Following My Bliss

Five on Friday: I Will Survive Edition

2012-01-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

Delayed: Worst word ever. Especially when said word is tied to the impending arrival of the husband/daddy who has been out of town on business since 5am Monday morning. I prayed for the weather to hold out for his arrival. Apparently I was not specific enough. The weather here is fine. The weather in Minneapolis (where he is layed over) and the weather in South Dakota (where his connecting flight is currently stuck)...not so much. Thankfully we are only a 3 minute drive to the airport so I can wait at home until he has landed. At this rate I am hoping the delay doesn't drag into naptime. Then, we'll have a problem.
Language Explosion Nick Jr. Style: So AJ is trying to talk up a storm lately. Most everything is still a word approximation, but given this time last year he said absolutely nothing, we'll take what we can get. What do most of his latest words have in common? They're tied to television. I kid you not, after one episode of Dora the Explorer earlier this week, AJ now walks around saying "Door? (Dora?) Booo (Boots?)" and then this morning I had the tv on while I was unloading the dishwasher and this show I'd never seen before (and could do without ever watching again) came on. Bubble Guppies. What the heck kind of name is bubble guppies? Anyway. Wouldn't you know it that I go to change the channel and I am met with "No! No! Bubba! Bubba!" There must be some sort of crack like substance that emits from the tv to get them hooked. Seriously.
M-I-C-See you real soon? Craving a trip to see the Mouse in a BAD way. It doesn't help that many of my friends see me as a WDW expert and so I'm getting frequent emails this time of year for advice on trip planning. Four words: TAKE ME WITH YOU! It has been far too long. Maybe if I'm lucky, we'll get there before baby number 2 comes and adds a whole new layer of complications to travel.
Project Life: I'm making it my goal to get weeks 1-3 completed this weekend. And maybe blogged next week? I'm also making it my goal to convince Karl I should print at home for this project. I think it's the only way I'm going to keep up. There may or may not be a Canon Selphy calling my name.
Wardrobe Malfunctions: Another goal this weekend: buy pants that fit. One can only function for so long with a hair tie bridging the gap between the button and the button hole. Especially when one is trying to keep up with a toddler. So, maternity pants it is.

Happy Weekend friends!

Five on Friday: Confessions

2012-01-13T06:32:00.000-08:00

1. Mommy Meltdown: I locked myself in the bathroom last night as Karl and I were putting AJ to bed (or shall I say putting AJ back to bed for the 10th time) and had a big old sobfest. We're talking the kind of ugly cry that was once reserved for really really good episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Two and a half is hard in our house. I imagine it is hard at times in everyone's house. Or at least I hope it is. But honestly last night I had a major internal monologue going about how I simply am not cut out for this. I need to go back to working for a boss who says thank you, controls his bowels, and doesn't climb the walls when I turn my back. How stupid I am for choosing a career path where my paycheck would barely cover daycare if I went back to work. How I really, really, just want AJ to be someone else's challenge for a few hours a day. Because someone else can do it better, I'm certain. Things are better, for the most part, after a (somewhat) decent night of sleep. And I'm tackling today like I would a crazy day in the newsroom. I could handle breaking news and severe weather and a screaming news director. I can handle this kid.
2. Project Life: I'm behind already. Not in the picture taking, I'm all over that. But in the picture printing, and layout putting together. Week 2 and I am behind. I need to print at home I think. I also need to get over my bitterness that the page A protectors from last year do not work with the core kit from this year. So my journaling cards are too big. And I can't get new page protectors until they are back in stock. The OCD in me is screaming.
3. Boogie Robots: AJ is obsessed with Despicable Me. O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D. since Christmas Day. Now, the obsession is morphing. Instead of wanting to watch the movie on a loop 24/7 he now only wants to watch certain parts of the movie. Like the last 5 minutes where everyone dances. He gets quite irate when I inform him we need to watch the whole movie to get to the dance part. "DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!" is what I hear a million time a day. It is possible that I make him watch the whole movie so I can see *my favorite parts* "Cookie Robots! I said cookie robots! Why do you have to be so...old?!!?" "Knocked OV-AH" "The physical appearance of the please makes no difference" Ah, Gru...you have stolen a place in my heart.
4. Time Out: AJ has gone to the time out spot 5 times since I started writing this blog. You know it's going to be a long day when a leash sounds like parenting tool. At least then I would know where he is and what he's doing, even if it means I have to bring him to the bathroom with me? (He's going to wind up barging in on me anyway. There is no privacy in this house.)
5. Beauty and The Beast: I'm using my best friend's children as an excuse to go see Beauty and the Beast in the theatre this weekend. AJ isn't ready for the big screen experience and Karl seems to think I am ridiculous for wanting to go as an almost 33 year old. Enter an 8,6, and 4 year old who are all thrilled about going to a Saturday Matinee. Done and Done. I hope they don't mind that I totally plan to sing along to Be Our Guest!

Happy Weekend Friends!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

So...

Hi.

I feel like after a 5ish month absence I should have some profound post.Or at the very least an extensive recap of the last quarter of 2011.

Don't have those.

What I do have is a baby growing in my belly. (due 6.12.11)

And gestational diabetes. (which will make the above due date pointless)

And a growing desire to eat raw cookie dough. (which I hid in the freezer to avoid temptation)

Problematic.

I'm going to try to come back here more often.

I make no promises.

Blog Your Heart

2011-09-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my sweet friend Stephanie issued a challenge (inspired by the honesty in Ali's post) to blog what's on your heart. You know, the real stuff that gets lost in the posts about menu planning and making homemade playdoh and working on plans for the holidays even though it's only September. (Those are all things I would be blogging about, by the way, if my son ever took reliable long naps and if our house wasn't on the market forcing me to spend all of the aforementioned short naps cleaning) Of course AJ barely napped yesterday, so I'm just now sitting down to take part in Steph's challenge. So here I am, a day late, with what's on my heart right now.

Family: I have been thinking a lot about the relationships I want for AJ to have with his extended family. I've always dreamed about having a big family and lots of loud holiday get togethers. I've wanted to be "that house" where everyone comes and eats and drinks and laughs together. But the truth is, I don't know how big God is going to allow our family to be. There's a possibility AJ will be an only child. And there's a good chance none of our extended family will ever live close enough to make frequent trips. It makes me sad. And helpless. And maybe feeling like it is time for me to change my vision of the future, amend my definition of family, and find ways to open my home to more people.
Comparison is the thief of joy: I saw this on pinterest a couple of weeks ago (and apparently *didn't* pin it so I just spent five minutes trying to track down the quote) and I've been thinking about it a lot ever since. I do a lot of comparing. I do a lot of listing ways that I don't measure up. It's a hard habit to break. And it's hard to be joyful when you're trying to see how your highlights compare to someone else's.
Loss and Moving On: It's been almost 7 months since I miscarried for the second time and I still think about it every single day. I wonder what our life would be like with a 2 year old and a newborn baby girl. I wonder what she would look like, if she'd be a good sleeper, if she'd be allergic to dairy. I wonder how AJ would be doing as a big brother. I wonder how we'd be managing it all. And when it comes down to it, I wonder why I'm not pregnant again yet. I wonder if we've missed our window. I wonder if we're going to have to invest thousands in conceiving again. I wonder who I would be if this wasn't part of our story.

There's more on my heart, but there's also a little dude making noises from his room. Nap time is apparently over. Thanks for the challenge, Steph.

WITL: Thursday

2011-07-28T19:54:00.001-07:00

7:00am

9:04am
10:42am
12:30pm
1:41pm

2:52pm
3:44pm
4:15pm

5:25pm
5:25pm take 2
6:01pm
6:40pm
8:29pm

8:57pm

WITL: Wednesday

2011-07-28T12:34:00.001-07:00

6:57am

9:27

9:45 (RIP carnation.)

10:27am
1:33pm

4:20pm
5:42pm

5:47pm
7:11pm
7:29pm

WITL: Tuesday

2011-07-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

More catch up! Here is our Tuesday!

7:44am
9:43am
10:41am

12:25pm
12:49
1:40pm
4:12pm
5:55pm
5:57pm
7:11pm

WITL: Monday

2011-07-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm playing a bit of catchup with sharing my WITL project as we had to buy a new router this week and so I can finally get things uploaded!

Here are a few snapshots from Monday:

5:58am

6:47am
7:06am
7:07am

7:36am
12:21pm
2:29pm

3:21pm
4:14pm
4:39pm
8:04pm

Saturday Six: Since I Last Wrote

2011-07-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

So, my last entry was on June 24th. It's July 23rd. Oops. I plan to come back and fill in the last week of AJ Every Day once I get my life under control. But for now, six things that may or may not have contributed to my absence in the last month.

Enter the Big Boy Bed: Two weeks to the day after his second birthday, a certain little dude discovered he could climb INTO his crib. Not surprisingly, it didn't take him long to figure out how to do the climbing in reverse and all of the sudden two parents and a Nana were saying, "Oh Crap! Time to buy the bed rail and convert the crib." Two trips to Babies R Us later (bought the wrong rail the first time), we were tucking the little dude into his big boy bed. June 25th. I almost feel like my life changed as much that day as the day he was born. There is no longer a "safe place" to put him. I can no longer guarantee he'll be where I left him. Naps are no longer as long as they once were (if they happen at all) and I miss the security of hopping in the shower, running to the mail box, or sitting downstairs on the computer without worrying about him.
Wanna Buy a House?: We have one to sell. We hit the MLS on July 9th. If it sells by November, we'll be moving to Michigan to be closer to family. If it doesn't sell, we're taking it as a sign from above and we're moving forward with plans to stay here long term. For now my life is in limbo, a limbo that involves trying to keep this house ready to show at a moment's notice with a 2 year old. Why are you laughing? I'm serious. Okay, I'm laughing too.
Tales from the Scale: I'll be honest, I'm frustrated. Since my birthday I have lost and gained the same 3lbs. I know why. It's stress eating, and summer, and poor planning, and did I mention stress eating? But still, it's maddening to play this back and forth game with the scale week after week. Which brings me to..
Enter ZUMBA!: A couple of weeks ago, I finally caved in and agreed to join a few of my Weight Watchers friends at a Zumba class they all go to near where our meetings are held. I fully expected to hate it, being that I'm just barely coordinated to do the electric slide as long as I count the steps in my head over and over. Seriously, though? I love it. I love it in the most ridiculous kind of way. I laugh through the entire hour and probably only get the moves right 30% of the time. I mean really, how can you take yourself seriously when you're attempting to follow the instructor and you hear the words, "The club can't even handle me right now." Truer words were never spoken. There is NO club that can handle my poor attempt at dancing. But when the hour is up, I am drenched in sweat, redder than any tee shirt I own, and ready to do it again the next day. It's a good thing.
Speech Coaching: The little dude still refuses to grace us with words, but he has mastered the MORE sign. After doing it ONCE a few weeks ago, he suddenly decided this week that it would be useful. There was great rejoicing around here when that switch went off let me tell you. The only problem we have right now is that he seems to think MORE also means YES. (It's an easy mistake to mean because he most often uses the more sign to indicate he wants more to eat. IE: Yes, woman, please refill my snack bowl.) So we're getting MORE sometimes when what he really means is yes. So, it's not fool proof, but he's so stinking proud of himself when he signs. Love it.
Wedding Season: I won't lie, this season feels weird since we're barely shooting. Between two spring/summer due dates we didn't book much this year planning to be on maternity leave. Well, we all know how that ended. It's for the best though since now we've had time to focus on getting the house listed, etc. After a couple of months off (our last wedding was in April), we're back in the swing of things having shot an engagement session last week and a wedding on the calendar for next weekend. Lugging camera gear in hot as heck July...how many calories does one burn doing that??

And so, now you're caught up. Sort of. I'll be back. Promise!

AJ Every Day: June 23rd

2011-06-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

Ah, Thursday...it started off as an ordinary day. Up at the crack of dawn. Spreading non dairy buttery spread on a waffle with my eyes closed wishing I were still sleeping and not making the little dude his breakfast. Attempting to make the house look somewhat presentable before our "speech coach" Miss Kelly arrived.

AJ's sessions was much like all of his previous sessions in that he decided not to talk, ran around like a crazy kid, and took snuggle breaks in Miss Kelly's lap. We scheduled a session for two weeks from now because of the holiday and said our goodbyes.

Then...the little dude got hungry. He brought me his snack bowl, as is his standard, "feed me woman" routine, and I said, "AJ, would you like some more pretzels?" and he nodded his head which is a fairly recent communication development, so I was stoked about that. And then....THEN he put his little fingers together and SIGNED MORE!!!! If Nana Joan hadn't been there to witness it I would have thought my mind was playing tricks on me. After all, I've been doing a handful of basic signs since he was just a few months old and never has he ever even pretended to care or imitate. So there was great celebrating in the Homburg household. Dancing and clapping even.

Of course, we've tried to get him to do it a million times since, and he refuses. My kid...he has a hard head.

Speaking of hard heads, and that picture up there...we have a goose egg. Post nap yesterday the little dude decided to take off running with the remote control. And because Nana Joan has not yet learned that chasing the speed demon is futile, she took off after him. And because AJ has not really mastered STOPPING once he takes off at warp speed, he had an unfortunate run in with his bedroom door. It really is hard to believe, but this is his first honest to goodness knot on the head. He's had a few bruises and a scratch, but he's never fallen with such force as to wind up with a big old ugly bump on the noggin. It was swollen almost right away and it bled a little and I may or may not have had a moment of, "Great now he has a head injury and we don't know what his platelets are!" but the tears were over in a few minutes and now I almost think he feels like the goose egg is a badge of honor. As soon as Karl came home, the little dude ran to the gate and swept away his hair so Daddy could get a good look at his battle scar.

Show off! :)

AJ Every Day: June 21st and 22nd

2011-06-23T12:13:00.001-07:00

June 21st: The summer of male bonding continues with week 2 of swimming lessons. Mama didn't attend due to a scheduling conflict but apparently the little dude was a super star. He blew bubbles AND floated on his back. My favorite story from the evening though is that AJ decided to take off in the locker room while his daddy was in the middle of changing, leaving Karl to attempt to dress himself while running after the wayward 2 year old.
June 22nd: I love that the little dude is always so happy to see his daddy after work. Here's what I'm wondering though. How come Karl can leave for work every day without any tears from the peanut gallery but when Mama so much as walks downstairs to show a visitor out it triggers an all out meltdown?? In case you can't tell we've had a major resurgence of the separation anxiety as of late. Part of me is flattered, but the bigger part just hates to see him so upset and in some cases inconsolable. Poor little dude!

AJ Every Day: June 20th

2011-06-20T19:12:00.001-07:00

Forget fine dining, when you're two, it's a big deal to eat your snack on the back deck. This weekend I convinced Karl to install an unused baby gate at the top of the deck stairs so I could hang outside with AJ without chasing him around the entire yard. We're still out in the yard quite a bit, but it's nice to have a little bit of time to just hang out without the constant running and chasing since we don't have a fence. The little dude is THRILLED to have this new space and loves to hang out at his picnic table and just randomly walk around. So very cute. Except when it's raining and he doesn't get that we can't just open the slider and chill outside.

P.S.- Tales from the Scale week 13: down .2 for a grand total of 21 pounds even. Not thrilled, but I'll take it. Happy Monday all.

AJ Every Day: June 19th

2011-06-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

My two favorite dudes during a two minute "quick lets take a couple of pictures outside while it isn't raining" photo shoot. In case you haven't heard, the little dude has a bit of a sadistic streak and thinks "ouch" is the funniest word in the English language.

And since it's a holiday, the first holiday AJ was around to celebrate, I thought I'd go back and look at our past Father's Days:

2009:
Daddy and a 9 day old AJ sleeping through his first breakfast at Blueberry Hill. That place used to be a big part of our weekends before the little dude. Now, due to his allergies, breakfast is the one meal we pretty much never eat out. The little dude clearly feels bad about this because he sent me out to get his daddy take out breakfast from Blueberry Hill this morning.

2010

Last year, AJ's first birthday party was the day before Father's Day. You know, the party we left abruptly to take the guest of honor to the emergency room? Karl is calm in a crisis. Actually, Karl is calm pretty much all the time, which sometimes enrages me. But honestly, I don't think I could handle all of our hospital (mis)adventures if we weren't in this together. Lord knows I wasn't anything close to calm last summer when we were told there was a chance leukemia was causing AJ's platelets to tank.

I wouldn't get through this motherhood thing alive without him.

AJ Every Day: June 18th

2011-06-18T19:08:00.001-07:00

AJ attended his first Appleton Farmers Market when he was just about a week old. Two years later, we're still going. And Mama is still spending too much money on tomatoes and pretty flowers. These days a certain little dude is not as content to sit in his stroller and people watch so we move at a quicker pace so the native doesn't get (too) restless.

Now if only I could figure out why AJ has suddenly developed an irrational fear of elevators! We're talking ear piercing screaming the second the door opens. Said screams continue until we are safely out of the elevator. What makes a kid suddenly develop a fear like that? And is there something I can do about it? I'm fairly certain he's too young for those therapies I see them use on Bravo for people who are afraid to leave their house/step on cracks/eat food from a buffet.

Maybe this summer I'll just have to get up extra early to snag a spot on the ground level of the parking ramp.

AJ Every Day: June 17th

2011-06-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

Some days it takes me until bed time to take what is deemed to be the "AJ Every Day" photo. Today, I had the shot in the bag before 9am. The little dude has been recently reunited with his Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere chair (the cover was in the wash) and he has parked it in his favorite spot right next to the big windows in the family room. He watches the birds and the squirrels and Mama seizes the good night and snaps away. Perfect photo for our quiet day at home.

But there is an alternate photo for today. One that I am sure will humiliate a certain little dude in 10 or so years...

Why yes, that is a pair of Daddy's (clean) underwear being proudly worn as a sash by a certain little dude. Never has doing laundry been such a comedic event. He was actually wearing said underwear on his head when I ran to get the camera but I wasn't fast enough.

AJ Every Day: June 16th

2011-06-17T13:45:00.001-07:00

A happy Thursday night at Chez Homburg. Daddy is home from an overnight work trip. Nana Joan is still visiting. The weather is nice enough for open windows. And most importantly to the little dude: a new furniture configuration in the living room gives him more room to run and an unobstructed view of the backyard from the windows.

AJ Every Day: June 15th

2011-06-15T20:14:00.001-07:00

Ah, this photo. This is the photo that involved a bajillion trips up and down the stairs while on the phone with Karl, trying to locate the batteries so I could use my flash (Note to self: don't wait until after dark to take AJ's daily photo). It's the photo that involved bribing the little dude with a chance to wear Auntie Barb's "pretties" (Note to self: little dude's don't like to take pictures when it is past their bedtime). It's the photo that isn't especially flattering to any one of us. AJ isn't looking, I think my eyes are half closed, and I believe I caught Barb mid sentence.

But I love it. I love that we can have these fun nights when our husbands are out of town that involve foods the men we love hate. I love that AJ was full of hugs and high fives for his Auntie Barb. I love that he babbled his way through dinner (even if I did have to tell him to take his feet off the table a million times).

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we made this for dinner. It was delish!

AJ Every Day: June 14th

2011-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

My boy, he is a fish. He loves the bath more than most anything else. I think he thinks the pool at the Y is really just one big bath tub where he gets to play with his Daddy. And wouldn't you know it, there were rubber duckies there too! This summer AJ is taking his lessons with Daddy, so Mama sat behind the class and snapped a few pictures. It didn't take long for the little dude to notice I was there and so he spent much of the time turning around to find me and wave.

This was the last picture I took that evening and you can see he is shivering a bit. We got him home and found he was running a little fever (stupid shots) so we gave him some tylenol and a night time diaper and sent him off to bed. He slept straight through until almost 6am. Water tires a little dude out!

Tales from the Scale: Week 12

2011-06-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

Down 2lbs for a total of 20.8lbs!!

Very proud of that accomplishment this week as I may or may not have had a slice or two of birthday cake. And those slices were not exactly small.

Next stop 10%

AJ Every Day: June 13th

2011-06-13T15:45:00.001-07:00

We took a photo of the little dude at his very first appointment with Dr. Ridlehoover. He was just a few days old and still a little yellow but cleared from needing the bili bed anymore. 24 hours later we saw her again when she sent us to the hospital because AJ was having seizures. We took another at his one year well check, the day he received the vaccination that landed him in the hospital for a transfusion a couple of weeks later. We took the two year picture today, a few minutes after he received his MMR vaccine.

I'm not going to lie. This mama is terrified that there is some sort of picture taking curse and that shot is going to trigger another ITP episode. The good news is I know what to look for this time. The bad news is there isn't a darn thing we can do about it. If it's going to happen, it will happen. And if he does wind up with ITP again (the MMR vax is the number one documented trigger) then we'll wind up in the hospital. It doesn't matter if we catch it early, the only treatment is a transfusion. And the only way to do the transfusion is to spend the night in the hospital.

So we wait. If it's going to be bad, we'll start seeing something in 10-14 days. So let's all say a quick prayer that we're not taking AJ's daily photo on June 24th on the 4th floor of Children's Hospital Fox Valley, kay?

AJ Every Day: June 9-12

2011-06-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

The party is over. The little dude is officially two. His mama is officially exhausted. I have many pictures and stories to share from the festivities in the coming days. For now, here's a quick AJ Every Day catch up:
June 9th: The little dude loved having family in town for his birthday weekend. In fact he loved it so much he thought he could skip out on this thing called bedtime. Wednesday and Thursday nights were so bad that on Friday I told everyone they needed to say goodnight and "leave" 15 minutes before we put AJ to bed so he wouldn't feel like he was missing out. So, the grandparents went and hid in the garage, AJ went down like a champ, and then we all resumed party preps while he slept!

June 10th: Wouldn't you know it, on the day we were scheduled to have the carpets cleaned and I needed to keep the little dude out of the house all morning, it rained?!?! We pondered a bit and decided to try out Monkey Joes to kill some time and burn off some toddler energy. I think the big people were more exhausted than the little dude by the time we left, but he certainly had a great time.
June 11th: He is TWO! And boy did we celebrate! An awesome cake (and AJ friendly cupcakes), a ginormous bounce house, and the best friends and family a little dude could ask for. The days leading up to the party were nutty, and that morning I may or may not have sworn off every throwing another party. But that crazy boy? Well he smiled all.day.long. and that makes everything worth it.

June 12th: The bummer about family visits is the sad saying goodbye part at the end. Grandpa Richie left us bright and early this morning to begin the 2 day drive back to Colorado. We try to take this three generation picture every time we're together and I love watching the little dude grow. I also love the way he likes to put his hand on my cheek to pull me in close. He may or may not have his mama wrapped around his little finger.

And now...BED! And 363 more days to plan the big third birthday shindig!

AJ Every Day: June 8th

2011-06-08T18:50:00.001-07:00

The first of the out of town visitors has arrived and a certain little dude is loving all the extra attention, like having Grandpa Richie around to teach him how to play his harmonica (that's still a work in progress). He's also testing his boundaries big time since the routine is a little off. I foresee a few time outs in the next few days...

AJ Every Day: June 7th

2011-06-07T14:12:00.001-07:00

The little dude, much like his mama, doesn't do heat well. Today's high of 93 sent us to the store for something to help AJ cool down. This beach ball sprinkler thing is hysterical. Or maybe it's the crazy expressions that AJ made the first time he got splashed with that ice cold water that were cracking me up.

The first of many Summer 2011 adventures!

Tales from the Scale: Week 11

2011-06-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

UP ONE POUND bringing my total loss back to 18.8lbs.

I'm disappointed, but really have nobody to blame but myself. Yes, I can say that some of it is that lovely monthly water weight fluctuation. But honestly, if I'd made better decisions over the last two weeks (no weigh in last week due to Memorial Day) a little PMS weight gain wouldn't have made an impact on the scale.

I learned this week that I need that weekly weigh in, in front of another person. I need to know all week that my weigh in day is coming. Some people do great using just the online program. For me, I need the meetings and the weigh ins to keep me honest.

So here's to a new week, which will bring more challenges and more chances to make better decisions.

AJ Every Day: June 6th

2011-06-06T14:39:00.001-07:00

The idea was to get a picture of him playing in the laundry basket (adorable!), but as he gets older that kid is developing a camera detector. I snapped a couple before he noticed me and made a bee line for the mamarazzi. Forget the laundry basket, this was by far the cutest thing I saw all day!

AJ Every Day: June 5th

2011-06-06T14:37:00.001-07:00

The little dude can make anything fun, even a day full of cleaning and laundry. He helped by staying in his jammies all day (why dirty more clothes?) and handing off hangers when needed. He also did his fair share of dumping clean loads on the floor so he could run away with the basket, but I can't fault him for that.

AJ Every Day: June 4th

2011-06-04T19:17:00.001-07:00

They are a nightmare to steer. I'm not sure a single one of them has a working seatbelt, and half the time I have to dry out the inside before I can put the little dude in there. But seriously, could he look any happier?
P.S.: Color cast on this image is awful, no? Red cart, orange shirt, harsh sun. It's like the bad photo trifecta. But I'm reminding myself perfect images is not what this little project of mine is about! :)

AJ Every Day: June 3rd

2011-06-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days. We all woke up on the wrong side of the bed (perhaps because not much time was spent IN BED last night) and things were just off. I wasn't sure how I was going to get a picture today with a crabby boy who was intent on destroying the house and my sanity.

The result: this image of AJ trying to yank the camera out of my hands. The house is a disaster. You can see the camera strap in the corner. But he's smiling. And on days like today, that's all that matters!

AJ Every Day: June 2nd

2011-06-02T16:48:00.001-07:00

Another week of speech therapy, I mean coaching, for the little dude this morning. Still no words. I would be lying if I said it didn't worry me that he's still not talking. When most people ask about it, I blow it off because I don't want to seem like a neurotic mama. And really, we're doing all we can do for him with Early Intervention, so I don't like to harp on it. But deep down I worry. And I'll probably continue worrying until he starts talking and never shuts up. And then, well then I'm sure I'll have something else to worry about.

Funny story from this morning's session: I asked Miss Kelly if she was okay with me taking some pictures, and she said sure so I snuck away to get my camera. Well, the little dude must have heard me leave the room because he turned around and came running at me full throttle...tripping over his own two feet in the process. After he stood up from his face plant, rubbing his poor little head, I said, "AJ What happened???" and he said, "Ah duh DUH!!!" which totally and completely sounded like he was trying to say, "I fell DOWN!" Kelly heard it too and we both started laughing.

The little dude might not have words, but he definitely gets his point across!

Kicking off the month of AJ

2011-06-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try some photo projects this summer and I decided my first one would be in honor of the little dude's upcoming 2nd birthday. So, every day in June I'm going to take a photo or two of AJ. I'm shooting for snapshots of our day, nothing posed or edited, but I'm also hoping to move away from the cell phone cam for this project.

So, without further ado...here's two shots from our time today, playing outside while Daddy worked on cleaning out the garage for the big upcoming birthday celebration.

I love that he is such a little boy on a mission, even though it breaks my heart to admit he's no longer a baby.

Three on Thursday: Random Rant Edition

2011-05-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

Because I know you are all DYING to know the things that are really ticking me off these days. So here we go, in no particular order:

Freeze and Frost Warnings in May: Seriously?? I was pumping gas this morning, wearing a fleece jacket, and still shivering. Ridiculous! And for the record, I don't care how frosty it gets, I am NOT going back to real shoes this late in the game. My toes may turn blue but I shall not forsake my sandals and/or flip flops!
The Biggest Loser: Not the show exactly, but the fact that my beloved Jillian is leaving and is being replaced by...wait for it...Anna Kournikova. I'm interested to see if there will be an increase in treadmill related injuries next season with all of the male contestants drooling. Now please don't assume from this rant that I won't watch next season. Oh no, I will. I will just bitch and moan about that skinny blonde tennis player. And I will mourn Jillian.
More Weather Annoyances: Okay, so even if you are capable of getting past the frost issue (which I'm clearly not) the rest of the weather for the "unofficial kick off to summer weekend" totally blows. Pretty good chance of rain every.single.day. This is peeving me more than usual because the big project on the agenda at Chez Homburg this weekend is power washing and repainting the deck. Except the deck needs time to dry after the power washing and it needs to stay dry for at least 24 hours after painting. Did I mention AJ's birthday party is in 2 weeks? Sigh..

And as a reward for sitting through that rant, here's a cute picture or two of the aforementioned little dude:

(Sometimes the little dude steals my glasses so he won't be recognized at Walmart.)
(And when he's really trying to go incognito, the toy bin provides substantial cover.)

Tales from the Scale: Week 9

2011-05-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Down 2.4 for a grand total of 19.8lbs lost.

SO close to my 20lb goal.

And not too far from 10%

Sounds like a pretty good way to say goodbye to my 31st year.
Here's to starting 32 on a good note.

Ten on Tuesday: Wacky Week Edition

2011-05-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

SO much going on in the next few days, figured I would document a few things here while I have a few minutes (I'm anticipating naptime ending any minute now, so we'll see if I can actually make it to 10.)

Body Hiding Friends: Did you see this article that was floating around Facebook and Twitter yesterday? Awesome read. It made me totally thankful for the friends I have in my life who will listen to me vent, overlook my disaster of a home, and never judge the decisions I make. Which leads me to...
Mama Competition: I had no idea before I became a mom that the world of mothers (particularly, it seems the stay at home variety) is seemingly one big competitive clique. Everyone things they're doing it the right way, their kid is smarter/bigger/stronger/fill in the blank-er than other kids. I know comparing kiddos is natural and in some ways inevitable, but it happens too much and it leads to too much mama insecurity. Because really, now that I stay home, raising AJ is kind of my job. And if he's lagging behind a part of me will always wonder if it's because his mama isn't doing a good enough job. Which leads me to...
Tot School: In my crazy blog hopping that I did during nap time yesterday I wound up finding a blog (or rather several blogs) devoted to pre-pre school activities for little dudes and dudettes. Now, many of these blogs are written by homeschooling moms and so their goals seem to be to get their kids into the homeschooling mode as early as possible while also teaching the older kids. I'm not currently planning to home school. I'm pretty sure I would suck at it. But those blogs? Have some pretty stinking cool ideas. So AJ and I might be having some pretty fun learning adventures this summer thanks to the internet. Which leads me to...
Emily and Henry's visit: Okay, so that connection is a bit of a stretch, but I did meet Em on the internet and so far all I've seen of the young Henry are pictures on the internet, so work with me! I am very excited to have mama and littlest dude come to visit this week. The trip will be short. The goal is to sell off some of our scrappy stuff (and in my case to not use the money earned to buy more scrappy stuff). I am going to try to remember to take pictures with something other than my cell phone. Which leads me too...
Project Life: I bought the kit in December. I journaled and took pictures faithfully for the first almost two months of 2011. Then, the crappy stuff started, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure there's much of late Feb and March I want to remember. So I'm kind of a drop out. BUT!!! I'm just looking it as taking a semester off. I've cleared out my album, moving the stuff I did in January and Feb to the end of the 2010 album, and I'm ready to start fresh on June 11th. Which would be...
AJ's birthday: Party preps have entered the "am I really going to be able to pull off the things on my to do list" stage. I'm guessing I'm probably not alone in that my ideas of things I'd like to do often does not match up with the amount of time I have to accomplish the tasks. I also may or may not have a problem with procrastinating, so while I've been collecting ideas since February, I haven't actually moved forward on many of those things. But when it comes down to it, he'll have fun, he'll remember none of it, and my one main goal is to make sure this party doesn't land us in the ER like last year. Which leads me to....
Allergy Boy: We had our first real birthday party guest experience this weekend. AJ has been to parties in the past, but back then he wasn't really eating big people food, so we could get by on a couple of snacks and some nursing. We were incredibly lucky in that the hostess of said party called and asked about AJ's allergies and planned a meal that he would be able to enjoy most of. It's pretty hard to find an AJ friendly ice cream cake though, so I baked a batch of cuppycakes to bring so the little dude wouldn't feel left out. Of course we left as they were cutting into the cake because AJ was overtired, he fell asleep on the way home...and didn't eat the aforementioned cupcake until the next day. Ah, well. At least we tried. And I was left with nearly two dozen cupcakes in my fridge, which leads me to...
Weight Watchers: I was super stoked to be down a pound this week. That puts me about 2.5lbs from 20 pounds lost since I started in March. It just so happens that my birthday (32!!) is one week from today, so I've decided to shoot for hitting 20 at my weigh in next week. Whether it happens or not, I'm pretty proud of making so much progress in a short period of time. And speaking of progress...
The Bathroom is almost done: Back in February, Karl decided it was time to turn the downstairs storage closet into the bathroom it was initially intended to be. At the time we were thinking we'd have to move AJ to one of the downstairs bedrooms when our new baby arrived, so we wanted the bath to be down there to make life easier. He had already pulled permits and began construction when we miscarried, so the project went on as planned. It took three months and many nights and weekends of Karl slaving away downstairs, but the closet is now an (almost) fully functioning bathroom. There are a couple minor things to be finished, but it's pretty stinking awesome to see what Karl accomplished in there. He even built the vanity cabinet himself. Ty Pennington has nothing on my husband. Well, except a megaphone. And an endless budget. Which leads me to..
Barb wants to be a millionare: Did you read this post? That Barb is a funny girl, and an awesome friend. Yes, I am kissing up, just in case the reality show pans out...

Wow, that was a long ten! How about a cute photo flashback to end this entry? I found this picture recently from May 2010. The little dude had hardly any hair and had just recently started taking his first unassisted steps when we took this trip to Florida for my 31st birthday....

Time flies when you're having fun, right?

Tales from the Scale: Week 8

2011-05-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Down 1lb for a total of 17.4!

Happy about this since there may or may not have been some ice cream cake consumed this weekend...and a brat! Gasp!

We talked about the importance of breakfast this week which forced me to confess that I am *terrible* about breakfast. More often then not I try to skate by on a banana and some coffee.

Anyone have some great breakfast ideas for me?

Five on Friday; Fast and Furious Edition

2011-05-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

So many things to say and no time to say them. Here's five quick bullets of my week in review.

Cut, Color, Cash: I *finally* scheduled a cut and color for myself this week, after a 14 month salon hiatus. I was also reminded it's always a good idea to get a rough ballpark for price so that you don't pass out when the bill comes to nearly 200 dollars. The good news is I had a gift card for part of it. And if you divide the rest of the bill by the 14 months I didn't spend anything on my hair...well in that case it's a bargain! I really loved the experience though. Wish I could afford it more often.
B-A-N-A-N-A-S: The little dude has always been a fan of the bananas. But in the past couple of weeks he seems to have an insatiable appetite for them. Because he is still determined not to speak, he resorts to dragging me into the kitchen ten times a day and pointing furiously at the bunch on the counter. Let me tell you he is NOT happy with me when I cut him off for the day at two bananas. Potassium deficiency will not be his problem, that's for sure.
Does he sound like a barking seal? Wait what does a barking seal sound like?: That would be what I said last night while listening to the poor little dude hack up a lung in his sleep. We've never had any cough/cold/congestion experience before and he sounds so pitiful that I completely had myself convinced it was croup. It's probably just a normal cold, but I am nothing if not a worrier and let's face it, my kid does have a flair for the dramatic.
Party Animals: We're celebrating the birthdays of two awesome little kiddos this weekend. It's hard to believe Sean who was AJ's age now when we first met him is now 6 and Abbey is 8! Random birthday gift shopping observation: it is virtually impossible to find modest shorts for girls. I mean, seriously. She's going to be 8. I don't think it's developmentally appropriate to have her booty hanging out! I finally located a pair of bermudas at Old Navy. Maybe this is why God gave me a boy.
Speaking of Birthdays: It's less than a month until the big Birthday Luau for our little surfer monkey. This party? It's going to be fantastically tacky. Because while I'm sure you *could* do a lovely luau theme, I have no interest in such a thing. I'm going for cheese ball! We're talking tiki hut signs, plastic pink flamingos and hideous flower leis. And it possible I purchased a 5 foot tall inflatable monkey to be used as a photo prop!

And, since I couldn't find time to do a bits of my weekend post this week, here are a couple from our Mother's Day gardening adventures. Mother Nature has kindly watered our new additions every day this week!

(the kid climbs like it's his job. It should be no surprise that he made a bee line for the ladder!)
(his grandparents sent his some stuff to help with the yard work for Easter!)
(so happy to be outside. So not in the mood to stop for pictures!)
(I don't know what I love more. The cheesy grin or the crazy running around the yard hair!)

(I love him. SO much!)

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Story of My Life

2011-05-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

Editing April 30th wedding.
Friend of couple asked if the images were ready one week after the wedding.
I laughed.

Tales from the Scale: Week 7

2011-05-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Down 2lbs for a total of 16.4

I'm a happy girl tonight.

That is all!

:)

Wordless Wednesday: Due Date

2011-05-04T10:49:00.001-07:00

I miss my baby. There's nothing else to say.

Tales from the Scale: Week 6

2011-05-03T04:46:00.001-07:00

Down 1.4, for a total of 14.4lbs.

Not much to say this week. Saturday's wedding was a true test of my break up with diet mountain dew. Normally that sweet nectar of the gods is what gets me through an insanely long day of running around making stressed out people comfortable in front of the camera. But, this week I made it and didn't even cave when Karl offered me a sip.

Next week....15lbs!

P.S.- Bits of my weekend will be coming later today.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: AJ's First Cold

2011-04-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's amazing that we made it almost two years without an honest to goodness runny nose, coughing, sneezy cold. He's been the kind of sick that landed him in the hospital (more than once) but our no cold streak ended yesterday after nap, exactly a week after his first YMCA class. Coincidence? I think not. Toddlers may not share toys but they certainly share germs!

Here's hoping these drug store supplies make tonight a little more comfortable for him.

Tales from the Scale: Week 5

2011-04-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Down .6lbs. I'm not sure that even counts because just over half a pound feels like it could be the difference in what pants I was wearing from one weigh in to the next.

But that point six brings my total to a nice even 13lbs, so I'll take it.

Nothing exciting to report this week. I made it through Easter and for once I was thankful for AJ's food allergies in that it meant we really didn't have much in the way of Easter candy at Chez Homburg. I will admit to being mighty tempted though when we were at Walmart yesterday. Reeses peanut butter eggs on clearance? Sign me up. Or not.

Oh, and I had a minor victory over Oreos. You see I decided to surprised a certain Miss Em with some oreo cheesecake new mama cupcakes last week since Barb was headed down that way. And I bought the whole bag...even though I said I was going to go single serve next time. The cheapskate in me won out. The recipe calls for like 2 dozen oreos. That's a lot of single serve bags! BUT (!!!) I counted out the cookies I needed (plus one to eat myself, because I'm not really a saint) and then I drove the rest of the bag to Karl at work. Take THAT Oreo temptation!

This week's challenge will be the first wedding of the season on Saturday. Wedding days are crazy busy for us and I rarely get to eat much more than a handful of pretzels or trail mix between 9am and whenever we make it to the reception. By that point I am famished and tired from being on my feet all day. I have no say in what I am served (betting on family style fried chicken and beef tips as they seem to be Wisconsin wedding staples) and I have about 10 minutes to shovel the aforementioned food into my mouth before they start with toasts and kisses and other assorted reception activities. Oh, and there's cake. Mama likes wedding cake.

So, we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping all the shooting and gear hauling earns me a few activity points to indulge in cake. And I'm hoping to resist Karl's suggestion of "fourth meal" on the way home.

Can I make it to 15lbs next week? Only time will tell!

Bits of Our Weekend: Volume 1

2011-04-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Completely stealing this brilliant idea from Em. I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I tend to forget the camera on the weekends. And sometimes you really don't want to see what we do on the weekends (laundry and floor scrubbing anyone?) So we'll see if I can keep this up.

Saturday started with a Fedex package from Grandpa Mark filled with Easter goodies for a certain little dude. We saved most of it to open on Sunday, but AJ spotted this jacket and wanted to wear it right away. Goes great with jammies, right?

While AJ was napping, Karl and I prepped the kitchen table for dying easter eggs. I found the idea to use kool aid on this blog last week and decided to give it a try. I spent a grand total of 60 cents on the packets and they mix with cold water instead of vinegar so it was super easy.

So what did we learn about this little experiment? Some colors work better than others (Berry Blue and Lemon Lime were awesome. Black Cherry not so much) Koolaid totally stains skin and takes a while to wash off. AJ didn't grasp the "gentle" concept so most eggs were dropped into the cups from a distance resulting in a big splash. He also wasn't so big on letting the eggs dry and enjoyed knocking them together and creating cracks. Finally, we found that the poor little dude didn't understand *why* we weren't going to let him eat those eggs. After all he was sitting at the table in his booster seat...that should amount to at least a little snack right? Poor AJ had a big old meltdown.

Before us big people went to bed we set out to hide a dozen or so eggs for the little dude to "hunt" for in the morning. Not knowing if he would be even remotely interested or grasp the concept, we opted to "hide" some in plain sight.

AJ was up bright and early Sunday morning and shocked us all with his egg hunting skills. He totally got the idea and was collecting eggs before I even grabbed the camera. Since his basket was full of goodies (we thought we would do baskets, then hunt but AJ had different plans) the little dude decided to pile his eggs in the middle of the floor.

After a quick breakfast we did baths and showers and got dressed for church. We visited a friend's church this weekend in part because they had a nursery. This will be important to remember later. Before we left, we took some quick pictures.
And this would be where the pictures end and our weekend takes a sour turn. We got to church with just a few minutes to spare so I went downstairs and quickly dropped AJ off in the 0-2 nursery. He took off to play and never looked back at me. Score! About ten minutes before the service was over, a nursery worker came up to find me. I assumed AJ was having a meltdown as we were very close to his naptime. I went downstairs and the following conversation ensued:

Me: Is he okay?
Nursery Lady: He is breaking out into hives.
Me: What did he touch? Did he put something in his mouth?
Nursery Lady: Well, we gave him some pretzels. And some cheese crackers.
Me: Well that's a problem. He's allergic to milk and peanuts.
Nursery Lady: Oh we would never serve peanuts but I had no idea kids could be allergic to milk.

Thankfully, this mama always carries benadryl in the diaper bag (along with an in case of emergency card with AJ's allergies, benadryl dosage, our contact info and the name and number for his doctor). I found out when he'd had the crackers, when the hives started and made a mental note of when I was giving him the benadryl, then went upstairs to meet Karl and explain that we needed to leave. Everyone was *so* apologetic and offered to call 911 which thankfully wasn't necessary. I kicked myself the whole way home that I hadn't mentioned his allergy at drop off. I am normally vigilant about informing people about his allergies but I was in a rush to get back upstairs and I had no idea they would serve the kids a snack. Lesson learned.

Because of the benadryl AJ slept most of the afternoon, waking only to throw up all over his crib....twice. I didn't take any pictures of that. You can thank me later.

Five on Friday; Thoughts During Naptime

2011-04-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

I treasure naptime. And I always hope it will be a nice long nap that allows me to get everything done before AJ wakes. But it never fails, on the long nap days I find myself worrying. Is he really sleeping in there? Did something terrible happen? Maybe he tried to escape the crib and hit his head, or...or... Should I go check on him?? And it always happens when I have those feelings that one of two things happens. Either AJ makes some sort of noise in his sleep that lets me know he's fine, or I go in and check and wind up waking him up in the process. (In case you were wondering, AJ just rolled over and made a kind of whine/cry. So he's alive. And still sleeping. And approaching TWO hours! I will not go check on him. I will not!)
A class with the name Teddy Tumbles should really include tumbling. Really. Especially since a certain mama has been telling a certain little dude all about the fun gymnastics class he was going to take on Friday. Then, Friday came and all he got was an oversized conference room with some mats on the floor and a bunch of kid toys. Thanks, YMCA. I could have set the toys out in our living room with a padded floor and saved myself that 42 dollar class fee.
It amazes me how a bunch of toddlers can be in the same room with each other, playing with the same toys, and seemingly not even notice the smallish people around them. They occasionally trip on each other or nudge someone out of the way, but the idea of actually playing with each other seems totally unnecessary. And if this really is normal toddler behavior to not really care about the other smallish people, then why does the little dude get so darn excited to see a fellow cart riding toddler at Walmart? I mean, I take him to a class that boasts about the chance for *socialization* and he could not care less. But when we run to pick up bananas he must flail his arms and squeal BEEEE (his attempt I believe at baby) over and over. Yet another toddler mystery I may never understand.
I can be sneaky. And I enjoy it. And I appreciate getting others involved in my sneakiness for the greater good. That's all I'm going to say about that for now.
And on that note, the little dude is awake. 10 minutes shy of 2 hours. I can't complain.

(Sort of) Wordless Wednesday: He needs a hair cut

2011-04-20T10:55:00.001-07:00

Secrets about this picture:

the messy long hair covers an enormous bruise on his forehead from a run in with the entertainment center yesterday
The scratch on his cheek is in the perfect shape of my thumbnail and is a result of a very squirmy boy who didn't want mama to put his pajamas on.

Tales from the Scale: Week 4

2011-04-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

Down 1.2 for a total of 12.4.

This week I met and surpassed my 5% goal. Yes, I realize that based upon that information you could do a little math and figure out what I weigh. I'm caught between not caring and hoping that my friends are as bad at math as I am. :)

Lesson learned this week: don't bring Oreos in the house. EVER. The story goes that I bought a package of oreos in order to make mini oreo cheesecakes to take to some of my new mama friends. Now, I know Oreos are a red light food for me, as in I'm likely to eat the whole bag in a day if given the chance. So, I never buy them for myself. I don't have the willpower. But the recipe looked yummy and I needed a dessert that would be easy to split up for the two families I was bringing dinner for. So I bought the oreos and promised myself I would send the leftovers with Karl to work. But, he forgot to take them and the next day happened to be one of those days where AJ was bound and determined to drive me to drink.

I didn't drink....instead I ate the oreos. Every last one.

I have a plan for future oreo baking endeavors. I'm going to buy enough single serve packages to cover the recipe. It will definitely be more expensive, but I really don't need to go down the oreo binge road again anytime soon.

Do you have a food you know shouldn't be in the house?

About a boy

2011-04-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

In two months he will be two. Correction, in LESS than two months he will be two. That child up there is no longer a baby, no matter how many times I call him one. He is a boy. He is the fearless daredevil sort of boy who takes great joy in giving his mother gray hairs and mini heart attacks. He is the boy who fights for independence at every turn but comes running to his mama for comfort when that independence results in a skinned knee or bumped head.

He is the boy with no words but an uncanny ability to express exactly what he's thinking, particularly when what he is thinking is that his parents aren't meeting his immediate needs. He has perfected the kind of temper tantrum that causes strangers to turn and give that disdainful look that says, "Clearly his parents don't discipline him!". And oh how he loves to shriek like he's being burned at the stake when his mama *dares* to put him in his carseat.

But he's also the boy with the giggle that can warm even the coldest heart. He's the boy who will smile at strangers until they look at him and then he plays bashful. He is the boy who will catch his mama's eye in the rearview mirror and start a game of peek a boo that probably counts as distracted driving in the eyes of the law. He is the boy who runs from wherever he might be when he hears the sound of the garage door opening at about 3:45 so that he can be waiting at the top of the stairs when Daddy gets home. He is the boy who *loves* looking at pictures on Facebook and loves to be carried around the house so he can point out all the pictures of family and friends.

We are a lucky little family of three. Even when we are sleep deprived. Or grumpy about cold weather AGAIN. Even when we wish we were more than three, we are still lucky.

Tales from the Scale: Week 3

2011-04-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

Down 3.6 more pounds for a total of 11.2lbs.

Honestly? No clue how that happened. I went into the weigh in really really hoping that I had made it to the 10lb mark but not feeling very confident. After all, I did eat an insanely delish burger at the bowling alley on Thursday. I couldn't even imagine how many points were in it, so I just guestimated that I used up all 49 of my extra weekly points in that one meal. And then there was the easter candy (fyi: reeses peanut butter eggs are 5 points plus) and that handful of fries that AJ didn't' finish.

So yeah. I'm a little shocked. But happy to have the first ten pounds behind me. The challenge right now is going to be finding time for exercise. My walks these days are lovely, but AJ is setting the pace which means we move slightly faster than a turtle and make frequent stops to identify things like mailboxes and fire hydrants. I love every moment, but I'm fairly sure I don't get activity points for that.

Next week it is pretty likely that I will reach the big five percent milestone. We'll see what next Monday brings!

Tales from the Scale: Week 2

2011-04-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Down 3.6lbs for a total of 7.6lbs.

Honestly, I think I only deserve credit for 2 of the 3.6lbs this week. The rest came courtesy of a nasty stomach bug or food poisoning or something that struck midday Sunday. Said ailment was so bad that I had to call Barb and give away my ticket to see Beauty and the Beast at the Performing Arts Center. To say I was bummed would be a huge understatement. It was one of the shows I most wanted to see this season. But....they don't pipe the show into the bathroom, so home I stayed and Barb and Brad scored an impromptu date night.

So, back to the scale. I feel like I learned a lot this week. I survived a week without Karl. I won't say I ate the best, but I definitely made better decisions than I would have in the past. And when I made bad decisions (like eating cheesecake instead of dinner on Wednesday, because yes, I totally did that. It was a bad day.) I bucked up and counted the points. And when it came down to it, I didn't go over.

I know I am only two weeks in but I am really trying to approach things differently this time around. I'm going to write down what I eat. Period. Good or bad. There is no Weight Watchers guru that's going to look at my tracker and scold me for eating two girl scout cookies (best 4 points ever!) instead of an apple. Contrary to the game I have played in my head in the past, the food still counts even if I don't write it down so I may as well be honest about how I'm doing.

Speaking of being honest about how I am doing, the topic at last night's meeting was the new Walk It program. On May 22nd, Weight Watchers is going to sponsor 50 5k run/walks around the country. Last night we went over the training program for being ready to walk or run a 5k in about 6 weeks. It made me think about the 5k I was supposed to run in January on our Florida trip. The whole trip, run included, didn't happen because I was on bedrest for a herniated disc in my back. Because I was pregnant at the time, I wasn't able to take anything drug wise and spent the week pretty miserable. Not my favorite memory ever and yet another reminder to me that random things can make me remember.

This week I'm hoping for some semblance of normal in our family. Karl isn't supposed to travel and our calendar looks pretty light in the obligation department. That means I should be able to cook dinner almost every night.

I'm not going to get my hopes up, but I'd be pretty stoked to hit ten pounds next Monday.

Just Keep Swimming

2011-03-31T18:33:00.001-07:00

Blog silence is a direct result of a traveling husband.

I miss him. A lot.

Especially today when I'm feeling overwhelmed by my emotions on both ends of the spectrum. Confession: I feel left behind. I keep thinking of where I should be right now, what I should be anticipating. And I'm not anymore. It's just hard.

He comes home tomorrow.

Tales from the Scale: Week 1

2011-03-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Down 4lbs.

This week was really about being conscious of what I was putting in my mouth. There hasn't been much of that in the past month when I sent Karl out for Sonic Blasts more often than I want to admit and made meals that were much more about comfort than nutrition.

So yeah, this week was a wake up call that I knew I needed. As simple as it sounds, food as fuel is a hard concept for me to stick to. Food as comfort and cure for boredom has been a big part of my life over the last few years.

This week's challenge will be making good choices when there's nobody watching. I'm single parenting this week, which in the past has meant fast food drive thrus or crappy heat and eat stuff. And lots of treats, because at night after the little dude is bed I am tired and hungry and feel like I "deserve" whatever I want. But that thinking is not going to mesh well with points counting, and I worked too hard for those 4 pounds to see a gain at the scale next week.

So here's to a week of quick and easy but still healthy.

One (or two) Little Word(s)

2011-03-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

(Alternate title: It's my word and I can change it if I want to.)

I started picking a word to focus on for the year ahead in 2007. The original idea came from Ali Edwards and spread like wildfire among the blogging community and particularly scrapbookers. It seemed like everyone was ditching the idea of resolutions and picking a word instead.

Picking a word, one word to represent your intentions for an *entire year* can seem a little overwhelming. That's a lot of responsibility to put on one little word. Ali has said in the past that you need to let your word find you. And here is where I confess that I kind of thought that was a bunch of crap. No offense to Ali of course, but the idea that a word would just pop into my head and I would say, "Yes! That's it!" just didn't seem possible to me.

Until it happened. It was October of last year, I had just had my first miscarriage 2 weeks earlier, and we were en route to Detroit for a weekend with Karl's family. A song I had never heard came on the radio and I was drawn to the lyrics:

Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway.

For about half a second I thought to myself, "Courage! That would be a great word for 2011." And before I had time to give it any more thought, I rejected the word. Courage was a scary choice. It's kind of like that saying that when you ask God for patience he gives you trials so you can learn to be patient. Courage was not a word I wanted to mess with.

So, I chickened out. I waited until the last week of December to choose my word and I went safe: Connect. I wanted to connect more with the world around me. I wanted to be a better friend to those near and far. I wanted to make connections through my camera lens with my clients. Connect was my nice warm and fuzzy word. It was perfect for 2011 because I was confident this was going to be my warm and fuzzy year. After all, the last quarter of 2010 royally sucked, so I deserved warm and fuzzy, right?

Fast forward to mid-February when warm and fuzzy kicked me to the curb. Connect was still a good word, I guess. At no other time in my life did I need to connect to my family and friends more than at the time of our second loss. I needed to reach out and talk no matter how much I wanted to curl up and be alone.

While Connect was a good word in theory, it wasn't going to carry me through this year. It's going to take a whole lot more than that. It was going to take Courage.

And that is why, in the middle of March, I decided that given the circumstances I could change my word. So maybe Ali was right. Perhaps a word really can come to you, but you have to be willing to listen.

Here are the lyrics to the song that inspired my word, "Courage" by Orianthi

Take all my vicious words
And turn them into something good
Take all my preconceptions
And let the truth be understood
Take all my prized possessions
Leave only what I need
Take all my pieces of doubt
And let me be what's underneath

Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway

We all have excuses why
Living in fear something in us dies
Like a bird with broken wings
It's not how high he flies,
But the song he sings

Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway

It's not how many times you've been
knocked down
It's how many times you get back up
Courage is when you've lost your way,
But you find your strength anyway
Courage is when you're afraid
Courage is when it all seems grey
Courage is when you make a change,
And you keep on living anyway
You keep on moving anyway
You keep on giving anyway
You keep on loving anyway

Recipe Review: Chicken and Cavatelli Soup

2011-03-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

I tried a new recipe for dinner last night from one of my favorite Weight Watchers friendly food blogs: Gina's Skinny Recipes. I love that Gina calculates all the points plus values and has also gone back and converted her old recipes to account for the new plan.

I made a few little changes to her recipe for Chicken and Cavatelli Soup, and our whole family (Little Dude included) loved it. In order to make it AJ friendly, I opted to replace the butter for sauteing the onions with our go to vegan buttery spread. I cut the chicken in half because as I was preparing to cut up TEN chicken thighs it just seemed like way too much. Finally, I replaced her pasta suggestions with small shells.

The best part of this recipe for me was that it took a hour from start to finish, perfect for a weeknight meal with a certain little dude attempting to climb my legs while I'm in the kitchen. The chopping of meat and veggies was the most time consuming part, but the soup tasted like it had cooked for hours. This will provide great leftovers/lunches for me and the dude early next week while Karl is out of town.

Oh, and I made an exciting Woodmans discovery! La Brea Bread Company makes "demi baguettes." Each loaf is two servings, which was perfect for Karl and I to split with dinner and not feel the temptation to eat a whole big loaf of crusty bread between us. Sure, I probably paid more for that one loaf than I needed to, but I am all about built in portion control.

The Joy of Grocery Shopping

2011-03-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Ah, the weekend. I remember when weekends used to be for sleeping in, going to breakfast, and (if we were feeling especially lazy) an afternoon of NCIS or Band of Brothers marathons.

Weekends are rather different since the little dude came around. Sleeping in? Well, AJ prefers to get up before 6am regardless of the day of the week. Breakfast out? The little dude is allergic to milk and eggs. That leaves virtually no safe options on the breakfast menu, so we stick close to home where he can enjoy his wheat free/gluten free/dairy free/egg free (translation: taste free) Vans Blueberry Waffles with vegan buttery spread and a side of bananas. And there are no marathons of any sort on the tv unless you count the dvr-ed episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba and Jack's Big Music Show that are pulled out as a last resort.

One of the highlights of my weekend now is a solo trip to the grocery store: just me, my list (organized by row starting from the right side of the store), my green bags, and a gas station coffee roaming the aisles of Woodmans. If I make it there early enough I can normally score front row parking and a minimal line at checkout. Both of these things are miracles when it comes to Woodmans.

It sounds silly to relish a trip to the grocery store, but I do. I occasionally find myself having to run to the store during the week (often to restock our supply of bananas) and those trips are always harried, mainly because a certain little dude is not a fan of sitting in the cart, but has also not mastered the art of walking beside said cart. This translates into me trying to steer the cart with one arm while pinning the aforementioned child into the seat with the other arm. Good times.

So yeah. I love grocery shopping.

Freak flag and all that.

Thoughts on "Speech Therapy"

2011-03-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

While we're only two weeks into AJ's sessions with the speech therapist, I feel like we've been on this road for a lot longer. AJ's pediatrician recommended a call to early intervention for a speech eval at his well baby exam in DECEMBER! Between now and then we've met with a social worker, an early ed teacher, an early ed teacher WITH the speech therapist, the early ed teacher again, and now finally we've begun sessions with the speech therapist.

Which brings me to my first random observation about the process: they don't want us to call it "speech therapy." Why? Well, according to the early ed teacher, therapy has a negative connotation. Um, okay. Except I am willingly going through this process under the assumption that THERAPY is HELPFUL! I was so dumbfounded by the "we don't call it therapy" that I forgot to ask what exactly I should be calling it. After sharing the story with my stepdad who is perhaps one of my very favorite smart*sses in the world, we decided AJ's sessions will henceforth be called...wait for it...speech coaching! If for some reason the word coaching has a negative connotation, please don't tell me. I don't have time to find another name for it.

So, onto the coaching. Our first session was last week. After chatting for a few minutes about the nice weather, etc. we sat down to get to work...er play. Because really, that's all that speech therapy is when you're dealing with a 21 month old. And on that particular day, AJ wasn't in the mood to really sit down and play. So what he did was run circles around the room, stopping briefly to interact with us for about 2 seconds at a time.

Today's session wasn't much different. Except for the part where AJ got really mad and spoke! I wish I had captured it on video, because it was seriously a classic moment. AJ has this thing where he drags people around the house by the finger. It's about the only effective form of communication he has. So he wanted to take Kelly somewhere, but she was sitting on the floor. So he pulls and he pulls and she clearly isn't getting up.

Kelly: "AJ, do you want me to get up?"
AJ: pulls on her finger again and grunts
Kelly: "Do you want me to get up, AJ? Up?"
AJ: starts running circles around the room gesturing wildly and grunting.
Kelly: "AJ, I know you want me to get up but you're going to have to tell me to get up."
AJ: runs across the room, pushes his entire weight into her shoulders and shouts, "UPPPPPPPP!"

So apparently the key to speech coaching my kid is making him really really mad. He didn't say another discernible word for the rest of the time Kelly was here, but the "up" was unmistakeable!

I've heard many, many success stories about the speech "coaching" process. I'm hoping AJ will turn out to be one of those stories, even if it means ticking him off every now and then!

Wordless Wednesday: Enough Already!

2011-03-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ten on Tuesday: Random Thoughts Edition

2011-03-22T18:21:00.001-07:00

Things I thought today, in no particular order:

My son may not speak, but he certainly gets his point across: AJ likes to drag my around the house holding my left index finger and leading me wherever he wants to go at that moment. Sometimes it's to the kitchen for a snack. Sometimes he heads for his room to look out the window. Lately we've been making a lot of trips to the window to see what's going on outside. Today, it was doing this disgusting sleet/snow/freezing rain nonsense. AJ pointed out at the mess and I said, "Yup it's snowing again buddy. Bummer." to which he replied with a sound that I believe was "uck." I surely hope that was his way of saying Yuck and not some other word that ends with -uck!
My short term memory is crap lately: I have two pills to take right now in addition to my vitamins. One in the morning, one at night. Ask me how many times a day I ask myself if I remembered to take said pills. I've started adding "take am pill" and "take pm pill" to the to do list on my phone, but then I forget to cross it off when I've taken the pill. AND I forgot my Sam's Club list at home!
All the good stuff contains cheese and/or milk: In my endless quest to find new recipes that will work for our family, I do a lot of blog hopping. And it seems like all of the recipes that catch my attention seem to contain dairy. And not in a sub vegan butter for real butter sort of way. Bummer.
I really want a pop: I had my last diet soda two days before my d&c. I drank nothing but lots of water the day before in the hopes of plumping up my crappy veins and not being the crappy IV patient of the day. Yeah, totally didn't work. But then I just decided I wasn't going to drink diet soda anymore. Prior to this decision Dt. Mtn, Dew was pretty much my lifeblood. I was doing really good until this past weekend when I caved and had several regular Mountain Dews in the hopes of surviving on minimal sleep. Now, I'm back on Weight Watchers and I'm determined not to drink my calories. So, water it is.
Abbreviated naps are almost as bad as no nap at all: *Someone* decided to wake up from his nap 45 minutes early. I almost cried. I count on that two hour stretch every day to do things like eat, clean, pee in private, and sometimes I even get to sit down and surf the internet for a while. The 2 hour nap has been pretty consistent for a while now, so today's early rising caught me off guard and left me with a bunch of crap to do.
Refried Beans resemble Alpo: I've started mixing fat free refried beans into our ground turkey for Taco Tuesday. It makes the meat stretch and AJ is a big fan. Today I opened the can and the contents came out in one large can shaped mass. I may or may not have gagged a little.
It's a good thing Taco Tuesday falls on bath night: That one is a no brainer. The little dude is covered in his dinner on most nights, but tacos are especially messy.
The scale doesn't lie: The number last night was as bad as I expected. I am currently 5lbs from my highest adult "not pregnant/postpartum" weight. I have a long way to go.
I miss Knoxville: This time of year is one of the things I miss most about East Tennessee. Warm, but not yet *hot*. Dogwoods and Bradford pears blooming. The return of outdoor concerts and festivals. I won't miss it quite so much in June when we're comfortably in the 70s and they're sweating their way through a hot and humid 90 something day.
There's nothing quite like clean sheets: I'm going to sleep well tonight!

A Spring of New Beginnings

2011-03-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, deep breath.

So, it's been five months since I made the time to sit down and blog. Five months ago, I was trying to come to grips with a recent miscarriage. The news hit me like a tornado and left all of my plans for the next several months in its wake. I would no longer be welcoming a baby in late spring. I wouldn't be sharing another pregnancy journey with a good friend whose first baby was born around the same time as AJ. The tee shirt we had purchased for AJ to announce his "big brother" news would not be worn. For a girl who lives to plan, losing those plans made me feel lost.

So, I got to work. I joined a gym. I went back to weight watchers. I traveled. I made new plans. And I was sad. Because while I could focus on all of those things for a while, I was still reminded that these things shouldn't be happening. Every time I saw a pregnancy announcement on Facebook, I calculated how far along I should be. I thought about all the things I was missing out on.

And then came Christmas Eve. We were visiting my inlaws. My period was late. I packed two pregnancy tests in my suitcase. I took one. I saw two lines. I told no one. Not even my husband. I prayed that this was our Christmas miracle, while preparing myself that it could be a bad test, or leftover hormones from my miscarriage. Two days later I took another test, saw another two lines. That visit was the longest long weekend of my life. I vowed not to say a word until I confirmed the news with my doctor. So we came back to town and I snuck out to not one but two doctors appointments for bloodwork. And after all of that, the news was good. I was really pregnant. I told Karl on New Years Eve. We were in shock but overjoyed.

Our first ultrasound came in late January. We went together and were ecstatic to see a beating heart and a baby measuring 8 weeks 1 day, a day ahead of where I should have been. We were again told by my OB that once a heartbeat is seen a heard at this stage, the risk of miscarriage drops to below 1 percent. We had heard the statistic before, but this time I had awful morning sickness and truly "felt pregnant." That had to be a good sign. And really, what were the chances of us falling into that awful "less than one percent" category again?

February 22nd I called the drs office. I was having some bleeding. The nurse assured me everything was probably fine, but scheduled an ultrasound just to soothe my nerves. I called Karl to meet us at the hospital. I was alone when I found out about the miscarriage last time. I didn't want to be alone no matter what the news was this time. And so, the three of us were together in the cramped ultrasound room when the tech couldn't find the heartbeat. We were together when the OB said I would need to have surgery that week because I was too far along to miscarry on my own.

And again, I was the girl with no more plans. No sharing pregnancy with friends. No big brother shirt. No more need for Karl to build a crib. No need to rearrange the nursery to fit AJ and one on the way. No more feelings of security from statistics or symptoms. No answers.

We learned last week the baby I lost was a girl. She had a chromosomal abnormality called Turner's Syndrome and that is why I lost her. The news was so incredibly hard to hear, but comforting at the same time. I knew in my heart the baby was a girl. I didn't just lose a pregnancy. I lost my daughter.

And that sucks. Sometimes that's the only way to say it. For the last month I have lived in this place, accepting that life sucks, reading more facebook pregnancy announcements. Except this time I have two pregnancies to remember. A May due date and a September one. I don't have the swollen feet and ankles of a the third trimester. I don't have the renewed energy and excitement of the second trimester. Instead, I have two dates to remember what might have been.

I also have a plan, because a girl can only live so long in that place where the only plan is to get out of bed and make it through the day. I cried uncle and asked my doctor for some help in the antidepressant department. My body has been through the hormonal hell of the first trimester twice in the last six months. My hope is that a couple of months of drugs will help me to regain control of my emotions and get to a better place. Truth: I am not good at asking for help.

I am also returning to Weight Watchers tonight, which I expect to be a hard dose of reality. I left my regular Monday night meeting in January after announcing my news to the meeting leader and a few other people I had grown close to in the group. "I'll be back in November," I said, figuring I'd need to hop back on the wagon. It's not November, not even close, but I'm going back. I'm going back because I have been eating myself into a deep dark hole over the past four weeks. I'm going back because I need to feel like I am doing *something* even if that something isn't "growing a baby."

So, tonight I will receive my "official" starting weight and set my first weight loss goal. I'll put my plan of focusing on my health, both mental and physical, into action. I know it is going to be insanely hard work on all levels, but I think I am ready.

It's now or never, right?

So, Welcome Spring. Please be kind.

Gratitude: Day 5/30: Red Cups

2010-11-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

I feel a little silly for admitting this, because in hindsight it seems like a silly assumption, but before I had A.J., and in those first few weeks, I thought that once babies started sleeping through the night then they would KEEP sleeping through the night. Now, some 17 months later I can say, "What the heck was I thinking??"

You see, A.J. had us fooled. At 6 weeks he slept for a 6-7 hour stretch. And from 6 weeks until about 4.5 months he continued to sleep in those big stretches at night until he was in a routine of going to bed at 9 and waking up at 6. Then the teething started. And it didn't stop. And our nights of good sleep became fewer and farther between. When he wasn't teething there was always something else to blame the crappy sleep on. Why, oh why, did someone not tell me that sleeping through the night was not a permanent thing?

So what does A.J.'s sleep habits have to do with my grateful spirit today? Well, last night was one of those brutal nights. From about 11pm to 3am he woke up crying every hour. From what I can tell there was nothing bothering him to warrant being awake. Finally, after sleeping in stretches of 30 minutes between his crying jags, I got up with him at 3 and settled on the couch for a little mama cuddles as we call those middle of the night feedings. Within minutes I could tell that he had settled into the deep sleep that had been evading him all night. Back to the crib he went and I crawled into my bed, only to stare at the ceiling for an hour and a half. I think, in total I managed 3 hours of sleep last night.

Enter my beloved red cup. I am proud, and somewhat shocked, to say it has been several months since I visited Starbucks. It is much easier for me to resist the call of the bucks when the weather is warmer. I think my absence made our reunion on this cold dark sleepy morning so much sweeter. If I could have fit through the drive thru window, I would have hugged that sweet barista as she placed my warm red cup of goodness in my hand. I drove home with the heat blowing on my feet, the cup warming my hands, and a smile on my face.

Am I still tired? Heck yes. Are there dark circles under my eyes? Oh yeah. But I'm plugging along. And I am reminded that on some days it is the little things that make all the difference.

Gratitude 4/30: Modern Medicine

2010-11-04T18:38:00.001-07:00

Those who know me well know modern medicine played a large role in making me a mother. And since A.J.'s arrival almost 17 months ago, modern medicine has kept him alive on a few occasions. From seizures to allergies to that crazy brush with dangerously low platelets, we have learned a lot about the human body and about the resources available to help us when we're sick.

Tonight, a friend of mine is in the hospital hoping that modern medicine can keep her from delivering her baby more than three months early. My heart breaks for her and I can only imagine how scary this experience is. My prayer is that her sweet little girl decides to hang out in the womb for several more weeks. But if that is not meant to be, I am thankful that so many advances have been made in caring for micropreemies. The statistics are still scary, and the complications of such an early birth are many, but the fact that her daughter has a 70 percent chance of survival is nothing short of a miracle.

So tonight, I will say a little prayer for KA and her whole family as well as the doctors and nurses who are all working together to do the best they can to care for that precious little baby. God makes miracles happen every day, and some days those miracles happen through the hands of good doctors.

Gratitude Day 3/30: There's no place like home

2010-11-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today, I signed what felt like a million pieces of paper. I wrote my initials until the S and the H blended into some weird symbol like the artist formerly known as Prince. I think my hand even cramped at one point. But three hours later, I had keys in my hand! For the first time in my adult life, I no longer had to pay rent! Hooray for home ownership.

In the four years we've lived here, I've learned to be thankful for more than these four walls and the roof over our heads. I am also thankful for our quiet neighborhood, and our awesome neighbors. There was no way to know when I got pregnant with AJ in the fall of 2008 that I would be one of seven women on our blog staring at two pink lines within weeks of each other. Over the past 17 months we have often joked that our homes are all full of the same messes, that we all have the same sleep deprived looks. Our babies have turned into toddlers and we can share all of the milestones. It's such a cool bond and it will only get cooler as those toddlers grow into kids who share classes and sports and all sorts of adventures.

So today, I am thankful for my home, and all that comes with it!

Gratitude: Day 2/30: Election Day

2010-11-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

The first election I voted in also happened to be my first election working at a television station. I took a break from work and drove to the campus polling place with one of my coworkers, Dan Smart. I cast my ballot for the guy who didn't win.

Of course, I didn't find out he didn't win for several weeks. And the Supreme Court was involved. Ah, Indecision 2000. Dimpled chads. Recounts. Hanging chads. More recounts! All eyes were on Florida. And I was there!

A lot has changed in my life since November 2000. I am certainly more jaded than I was back then. I have different priorities that determine how I cast my vote these days. Tonight, I am watching the returns come in from my couch, in sweatpants and a Gator teeshirt. That's a first for me. For almost 10 years, I spent every election day/night/early morning after in a newsroom. Tonight, I get to decide when I go to bed. What a concept.

Tonight, I am grateful for the right to vote. I am thankful to live in a country where I am free to voice my opinions and even more importantly, I have the ability to do something! I cast my vote this morning with a big smile on my face. I was smelly from the gym, and in a rush because Karl was home watching AJ for me, but nothing was going to stop me from sliding my ballot into the machine and grabbing my I VOTED! sticker.

And I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying I'm grateful for an end to political ads and robo calls! Here's to a few months of peace and quiet before the campaigning starts for 2012! And mark your calendar, The Homburgs are having an Election Night party in 2012! Consider yourself invited!!

11.01.10: Grateful

2010-11-01T19:31:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've written here. Something about being busy living life. Some days that means soaking it all in and enjoying every moment. Some days, more often than I'd care to admit, it means hanging on for dear life and just trying to survive.

This time of year has the potential to involve a lot of the latter. Hanging on. Trying to stay sane. Drinking more caffeine. Doing more on less sleep. I have that nervous feeling in my tummy just thinking about all that *needs* to be done in the coming weeks. The trips, the shopping, the guests, the cards.

The truth is I want to love this time of year. I want to feel the way I used to feel about the holidays. I want to experience the anticipation, not the dread. I want to reclaim "the most wonderful time of the year."

In the hopes of changing my attitude, I am resurrecting this blog and taking a challenge from my friend Scarlett. 30 days of gratitude. One whole month of documenting the things I am lucky to have, the treasures in my life that might be overlooked or unappreciated. I am thankful for Scarlett's challenge because I really believe this change in thinking can change my holiday season for the better.

So, without further ado, today I am grateful for my laptop that allows me to type this entry while sitting in bed next to my snoring husband. Said laptop may be missing a control key and a space bar (thanks to a certain little dude who is fascinated by technology) but it keeps me connected with a world wide web full of amazing friends.

03.07.10: Spring or Bust

2010-03-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing I've learned about the weather while living in Wisconsin it's that everything is relative.

40 degrees in September? That's COLD! Whip out the sweaters and bake something pumpkinish!
40 degrees in March? It's SPRING! Fire up the grill!

And in the spirit of our first 40 something weekend, we did some very important things.

What's missing from this house? Christmas decorations! That's right! It was finally warm enough to melt the snow in front of the house, allowing Karl to get up on the ladder and remove the wreaths from the front windows.

Also on the agenda this weekend: our first walk of the neighborhood.

This is the face of a little dude who is wondering why he is wearing a hat and coat when we just passed a guy wearing shorts.
Can you see him? They were a couple of blocks ahead, and I didn't have the creepy stalker zoom on my camera, so this is all I've got. Shorts!

Post walk self portrait.
We are both looking forward to many many more of these walks in the coming weeks.
Tomorrow's forecasted high is 48. That's close to 50 people!
Bring it on, Spring. Bring it on!

03.02.10: Ten on Tuesday: Snapshots from Vacation

2010-03-02T17:16:00.001-08:00

Since we returned late last night/early this morning from 10 days in the sunshine state, I thought I'd dedicate this week's ten on Tuesday to some of my favorite vacation snapshots.

1. Team Grandpa: Mark my words, Grandpa Mark will forever be known as "The cool grandpa who lives with Mickey Mouse and drives a motorcyle." A.J. is clearly a big fan of his Grandpa and loved spending time with him.

2. When Peek a Boo goes horribly wrong: Contrary to what you see here, A.J. loved Grandpa Mark's friend Curtis. He was enthralled with his deep voice and was constantly watching him. Then, Curtis whipped out the peek a boo. And A.J. lost his mind. Poor sensitive little dude.

3. Not a creature was stirring: There were very few things I *really* wanted to do on A.J.'s first trip to Disney World. I set my expectations low since we didn't know how he would handle the crowds. The truth is he was amazing and his incredibly happy self, napping whenever he decided it was necessary no matter where we were. And in this case he decided to go to sleep while we were waiting in line to see Mickey. Love him.

4. Snack time at Magic Kingdom: My brother snapped this shot of the little dude and I right after I finished nursing on the porch of The Hall of Presidents. I'm pretty sure the imagineers who designed the front porch, didn't put the rocking chair there for a breastfeeding mom, but it was a nice touch. This picture makes me thankful that almost nine months in breastfeeding is so natural for us and I'm happy to have family who supports it.

5. Celebrate a Dream Come True: This is the picture I wanted. Me and my little dude, wearing his personalized ears. My brother took it while we were watching the parade. True story: I cried. How could I not? Those Disney people pull at my heart strings. The song, "Celebrate the dream inside of you, the dream that just came true." Um, ya think? :)

6. Biker Baby: We are in trouble. A.J. was in "hog heaven" on Grandpa Mark's Harley. We spent some time taking pictures one morning and let A.J. sit on the bike for a minute. He didn't want to get off. And then when it was time to leave and the guys had to fire the bikes up, A.J. giggled at the loud noise. I'm pretty sure he wants to trade in his jumperoo for a motorcyle.

7. Super Baby with Uncle Stevie: I think one of the most surprising things about being a mom is how it changed relationships within my family. I am so much closer to my brother now, and I love watching him with A.J. They have such a great bond and I know it will only get closer over time.

8. Training the Class of 2031: A.J. made his first trip to his future school. We walked across campus with him in the stroller and every. single. person. who saw him smiled. Clearly, his enthusiasm for the Gators is infectious. :)

9. Swing Kid: I think A.J. might be a tad depressed now that we're back in Wisconsin and we can't spend every day outside. He loved the fresh air and long walks. And he REALLY loved the swing set at the park. Now how do I explain that it will be a few weeks before we can swing at home?

10. Four Generations: A.J. has three great grandmas who are still living. This week he met my Grammy, his GiGi. I have so many memories of going on very special dates with my Grammy when I was little and I am so glad that she was able to spend time with A.J.

And a bonus just because I think he's the cutest baby ever:

Vacations are never long enough, are they?

02.18.10: And Away We Go...

2010-02-18T05:56:00.001-08:00

The sand and sun and WARMTH are calling my name.
Later Gators.

Wordless Wednesday: Now that's concentration

2010-02-10T15:39:00.001-08:00

(I bet if you looked under their helmets you would find those NASCAR guys drive with their tongue sticking out too!)

2.09.10: Ten on Tuesday: My Day in Numbers

2010-02-09T18:59:00.001-08:00

Two: the number of times A.J. woke up last night. (12:45 and 3:50)
Six: the time A.J. decided to be up for the day
Four: the number of letters in the word that came out of my mouth when I heard him on the monitor.
Three: the number of inches of fresh snow we received today.
Zero: the number of pictures I took today. Looks like I'll need to find something to shoot before bed!
Ten: the number of dollars (in loose change) I put into A.J.'s piggy bank after cleaning out the diaper bag. We've been using cash for everything since new years and the change was really accumulating in that bag!
Five: number of minutes I cried after A.J. bit me (twice) in the place nobody should ever have to worry about being bitten.
Seven: websites I checked this afternoon while searching for a christening gown for A.J. It's also the number of times I grumbled about how sad I am that the family gown has gone MIA.
Twenty Five: number of years it has been since I've seen the person who added me as a facebook friend today (the mom of one of my friends from preschool!)
Nine: number of days until I am soaking up the sun in Florida!

02.06.10: Pass the Ketchup

2010-02-07T15:52:00.001-08:00

Houston, we have a crawler. Right now it's this army crawl/inch worm thing with an occasional up on all fours rocking forward routine.
It seriously cracks me up.
Not cracking me up: his sudden infatuation with the laptop charger and other assorted wires. He makes a beeline for whatever he is *not* supposed to have.
Keeping me on my toes, leaving little time for blogging.

That face? TOTALLY my brother. We are six years apart, so while my memories aren't crystal clear, I remember a lot of things about Stephen growing up. A.J. is definitely taking after his Uncle Stevie in looks and mannerisms, including his ability to sleep with one eye open.
Like those pretty red circles under his eyes? We're thinking that's a reaction to the mango he had on Friday. But at least he didn't swell up and have to go to the emergency room.
Consult with the pediatric allergist a week from tomorrow.

02.05.10: Five on Friday

2010-02-05T17:06:00.000-08:00

See that peacefully sleeping baby? He's out cold on the living room floor. This is what happens when the sleep schedule and nap schedule are shot to hell for days at a time. This unexpected nap lasted only 15 minutes. Just enough time to make him even crabbier than before he slept. Awesome.
A combination of lack of sleep, the absence of the sun as is typical in February, and major stress in the dog department has turned me into a bit of an emotional mess. The kind of emotional mess that loads the baby into the car and drives aimlessly until he falls asleep. The kind of emotional mess that has to park in the Kohls parking lot because she is crying so hard she can't see to drive. Not because I am really that sad...I'm just THAT TIRED.
We have had two families express an interest in Walker in the two weeks that he has been listed with the rescue organization. Both families fell through. Both times I got really really hopeful that Walker might have a great home and our life might soon return to some semblance of normal. I am familiar with this round and round of hopeful then disappointed. I was kind of hoping it would be absent from my life for a while.
Less than 2 weeks until Florida. I am about ready to start counting down the hours. Be forewarned, if they get a ridiculous cold snap while we are there I just might throw myself into the shark tank at Seaworld. The sunshine state better deliver on this trip. Mama's sanity is counting on it.
The only good part of this cold weather: I have resumed my love affair with oatmeal. The slow cook stuff mixed with a little peanut butter and a touch of honey. Breakfast perfection.
(A bonus, because the commercial just came on and it reminded me) Am I the only person who is absolutely terrified by the "Life After People" series on the history channel. Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't really want to know what will happen to our planet when all the humans die. Mainly because it makes me think of the scenarios in which all of humankind would wind up dead in a short period of time. Not pleasant. Karl loves the show. I leave the room every time he watches. Shudder.

02.01.10: Me on Monday Week 5, a tad delayed

2010-02-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

Not even black and white can save this shot.
Hello hair in need of cut
And color.
(at least in black and white you cannot see the grey)
Dark puffy circles under my eyes reveal a serious lack of sleep.
I hate to wish away the next few months, but I think I will be exponentially happier if we could fast forward to spring!

01.27.10: Wordless Wednesday: Here We Go Again..

2010-01-27T12:34:00.000-08:00

Another trip to the ER for an allergic reaction. Poor little dude.

1.26.10: Ten on Tuesday: Real Quick Like

2010-01-26T18:14:00.001-08:00

Not sure I have the energy to come up with 10 things to say, going to give it a go though.

Today was one of those emotionally and physically exhausting days that left me wanting to go to bed at like noon.
Thinking a lot about how much we take for granted in life. Last night, while at work, a paper reporter I knew of from my time in television collapsed in the newsroom from an apparent brain aneurism. He is on life support until his brain shuts down entirely and they can harvest his organs. I didn't really know Andy, but his story is haunting me today. Nobody knew the last time they talked to him it would be goodbye.
A.J. and I did some dancing this morning after I heard about Andy. We swayed around the living room, listening to music on my laptop. I sang to him and imagined for a moment what it will feel like when I can no longer pick him up and spin him around with me. How much I will miss this, what we have right now.
We are on day 8 of the disgusting diapers. I am trying not to be a worry wart, as the doctor said it could stick around for 10 days. But ugh. I've spent like 30 dollars in disposables in the last two weeks because there's no way I could keep on on cloth laundry right now. Poor little dude is going through a dozen or so diapers a day and still getting nasty rash.
I have talked about death and poop. This is clearly a happy ten on tuesday, no?
How about we make this evening more depressing? I have to find a new home for Walker. It's a long story and it involves the dog's anxiety, a bleeding baby, and weeks of nightmares for me since.
I want to adopt a child from Haiti. As in, I can't stop thinking about the kids who are walking around and have no idea if their parents are alive and may never know for sure. I wish there was a way to be like an emergency home or something. Take in a couple of kids for a few months until everything is all worked out. Except I don't think it will be all worked out in a couple of months for the Haitian people. I don't think it will ever be "all worked out."
That picture up there might be the least flattering picture I've ever taken of the little dude but I love it. I caught him mid laugh. He does this thing where he makes noises until you look at him and then he looks away and giggles. It is something I don't want to forget.
You can probably tell in that picture that the steroids are out of his system. For almost 2 weeks post wheat allergy ER trip, I had a baby with nice clear soft baby skin. But I knew it was only a matter of time before the itchy and scratchies came back. Poor little dude.
On the spirit of ending on an up note, Karl and I are going on a double date for fondue on Friday. A.J. has a date with his Auntie Barb. I think we are all looking forward to Friday.

1.25.10: Me on Monday Week #4

2010-01-25T18:21:00.001-08:00

Technically speaking, that image blows.
And it's pretty unflattering (hello, chins! How nice to see you!)
And I'm not sure I can call it a self potrait if my face is not the primary focus of the image.
But this is me on this particular Monday.
In desperate need of a haircut.
Trying to keep A.J. from stealing my glasses.
Covered in applesauce and rice cereal from an especially messy dinner for the little dude.
Insanely happy.

Happy Monday friends.

1.24.10: Week(end) in Review

2010-01-24T19:31:00.000-08:00

1.22.10: After countless trips to every fabric section in town, including an embarassing and smelly incident with A.J. in Hobby Lobby, I found the fabric for our bridal show display. Please note that anyone who visits my house will probably leave with glitter stuck to them somewhere. I think I currently have some up my nose.
1.23.10: All dolled up and ready for brides to visit. Two unforgettable moments from the show. First, when I saw a guy walk up to the bar at the venue (our booth was across from the bar) and order a beer at 10:30 in the morning. Only in Wisconsin. Second, when a bride was looking through our samples, looked at me and said, "Why do you do all this black and white stuff? Do people actually like that?"
I almost laughed.

1.24.10: He is the cutest alarm clock in the world. Even if he's waking me up at 4am.
He must have known that getting up early on Sunday means going to early church.
And at early church the attendees don't care that he makes noise from the back pew.
Actually, since we are a good 50 years younger than the average 8am attendee, they probably can't even hear the noise he is making. Regardless, hooray for a lack of dirty looks!

1.21.10: Simple Things Make it All Better

2010-01-21T13:50:00.001-08:00

Here's to today being less crappy than yesterday
(although there was that unfortunate stinky incident in the fabric section of Hobby Lobby).
It's amazing how a diet cherry limeade can improve my mood.
I even got a coupon for a free route 66 size (that's big people!) next time!
It's a good day.

1.20.10: Wordless Wednesday: Crappy Day

2010-01-20T13:12:00.001-08:00

Converted to black and white to spare the blog world from seeing mess in all its glory.

1.19.10: Ten on Tuesday (Because I'm a lemming)

2010-01-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Laura, who was inspired by Elizabeth, I am jumping on the Ten on Tuesday bandwagon. Heaven knows I need help thinking of things to blog about. And lists are an easy way to brain dump.

1. Hello New Logo! Karl and I are doing a big bridal show this weekend as our way of launching our new name and new branding. The show provides a little black and white banner with the company name on it for signage. I'm sure you would never guess it, but I'm not a black and white banner kind of girl. So I had our logo printed as an 11x14, had it mounted on styrene and then found a cool frame to display it. Now if only those weather dudes would stop forecasting terrible weather for this weekend!

2. Rollin, Rollin, Rollin on the Carpet: It's a good thing we have actively begun the babyproofing process. I left the little dude in the middle of the living room so that I could, um, take care of some business. 2 minutes later I found him hanging out under the end table like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. It is becoming increasingly difficult to contain him. He wants to be *everywhere* except for where I put him.

3. Must See TV: I know Idol is on tonight, but I'm still loyal to Bob and Jillian. P.S. That promotional photo totally looks like an engagement announcement picture, no? Well except for the part where Bob is in a relationship with a man and Jillian is in a relationship with a woman. No matter, I love them both and would have a hard time choosing a trainer if I ever wound up on the BL campus. I think I would *need* Jillian for the butt kicking, but only if I could run to Bob for comfort after Jillian made me puke. Yes, I think about these things. I also eat fat free popcorn while watching so I don't feel guilty when they do the cheesy product placement for sugar free gum.

4. Dear Jake: Speaking of reality t.v., I am very happy that Jake tossed nutcase Michelle. And I'm kind of glad the nanny is gone too. I think I'm pulling for Tenley. Even if I do want to slap her parents for giving her such a bizarre name.

5. My Funny Valentine: I have never wished A.J. was a girl, and I love being a mama to a boy, but I'm pretty sure he would need therapy if I dressed him in bloomers, striped tights and a petticoat. But seriously, I die of cuteness!!

6. A Day to Remember: It's hard to believe that image will be a year old tomorrow. (side note: yes, Barb. There is a picture of President Obama on my blog. Are you still breathing?) But 1.20.09 will always be special to me for an entirely different reason. I watched the inauguration at the hospital while failing my 3 hour gestational diabetes test. And it was during the ceremony that I felt A.J. kick me for the first time. In hindsight, I probably felt him earlier, but that morning was the first time I knew without a doubt that the little monkey growing inside my belly was saying hello.

7. The Countdown: We are less than a month away from our annual Florida vaca. I know A.J. will not remember any of it, but holy cow am I excited to take him to the Magic Kingdom. He won't remember it, but I know he will love it while we're there. Lights, music, and people. All three of those things make my baby really happy. And it is possible that I will be buying him itty bitty mouse ears because I cannot resist the photo op. You're shocked, I'm sure.
8. Paper or Digital: I'm having the great debate in regards to Project Life. I am, as you've probably figured out by now, doing a 365 project, but I'm not sure whether I want to get the paper kit or explore the digital option. Both have their perks. Mainly, I really want to get my hands on those page protectors. At the moment I am considered paper for my 2010 project and the digi template for all of AJs first year. That way I can make multiple copies for gifts if I want to.

9. Bare Walls: I delivered this float wrap to a bride on Saturday and made Karl put it up on the wall so we could take some product shots before it left our possession. And then of course I lamented that we have nothing on our walls. It's totally the cobblers kids have no shoes. We spend all of our time taking pictures of other people, and who wants to put pictures of other people on their walls? But now that we have A.J. the tide is changing a bit. I'm spending a lot of time laying out potential wall gallery arrangements. I will banish the bare walls in 2010!

10. Walker: He's a blog entry all on his own. We are having hard times. It's not something I can talk about yet, but soon.

1.18.10: Me on Monday: Week Three

2010-01-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

I am:

thinking a lot about the impact of my attitude on other people. Going through the drive thru this afternoon, the cashier made a point to thank me for being "so nice." She said that most of the time people are really rude and cold. It made me sad for her. And it made me want to make a point of being nicer. Because you never really know how much a smile can do for a person.
finding A.J.'s growing independence to be a tad messy. We both were in need of a bath by the time breakfast was over this morning. The monkey man is a great eater, but lately he thinks he can feed himself, which seems to involve grabbing at my hand as the spoon comes near his face. This morning I wound up with pureed peaches on my pants and oatmeal on my sweater. Nice.
enjoying the fact that I have been in my jammies since 5pm. I made a point of taking a nce long shower when Karl got home from work tonight because I am...
flying solo tomorrow night and Wednesday. Karl is making another Minneapolis trip for work and so the little dude and I will be spending the early part of the evening with Auntie Barb and Uncle Brad. We're bringing a WW friendly dessert, Apple Pear Crisp.
currently watching The Bachelor while I write this. These girls are, um, funny without trying to be funny. As in, I'm laughing at them.
going to be in Florida one month from today. This trip is my key to surviving winters in Wisconsin. Each year we get away for a week to somewhere warm just so I can remind myself winter doesn't last forever.

1.17.10: Date Night with Barb

2010-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

You know, I am fairly certain I have had more dates with Barb since A.J. was born than I have had dates with my own husband. At one point, in the weeks leading up to A.J.'s arrival, I thought I would have to forego this season of Sunday night shows at the Performing Arts Center in order to be more fiscally responsible. I am definitely glad we found the funds in our budget to make it happen. Mama needs her girls night out every couple of months and I am sure A.J. enjoys his guys night with Daddy. Rumor has it they enjoyed some "floor time" and I think they dined on sweet potatoes.

I'm pretty sure this evening was perfect. Amazing food, great company, and Mamma Mia minus Pierce Brosnan.

Here's to a great week ahead!

1.16.10: Saturday Still Life: Operation Grown Up Bedroom

2010-01-16T18:15:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned yesterday, the search is on for real grown up bedroom furniture. You know, the kind that doesn't come in a flat box with assembly instructions written in Japanese. Now that we are both in our (gasp) 30s, and responsible for raising a small helpless baby, we figured it would be time to graduate from the Target particle board.

Here are my observations about the furniture search:

The hunt would be easier if, in addition to having a limitless budget, Karl and I were not actually going to be sharing the bedroom. We have similar styles, but just different enough to make it impossible to find something we both LOVE. And when you're looking at price tags on these pieces, it is imperative that we both LOVE it.
I think furniture stores are where washed up car salesmen go when they're tired of walking the lot. I'm sure I just offended someone. But seriously, I kind of wanted to punch a few over eager sales associates. "No, I do not need your help" should be enough to get you out of my face for a few minutes. And when it is clear that we are making a beeline for the exit with a screaming child who no longer wants to be shopping, it is probably NOT a good time to ask if we need any help AGAIN!
549 dollars for a nightstand?? Seriously?
I am still thinking moving into the Pottery Barn catalog is a viable option. Or maybe Laura will let me live in her guest room? I'm sure Charlie would love a playmate.
Oh and if you are wondering why the photo above is crooked, I have an explanation. I took it at the Amish Home Gallery. And since I know the Amish don't like having their picture taken, I wasn't sure if taking a photo of their craftsmanship was acceptable. So, I shot from the hip. The crooked hip actually.

1.15.10: Five on Friday: Things on My Mind

2010-01-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

Teething sucks: It doesn't help that A.J. is apparently a teething overachiever. Why cut one tooth at a time when you can work on FOUR at once? One broke through this morning, but there are three that are just under the surface. All uppers.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy: I now live in constant fear of the biting. He has gnawed on my finger on ocassion, but now that the teeth are coming in full force I am just waiting for *the bite*. It doesn't help that more than a few people my life likes to make comments about "Sure you're still breastfeeding now, just wait until he chomps down on you. You'll wean real fast." Thanks for the support, people.
Pottery Barn for the Poor: Damn you Pottery Barn and your overpriced but absolutely perfect furniture. Actually, you're probably not even overpriced. Just out of our price range. And it makes looking for suitable bedroom furniture that IS in our price range kind of depressing. Wanting what we can't have and all that...
Mamma Mia Minus Pierce: Looking forward to my Sunday date with Barb. Our tickets this weekend are for Mamma Mia. It is possible that more than a year after our ill fated trip to the movies, I am still having Pierce Brosnan singing nightmares. That's the kind of stuff that sticks with you. I can only hope that whoever has been cast for the traveling show is better than Bond.
January Thaw: I have clearly lived "up north" for too long. I almost walked out without a jacket this morning and I'm thrilled about the potential for highs in the *upper* 30s this weekend. Spring is CLEARLY right around the corner. Or not. But you know, I can pretend.

1.14.10: Focus on Health and Fitness

2010-01-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

Thursdays are weigh in days for me at good ole Weight Watchers. Some Thursdays are good. Other Thursdays, well, not so much.
This Thursday fell in the latter category.

The thing about Weight Watchers is this: it works, when you work at it. Believe it or not, just showing up to weigh in, and having the money withdrawn from my checking account monthly DOES NOT equal automatic weight loss. Bummer.

If I wanted to, I could easily justify the gain this week. I mean, hello, my baby was in the emergency room. I CLEARLY deserved the midnight truffle blizzard from DQ on our way home. I could also blame breastfeeding, since it is known to make it more difficult to lose weight once you get to a certain point. Or I could...well you get the idea. There are many excuses I could throw out there to make me feel better about the number on the scale this week.

But here's the thing: those excuses won't help me lose weight. The truth is I failed to work at it this week. I allowed myself that blizzard, and I didn't bother to figure out the points in the gas station hot cocoa/coffee thing I drank while grocery shopping on Monday night. I skipped out on a couple nights of Wii because I was tired. All of these little things here and there add up to a bad week when it comes time to weigh in.

The good news is today starts a new week. And seeing a gain on the scale this morning is humbling. Now it's time to make a plan so that I don't gain two weeks in a row. A plan that includes a few extra points set aside for a yummo dinner with Barb on Sunday.

1.13.10: Wordless Wednesday: A Worthy Cause

2010-01-13T14:53:00.001-08:00

Doing our part to help a worthy cause
(Visit Katrina to find out how you can help)

1.12.10: Motherhood: Not for Wusses

2010-01-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

Babies should come with an instruction manual.
One that includes a list of things they will be allergic to.
And while we're at it, it would be nice if calling the nurses line actually yielded you a nurse and not a receptionist who will "have a nurse call you back."
But at least the emergency room is close to our house, and the staff there was amazing.
And now we know that the little monkey man cannot have any more biter biscuits, no matter how much fun he had eating one tonight.

Be back tomorrow with the pictures from the 12 on the 12th challenge for January.
For now, I'm going to bed and hoping not to wake up a million times to check on a certain little man.

1.11.10: Me on Monday Week 2

2010-01-11T18:25:00.001-08:00

I am:

opting for glasses over contact more and more these days. The glasses are easy first thing in the morning. The only downside is that A.J. is fascinated by the glasses and I spend a lot of time prying them out of his hands and cleaning baby fingerprints off the lenses.
trying every day to FOCUS on what I did get accomplished and not all of the things still to be done. Narrowing my to do list to 7 items each day really seems to help with that.
almost back to the weight I was before Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Years. Hoping to reach my 10% weight loss goal before leaving for Florida on 2/18. Would LOVE to be close to my goal weight by A.J.'s 1st birthday. Only 5 months away.
craving some creative time. I want to scrap. I want to take pictures. I need to find the time and then FOCUS on making it happen.
the mama of a SEVEN month old. Can't quite wrap my brain around the approaching one year birthday.

Sunday Snapshot: Only in Wisconsin...

2010-01-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

Your eyes do not deceive you.
That really is an 18 foot tall snowman in our family self portrait.

Some days it is not so fun to live in Wisconsin. Winter is cold and long. There are never enough snow plows on the road and too many drivers wind up in ditches. The lack of sun makes me grumpy.

But today is not one of those bad days. Today is the kind of day that makes me appreciate living somewhere with four seasons. I loved taking A.J. to see the snowman even though I know he won't remember any of it. I love that this family took on such a huge project and is happy to share it with everyone. 4 other families were there taking pictures during the 5 minutes we were there.

A part of me hopes this is the beginning of an annual tradition. How cool would it be if this snowman comes back every winter? How awesome would it be to watch my little guy grow with an 18 foot snowman as his growth chart? But even if it is only for this winter, I am thankful for such a great memory.

Saturday Still Life: Moose

2010-01-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

A.J.'s current favorite friend. Plenty of different textures. Legs to pull on, antlers to chew on, and a squeaker in the middle.

Which raises a question...what exactly is the difference between a baby toy and a dog toy?

01.08.10: Focus on Family: Sleep is for the Weak

2010-01-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure where I first heard this joke, but it is very true. Whoever said "I'm going to sleep like a baby" clearly never had a baby. Sure, some babies sleep. SOMETIMES. But when it comes down to it I don't think I've heard from a single mama who hasn't had some sort of sleep problem with their baby. Sometimes the issue is right in the beginning. Sometimes it comes up later. Sometimes the problem is nighttime sleep. Others have issues with naps. And some people, some very unlucky people, fall into the "all of the above" catagory.

A.J. spoiled us in the beginning. He seemed to come out of the womb with his mama's affinity for sleeping. Pretty much right away we were getting stretches of 3-4 hours of sleep overnight. A.J. would wake up to fill his belly, have his diaper changed and then he would go right back to bed. We felt really lucky to have such an easy newborn. And it got even better. By the time he was about 8 weeks our little monkey man was sleeping ALL NIGHT! He would go to bed with us around 9 and not stir until 6 the next morning.

And then....he started teething. That was back in October. It's now January. We're still not sleeping. It seems like there is always a list of things that could be to blame for A.J.'s poor sleep. His teeth are coming in. He's not swaddled anymore. He's sleeping in his own room and misses having us close. He's going through a growth spurt. His skin is crazy dry because of the weather and his eczema. His stomach is bothering him because he started solid foods.

For each of those potential problems there are five potential solutions and a handful of books that promise they can get your baby back to sleep if only you just read and follow their 10 step program. Some parents swear you have to cry it out. Some swear by the "No Cry" solution. Others claim Ferber solved all of their problems. Healthy Sleep Habits will create a Happy Baby some moms say.

Here's what I say: I think my son lives by the motto "Sleep is for the weak." I guess that means, by default, so do I. We sleep when we can. And while there is always a long list of things for me to do, some days like today, we nap together.

01.07.10: 31 Thursdays Ago

2010-01-07T16:34:00.001-08:00

I've been trying to post things other than baby stuff here, but this is worthy of appearing on both my personal blog and the baby blog.
31 Thursdays ago at this very moment I was in a hospital bed, watching The Simpsons with my husband, waiting on the nurses to come and get the room set up for pushing.
2 hours and 25 minutes later I was holding my little monkey man.
One week later, when we brought him home from the hospital the second time, we took a picture of him with his monkey friends:
Unbelievable!

Wordless Wednesday: He Brings Me Flowers

2010-01-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

01.06.10
for no reason

Confession is good for the soul

2010-01-05T12:08:00.001-08:00

It is January 5th.
It is 2 in the afternoon.
A.J. is wearing a Christmas sleeper.
It's the same Christmas sleeper I put him in after bath last night.

Just in case someone was thinking of nominating me for Mother of the Year, I figured it was best to get this skeleton out of my closet straight away. Sometimes, A.J. wears his jammies all day, just like his mama. And I fully intend to let him wear his first Christmas sleepers until they no longer fit. It seems wasteful not to do so. And I'm pretty sure there is no "What Not to Wear: Baby Edition" on the schedule for TLC.

P.S.- It took 15 shots for me to get that picture up there. Do you know how hard it is to capture baby feet when the baby in question is awake and attempting to roll away from you? This was the only shot remotely in focus, and then I had to do some creative cropping so you wouldn't see the dog hair that is magically attracted to fleece sleepers.

P.P.S- The Biggest Loser starts tonight. I predict I will cry at least once. I also predict I will feel guilty about whatever it is I am snacking on while watching.

Me on Monday: Week One

2010-01-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

In honor of the new year, yet another attempt at Project 365, and a new commitment to blogging, I decided I needed a few mini projects to carry me through the year.

So here we are, my first Monday self portrait. Kind of a cop out since you can't really *see* me, but this wasn't exactly a photo friendly kind of day. I was spoiled by two weeks of family time without an alarm clock. 6am came way too early.

Sunday Snapshot: My Guys

2010-01-03T18:00:00.001-08:00

Just a little peek into Sunday evening for the Homburg clan. A boy, his Dad and his Moose having a meeting of the minds.

Here's to a weekend with the perfect mix of productivity and relaxing moments.
Back to the real world tomorrow. After two weeks of a loose schedule, that alarm is going to be brutal in the morning.

January 2nd: Focus on Family and Friends

2010-01-02T18:45:00.001-08:00

Perk #524 of being a parent: kids toys provide entertainment for grown ups too. Love watching Karl play with the monkey man's new blocks. Can't wait until A.J. is big enough to help in the construction.

Even though Auntie Barb came over to scrap with me, A.J. thinks everyone who walks in the door is here to play with him. Truth: he's often right. Thankful for time to hang out with a friend who knows me and loves me anyway.

In 2010: Focus

2010-01-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of the people who read this (Does anyone still read this? I mean it's not like I've posted anything in...oh 4 months!) know the story of one little word. Inspired by a post on Ali's blog on the eve of 2007, I chose one word to guide me during the upcoming year rather than making a bunch of resolutions.

In 2007, my word was FORWARD. By the end of the year I had given my notice at the television station and committed to working full time in photography. In 2008, I chose the word BLISS, making a promise myself to chase after the things that made me truly happy. That's the year I started this blog. And the year we found another infertility specialist. And the year I got over my fear of needles so that I could inject myself with crazy hormones. But those hormones made me a MAMA! What a blissful year 2008 was! Last year I chose the word BLESSED as a reminder to focus on all of the amazing things happening in my life. Being mama to Anderson James is the most amazing blessing.

Now I'm welcoming 2010 with a new word to guide the first year in a new decade. That word is FOCUS. It seems quite fitting for a photographer to choose the word focus, but my love of photography really didn't play much of a role in my decision. The word "found me" a few weeks ago, while I was having one of many conversations with Barb (this one happened over the most amazing meal I've had in many many months but that's another story). The underlying theme of the conversation was that I was overwhelmed with a feeling that I "sucked at life." That's elloquent, right? What I meant was I had so many balls in the air, and a to do list so long, that just the idea of tackling any one thing was enough to send me over the edge. Barb, being the smart person she is, suggested making a smaller list from my big to do list and trying to tackle 7 things a day. The list is still long, but the portion feels more manageable. That concept helped me make it through my first holiday season as a mama.

So how will FOCUS help me in 2010? Well, I'm hoping that one little word will help me set manageable goals in this new year. To start off with, I plan to:

Focus on Family: I am not capable of loving anything more than I love the two guys in my life. I want to make sure they know that in 2010.
Focus on Friends and Fun: I am blessed with an amazing network of friends near and far. I want to make more memories with those friends and expand my circle. I would like to manage my time better so I can do creative things without feeling guilty.
Focus on Finances: Nothing says being a grown up like making (and sticking to) a budget. Saving money is not as fun as spending money, but I'm hoping to challenge myself to be thrifty with what I have and find creative ways to save money.
Focus on Fitness: A.J. deserves a healthy mama. that means eating better and getting reaquainted with the gym.
Focus on Photography: so many ideas, so little time to implement them. I need to focus on the baby steps to get things done in our business.

So, bring it on 2010! I am ready for you!

P.S. I am going to try and be here more too!!

Holiday Weekend Lessons

2009-09-08T14:22:00.001-07:00

Saturday: The Farmers Market Keeps Getting Better
The crowds were down at the market this weekend (lots of people were out of town for the holiday) but the produce did not disappoint. Everything looked delicious and we came home with an overflowing bag.
Sunday: Auntie Trish Rocks!
A.J. spent the morning cuddling with his Auntie Trish while Karl and I met up with one of our 2010 couples to shoot an engagement session. They must have had lots of fun because A.J. came home hungry and exhausted. After eating, he took a three hour nap.
and...
Sunday: Parks are crowded on Labor Day weekend!
You can't tell from this picture, but the park was crammed with people when we arrived to shoot on Sunday. We made it work, but it would have been a whole lot easier if we weren't dodging campers and their pets!
Monday: 3 day weekends = Extra Daddy Time
Having Karl home all weekend was really nice. A.J. got lots of Daddy time and I got lots of work done without having to worry about catering to the whims of an almost three month old.

Day 4 Lesson: Train'em Early!

2009-09-04T06:10:00.000-07:00

It's College Color Day, so I knew AJ would be wearing his "I drool Orange and Blue" onesie even if it is a *tad* big. (But at least it will fit him through the whole football season, right?) I will confess that I got a little giddy taking his picture this morning. I can't wait to take him to Gainesville this winter and add to his collection of Gator gear.

The truth is, A.J. can go to school wherever he wants. But I really REALLY hope he grows up to be a Gator fan. You've got to admit, he looks pretty good in orange and blue right?

Day 3 lesson: Have baby sized bandaids handy

2009-09-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Mark the calendar. September 3rd: I made my baby bleed. The crying and the bleeding wasn't really the bad part. The worst was the look of shock and horror that came across AJ's face in the moment before he started wailing.

I should have known those baby nail clippers were dangerous. I had the best of intentions. Three cuts on his face in two days means it's time to trim those scratchy little nails. So I decided to tackle the problem while getting the monkey man dressed this morning. One ill timed squirm later and I was trimming skin instead of nail and AJ was looking at me with wide eyes and a quivering lip.

I think I cried before he did. I had no baby sized bandaids so there we sat, me holding toilet paper to the wound, begging forgiveness of a 12 week old. The good news is by 10am we were home from Walmart with baby sized bandaids, cuddling on the couch.

All is forgiven for now, but I'm not going near those nail clippers any time soon.

Day 2 Lesson: It's going to take more than nursing...

2009-09-02T14:59:00.001-07:00

Yup, I did it. This morning I rejoined Weight Watchers in an attempt to finally say goodbye to what I not so fondly refer to as my "infertility weight." Three years of failed cycles, depression, and drugs were not kind to my body and now it's time to make things right.

I've been pretty lax (okay, totally lax) with my eating since AJ was born for a couple of reasons. First of all, I'm breast feeding and you need extra calories for that. Second, gestational diabetes kept me from eating what I wanted during pregnancy so I felt like I "deserved" some free time. Despite the food free for all, I've managed to lose 41 pounds I gained during pregnancy. That would be a much bigger achievement if I didn't swell up like a balloon in those final weeks. I'm pretty sure 20 of those 41 pounds was water retained in my legs and feet!

The nice thing about Weight Watchers is they make the plan friendly to nursing moms, so I have extra points to account for the extra calories I need to keep my supply up. I'm committed to the program for 2 months. We'll see how it goes.

Learning Something New Everyday: September 1st

2009-09-01T19:09:00.001-07:00

Ah, September. This time last year I was getting ready to begin the cycle that we conceived our little monkey man. It's totally hard for me to believe how much has changed, and how much I've learned in the last year.

Last September I did a daily mini album to document the month. This year I don't have the time to devote to such a project, but I am going to *try* to blog through the month. Emphasis on the word TRY people. We'll see if A.J. decides to cooperate :)

So what did I learn today?

September 1st: Salisbury Steak doesn't photograph well. Today, Barb and I kicked off a new blogging project :Cook. Eat. Repeat? Over the next year we're going to cook our way through the stacks of cookbooks and recipes printed off the web we've aquired over the years.

Tonight, I made my first new recipe and quickly learned why the picture in the Light and Tasty magazine is very small. This recipe definitely doesn't get high marks for presentation. You'll have to wait a bit to find out if it tastes better than it looks. The recipe and my review wil be posted on the Cook. Eat. Repeat? blog tomorrow!