Next time I will cut my celery smaller

Isn't it funny how God will use one circumstance in your life to prepare you for another. I never in a million years thought that the time I stuck the blue bead up my nose would somehow prepare me for an experience 31 years later.

As Sophia would begin,....Picture it. Small town, yellow house, 1978, a young girl and her big sister....There I was in my sister's room, about 5 years old, going through her sewing basket. She had the neatest sewing basket with all kinds of little scraps of fabric, colored thread and tiny beads. She was very creative. She made most of our Barbie clothes and furniture just by using household items. I'll never forget that. I'll also never forget this particular day. So, I was going through her sewing basket and I found a tee-tiny blue bead. I decided to be funny. I stuck the bead right at my nostril and called for my sister to look. She did. She laughed. I laughed. I sucked the bead (accidentally) up my nose. Far. I panicked. My sister's eyes were as big as saucers looking at me. She was quick thinking though and told me to put one finger on the other nostril to close it and blow really hard. I did. Hard. That blue bead shot right out of my nose and hit the opposite wall of her bedroom. I'm not sure what we did after that..laugh or cry. Can't remember that part, but I'll never forget shooting that blue bead out of my nose that day.

How did this prepare me for later?...Picture it. Small town, white house, mom and her 2 year old son eating lunch. I gave J some chicken salad, tomatoes, and grapes for lunch yesterday. (Isn't this weird that he likes food like this?) I stuck him in his chair to eat and I went back to work on the computer to finish my last file for the day. All of a sudden, I hear a cry from J. An "I'm hurt" cry. I run into the room and his little eyes are watering. I see chicken salad coming from his nose. "Oh no he didn't," I thought. I got a paper towel, held the opposite nostril and said, "Blow J". He did. I retrieved a little chicken. "Blow again J. Hard." He did, and when he did a big piece of celery descended down his passage to his nostril. "Oh no he didn't," I thought again. In fear that he would get upset, cry and suck it back up again, I quickly told him to "Blow" again. This time I was able to get my fingernails and grasp the piece of celery and wedge it out of his nostril.
Whew! No trips to the ER to retrieve celery from the nose!

Not exactly the same story because the celery didn't shoot across the room like my blue bead did, but it did help me to remain calm and know what to do. (I'm sure any moron could have figured out what to do as well, but it makes for a story)

There are so many stories I could tell about J. Every single day, many times a day, this little curious boy does something crazy. I am not prepared for most of them that's for sure, but I can say that life is always exciting (sometimes frustrating) with this little guy around! It's an adventure every day.

Thank Heaven For Little Boys

From This:

To This:



I will never forget the day that my husband and I went in for our ultrasound, pregnant with our 3rd child. We were excited and anxious to learn if we would have a boy or a girl. Naturally, having 2 daughters already I really wanted a boy. Of course we would have been happy either way, either way we were blessed to be carrying a healthy baby after 2 miscarriages.

The warmed up jelly was put on my belly and the lady took a look at our growing child safe inside my womb. "Do you want to know what it is?", she asked us with a smile. I just knew she would announce the coming of our 3rd girl.
"Yes," we both answered simultaneously.

"Ok, you see that little thing that looks like a turtle head?" (What? My mind was racing, confused.) "It's a boy," she said grinning. At that first "b-" that came out of her mouth T and I both gasped and the tears came. We embraced and kissed. We were so excited. Cloud Nine.

I felt like I needed to explain myself to her somehow so I said, "I promise we would have been happy with a girl too. I mean..ugh...," the words wouldn't come.

"Happens all the time," she said. "I am really happy for you."

Just a few months later, after painting everything baby blue our baby boy arrived and I remember being so amazed that he even looked like a boy. Something about his waist, his build. It was different. Actually he has proven to be different in everything, in a way that I'm not quite sure I was prepared for.

I know you have heard many stories on here of my boy eating glass Christmas balls, mascara, toothpaste, Windex, and even Excedrin, playing in the potty, and climbing on furniture. I think that he took me by such surprise and that he is so full-throttle that my days are filled with things like these. However, they are also filled with sweet and precious moments from him....moments that make my heart melt. I love my boy, my "buddy" and I am so grateful for him.

J's birthday was this past Monday, September 28th. My boy is TWO!

To My Birthday Boy:

Here are some things about you now:
-you love to be outside.
-you love balls: footballs, baseballs, golf balls, basketballs
-you love trains, and call them "choo-choo"
-you love your new pet cat, "mow mow" and you named her/you pick her up and carry her everywhere.
-you love to run
-you love to go in the car
-you are talking up a storm and putting 2 and 3 words together.
-you like to climb. anything.
-you like to jump off things.
-you like to collect things in your pockets, like rocks or jellybeans.
-you like to laugh
-you like to be startled (like when someone says "Boo") you think it is so funny
-you like to watch Stuart Little, Thomas the Train, and Winnie the Pooh, but you won't sit for long.
-you like to try every one's food. surprisingly, in doing so, I have discovered that you like tuna salad, chicken salad and even BBQ.
-you like to smell your food before you eat it. If it doesn't smell good to you, you won't try it.
-you saying "Hi" and "Bye" to everyone you see in passing.
-you love your family
-and we love you

Just a Few of the Things that I love about you:
-your toes
-your long eyelashes
-your big smile
-the smell of you
-your adventurous spirit
-your determination
-your sense of humor
-your laugh
-your playfulness
-your energy
-your friendliness
-your spunk
-your hugs
-your kisses
-your "night-nights"

I miss your newborn stage, when I could sit and smell your head and bathe you in kisses. Those times aren't as often now, because you have so much you would rather be doing. I miss those times, but I love seeing you grow into a strong little boy too. You've certainly got me on my toes Buddy and keep me busy. It is an adventure and I am so lucky, even if I have to stop and remind myself of that on occasions. I love you with ALL my heart. I am so thankful your my son. Happy 2nd Birthday.

Love,

Mommy

I Heart Patty.

After much persistance on my part I finally got my husband to agree to have someone hired to clean our house. I have been spinning my wheels forever just trying to maintain the laundry and the toys picked up, let alone keep J occupied, run carpools and do bankruptcy petitions. I never have time to actually CLEAN anything..you know like dust, mop, clean bathtubs, etc.

A couple of months ago Patty came to my rescue and I am delighted! She does a fantastic job and is very reasonable. We only have her every other week, but that seems to help out a lot. Patty came this morning and J and I ran some errands. As we returned home the overwhelming smell of cleanliness infiltrated our nose. Ahhhh...so pleasant. Apparently I wasn't the only one with that feeling, because as I turned around to look at J behind me, he was down on the floor and his nose was buried in the carpet smelling it! Funny, funny boy.

Little Devil

I should have known when he looked so good wearing this outfit at 1 month old:


Little boys should come with a warning label! All but one of these my son has done in less than 24 hours:

-Gotten into big sister's book bag, opened a brand new pack of markers,colored his hands and tried to eat the tips off of them.



-Gotten into my mascara (this was a few weeks ago):



-Gotten a pot from big sister's play kitchen, retrieved water in it FROM THE POTTY, and proceeded to drink it before I caught him.

(No picture for this one...I was so grossed out by that event and in a desperate attempt to wash his hands and his mouth out with dial soap, I didn't bother to get my camera for any documentation..you'll just have to trust me on that one.)

-Gotten my coffee creamer from my kitchen counter and did this:


(And I had only had ONE cup of coffee before he dumped the entire container out on my rug, which forced me to use milk in my second cup and I hate that!)

I promise I do try to watch my son and take necessary precautions so that he does not get into these items. For example we close every door to all bathrooms and bedrooms so that he can't be destructive, but it is inevitable that someone forgets to do it and we all suffer the consequences. He has dumped out cans of fish food multiple times in K's room, dumped out M's container with all of her little-bitty earrings, has eaten our toothpaste, soap, chap stick and so much more!

Now that the girls are back in school I am left with only my set of eyes and my two hands to contain little J and that's a full time job!

Any suggestions, short of a leash or a cage?

Beware of the Water

As I mentioned before, we had a great beach vacation. One great thing that someone clued me in on several years ago was to take a small baby pool for the beach. This has been handy with all of my kids at the beach while they are really too little to enjoy the ocean and the sand. Of course we took that small 1 ring inflatable baby pool to the beach again this year for J and he loved it. On the 2nd day there he wouldn't do anything but sit in it the whole time. We never get to actually spend more than about 2 hours total at the beach before we have kids ready to go in for lunch or ready to go to the pool, but nevertheless, it is a saving grace to have that baby pool for that 2 hours to buy me a little time on the beach with my family. J was really comfortable in that pool...loved it! When he would get a little cranky, I would just hand him a juice box or a cracker, which inevitably ended up soggy floating around him in his little pool. After about the 2 hour mark, when we were ready to head it in for lunch I noticed that his pool water was a little dingy, but it didn't really shock me with as much food, juice and sand as he was getting in it while playing. My girls came up and washed their hands in his pool to remove the sand off them, I did the same myself. After giving each other a bath in his baby pool water, trying to get the sand off of us, I grabbed J out of the pool to empty it and take him in. When I emptied the pool and picked him up the smell was awful..and some what familiar....OH NO!! J had pooped in his swim diaper and we have been washing ourselves off with poopy water this whole time! Time to get the vaccinations up to date, don't ya think?

Where Did My Baby Go?

J is 18 months old, actually he will be 19 months old next Tuesday so I am behind in posting this, but I would like to document him at this age. And what's better than a list when you have writer's block?!

J, this is what you are up to at 18 Months Old:

-You can open up anything...doors, cups, bottles. You use your teeth to get caps and tops off of things. You are very determined.

-You now have forced your mom to call poison control a total of 4 times already, TWICE (2 days in a row!) this past weekend. You drank Windex (vinegar formula thank goodness) and the next day you drank my astringent for my face. Yes, I have child proof locks on cabinets, but things get left out and you find it immediately.

-You still aren't talking very much, but you do have these words, even if you choose not to use them often: Momma, Dada, bottle, dog, cracker, cookie, juice, Casey (our dog), bye-bye, see, baby, light, ball, car (the last two being your favorite!) I'm sure I am leaving out some as well. I am hoping for a word explosion soon from you.

-You can tell us what a "dog says", a "cow says", a "rooster says", a "pig says", and what a "fish says" (with this one you don't make a sound but you purse your lips and move your mouth up and down...just like a little fishy making bubbles!)

-You can "choo-choo" like a train and go "vroom vroom" like a car.

-You love toy cars. You also like balls. Those are about the only toys you will play with although I have 3 baskets full of toys for you in our den.

- You LOVE it outside.(See pictures below!) Everything is an adventure outside for you and everything is a treasure. You try to put rocks and sticks and other things in your pockets when outside. If you don't have pockets, I usually find some of these things in your diaper when I go to change you.

-You love to eat, but you don't like eggs or peanut butter.

-Your favorite food is probably bananas, but you like pizza a lot too.

-You love to make people laugh at you. I think you enjoy the attention.

-You still have that little "purr" and when you laugh I can hear that little vibration in the back of your throat that sounds just like a "purr". You've been doing that since birth. I love the "purr".

-Your favorite thing to do in a normal day is get dressed and go down to the office with Mommy. I think I could drop you off in the parking lot and you would find your way to the right office which is up an elevator to the 3rd floor, two doors to open and 3 office doors to pass until your there. The main reason you know exactly where to go is that there is a lady in your Grandfather's office (Mrs. "B") that gives you candy. You love candy.

-You then like to visit your Grandfather in his office and look at his Georgia Bulldog, his toy car, and his ball that he keeps in his cabinet there. Then you are ready to head home and wait until your sister's come home.

-You get a lot of attention from your sisters. You love to scream at them and they scream back. (Mommy doesn't like it so much when you 3 do this in the car though)

-Your sister's don't like it when you try to take their Barbie they are playing with away from them. You don't want to take it to play with, you mainly want to just grab it, throw it down, and make them yell at you (again, I think you like attention).

-You love to lay your head on your Daddy's shoulder and give him a hug.

-You give hugs and kisses, but only when YOU want to.

-You can't stand to have on socks and shoes. Every time we go somewhere in the car that is the first thing you do is take them off (You get this from your mommy...I can't stand socks!)

-You love to take baths and you don't mind water being in your face. As a matter of fact, you will dump cup fulls over your head and laugh.

-You sleep with your "buddy" every night ,which is a little stuffed blue mouse. You like to bite his nose. I have to give "buddy" a bath in the washing machine often.

-I like to call you "Buddy" and I have since you were born. Daddy and your sisters have also picked this up. I only want this to be a pet name for you...PLEASE don't decide you want to go by this name when you grow up.

-You love to read books and turn the pages yourself.

-You like to do everything yourself, as a matter of fact. You are definitely in that, "I'll do it" stage. It makes me a little sad that you are becoming so independent, but proud at the same time.

-You weigh 24 lbs and you wear a size 24 months. You are growing so big and way too quickly for Mommy!

-You are a handful, but an absolute JOY!

-You are so loved.

You playing outside yesterday:

Gotta Wear Shades

We seriously need to think about investing in J some new sunglasses. He loves to try on mine and his sister's and it's quite funny how he will purse his little lips to help keep my big ones on his face. Gotta love it! He cracks me up!

His teacher look:

His Bono look:


His mommy look (I guess??):




Oh, he is just so much fun when he isn't eating something poisonious or anything glass! :) The future is bright, isn't it?

Welcome Spring!

We have been enjoying temperatures reaching 80 degrees and it is so welcomed. The grass has started to come up, flowers are budding and the birds are chirping. My toes are painted red and feeling free in their flip flops, saying "Goodbye" to the socks and the fuzz between toes. I absolutely love spring and the newness of everything it brings with it.

My girls enjoyed a picnic in the front yard with their dolls this weekend.

I hope they always remember and cherish these sweet sister, "girly" moments...

My little guy in his shorts! Awwww...I could just eat him up.

Here is J inside in his tent eating french fries. I have this tent in my living room. Although an eyesore for visitors, it sure does help keep him occupied while I do my work on the computer.

He has a nice little pad, huh..complete with animal print fur blanket.

Unfortunately, it will get cold again this weekend. Spring is always a big tease, but it's always well worth the wait. And I'll tell you one thing--my toes aren't willing to give up the freedom that they have recently discovered...cold or not!

Snips N Snails

My little guy is getting to be quite the handful. Not that ingesting Burt's Bees, deodorant and glass ornaments didn't give me a hint or anything! Now the little 'feller has started climbing! He gets on the his sister's bed, the ottoman, the sofa, and just about anything else he can hurl himself up on and he stands, jumps, then throws himself down in the cushions, all with belly laughter. Meanwhile, his mom is a nervous wreck! Here are a few other things he has done in a weeks time:

-fell down 1 step onto tile floor...huge goose egg and bruise on his forehead

-ate a crayon

-pulled over a cup of coffee on himself (thankfully it wasn't hot, so no burns). He had reached up and gotten it off of the kitchen table!

-ate a piece of Valentine chocolate..with the foil wrapping STILL ON IT!

-tried to get a knife out of a drawer

-managed to get a pair of scissors from the kitchen counter top and proceed to run away with them!!

-splashed so hard in the bathtub that I couldn't see to wash him. I had water all in my eyes and was spitting it out of my mouth. I felt like I was being put up against a small hurricane, seriously.


I know I am forgetting something but, whew! I'm tired again just writing about it all!

Thank heaven for little boys.....WHEN THEY ARE SLEEPING!!!

Future Astronaunt ??

J loves getting into our kitchen cabinets and pulling out all of our pots, pans, and Tupperware. (Come think about it, he apparently loves getting into our bathroom cabinets as well hence the poison control phone calls with the Burt's Bees hand salve and my Lady's Speed Stick deodorant within the past few months.) Anyway, this is a Tupperware container that I have for my lettuce. It is a "lettuce crisper", although I really don't know if it keeps lettuce any "crisper" than not using it. J got out the top of it and put it on his head. I laughed, so of course he had to keep doing it because he LOVES to make people laugh. I think he likes being the center of attention. Have no idea where he gets it.

Just One of Those Days

I was very busy today, consumed with entirely too many bankruptcies to process and mounds of laundry that has yet to be done. On top of that, K stayed home from school today sick and I had to fit in a doctor's appointment for J, because HE IS SICK TOO! Ughh. You get the point?

As I was working feverishly on the computer today, I was interrupted quite a bit with the usual requests, "Could you please put on another movie?", or "Can you get me some juice?" (I know, I know..."ANOTHER movie"..but give me some leeway, I had a lot to get done!) At some point, the interruptions become a little annoying and they start running circles around me on the computer...tugging at my pants leg, grabbing at the mouse, striking the keyboard.

"Ok, listen guys. Mommy REALLY needs to get this work done. I have a lot of work to do today, Ok?" I pleaded with them as I herded them in the other room.

K responds back (slightly sassy tone) with, "I KNOW MOM, and I have a lot of t.v. to do!"

I think I will have to think of something a little more educational for her to do while I work from now on. On the flip side, because of ALL the t.v. she watches I get great presents, just like my SNUGGIE I got for Christmas this year. Oh, yes I did...I got the SNUGGIE! You know your jealous.

He's Out of Control

You would think the combination of these things would be dangerous, wouldn't you?





My boy is a mess. At only 14 months old, he is giving me a run for my money! He completely wears me out. He is into absolutely anything and everything!

A few weeks ago, he managed to open up our linen closet and get out the plunger. I found him with it on HIS FACE!

About a month ago, I had to call the poison control center because I found him with my container of Burt's Bees Hand Salve, the top off, and it all over his hands and mouth. My husband's first reaction was, "It's all natural, so it can't hurt him." I thought about that for a second and then said, "T, there are lots of plants and berries that are poisonous so that just doesn't make sense!" I mean, I think arsenic is found naturally in the Earth's crust, so the "All Natural" thing just didn't add up. After a phone call, Poison Control did confirm that I had nothing to worry about, but he would have very soft lips for a while.

Yesterday, as I was helping the girls on the computer, he got a glass ornament of the tree and crushed it in his little hands. As I was brushing off the colored glass from his hands I heard a loud...CRUNCHHH. He had gotten a piece in his mouth and chewed it! I did manage to then get it out of his mouth before he swallowed any (I think).

About 5 minutes after the glass ball incident, someone forgot and left the door open to down the hallway. I went looking for him (I swear only about 20 seconds had passed) and found him with his hands in the toilet water splashing it all around.

I am a worrier by nature. I always think and worry about horrible things that can hurt my children, and even though I know God is in control and shouldn't worry so much, I do. I struggle with this issue every day. It's almost laughable that God gave me this little boy that eats glass and hand salve and plays in germ infested toilet water! I know he didn't give me this little boy on accident, and even though you would think that I would worry MORE...I think I am actually worrying less.

My Trick or Treaters