Life's Lessons...Take 1

I find myself rushing to pick doodle bug up after school. I cannot wait to hear about his day. Did he get a stamp for good behavior? How did lunch go? Did he stay on green for his behavior card? Did he make new friends? What did he learn? I also ask what was the worst part of his day. At 5, kids internalize and I want an open forum so that he knows it is ok to express all aspects of his day, not just what he thinks Mama wants to hear....

The worst parts so far have been that PE is boring- they just did stretches and the play ground rules. They cannot play tag..."but mama, that is an outside game!"

Day before yesterday, I didn't have to ask about his "worst part." He immediately told me what a great day he had- how he got a sticker for being a good listener and he successfully navigated the "tray" line in the cafeteria. He then said, "but I did have one bad part." He proceeded to tell me that he could not make it across the monkey bars. He could only make it through 3 of the 5 bars and an older girl laughed at him and said, "you are too little to make it across." "She laughed at me mama!" My heart sunk for him...Life Lessons- here they come! I assured him that he would eventually get across the monkey bars and that since it was his first attempt he should not be disappointed- just keep working on it. As for the girl, do not worry about her. Chances are that when she was in kinder she did not make it through them on her first try either. The next time someone laughs or makes fun of you for trying to do something, just tell them "I'm trying my best!" What can they say to that? He got a huge smile on his face and agreed that would be a good way to handle those situations. He did not give the incident a second thought.

Before I could get him out of the school yesterday, "Mama! I made it across the monkey bars." I am so proud of him! He kept trying and got it! He did not shy away because someone pointed out his weakness, yet used that as motivation. He is going to be just fine!

Laughter

I adore laughter. I love to laugh and I love to hear other people laugh. I keep things around that make me laugh. I bought this "butter" because the label makes me break into hysterics everytime I see it. It was first brought to my attention by my B-i-L, Val so I give him credit for finding this great invention that spoofs "I can't believe it is not butter." I'm not sure why I find it so funny but I do. Cleaver job HEB! It sets on the very top shelf of our fridge so that everytime I open the door there it is...."you'd think it's butter" but it is not dumb a$$$ ( I add in the last part and I guess that is why I find it so funny.) Buy you some it was on sale for $1.09 the day I bought it and let your giggle boxes go wild! I have not actually tasted it yet so I can only claim it as a humurous tool as I have no idea how it tastes!

First Day of School 2009

 

He woke up right away and ordered eggs 7 toast. I let him eat in bed (which is a huge no-no usually). He put on his clothes and new shoes and beat us downstairs. He looked so grow-up in his school clothes.

 

We decided because we live so close to the school and traffic is so bad on the first day that we would just walk to school. Good idea unless you are 8 months pregnant and wearing clothes for work and then it is not so fun. He talked the whole way there and did not seem at all nervous.

 

We arrived and were directed to the library where all the kinder kids gather. He sat in line with his class as a story was read to them. Daddy stayed right by his side. Cracks me up how much they are alike- they appear to have the exact same look in this picture.

 

And then the bell rang....daddy got his all situated and away he went with his class. He never looked back, never showed any hesitation and made us very proud.

I immediately turned away and the flood gates opened. The sweet principal offered some encouragement as did a few mothers I passed along the way. MSW and I walked back home hand in hand. When I picked him up he first said that he had a so-so day but that soon turned to a "wonderful day." He talked so fast and with so much expression for about 30 minutes straight telling me about everything. I think he really enjoyed it and is ready to go back tomorrow.

Kinder Ready

I wanted to have a special kinder-eve dinner for Doodle Bug. He picked the menu:
* Meatloaf
* Mac & cheese
* Spinach Salad
* Fresh green beans
* Double Chocolate Sprinkles cupcakes

The theme was "Kinder Ready!" I made him a crown and decorated the table. We talked about his expectations and all the things he has to look forward too.

 

 

 

 

Cupcakes for Camdyn

 

Cupcakes for Camdyn

I am so fortunate to have the most awesome friends who threw Camdyn and I the most amazing shower....Cupcakes for Camdyn! Everything was so beautiful and perfectly decorated! I could go crazy with posting tons of pictures but I will save that for her baby book. We were totally spoiled by our friends and family. Every gift was perfect!!!! I have so many blessings in my life. As we were carrying the loads of precious gifts up to Camy's room, doodle said, "Man this is one lucky girl." Yes, he is right....she is already loved so much!

 

The best hostesses ever! Natalie, Emily & Hope

 

Sign-in table. So many cute things everywhere! Love this little table that is now perfectly added to her room.

 

The goodie table....yummy cupcakes!

 

Natalie made these!!! I know they had to be soooo much work! They were absolutely beautiful and delicious.

Dear World,

Dear World,
Today I submit to you my child...my first born. For today he goes out into the world as a kindergartner! World, please go easy on him. Today is the start of many new things. Yes, it is an exciting time of math, science, reading, making new friends, etc.... But, it is also the start of him entering the real world. From now on, he will be REQUIRED to be at school. His days will be scheduled by state regulations and bells. There are also all the hard life lessons that await him....

As a mother, I have to take a step back and let him begin to navigate the world as I want him to grow to be an independent and productive human being. So dear world, make those lessons as easy as possible for him. Inevitably, some kid will pick on him and there will be times that he is left out of something and as a mother I can only hope those wounds will not run too deep.

As I stood back and watched him line up with his class, backpack on tight, lunch box in hand and pencils for teacher in the other; I watched my child walk away...walking into the real world. I hope that at lunch he finds my letter and remembers how proud we are and how much we love him. I hope that he is having a good day and I cannot wait to pick him up this afternoon.

Sincerely,
A mother's heart

Maternity Pictures

I have not hired a photographer in over 5 years. It is usually me working a timer and running into place. For these pictures, I wanted them done right. I wanted to capture the last days as a family of 3 with the anticipation of baby girl. I've been following the work of Kristin of Urth Studio for a while and knew that she had the style and skills that I was looking for. We had so much fun and I am thrilled with the results. I will have these pictures to always treasuer- such a time of anticipation, change, love, etc...

This is just a taste, our viewing gallery has tons more- it is going to be so hard to choose which ones to order.

Happy 34th, my love

August 13, 2009 marked his 34th birthday and he is 34 (and more) types of wonderful.

I love him because....

1. He is a really, really good person. He is honest, hard-working and good hearted.
2. He loves very deeply- he tells me every single day that I am his world. I know he means it.
3. He is really funny. He makes us laugh all the time. Last night, he put on my skirt and pranced into the room because he knew I needed a laugh.
4. He is gentle and kind. Chivalry is not a thing of the past for him.
5. He almost always tells me as we leave a party,gathering,etc..."you were the prettiest girl in the room."
6. He is smart! He is by far the youngest "leader" for his billion dollar company.
7. He is humble. I brag on him all the time but he never, ever does that. He is 34 and has already been drafted by the Chicago Cubs, achieved an MBA & CPA license and advanced very far in his career.
8. He coaches doodle's soccer and baseball teams. He always makes time for his family.
9. He has experienced great loss in his life (both parents by the age of 6). However, he is not bitter in the least. He has never used that as an excuse for anything and he still trusts and believes in God very deeply.
10. He is left-handed. I love that he does everything "backwards."
11. He is a total rule follower! He literally measures out 6 cups of water to boil macaroni. He does everything by the book!
12. He is really laid back. You will never see him in a panic or rush (I am the exact opposite and he keeps me grounded on this!)
13. He loves peanuts, Bob Marley and Landshark.
14. He loves to workout and looks better today than he did when he was 20.
15. He is my biggest fan but also not afraid to give me a reality check when I need it.
16. He makes it a point to meet me for lunch at least twice a week.
17. He is a total perfectionist- everything he does is with exact precision.
18. He does everything himself- he changes our oil, remodels the bathroom, puts in a kick-a$$ sprinkler system, etc...What he does not know how to do/fix, he just teaches himself and does it amazingly well!
19. He is very modest. He has no need to be flashy or showy- he drove the Yukon for 12 years and would have driven it forever if it had not died.
20. He comes home and will immediately engage in a race around the yard with doodle- still in his dress clothes and shoes.
21. He is a realist that leans towards and optimistic viewpoint.
22. He is a small-town boy that grew up working at the ranch, hunting and fishing but has no problem fitting into a more polished city life too.
23. He was raised by his great grandparents so he has very traditional, strong values.
24. He watches Seinfeld every night.
25. He does anything and everything to make us happy.
26. He is afraid of heights- the only fear I know that he has.
27. He taught himself how to play the guitar and is now teaching doodle bug.
28. He got braces at the age of 33 (Invisalign).
29. He speaks "our language" at home which is a blend of Spanish, p-town slang and made up words that we only know.
30. He spends every weekend with us.
31. His initials are the same thing upside down. MSW- now flip it and check it out. Cool, huh.
32. He is an introvert and let's few "in" but if he does let you in, he will make your life amazingly better.
33. He calls me every evening on his way home from work.
34. He is like none other! He is the most incredible, amazing, loving human being I have ever met.

Happy 34th sweetheart!

 

"Coach Mike"- he coaches soccer & baseball

 

You make 34 look wonderful!

 

I've always loved his eyes- such a unique blend of colors with perfect sunflowers around his iris.

 

He will kill me for posting this- but this is who he is, he comes home and is fun & silly and takes playing the Wii very seriously!

The sweetest thing....

 

He's your typical 5 year old boy. He can be so rambunctious & hard core and then he can be so incredibily sweet and gentle. He woke up in the sweetest mood and I have to capture all his sweetness of the day!

I dropped him off at one of his tee-ball teamate's house for his first drop-off playdate. I was sad...I have never left him at someone's house before. As I was kissing him goodbye, he looked into my eyes and said, "don't worry mama, just go watch a movie and you will see me soon."

I picked him up and we went home. He spent the entire afternoon cleaning the house. He mopped the floors, cleaned the bathrooms and dusted. At one point I begged him to stop cleaning, I felt so bad! He said he wanted to do it for me since I had to get all those shots. He's 5 and he cleaned the whole house!!! He has an amazing role model in MSW and it shows...in spurts...but it shows!

That evening, I announced I was going to take a bubble bath (as in, mama needs 30 minutes to her self!) If I ever shut the door, I think it makes MSW and doodle persistant on coming in. MSW- first, with a question. Doodle- next, another question. MSW- "just checking on you" doodle- you get the picture! He saw that look on my face that meant mama was about to fuss. Quickly he went into "cover-up mode", he sat my towel out, put toothpaste on my toothbrush and said, "I love you!" How could I get mad?

He's smart...charming...wild....sweet...rough...energetic....so much in one little guy!

The Calls....a happy ending.

We all have those things that we absolutely dread...the stuff you know you can get through but you REALLY, REALLY would rather not. I know for some that may be going to the dentist or speaking in public, for me it is having my blood drawn. I'm not really sure where the "phobia" began for me. Maybe when it was when I was little and busted my head open after jumping from the bed to the dresser and back again until I lost my footing and slammed head first into the dresser. There was blood and lots of it, so I am told. I think the deal was sealed when I first had blood drawn (that I remember) and then proceeded to faint right afterwards. Anyways, the point is that I am a chicken...a wimp....a complete lunatic when it comes to having my blood drawn. Needles...no biggie...that's not it, it is the fact that blood is being taken out of my body- blood that I just may need. Good blood. Blood that is supposed to stay there. I lost alot, ALOT of blood during doodle's delivery- I am talking blood transfusion type of loss and then there were the miscarriages.... So, I am way worse now then I was prior to those very scary events.

Of course, I knew that with pregnancy comes blood draws. MSW is very good about "distracting" me during the procedure. He knows what to say, how to take my mind off the fact that very valuable blood is leaving my body. I've been doing really good lately. And then I hit 28 weeks and it was time for the glucose tolerance test. I did just fine. My new OB has a lab right in her office and the phlebotomist is really good. I never gave the results a second thought.

Within 24 hours, I received a call that I failed the one hour test and that I would have to come in for the 3 hour test. This meant that I would have to have at least 4 blood draws in one morning. Four...I can barely make it through one! It also meant the possibility of having gestational diabetes. Truth is, I feared the test more than the results. Ridiculous, I am. I cried. I cried to MSW and my mom and dad. And then I put on my big girl panties and realized I needed to just get over it. And even though I told myself that, doing that was alot harder.

My support troops arrived. Mom stayed with doodle and MSW went with me. After a night of fasting, we arrived right at 8:30 to start the test. At first I had a glimmer of hope that the nurse had called me by accident. That in fact, it was someone else she needed back in for the 3 hour test. 30 minutes later, nope it was me, my file was just in the wrong spot. First blood draw done, I chugged the glucola (what a cleaver name) and went back to the waiting room for one hour. About 15 minutes later, my head started to spin and the air grew colder. It was about that time the nurse came out to check on me. "Are you ok honey? This is the point where most women faint or throw up." Geez, thanks. I was one blood draw down, there was no way that I was going to throw up and start over again. It soon passed and I dreaded for the hour to be up. It was about this time the massive amounts of sugar must have hit Camdyn. The girl was on a sugar high! She was in her own private performance of
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL.

I knew blood draw #2 would be ok. I was worried about #3 as I knew she would be going back to an arm that she already drew from. Sure enough half way through blood draw #3 my vein collapsed and she had to start all.over.again!! The expression on MSW's face told it all. #4 (which was really #5) went ok and I was free to go. After 16+ hours of not eating or drinking and 5 blood draws I was ready to go home. It was really not as bad as I feared. I really felt there was no way that I would make it through all of them without fainting, but I did. The results came a day and half later and the nurse reported, "I have great news!" I got lucky- no gestational diabetes. Still not sure why I failed the first but in the end the news was good and that is all that mattered.

So I faced my fear 5, FIVE, CINCO times in one day and I lived to tell!

Baby girl's room

I was waiting on the rocking chair- we got that on Friday evening and her name decal came in this afternoon before I took pictures. My OCD wanted it to be all done before I took "completion" pictures. The pink glow can be seen from the stairs- yes, it is very pink and I love every inch of it! Feels good to have it waiting for her. I am sure I will continue to rearrange the details and add in pretties as I find them, but the main stuff is in place. Daddy and doodle bug have helped so much and are becoming accustomed to all the girly things. I realize I am becoming a little nuts about having everything personalized. Can't help myself! She should have no problem spelling her name by the age of one! :)

 

View as you enter the room. Still not sure about the crib wall- love her name on there- the dots????hmmm....that could change?

 

I love sitting in the rocking chair...can't wait to be holding her and rocking as baby's playlist plays on the ipod.

 

This piece of furniture is a hand-me-down from my mom. New coat of bright white and some new hardware brought it back to life. I still need to fill in the shelves as time goes on. Bookshelf was originally in daddy's 1st college apartment when it was brown, it then had a gig as a green bookshelf in doodle's room and then a coat of white makes it Camy's. Doodle carefully went through all his books and picked out the ones he wanted to give to his baby.

 

Changing table area. There is too much "blank" on this side of the room right now. Not sure what to put there yet.