Overnight?!?!

I am having a little dilemma.  Most will not see this as such, but I do.  My in-laws want to take Logan overnight this Saturday!  This comes at a time that Logan is waking every 2 hours (I still can’t find a reason for why this is) and I am getting little sleep at night as a result. 

Why is this a dilemma for me?  Well, because it’s already hard enough to be away from Logan all day everyday while I’m at work…then to give up a whole NIGHT without him.  I will miss him terribly.  I will be beside myself when I wake up in the middle of the night, waiting to hear those little pleas on the monitor from Logan to come and get him to feed him and put him back to sleep. 

What would I do with a WHOLE NIGHTS SLEEP?  It’s been so long since I’ve had such a thing.  Most think it’s been just 8 months since I had my last full nights sleep, but that is a dream.  Logan has always been an early riser, since about this time last year!  He would wake me up at about Midnight and then again around four in the morning when I was pregnant!  Let me tell you, things haven’t changed much since then.

So the obvious answer is to let his grandparents take him for that single night, that one night that I can snuggle up with my husband, with no monitor on, and sleep the whole night threw (though I know that won’t happen, my body is just too used to my current schedule).  The obvious answer is to let my boy have one night away from his parents now, so later we can take a trip (after his first birthday) without him and it won’t be a completely new thing for all of us.

So it sounds like I have made my mind up, I need to let go, I need to let my boy grow up a little bit more, and I need to let someone else care for him for that one night.  OH, it’s so hard to do this, but I know that I must at some point.  So, anyone out there going to be up at three in the morning on Sunday (Halloween)?  I know that I will be.  I’ll be waiting for those little pleas from the next room and trying to tell myself to go back to sleep and enjoy this treat of a full nights sleep.

The Brain Balance Achievement Center

Autism runs in my family. My Father has Asperger's. My 16 year old brother has Asperger's as well. My 6 year old brother has Autism. Two of my cousins have Asperger's.


Needless to say, I do what I can with Logan to try to see the signs early, if at all. So far I’ve been fortunate enough to not have to worry about this yet with Logan, and I hope to not have to in the future.

The truth is that there are several families that have the added obsticle of Autism, Asburgers, and ADHD in their lives.

I was recently contacted by “The Brain Balance Achievement Center” and asked to post about their FREE Parent Lecture incase any of you might be interested in going.

When: Tuesday, October 26

7-9pm: Dr. Melillo's Talk for Parents

Where: Valley View Middle School, Edina, MN

Description: The author of the bestselling book "Disconnected Kids" will be here in Minnesota speaking to families of children with neurobehavioral disorders.

RSVP to: excelsior@brainbalancecenters or call (952) 474-4535



Here is a little bit about The Brain Balance Achievement Center:

The Brain Balance Achievement Center, a new learning center for children with learning disabilities such as Autism, ADHD and Asperger's will be opening in Austin. Brain Balance Achievement Centers offer the Brain Balance Program® in more than 30 nationwide locations. The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neurobehavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. Please take a look at their website: http://www.brainbalancecenters.com/

A Bitter-Sweet Weekend Ahead

This weekend is going to be a bitter-sweet one. It always has been. This is the weekend that we are going up to the cabin/camper to close it for the season.


Usually I’m sad, depressed, and not looking forward to not being able to go up north any longer until next April or May. This year, I’m so HAPPY to be doing this.

This year I’ve learned to dread going up north. It used to be this place for us to get away. Dustin would work on whatever needed to be worked on – the camper, the cabin, the landscaping, building a new cabin, building a shed, putting in driveways. I on the other hand would relax – lie in the hammock and take a nap or read, cook, take a walk, go for a lazy swim or float on the river. This year Dustin still did everything that he previously did, while I on the other hand didn’t see him at all and instead played with Logan (which of course I love to do, but I do need a break sometimes), changed diapers (which is fine, but could still use a break from as well), still cooked, cleaned even more then I ever have before, and just whatever else you can think of that was NOT relaxing.

In the end, going up north was more work then it used to be and even MORE work then it would have been if Logan and I would have just stayed home. It got to the point toward the end of the season here that I did ALMOST a few times just tell Dustin to just go up on his own and we’d stay home. I decided against doing this just because I still wanted to see Dustin even a LITTLE bit.

I know that my in-laws thought I was crazy this year. I even got a few of the ‘looks’ of “crazy person, stay away” or “OMG, THIS is what Hope is now that she’s a mother?” or just “Why do you even come up if you don’t like it here?” Most of these were when I was ‘yelling’ at Dustin to PLEASE spend time with Logan and me, or to “Hurry up; I have stuff I need to do at home!” on Sundays in the late mornings early afternoons.

It was true though, I did have stuff that needed to be done. Does everyone think that Logan’s food just magically appears in the freezer in Ziploc bags? Does everyone think that a Leprechaun comes and cleans my house when I’m asleep? Does everyone think that the diaper bag fairy comes and organizes and restocks Logan’s diaper bag? Does everyone think that I can get everything I need to get done at home done magically while I’m AWAY from home? WOW, if so then I must really fool everyone. I’m stressed and burnt out on all of these things, but I still do them because it’s what’s best for my family.

Now that the up north season has ended though I will have the time to do what I need to on these weekends. I will probably still be stressed, but not as much. I hope that I won’t be as burnt out, because now I’ll have more time to get everything done. Now I will be able to see my husband on the weekends that he isn’t working on adding money to his paycheck. Now we will be able to get things done at home and will have time together as a family. Oh how I have longed for these days back.

First though we have this weekend to contend with. We have a camper to pack (so basically a second home to pack). Dustin has an outhouse to move for his uncle. I have cooking and cleaning to do…and the BIG TIME cleaning so we hopefully keep the mice out this winter. All while taking care of Logan and trying to entertain my little nut. Plus, we want to try and leave early on Sunday to get home to GET THINGS DONE AT HOME!!

Oh what a weekend I have in store for me!

A date with myself

I love being a mother, I really do. I love being a wife, I really do. But there are these moments in time that I feel like I can’t do it anymore. I feel like I’m going to loose it if I keep going with my life as it is right now…and yet I keep saying to Husband that I want to start trying to have another baby.


I know why I feel this way. It’s because I feel like I start to loose myself and the person that I was before I had a baby and before I got married. Yes I know that this is how life is and how it’s supposed to be. It’s just, there are times that I want to be able to be selfish and just think of myself. There are times that I want to go out drinking, leave the dishes in the sink for a week, not do laundry for a few weeks, and be able to watch what I want when I want to and even more so, be able to take a bath for as long as I want with no interruptions AT ALL. I know that it’s more then this but you get my point. I miss being able to just have life be about me and only me at times.

I know I’m coming of like a selfish person here, but really, truly, honestly, I’m not. I’ve always thought about others before thinking of myself. I’ve always tried to put myself in someone else’s shoes before my own. I’ve always given of myself to others instead of taking from them. That’s just me and who I am. But everyone deserves a little bit of selfishness once in a while.

I try to be super mom and super wife, and that’s part of my problem. I need to learn that life will not be perfect, that I can’t provide and do EVERYTHING for EVERYONE, but it’s hard. I guess I always imagined myself as being the old fashioned kind of person, have the house spotless, the kids bathed, and dinner on the table, all the while going to PTA meetings, volunteering at the hospitals and the kid’s schools, and just doing it all.

I guess I do it all in a different way though. I work, I clean the house, I make dinner, though it’s not on the table when my husband gets home and sometimes doesn’t get eaten until after 8pm, and I take care of Logan and have everything organized for him. I’m sure that I do more, but I’m so tired from all of that I can’t remember.

The point is, life isn’t what I planned but it’s still a great life. I need to learn to be easier on myself, and to ask, make or even force my husband to do things too. I need to know that I’m still me, I’m still Hope, and I’m not just a mother and a wife. And at times that’s all that I feel like.

Does it make me a bad mother and wife to want to just be me on occasion? I don’t think so. In fact, I think it makes me a better one for it. I think that all women need to just be ‘them’ on occasion, that way they can get back in touch with themselves and be ‘all that they can be’ for their family.

So going forward I think that I need to schedule, yes schedule because that is just who I am, a time to be alone and just have ‘me’ time. You know how you schedule a date night with your spouse, well, I think that I need to schedule a date night with me.

Taping the eyes Open

Before we moved into our new house Logan was an alright sleeper at night. I mean, it was much better then what he would originally do. He’d go to bed around 8pm and then I’d dream-feed him around 9:30 or 10:00pm. He wouldn’t wake until about 3:00am after that. Then again around 4:30am or 5:00am, which I’d just tell Dustin to go and get him and bring him to bed…otherwise Logan would just want to be up for the day at that God-awful hour.


When we moved, it was a change. He didn’t feel as comfortable and safe as before. He wasn’t just living in a new place, but he was also changing himself. He started standing and furniture walking around the same time. So needless to say, his sleep, and subsequently mine as well, had been disrupted.

Within the past two weeks Logan has started getting back to his previous routine. Now I’m trying to tweak just one little piece of it though. I would really like for Logan to sleep in his own bed ALL night and not end up in Mommy and Daddy’s bed in the wee early, no bird even up yet, part of the morning.

Last night I started this…to my sleeps dismay! I didn’t start out doing this and it wasn’t my original intention. It was 3:00am, I woke up to NOTHING. I looked at the clock then cursed my own internal clock for knowing that Logan would wake up soon. I mean, those 20 extra minutes are minutes I could be SLEEPING! 3:20 rolled around and Logan made his cry for us to get him and feed him, I in return made a moan of SLEEP…then told Dustin to get the little night bug. He got him; he took about two sips of the mama milk and then proceeded to play with Dustin’s arm pit hair. Yep, I know, but what can I do? He’s a boy, he likes gross things already.

10 minutes of that was enough, and I brought Logan back to his bed so he could talk himself to sleep. That wasn’t what he wanted. So instead he cried, then stopped, waited, listened, then talked, then REPEAT about three more times. We then repeated the process about two more times. Finally it was about 4:45am, Me not sleeping at all during that time listening to both the snoring dude next to me that I was about ready to ‘accidently’ push off the bed just to make sure he knew how mad I was that he could ACTUALLY sleep threw all of what was going on, and of course I was listening to what was going on. I went in and grabbed my boy that was crying “MMMMMMMMMM! MMMMMAAAAA! MMMMAMA!” How could I resist when he was getting so close to saying Mama right? I took him to the living room, and rocked him back to sleep.

I waited for Dustin’s alarm to go off…any minute now. Nope not yet…I want to go to bed!! Come on it has to be 5:15am already, where is that dang alarm sound. (I didn’t want it to wake Logan up.) It never came. So I finally just brought Logan back to his bed and laid him down, praying then thanking God that he didn’t wake up while I did it.

I then proceeded to go to that bedroom that I should have been in all along with that coveted bed and that DAMN man that was SNORING in it! I was planning to make him turn off his alarm and just get up right THEN. Well, he needed to get up anyways; it was 5:30 AM. I didn’t wake him up with a sweet, “Honey, you need to get up.” No I just said in a loud, and very tired and angry “Weren’t you suppose to be up by now!?! It’s 5:30.” He forgot to set his alarm! I had been waiting for it and I gave up those precious minutes in bed for NOTHING. Oh I was mad. I understand now that I’m awake, at work, and thinking, at least a bit more sensibly. But still, I’m sure any mother out there that has had nights like these can sympathize and can see where I was coming from. Sleep was wanted, sleep was needed, sleep was envied, and sleep was my desire at that moment.

So as Dustin jumped out of bed to get ready for work, I crawled back in, covered my head, begging for the most restful 30 minutes of sleep anyone has ever had…and out loud saying “Wake him up and you don’t even WANT to know how mad I’ll be! Have a good day at work honey.” Then commenced the snores.

Now are the days I wish I actually drank coffee, soda, ANYTHING that would give me that jump, upon jump, upon jump of energy I need for the day.

Menards and Baby Clothes

So I’d like to share a picture of our little Logan Nut with all of you. You will notice a particular company being advertised in this picture (MENARDS).

You see, I have been bugging my husband that works for this Menards to bring my request to his work since Logan was born. He finds my request silly and stupid. I find my request adorable and a free marketing spot that has yet gone untapped by them, heck others would be paying THEM to advertise for them! Who doesn’t want to bring more business to one of their favorite stores, this would just keep them in business longer, help them to expand, and to bring more money in. I mean this company could use this untapped market to make some adorable marketing for them. I mean, who wouldn’t want to shop some place where you can get all of your hardware needs PLUS a new bib, hat and mittens, onsie, or pants for your little baby or toddler. How GREAT would that be to be able to put a cute outfit on them?

Don’t believe me? Well here is the evidence right here…

SEE!!  It's so ADORABLE!!!  Even Logan loved being able to support his favorite store...that's right Logan has a favorite store and it's all Menards for him. 
 
MENARDS NEEDS to get a line of baby clothes to go with their adult clothes.  Oh How Cute it would be!!  Now all I have to do is start teaching Logan how to sing "You save big money at Menards!"

Family

Family is the most important thing in my life. It wouldn’t matter if I lived out of my vehicle; as long as I had my family and they were healthy then all would be well in the world. Though, because of my family, I know that it would never come to that point.


I’m just so thankful to have family in my life. I have my husband and my wonderful son…the two in my life that are the most dear to my heart and the most important to me, as I’m sure most mothers would say and feel. Then I have my husband’s abundant family, who are saving Dustin and me so much you wouldn’t believe. They are our life savers when it comes to Logan and his care during the day. (Did you know that it would cost over $200 a week for in home care and nearly $400 a week for center care for Logan?) We are fortunate enough to have Dustin’s family all around us. So his mother and father watch Logan during the day while we are at work and his cousin Mindy watches him until Deb gets off of work on the days that Dustin has to be in early. I really don’t know what I would do with out them!

My sister took my in when I was 15 years old, and by extension when she got married her husband’s family took me in too. I have felt so loved by this family. It has been this family that has taught me what it is to be a mother, to be a wife, and to be a woman in the world. I thank them so much for this…and I’m sure that Dustin and Logan do as well.

I put my family above anything else. Whether that would be the family that adopted me, the family that I married, the family that I grew up with (Carlynn, Joe, Tracy…) or the family that I now have to care for. You are my life, my heart and my soul.

Now, Dustin and I were watching an episode of House the other day. It was the episode where one child was in the hospital dying, and the other child had the means to save her, but it would most likely kill him before his time (he already had an illness that would significantly shorten his life). How do you choose? How do you deal with something like that? How can you even imagine something like that? Oh it would break my heart! They are both family and you are basically saying that one life is more important then the other. In the end they didn’t have to choose….but I won’t ruin the ending completely for you.

Where does this all come from? Well it comes from this past weekend. Boy did we have a full one! Saturday we had my nephew Sam’s 7th birthday party to attend! (Boy do I feel old). Then after that we went to the Booya at Auntie Doe and Uncle Mike’s (though it was Grandma’s Booya)(Dustin’s side of the family). It was so great to see every one together and then so see Logan with Mindy and the kids. I never really get to see them all together or hear the stories from one day to the next; I’m usually rushed so I don’t get to work late.

I love that the family gets together and sees each other. I come from a family that would never really visit each other even if they live in the same state, and I’ve married into one that will schedule gatherings around when people that live out of state are in it (not this event but at least Christmas and Thanksgiving and sometimes one more after that in the summer).

I think many people take for granted their family, they take for granted the fact that they live in the same state, that they are healthy, that they are near by, that they aren’t over seas in the war. I see it all around me, even in my own ‘biological’ family…but family isn’t just what you were born into, but it’s also those that you surround yourself with. I will keep on my Biological family to not take for granted these things, though I’m not sure I will ever get through to them, and I will enjoy the time that I have with all of my extended family and my own little family…until the day and past the day that Logan is pushing me away and not wanting to come home for the Holiday’s. I will still even then insist that he comes home, because he is family, and family belongs together.

Can you find what's missing?

Let’s see if you can figure out what I forgot to do this morning:


6:45am – Alarm went off. I gave Logan a kiss and got out of bed. (He came in at 5am to snuggle so we could get just that much more sleep). Put my hair into a pony for the morning routine.

6:50am – Went into the bathroom and put in my contacts, brushed my teeth, and applied my make-up.

7:00am – Went back into the bedroom and got dressed.

7:10am – Went to the kitchen, wondered what to have for breakfast, grabbed some candy for breakfast (since I knew I didn’t have much time left before having to leave). I sat down to put on my socks and eat my ‘breakfast’ and turned on the news for a little bit of ‘knowledge’ of the world outside of Mommy hood.

7:20am – Logan woke up. I had to go and say hi and good morning to my little nut. To do this we sang ‘Skidamarinkadink’ and nursed. Then after that I watched and laughed at Logan as he decided to beat up Daddy (just to make sure he was good and awake before I left I’m sure).

7:30am – OH SHOOT! I still have to get my bottle ready for work for pumping today. I ran to the kitchen, emptied yesterday’s bottles (yes I know I should have done this LAST night!) cleaned them and put them away.

7:40am – Gave Logan and Dustin a kiss goodbye, “Bye, Love you, have a great day…be good for daddy.” Kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss…tare myself away…go back for another…Kiss. Put shoes on and run out door before not being able to leave at all.

7:45am – in car and on the road.

Now please, tell me, what did I find wrong with myself 1/3 of the way thru the day?










It’s there I promise you it is….










I was pumping, my first time for the day, and looked up into the mirror in the Mommy Room and what did I see? Well, it looked like I had just gotten out of bed and threw my hair into a ponytail. OH WAIT, I DID!!!

Yep, that’s right; I totally forgot to brush my hair this morning! Oh, I was so humiliated. Oh well, I don’t even know if anyone noticed. My hair really does have a mind of its own, so it didn’t look too different. One could have just mistaken it for messy from the harsh wind we had this morning (possibly still have now?). Still I at least ran my fingers threw it and put it into a ‘better’ ponytail.

On Monday, if one of you readers out there could please come to my house and make sure that I DO brush my hair…that would be just WONDERFULl! Oh, welcome to the busy and confusing life of the working Mama!

I'm back

Please allow me to explain, and not ask for forgiveness, for my long absence from my blog here. As you already know I’m a working mama. That means life is already pretty hectic and complicated. Lately we have decided to throw some more unpredictability and complications into our big ol’pot of stirrings we call our life. We moved!


We moved from our two bedroom two bathroom apartment into a three bedroom, one bathroom house. Technically it’s a 4 bedroom, two bathroom house but we are renting out the basement to my hubby’s cousin and her pooch. (It’s nice to have another woman around!) Yet, it’s still hard to find a spot for everything. I think part of that is because Mr. Hubby won’t hang anything on the walls because it’s stucco and in great condition and hard to patch…I wouldn’t know, all I know is that there is no where to put all of my pictures, my shelves, his speakers for the surround sound, and I’m not sure what else. The other thing that goes with that is that Logan is pulling himself up onto EVERYTHING now and The Hub’s won’t mount anything to the wall. Why is that so important? Well because Logan has already started pulling his toy bins down on him, has moved his bed, and I’m afraid of what will happen with the front hall free standing shelf once he discovers he can use that too.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to be in the house versus our apartment. But I almost think sometimes that the apartment would have been safer for Logan then the house is.

So moving, plus running after a very mobile Logan who won’t let me get anything done…this has lead to me being a VERY busy working Mama.

How’s work you ask? Well it’s much better then it has been for the past two years. I have a new manager that actually gives me work to do and that isn’t afraid of conflict. Why is that important? Well, my co-worker and I haven’t really ever gotten along all that well. I believe that we have both tried at different times with one another but it just didn’t ‘work’. Our last manager knew about this but wouldn’t do anything…sometimes I think by the way he approached (and sometimes didn’t approach things) made it worse. New manager is much better at this and came in saying that he wanted us to be more – not friends, but friendly basically. I think that it has been going well the last few months. I’m not sure how she feels, but that’s how I feel.

Because of this, and maybe even my attitude of leaving work AT WORK, I’m not as stressed anymore. I’m not hating my job. I’m not even actively looking for another job anymore. In fact, I hope to still be here, if I move up then so be it, in the next several years. The medical is great, I have some friends here, and I have a plan. I hope to be able to drop down to less then full time in about 5 years. That way I can be home in the early afternoon for after school stuff.

I’ll get some new pictures up shortly…I just haven’t had time to get them onto my computer and Flash drive in a while.

7 months for my little man

Dear Logan,


On today, your 7 month birthday, I have to wonder at all of your accomplishments this past month. You seem to just have to grow up so quickly and make me cry all the time at how much you have grown. I don’t just mean in height, which is quiet a bit, but I mean in all of your accomplishments.

This month you decided to start crawling. First you did it in just a circle on your tummy. Within a week you figured out just how to crawl forward doing the ‘army crawl’ (crawling with your tummy on the floor). About 10 days later, you were up and crawling on your hands and knees. At first you kept switching back and forth between the two styles. You’d use your hands and knees if you didn’t need to go as fast, but when those kitties came around and you decided it was time to put the chase on them it was all army for you! That didn’t last long though as you perfected your crawl. Now I hardly ever see you on your tummy!

Once you learned these things you decided to just keep going…now you’re trying to pull yourself up on things too!

Along with crawling you learned how to sit all on your own. You would sit by yourself before, but you couldn’t get there on your own though. Now it’s a different story.

I love when I come to pick you up from Grandma’s house and you look at me with big smiles, push her away and put your arms out to me and wave ‘Hi’ to me. You warm my heart every time this happens. I miss you so much when I’m away at work.

Near the middle of this month you did something else…you cut your first tooth! It was wonderful! I didn’t have any indication of you teething except for two days prior to your tooth coming through you were just a little bit cranky and hard to put to sleep. Then suddenly you had a tooth! Less then a week later you had ANOTHER tooth. Your two bottom teeth are in now! I had been dreading this milestone of your life since the moment I decided to nurse you instead of bottle feed you. I was so afraid that you would bite and cause me so much pain. I must say it was for nothing, so far. You’ve only bitten me once so far, and that’s when we were both asleep, so I know that you didn’t try.

This month was also the first month that you nearly gave Mommy a heart attack (for the first time). You crawled off of mommy and Daddy’s bed (as I was bending to get pick you up I might add). Luckily we were in the middle of a move (from the Apartment in Maplewood to the House in Saint Paul) and the bed was on the floor and not up high on the bed frame. Your bump wasn’t too bad, but you still got hurt. I still shudder thinking about it and just how scary that moment was for me…and I’m sure for you too. But all is well and there was no permanent damage done thank God for that.

With all that has happened this month I keep trying to tell you that life isn’t a race and that I want you to stay my little baby, but you just won’t listen. I know that I have to let go and let you grow up, but it’s just so hard to do. I know that this will be a life long battle for us. But I do want you to know this: No matter what, No matter your age, your development, No matter what happens in life, you will ALWAYS be my baby boy. You will always be my first born. You will always be the one that taught me that my heart could grow 100 times more then what I ever thought it could with one single event…you! I will love you more and more everyday whether you like it or not, for you are my boy forever and ever amen!



I love you my dear little Logan Nut!



Kisses,

Mommy

6 MONTHS

Dear Logan,


Oh how the time has flown by. It doesn’t seem possible, but you are 6 months old now! You have grown leaps and bounds in the past 6 months.

You are now a master at nursing. I remember those first days in the hospital, it was so difficult to know thatyou were latched on correctly and actually getting what you needed. I didn’t know if I was providing you with what you needed. Finally once we got home we both relaxed and I knew that you were becoming a master…and bringing me with you. Now you’ve gone from half hour long feedings to about 5 minutes. Another 6 months of nursing and we will have reached our goal of nursing for at least a year.

You’re not only nursing anymore though. You are also eating solid foods. So far you are eating Organic Brown Rice and Organic Oatmeal Cereals, Avocado, Prunes (which you LOVE), Bananas (which is taking a bit of work to get you to eat since you don’t like them), Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet peas, and Yellow Summer Squash. Boy do you love food! If you see someone else eating now, you demand that you eat something too.

You are sitting like a big boy now all on your own. You still have a few spills and tips, but you are getting it. You also army crawl in circles and roll all around the place. You are offically mobile! I just keep waiting for the day that you decide to fully crawl forward and backwards…that will be a day that I am so happy and yet so nervous all at the same time.

You have always loved to play with your voice, but just recently you have taken it to an all new level. Just last week on Thursday you started making the clicking sound with your tounge. After that happened you figured out that you can do OH SO MUCH MORE! You squeel, and shrill; you blow bubbles and rasberries; you sing and you ‘mmmmm’ to me all the time. I’m sure that you will be talking full sentences the moment you udder your first word, though we do keep hearing you say ‘mama’, but we don’t think you know it yet.

You are also now sleeping in your own bed for the most part. You still come and snuggle with mama in the early mornings, that way I can keep you asleep longer and I know that I get my cuddle time in. But your being a big boy and sleeping in your own bed in your own room. When you wake me at night to eat, I go in and find you on your tummy. You love to sleep on your tummy and side, I do put you on your back to sleep, but the moment your down, its to the tummy you go.

6 whole months of being a mommy to you has been the best. I look forward to the future and to watching you grow and become a man. I look forward to your first words, first steps, first days of school, first girlfriends, first loves, first sports, and everything inbetween. You keep growing, no matter how much I beg you to stop, because I know that it is your destiny to become a great and wonderful man, even though you will always be my wonderful little boy.

I love you my little nut nut!

Mommy

The adorable, embarassing, funny, and nutty things people do to entertain children

We were over at Logan's Grandparent's home (Dustin's parents) and I saw Grandpa Todd doing this, it was so cute and so funny that I just had to share it with all of you.  Please be aware, I took this video on my blackberry, so the quality really isn't that great.  Sorry for that.  I hope you enjoy this very funny and adorable video.

Quick update...

So just a quick little update before I need to get back to working...

Logan has started to eat solid foods.  He is currently eating rice cereal and sweet potatoes.  He is a little chow hound too.  He knows when his 'dinner' is too.  He starts to get a little fussy around 6:45pm or so and I try to keep his 'dinner' to right about 7:00pm.  I think shortly he will be eating at least twice a day, once at home at night, and then a time before that in the afternoon.
The thing I love most about it this...the fact tht he's not too much of a messy eater.  He doesn't get the food EVERYWHERE.  No his face isn't clean at the end, nor are his hands, but the counter and floor and most of me is though.

Logan is so close to crawling!  He's got those legs going, but he just needs to figure out those arms.  Yesterday Dustin decided to make Logan work for all of his toys.  He laid Logan down on a blanket and put his toys all around him just out of reach.  Logan was then forced to move in order to get to those toys.  I guess he rolled and scooted all over the place...but no crawling yet.

I'm trying to think if there is anything else to report.  Unfortunately it is friday and I can barely even think.  Have a great weekend!

In Loving Memory

On Friday June 25th we had to put one of our wonderful kitties down. It was hard on both Dustin and me, though I’m sure more so for Dustin. He has had Lynx since he was a little baby kitten. He picked Lynx out before he was even old enough to be adopted.

(Loved Watching out of the window at home)

When I came into the picture Lynx was the kitty that was afraid of everything, even his own shadow. He was one that ran from everyone and everything, but for some reason he never ran from me, even the first time I met him. Actually it was quite to the contrary, he actually wouldn’t leave me alone. I think he claimed me as his Mommy at that very first meeting.

(Lynx with his brother Gizmo and sister Renny)

After a little over 3 years of hard work Dustin and I finally got Lynx to not be scared of everything that moved and even not scared of strangers too. He didn’t run and hide when someone new came to our home, instead he would come to them and love them and want love in return. Occasionally he would keep his distances from some people but I think we all need to sometimes.

(He always seemed to love watching TV upside down with us)

Lynx was occasionally a fighter, at least when it came to playing with Renny (his little sister), but he was mainly a lover. The moment that we brought Logan home from the hospital Lynx went to him and tried to figure out just what we brought home. He sniffed and rubbed and just watched as we let Logan slowly wake up to meet his big brothers and sister kitties. Lynx never ran from him, though sometimes during Logan’s gassy period he wouldn’t come into the room with us due to all the loud crying Logan was doing. Most of the time Lynx would stay close by just to watch Logan and to protect him. He was gentle and what I liked to call the “Papa Kitty”. He would snuggle with Logan occasionally when I was there too and even once, when Logan was a newborn started giving him a bath on the top of his head, just like he always did to Dustin. I actually have a video of this on my phone, though I’m sill trying to figure out how to get it on to the computer without emailing it to myself.

(Brotherly Love)

Why did we have to put out wonderful little kitty to sleep? Well, it’s actually been a long time coming unfortunately. Over Memorial weekend 2008 I was home while Dustin was working and I noticed that Lynx just wasn’t himself. He was extremely lethargic, not wanting love, and then grunting when trying to go to the bathroom. It just got progressively worse as the weekend went on, to the point that if he would actually try walking he would use the wall to support him during the couple of steps that he had the energy to take.

(Lynx and Gizmo squished up on the top shelf of the kitty tower)

We brought him in to the emergency vet and found out about cats getting ‘blocked’. What had happened is that crystals started to form in his urine and then he wasn’t able to potty. With all of that build up of urine his body was being poisoned and he was on the verge of death 2 year ago.

(Lynx and Gizmo loving being in Logan's room before he was born and playing with all of the Baby shower bags.  We always knew when Lynx felt safe and comfortable because that is when he would actually show his tummy like this.)

Apparently this is something common in male cats and once a cat is blocked once, it’s sure to happen again. Even though we did everything that the vet told us to do, try to have him loose weight, use special (expensive) prescription food, and more litter boxes, he still had issues. He would have what I would call ‘episodes’ of being blocked, but it always corrected its self within a couple days. This time was different.

(The first time Lynx was blocked, he decided that he didn't want to keep walking out of the kitty box so instead, since it was freshly cleaned, he just laid down until he was able to try and go again)

I first noticed it on June 5th when Lynx tried to go pee on our living room blanket. He doesn’t do that unless there is something wrong. No pee came out so the blanky didn’t need to be thrown away. I immediately moved Lynx into the bathroom and put food, water, a towel, and a litter box in there for him and closed the door. This way he had everything he needed and was able to just focus on getting better.

(Lynx and Logan.  Lynx insisted on watching over Logan all the time.  He was VERY protective of him.)

A week later and nothing is different. We were going up north and we decided that we could just leave him home like that, and what if he did die over the weekend, we didn’t want to come home to that. So we brought him up north and he stayed outside all weekend. That’s when he started ‘leaking’. So he did start getting some relief and he loved being up north, he always does, so our hopes were lifted that everything was being corrected. We were starting to prepare ourselves for putting him down until that happened. But once we got home he was blocked up again.

(A very blurry picture of Renny and Lynx, proving that it is possible for them to get along, even when they are in close quarters on the top of the kitty tower)

We finally said ‘Enough’ and we had to put him down. Why didn’t we just bring him in and have the vet correct him again like we did 2 years ago? Well, it came down to money. We spent over $1000 on him 2 years ago, plus had to give him IV 2 times a day at home and medicine. We just didn’t have that capability this time. It was an extremely hard decision for both Dustin and me to make, but in the end we really had to think about Logan and what was healthy for him. We also had to think of Lynx and about how miserable he is when he gets blocked several times a year. So in the end we decided that it was Lynx’s time to be eternally happy chasing bugs and lying in the sun and playing with all of the other kitties in heaven.

(Lynx sleeping with Dustin!  And yes, this is how Dustin sleeps.)

His body is buried up north in one of my planting areas that has yet to get any plants in it. Though, now it is my mission to plant a wonderful and distinct plant there in order to have Lynx live on with us year after year.

(He always made me laugh when he sat like this.  He did it all the time too.)

To my wonderful Lynxie kitty: I love you my lovely, I miss you so much, and so does your daddy too!

(Lynx up north sleeping in the kitchen.  He loved being up north, even though he hated the ride, he loved being up there and being free and able to roam around anywhee and everywhere he wanted to)

Second Hand

I remember when I was younger always going to Goodwill, Savers, Garage Sale, and any other second hand store. It was either there or Target that all of my clothes would come from. The second hand stores were the norm; Target was a treat. I grew so tired of not having the new clothes that all of the other kids in school had. And once I was old enough I vowed to never by from a second hand store, either for myself or for my children.

I broke that rule for myself a long time ago when I moved into my first apartment. Pretty much everything in it was furnished by several of the Goodwill’s around the Saint Paul Area of Minnesota. But I still held onto that promise that I would never under any circumstance but my children items in a second hand way.

I broke that rule too. I went to the Munchkin Markets way back on the first weekend of May. And then this weekend I went to Once Upon A Child for the first time. And then I went to Half Priced books for the first time as well.

An exersaucer costs between $99 and $120, or at least the ones I’ve seen, and bought. A Leap Frog Learning Table costs about $45, and a Leap Frog Drum costs about $22. The books that I bought for Logan can cost anywhere from $5 to $16 new. Would you like to know how much I spent on all of this?

I bought all of this, and then some at the Munchkin Markets back on the first weekend of May.  How much did I spend?  Only $115.34!  How much would just some of this of cost me new? Over $350!  Can you believe it!

I bought this on Sunday at Once Upon A Child (My fist visit).  How much did it cost me? Only $48.03!  How much would it of all cost new? Around $148.97! OH MY GOODNESS!  That is over $100 savings right there.

I bought these books at Half Priced Books on Saturday.  How much did it cost me?  Only $11.63.  The total came to $26.63, but I had a gift card for them for $15.  How much would it all of cost new?  At least $56!   Guess what, that really is about half price for everything!

So have you realized something from these pictures?  Logan now has 3, count them, Exersaucers!  Why so many?  Well it's because one is for home, one for Aunty Carlynn's, and one for Grandma and Grandpa's.  He needs to have toys where he spends most of his time.  He also has two of the 'pop up animal' things.  Once for home and one for Grandma and Grandpa's.

Logan LOVES his newest exersaucer, the one at home.  I'm so glad too since I had to bring him with and he just started fussing like crazy when i was looking at it and trying to figure out which one among all of them I would get him.  In the end I picked out the one that also had the hanging toys and the most visual (with lights) and the most noisiest.  I guess I picked correctly.  Once I put him in it and he figured out it was so bright (lights) and noisy (music) he just lite up with joy!

How can you deny such a wonderful and curious baby?  I know I can't!  That's why I've had to stat buying second hand.  I just make sure to wash everything up real good before the babe gets at it.  Who know's who had it last and what is still on it!  Look at those savings.  You can't beat them!

Recipe Friday - Triple Chocolate Torte

This is the wonderful dessert that I made for Dustin for his birthday.  It was easy and 'Oh so yummy'!

What you need:
1 box (1lb 2.3oz, or a 13'X9' size) Fudge Brownie Mix
1 1/4 cups Milk
1 (4 serving) box white chocolate pudding and pie filling mix
1 (8oz) container frozen whipping cream, thawed
miniture chocolate chips (as many as you'd like, I used about 2/3 of a bag)
Strawberries...or your favorite fruit (you deside on the amount)
9-inch spring form pan
Cooking spray
plus the ingredients on the box of brownies

1. Heat oven to 325^F. Spray bottom of spring form pan with cooking spray. Make brownie mix as directed on box.  Spread in pan.
2. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the brownie. (I actually still have some solid goo, not liquid, come out on mine.  That's how you get the nice chewy brownies.)  Cool Completely and leave in the pan!
3. In a large bowl, beat milk and pudding mix until thickened.  Fold in whipped topping, chocolate chips, and some cut up, bit sized, fruit.  Pour over brownie.
4. Cover and freeze at least 4 hours or more.
5. Remove side of pan, top with fruit if desired, and serve.

Makes 16 servings.

I got the base of this recipe at Betty Crocker.  But, as always, I make it my own.  I added more chips, plus fruit into my cake, and I just change it around on how to make mine verses what they tell me to do.  I suggest the same to you.  Make any recipe you have your own!  Enjoy this delectable dessert time and time again and change it each time if you'd like.

It's a Truck

My husband has always been a truck guy. There are reasons for this. He's a practical guy, he knows that our family hauls a lot of trailers and items in the trailers up north. We have a camper. He has a lot of tools. Then of course he is tall, so he needs the leg room.


We also have a car and it is better on mileage then the truck. So whenever we go out I try to get us to take the car. "But the truck is so pretty!" "But what about the truck?" but, but, BUT! is all I hear from him. So we usually take the truck everywhere instead.

Because of this Logan knows the truck. I mean he really knows it. He's only 4 months old, but he can apparently recognize the truck when he sees it. Why do I say this?

Our favorite local car wash is the Downtowner in Downtown Saint Paul. They give you a free car wash for your birthday within a week of it. Today, Dustin had the day off of work and took Logan down to the Downtowner before coming to see me for lunch since his week is almost up. He brought Logan in while the Truck was being washed. Logan was faced towards the window where you can see the vehicles being washed, which was behind Dustin. Out of no where Logan starts laughing and getting a huge smile on his face, and is not looking at Daddy.  Instead Logan is looking behind Daddy. Dustin looks to where the smile is directed and sees the truck. Logan couldn't take his eyes off of it! He followed it until it was out of sight...which then proceeded with the smile and laughter being taken with it.

My child knows his truck apparently. I can't believe it! I guess this is the start of many years of a vehicle obsessed guy (other then the hubby) living with me. I thought we would hit the building blocks and Lego’s before the trucks. I guess Logan has other plans though.

The Remote Fight

So you know how your husband always has to have the remote? You try to get him to give it up. You try to ask nicely. You try to bribe him with a back rub, his favorite cookies, or even a new video game. You finally try to pry it out of his fingers that have a death grip on it. You do this all while he sits watching TV or is just channel surfing back and forth when there is nothing on, other then that one show you really want to watch, and he doesn't even notice you doing any of this.


Well, apparently the babe is either being trained in on this procedure or the hubby just doesn't mind giving the remote to the little one....

If only I were that adorable, then maybe I'd be allowed to have the remote too! Then all I would have to do is look at my husband and make a little whimper, and Viola, I'd have that wonderful little device that all husbands need to have in their hands.

Oh boy, soon I'll have two men to try to pry the remote from! 

4 Months Old!

My wonderful Logan is now 4 months old! It doesn’t seem like that long, and yet it also feels like it has been longer.

I know that doesn’t make since so let me try to explain:
It seems like it was just yesterday that I was being told to make soothing, low sounds. It seems like just yesterday that he was being put on to my bare tummy. It seems like just yesterday that I held him for the first time, exhausted, but not wanting to close my eyes for fear of missing something amazing…Logan.

It’s also hard to remember what it was like not caring for, thinking of, and loving my little boy. Sure he was only born 4 months ago, but I’ve known him for so much longer then that. I knew that I was pregnant before anyone else did, even the pregnancy test. I could feel him move inside of me everyday since August. I thought of him before thinking of me since before he was conceived trying to make my body the right and safe place for him. It seems like I’ve been changing diapers for years and giving kisses and hugs and love for decades.

Would I change any of it? Never. He is my boy and will always be my little baby. Even when he sky rockets above me in height and is having a baby of his own, he will always be my baby boy.

At Logan’s 4 month appointment yesterday he had his next two immunizations. He took to them pretty well. He cried for a limited amount of time, though I’m sure it would have gone on much longer if I didn’t have my tricks. What are these tricks? Well it’s called a mirror and running water. No, not a magic mirror; just a plain old everyday mirror. I just tell Logan not to make the baby in the mirror sad. If that doesn’t work then it’s on with the water and Logan just perks right up. (That’s my boy! He LOVES the water, just like me)

Here are two prime examples of Mommy knows all:
Everyone keeps trying to tell me that Logan is teething. This is based on the fact that he drools so much that someone will think he is trying to rival Niagara Falls! He also loves to bite and chew on things, including our fingers. I tell everyone that I check his gums for teeth and buds and bumps and any sing that he is teething nearly everyday. And I continually tell them the same thing, “Nothing is there. Logan is not teething.” Without me even asking his pediatrician she said to me, “Doesn’t seem like he’s teething at all yet. The drool is normal, it’s just because babies make more saliva then they can swallow.”

I must say two things here. 1. THANK YOU Doctor R.D., Thank you SO much. 2. I TOLD YOU SO!!!!

The other? Everyone keeps trying to make my little boy grow up faster then he needs to. Everyone wants to start seeing him eating food, either by their own finger or on an actual spoon. So everyone keeps telling me that I should be feeding him solid food now.

My response? Umm, NO! He’s only 4 months old. This is the start of when he’s able to start solid food and only rice or oatmeal cereal at that. A babies stomach isn’t closed when they are born it’s around 4-6 months that their stomach will finally close. This is the time that you are able to start solid foods, and the later you start them, the better. Children that start solid foods later are less likely to have allergies later in life. If you start them too early then the food will get into their blood and the white blood cells will attack it. The blood will then remember this and will continue to attack this food whenever eaten later in life. So starting food later, closer to 6 months, is best. I didn’t even voice my concerns to Dr. R.D., she just automatically told me to not start him on solids until between the 5th and 6th month.

So again I say to everyone: “I TOLD YOU SO!”

I will evaluate where and how he is doing around 5 months old and then at about 5 ½ months, and again at 6 months, if he hasn’t started foods by these times.

How do you tell if he’s ready? Well that’s simple. It’s when Logan shows an interest in eating. It’s when he starts to constantly reach for mommy and daddy’s food, when he watches our hand go to our mouth from our plate, and when he opens his mouth when we start to put food into ours. I’m constantly watching and waiting to see if and when Logan does this stuff and with consistency. I want it to be that he’s doing it because he’s truly interested in the food and not just because he takes after Mommy and likes colorful and shiny objects and is just getting distracted by these things. (Yes, I did just make fun of myself!)

The good news about this? It means that Mommy and Daddy still have more time to pick out and save up for a high chair. We like versatile things. Things that can be used in multiple places and hopefully have multi-functions as well. But I also want my little guy to be safe, so I research everything as much as I possibly can. We also have a budget to stay within as well, so saving is necessary.

Logan’s Stats:
Height – 26inches long (just below the 90th percentile) 2 inch growth since 2 months
Weight – 16lbs 5.5oz (80th percentile) 4lbs 5oz gain since 2 months
Head – 50th percentile (sorry don’t have the measurements right now) 25th percentile jump

Giveaway!

Head on over to Loving My Life as a Mommy and Wife and enter to win a new nursing cover from Baby Bond!  There are several ways to enter and the giveaway ends on Wednesday June 30, 2010 at 12:00am.  So hurry on over for your chance to win....

Summer Time!!

So it might not offically be summer until June 21, 2010 at 7:28am EDT, but Logan has offically began his summer schedule now.  So did you think that his schedule was hectic before, well now it has just gotten that much more hectic. (When reading this, remember Dustin is home one day during the week because he works every other weekend, though sometimes he doesn't even get a day off for over 14 days straight. Also, he opens at work (6:30am - 4:30pm) and closes at work (12:00pm - 10:30pm) so this is why mornings change as well. It's the life of a Retail Manager.):

Mondays and Fridays - No matter if Dustin opens at work or closes, I drop Logan off at my sister’s house. She and my nephews watch him during the day. Then I pick him up after I get off of work.

Every other Tuesday and Thursday- Dustin and my Mother-in-Law switch back and forth on watching Logan. So one week one will watch him on Tuesday the other on Thursday and then switch the next week.

Wednesdays - Every other Wednesday I drop Logan off at Dustin's cousin's house in the morning and then my Mother-in-Law picks him up and takes care of him until either Dustin or I pick him up after work. On the other Wednesday Dustin watches him in the morning and then drops him off with his mom and then I pick him up after work.

WOO, that was a lot! Guess what, that was just the pick up and drop offs and the 'usual' ones at that. It changes if Dustin's work schedule changes. What changes his schedule is if his assistant managers take vacations. They deserve the vacations; they work hard...since the actual employees don't do what they are supposed to do completely, one of the things that the hubby is trying to change. Also it changes as Dustin's Grandma has Doctor Appointments (Logan's Great Grandma E). Like today, Logan should be, according to the above schedule, with his Grandma this afternoon. Instead he is with my sister and nephews since The Great has a neurology appointment and then Logan has his 4 month appointment today too.

On that note, Logan doesn't just stay in one place all day either like at a normal 'day care'. Instead he goes, or will go, to doctor and therapy appointments for either Great Grandma or his cousins. He also goes from Grandma's house to Great Grandma's house so Deb can take care of her mom while also caring for Logan. And there he has two dogs, lately another baby, and nurses and visitors coming and going...oh and Uncle Mike (Hank) crawling around teaching Logan how to do it. He gets so tired by the end of the day he just doesn't know what to do with himself.

Hopefully this will teach my little boy how to be versatile and 'just go with the flow' as the say goes.

Why do we allow Logan to have such a crazy schedule? Well, because I have to work! Why does that play a factor in it? I priced out what day care would be around us, it wasn't pretty. To go to a center, like a KinderCare or New Horizon, would have been about $400 a week. A WEEK! To go to a home 'day care' it would have been about $175 a week (much better) but also a $65 late charge if I even picked Logan up 15 minutes late...which I would have been about 15 to 30 minutes late when I picked him up 3 days a week. That would have amount to $370 a week. A WEEK! So in the long run, not much better then the center. I make about $555 a week, before taxes and insurance is taken out. Once everything was all said and done my pay check wouldn't have even paid for Logan to go to day care. If I could change my work schedule around it would have been more worth it, that way we wouldn't have the late charge several times a week, but I know that it would just 'start something' at work.

The upside to this? Logan gets to know his family just that much better. He has more versatility in his life and hopefully will better him for the future. It might be hard for me...forgetting where to drop him off, if I'm picking him up or if Dustin has or is already at home with him...but at least I know that my wonderful and happy boy is being cared for by people that he loves.

So I would just like to publicly thank everyone of our family members...and even friends....that take care of Logan either regularly or as back up as well (Marsha and Jessica, and all future people as well). I really don't know what we would do without you. You are all life savers and what makes our family go round on a daily basis. Thank you for loving us and for loving our son so much as to take care of him, and by extension us.

It's a P-A-R-T-Y!

Well, it wasn't really a party but we did celebrate.  My wonderful husband turned 28 years old this past weekend (Sunday to be specific).  And what did my Mr. Hubby want?  Why, to go up north of course!  I swear to you, it is his favorite place in the world.  This is where he can get away from it all, he can cut grass, build a fence, move rocks, make a fire, make a fire pit, take down trees, build cabins, check out the roof of the camper, and just work work work!! 

WHAT!?! That isn't right is it?! I always thought that going up north was for laying in the hammock, fishing, swimming, going for leisurely walks, and just to relax and get away from it all. Not for Dustin and his family, all they do is work.

Well, this is what my darling and wonderful husband wanted, so this is what he got. But I also made him have some fun too. We went to the casino for a couple of hours, though it would have been longer if someone would have remembered to bring bottle nipples with (me, hehe). Dustin took his birthday money from his Daddy Tim and nearly lost it all! I told Dustin that it was time to go, since I lost track of time and didn't want to be late for 'the boss' (aka Logan). But the birthday boy just had to hit the button on the machine a few more times. Good thing he did too. In just a couple of 'spins' he won his money back plus a whole dollar! Me? Well, I left down $15. Oh well, it's not about the money but about the fun and the experience you have.

We then got two scratch off tickets and won our money back plus $4. I think that's right. We bought them in Wisconsin, so we will just have to wait until we go into town again to cash them in. When we got home we also bought two books of scratch offs. Again, we won our money back and then made $10. Boy we were luck this weekend. I chalk it up to the birthday boy myself!

I love to cook and Dustin has always asked me to make Crachida (I'm sure it's not spelled correctly). What is it you might ask? Well, it's just scrambled pancakes. So for his birthday I looked up a recipe for it and made that for Breakfast on Saturday, Burgers for dinner, and then the Triple Chocolate Torte for dessert. (Watch for the recipes over the next several weeks)

(Logan watching the fire on the cake...I think we have a pyro on our hands, just like Mommy!)

(Look at that smoke!)

(The fire is gone.  Now its all about the monkey!)

Sure, it might have been a rainy weekend, but it was a fun weekend.  Why?  Well because I had my family with me and the wonderful men in my life...

And it was a weekend that brought about me making my son into a HUGE GEEK!  Don't believe that this adorable little boy could ever be a geek well just look...

(Socks over the pants to keep the mosquitoes, ticks, and the cold at bay)

(What's on his butt? The new OFF Clip to help with those pesky Mosquitoes)

Logan was the best gift of all Dustin said.  Even though he didn't come on his birthday he is our gift everyday of our lives!

Head on over...

to Gussy has a lot to say {and sew} for the Friday's Featured Artist with Gussy -  Featured Artisit :: Bundel Baby.

Just click the link and head on over.  There is a great giveaway of some carrot rattles.  Good Luck to all who enter.

PS The giveaway ends on Sunday June 13th, so you better hurry on over to enter.

I QUIT!

I QUIT!  Or at least I wanted to.


I know that there are good things and bad things to being a working mom and to being a stay at home mom. Today it seems like there was more bad to being a working mom. I feel left out of things, like I’m not there to se these milestones that my little boy is going through.

Dustin was home with Logan this morning before he had to drop him off at his mom’s in order for him to go to work. Dustin messages me on my Blackberry “He just rolled over from his back to his tummy and then back again.” Then I get “He just did it again.” Then a little later “He did it AGAIN!”

I have never seen this happen yet. I’ve seen him roll from his tummy to his back, I’ve seen him roll from his back to his side, but never have I seen him roll from his back to his tummy let alone do the full circle several times.

If this wasn’t bad enough I missed some more action as well at home today. You see we leave our patio door open much of the time so our cats can go in and out as they like. And on days that are really nice, well, we just love to have all the fresh air coming in. In an apartment all that you get is recycled air from all of your neighbors, so the fresh air from outside is a must!

Well Dustin had the door open, but just enough for the kitties to go in and out. I’ve always though that the following would happen, and I knew that it would be exciting but I NEVER thought that I would miss it.

A bird decided to invade our home! That’s right. He found that little opening in the door, flew right in, went to our kitchen, circled my husband and then did a sudden U-turn for the door again. Apparently he knew he was not where he was supposed to be. On birdie’s way back out he missed the opening in the door and hit the window instead. He bounced right back off the window and tried again, this time going out the way he came in.

As you know, we have 3 cats (one is sick and locked in the bathroom though so he doesn’t pee everywhere). Gizmo and Renny were going crazy apparently! Once Mr. Birdie was gone Gizmo just sat at the door on high alert and watched everything, waiting and daring Mr. Birdie to come back and attack his home and family again, he was the protector.

As you know, I saw none of this myself, though I can picture it all in my head, especially Gizmo the Guard. I heard all of this from Dustin. I’m glad that he told me, but still, it would have been so much better to just be there and actually see it.

I guess that’s just how life is, missing things in order to help provide for the family. After hearing all of this within the first 3 hours of me being at work I just wanted to walk right over to my manager and say I QUIT! right there on the spot. Did I? No. I’m more sensible then that. I know that there will be other opportunities for me to see Logan rolling over and for other bizarre things to happen when I’m around (like the time Gizmo attacked a Siberian Husky right in front of me!). So for now I will just have to sit by and be content knowing that life is happening, and that it will still go on whether I’m there or not, and I will eventually be able to see my little boy hit his milestones (even if I am the last to see them).

MMMMM......MMMMM.......

So what's with all the m's? Well, Logan is what's up with themmmm. He found a new constant this week. Can you guess what it is?


That's right, it's M!

I was getting ready for work this morning and I just kept on hearing Logan in his room with Daddy. He was making a noise I had never heard him make before. MMMMMM....MMMMMM....MMMMMM....and then fussing (that I'm familiar with). I went in and asked Dustin if he was saying "MMMMMM". Yes. He started it yesterday when I was at work I guess.


So I started saying, like any Mommy would do, MMMAMMMA!  Logan just looked up at me and smiled a big smile.  Then I had to walk away to keep getting ready for work.  Again I would hear MMMMMM....MMMMMM....MMMMMM....and then that infamous fussing of my wonderful boy.  I would go back to him, he stopped fussing once he realized I was there, and then I would repeat MMMAMMMA, and then I would get the big smile yet again.

So what is my assumption?  Well, it's that Logan is TRYING to say "mama" and knows exactly who 'mama' is.  Also, that I will win the famous race of being the first word that my little guy says, specially since I still haven't heard any indication of the 'D' sound yet.

Come on Logan, just put the 'A' at the end of the 'M' and I will be even more happy then you already make me.  But really, any word will do.

Memorial Weekend - Sunday

So Sunday Logan was actually wearing CLOTHES!! Can you believe it?

It brought on the excitement of having a tick crawling on Logan's 'area' and then finding on crawling on me. Of course I started yelling for Dustin to come get them and KILL them. It was actually a bit funny because I saw the one crawling on Logan's 'Area' first, then within minutes I had to call Dustin back over to get the one crawling on my foot. I won't even touch them I'm so scared they will latch on to my finger once I grab them. this all led to the day's entertainment of making fun of me because I'm afraid of the ticks. So I obviously had to make fun of my mother-in-law for her fear of mice.

Fortunately no ticks were found on Logan! I'm hoping that he has the best of mommy and daddy. You see, ticks don't usually come after me. I might find 2 a year on me. The husband on the other hand...well, he'd be luck if it was just 2 a day. No worries though, I still get something biting me...Mosquitoes! They just flock to me, even if I don't eat bananas and eat garlic instead. My feet are still covered with those dang red marks. But I have such a reaction to them that I don't just get the little red bumps, I'll get welts, rock hard ones. The husband though, he gets a few bites, but not nearly as many as me. So, I'm hoping that Logan won’t be the strong attractant of either one of these pesky things like Mommy and Daddy are.

Logan didn't want to be out as much as he was on Saturday. I think it's just because he slept for most of the day (that last picture from yesterday's post was actually from Sunday). He was just so pooped out! Even I was pooped Sunday. I actually slept until 6:30am, which is sleeping in for me, then after a while I crawled back into bed with Logan and Dustin and fell back asleep. I couldn't believe it. I never do that anymore! And yes, Logan slept with us. He's going through a spell of wanting to sleep with us, and I'm hoping it wont last. You saw were he slept well this is were he was supposed to sleep, and where he did for a little bit.

The afternoon brought a welcomed surprise. Logan's Great-Great-Grandpa came for a visit (Dustin's Great-Grandpa). So I was actually able to get a 5 generation picture (though Jeremy, Logan's Uncle decided to stay home so he is not in the picture). And no Logan was not happy, he was TIRED! I put him down for a nap right after I finished taking the pictures.

Logan got on a 4-wheeler for the first time and was very curious as to what it was. No, he hasn't gone for a ride...yet. But I'm sure it's not too far off. Heck, everyone wants to get him his own 4-wheeler already. I know that I'm definitely going to have to invest in some ear plugs and fast for Logan.

I was finally able to get a picture of Logan with his Grandma Deb. As I was taking it she told me that I couldn't take pictures of her. Phh, I take pictures when I want! Logan needs the memories, and so do all of the rest of the family. I love to take pictures! This was the best since both of them were actually smiling. The rest of them Deb just looked grouchy...I guess I would too if I didn't want my picture taken.

Then I was also able to get Dustin to take pictures of me and Logan! I couldn't believe it! Seriously, Logan and I have hardly any pictures together. It's actually kind of sad I think. I will just have to make sure to force Dustin's picture skills again!

And finally, I ask Logan's Great-Grandpa S to take a picture of the three of us, a feat that hasn't been done until now. It's not the best, but at least it's something for now.

To end the day we went home. We stayed and gave Logan his bath and got him all snuggled up into his car seat and drove the 2 hours home during the first part of Logan's bed time. By the time we got home it was time for his dream feed. It really did just work out great!

Remember to be silly and make a silly face today...not only will it make others smile but it will make you smile too!