, I wanted to post them.

Here are a few of my grandparents (Gigi and Papi) with Christian.

And last, one of me and my sis, Maria.

Oh, why can't life be perfect?

Only family will care about this. :)

2010-02-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

But, there is a cute pic at the end.

Christian suddenly started to say, "Mama tomin'" (his way of saying "Mama comin'") today. I am always saying this to him when he's whining or calling me. He actually gets what it means, so when he wants me, I hear: "Mama tomin'!" Oh my gosh, it's so cute.

P.S. He also said "Dada tomin'" and "Truck tomin'." Everything's comin'. So darn cute!!!

Here's the gratuitous cutie-pie pic. Look at that hair! Oh, and yes, that's a bruise. He toddled and tumbled.

Oh, nothin'...

2010-02-17T18:16:00.000-08:00

I don't really have anything extra-special to say...

Hmmm.

Well, Christian did fantastic at mother's group yesterday! Yay! He was totally comfortable and good with everybody--much more outgoing. He's a totally different kid than he was before we spent time in Iowa. Additionally, I love going to play group because I get to see other kids his age and learn about where he's at developmentally. For example, yesterday I learned he is talking quite well (which, if you read my last post, I wasn't sure about) and he isn't super-short or anything :). And, truth be told, none of that really matters any old way.

Now, I say I compare him to the other kids, but I must say that I really don't measure/pay attention to where the other kids are at--if that makes any sense. You'd think a mom would think: "So and so isn't talking, playing, etc., as well as so and so." But I think, in this situation, you're just so concerned about your own kid that you don't "size-up," if you will, the other kids. You simply get a general sense of where your kid is at as he/she interacts with others his/her age. There's nothing really specific about it. And besides, you want all of these sweet kids to be successful! I mean, you've known them since they were wee babies and watch them grow up; it's a very special thing. It really is.

We also went to story time at the library. Loved it. We will be going again tomorrow morning.

I've decided I'm going to keep up with my showering (haha, not kidding about this) so that I'm ready each and every day to leave the house and go somewhere. I'm not hanging around here anymore.

Anyway, I'm missing my family. Shocker.

Christian's first girlfriend.

2010-02-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

May I introduce Olivia, the pig.

More 18 month updates.

2010-02-15T07:35:00.001-08:00

Since I wrote the update last night, I've thought of a few more things I don't want to forget.

Christian calls his blanket his "geegee." I kinda started making that noise when we would give big hugs (don't ask why), so I think it's cute he related that to his blankie.
He knows some of his basic colors now. I can ask him to pick up a specific crayon, etc.
He says "tickle, tickle" instead of "twinkle, twinkle."
He starting to understand the concept of numbers. If there's only one piece of food left, he'll hold up one finger, etc.

I'm going to update this during the day as I think of things...

18 months update.

2010-02-14T12:42:00.001-08:00

It's finally time for the 18 month update.

Christian is doing very, very well! He has become so much more outgoing the past month or two. (More specifically, he's less shy when he first meets people.) I attribute this to living in Iowa for those few months; family members were constantly coming and going. We are now back in Cleveland and he seems to be more open to people here as well. We have mother's group this week (yes, I'm rejoining the old group), and I'm interested to see if he is a bit more outgoing with kids his own age. If you remember, he used to be shy around kids in his age group (to be honest, he didn't seem to care for them at all). Even more, he hasn't been around kids his age since we visited the mother's group at Christmas (although he did go to the Children's Museum in Iowa City and loved being around the older kids there), so this should be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.

Now, for the regular bulleted list ;)

He is sleeping about 11-12 hours a night (8pm to 7 or 8am) and is taking a 1-2 hour nap in the early afternoon. He's been having a few more disturbances (waking up and fussing), but nothing that I have to address. He usually falls back asleep after a few minutes.

He eats pretty well, actually. He's got his staple foods--usually something involving cheese or fruit--but he's willing to try some new things. He seems to dislike spaghetti noodles and tomato saucy things. As you can probably guess, spaghetti is not his favorite. Look at the double-fist of utensils and the array of sippy cups!

We brought out the kid potty. He's starting to do his "change" sign BEFORE he goes #1 or #2. So, I thought that was a sign to introduce him to the potty. Not much success here yet, but he's still pretty young.
He's saying (or trying to say) more words every day, but he's much more focused on actively doing things than using his words, at this point. He probably has a vocab of about 50 words (I don't know for sure, I'm not going to sit and count this right now), but only about 20 or so are words that any adult besides mom or dad could understand. He is doing a few 2 word phrases--like "dada truck"-- but not much of that at this point. All in all, I would like him to talk more :) Note: He does understand nearly everything I say to him--so I'm very confident in that aspect. He's just not going to say a word until he's absolutely confident he can say it correctly. He gets embarrassed pretty easily when he makes a mistake. Poor kid.
As stated above, he is an ACTIVE little boy. He is so, so busy. He never sits unless there's something on TV he likes. We try to avoid that, obviously, but he does watch some Nick Jr. (Olivia, especially) and he loves to watch car racing. Can you believe that? Car racing? Could it be any worse for me? Yuck. It is cute to watch him get so excited, however...
Toys: He still loves cars and trucks. He has a wooden railroad set he's been obsessed with. He likes matching games (matching flashcards, etc), but has sort of lost it for puzzles lately. He LOVES building--legos, towers, etc. He can build a mean tower, people. He is so proud of himself.

Cars. Trucks. Car racing. Building. Train tracks. Crashing. Is he a boy or what??

He's really quite artsy-fartsy. He loves drawing and coloring. We do it anywhere and everywhere. Here's one of his latest creations, Truck Scribble in White Bath.

He's been "trucked" around a lot these past few months (moving, staying at Auntie Maria's, moving again). He's settled right in to each situation. The changes don't seem to bother him one bit (I think it's partially due to keeping him on a strict schedule no matter where we are). That's good, because we will be moving again shortly--to a house closer to the city. Hopefully. Yes people, we've found the house we want in Rocky River, and we're close to making an offer. Wish us luck; there are myriad things that could go wrong, as with any housing purchase.
Last, here's a cute butt pic. With shoes on. We love these.

I know there's a lot more going on, but I can't think of anything else right now. Lo siento.

Wait...

You know, I have to say things are getting so much easier. Yes, there are the more frequent melt-downs and the fights for independence (the "anyone but mommy...unless I'm scared, bored, or hurt" stage), but it's definitely easier to go places and do fun things! I'd like to have another kid (if possible), but I'm definitely a bit hesitant to start the process all over again. But, then again, it's all so short-lived, and before I know it, that kid will be 18 months, too.

Christian, I love you so much. I can't believe we're looking towards age 2 already.

18 months!

2010-02-11T17:31:00.001-08:00

Christian is 18 months old today! Another milestone! I will put together a really grand post later (since I am still in the moving mess and have little time)!

Quick note: I had to give Christian the Heimlich today! He choked on a grape cut in half. I think my maneuver hurt him more than the choking. I say this in a funny way, but it sure wasn't funny when it happened!

Bittersweet.

2010-02-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

With bittersweet feelings (emphasizing the "bitter"--well, sad would be a better word), I must announce that we are moving back to Cleveland within the next few weeks. This is totally and completely for job/financial reasons, because, at our young age and stage, that's our future. You see, Brian and I have had a goal since the day we met 9 years ago. We want the most for our family. We want to do the absolute best we could for ourselves and our kids. We want to achieve the most we possibly can.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not talking all about money here, although that is an important factor. To us, money is NOT more important than family. In fact, we made the move here not because we didn't like Cleveland or his previous job (we liked it very much), but because family means more to us than anything. My family is my soul, and I LOVED being this close to them. But, I have to accept this didn't work out. It just simply didn't work out like we hoped. Our immediate family must be taken care of, first and foremost; that's our job now that we have a kid. Returning to his old firm will allow us more financial security, and even more importantly, Brian was better suited for his old firm. He fit in and they loved him there. He was definitely on the fast-track to a fantastic career.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I feel quite sucky, to be honest. I will miss spending every day with my sister and every weekend with my mom. I will miss the hopes and dreams I had for this place and this situation. It's truly over now and I'm impossibly sad.

In order to make this a bit better, we are making a schedule in which Brian and I will drive out here for a 4-day weekend every 2 months, and I'm hoping we will have visitors the month in between. That way, I will see them once a month, which I can deal with. I guess.

Pray God for inner peace and a smooth transition.