18 Months!!!

Wow. A year and a half. Wow. Time is FLYING but it also seems like C has been in our lives forever. We visited with my cousin and their 1-year old this past weekend and it really made me realize HOW MUCH they change from 1-year to 18 months. WOW.

At 18 months, Carson is:

-Signing "more" and "all done." I am working on "please" and "thank you." I just started, so it will probably be a while.
-Has started says "uh oh" and "away." He actually told Lucy to go away this morning. He's really starting to copy words when we say them but still doesn't say a whole lot that makes sense. I blame the whole '35% hearing loss' thing from this ears. He definitely tries to say a lot (babbles constantly) and has a couple animal sounds down pretty good (a monkey and elephant). Of course he says "MaMa" and "DaDad", but he says "duh" and "da" for duck and dog. Lots of animals are "da" though. He can say "NaNa", which I know she loves! He said "Dede" in the car, but wouldn't say it once we got to Dede's house.
-Has started shaking his head for "no" and will say "yeah" for yes. I'm working on "YES" with an "s"... "yeah" won't cut it around here once he's really talking. I'm suprised how opinionated he is though. He clearly knows what he wants or doesn't want sometimes. He actually sounds like a little Swedish (I think) boy and says "Da" for "yes" sometimes too. The way he says it is so cute. You definitely know he is saying "yes."
-He knows lots of body parts and will point to them on command - head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, knees, toes, feet, belly button (loves that one), and penis (yes, he has rediscovered it and so we are being medically correct.),
-Has more energy than I know what to do with sometimes.
-Loves to dance.
-Loves to pick flowers for his mommy (and daddy).
-Loves to climb
-Loves to swing
-Loves to be outside. Period. You want to see a tantrum, bring him inside when he's not ready to go inside.
-Sleeps like a champ at night (bedtime usually between 7-7:30, 8 at the latest) and takes a nap in the middle of the day from 1-2 hours. He usually wakes up around 7. If we didn't have to actually get him up then, he'd probably hang tight until 7:30 or 8.
-Loves his doggies and they are so good with him (minus a tail slap every now and then).
-Still is in love with his blanket from Jolee. She's making him a second one for school.
-Has all his teeth except his 2-year molars. I'm convinced they are on their way given the crazy amount of drool this kid produces. Oh, and the teeth grinding...
-Has been to the dentist already and got a good report. The dentist thinks it's still 50/50 on if his chipped tooth will make it.
-Has become defiant and occasionally loves to disobey. Loves to do something right after he's reprimanded with a smile on his face.
-We're entering into the disipline stage. We're still not sure on how to handle the whole discipline thing other than we know he needs it.
-Loves, loves, loves for his daddy to play guitar for him. I really need to learn so that when he's out of town, I can do more than just strum a 'G' chord over and over again.
-Likes to stand on anything and everything (including our new expensive Roomba). He likes ot be elevated.
-Is a wild man.
-Loves trucks, mini cars, books, blocks, his fridge magnets and ABC's toy, balls, Elmo (not on TV, just in books and his Rockin' Elmo), Yo Gabba Gabba (crack for kids I.M.O.), his big and little wagon, his trampoline.
-Likes to help me unload the dishwasher. This is great for my back!
-Has been seriously chowing down lately. He must be growing because he is eating a ton! He's gone through a few not-eating so well phases, and we are certainly not in one right now. He favorite foods are meat, especially sausage (but not hot dogs), broccoli, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, green beans (he went through a phase for a while where he stopped eating then, but we're back on track), dried fruit/raisins (which we learned the hard way REALLY breaks out his bottom), cheese, scrambled eggs, toast and either peanut butter or jelly, PB&J, those squeezable fruit/veggie packs, beans (especially black beans), pizza, and NutraGrain bars.
-He's getting pretty good with a fork (before he decides to either brush his hair with it or stick it in his ear).
-Teeth brushing is still NOT fun.
-Loves to try to balance books on his feet while getting his diaper changed. Not sure where he got this, but it's hilarious.
-Is probably around 30 pounds and 34"... my guess. We'll find out Thursday.
-Wears Size 4 diapers and mostly all 2T clothes.

A couple quick pics from Meme & Dede's house this past weekend.




WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH, CARSON!!! YOU ARE JUST PRECIOUS AND BRING SO MUCH JOY TO OUR FAMILY!!!

Make Ya Smile Monday

Future American Gladiator



Silly Boy!




OBSESSED with standing on things...

Picking Flowers for Mommy

Sorry for the crappy pics. My phone camera is terrible.

Make Ya Smile Tuesday!

Oh my goodness, I am SO far behind on my blogging... I still have Christmas, New Years, and plenty of other stuff to update on. Alas, I have another very busy week again at work, so it probably won't be happening.

So, here's a quick photo dump of our weekend together (Andrew was hunting with his dad and I opted to stay home)...

Finally wearing his shades...







Post Hobby Lobby treat at Chick-Fil-A (he tore it up!)


Looking cool headed to church


Love this handsome little man!


Out on the way to meet Wannie in Winnie at Al T's


Loving his new Elmo book from Wannie


Wannie graciously volunteered to babysit Sunday night so I could have the house to myself and get stuff done.

Remember the "Box 'O Papers" from the Operating Just Chunk It post, yeah, here it is...


Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone enjoys their short week!

Don't You Make a Liar Out of Me!!!

Yep, Carson TOTALLY made a liar out of me today.

If you recall, our sweet angel HATES {with a SERIOUS passion} when I brush his teeth. Talk about a tantrum...

So, today when I took him to the dentist for the first time, what did he do...

Oh, he nicely took the toothbrush from the sweet lady and pretended to brush his teeth. Then, when she asked for it, he gave it to her. When she asked him to open his mouth, he did. Then, he 'oh-so-politely' let her brush his sweet little teeth.

ARE.YOU.FREAKING.KIDDING.ME.

This was RIGHT after I told her how much he HATES to have his teeth brushed.

Really, Kid. Thanks a lot for making a liar out of me!

Anyways, on a happy note, I was glad that he did really good. He loved playing in the big toy ship in the waiting area and had fun with all the toys back in the exam area. Pediatric dentists are definitely the way to go.




The dentist still thinks there is about a 50/50 chance his chipped front tooth will die and need to be capped. He said that chip was a good one and pretty close to the nerve, so only time will tell. As for the teeth grinding, he said there wasn't any wear yet and more than likely he's either growing or it's just a temporary (we hope) temperament thing. I'm still convinced it has to do with his ears since that's when it seemed to start, after his tubes. I've asked the ENT's office twice and they didn't think there would be any correlation. I'm going to keep asking though. Anyone else had a kid that was a compulsive teeth grinder (during the day, not necessarily just at night)?

What is the Dealio???

Pretty sure our kid is only 17 months, but he sure has been acting like he's already in his "Terrible Two's."

Out of nowhere, he's decided to have a tantrum the last few days when I go to change his diaper after he wakes up. He's in a great mood when he wakes up and when you get in out of the crib, but the second you go to lay him on that table, a little hellion comes out. This same drill goes down when it's time to get dressed. Seriously, it's not that bad, Kid.

Oh, and the teeth brushing sessions have turned downright UGLY. I feel like the meanest mom EVER and if someone was outside the door they'd be calling CPS because of the screaming that's going down. It's bad. I'm clearly not hurting him, and he is clearly throwing a fit for the sake of throwing a fit. The second we're done, he's fine. As miserable as this 30 seconds is, I'm not about to pass on his oral health. He already has a broken tooth, I don't want them rotting too! I've already given in a little and on most days have forgone the morning brushing. That's terrible, I know. I need to just do it, but it's SO miserable {okay, it's probably more because we're already running late}. We have tried all the "fun" ways to encourage teeth brushing and he is having NONE OF IT.

He really does have this internal switch and will be the sweetest boy in the world and then the next second put on the most pitiful sad, crying face you've ever seen. He's definitely had his fair share of 'tantrums out of nowhere' moments lately. The good moments are more numerous than the bad, but he certainly has tested both of our patience lately.

As with many other things, I'm sure this is just a phase. We're just taking it one day {or minute} at a time. As much as those moments are not so pleasant... okay, let's be honest, they suck, there is always a moment that will occur at some other point in the day that makes it worth it. Sometimes that moment is just looking at him on the monitor while he's sleeping and thinking he is the most beautiful and precious little boy I've ever seen.

On that note, my friend Kelsey posted this blog post from Glennon @ Momastery. If you are a mommy {or daddy}, this is a MUST READ.

Every time I’m out with my kids – this seems to happen:
An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, “Oh- Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast.”
Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy every second, etc, etc, etc.

I know that this message is right and good. But as 2011 closes, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn’t work for me. It bugs me. This CARPE DIEM message makes me paranoid and panicky. Especially during this phase of my life – while I’m raising young kids. Being told, in a million different ways to CARPE DIEM makes me worry that if I’m not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, I’m doing something wrong.

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I’ve heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they’ve heard there’s magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it’s hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.

And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers – “ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU’LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN’T!” TRUST US!! IT’LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!” - those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain.

Now. I’m not suggesting that the sweet old ladies who tell me to ENJOY MYSELF be thrown from a mountain. These are wonderful ladies. Monkees, probably. But last week, a woman approached me in the Target line and said the following: “Sugar, I hope you are enjoying this. I loved every single second of parenting my two girls. Every single moment. These days go by so fast.”

At that particular moment, Amma had arranged one of the new bras I was buying on top of her sweater and was sucking a lollipop that she must have found on the ground. She also had three shop-lifted clip-on neon feather stuck in her hair. She looked exactly like a contestant from Toddlers and Tiaras. I couldn’t find Chase anywhere, and Tish was grabbing the pen on the credit card swiper thing WHILE the woman in front of me was trying to use it. And so I just looked at the woman, smiled and said, “Thank you. Yes. Me too. I am enjoying every single moment. Especially this one. Yes. Thank you.”

That’s not exactly what I wanted to say, though.

There was a famous writer who, when asked if he loved writing, replied, “No. but I love having written.” What I wanted to say to this sweet woman was, “Are you sure? Are you sure you don’t mean you love having parented?”
I love having written. And I love having parented. My favorite part of each day is when the kids are put to sleep (to bed) and Craig and I sink into the couch to watch some quality TV, like Celebrity Wife Swap, and congratulate each other on a job well done. Or a job done, at least.

Every time I write a post like this, I get emails suggesting that I’m being negative. I have received this particular message four or five times – G, if you can’t handle the three you have, why do you want a fourth?

That one always stings, and I don’t think it’s quite fair. Parenting is hard. Just like lots of important jobs are hard. Why is it that the second a mother admits that it’s hard, people feel the need to suggest that maybe she’s not doing it right? Or that she certainly shouldn’t add more to her load. Maybe the fact that it’s so hard means she IS doing it right…in her own way…and she happens to be honest.

Craig is a software salesman. It’s a hard job in this economy. And he comes home each day and talks a little bit about how hard it is. And I don’t ever feel the need to suggest that he’s not doing it right, or that he’s negative for noticing that it’s hard, or that maybe he shouldn’t even consider taking on more responsibility. And I doubt anybody comes by his office to make sure he’s ENJOYING HIMSELF. I doubt his boss peeks in his office and says: “This career stuff…it goes by so fast…ARE YOU ENJOYING EVERY MOMENT IN THERE, CRAIG???? CARPE DIEM, CRAIG!”

My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn’t enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty because I wasn’t in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn’t MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I’d wake up and the kids would be gone, and I’d be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here’s what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

“It’s helluva hard, isn’t it? You’re a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She’s my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime.” And hopefully, every once in a while, I’ll add- “Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up- I’ll have them bring your groceries out.”

Anyway. Clearly, Carpe Diem doesn’t work for me. I can’t even carpe fifteen minutes in a row, so a whole diem is out of the question.

Here’s what does work for me:

There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It’s regular time, it’s one minute at a time, it’s staring down the clock till bedtime time, it’s ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it’s four screaming minutes in time out time, it’s two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.

Then there’s Kairos time. Kairos is God’s time. It’s time outside of time. It’s metaphysical time. It’s those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them.

Like when I actually stop what I’m doing and really look at Tish. I notice how perfectly smooth and brownish her skin is. I notice the perfect curves of her teeny elf mouth and her asianish brown eyes, and I breathe in her soft Tishy smell. In these moments, I see that her mouth is moving but I can’t hear her because all I can think is – This is the first time I’ve really seen Tish all day, and my God – she is so beautiful. Kairos.

Like when I’m stuck in chronos time in the grocery line and I’m haggard and annoyed and angry at the slow check-out clerk. And then I look at my cart and I’m transported out of chronos. And suddenly I notice the piles and piles of healthy food I’ll feed my children to grow their bodies and minds and I remember that most of the world’s mamas would kill for this opportunity. This chance to stand in a grocery line with enough money to pay. And I just stare at my cart. At the abundance. The bounty. Thank you, God. Kairos.

Or when I curl up in my cozy bed with Theo asleep at my feet and Craig asleep by my side and I listen to them both breathing. And for a moment, I think- how did a girl like me get so lucky? To go to bed each night surrounded by this breath, this love, this peace, this warmth? Kairos.

These kairos moments leave as fast as they come- but I mark them. I say the word kairos in my head each time I leave chronos. And at the end of the day, I don’t remember exactly what my kairos moments were, but I remember I had them. And that makes the pain of the daily parenting climb worth it.

If I had a couple Kairos moments during the day, I call it a success.
Carpe a couple of Kairoses a day.
Good enough for me.

Operation "Just Chunk It"

Operation "Just Chunk It" has officially commenced. I guess one of my New Year's resolutions is to simplify. I don't really ever make resolutions, but I figured this was a good one and hopefully something that is realistic.

Our house isn't tiny, but it certainly isn't huge. It is too small though for all our current stuff. It shouldn't be though. It's a 3/2 with an average amount of closet space, decent size attic, big garage, and "man-cave." However, I feel like it's a 2/1 with no closets. Why? Simply put, we have too much CRAP.

I'll be the first to admit I'm a pack rat and hate throwing things away. I'm nowhere near those hoarder people though. Oh.My.Gosh. I was SO disgusted watching one of those "Buried Alive" shows last night that it really motivated me to get rid of the clutter. Clutter is why my house never feels clean. Hardly anything has a place. It seems when I move something out of the way, it just becomes in the way somewhere else.

I started with magazines. I have tons of Real Simple, Parenting, Marie Claire, Texas Monthly, etc. Not to mention Cabelas catalogs, Bass Pro, B.A.S.S. mags, and a ton of other in that genre. I pretty much decided I'm not renewing any either. That's why I have Pinterest. All those "ideas" that were my reason for hanging on to the old copies are on Pinterest. Same goes for the Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel catalogs that I hold on to. For real. I have NEVER bought ANYTHING from either of those places that wasn't a wedding present.

So, that was Step 1.

Step 2 is just IMMEDIATELY dealing with mail. The amount of junk mail we get is ridiculous. I'm getting a shredder and sending 95% of our mail straight to it. I love regular mail, so please feel free to send me some! Along with this, we need a place for Andrew's mail. I handle all the bills and stuff, but Andrew gets stuff and doesn't have a place to store it, so after I give it to him, it usually just sits on the counter or gets lost in his magazine/catalog basket under his night stand.

Step 3 is to come up with some system for bills paid and other paper things I need to hold on to. I have a box by my desk that everything gets dumped into after it's paid and once in a while when Andrew is out of town or I'm really bored (which is rare), I get out my real filing cabinets and file it all away. I know I should just do that as they come in, but it's much easier just to toss it in the box. There has to be a better system. I bet I can find one on Pinterest. :-) It's about to be tax time, which I dread, just because I know I HAVE to got through that 'ole box 'o papers.

Step 4 is to QUIT HOLDING ON to things for an IMAGINARY garage sale. I have yet to convince Andrew to have one, so if he's not on board, I'll just take it to the United Board of Missions. NO MATTER WHAT IT IS. It is SO hard for me to donate some things that I know have value (or that I paid a lot for) or could be sent to a more specific user charity. Fact is though. I won't take the time to do it, so just give it away. I REALLY want to have a garage sale though, and I think the way I could make it happen is if everything was stored in an organized fashion in the ATTIC until then. Although we do have a big garage, it is pretty well occupied with two boats, two kayaks, a grill, a million decoys, all that lawn/garden stuff, tools, an old TV, an old coffee table... you get it. I have a TON of throw pillows in excellent used condition that SOMEONE could use. They are taking up a lot of space in the attic. I also have a couple old printers, luggage, baby clothes (I'll discuss that more below), home decor, lamps, books, costume jewelry, etc., just to name a few. The problem with our attic though is that in the summer it is JUST TOO HOT. I've already discovered that anything with elastic was pretty much ruined. I really need to figure out what can be stored there and what needs to be in the A/C. What about the basket 'o phone chargers and chargers to things we don't know what they are. I don't want to throw them away JUST IN CASE one of those chargers is the magic one.

Step 5 is to REALLY narrow down the baby stuff. Yes, we want another child and no, we don't know what his/her gender will be, BUT... fact is, no matter what, we have WAY too many baby clothes and other stuff. I think I put about 10 diaper boxes (the big ones) full of clothes that he has already out grown up there. Seriously, if #2 is a boy, he would probably use 1/2 (or less) of the clothes up there. Someone gave us a car seat before Carson was born that we initially were going to use but then discovered it was a 2001 (which is more than 6-years old, which they don't recommend using). Secondly, it wasn't compatible with any strollers, because of it's age. So, we got our own car seat. So now, I have two car seats and FOUR bases in the attic. Pretty sure I can chunk the old one. I think it's actually supposed to be "DESTROYED" so that no one uses it. I already gave away an umbrella stroller that was entirely too short for me. I had to hunch over to push it, so adios! Toys, don't even get me started on toys... I really need to ROTATE the toys he plays with on a daily basis because there are WAY too many in the house. I know there are a bunch in the attic too from when he was little. Honestly, if they weren't a big hit with Carson, I should probably just let them go. Another HUGE item is the big swing. I know I will need a swing again, but I really didn't care for the one I bought with gift cards, even though we did use it a lot. Surely someone will have one I can either borrow or I can buy a new one when the time comes. Is it worth hanging on to it just so I can hate it again later? Okay, I'm rambling now, but you certainly get my point about the baby stuff...

Step 6 is to get my desk in order. I'm one of those with "organized" piles of stuff on my desk. It just looks messy which is starting to bug me.

Step 7 is to QUIT SAVING EVERY BOX. I have this fear of needing to return things and not being able to, so I pretty much hold on to all the boxes of big purchases/gifts, i.e. car seats, strollers, pack 'n plays, Roomba, steam mop, cameras, GPS, nice sunglasses, etc. etc. Seriously, it's ridiculous. The whole upper shelf of one of our kitchen closets is little boxes from stuff we've bought. For a while there, I was also saving just about every box from Amazon. I do break them down, but still. I think we used about 4 bags this Christmas, EVERY gift was wrapped in a box from Amazon, Zulily, baby food, etc. It was nice to have those on hand, but I need to seriously cut back.

Step 8 is to make a PLACE for EVERYTHING. Andrew always complains that I "hide" his stuff. I don't do it intentionally, but when it doesn't have a place, I just make one and sometimes it's different each time. It drives me crazy too because I can't find things because I put them somewhere other than they were the time before.

Okay, I need to stop. There are LOTS more steps to this process, but I need to focus on getting some of the above steps checked off first. Wish me luck!