Stuff

Jack slept through the night a lot better last night. Of course, just because HE slept through the night, doesn't mean I slept through the night. I was up 3 times checking on him, making sure that he was still breathing and the vaporizer was still working. So still tired on the Mommy front.

I have an appt at the doctor's in about an hour. He doesn't sound like a barking seal, but he does have a deep chest cough now and it is sounding very "wet". I just hope that it hasn't turned into pneumonia. He also is running a fever.

I have posted a couple of wish lists for Jack from Amazon/Toys R Us and One Step Ahead store. So for all the grandmas, grandpa, aunties, and uncles out there who want to contribute to the Christmas Jack charity, there it is. The only thing Jack is getting from us is the train table/set.

I plan on posting for Laura also. Her birthday is Dec 5th, so it will be used as both birthday/Christmas Laura charity fund. It is really hard to buy for a pre-teen girl. Basically she loves clothes, but I usually don't pick out the "right" clothes and she has a TON of clothes that her mother bought her. So I am still trying to go through the online stores to come up with something for her wish lists.

Speaking of Laura, I think I signed up to be room mother at her school or something. I took her to school on Friday and walked up to her classroom with her. She loved showing Jack off to her friends who loved doting on him and he loved them doting also. So I was talking to another mother there who helps out in the morning corraling the kids into school and therefore cutting down on the chaos. I told her that I was about to become a SAHM and she jumped right on that. She said that they will be needing help with the Thanksgiving thing. Not even sure what the "Thanksgiving thing" is, but I signed up to help with it. Laura goes to a private school that really is phenomenal. It is K-8th grade and the way they really care about the kids and the entire environment is what public schools should be, but most likely not. She is also a grade ahead in math and spelling and learning French. I hope to have Jack attend that school if we are still in California when he enters school.

But right now, I have to get a little boy dressed and off to the doctor.

Happy Halloween Everybody! Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures of Jack in his costume for you later.

Have You Ever Tried To Sleep With A 30lb Almost 3 Ft Flopping Fish?

Because that is what it felt like last night when we had Jack sleep with us. I put him in bed with us because he woke up crying and coughing and miserable. But let me tell you, it isn't as easy to sleep with a toddler as an infant! I think the last time Jack slept with us was when he was about 7 months old and I thought he took up a lot of room THEN! But most of the night, I clung for dear life trying not to fall off as the flopping fish flopped all over the bed. I now understand how he is in totally different places of the crib everytime I check on him.

So needless to say Jim and I have had 2 sleepless nights where the combined sleep of both nights MIGHT add up to 8 hours. This croup thing is gonna kill us!

I do really feel bad for Jack because you can just tell he feels horrible. And I will probably keep him home tomorrow which means that he is going to miss the halloween party at daycare. I know that he won't know or understand what he is missing, but I will. I was looking forward to seeing the pics of him in his costume with the other kids.

On top of all this, I am having my "monthly time" and it is NOT a fun one. Major crampage going on here. It looks like another totally lazy day in Jackaroo World. Thank goodness for the fall behind time change!

Excuse me while I go get another cup of COFFEE!

Early Morning ER Visit

We took Jack to the ER this morning. It all started yesterday afternoon. He started to have a cough and I thought he was just getting the cold that both Jim and I have been fighting this week. So when he went to bed, I gave him some Tylenol and Pedia Care for the cough. I checked on him before I went to bed and he wasn't sleeping very well. He was tossing and turning.

I woke up at 3:30 am to him crying and making this god-awful sound in his chest. I picked him up and put him in bed with us. He was hot and just plain miserable. His breathing was really labored and I watched his chest sink in every time he tried to take a breath. Of course, my mind jumps to the worst. I remember Pat telling me that they came close to losing her granddaughter when she was around 18 months to RSV and it was pretty scary for a couple of days. So, yes I am thinking of all these horrible things in my mind as I am watching him.

So about 4:30 we get up and drive to the hospital. When we get there, his temp is 102.7, his cough is sounding absolutely horrible, and his heart rate is racing at 165! We see the doctor and he says to us that it is only Croup and not dangerous. Talk about relief. Of course I had heard of croup, but it didn't even occur to me that is what was wrong with Jack. The evil nurse gave him a shot of steriods to reduce the swelling of the airway and hooked him up to a tube of cool mist oxygen to open up the airways. He was such a trooper. He was so pitiful when they gave him the shot because he really couldn't cry very well without coughing and sounding like a seal barking. But, even the nurse said that he did really well.

We took his stuffed dog, Doggie, with us. At one point when he was breathing the oxygen, he gave some to Doggie to help Doggie breath better also. So cute!

So after we came home, we were THE laziest people on the planet today. All we did was sit around in our jammies (all of us) and watch tv. Jack played with his blocks, legos, choo-choos, and cars. He is doing better, but they say that it takes about a week for it to go away and it is always worse at night. I plan on having a long night.

In other news, our microwave is still out of commission. We couldn't get somebody to come to the house until this coming Wednesday. Hopefully it is the magnetron thingy because then it is still under warranty. If not, then we may have to buy another one. It came with the house and is one of those over the stove kinds. Argh. And tonight we had to heat up leftovers like the Pioneers did in the olden days. We had to use the oven! Gasp! Can Wednesday get here any sooner?

Getting The Urge

I got it bad I think. The big IT is redecorating Jack's room. I just spent about 30 minutes looking at toddler beds online. I really like the Thomas the Tank bed, but not sure I like it for $200. I know that when we do redecorate the room, it is going to be in Thomas motif. That's a given. The boy is so over-the-top crazy about Thomas, we just can't do anything else. So the question is to get him (and spoil the child even more!) the $200 Thomas toddler bed or another much cheaper (like under $100) toddler bed.

My other quandry is letting him sleep in a non-crib. In other words letting him sleep in something else besides a cage every night. I like the fact that when I put him down, he will stay there until I go pick him up in the morning. I am just not sure I am ready for his potential wanderings during the night. I know that at some point all kids have to make the transition because lets face it, they can't stay in cribs until they are 10 years old, right? But my question is how do parents get any sleep knowing that their little toddler has the potential to just wander during the night? And do you shut their bedroom door and just childproof everything in their room? But isn't that dangerous? Yeah Yeah. I know, I am being overprotective here.

The next question since I know it HAS to happen, is WHEN. Do I wait until after Christmas and all the excitement of having grandparents and auntie staying here? Or do I transition him soon so he can show his grandparents what a big boy he is sleeping in his big boy bed?

Questions! Decisions! Man this is hard!

Yay! I Can Post!

Our internet is still really slowwww right now. It is comparable to dial-up! I am really hating Verizon dsl at this moment. It seems like about every 6 months or so, it just wants to quit working. I call them up and they give me the run around and about a week later, it is working again. I am thinking about switching to another company. Hmm that is a good idea! Have to put that on my list of things to do when I am unemployed. That list is becoming quite long, I tell ya.

The other thing that is not working in the house is our microwave! Have you ever gone without a microwave for 3 days? It is hard! The thing just up and quit on me on Sunday. Another phone call I have to make. The thing is only a little over a year old. Geesh they just dont make things like they used to.

Yesterday, I stayed home sick. I think the flu shot that I got on Saturday made me sick. I started to feel it on Monday and in the middle of the night, I woke up really NOT feeling good. All I can say is Thank God for daycare in those situations. I took Jack to daycare yesterday morning, came home and promptly crawled back into bed and did not wake up until almost 1pm! But I felt better after that wonderful sleep. I will miss daycare when I am unemployed. His daycare is only about 5 minutes away from our house and it is so handy for times like yesterday.

Jack woke up this morning at 5 am. I was up myself at 4 am this morning, so it wasn't too bad. I think with all that sleep I had yesterday, my body said "enough sleep girl!". I got up at that early hour when nobody else was up and watched the Gilmore Girls episode from last night. Okay, just have to say that either Rory or Lorelie are just going to have to make the first move. They are both being stupid. And man was Emily cold to Rory after she found out that she was having sex! Geesh, what did she think? The girl is 21 after all. Yeah, I know, I get pretty passionate over Gilmore Girls.

I am trying to get Jack to take a nap right now. I told the office that I would be in sometime today to get some things done. I am going to have to take Jack with me, so that should be fun! We'll see just how well that goes over. Thank goodness the boss is out this week and won't see the destruction that my little tornado can do to the office. Can I just say again that I can not wait to be unemployed?

Oh yeah, Jim's sister and her husband is arriving tonight for a visit. She lives in Seattle and I haven't met her yet. I am looking forward to meeting her because she really does inspire me. Without going into much detail, Jack is actually named after her two sons who were killed in a tragic boating accident when they were 3 and 6. She also lost her husband in the same accident. How she managed to survive is beyond me. I am pretty sure you would have to lock me up in a padded cell. Anyway, I am looking forward to meeting her. Of course that means a flurry of cleaning activity once I know that the boy is truly asleep napping.

Weekend Adventures

I tried to post all weekend long, but to no avail. Our internet was being soooooo slow that it would freeze up whenever I tried to get into the blogger post. So here I am at work posting.

We up and did it on Saturday. We cut Jack's hair. I will have pictures later when I can get the internet working at home. But he looks so much older now! Both Jack and Daddy got a haircut at the same time. Jack started to cry, but when he was turned around and saw that Daddy was getting the same thing done, he stopped crying and took it like a big boy. I do miss the curls and Pat, his daycare lady, was upset at the loss of his curls. But he looks so much better now, I have to admit. He was looking pretty much like a ragamuffin child!

He suddenly seemed to start communicating this weekend. Yesterday morning he walked up to me and said "wheres Sissy?" I told him that she was taking a shower. I could tell that he didn't understand the word shower, so I said she is taking a bath. He said "Bath? Okay." He then runs down the hall to the bathroom and starts pounding on the bathroom door yelling "Sissy Sissy Sissy". After a few minutes of not getting Sissy's attention he walks back into the family room, hands the remote control to me and says "ChooChoo". Which meant he wanted to watch Thomas. So I put on one of the Thomas shows. He then crawls up into my lap and is so happy to just sit there and watch Thomas. He is just spouting new words daily now. So fun to watch and hear!

I also went shopping this weekend for new clothes for him. He had 2 pairs of long pants that fit him. The kid now is wearing a 2T. He also got a Thomas the train shirt that he literally hugged all through the store. Do ya think the kid likes Thomas? I also got Laura's birthday covered that is on Dec 5th. She is getting a really cool pair of pjs, a couple of cool shirts, and a chearleading teddy bear dressed in her chear team colors and her name on it. So cute.

We went walking around the outlets yesterday and Jim saw this Thomas Lionel train set and before you know it, he and the owner guy of the hobby shop were talking strategy on how to hang the track around a kid's bedroom. Yeah, Jack will probably have a Thomas the train Lionel set running around the ceiling of his bedroom. Can you say spoiled child?

Oh Man I Remember That

Laura came to me last night crying. It was after I told her to go to bed and I had just gotten in bed myself. She comes in my bedroom with tears running down her face. She was saying that she missed her Mom and she tried to call her but she wasn't there.

So I tried to do my best Mom to her. As a step-parent you walk a fine line between friend and parent. I figured now was the time that I needed to be parent. So I hugged her and just let her cry on my shoulder for awhile. It came out that some girls at school were being really mean and snotty to her and they made her cry in school earlier this week. And boy do I remember how horrible girls can be to other girls. I was that girl that was picked on a lot, probably because I was so shy and sensitive and they sensed it, like animals sense fear.

I tried to give her my best "boost your self esteem, you are better than them" talk. Because really that is what is all about - self esteem that at 9 or 10 years old, you are sorely lacking. Not to mention, she is dealing with her mother's sickness, her parents being divorced, and having 2 homes. I told her that I thought she was one terrific kid and it was okay to cry - part of being a girl is crying.

When I told her to go try to get some sleep, she walked away and then came back and gave me another hug and told me that "I am not her stepmom, but her other mother". Ahhh, I started to cry then!

Early Morning Wake Up Call

Jack woke up at 5:30 am this morning. On MY day off. This kid has to understand between days off and days on. Thank goodness there won't be any days on very soon, but still the kid needs to know the difference.

I brought him into bed with me. Jim had left for work already. He was gone at 3:30 - poor guy. So Jack thought being in bed with Mommy and the kitties was just the funnest thing in the world. He jumped and rolled and laughed, pretty much everything BUT sleeping.

Unfortunately, I won't be there when he crashes for his afternoon nap, because I know he will crash after that early morning romp. I promised my friend Mark that I would go over and help him with the payroll today. I have been helping him out the last couple of weeks. He was just hired on as the general manager of a maid service. It is a pretty big operation to manage, not something I ever really thought of. So for all my hardwork helping him with the totally screwed up accounting system they have, I am going to get my house cleaned for free in December right before my entire family shows up for Christmas. Yay for clean houses!

Well Elmo's World is over and I need to get over. (Elmo's World allows me to get on the computer without a child whining for my attention)

Lame!

Jack and his diaper rashes are going to be the end of me, I just know it. Although his latest rash is clearing up and looking a lot better than on Sunday when it was bleeding. I decided to call today to get him into see his doctor and see if there is anything he can give me to clear up whats left of the rash this time and maybe to help the future rashes (yes I know they are going to happen, just like death and taxes, there is Jack's butt and rashes!). I also thought that I could get Jack a flu shot and kinda cross off two things off my to-do list.

So I call the doctor this morning at 9 am and I explain to the receptionist that I would like to get my son an appointment today. She puts me on hold for like 5 minutes and comes back finally to say that I could bring him in at 2:15. I repeated it back to her "2:15?" and she said "yes". I think cool.

So I get there at 2:08 and guess what? They are CLOSED. It seems that they close at NOON on Wednesdays! Now how in this world could that person I talked to make me an appointment at 2:15? And why in the world do they close at NOON on Wednesdays???? I really do like Jack's doctor, but his hours suck and his staff is NOT nice, or at least most of them anyway. They close at NOON on both Wednesday and Friday and on the other 3 days, they are closed from noon - 2:00 for lunch! Who gets a 2 hour lunch?

Trust me, they are going to be hearing from me tomorrow!

Obligatory Morning Picture

Boy watching The Wiggles in his jammies holding Doggie and Murphy.

Looks Like We Need To Hide The Christmas Presents

I posted earlier about how we bought Jack a train set for Christmas. Well we also bought 2 of the train engines from the Thomas set - the Thomas train of course and the Jack train of course. Jack knows Thomas so well now that when he sees it in the store his eyes light up and he starts squealing in delight. In fact, he drug the Thomas board game behind him throughout the store until I could get him occupied on another toy.

This obsession with Thomas led to a problem tonight. I had the 2 Thomas trains sitting on the counter and Jack happened to spot them. I told him that he could not have them right now. The crying, screaming and tantrum that followed was of epic proportions. I tried to get him interested in his legos, mega blocks, the bouncy ball, his play phone, and his corn popper, but NOTHING would get his mind off the 2 little trains that sat on the counter. Do ya think that I need to hide the Christmas presents from now on?

Well I Did It

It as in gave my notice today to quit my job. I thought that I would feel a little more regret than I do, but really I just can't wait to walk out of here! I have been with this company for 6 1/2 years and have seen a lot of changes. My responsibilities have grown tenfold since signing on to be just their accountant. I have been very loyal and could of gone elsewhere to bigger paychecks, but I stayed here because a) I was loyal and wanted to help the company and b) I was comfortable and knew my job inside and out. And did it very well, thank you very much.

But today after I told my boss, all I wanted to do was run out the door! Forget loyalty. I gave him 4 weeks notice stating that my last day would be Nov 11. He will probably be asking me to come in on a consulting basis and help them through year-end which nobody knows how to do. Ha! I get extra moola.

But as of Nov 11, I will officially be a SAHM. I can. not. wait.! I already looked up online and there is a playgroup of about 30 mothers in my area that have get togethers twice a week and even Mom's night out events. They are all like so organized with their own website and message board and everything. Impressive. I also am going to enroll Jack in My Gym probably starting after the holiday craziness. It is pretty spendy, but I think it will be so good for him.

Whew! What a relief. I think a thousands pounds were just lifted off my shoulders.

Lazy Rainy Day

We did not end up going to the fair today. It was raining and cold here today. So instead we made a trip to Toys R Us for some early Christmas shopping. Laura was with us, so shopping for her was out. Although I think I am going to get her one of those kid's video cameras so she can take her own video and edit it on the computer.

Anyway, as usual Jim and Jack found their way to the cars, trucks and trains sections and were BOTH totally enthralled with all things testosterone. It really is funny to see them both check out a car or tractor and start pushing buttons. Laura and I just roll our eyes at the boys.

We did buy the train set that I was looking at on Amazon. It was on sale at $20 off. We also got him a Thomas engine and a Jack engine of course to go with the train set. Oh yeah and I got a new winter coat for Jack which was only $14 on sale. Score!

We also took advantage of their buy one board game and get one free sale. We bought scrabble and sorry in case you were wondering.

After Toys R Us we went to get lunch. While we were sitting there, Jack started fidgeting and whining. I was thinking it was just nap time. But then I could smell that he needed his diaper changed. And when I changed him, I could not believe his bottom. In a matter of 3 hours, his bottom went from just slightly red to blistered and actually bleeding! It is the worst diaper rash that I have ever seen him have. Poor thing, I would have been screaming my head off if my bottom was like that. I really don't know what is up with his diaper rashes. He goes for a couple of months with nothing and then all of a sudden, it just sprouts. I seriously have every single diaper rash treatment on the market I believe.

When we came back home, Laura and I played Scrabble while Jim and Jack took naps. Poor Jim, he has to go into work tonight at midnight for a 14 hour shift. He works so hard!

Oh and now it is thundering! I guess summer is over.

Wallace & Grommit will go down in History

As the first movie that Jack saw in the theatre. He did really well. There was only one time that I had to take him out of the theatre because he was screaming. I have no idea what came over the kid, maybe it was a scary scene in the movie, but he was NOT a happy Jackaroo. But he walked back in like a big boy and up the steps and everything was fine after that. I am not sure he watched much of the movie. He was very interested in his popcorn and drinking the pop with the straw. At one point I sat him in the chair next to me, which he wasn't heavy enough to make it go all the way down so he sat with his legs up and he thought that was the funniest thing. But he sat there with his legs up in the air and his bag of popcorn and he looked like such a little man.

We then went into the mall WITHOUT a stroller. Oh yeah that was fun. He was running through the mall squealing and man that kid can run fast. There is a reason for strollers I tell ya.

But a fun day all in all. Jim has been having weekends off and he just makes the weekends so much better by having him around.

I think we are off to a small country fair today, that is if it doesn't rain on us. But if it does, we are gonna play some board games and just have a good family day.

One Week Later

Well it has been one week since I started following the diet prescribed by the doctor I saw at the wellness clinic. And I am a true believer now! I waited until now to mention anything on the blog because I wanted to give it one whole week, but I can now say that I feel like a completely new person! It is truly amazing. Before, I literally thought that there was some dreaded disease wrong with me. I could barely function and walked around like a zombie not enjoying life at all. Everything was a chore, including just getting out of bed or playing with my son. I forced myself to trudge ahead and just do it.

But now, I feel like the weight of an elephant has lifted off my shoulders! Literally! I can't put into words just how much life has improved for me. I now jump out of bed at 6 am or before not feeling like I need another 10 hours of sleep, but feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. I have WHOLE days where I do not have ANY headache whatsoever. Before, there was never a minute that I did not have a headache. The headaches were just varying degrees of pain is all. I don't walk around in a mental fog and it literally hurt to think before. Now I am able to do my job so much better and efficiently. Kind of ironic that my boss gets on me about not being at work enough when I now FEEL good enough to work. HA! His loss.

I feel like my old self. My self that was BEFORE Jack invaded my body. I kept telling people that a year and half later, I still have not recovered from pregnancy and they would laugh, but it was the truth. I have read a couple of books (and this one) about this condition this week and both of them say that pregnancy is a factor in how this starts. Also my pre-eclampsia during the last 5 weeks of my pregnancy worsened matters. Part of that was my fault because during my 5 week bedrest (torture), I pretty much ate non-stop and all nothing but bad stuff.

The diet itself is pretty easy to learn, but hard to follow at least in the beginning. For the past week, I have had NO sugar of any kind, including natural sugars from fruit. I have had NO bread, pasta, dairy. I have had a lot of vegetables (any veggies except potatoes and corn), tuna salads, chicken breast (made some really yummy chicken the other night). I made fajitas last night and just did not have any tortillas. The first couple of days were really hard. We went shopping at the Commissary last Sunday and all the halloween candy was sitting there and I was literally salivating! But the last few days, I have no more cravings for sugar and in fact, am rarely even hungry! But I noticed that when I do get hungry, it comes on fast!

I have been taking vitamin supplements also that are supposed to help kill off the yeast in my system. I have even managed to lose about 4 pounds! Who knows maybe by the time Jack turns 2, I will actually be back to the weight I was when he was conceived!

My dramatic difference has shown itself in other areas. My house is cleaner, laundry is caught up, and I have made dinner almost every night this week. My disposition is much better also. The proof was last night when I took Jack and Laura to Toys R Us to buy diapers and check out stuff for Xmas. I saw that the play doh sets were on sale - buy one for $9.99 and get another for free. So I picked up 2 of them. When it was rang up, they charged me for both and the incompetant girl at the cash register was rude to me saying that it was no longer on sale. I argued that the sign was still up and I want my $10 back! Well after 15 minutes of a manager coming and going and doing who-knows-what, I finally got my $10 back. If this had happened before, I would of probably tried to get that poor girl fired. Everything would just set me off. Talk about permanent PMS!

So yeah, I highly recommend this diet to anybody who is feeling like crap and wondering why.

The Obsession Grows

Jack's obsession with his stuffed animals is getting out of hand. Yesterday, I was trying to go to the grocery store. I was telling Jack that we were going bye-bye, which usually makes him run to the door and say "ready", which sounds like "why" coming out of his mouth, but it is his ready. But not yesterday when I wanted to do a quick run to the grocery store. No my child had to throw a temper tantrum for 3 minutes. The reason? I told him that his stuffed animals had to stay home. He now has 4 that he can not be parted from. There is Doggie, Murphy, Wiffer, and now Mr. Bear the latest addition from the zoo trip. And the boy can't even hold all 4 at once, which doesn't stop him from trying and ends up with handing one or two to me to carry for him.

Anyway, yesterday I could tell that he was visibly upset at the thought of leaving the stuffed animals at home - ALONE! I mean there were tears, real tears, coming down his cheeks! So I thought, why not and let him carry them to the car, with me carrying Murphy and Wiffer. So I get him all strapped in and pile the animals on top of him and he looked so cute. I had to take this picture of him with my camera phone. At least I figure, he is a bit safer with all that cushion in front of him!

Big Changes In Jackaroo World!

Big Big Changes! And no it is not another baby coming, although that would be a big change now wouldn't it. But, this big change is that I am QUITTING my Job! I am going to officially give my letter of resignation on Monday, but the decision has been made - I am going to be a Stay At Home Mother (SAHM).

I am scared and excited all at the same time. I am scared about the finances and not having my own paycheck is going to be pretty weird. I am very independent person and like making money! I am also scared if I can handle being a SAHM. Can I handle Jack 24/7? THATS a scary thought right there. I am dropping his daycare obviously and don't have any babysitters in my area, except for my friend Janet who is about 20 minutes away. I am going to start asking around to see if I can score a couple of good reliable babysitters in my neighborhood. I am feeling bad about taking him out of daycare because he does love it so much there and I know that the social interaction with the other kids is really good for him. He is such a social kid. I asked Pat, his daycare provider, if she does "drop-ins" where I can drop him off for the day, but she doesn't. She is usually running full capacity for kids. I know Jack is going to miss her a lot.

The reason for this big change, is because the work environment has changed a lot in the last month or so. I know that my boss wants a full-time person in my position and I just won't do it. I offered to go 4 days a week, but 6 hours a day. He said okay, but I know that he still is not happy with my hours. He said that my work is really good, but I just need to be there more often. He is the one who offered for me to leave and go on unemployment that he would okay. And after running the numbers of unemployment and comparing to what I bring home after daycare and gas, well the numbers were VERY close. So that got me to thinking and I came home last night and Jack is the one who made my mind up. He was so cuddly (something he very rarely ever is!) for some reason. It felt to me like he was feeling like he has not seen me very much this week and couldn't get enough of me. He kept walking up to me and giving me huge hugs and kisses and just sat and cuddled in my lap for like 20 minutes. So I made my mind up right then and there last night.

Jim is happy about me quitting. He has been after me for a long time to quit. I think that with me not working, life around here is going to be a lot easier on all of us. Less Stress and and more happiness!

Thinking About Cold Weather

I was looking through the Lands End catalog this morning and I have to admit that for about 5 seconds I actually kinda sorta missed the cold weather that I grew up with in Michigan. I think what I miss is the snuggling up in warm clothes, but what I don't miss is the day in and day out living with snow and ice - yuck!

It is getting cooler here in California. It actually is quite chilly at night and in the mornings, but it has been in the mid-80's during the day. I guess I am missing the fall weather, not really the cold weather.

Speaking of cold weather, I have ordered Jack's "big" christmas gift. Jim finally got paid for his FEMA duty (YAY!) and thought I would get a jump start on Christmas this year. This is what I bought. I have been looking at them for some time now and for the money, this is really good. These train sets can go up to $500! No way I am going to spend that kinda money on the kid. I also am going to order Laura a couple of things and then put some money away so that Christmas isn't soooo hard this year.

Anyway, I am off today from work. I am going to go help my friend Mark who just started a new job and is having a bit of problems with the accounting part of it and well since that is my speciality, I said I would help out. He really needs it. Jack is being dropped off at his Aunt Janet's house to play with her other daycare kids.

Sentences!

Jack's vocabulary is growing these days and he has learned to put more than one word together at a time. Now don't get me wrong, most of the stuff he says is complete gobbligook to me. But, every now and then something will get through and it amazes me what he says.

Last week we were watching Laura at her cheer practice. This is always a fun thing to do with the Jackaroo because he is constantly wandering off onto the practice mat where the girls are. But there is a big sign posted that no siblings are allowed on the practice mat. Anyway, he was standing on my lap and happened to glimpse Laura doing her stuff and he does his little squeal and points at her and says clear as day "Thats my Sissy". Even the other mothers around me were staring at him in awe!

And then tonight we were sitting on the floor playing with his legos. He walked away to go get one from across the room, he comes back and hands it to me and says again clear as day "Hi Mom".

It is amazing how the little things can just tear at your heartstrings and you think you can't love this kid anymore than at that moment. This mother thing is the best!

Problem Solving

Jack was playing with his dump truck tonight. It actually is a pretty good sized dump truck. He was pushing it all around the family room as Jim and I were watching tv. When he got to the coffee table, he tried to push it under the coffee table, but the truck got stuck and wouldn't go under the table. So my smart genius (future Harvard grad) son went around to the other side of the table and pulled it through from that side. Pretty good problem-solving capabilities if you ask me, especially for a 19-month old.

The next problem we need solved is HOW are we gonna afford Harvard?

Lazy Saturday

Today has been a lazy Saturday. Here is a picture of Laura and Jack watching cartoons together this morning. Notice the ever-present Doggie also known as Jack's best friend.



And here is a picture of Daddy and Jack watching drag racing together. The boy was totally mesmerized by the zoom zoom cars. Notice the presence of the other best friend known as Murphy. The boy loves his stuffed doggies.

I Wasn't Going Crazy!

Today I had my appointment at the Wellness clinic and let me tell you what a difference between this place and pretty much every other doctor on the planet. I actually was able to sit down and have a conversation with the doctor at the clinic. She was so nice and just sat there and listened to what I had to say and did not brush me off or try to push pills on me to make me feel better. She asked questions about my pregnancy and the birth and the postpartum. I told her about my crazy schedule and everything that has been happening in our family lately. She sat there and listened to me for 45 minutes!! At the end she looked up from her notes that she was taking and said "I can help you". What a nice set of words to hear when you are basically feeling like shit and thinking you are going out of your mind.

She said that the reason I am having most if not all of my symptoms is because she thinks I have something called Candida. Below is just something that I copied from a website about Candida.

The most commom symptoms are: an incapacitating fatigue and problems with concentration and short-term memory, flu-like symptoms such as pain in the joints and muscle, extreme tightness in the shoulders and neck, hyper-acidity/acid reflux, brown colored mucus in the back of the throat, blisters in the mouth/tongue/throat, either white or "blood blisters," unrefreshing sleep, sore throat, white coated tongue, dark circles under the eyes, an aversion to being touched or jumping, "crawling" skin, chronic sinus problems and headaches including migraines, chronic dental problems.

Visual disturbances may include blurring, sensitivity to light and eye pain.

More of the physical symptoms may include chills and night sweats, shortness of breath, dizziness and balance problems, sensitivity to heat and/or cold, alcohol intolerance, gluten and/or casein intolerance, irregular heartbeat, irritable bowel, constipation and/or diarrhea, painful gas and abdominal bloating, low-grade fever or low body temperature, numbness, tingling and/or burning sensations in the face or extremities, dryness of the mouth and eyes, difficulty swallowing and projectile vomiting.

All the bolded items, are the symptoms that I have had and I thought that I was really going crazy. The doctor thinks that I have had this Candida since I was pregnant and has just gotten worse over the time. Basically what it is where yeast has gotten outta control in your body and has taken over your body. Hopefully with a good diet and vitamins, I can get back on track.

It was just nice to be taken seriously and know that there really is a reason why I have been feeling like I have been and not going crazy. I think my husband was about to call his brother who is a pyschiatrist and check me into the nuthouse! Yeah I was that bad.

How Sad Is This?

Today I have a doctor's appointment near LA. It is at a wellness clinic that checks you totally over and sees what they can do for you. I have been feeling pretty lousy lately, so I thought I would go do this and got an appointment. Hopefully they will just listen to me and my scheduled life to the nth degree and just tell me that it is all stress - who knows.

But anyway, in order for me to be able to actually go to the doctor near LA, Jim had to take the day OFF! Why? Well, you see, I couldn't take Laura to school and then who would take care of Jack because his daycare is not available on Fridays (I told her that I would have Jack on Fridays from now on and she has scheduled other kids that day). Oh yeah and Laura was getting out of school early today at noon, so there was that. In essence, with me being in LA for the day, meant that Jim had to take the day off. I am very grateful to him for doing that. He even mentioned the reason why to the Port Director (the Big Cheese) and he said that hope your wife feels better.

So that is what I am doing today...getting poked and prodded and hopefully come up with some reason why I am feeling lousy with a headache every single day.

How To Go From Zero To Mad In 3.6 Seconds

Have your husband call you at work and tell you that TPTB (The Powers That Be) are telling him that he has to go to Wash DC for 3 months starting in a week! Yeah. Can you say Mad? Jim called me on Monday to tell me this little bit of joyful news. It actually is a very big compliment because the big cheeses in DC really like what he does and they want him to show off. But, um, Big Cheeses, the man has a family and a life ya know. Do they realize how hard it is just to leave family and life for 3 months? But as it turned out the TPTB here in California actually wanted him MORE and said NO to the DC Big Cheeses. But, I have a feeling that is just temporary and in the near future his little trip to DC is gonna happen. I know that Jim loves his job and its a great job and important and all and provides us with a secure future, BUT it can be a major Pain In The Ass (PITA).

But because the TPTB here in California say he is so important to them, he has been put on the 8-5 shift instead of the 6-2 shift. I HATE that and so does Jim. It means that it can take over 2 hours for him to get home at night because of the oh so lovely traffic at that time. That means he never sees Jack during the week because a lot of the time, Jack is in bed or very close to bedtime when Daddy gets home. It also means that Laura is my responsiblity to take to school AND pick up from school. How one does all this AND try to keep MY job (which we kinda need if we wanna keep the house) is down right impossible. Oh and also get Laura to her cheer practice twice a week. All this and NOT going insane. Yeah. Mission Impossible.

In the Jackaroo News Department - He has been sleeping ALOT lately. It has become quite difficult keeping the kid awake much past 7pm these days. He is soooo tired around 6:30, that he will just stand and scream and scream and scream. When I ask him if he wants to "go sleepies" he nods his head and runs off to his room. He also doesn't wake up until 12 hours later! My thinking is that he is going through another growth spurt and will sprouting another inch or two very soon. Oh Yay, I get to buy more new pants for the boy.

He also has been talking a lot more, or I should say copying whatever we say. When I am yelling at one of the 4 leaches in our house (aka pets) he will go up to them and start yelling the same thing. So funny.

He also absolutely LOVES having his sister live with us. The first thing he says when he wakes up in the morning is "Sissy" and just lets out this squeal of delight when he sees her. I also think it is good for her to know that somebody loves her so much and unconditionally. The girl has been having some self-esteem issues lately and having a little brother squeal in delight when he sees her, helps in that area. The two are going to be very close when they are older, I think.

And today is his 19th month birthday. Good Grief. He is growing up so fast. 19 months is closer to 2 years old than 1 year old. Oh my gosh, he's going to be 2 in five months! So I guess when somebody asks how old he is, I can say "almost 2".

Jack In The Box

Let me just start this post out by telling ya a little bit about me as a child. I was afraid of everything. Not just one or two things, but EVERYTHING. And in particular Jack-In-The-Boxes. They scared me to death. I mean you really never know WHEN that clown is going to jump outta that box. And it is frightening!

Flash forward over 30 years. Jim brought home a Jack-in-the-box from MS. The kid LOVES the thing. He starts to laugh his little head off and wants to twist the crank over and over again. He even goes up and plays with the evil clown! Yeah just another proof that not much of me is in that kid. In this case, it is a good thing.

Decisions Decisions!

Okay nobody told me going into this mothering, parenting gig that Halloween was such a tough holiday! I mean the decisions to make are sooo many. What shall my child wear for halloween? It seems like an innocent enough question doesn't it? But let me tell you, I have agonized over this very decision for the past 2 weeks. I have scoured online costume shops and catalogs in search for THE right costume. Really folks, it is NOT that simple!

First off, the sizes! It seems like all the cool costumes are made for the big kids like size 4 and up and the other category of costumes are for the babies like 12 months and down. What about for those kids in between? Seriously there are not a whole of options out there for the 24month 2T options. And you have to buy online or catalog because in the store - nothing for that size range.

Second, when you do find options in the appropriate size. The next question is WHAT is he gonna be. Do I wanna go all out with an elaborate costume? Believe me they are out there. Or something simple since it really is only one night and he won't remember it anyway.

So I pick option #2. Then there is there is the fact MY kid will NOT wear anything on his head. Period. Nothing. If it touches his head, it is coming off. So that narrows the costume choices by about 95%. Because they all come with a cute hat of some kind or another.

I tell ya, the decision was HARD. I did finally decide on something and ordered it online. No. You are not gonna find out what the Jackaroo is gonna wear for halloween until the time is right. I was just letting ya in on how HARD it was for ME.

Zoo Day

We went to the San Diego Zoo today. All 4 of us. We had a really good time and was really good to spend the day with all of us together as family time. If anybody has been to the SD Zoo, you know that the place is full of up and down steep hills and is a total work out for those of us not used to such things (like me). A few years ago, they put in these moving walkways to go up the steep hills, which are a very good idea for those out-of-shape butts like mine. BUT the walkway wasn't working when we wanted to us it. Yeah that was fun walking up the VERY steep grade. Jim did it with Jack on his shoulders. The man is superman I tell ya.

But we had fun and saw all kinds of animals. Jack got a big kick out of it all. Even Laura had a good time, even being in her pre-teen girl mood that she was in.

I think the big highlight of the day for Jack was at the end when we took a ride on the miniature train. The kid totally got into the "choo choo". In fact after the ride was over, he got out and started looking all around the train, as if he wanted to check out how the thing was made. He then started to crawl back onto the train and was NOT happy when Daddy pulled him off screaming.

Oh yeah and we added to our stuffed animal zoo that seems to be multiplying as we speak in our house. Of course we can't take Jack anywhere near stuffed animals in a gift shop without him latching onto one like it is his long lost best friend of all time. And today was no exception. He latched onto a polar bear and would not let go. period. So being the parents that spoil their children to death, we bought the polar bear. And of course since we buy one for Jack, we have to buy one for Laura. The curse of having 2 children. And on the way home in the car they were playing together with their bears in the backseat. Pretty cute.

So now everybody has gone to bed and for once, I have outlasted them all. A first. Usually I am the one dragging my out-of-shape butt to bed before anybody else. So on that note, since I have the tv to myself, I think I might just watch something besides Disney, Spongebob, Sesame Street or The History Channel. Wow!

The Boys Only Club

To kill time today before we had to pick Laura up, we decided to hit up Toys R Us, or also known as "The Two Boy's Heaven". Because my two boys (Jim and Jack) were just like two peas in a pod when it came to the cars, trucks, tractors, bulldozers, boats, and pretty much anything that made a rumbling sound. At one point I came around the corner and saw the two of them squatting down to check out a toy bulldozer that did about 28 different things and made about 56 different sounds. Oooohhh Aaahhh. It was so funny because when I saw the two of them checking out this "awesome" (Jim's word not mine) toy, I had a flash back to when I was pregnant and could only imagine that these times would happen. When the two of them would sit and play with guy stuff and leave me out of it completely. Yep that time has come. But I am not complaining because just watching the two of them is entertainment enough for me.

Back to Normal and More Stress

It is good to have Jim back home. We picked him up from the airport last night. His plane was about 30 minutes delayed so Jack had a whole lot of fun running all over the airport waiting area entertaining the other people there. I also think they were laughing at ME running all over trying to catch up to him and make sure he didn't go out the door or up the escalator or ride the baggage carousel. Yeah Jack and I provided a good 45 minutes of entertainment for those people that is for sure. And when Jim showed up, Jack was a smiles to see Daddy. I mentioned in the car on the way to the airport that we were going to see Daddy and he kept saying "Dada" over and over again. I think the boy missed his Daddy.

We also found out tonight that we are going to have Laura live with us again indefinitely because her mother is not doing very well. I do really love having Laura with us because she provides a sense of a complete family when she is here. However, it does bring a lot of stress. Namely getting her to and from school and her cheer practice. Her school is 20 miles away in the opposite direction of both of our works. So getting her to school and picking her up after school can be a problem of logistics. Also she has cheer practice for 2.5 hours every Monday and Wednesday. I am thinking she may just have to drop that because I really don't know how all that is going to get done while trying to work and also take care of Jack. But we will see and work it out. My heart goes out to the girl because I can't imagine how scary it is for her at this time. Her mother has this dreaded disease that could take her away forever and she is shuffled from one house to another. She is coping pretty good on the outside, but I am sure she is keeping things inside a lot. It is a lot to take for a 9 year old girl. I hope that we can provide a sense of stability for her that she really needs at this time and that her mother does let her live with us for awhile and not do the back and forth thing that she has been doing. But I will stop right there in talking about her mother because I could write a book about the woman and ya'll don't wanna read that book I can assure you.

So its gonna be a bit stressful around here and I will try to see the humor in it all and relate all the stresses and frazzled mommy moments on here. I am sure there are going to be a lot of em.

The Wait Is About Over

I have to go pick up Jim from the airport in about an hour. I swear it has been over 2 months instead of the 2.5 weeks that he has been gone. Since he has been gone, I have fought a serious sinus infection, dealt with serious staff shortages at work making work a very hellish place, dealt with Jack and his tantrums, took him to the doctor for his checkup, and spent a weekend at Disneyland. Yep it had to be 2 months or it feels like it anyway.

So I picked up Jack today from daycare and she told me that he hadn't had much of a nap and he was about ready to go down when I got there. I thought it was perfect since we have to go to the airport at 8:00 tonight. So I come home and he is crying and grabbing my legs (The Signs of Naptime). I put him down but of course no go. No nap! But instead I have this incredibly whiny toddler on my hands. I am sure when we are ready to walk out the door, he will then be ready to go down.

Just when I thought that summer was over (thank goodness), it came back in full force today. It has been only in the low 80's around here - absolutely perfect weather. But today it went back up to 103 and along came the Santa Anna winds. Those strong winds that just blow all the hot air all over the place. Oh Joy, I get to turn the air conditioning back on and spend another gazillion dollars on that. Yay!

Well I am off because I have a certain toddler screaming in my ear and trying to take over the keyboard.

Stories From The Hurricane Devastation

Every night, I have been talking to Jim on the phone. He has been relating some of the stories of the sorrow and devastation. They are really truly horrible and so sad how people who had houses, cars, stability one moment and the next moment - nothing.

But the one he told tonight is one that just rendered me speechless. He said that one older lady came up to them and said that she never had a bank account in her life. I guess she didn't trust em or something. But anyway, she said that her entire savings were in 2 trunks in her house, which as you guessed it, was completely destroyed. But here's the kicker. The amount of her entire savings? TWO POINT FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH!!!! Can you even imagine? I guess she told Jim that she has been trying to find these trunks, but can't (DUH). My guess would be looters suddenly got very very happy or the trunks were just blown apart and the cash is somewhere in the Gulf right now. After hearing that story, I was completly speechless and aghast that there were actually people out there like that! Yeah well that is one worry I will never have - losing 2.5 million dollars in cash. Again - Speechless!

Well I am off to watch Gilmore Girls. Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Yay! Jim's coming home this week.

Jim called me at work today and told me that he will be flying in on Wednesday night. I think he is quite tired of the FEMA business and really wants to come home. They moved him today into the Air Force Base and for the first time, he got a hot shower today! Good Grief, I would have left oh about 2.5 weeks ago if it were me. Yes, I am a wimp. You don't have to tell me, I know it already.

I was really mad today when I saw how much his paycheck was this time. It was SUPPOSED to be time and a half for this entire time and he was working 12 hours a day. Yeah good money! But, he only got his base pay with no extra anything. I was counting on the extra money to pay our Disneyland credit card bill! Man. Sometimes, I really hate the federal government. They are soooo disorganized. I mean if they were a corporation, they would have been put out of business soooo long ago, its not even funny. So this means that Jim has to probably submit about 25 reports, talk to another 6 people, and wait another 6 months to see the money. You think I am exaggerating? HA! Sorry, we will probably have to wait more like 9-12 months to get the money. Yeah. It is that bad. It took us over a year to get paid for days worked when Jim was at the academy when I was pregnant. I think we got the money when Jack was turning about 9 months old. Yeah. It is that bad.

But I am really happy that Jim is finally coming home. It has been a VERY LONG 2.5 weeks.

In the Jackaroo news department - the kid is totally wiped out from his weekend at Disneyland. Last night, he was soooo needing to go to bed around 5:30. I kept him up until about 6:00 (yeah that was the longest 30 minutes in history) and put him down then. He promptly fell asleep and the kid did not stir until 6:30 this morning! Over 12 hours of sleep! And tonight, he went down at 7:00 with no fight at all. Glad to know that it isn't just ME that gets totally wiped out at Disneyland, even the boy feels it!

The Remaining Disneyland Pictures

Meeting Goofy for the first time is a traumatic experience.





The jumping water fountain. A joy for all.




Just standing and taking in the shear joy that is a jumping water fountain.





Playing with the jumping water fountain. It was really funny because he just never knew where the water was going to jump out of.




Yep he got drenched!




The boy enjoying a Nestle Crunch Ice Cream. Yeah. There was chocolate and ice cream everywhere afterwards. This was AFTER the water fountain fun and AFTER we changed clothes.






Picture from the Block Party Bash parade in California Adventure park. Lots of singing and dancing going on.

Pictures

Well not sure what is up with the Blogger photo uploading thingy, but it won't let me upload anymore pictures right now. So, you get these two. They are of Jack on It's a Small World ride. See the concentration on the boy's face - and this is just at the beginning of the ride! I think this was his favorite ride of all.

Anyway, I will try to upload the rest later.

Disneyland Weekend!!!

We just got home from our Mommy And Jack Disneyland Weekend. And I have to say that we had a blast. It actually was very nice just the two of us. We went at our own pace and just had some good ole fun.

When we first got there on Friday, we went to California Adventure park. And we saw Goofy and let me just say that the boy was NOT happy to see Goofy and did not want any part of him at all. I have pictures that I will post later. We also saw the Aladdin show and what a great show that is. The genie in the show was HILARIOUS. Adult humor for the adults thats for sure. And Jack was mesmerized with the show for the entire 45 minutes. I really didn't think he would be able to sit that long, but the show held his attention - amazing!

Then we went to the Bugs Life area where we rode all the rides. And they had a water park where the water would jump out at random intervals. The kids loved it. And Jack was no exception. The kid got drenched! And I figured that I would just let him go for it and get totally soaked and then change him into his long pants for the night.

We also saw the Block Party Bash which was really neat with all the characters from The Incredibles, Monsters Inc, Toy Story and others. They got everybody dancing in the street and it was SO cute to see Jack dancing along. And wow the performers were amazing. Talk about a workout! Those people never stopped moving during the entire time. I can't imagine how horrible it would be during a 100 degree day. I hope they get paid the big bucks is all I can say.

After that we went over to Disneyland park and got ourselves a corndog and picked out a really good spot for the Parade of Dreams. The Parade was really pretty with all the lights and everything. Jack just ate it all up and was mesmerized by the whole thing.

After the parade, we went back to the hotel. And wow was that a nice hotel! The bed was amazingly comfortable. I shared a King sized bed with Jack, which he thought was totally cool.

Yesterday, we went to Disneyland park and rode most of the rides in Fantasy Land. Of course, he LOVED the merry go round, Dumbo ride, and the spinning Teacups (he was laughing his head off, and I was really wanting to puke! Those things seriously get to me). But he was really scared on Mr. Toad's wild ride, Peter Pan's flight, and Pinnochio's ride. They all had scary elements like lightning and scary voices. We then went on Small World (you know the one where the stupid song is stuck in your brain for 3 years afterwards). And he absolutely loved it and was totally enthralled with the entire ride. The lines were amazingly short. I think our longest wait was about 15 minutes. And the weather was perfect 75-80 degrees. Absolutely perfect weekend to go to Disneyland.

After Fantasyland, we hit up Toontown for a little bit. But I could tell that the kid was needing a nap badly. So we headed back to the hotel, where we both slept a couple of hours. We headed back over to Disneyland about 6:00 where we proceeded to get dinner and then watched the Parade of Dreams again.

Then we went on the Pirates of the Carribbean ride. Jack was so scared! He did not like the big drop at the beginning of the ride and then proceeded to keep his head buried in my chest most of the ride. We also hit up the Winnie the Pooh ride, the train ride around the park, and the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise is where I whacked my knee on the steel beam getting in the boat and man that hurt! It still hurts! Jack was scared on the jungle cruise. Of course the girl tour guide didn't help matters by being very loud about the "dangers" lurking around the bend and having the rhino come out of the water at the boat. That totally scared the boy!

After the jungle cruise, we watched the fireworks. They must have changed them for the big 50th celebration because they are really spectacular! We were right in front of Small World where they are done and it was quite a sight. Jack was got scared a little bit by the big booms, but for the most part, he was enthralled by the light show.

We were then herded like cattle out of the park. It took about 45 minutes to walk out of the park. And at one point, I REALLY wanted to do physical damage to some JERK who literally jumped over Jack's stroller to get ahead of me and in the process kicked his hand really hard making Jack scream. I yelled at him, but it didn't do any good. Man I was mad. People are just so rude in a crowd like that. I mean really people you can only go so fast and jumping over my kid's stroller and kicking him will NOT help anything.

Once we got back to the hotel, it was almost 11:00 and the kid was WIRED! I mean he was literally bouncing off the walls and did not fall asleep until after midnight. And what time do you think the boy woke up this morning? 6:15 AM!! The boy has THE most amazing internal alarm clock I have ever seen. He was up and bouncing on the bed and throwing the pillows all over and giggling. Joy! So we got up and got ready to leave. We went down to Starbucks about 7:30 and I got me a Venti triple latte (yeah I needed it!) and a muffin and the boy a sippy cup of milk. We went outside to enjoy the morning air and eat our breakfast. There was another family of four that came out to do the same thing. The weird part was they were dressed in their pajamas! Seriously! The mother had on a nightgown and slippers, the kids were both in jammies and the father had on running shorts and t-shirt. AND they had the gall to look at me funny when Jack and I were throwing crumbs at the birds, which Jack thought was the neatest thing.

So we are now home. I can say that was probably one of the funnest times I have spent at Disneyland. I thought it was going to be hard with dealing with Jack, but he was a really good boy. I came to love the Baby Care Center in the park. It is a place where you can change your baby on nice padded changing tables and there is a room for nursing mothers. I would walk 20 minutes past 3 public restrooms to go use that instead of the icky and crowded bathrooms. Oh yeah and when I first got there, I went to get my annual pass replaced and all I had to do was give them my sob story about how my pass was with my husband who was working with FEMA at the moment in MS and they practically laid the red carpet out for me. I got a "bless your heart" and "aren't you sweet"! I am not even the one in the hurricane! I just wanted to get into Disneyland for free! They gave me a two-day pass for free and I didn't have to pay for the lost pass fee. Yay!

All in all a good time had by Mommy and Jack. I'll post the pictures later. There are not that many since I was the one running around trying to corral my child and didn't really have a whole lot of time to click the camera.

Well I just put the boy down for a nap and since I got about 5 hours or less last night, I am going to go do the same thing.

Disneyland here we come!

Yep, it is all settled. Jack and I are going to Disneyland this weekend. There is one small snafu. Jim has the annual passes in his wallet in MS. But I looked online and you can get a replacement for just $25 - sure beats the $75 ticket cost.

I also reserved a room at the Hyatt (yeah I am going all out this weekend). It wasn't too bad for a rate at $129/night. I figure that I can spend some of that overtime money that Jim is making in the Gulf coast right? Anyway, we will be there Friday and Saturday nights. I am really looking forward to it. I plan on hitting up some of the shows that we don't normally go to when we visit Disneyland because we usually have Laura and she wants to go ride the rides.

I plan not to stress this weekend no matter what. It is going to be a time for me and Jack to have fun and do some relaxing at the hotel pool and who knows what.

Oh yeah and thanks to my friend Janet for saying she would take care of the dogs for the 2 days! She is the best friend in world! The cats can fend for themselves.

So Ciao until Sunday. And of course, I will be back with lots and lots of pictures. After all I am Mad Mom with Camera!

I have just won a 3 day weekend alone with a toddler, what am I going to do next?

Go to Disneyland! That is if I can a) find a neighbor to take care of the 4 leaches (err pets) and b) if I can find our annual pass to Disneyland. I am really hoping that they are NOT in Jim's wallet in MS right now. But, I really think if I can work it out, me and Jack are going to Disneyland this weekend and staying in a hotel for a couple of nights. I figure we can just take our time going through Disney and go back to the hotel for naps and maybe catch some swimming in the pool. Basically, just relaxing from this hellious week that I have had. We'll see if going to Disneyland by myself with Jack is actually relaxing or not (probably not) but it will entertain the boy. And since we have annual passes and it will be free to get into the park, I figure why not!

Stuff

I think I recovered from my night of no sleep due to the thunderstorm the other night. Last night, even Jack wanted to go to bed early. So I tucked him in bed around 7:30 and I headed to bed myself. Thank goodness for Tivo because last night was a must-see-tv night. I just watched last nights Gilmore Girls and I just have to say that show is awesome. Rory is being very stupid, but I guess we all have to go through a stupid phase in our life, right? Then I watched the finale to Big Brother. I knew that Maggie had won from reading the internet last night. But can I just say that it sucks! She was the meanest of them all in that house and totally does not deserve the 500 big ones, but oh well. I just hope that she realizes how everybody really thinks of her out here. I thought it was cute when Howie said they were America's last choice. He's so cool! Too bad either him or Janelle couldn't win.

So tonight I am recording Lost. I just got into that show. Pretty freaky stuff.

Not much going on here. I had to go into the office today. Yeah I know on my day off! But we are totally short-staffed and I thought that I would be the good employee (team-player) and help out. Damn I am nice! But I am not gonna be that nice on Friday. I love my 3 day weekends!

I talked to Jim tonight and it is looking like he is going to be there at least another 10 days, probably more. I really don't know how single parents do it because it is driving me crazy.

I would love to go away to someplace fun with Jack this weekend, maybe to the beach or something. I just feel the need to get away from the house and everything. If it wasn't for all the animals that reside in this house with us , I would probably be making reservations as we speak. But there is always that question of who's going to take care of the animals. They are so not worth it! But who knows, I may just take off and see if the neighbor kids can check in on the animals.

Well that is it. I am off to bed and then off to work again tomorrow.

B O O M !!!

That is what we heard all night last night. There were some serious thunderstorms here last night. They started about midnight and were just starting to die down around 6:00 am. And when I say thunderstorms, I mean shake-the-house thunderstorms with lightening. I have to say in the 7 years I have lived in California, I have never seen a thunderstorm like that before. Now in Michigan, I know they can do thunderstorms really well, but California...not so much.

So during the 6 hour siege of booming and banging of thunder and lightening, the animals were terrified! The dogs were barking at the thunder and the cats were quivering under the bed. I was trying like mad to sleep between all the chaos. At one point, we lost power and didn't get it back on until this morning about 7 am. Oh yeah and the boy? I went and checked on him a couple of times during the night and I can only say this one thing - He is TRULY his father's son. Because the boy never even flinched during the whole thing. Never woke up once, he just kept on on snoring away. Yep, that's Jim's kid alright. Jim who can sleep through ANYTHING.

So that was MY night last night. How was yours?

Big Thumbs Down

These SUCK! Why you ask? Well let me just tell you. I picked these up at Target thinking how cool, something new to play with during bathtime (Jack's favorite time of the day). BUT let me just explain how the little bathtub crayons are made. They are basically a wax crayon that are inside this little plastic "shell". They say that your little future artist can draw all over the walls in the bathtub area and it will just come right off, which is true. They do clean up very easily. That part is very good. However, that little plastic "shell" that houses the wax crayon? That part doesn't work! You take a crayon out of the box and give it to your little future artist and what happens? The wax crayon falls out of its little "shell" and promptly falls into the warm water. And what happens to wax in warm water? Yep, it melts! So tonight I gave Jack 3 of the 8 crayons to play with and within 3 minutes they were gone and I had a crying future little artist on my hand. Yeah and good luck trying to find a slippery, in-the-process-of-melting crayon underneath the soapy water. So we are left with the pretty little "shells" with no crayons.

Yeah. Do. Not. Buy. These.

Confession

I have a confession to make and give kudos to those stay-at-home Mom's out there. I admit that I am actually looking forward to going to work tomorrow! Now that is something that very rarely happens with me since Jack came around. But since it has just been me and Jack for the past 3 days solid, I am soooooo looking forward to adult interaction. I am looking forward to all the purchase orders, billings, dealing with angry vendors, payroll to run, bills to pay, and having ADULT conversations!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my son to death. I love playing with him and watching him learn and grow. But, after 3 days solid with no other adult conversations except for a few hours on Friday night when we went to visit friends, I am ready to go bananas. I mean there are just so many lego towers you can build, sidewalk chalk designs you can make, and cars to play with. When bedtime came tonight, it felt like freedom!

So you won't hear this many times, but Yay! tomorrow is Monday! Not sure how all the stay-at-home Mommies do it. You have my admiration!

Just in case you wanted to see even MORE pictures of the boy, well here they are

These are the JcPenney pictures that I had taken and complained mightly about. They finally uploaded them onto the internet and I also picked up those that I purchased. They are cute, but I still stand by Sears as the best for customer service and just over all the best photo studio. This kid is so photogenic and he sure didn't get that from me.


I really liked this one of him laughing. It shows the Jackaroo personality so clearly.

He looks like such a big boy here! No longer a baby (sniff sniff).

He looks so much like Jim and this picture sure proves it. No doubt who the Daddy is with this one.






This could be called "Boy in Thought". You better take a good long look, because he VERY RARELY ever sits still like this. In fact, here it was only long enough to click the picture!

Doesn't he look like he's got something mischievous up his sleeve?

Drugs, Shopping, and Naps

Those are the keys to surviving these days. And no I haven't succumbed to the urge of the Vicodin bottle, but Sudaphed and prescription-strength Motrin are my little miracles in pill form. That combo can pretty much wipe out all the sinus pain for about 6 hours!

Shopping is what I am using this weekend as a form of entertainment. I figure if I am not home to see the disaster area also known as my house, I won't have to clean it. Sound good to you? Jack and I went to the mall this morning. His pictures from the infamous JcPenney photo session were in. They are cute and I will post them on here later. So I also took advantage of that "being financially better off with Jim gone" thing and bought a few things for myself, which I very very rarely do. I bought this really CUTE denim jacket and cute top. Also a pair of jeans and 2 t-shirts at Old Navy. Oh and I can't go clothes shopping without getting the boy something, especially since they were having Baby Days Sale at JcPenney. He scored 2 tops and 2 pants and 2 pairs of jammies.

Of course while at the mall, we played in the playland. Or I should say Jack did, I just ran after him all over the place. About 30 minutes of that and the kid is wiped and ready to go home.

Which comes to my 3rd key to surviving. Naps! The past two days, I have said screw it to the housework and every other type of work there is here and have taken a nap when Jack goes down. Let me tell you, it is heaven! I think I could get used to that. Of course nothing gets done, but then theres always that shopping thing to do. If you're not home, you don't see the mess.

See it all is like a big equation. Yeah yeah I know. Shut up. I do know that at some point, I do need to do laundry (unless I go shopping some more hehe) and clean this disaster area. But as Scarlett said "there's always tomorrow". Ha!

Back to Semi-Normal

Well I think I have calmed down a whole lot. If you read earlier in the week, you were probably wondering what in the world is going on with Dawn?!? I admit, I was a raving lunatic. BUT, I feel I do have a bit of justification for some of it. First of all, my husband left to go help all those poor people in the south devastated from the hurricane. I know I know, it was a GOOD thing he did that and I admit that yes it was a good thing that he wanted to help all those people. However, the timing and the way he did it sucked big time.

He didn't bother to consult with me before he volunteered to go help. However, to his defense, they didn't leave him with a whole lot of time to make up his mind when they were asking for volunteers. So I was furious at him for doing that without thinking of me and Jack. I let him have it pretty bad over the phone. And there's something that you should know about our marriage is that we NEVER fight. Which is weird because in the my past marriage, well it was pretty much a daily occurence. But Jim and I have this almost perfect marriage. We really are each other's best friend.

The timing sucked for a couple of reasons. First of all, I was sick with a sinus infection of monumental proportions. I mean, I have NEVER felt sinus pain like that. It was so bad that I just wanted to take some knock out pills and go to bed for a month, never to wake up. Seriously, I was eyeing the Vicodin that I got from when I delivered Jack, but never used. Who can be popping Vicodin with a newborn I ask you? But because I had Jack to take care of and my husband was gone, I couldn't do that. I was feeling like I was a terrible mother because I was not paying any attention to him. I just wanted Jim to be there and take over the Jack duties. And that got me even more angry.

It was also PMS time and as you all know that can cause any normal sane woman to lose it at times.

So all that combined, has made my last week a nightmare. However, I have felt better the last couple days and hopefully that stuff doesn't come back ever. Jim and I have made up over the phone. He realizes that he should of consulted with me and I apologized for talking to him so badly.

And actually there are some advantages to Jim not being here. Financially we are doing so much better because he's not driving a thousand miles a week at $3.00/gallon. Also he's making lots of overtime pay while working down there. And even though the house is a mess, I don't care because really who is gonna see it besides me and Jack? And Jack likes the mess! All his toys are right where he wants them - strewn ALL over the house, including the pots and pans. The animals like Jim being gone because they get to share the bed with me. Seriously, every night I have had 2 cats and 2 dogs in bed with me. Not a whole lot of room for me, I tell ya. Oh and also, no cooking! Not that I do a lot of cooking when Jim is here, but there's always that question of what to make for dinner. Now dinner time is so easy! One night, Jack and I had cereal and cookies!

But I am really proud of him to be helping people like he is. He told me that it looks like a nuclear bomb went off in Biloxi and how everybody is living just day to day with the hand outs that the Red Cross is providing. It is just so sad and I am ashamed of myself for reacting so badly to him earlier this week.

Thank Goodness I am back to semi-normal. And if you are reading this Jim, I miss ya and love ya.

CopyCat

Jack has become a copycat lately. I will say something like "Mommy is going to go get dressed" and he will come out and say "get dressed" and then say it over and over again. So Funny! He also was pushing my laundry basket all over and I asked him if he was going to play with it. And then he said "play with it" over and over again. He is just so funny these days.

Another thing he does that I am not sure I mentioned on here before is that when he is listening to music he will start moving his hands like he is a conductor. He LOVES music. And when we are in the car listening to a rock song, he will start to move his arms and then rock his head up and down. My little rocker!

28 Lbs!

That is how much Jack is weighing these days. I actually thought it was more than that. The kid is solid I tell ya. He is 28 lbs and 33.5 inches. I could of sworn that they told me he was 34 inches last time, but they had 33 inches written in his chart. So he has gained 2 lbs and a half inch in the last 2.5 months. He is in the 80 percentile for both height and weight and 60 percentile for his head. He checked out fine and he got 2 shots, which he was not a happy camper about. His appointment was at 10 am today, but we didn't get to see the doctor until 11:15! We waited in the waiting room for over an hour. He was having fun with a little red-headed girl. They were running all over the place and screaming. He likes the girls! So by the time we were all done, he was very cranky. He was hungry AND tired. We came home and I fixed him a quick lunch and off to a 3 hour nap. Heaven!

I took the opportunity to nap myself. I am thinking that my sinuses are now infected really bad, along with an ear infection. My ear has never been the same since I flew home last week and my sinuses are now starting to bleed. Anyway, I have felt like crap for a week.

And of course all this doesn't do my attitude toward my DEAR husband any good. Everytime I want to just go lay down, but can't because I have to take care of HIS son, my blood pressure starts to rise rapidly. And to make matters worse when I called him just now, he "couldn't talk" because he was out with the other people. He's in Orlando at the moment just having a good ole time I bet. He leaves tomorrow to go to Biloxi and since the phones are still down in most areas, I won't be able to talk to him. Oh well, I really don't want to talk to him right now anyway.

A friend offered to take Jack for a couple of days for me. It was really nice of her and I may take her up on the offer for a day or so. The problem is that Jack has been so needy of me since Jim left. He won't let me out of his sight without whining. And he insists that I carry him and hold him all the time. I am sure he is sensing my stress and feeling it himself. So me dropping him off with a friend might really stress him out more.

Feeling Better

I had my Gilmore Girls fix last night. It was the season premier and as you can recall, I missed the last minute of the season finale in May. Phew! Luke and Lorelie are engaged! Rory is being stupid. Yep, I am in my happy place with Girlmore Girls.

Jim and I are doing better. I apologized for being the bitch that I was to him the other night. I do have to chalk it up to that excuse all us women can use - PMS. I started yesterday, so I know that was a partial reason I was so angry. Don't get me wrong, I am still mad at him for just leaving without discussing with me first, just not THAT angry anymore.

I think he is a bit bummed because it looks like all he is going to be doing is filling out FEMA claims for people. He has been in Orlando for the past two days in training for that and I guess all the officers who volunteered to help are pretty upset because they thought they would be involved in actually helping people, not being insurance paper handlers. He finds out where they are sending him today and he still does not know how long it is going to be. He told me that he is going to do two weeks and then that is it. But we'll see. I do know that some things are going to change when he does get home. Things like him helping out with Jack a bit more. He has absolutely no idea how hard it is to be with him by yourself day in and day out with no breaks. He is going to be finding out when he gets home because I may just go somewhere for a weekend and leave the boys to fend for themselves. HA! I think that it has only been 3 or 4 times that Jim actually had to be alone with Jack all day long, let alone for days at a time.

Today is Jack's 18-month checkup. I get to find out how heavy this kid really is, because he has been breaking my back these days when I carry him. Last night he went down really easy at 7:30, which was so great because I was so exhausted myself. His daycare lady said that he didn't get a nap in the afternoon. How she gets 2 naps out him, I will never know. He only does one for me. But anyway, I will post back all the Jackaroo "stats" later.

Shitty

Jim left yesterday morning to go help with FEMA. I am not happy about the whole thing. You could say that I am in a pretty shitty mood (I know that I very rarely swear on here, but that is the way I am feeling right now). Jim VOLUNTEERED to go without discussing with me first. He just goes off leaving me and his 2 kids for weeks, possibly months. How he could do that is beyond me. I would cut off my arm first than volunteer to leave Jack that long. But hey I guess fathers don't feel the same way as us mothers? Anyway, he and I had a very LONG phone call tonight which left me feeling like, yep shit! I am also battling this shitty cold and my sinuses are infected. So being alone having to take care of a toddler, 4 animals, and a house, and try to work is a bit hard. You could even call it Shitty!

MIIINNNNE

Mine! That is the word I have heard all day today. It has started - the sibling rivarly thing between Laura and Jack. Laura picks up one of his toys and suddenly Jack HAS to have THAT toy that is in his sister's hands at THAT moment. And he then screams MINE until she gives him that toy. And then it starts all over again as soon as she picks up another toy of his. It doesn't matter if he hasn't played with that particular toy in days, he just doesn't want his sister to have it. Oh boy! This phase is going to be fun. And what makes it even more fun is when you are suffering from a head cold and you have a headache that is gonna explode your head any minute. Yeah it is just loads of fun!

Jim got the call

He's going down to help with the FEMA relief effort on Sunday. He doesn't know how long he is going to be gone, but I bet its gonna be awhile. I wonder if it is just coincidence that he finally got the call to go on the very day that they "fired" the head FEMA guy Brown? Makes ya go hmmm.

He showed up at my work today at 1:30 to tell me the news. He knew I would be upset, so he wanted to tell me in person. I am proud that he is going to help because God knows those poor people need the help. But at the same time, I worry about his safety and I am going to miss him - a lot. I know it is part of his job and I should be used to his being gone. He was gone for almost 4 months during the early part of my pregnancy, in fact he left a week after we found out. He went to the academy for training during that time. But now that I have Jack, it is just that much harder to be alone. It just seems like I have no breaks from working or taking care of Jack. But I will quit having a pity party because there are people down there who have absolutely nothing and I am here whining about not having my husband for a few weeks. Okay, I will shut up now.

The four of us went out to dinner tonight to celebrate Jim's birthday, which is on Tuesday. I haven't shopped for a birthday gift yet either. He is just so hard to buy for - typical guy. My parent's bought him a Michigan hat when I was there, can I call that good enough? hehe.

I am also trying to fight this stupid cold. It is really annoying and it doesn't seem to want to go away. Also, my stomach has been totally messed up since I got back from Michigan. I am just a basket case, aren't I? Maybe I should have titled this post - "Some cheese with that whine?".

Going on vacation just doesn't pay

Today was my first day back to work. It was a whole week gone. Boy oh boy not sure I'll make that mistake again...vacation that is. What a hectic day and it seemed like everything just went to hell while I was gone. I wasn't even in my office for more than 5 minutes and I felt like I wanted to run out the door and hide. But I did manage to catch up a bit today.

I had a meeting today with one of our packaging suppliers. He was telling me that because of the hurricane, all the plastic jars/lids/bottles that we buy from them are going up in price 20%! All because they are petroleum products and the refineries are shut down. Ouch! That was something that I never even thought of, but I guess plastic needs the oil (how do they make plastic outta oil anyway?). I think we are all gonna be in trouble financially in more ways than just at the gas pump unfortunately.

Anyway, I got home from my crazy, hectic, chaotic day and just needed to go for a walk. It actually is starting to cool off here. It was only about 85!!!! I know amazing huh? So Jack and I took off to walk around the neighborhood. He had to bring his sidewalk chalk with him on the walk. It was so cute that every few feet, we had to stop and he had to mark on the sidewalk. I am sure the neighbors are wondering what the heck all those white marks on the sidewalk are for. I think we will keep it our little secret.

When we got home from the walk, Jim was just pulling in the driveway. Poor Daddy, he was exhausted. He put in a 12 hour day with no breaks today. We love him for working so hard. Right now both Jack and Daddy are sleeping. It is nice. I think I may just curl up on the couch and read some Erma Bombeck - again thanks Amy. She is too funny!

Sears Pictures

When I was in Michigan, we went to Sears to get more pictures taken. I wanted some taken with Grandma and Grandpa. I was very pleased with how they turned out and the people at Sears were so nice. It took 2 sessions because Jack was just NOT cooperating the first time, so they let us come back the next day. Oh and they posted on the internet the same day. The JcPenney pictures I took almost 2 weeks? Nope they are not up on the internet yet and I paid $5 for that service! Sears...free. JcPenney, you will not be getting my business again, that is for sure.



You can see the fat lip he got from his trip down the 3 stairs. I figure it just adds a good story to the pictures!








There was one of me, Grandpa, Grandma and Jack. However, I totally hated it so it will not be shown. The 3 of them look nice however.

The Last Set of Pictures from Michigan...I Promise

One of Jack's favorite things to do at Grandma and Grandpa's was to pick the flowers and then shake the flower until all the petals fell off. Really fun stuff!





View of my parent's backyard. Nice huh? I really like how this picture turned out with the morning light over the lake.







Jack and Grandpa.





Jack and Grandpa taking a stroll together. I think they were searching for acorns, which wasn't hard because they were only about a million of them all over the place.






Of course Jack couldn't stay off of Grandpa's tractor. This tractor is the small one, the other big tractor was at the neighbor's. Maybe next time, he will get to ride in the big bucket on the big tractor like I did when I was a kid.

We Made it Home!

We got home last night. It was a grueling flight that lasted about 28 hours, or maybe it was only 4.5 hours, but it sure seemed longer. I did buy Jack a ticket for the trip home because I just couldn't do it again with him on my lap. I thought that because he had his own seat, things would be easier...wrong! He screamed for about 3 of the 4.5 hours. I could not console him. I knew he was exhausted, but he would not go to sleep. I also think that his ears were bothering him because I think we both picked up a head cold at some point. I know that my right ear was really painful and totally plugged from the pressure. And add to that Jack screaming made for a very long flight!

Jim was actually able to pick us up at the airport. He was such a sight for sore eyes standing there. It was funny, he was in uniform and everybody was asking for directions like he knew LAX and little did they know he knows nothing about it. I guess FEMA never called him to go help with the hurricane relief effort. I think that FEMA has totally screwed up in this case and they don't know what the hell they are doing. Thank goodness the military came through like they did and those poor people are getting the help they need. I know that about 1500 people were bused to Michigan and were very happy to be there, even though they will be living in old military barracks for awhile. Sure beats nothing that they had!

I have more pictures to post from Michigan. I will try to do that later tonight. Some pretty cute of Jack and Grandpa walking in the woods together.