Hubby's BDay Gift

OK, So this picture SUCKS, MAN I HATE MY CAMERA!!! Anywho, this lovely framed print says BUCKEYES, see it? Hubby had a hard time seeing it at first. The letters are spelled out by different architecture on campus. How COOL IS THAT!?!?!



The boys and I put our handprints on the back using hand paint. He took it to work and hung in his office. I was pretty proud of myself for finding this gift. Hope my BDay gift is that nice.....

Snow Day

Yesterday the ENTIRE CITY shut down because of the snow and ice. My boss was nice enough to let us stay home as long as everyone VPN-ed (is that a word?) and worked from home. There really wasn't that much work to do. I only got 2 emails all day, and they weren't things that had to be taken care of right away.

So I started going back to the computer and checking my email every 1/2 hour or so. Which means I basically played with the M's all morning. During naptime I cleaned out my recipe books and box. Wrote all of the recipes I had laying around on recipe cards and filed them. Then I wrote out our dinner menus for the next 4 weeks. Yes, 4 weeks. And made my grocery list.

Then M1 and I did some crafts and painting.

I did laundry, made dinner, did the dishes, and packed lunches. I also did some Valentine decorating, and packed some stuff up for a yard sale. I had done some major cleaning the night before so the house was spotless.

Did I mention that I had 3 cups of cappuccino before 9am?

Real quick update

M2 passed his swallow study with flying colors. No aspiration what so ever. They didn't even have him take a full oz before they called it quits. I think the radiology Dr was a little irritated that the study was ordered for a baby who clearly has no problems.

Why won't drs listen to the MOTHERS?? WE KNOW OUR CHILDREN!! AAARRGGHHH.

Swallow Study

Happiest Baby in the world, does it look like he's having feeding problems!?!?

My Little Sweetie, M2 has to go in for a Swallow Study at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow. I know I still need to tell his story but long story short, he has a Tracheotomy Tube. He's had it since he was 5 weeks old. His ENT Dr wants to make sure he's not aspirating when eating. I don't think he his, he doesn't vomit, gag, or choke while eating. And as I pointed out here, he's gaining weight just fine. He's had a swallow study before and did fine, but I was told that 'Things can change'. So he has to have another one.

Swallow Studies are really no big deal, they are actually pretty neat. For those who don't know it's basically just a live X-Ray. An occupational therapist will strap M2 into this little high chair type seat, put barium in his bottle and feed him. The XRay tech will watch where the barium/formula travels through his body. They want to make sure that none of it goes into his lungs. It's completely painless to M2, and Hubby and I will just sit and watch with the XRay tech.

M2 had his first Swallow Study when he was about 1 week old and had no problems with aspiration. Hopefully that will be the case tomorrow. If he aspirates on normal formula they will thicken the formula and try again. They could try 3 different consistencies, thin (which would just be normal formula), medium and thick. On his first swallow study since he had no problems with the thin they didn't give him the other consistencies and just said he passed the study.

If he is having problems with aspiration, which I don't think he is, there are a couple different things that can happen. It should be as simple as changing what he eats to sitting in a different position while he eats. Worse case scenario would be a G-tube (a feeding tube that goes directly into his stomach). I don't think a G-Tube is in anyway going to happen, let alone be brought up because he is gaining weight and having no vomiting.

If he does good during the study I might take him up to the NICU to visit. He was there for 7 weeks when he was first born and he made lots of friends. One nurse called herself Grandma Becky, I would love to see her. She was his nurse the day he got his trach. I don't think she could have been any sweeter or more patient with me. She had to help me learn to take care of his trach and trach site, which is really no big deal, (but I didn't know that then!!)

Anyway, we'll see what happens. Please think of my little sweetie in the am.

Love Train (Its' not as dirty as it sounds)

I stopped at Starbucks on my way to the office this morning and the girl at the window said:

'About 15 cars ago, a driver paid for his drink, and that of the car behind them. Ever since everybody has been paying for the car behind them. The gentlemen in front of you paid for yours.'

I was sitting in my car thinking about how nice the driver of that first car was, he must of woke up happy, and I'm sure he made that next drivers morning, how nice!

So the girl continues, 'You don't have to keep the love train going if you don't want to'.

Oh, but I do want to!! So I paid for the girl's coffee behind me. And the best part? I ordered a blueberry muffin and a frappachino, the girl behind me just ordered coffee, so I basically got a free muffin!!

I hope the 'love train' was kept going for a while. It seems so simple, yet it was so nice. I hope b/c of the kind heartedness of the first driver that everyone in that 'love train' has a good day. I hope that first driver enjoys his day, and his coffee and knows that because of him several people left the Starbucks drive thru a little happier this morning, and with a smile on their faces.

I wonder if that driver was excited about the expected heat wave today? By heat wave I mean a high of 46 degrees. Which is way better than the negative numbers we have been having!

Because every toddler needs a tattoo...

Thank you Target $1 spot for selling 'Cars' tattoos.



I know, like myself, every mother of a toddler whose world revolves around Lighting McQueen (or as it's said in my house Light Queen) appreciates your effort to make them look like straight up WT.

And, Yes, he walked around the house shirtless after his bath for about 2 hours. Yes, it is still -10 degrees here, but I don't think he cared. Thanks Target.

Conversations with M1

I say conversations, but let's be honest, its pretty one sided. Every night between the hours of 5:30 and 8pm you hear this at my house:

M1 leave your brother alone!
M1 quit hitting your brother!
M1 quit yelling in your brother's face!
M1 LEAVE HIM ALONE!
M1 give him back his toy!
M1 WHY IS M2 CRYING??
M1 don't knock your beother over he's trying to walk!
M1 NOT YOUR TOY
M1 DON'T HIT HIM, HE'S A BABY!!
M1 that wasn't very nice, he LOVES you!! PLEASE BE NICE TO HIM!!!
M1, TIME OUT, NOW

AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

And every night Hubby and I talk about how one of these days M2 is going to kick the s#%t out of M1 and nobody will do anything to stop it b/c M1 has harassed him all this time. I've mentioned how skinny M1 is before. But lets put it into perspective:

M1- 3 years and 4 months weighs in at 31 pds.
M2- 10 months weighs in at 22 pds.

Dude is going to kick your A$$!

Not me!

If it's Monday then it's Not Me Monday hosted by MckMama, So here it goes...

I DID NOT give my 9 month old chocolate cake w/ red buttercream icing. Not at my house, that would be terrible.

I DID NOT have to change M2's trach a week early b/c he had carrots and they stained the top of his trach. Nope not me!

I DID NOT go to JoAnn Fabrics 3 times in one week to buy $.99 Simplicity patterns. I would NOT do that b/c it is a limit of 10 per person.

I DID NOT LAUGH MY A$$ OFF, and then I DID NOT SERIOUSLY CONSIDER buying this pattern at JoAnn Fabrics just because Simplicity patterns were $.99. I DID NOT laugh to my self all day thinking about how much my cat would LOVE ME FOR THIS!!

Seriously, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING AT THAT PICTURE!!!

I DID NOT spend over $100 on quilting fabrics at JoAnn's to go with the $.99 patterns I bought. Just b/c fabric is 50% does not mean I have to buy it. Nope Not Me.

I DID NOT give that same 9 month old an entire Snack Pack of chocolate pudding just because he hung on the bottom of my leg and begged for it. He also DID NOT get Cheez Its as a snack. Nope, I would never give that to my baby.

I DID NOT start this post last week!

I am NOT still CRACKING UP AT THAT CAT PICTURE!!

My Truck Says It Best...

Please excuse the dust...

I'm not sure what I did wrong. I tried to use a new blog template and I don't know what happened. All my lists and such are missing. I had to revert to a Blogger layout for now. GRRRR

Anyone know how to get them back? I saved my old code. Any one know how to make or where to get FREE layouts? HELP!

UPDATE: Thanks to Kelly's advice I snagged this background from http://theblognecessities.blogspot.com/ . It's not totally me, but it will work. I am still missing all my lists and pictures so I am going to have to spend some time working on it. I want a 3 column layout but can't get this background to work with it. GGGRRRRR

Baby It's COLD Outside...

I mean COLD!! Like negative degrees COLD. My car said 0 degrees this morning, but I bet it doesn't register negative numbers. The news said it got to -15 overnight.

No wonder I FROZE all night long. I turned the heat up before I went to bed and threw an extra blanket over the boys' beds.

Our Siberian Husky wouldn't even go out. She's SIBERIAN, like from SIBERIA, it's COLD THERE!! I opened the door this morning for her and she just looked at me like 'Yea, right', and laid her head down.

How many days till Spring?

Patterns & Quilts

Here is a picture of the first 6 patterns I bought. I might go back and buy more. But these were the ones I REALLY wanted to get.
I am going to make the owl quilt (see it?, top left) for M2's birthday. I know it's not till March, but I am starting early.

His birthday will be a happy day, but I know I will CRY, HARD! He's had such a rough beginning (I swear I will tell his story someday!!). I want his birthday to be perfect for him. I think we are also going to get him an easy chair for this birthday.

We got M1 and easy chair for his 1st birthday and I made the puppy quilt below for him. These Rag Quilts are SUPER EASY to make and they are HUGE.

I sat down last night and made a list of all the fabrics I need to do the owl, butterfly and flower quilt. I don't know what I am going to do with the flower quilt. Maybe sell it, my goal is to open an etsy store this year. The butterfly quilt I am going to give to a friend's little girl for her first birthday in May.

JoAnn's has all their quilter fabrics 50% off this week so I went yesterday and bought my patterns and now I have to go back and I buy my fabrics. I have such a HUGE list of material, for the quilts and for some other projects. I'm going to have to go by myself after work one evening. I might be there awhile!

I am so EXCITED!! I LOVE TO START NEW PROJECTS!!!

$.99

Oh, yea!! Oh, HOW I LOVE THE $.99 pattern sale @ JoAnn's!! I bought 6 patterns for a total of $6.35 that's a $87.97 savings!! YIPPEEEE!!!

Now I just have to make time to USE the patterns!!

I tried to take a picture of the receipt but my STUPID camera keeps making it blurry. I HATE THIS CAMERA!!

Photo Tag

Melissa at My Little World...tagged me with a Picture Tag.

Here are the rules:


1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag 4 people to do the same

This is M2 at his first Hockey Game. Blue Jackets Home Opener, October 2008, he was 6 months old. Doesn't he look like he's having a great time? HE LOVES HOCKEY GAMES!! I think he likes them b/c there is so much going on and so much to look at!!

Now I'm tagging....

Caitlin

Cammie

Joelle

Aileigh

Not me Monday...

It's my first time participating in Not Me Monday hosted by MckMama, although I am participating b/c I read Cammie's blog and she is really funny with it. So here it goes...

I DID NOT lie to the office girl at the dentist office and tell her I used all my checks earlier that day. I DID NOT ask her to bill me, I DID NOT do this b/c I DID have enough money in my checking account to pay the bill.

I DID NOT spend most of my time at work last week blogging.

I DID NOT lie to my MIL about M1's art project and weather he made it at Sunday School or Preschool. I DID NOT do this b/c she DOES know that M1 goes to Preschool.


I DID NOT lie to my employer and tell them I had to take M2 for his RSV shot, b/c Hubby WAS UNABLE to take him this time. (More on RSV shots later)


I DID NOT pretend that I didn't hear M1 on Saturday morning when he came in our room AT THE BUTT CRACK OF DAWN so that Hubby had to get up with him and I could sleep in. I also DID NOT pretend that I didn't hear M2 wake up early during nap time so that Hubby had to get up with him and I could take a longer nap. What kind of mother would I be?? (A sleepy one!!)

I DID NOT lay on the couch ALL DAY on Saturday and we DID NOT watch 2 entire movies after nap time.

I DID NOT get puked on at 6am this morning, and have to change my bedsheets along with M1's bed sheets, because he DID NOT puke I DID NOT have to give him a bath and WAS NOT late for work.

6 Sleepers

I was getting M2 ready for bed last night and couldn't snap up his sleeper! So I asked Hubby to give me another one. I couldn't even get his feet in that one, no way he would have been able to straighted his leg. So Hubby handed me another, SAME THING!!! The 4th sleeper finally fit.

We went down stairs and I started giving him his last bottle of the night when I noticed my arm was wet. I looked at M2 only to find out that he had done number 2 in his diaper and it was just runny enough to run out his diaper. EEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Back upstairs for a diaper and sleeper change. Sleeper number 5 was so short in the sleeves it looked like I had a t shirt on him. With sleeper NUMBER 6 on he finally got tucked into his bed! ALL OF THE SLEEPERS THAT DIDN'T FIT WERE 9 Months. HE IS 9 MONTHS!! AAARGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Ohhh, Ahhhh

Ok, I know I already posted my front door here. But these pictures are better. I JUST CAN'T GET OVER HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS WREATH!! Every night when I pull into the driveway this wreath makes me smile!!



I know you are thinking those two ADORABLE little boys that meet me at the door screaming MOMMY should be making me smile....

... but I see the wreath first!

Imagine my surprise when....

...I opened up the fridge last night to pull the porkchops out to start dinner and the porkchops weren't in there!! Now where are those porkchops?? I turn around to find Hubby standing there with a frightened look on his face. "Oops" he says!

Rewind to Tuesday: I pull in the driveway at 5:20, and say to Hubby: 'Can you get a package of porkchops and chicken out of the deep freeze and put in the fridge for me?' I grab M1 and leave to take him to his hair appt at 5:45. After his hair cut I run him back home and say to Hubby 'Don't forget to get the porkchops and chicken out of the deep freeze'. Then I leave again to go to my dentist appt at 7. (Oh, how I HATE THE DENTIST) Two fillings and a massive headache later I return home, take a bath and go to bed. I didn't check to see if the porkchops and chicken were in the fridge b/c I had asked Hubby TWICE to get them!!!

So we had chicken patties and fries for dinner (ugh)! Can you guess how fast Hubby ran to the basement to get the porkchops and chicken out of the deep freeze last night? So porkchops for dinner tonite!

WHY MUST HE BE SO D$%^ FORGETFUL!?!?!?!?!?!? AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!


UPDATE: I did not make him take us out to dinner b/c let's face it, loading a toddler and an infant up to go to dinner in the middle of the week (unplanned) when it is snowy and blowy would have really just been more work on me!!

I got an AWARD!!!

Lovely Blog Award

I'm still pretty new around here, but I got an Award!! How exciting!!!

Melissa over at My Little World of choo-choos, cars & lipgloss thinks I'm Lovely!!

I'd like to thank the academy, all my fans... Oh wait, No I want to thank Melissa!! How nice!! Thanks Melissa. I feel so honored!!

So I now have to forward to 7 blogs! Here goes!

Cammie at Life in the house of no sleep

Kelly at Yeah, sure, youbetcha

Caitlin at Its Spelled Caitlin

Kristin at Grace Violet

April at 4 Kennedys and a dog

All of the these blogs great and are well worth a visit, check them out! The lucky awardees may now follow these simple rules:

Add the logo to your blog
Link to the person from whom you've received the award
Nominate seven blogs of your choice
Leave a message on the nominees blogs

Yes, I know it says Nominate 7 and I only have 5 but I'm not a follower of many blogs yet. And these ones are GOOD!

News Years Day

Happy New Year's. Wow was it a great day. We went to my Mom and Dad's for the day. Do you know what that means? I didn't have to do a thing. Not.one.thing. Oh it was GREAT!

a-I didn't have to cook
b-I didn't have to dress up
c- I didn't have to take care of the boys.

My mom did all the cooking!! I didn't even have to make dessert, and I always have to make the dessert! I made Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinner, I'm tired of cooking.

I can where yoga pants (no I don't DO yoga, I just like the pants) and an OSU t shirt. GO BUCKS!! PLEASE KICK SOME @## on MONDAY!!!

My Dad takes the big one and my Mom takes the little one and I can lay on the couch. All.day.long. I even took a 2.5 hr nap on the couch. Oh, it was GREAT!

M1 is spending the night at Mama & Paba's so I only have to take M2 home with me. Of it will be a great night too!

What's that? Leftovers are ready for consumption? Ok, I'll be right there.....

Oh, what a GREAT DAY!!!!