100th Post!!!

Well, it has been a few weeks since my last post. This new year is off and running, and I have barely had a chance to breathe. School is working our booties off, and we have all been stricken with some sort of crud since new years. Jacks was diagnosed with the croup earlier this week, and he was given antibiotics and a round of prednisone to treat it. I will definitely think twice before I willingly give my child steroids again - he was completely crazy. We had a bi-polar child for a couple of days. He was rip roaring mad one minute and high as a kite the next. I could have handled a few difficult nights if it was just coughing and cuddling, but it was screaming and writhing and wailing and hollering. Not fun. Needless to say, we are most relieved that he seems to be back to his normal self as of this morning, and we still have a few days until we have to return to work. (thank you MLK!!!)
As for baby news, there is nothing all that exciting to report. Nealy's crib bedding arrived, and I found some perfect fabric for her rocking chair. But, the room still needs to be cleaned out before I can put any of it together. I'm getting very anxious to get a lot of it done, but my abilities to actually move furniture and such is extremely limited these days. I'm so hoping it will be done before little Nealy decides to join us. She is regularly kicking and jumping to let us all know she's in there and doing well. Jacks is still not so into talking about her, but he is aware of where the baby is (he'll pat my tummy and "regard" her), and he knows he is going to have a sister named Nealy. As for being happy about it, I'm pretty sure he's not. At all.
For my hundredth post, I should be talking about our super wonderful major purchase of a new (to us) Dodge truck, but we need to take some pictures and such. So, I'll save that for a couple of more days. For now, you get to enjoy pictures of Jacks and his new big boy hair cut!! Of all of the hair cuts that Jacks has had in his life, we have been very careful to preserve his baby curls. I have had a lot of difficulty parting with them. So, as a result, he has always had a pretty shaggy hair cut that most people are especially fond of. But, today, the lady who cut his hair was pretty ruthless. I told her to please try to keep some of the curls, but she was clearly working as fast as she could (she has apparently worked with toddlers before). She did a lovely job, but all of a sudden, my precious little baby looks like a grown up boy! (excuse his mouth full of food): He is smiling this big because Joe thought it would be a good idea to give him a few tablespoons of cream soda. Jacks absolutely loved it, and he drank from his little shot glass with his pinky pointing out like a perfect gentleman at tea time.
That is pretty much all for now. I hope everyone is staying warm on this frigid cold weekend. If it's going to be this cold, we could at least get a little snow! As it is, it's just too dismal and dreary to consider going outside. Yuck!

Christmas in Pensacola slide show

We got so many good pictures from our trip that it is hard to narrow it down to just a few for a slide show. Joe is an amazing photographer. Sorry for the length of this slide show with so many pictures of my child. He is just way too photogenic, what can I say? So, to Mom and Dad, the only people who will likely watch this entire slide show, please enjoy!
Happy New Year to all! Love -K

Christmas in Pensacola

It has been a banner year - in that we have been able to get the entire family together for the holidays for the second time this year. And this time, my niece Emily was able to be with us, too! I'll be posting a slide show much later - we got LOTS of great pictures of all the kids at the bay - but for now, here is our entire family, no exceptions!

That's my brother Bob with his daughter Emily on the left end, then me with Joe, Chet and Queenie are in the middle with their dog Abby in front and Jacks holding Queenie's hand, and sister Carrie is at the right end with her husband John and their two daughters Jean Lousie and Laura. Of course, Nealy is here, too, she's just not out yet. That there is everyone, folks!!

We had a nice, long, leisurely trip. I got to see some old friends, Jacks got to play with his cousins, and we all got to enjoy lots of my mother's cooking (YUM)! Joe and I even got to go on a triple date one night to the Fish House, with two of my high school girl friends and their husbands. Dinner was delicious, and we all stayed up way too late talking. This is the second year Leah, Holly and I have made it a point to get together at the holidays, so it looks like it's becoming a tradition. However, from the amount of talking and catching up we had to do, we really should do it more often. The bar was ready to kick us out by the time we left, and we could have stayed much longer I'm sure! That's Brian and Holly on the left end, Leah with her Brian in the middle, then me with Joe on the end. This picture makes me feel incredibly large and maternal. The scarves are clearly hiding NOTHING!

Jacks proved to us that day care is the best choice for him for his daily routine, because as of Tuesday, he had been out of school for a solid week. And it became apparent that the routine of school is a necessity for young Jacks. Our plan was always to head home on Tuesday, but even if we had planned to stay longer, Jacks would have made sure we headed north that day. He woke up acting like a fool, exhibiting signs of major cabin fever. When he noticed we were loading up the car, his behavior made a lot of sense when he grabbed my hand, headed for the door, and declared, "Let's go, mommy, home, NOW!" Jacks has clearly had his fill of crazy holiday schedules and traveling. Since day care is open today for the last day this week (they are taking New Years Day and the day after off), you know where he is right now. I hope he had an enjoyable day back, because it's going to have to last him until Monday.

While he had lots of fun at Chet and Queenie's house.......


but there's no place like home. :) And we are all very happy to be back home today.

Happy New Year to everyone. 2009 is going to be a big one, since our little girl will be making her appearance with us come spring. Love to all - K

Christmas morning!!

Well, we have had a wonderful day so far, and we still have a great turkey dinner to enjoy tonight. Last night, my friend Bev had us over to her annual holiday dinner. She does it up real big with lots of ham and casseroles and treats. All of her kids and family are in town, and several of her youngest son's friends come over to enjoy the feast. Jacks was very well behaved for most of the night, only slightly losing his cool when it got well past bed time. He wouldn't eat dinner, but he enjoyed the following items: seasoned oyster crackers and spinach dip, sprite, watergate salad, the whipped cream off of tiny pumpkin pies, and most of a Sister Schubert yeast roll. So, we shouldn't have been surprised when we were beckoned to his room well after midnight to a sick baby. He didn't seem upset about it, and he wasn't even crying; he was calling for Joe very calmly. But, he had managed to make a pretty big mess of himself, and he had to change out of his special Christmas pajamas and give up his precious blanket for a little while while we did a load of wash.

Luckily, Joe and I were still awake since it was our first Christmas Eve where we had to play Santa's elves! Joe put together a Big Wheels and a Radio Flyer tricycle (the trike is from his grandparents, and Joe thinks all kids also need a Big Wheels). I helped a little by applying all the decals to the Big Wheels, as well as wrapping all the little gifts and stocking stuffers. Jacks must have known we were mostly done when he started to let us know of his predicament.
We are very sure it was overdoing the junk food that caused the mishap, because we have a happy and healthy toddler today who has thoroughly enjoyed his Christmas.

He bounded out of our bed this morning, and he happily discovered his new vehicles, and he proceeded to rip open his other little gifts. Surprisingly, his most favorite of his toys is a Mr. Potato Head set that he actually received for his birthday, but we saved for Christmas (thanks Sharry and Brandt!). He has been very busy all day taking off all of his body parts and replacing them each one by one. Has anyone played with a Mr. Potato Head lately? There are LOTS of bits and pieces - it is quite impressive! Mustaches of all types, a corsage, earrings, different types of arms, the list goes on. The fun is never ending. Jacks also got some books, a little remote control train, some matchbox cars, a new tee shirt, an Elmo sleeping bag, and a karaoke microphone. It has been a VERY big day. I would not be surprised if he tried to carry his Big Wheels to bed with him tonight.

After a long nap, a much needed bath, and a lunch of fruit and grilled cheese, we have been enjoying the remainder of the afternoon quietly puttering around the house and working on dinner. Jacks helped me stir the corn casserole and the pumpkin bread batter. He will prove to be quite helpful in the kitchen before much longer.

I do apologize for the rambling nature of this post - our day has been nice and slow, just like Christmas morning should be, so all that I have to report is pretty boring. We couldn't be happier. Now, I still have a full evening of wrapping and packing ahead of me to prepare for our big trip home to Pensacola tomorrow. We will have everyone there for a long weekend, and we cannot wait. Much love to all of you. I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours has been, and I hope it continues to be as much fun throughout the weekend into New Years next week. Happy Holidays to all - K

Here is Joe busily putting together the tricycle:

All of Jacks's new loot.


Jacks is pleased as punch with his new ride!


Check out my new flower brooches from Ivey Handcrafted (thanks, Tobi! They are beautiful!)

Last minute visit with Santa

We have been talking about it all month, we have seen him from a distance, we have thoroughly prepared for this ultimate Christmas Eve visit with Santa. Jacks and I talked about what he planned to tell Santa he wanted (a bicycle), and he felt that he was ready. We stood in line for about 10 minutes gearing up. Jacks showed no fear, and he even attempted to climb out of his stroller several times while waiting (I stuck, Mommy, I stuck!). Then, our turn came. The stroller turned a corner, and Santa was in full view. Jacks became red faced and nervous, and he proceeded to have a complete melt-down. He clenched down in his stroller begging me to not pull him out. I unbuckled his leg straps, and he frantically worked to re-buckle them! I finally managed to yank him out and carry him toward Santa. As soon as he reached the little Santa tableau, he stopped crying and attempted strained politeness. He managed to get out a, "Hey!" I tried to touch Santa's arm to show Jacks that he was okay, and Jacks was clearly skeptical. But, he is always the perfect gentleman (to an extent), and he was determined not to look like a damn fool in front of Santa in the flesh!
We planted him on Santa's lap, and he refused to smile. The "smile" you see in the picture is the best we could do. He scowled most of the time, but we forced him to say, "cheese," over and over again, so we managed to capture this uncomfortable, strained, borderline evil smile that comes off more like a smarmy smirk. But I am so proud of his valiant efforts to be nice and non-yelly when associating with a known celebrity like Santa!
Enjoy the pic. We were kind of expecting a red faced, screaming picture, but this strange smile is so much better. Merry Christmas, everyone! Our morning is going beautifully. :):)

Book Club Christmas Party

Another Christmas party has come and gone, and this year was just as fun as we always expect. Everyone was very relaxed and happy to be around close, old friends. There is nothing better than being very comfortable around people you've known for years and years. Snacks and drinks were enjoyed, the dirty santa game got very dirty as usual, and we partied much later than we ever expect. It was a good thing Jacks's babysitter was content to let him spend the night with her. Before I knew it, it was 1 in the morning, and we were still wired from all the fun of the evening. Cheers to all of our fabulous book club friends, and here is to many more Christmas parties to come. There are a few pictures posted below. I'll be sure to post a slide show soon - we got individual pictures of everyone signing our graffiti wall. Love to all - K

Checking In

It has come to my attention - from my friend Brandy - that I haven't been blogging much lately. Well, I don't really have all that much to say lately that doesn't involve fussing about being pregnant, which most people don't want to hear (in which case, you might want to stop reading now). This has been a rough time, I do have to admit. I am still getting sick, which is starting to reach a ridiculous level at 23 weeks and counting. Everyone around me manages to say the wrong thing ALL the time, and every single piece of advice people offer me just seems to incense me even more. So, here are some things NOT to say to any or all pregnant women:
1. Wow - you don't even LOOK pregnant!
So, basically you're telling me that I look morbidly obese, because the 28 pounds I've gained so far are certainly settling somewhere. And the fact that I've been wearing maternity pants since about week 6 makes me feel pretty freakin' pregnant. So, just stop. I'd rather look pregnant with quintuplets than this freakishly fat.
2. Have you tried eating crackers before you get out of bed?
Yes. I have tried every remedy in the book, and I have finally resorted to anti-nausea medication. If eating crackers before I got out of bed everyday would keep me from violently retching on a regular basis, I would do it. I'm not completely stupid. (the only thing I haven't tried is eating that white dirt stuff, and that's only because I don't know where to get it.)
3. What is wrong with your face?
Well, when you routinely get sick the way that I do, plus you have very fair skin, which I do, you are prone to bust the capillaries on your face due to the tremendous amount of strain that vomiting can cause. No, it is not abnormal. No, there isn't anything wrong with me. Yes, you can feel free to wipe that look of disgust off your face at any moment. I am not an animal.
4. What is wrong with your eyes?
Well, I am also prone to bust the blood vessels in my eyes. Lots of people get them. You have most likely seen someone with broken blood vessels in their eyes before, so don't act like it's a goiter shooting out of my neck, or something. Sometimes it can be due to stress or head trauma, or in my case, well....you know. I hate to continue to refer to my constant vomiting. It isn't lady like, and to talk about it with anyone and everyone is frankly humiliating and demeaning. Once again, wipe that look of pure disgust off your face. How wonderful for you to never have anything gross or abnormal EVER happen to you. Hoo-freakin-ray! I'm sure your poop smells like roses!
5. How far along are you? Why are you STILL getting sick?
Hmmmmmm - I don't EFFING KNOW!!!!! If I did, I would certainly do something about it, because I'm not a fun loving bulimic who enjoys the re-emergence of ingested goods.
6. Awwww - you poor thing. I feel so sorry for you!
Well, then, please spare your pity because it makes me feel like a sickly idiot. Do you feel sorry for me? Then, by all means, do something that might help me out. Come clean my house, bend over and pick up that thing on the floor, pitch in with your friends and buy me a massage. But stop treating me like I'm some kind of social pariah worthy of your pity.
At this point in time, I feel that I should point out that I am, indeed, growing a human being inside of me. A whole person who could go on to do wonderful things in this world. I am proud of the fact that I have the gift of reproduction, and based on the fabulous little person I'm raising right now, I feel like this one should come out pretty good, too! I might be having a miserable time right now, but I'm really doing a pretty great thing. Don't treat me like I'm some kind of a freak, because let's be honest, what do you have going on that's better than the gift of life? (this reminds me of Max Fisher's infamous line, "I saved Latin, what did you ever do?" Go watch Rushmore, now. And don't tell me later that you don't like that movie. It makes me judge you.)
Okay, can you tell I might have needed to get on my soap box a little bit? I feel absolutely terrible, but it really is for a good cause. And my activities have been hindered by this entire process, because in the last week it appears I may have pulled a muscle somewhere. So, in addition to feeling as bad as I do, I have had to cancel other obligations that I would really like to be doing right now. So, no, this pregnancy is not great. I don't really want to hear about how great YOUR pregnancy was, or how LITTLE weight you gained, or how you NEVER got sick, or even how you ALWAYS got sick. Your stories don't help me! They don't make me feel better or worse, they just make me like you a little less.
Happy Holidays, everyone! My next post will certainly be much more merry! Maybe.....