Saturday, December 27, 2008

The Grinch...


Today I think I officially became the Grinch. From the time I woke up today, all I talked about was taking down the tree and getting all the Christmas stuff put away. Although I love the holiday season, when it is over...I am over it!

I want it to be warm so we can go play outside. I want to turn the heat off and open some windows...I need fresh air! I don't want to bundle up everytime we go outside. But most of all...I want us all to get over these colds we keep passing around!

Now that Christmas is over, I am looking forward to spring. Problem is...the winter has not even hit us full-force yet. Anyone who lives in Cincinnati, knows that winter isn't here until there is 6 feet of snow on the ground, all schools are cancelled and everyone has made a mad dash to the grocery store for everything on the shelves. This has not happened so far. I know, just like everyone else, we will not be out of the clear until probably April.

However, today someone played a cruel trick on us. Today, we broke a 20 year old record. Today...it was 70 degrees. Christmas was 2 days ago...and today...it was 70.

Tomorrow...it will be freezing again...and we will be stuck indoors...and my cold will probably be a little worse then yesterday.

How can I not be the Grinch????

If you treat a sick child like an adult and a sick adult like a child, everything usually works out pretty well" ~ Ruth Carlisle

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Little Linus...




I Think we have a little Linus on our hands. Ever since Chris was little, the one thing that could get him to sleep in a second was a soft blanket. He would curl up with his blanket, put his thumb in his mouth and within minutes, was fast asleep. Now that he is a little older, he carries his blankets all around the house with him. If he can't find a blanket close by when he is sleepy...a stuffed animal will do...or your pants leg if you are wearing something soft.
Although I never understood the comfort of a blanket, if the end result is looking this peacefull...I may start carrying one around myself!

Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. ~Robert Fulghum

Time on Our Hands....



Chris and I have found a little extra time on our hands lately. With no job to report to and nothing else on the agenda most days...we have gotten to spend some much needed time together! Although I was sad to go back to work when maternity leave was over, I am glad that I have this time now to spend with him, since he is a little older.
On Tuesday we went to the Children's Museum. The 1st time we came here, Chris was probably 9 months old. He was crawling around, but not walking yet. Although there were pleanty of things for him to climb on and play with, he was just beginning to get a sense of his freedom. This week when we went, he was into everything :) It was soooo neat to see him using his imagination and playing with other kids. Christopher was finally tall enough to play at the water table...which he enjoyed...and so did his soaked clothes (the jacket was all for looks apparently)! The last thing he did before we left was play with the musical instuments. Turns out...I think we have the next Beethoven on our hands ; )
The day ended with lunch out and a nice long nap...resulting in smiles for all!


When I grow up I want to be a little boy. ~Joseph Heller, Something Happened, 1974

Monday, December 8, 2008

O Christmas Tree...

Last week we put up our Christmas Tree trying to get into the holiday spirit. It looks really great...which is why it must be soooo appealing to Christopher! The day after it went up...we spent the entire day trying to keep him off of it.
I think he finally got it though. He now walks into the room...stands really close and tells the tree "bad bad" and shakes his finger at it. I hope we haven't traumatized him! LOL.

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” ~ Larry Wilde

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Winter is finally here...

I was looking through my camera today to upload a few pictures I had...and I came across this one.


This was only taken a few weeks ago. It was a nice day out and we were able to sneak in one last trip to the park.

All of my life I have loved fall and winter. They were my favorite seasons hands down. However, now that I have a child...I get a little depressed when it gets cool out. I know that it is just the beginning of months of being trapped indoors without a lot to do. I mean, sure we have games to play, toys to enjoy, books to read and shows to watch. But, when it is warmer out...our choices are endless!

So, I guess today I will stay inside and turn up the heat...and dream about warm days, when we can swing again!

"There are only two seasons, winter and baseball." ~ Bill Veeck

Exhausted...


The past two weeks have been a little stressful, not knowing what is going at with my job and what-not. Every night when I lay down to sleep...I just lay there. No matter how tired I am...I can't seem to get to sleep. I think about what happened at work that day, what will happen the next day, what I am going to do if (but most likely when) I get laid off. 1000 things run through my mind...and nothing I really want to be thinking of. Then, about 2 or 3 in the morning, I usually wake back up and start thinking the same thoughts. They just won't seem to get out of my head. Or...if I do by chance stay asleep, I am having dreams or nightmares about work.

So frustrating!!! I am a planner...and this not knowing is killing me! I spend all day exhausted because I am not sleeping well at night. All I want to do is nap...but then I am back to thinking about work. I wish I was still a little kid and could sleep whenever and wherever I wanted...wouldn't that be nice?!?! Maybe I wouldn't feel so exhausted!

If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep. ~Dale Carnegie

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Halloween...


We had such a good time passing out candy this year :) Chris was so excited to see everyone in their costumes. We had about double the turn out too.
Chris and Ella looked adorable in their costumes and had a great time showing them off.
A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween. ~Erma Bombeck

Why I Voted....

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Barack Obama

Friday, October 24, 2008

The Great Pumpkin...


Last weekend I took Chris to the Burgers Farm pumpkin patch. We saw a puppet show, walked through Pumpkin Land, saw some animals, played on the slide, took a hayride and of course, picked out a pumpkin. Chris walked right over to a little pumpkin, picked it up and carried it around, like he was making claims to it. Sure, he dropped it a few times, but no harm was done.
Can't wait to go back next year!

I've learned there are three things you don't discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin. ~ Linus

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Who-Dey????

It's not easy being a Cincinnati Bengal's fans these days. Actually, it's not easy to be a Cincinnati fan in general. Every Sunday we get dressed up in our Bengal's gear and watch as the Bengals blow it. This week was just too much for some of us...

"Win as if you are used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday, October 13, 2008

Already?!?!

Could it really be that it has been a year since my baby arrived??? Everyday I look at him and think about how much he has changed our lives for the better. I can barely remember life before him (what did we really do all day without him to entertain us?!?!).

Prior to having Christopher, I knew our lives would change. I just never could have imagined though, how much they would change. I had no idea how amazing it would be the first time we laid eyes on him, or heard him make the tiniest of noises! I didn't know how heart broken I would be the first time he got sick or had to have shots...because it was the first time in his life that he felt pain and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I had no clue how frustrating it could be to watch someone try to accomplish a new task, such as crawling, over and over and over again...and how rewarding it is to see them finally accomplish it! I never knew how contagious a baby laugh really was...until I had Chris.

In the past year I have learned a whole new meaning of love...and I can't wait for MANY more years to come to experience it a little more!



Children make your life important.
Erma Bombeck

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Wordless Wednesday...

I saw wordless wednesday on someone else's blog a while back...and decided...with the kind of day I am having, it is probably just better to leave today wordless. That being said...I get to go home to my baby in a few minutes and life will be good again!


“If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.”

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I am Ready...

I am ready for October to begin! I am ready for fall weather, birthday after birthday after birthday, Halloween...then the beginning of the holiday season! Some people dread this time of year...I on the other hand...LOVE IT!!!!

So goodbye September. Goodbye hot weather, goodbye blackout, goodbye to all the bad things that happened this month. You will not be missed :)

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~ Carol Bishop Hipps

Monday, September 29, 2008

Tubes part II...

Chris finally got his tubes on Wednesday :) The whole experience was actually not bad at all. We were taken back to his room right away...nurses came and entertained him while they asked questions about his health and explained the entire procedure from start to finish. They were so ahead of schedule, that he was actually taken back at 9:40, instead of his 10 o'clock start time. By 10:05 he was in recovery and by 10:20 we were on our way home!



The pain medicine, mixed with the anesthetic knocked him out on the way home.



After 2 long naps, he was back to his normal self! As an extra bonus even, Uncle Brian, Aunt Brittany and Ella stopped over with a little gift, that Chris enjoyed playing with the rest of the night :)


The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Wind Storm

What a crazy week last week was! By now, hopefully everyone has their power back on...and has never been so thankful for it! It was not a good feeling to look outside Sunday and see a tree cut the power lines, burst into and out of flames, then go through the van :(



More upsetting though, was to see a tree fall on my brand new fence!


However, luckily we have a wonderful family and we were able to stay with relatives until power was restored. By this time next week I should have the van back...and eventually the fence will get fixed. Also...we got to spend some time with family...and as a bonus...a little time with Alice!


On top of everything, I have probably processed about 1,000,000,000 emergency food stamp replacement applications...so much so that I think I am processing them in my sleep even!
At the end of the week though, when we were back and home and settled in, I was sure to say extra prayers for the people who lost their homes, or even worse, a friend or family member...and to thank God for blessing us with all we have!

"If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul."

Friday, September 12, 2008

Another Cut...

Chris is becoming such a big boy lately! We took him last weekend to get his hair cut again...and he actually sat in the chair all by himself! When they asked if we wanted to try, I said sure, but I was pretty sure that he would only sit still a few minutes. Turns out...he did WAY better then I thought he would. He sat still most of the time. He got a little squirmy towards the end...but the girl cutting his hair gave him a comb for each hand and that seemed to help.



Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like. ~Author Unknown

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Long Weekend...

Since this weekend was a long weekend, it seemed like the perfect time to catch up with some much needed time with family :)


Chris spent time swinging with his Great-Grandpa



Hanging out with his cousin Ella (they were both having a great time...just stopped smiling when we took the pictures...lol)


He got to meet his Great-Great-Grandma Pearl, who talked about how much he looked like his Grandpa Danny when he was a baby

His Great-Aunt Sil played ball with him





And he ended the weekend enjoying some of his new toys with his cousin Mackenzie and playing peek-a-boo!

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Celebrate Good Times...

On Sunday we took Chris to his 1st official birthday party :) Not that he hasn't been to a birthday party before...but this is the 1st party that we would not have otherwise been invited too, had we not had Chris. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and bad Mapquest directions, we were not able to stay that long :( Christopher seemed to have a good time playing with Brooklynn (our sitter's daughter) and even got to see her open a gift, so he will know what to do in a few weeks when it is his turn!

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip." ~ Unknown

Friday, August 29, 2008

Forever...

I am pretty sure that today is the longest day ever! Usually when I feel like this it is because I am looking forward to something that night or the next day. However, I have nothing that should be prompting me to feel this way. At 2:15 I looked at the clock...and I am pretty sure every minute or 2 since then also. I can not make time go quick enough! Maybe it is just the thought of the long weekend, getting home to play with my baby, being anywhere but work...I don't know. It would be a different story if we were super busy today...but we are not. Too many people on vacation I guess. Or...if there was something useful I could be doing with my time. Unfortunately, there is only so much I can do when I am stuck at work. Guess I will just have to tough it out for the next hour :(
I did however find this video on my phone from a few months ago that made me laugh. So...I thought I would share. Enjoy!




“We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams." ~ Jeremy Irons

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Tubes...

So, it's official. After 4 ear infections, the doctor referred us to an ENT. Last week when we saw the doctor, he said Chris' ears had no fluid in them and looked great :) That being said, he felt like the ENT would probably want to wait for the tubes. Yesterday we saw the ENT who said usually they wait til 5 or 6 ear infections. However, Chris had fluid in his ear...which was not there 5 days ago :( So...September 24th it is! They say the surgery only takes 15 minutes (7 of them are putting the child to sleep). I am a little concerned though, as they said the surgery will be mid-morning and he can't eat 6 hours before. As we have had him on a very strict schedule since birth...I am afraid he is not going to be a happy camper. How do you explain to a baby that they can't eat?!?!
After the ENT saw him, he had Chris go get a hearing test. It was really neat to see him react to the noises he was hearing. Even neater was seeing how they actually test babies! Seems like it would be really hard. Chris did good for the most part...but after about 5 minutes he was no longer interested and quit playing their game.
During our waits, Chris had a great time playing in the waiting rooms with all the other kids.

Miracles rest not so much upon healing power coming suddenly near us from afar, but upon our perceptions being made finer, so that for the moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what has been there around us always. ~ Willa Cather

Monday, August 25, 2008

A Little Trip...

Yesterday we decided to take a little road trip to Jeffersonville to check out some of the outlet malls. Although the drive was only about an hour and 20 minutes, it was the longest time Christopher has ever been in the car and I was assuming he would just sleep most of the way. However, something I have learned since being a mom, is that you should NEVER assuming anything when it comes to your child :) He did not really nap either way. Luckily though, he decided to make the best of it...and talked and laughed the whole way there and most of the way back.

All in all, it was a good day (minus the rain we hit on the way back where I could not even see the car in front of me). We all had fun...and got some good deals!

You can't deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants. ~ Stephen King

Monday, August 18, 2008

Where a Kid can be a Kid...



Saturday we were out with Becky and her kids and she decided she wanted to take them to Chuck-E-Cheese as a treat, since Evan will start Kindergarten this week. Chris and I tagged along, although I knew there would not be too much there for him to do. However, we had a really good time and Chris got to ride a few rides :)


PS - Molly...this is the closest to My Buddy outfits we have :)

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body. -Elizabeth Stone

Friday, August 15, 2008

My Buddy and Me...

Last night we were joking about how where ever we go...Chris is right there with us anymore. If I head to the computer room...he is right there...Danny goes to the kitchen...and he is there...the bathroom...again, right there. Which prompted me to sing the song from the My Buddy commercials. Also, prompting me to think how much Chris resembles My Buddy :)


My Buddy, My Buddy...where ever I go, he's going to go. My Buddy, My Buddy...My Buddy and me!

Picture Perfect...almost...

I realized the other night, we have a ton of pictures of Danny and Christopher, but like 2 with me. Problem is...I am always the one taking all the pictures. So, I decided to try to take one of the 2 of us last night. Much like you do with your friends when you have nothing else to take pictures of :) After about 100 attempts...I got this (which is ok...but not great by far...lol):


Oh well...I will take it!

It's not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it. ~From the television show The Golden Girls

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Walking on Sunshine...

Over the past few weeks...Chris has been bursting with personality. It is so fun to watch him grow and learn new skills. He is waving every time he hears the words "hi" and "bye" (and sometimes...as a bonus...he will actually say them)...he is noticing everything in his surroundings...and this weekend, actually started taking a few steps! In no time at all he will be walking all around the place!



Happy is the man who has acquired the love of walking for its own sake! ~ W.J. Holland

Monday, August 4, 2008

All Play and No Work...

After a not so good day Saturday (as someone decided to throw a rock through our window for fun), we needed something fun to do Sunday to make up for it! So, Sunday, we decided to take Chris to the Children's Museum. Wasn't sure if there would be a lot for him to do...but we just needed to get out...and as it was going to be hot, we decided something inside would be perfect!

Turns out...we all had a blast!!!! So much so, that we are buying a pass there.

He loved crawling through the tunnel and the cave...


doing some grocery shopping...



playing peek-a-boo with himself...


sailing a boat...

and playing in the sand.


At the end of the day...everyone was exhausted!


"Be yourself, be pleasant, play hard and have no regrets." ~ Jimmy Buffett