I have been procrastinating posting again because I know I've waited too long (2 months!). So what's happened since Halloween?

an ear infections
a visit from Grannie
Thanksgiving
another ear infection
Hand Foot Mouth Disease
Ian's 1st Birthday!
Bronchitis
Christmas

Yep, that's what my life is made of lately. I am ready for the sickness to end.

So lets go over the three things that didn't involve illness.

Thanksgiving was fun. I hosted. Mom-in-law and sister-in-law were here. We had ham and all of the fixins. I took short cuts to try and enjoy my day with my children. We had steam and mash potatoes, noodles from the frozen food section, and stove top stuffing. It was yummy and Ian enjoyed it! Probably the last meal that he truly enjoyed for nearly a week because he got hand foot and mouth disease not too long after that. And then we lived through the most miserable week of our (Ian and Mommy) lives together.

Hand foot mouth was apparently very painful for Ian. He didn't want to eat or drink. I prayed for wet diapers. But we got through it slowly but surely. And then we CELEBRATED!

Ian's birthday party came about a week before his real birthday. It was great to see the people there who love him most. He went after the cake and truly enjoyed it. We opened presents. The kids that attended played with balloons. We played some music (although it was barely heard) and gave out CDs with "Ian's Party Tunes) on them for favors along with animal crackers and john deere fruit snacks. It was perfect.

Then we had Christmas. And I'll be honest. Ian was not at all impressed with opening presents on Christmas morning. It made him very cranky. I have a little man who is stuck on a routine and we don't open presents every day so it made him cranky. But we did have a white Christmas which was magical. And Melody had a great Christmas. We were thankful to be able to give our kids presents. It's been a pretty hard year financially and there were probably some creditors we should have paid more instead of buying gifts but we were able to have a very nice thrifty Christmas, and I will be honest, there wasn't too much that I didn't buy at Walmart or with my Swagbucks (yes, I got some Christmas presents for free for my family buy using Swagbucks to search all year).

And now 2010 is upon us. Ian is getting over Bronchitis. I am trying to figure out why he doesn't sleep at daycare. Melody is spending the week at grandmas. And I can't help but think of all of the wonderful things that happened in 2009. My little baby boy that we started the year off with has grown into a toddler. He has learned to walk (he learned during his 12th month) and is out to push every button I have.

He's been throwing his food at dinner time, mostly veggies, so I've been buying jarred veggies again just to be sure he's getting the vitamins he needs. He has started whole milk and is doing ok with it. I don't think he likes it very much.

Melody is getting ready to turn 9. This blows my mind away. Tony and I have already bought her birthday gift. She wants to go bowling for her birthday so that is what I'm working on planning. Luckily I still have about 6 weeks.

Now that I've rambled....lets hope I can post again before Melody turns 9!

Halloween Fun

We had a wonderful Halloween! I would have to say that this was the absolute best for our family. It was tons of fun because we had a super cute costume theme and lots of places to go and lots of parties to attend. Our costume idea began with Ian being a bumble bee. Then we decided that both kids would be bumble bees and Tony would be a beekeeper and I would be a beehive. It was so much fun. I am lucky to have a creative friend with lots of Martha Stewart magazines that helped pull everything together nicely. I don't think I could have pulled it off without my friend Amanda. She really came through. Thanks Amanda!

I have put together a slide show of our photos with photos from the following events:
- Pumpkins for Bumkins party from 10/24. We carved pumpkins at Amanda's house with a group of people.

- Hallow's Eve activities from 10/30. I dressed up for work and Melody dressed up for school. I went to Melody's school to help with her party and we attended a costume karaoke party as a family that night. Ian slept through the whole party and I was able to have a great time!

- Fall party at a friend's house on Halloween which included a lot of fun and games for Melody. She had so much fun and I am thankful that we were able to go.

Just a little update

So, the past month or so has been quite busy.

Ian had an ear infection probably about 6 weeks ago. So I was off for a day with him then. I went with him to the doctor complaining that he cried when I kissed him on the cheek. Strange, I know, but it was true and he had an ear infection.

About 2 weeks later, his sitter's daughter had a stomach bug so I kept him home for the day. Then Tony woke up with it the next day and the daycare was closed so everyone could get well. This same day, we went in for his 9 MONTH checkup! He was 26lbs even and 30 1/4 inches long. Yes, he's a big boy. 90% for height. over 95% for weight. But when you look at him, he just looks older, not necessarily too big, so I figure that's ok. Melody was a big baby too and now she is one of the smallest in her class. Back to the stomach bug, Tony had it, I think Ian had a spell of it (not as bad as the rest of us), and then Melody and I had it too. It was the worse stomach bug I've ever had. Just awful. I'll leave it at that.

Then a week and 1/2 ago we went in with 103.6 degree fever as a symptom. His ear infection was back. We are just finishing up his other antibiotic and hoping for a couple of months of health for our household.

Melody has made it a little over a month into the 3rd grade. She currently has all A's, although math and science are 90% so they are right on the border. She had a couple weeks where she had to be reminded to do things like check over her work and answer every question. She is a great big sister and loves to entertain Ian. We are working on a family plan for Halloween and she was willing to change her costume idea for us. We've been taking advantage of a lot of free activites like First Friday on the downtown square and the Farmer's Market and going to the park.

Melody at the farmer's market.

Ian at the Farmer's Market playing in the fountain.

We have moved mostly to finger foods. It's been about a week now since we turned that corner. As I type, he is just finishing breakfast. It's taken him about 30-40 minutes to eat, but he is thoroughly enjoying it. This morning, he had Bananas coated with crushed Banana Nut Cheerios and then about 1/3 cup of Banana Nut Cheerios. He also had a 6 ounce bottle. We've been cooking a lot of frozen veggies. He does ok with those. Sometimes the green beens are a little tough to chew. I've made chicken and turkey and turkey meatballs and put them into the freezer easy quick dinners. I still throw in a jar every now and then for a super quick dinner or digestion help. He also likes wheat toast and wheat pasta and loves to come get food off my plate when we eat. I am going to try to serve him some cheese pizza this week, we'll see how that goes. He has eaten some meals with us too. My number one worry is just the level of sodium in everything - I don't have time to make everything home made, but I try to keep his intake on the lower side. Over the past week, he's been eating "big boy breakfast and big boy lunches" at day care which is pretty exciting for him I hear because he gets to sit at the table too and he doesn't have to go steal food off the other kids' trays. Yeah, he was that kid.

Ian with his mouth full of peas, chicken, and toast.

One notable thing about his personality is his early love of music. He likes to "dance". You'll see a video of him dancing below. Whenever he hears a tune he likes, he head starts to move back and forth...he does it whether he's sitting, standing, or crawling. It's so cute. Here is a video.

Yesterday, he walked across the room with his little walking toy. That was pretty exciting. I'll do my best to get some pictures of that or even video but I'm pretty busy following him closely to make sure he doesn't fall.

Here is a photo of Ian looking toddlerish in his fall clothes.

A Plug for My Services - Your Photos Collaged!

Do you have lots of snapshots but can't really afford to get professional pictures done right now? Did you know your snapshots can be edited to concentrate on the most important aspect of the photo therefore making your snapshot(s) just as frame-able as a professional shot? Load digital snapshots onto a site like Photobucket or Flicker and send me the link and I will create a collage of any size to make your snapshots presentable, frame-able, and gift-able! You will receive a digital file back that you can have printed at your local Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc. Other uses of the digital file include...

1. Set as your background on the desktop of your computer.
2. Load it on your computer as a screensaver.
3. Send it via email and allow family members to also display your collage on their computer as their screensaver or "wallpaper".
4. Have one of the above companies put your collage image on a mousepad, blanket, t-shirt...really, the possibilities are endless.
5. Get multiple collages and let me add in some seasonal graphics and have a calendar printed!

Once I send you your digital file, you own it and can do whatever you want with it - send it via email to everyone you wish, print it as many times at whatever size you wish. I charge only for my time of making your images into something you'll cherish for years to come. Satisfaction is guaranteed.

So here is the good news...
I am dropping the price for a collage to $12 for a limited time!!
And for a limited time, you can get your collage for an EVEN lower price by visiting the Your Photos Collaged Site and meet the challenge(s) listed on the latest post.

September is here?!

Oh my goodness. This year is flying by! A year ago we were preparing to paint "the baby's room" and I was still pretty set on buying a crib set and did not really have anything to make a baby's room except for crib which was still in the attic. Fast forward a year and my baby is sleeping in his crib. His room is the perfect color blue and his crib, although never adorned with a beautiful matching "set" is comfy enough to allow him to sleep through the night. Today I was driving down the road and I heard Darius Rucker's song "It Won't Be Like This For Long" and it touched my heart because the last 8 1/2 months flashed before my eyes and I can't believe we are really well on our way to toddlerhood. Tony even lowered Ian's crib on Saturday (although this should have been done a couple of weeks ago).

This weekend was quite low key for us, although it was super busy for Miss Melody. She got invited to a sleepover on Friday for Friday - last minute good times! They went to Chuck E Cheese and then had a slumber party and then I didn't see her until 3pm on Saturday - I guess they played all day too! Then, our friends took Melody to ice skate later that evening which she enjoyed immensely. That said, she slept well Saturday night.

So, with Melody being the exception, we didn't leave the house until this afternoon. I did some laundry...actually A LOT of laundry, Melody cleaned her room, top to bottom, including her closet. This child needs no clothes! And I yelled at her so that she'd keep on task...hahaha. She just needs a little motivation. I made a chore chart for her too. It doesn't have much promise in my mind though, because I remember when my mom made me a chore chart and I ignored it on purpose. She seemed strangely excited though, so maybe I should take advantage. Anyway...

When we did finally leave the house today, we went to the park, and took these oh so lovely pictures.

Daddy is getting Ian.

My family at the park.

I think I may start keeping her indoors more...

Note his disgust in grass

No, he's not posing, he's checking out the cars.

The President's Speech to school children

My daughter is in 3rd grade, so this whole debate has made me think pretty intently about what the big deal is about. I know that there are a lot of people who don't agree with everything he stands for. I honestly am not too sure about what I agree with and what I don't. With an 8 month old and an 8 year old, a full time job, and all the housework that comes along with those children, I haven't really had time to think about all the issues that face this country including healthcare and the wars we are fighting across the Atlantic. But I did take time to think about the President giving a speech to my daughter that she would view in her classroom. And then, when our school system decided they would post it on their website and not show it in the classroom, I took time to think about whether or not I will show it to my 8 year old. I decided...yes, my daughter and I will watch it together on the internet and we'll have a conversation about it afterwords. Why? I've listed the reasons below:

• Respect. The President deserves to be respected. I don't want to teach my daughter disrespect by telling her what he has to say isn't important because I may not agree with everything he has to say. We don't have to agree with everything he has to say, but that doesn't mean we can't listen. This goes back to having and open mind and not judging a book by it's cover...these are life lessons here!
• The President has taken time to make a speech to school children. My daughter is one of those children. My assumption is that it is a speech meant to motivate children at the beginning of the school year. I would be sadly mistaken if I thought that my daughter only needed me and her teacher to be motivated. I bet she can use all of the motivation she can get and I know that one more person telling her that they believe in her and her future isn't going to hurt one bit.
• I want her to feel like she is part of a country and that everything doesn't just revolve around our family or her school or her town or her...she's part of the United States, and frankly, that is something to be proud of.

This morning, I found the site where they are sharing the "Prepared School Remarks". There is nothing in it that I would keep my child from hearing. In fact, I look forward to watching it with my daughter this week on our public school's internet site so that I can hear her perspective.

Today was Melody's first day of 3rd grade. I got up extra early this morning, made sure Ian looked nice and was fed, and off we went to take my 3rd grader to school. We left the house at 7:20am, plenty of time to park, put Ian in the stroller and walk Melody into school. Little did I know, she is way too big to have her mom walk her into school. She asked me to just drop her off at the door. She knew where she was going and was confident and excited. I guess I've done a good job, but it sure was hard to swallow. So I dropped her off and, with tears in my eyes, I drove Ian to Ms. Kim's and then went to work.

Here's my 3rd grader!

She had a great day! I am looking forward to this year. We are in the 2nd half of elementary school now, after all!

Ian isn't only crawling...

So about 3 weeks ago, Ian began to move like an inchworm...he'd fling those arms out in front of him and pull his legs up behind him. Then about a week later, he figured out the alternating arm and leg movements, and he began to move quicker than I ever imagined. Then, about a week ago (last Friday to be exact), he pulled up. Luckily, I don't think he'll be walking this week as that requires a bit more than a week to master, but I'm sure it won't be 11 months like I have my heart set on. He'll probably be like his sister and walk around 9 months. I'm still hoping for 11 though!!

Here are some pictures of him pulling up:

Here he is pulling up on his bouncy seat.


Here he is standing at the window in the living room. This is one of his favorite places to be.

Last night was quiet around here. Ian fell asleep on the way home at 5pm and slept the whole night with exception of a bottle at around 9pm. This gave me time to take a good look at my new photo collage site that I threw together last week and make it look how I really wanted it to. There is a link to the right if you'd like to check it out. If you have a blog or a website, I now have a button on there that you can "wear".

I would like to leave you with a picture of Ian as an infant and then a picture of Ian now.

The difference between me and those who surround me...

So I've come to the realization that I seem to be surrounded by people who need to escape their everyday lives for one reason or another mostly due to their job as far as I can tell. But my perspective is different. I am happy with my career choice - not that I don't get stressed or overwhelmed with it every now and then - and when I come home I have two beautiful children and a husband who loves me. I know I am blessed with friends. But many people I know, except my children, all seem to feel the need to escape their lives. Tony comes home from work and logs into an online game because he hates his job and people make him angry and he chooses to take his anger out there. I also know many people who choose to escape in other ways - having a beer or enough beers to forget their stresses or exercising excessively. But I feel like I don't have anything to escape. So I feel like I am surrounded by people who need to escape while I am enjoying life. Except sometimes I find it hard to enjoy life when surrounded by people who do not. And that depresses me as I feel the need to enjoy life with others instead of by myself. Melody enjoys life and I think, other than her being my daughter, that is why I love her so much. Maybe I need to invite people to enjoy life with me. Corny ways I can think of doing that are board games and trips to the park and scrapbooking. Ah, I feel the need to move pass being the mother of a newborn and enjoying my interests again. I just wish there was someone who I could share my joys with even though I am a corny person who loves life and tries my best to cherish each moment. I think corny is fun!

And two more teeth make four!

Goodness, the teeth are growing quickly in my Ian Paul's mouth! I was giving him a bath tonight and tickled him under his arms and he laughed so hard and opened his mouth wide and I caught a glimpse of two more teeth gleaming out of the top of his mouth. These are not where I expected his first two teeth to come in on the top though. These are to the right and left of his middle teeth. So, to get technical, Ian got his lower right central incisor first, then his lower left central incisor next, and now he has both upper lateral incisor. This tells me that he's probably working on 4 more teeth, the upper central incisors and the lower lateral incisors. I put a chart below to make this a bit easier to understand. He must be ahead of schedule if the upper lateral incisors until 9 months.

If you haven't yet, check out my other blog site where I am advertising my new service. I can take your snapshots and make them into a nice collage. When you purchase your collage, you'll receive a jpeg file that you can have printed and framed and you can use it as your desktop background on your computer! The jpeg file is yours to do whatever you wish. Have I sparked your interest? Click on the button on the right side of my blog!

I would love to be more like her...

I would love to be able to have a blog like a friend of mine that I met on my IV board for December Mommies. She has started a blog and is giving away prizes and has a lot of great information! Maybe if I didn't work full time....

Anyway, you should check her blog out. She rocks!





While you are at it, check out my blog I created for business purposes. I have decided to make photo collages for people in my spare time. Click on the link to the right that says "Your Photos Collaged". I think these will make excellent gifts especially in tough economic times like now where getting a photo shoot done may not be an option. At least your everyday snapshots can be turned into an awesome gift for your friends and family.

He's mobile!

Oh my Mr. Ian certainly is a mobile little boy now! The video below was taken about a week ago.


He's made great strides since this. He can crawl, alternating hands and legs and keep his belly off the ground all at the same time! That is a huge accomplishment for a 24lb baby. Yeah, he weighs over 24lbs on our bathroom scale.

He got a bit of a cold this weekend. I think he got it from me. I made a very interesting discovery since I was desperate to get rid of the snot dripping continuously from his nose. Remember a couple years ago when the FDA took all cold medicines for children under 6 off the market? Do you realize what kind of predicament it puts us moms in when we can't make our babies feel better. Well, when Ian had a cold a few months ago, the doctor gave us a prescription for cold medicine. Yesterday, I took it with me to Walmart and compared ingredients...can you believe that it's exactly the same medication that is in Children's Tylenol Cold? So I bought it and gave him .75 tsp - carefully calculated to match the prescription that the doctor gave us mind you - and low and behold, he felt better rather quickly. He hasn't had to have any medicine today and was such a good boy after work today. I am hoping for a good nights sleep.

Melody is at her Grandma's for 2 weeks. I surely miss my Melody. She really is a source of happiness for me. I miss her hugs. I hope she's having fun. There are only two weeks left before school starts. I am happy that she has the opportunity to get away a little and have some new experiences without her baby brother to tie her down. ; )

I gave my blog a make over! and other random thoughts...

That's right folks! My blog has a new look thanks to The Cutest Blog on the Block (love this site!). Where else can I get butterflies and polka dots?

Ian is 7 month old! Our 7 month old...

• Is growing a tooth...I can feel it and barely see it
• Is soooo close to crawling its not even funny...He's still working on those arm motions
• Is "dancing" in his exersaucer when the music plays ... I'll sway back and forth and then he'll imitate me with a big ole smile on his face
• Sits up very well
• Can go from a sitting position to standing when holding my hands (when he begins to crawl, he will most likely start pulling up VERY soon after)
• Is eating a very large variety of baby food out of jars mostly just because I know he's getting a better variety than what I could puree for him.
• Most recently we've added pumpkin, blueberries, strawberries, and mango to his diet. He surprisingly likes the meats. Tonight I mixed the Pumpkin Pear jar with Ham and he gobbled it right up. I have no idea why I decided to mix them together.
• Babbles all sorts of syllables (bababa, dadada) and is known to growl, squeal, and scream when he feels the need.
• Thinks his sister is the greatest and she just eats it up

What's on my mind lately?

I think I have finally gotten used to life with two kids. It's the norm now and it doesn't stress me out.

Tony's mom came in for the 4th of July weekend and my mom came in last weekend which was also known as my birthday weekend. I turned 26! Other than my mom coming to town (which was awesome!) and buying me cupcakes and pizza for dinner, my birthday was pretty low key. No big celebrations. Thanks for coming mom, you made my day!

Work has been complete hell lately - just way too busy and too much jammed packed into one month. But it should get better and more manageable as the busiest class season is behind us now.

Tony has been pretty into his online game for the past 5 months or so. This is leaving me longing for a hobby that makes me happy like his game makes him happy. I realize I can't expect him to entertain me and since I've go this parenting of two thing down, I think I can safely take on a project I enjoy. And I know what the hobby is...scrapbooking. I just need a little motivation to get it organized, a little money to make it exciting, and a way to keep it out of a soon to be toddler's hands.

I have a great idea for an "online business" but I have no idea how to set it up or advertise it. I have a love for making photo collages that can be used as a desktop background or even printed and framed in an 8x10 frame and I have several people ask about mine on my computer at work and I think I could charge a small fee to make them for people and then send them the file via email. I think I can request payment via pay pal, but I need to do some research. This could definitely provide my scrapbooking budget. If anyone has any ideas on how I can do this please comment!

I'm wondering what is keeping our friends so busy. I barely see anyone ever anymore and I'm not sure if its because I've done something wrong or if its just life. Melody misses seeing everyone too. We don't exactly get out as much as we used to either but I don't really remember us being out all the time anyway so I don't think thats it.

I had the day off yesterday and I took the kids to the park and walked around downtown with them. It was a beautiful day and I'm glad I didn't stress when Kim said she was sick - I just took the day off and didn't look back.

Melody starts 3rd grade in less than a month! Oh my! I really can't believe she is getting so big.

I am starting to ponder Ian's 1st birthday party. I really wish there were a place that I could have a simple party somewhere kid friendly without having 30 people in my house and not have to pay $200... I'm seriously hoping for a warm weekend in December lol. Ideas anyone?

I've been loving the weather we've had the past week or so...here's to another week like that!!

So lately I've been struggling with the balance between friends and family. A lot of times, I feel guilty for not spending time with my friends because of family commitments. I've struggled because I love my friends dearly, but my kids and their well being and their mood and their growth is all at stake when they miss a few hours of sleep. Their routine is so important, especially Ian's. He does so much better when he is on his routine and I have witnessed that if I mess with that routine, I risk him waking in the middle of the night or early in the morning and none of us get the sleep we need.

But I heard something the other day that really help put things in perspective for me. When we have kids, we tend to try to fit the old us into our family life, that of course, that doesn't work AT ALL. So instead of keeping our old self, I should accept that who I am has changed, so I need to re-invent myself. I need to find out who I am with two kids instead of one and I need to allow myself to be that person and try not to revert back to who I was as a parent to just one child. I went through the same process with Melody, its just that it lasted a LONG time and really it wasn't fully decided until recent years. Well, I want to take a more proactive approach this time - I don't want it to take years and I don't want people to make me feel guilty for putting my children first or taking care of myself so that my children can rely on me for anything that they need. I love my kids and I love spending time with my family. But I am missing my time with my friends and I don't know how to give both things the attention they need. I don't feel as if my friends think I am being a good friend.

On another note...

Yesterday was Ian's first 4th of July. Tonight we drove down the road and found the perfect spot to view the city's fireworks from just about .2 of a mile from our house. The fireworks were so-so, could have been better, but I am still thankful that our city had them because last year they didn't. Ian kind of watched the fireworks, but was randomly distracted by cars that drove by....so cute, his eyes would follow the car until it was out of his site and then back to fireworks. Melody was excited and giddy about the whole experience, which is fun. She's at a great age, maturing, but still has a lot of child like qualities. We bought a fountain and a pack of sparklers. Gotta love sparklers!

Ian has been a sleepy boy today. He woke up briefly at 5am, had a bottle, and then went back to sleep until 9:30am and then got up and ate and played for about two hours and then slept for about 2 and 1/2 hours. He just had lunch and is playing now. Yay for lazy sundays!

We are well again!

I sure hope that me saying that doesn't jinx us.

So Ian had his 6 month well check last Tuesday. He is 21 pounds, 13 ounces and 28 1/2 inches long! So that's where 35 ounces of formula every day has been going... lol

He has slowed down his formula intake though. I was kind of concerned when we went to the doctor. He has dropped about 10 ounces a day since we started solids, and honestly, he prefers solids over drinking a bottle. He loves his baby food! I spoke with the doctor and he said that he would recommend adding meats just to make sure he is getting enough protein but that some children never look back after starting solids and take to it really well . So, now we are on what seems like a routine with foods, at least from what I can tell from the weekend.

• when he wakes up, he eats 1/4 cup oatmeal with a stage 2 fruit and 2 ounces of formula mixed in.
• about 2 hours later, he eats 6 ounces
• about 2 hours later, he eats lunch which consists of 2 tablespoons of rice cereal mixed with a stage two jar or tub of veggies or meat and veggies or even fruit and meat every once in awhile.
• within the hour, he'll drink most of a 4 ounce bottle
• 2-3 hours later he takes 6 ounces
• 2 hours later he eats dinner (same type of food as lunch) and sometimes wants 2-4 ounces of formula, especially if he didn't get both of the previous two bottles
• 2 hours later he takes a bath and gets an 8 ounce bottle and goes to bed.

Now we'll see how long this lasts...lol.

He is sitting up fairly well and will be crawling as soon as he figures out how to move his arms.

I am still amazed (and frustrated) by...

...how different my children are. I seriously feel as if I am having to learn everything all over again, and this is very eye opening to me and, naturally, very frustrating.

Ian is ill. He has had a fever since early yesterday morning. Now, whenever Melody has had a fever (except for two times), she's had some sort of infection...an ear infection, UTI, pneumonia, strep, etc...we get the antibiotics and she feels better within 12-24 hours.

I took Ian to the doctor yesterday morning and the doctor checked him and said it was probably viral and then on his chart wrote "teething syndrome". This is after I asked him if it could be teeth and he said, "well, maybe, but there's a virus going around where they run a fever for a couple days then get a rash". Well, ok, but now I wonder why he marked teething syndrome on his chart?? I digress...

I am frustrated because I cannot cure Ian with an antibiotic. I am not saying I want to have to give him antibiotics, because I totally believe he shouldn't have him without an infection, but I am a fixer and I cannot make him feel better except for giving him Tylenol or, now, Motrin.

And now I'm trying to figure out if I should call the doctor in the morning. Is 2 days too long to have a fever?? I hope I don't have to find out. Lets hope the fever goes away tonight just as quickly as it came Wednesday morning.

On another note, at 8:31 pm tonight, Ian Paul turned 6 months old!! I cannot believe he is already 1/2 a year old. This means I get to start thinking about birthday party ideas. I've got to find a place to host a party besides our house...it's just not big enough for everyone I'd like to have celebrate with us. Happy 1/2 birthday, little man!

It's really be a day of excitement for me!

1st, you should know that I've deemed my self "soggy" - this means that I am a huge proponent of convenience items especially when it comes to Ian. So I've been buying disposable diapers and baby food in jars and those sorts of things. These days, with all the cloth diapering going on in the world and websites built around making your own baby food, I was starting to feel like the minority sooooo... I got over my "sogginess" and made some Green Beans for Ian tonight and blended them into a yummy puree and he ate a pretty large serving of them! Now, I did buy the steamer bag of green beans from Birdseye and steam them in the microwave BUT I still think it cost about 1/2 as much overall and it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would and it didn't make much of a mess at all.

2nd, the carseat I ordered is in!! I installed it tonight and I'm thinking I may take it for inspection tomorrow to be sure it's in right, but it seems really comfy for Ian, he was really getting scrunched in his infant seat - he is such a chunk! We'll know just how big he is by this time next week - not sure exactly when but he's got his 6 month check up coming up within the next week!

3rd, Kim (our beloved childcare provider who has become a great friend) said that Ian went forward today in his crawling attempts. Here is a picture of him and a video of him from this past weekend working on his skilz.

He is also beginning to sit up some more. I haven't gotten a picture yet because he's still wobbly but by the beginning of July, I am positive that he will have moved on from being a horizantle baby. This is bittersweat for me. I am glad that he is growing and that he is healthy, but he is changing so quick I'm afraid I'm forgetting everything as soon as it happens.

Speaking of the beginning of July, the 4th is coming up. I really want to watch the Bentonville fireworks display this year but we'll see how that works out.

I will get a day off this week since I worked this past weekend. I am looking forward to it. I think I will take Melody to see a movie on my day off - some mommy and me time! She is definitely deserving of it. What a great sister she is!

I am grateful!

When Ian first began learning to roll well (around 5 months) - I should also note that he was also recovering from being sick with Croup - he began to wake up in the middle of the night again. I understand that he will go through phases but I was really frustrated with his night waking because there wasn't much I could do to help him. Of course, when he was ill, I fed him when he woke up because he wasn't eating much, but once he got his appetite back and was eating, ahem, three meals of baby food a day and 35-40 ounces of formula a day on top of that I felt that it was OK to expect him to go throughout the night without eating and that he really needed to learn to go back to sleep on his own. It took him a good week to two weeks to work through this (much longer than Melody). When he woke, I would make sure he was ok, try to give him his paci, and pat his back and check on him every 5 minutes or so, tell him I love him and that it's time to go to sleep, and then listen to him cry through it which a couple nights lasted for an hour (again, much longer than Melody every cried). But I feel that I can safely say that it worked. (please, just because I said it, don't make it not true, please please lol)

For a week at least now (2 weeks I think!), he's been sleeping through the night again, the longest waking being long enough for me to replace his paci. But the greatest thing that has come of this is that he sometimes stays awake through his nighttime bottle and then play with us a little more. Then when I can tell that he is tired, I lay him on his tummy in his crib, give him is paci, and his lovey (either his bear or his little hippo blanket/plush that his aunt beth got him) - and he doesn't move from that position and he doesn't cry - he just goes to sleep!

So...I am grateful. I think we are off to a great start with healthy sleeping habits.

...and since he went to bed right after dinner (at 7pm) I'm hopeful that his good habits will continue until at least 6am...please?

I have a lot to share!

1) Melody's girl scout troop had their end of year celebration. They also had a sleepover, had donuts for breakfast, and went to McDonalds for lunch. Just imagine, fifteen 7-8 year-old girls in the playroom at McDonalds...yeah, next year is going to have to be outside I think or at least a bigger venue. The bear she "built" is soooo her. She named it "Sunny". Sunny is sporting a swimsuit, goggles, and a surfboard.




2) Melody's last day of 2nd grade was Thursday. She got excellent grade - all above 95%. She is ready for summer, but already has the 3rd grade sparkle in her eyes lol. She's been eyeing the school supply list that the school sent home and has been working through some leftover workbook pages like crazy!
By the way, the school did receive one of her library books back from the Boys and Girls Club - they found it and sent it to the school. I got a little bit of my money back. I'm just waiting for her to ask for her tv back. (She isn't getting it back because SHE didn't find the book. B&GC did.

3) I got up at 4:30am on Friday to go to the shareholders meeting and had a lot of fun. Miley Cyrus was there as was Ben Stiller, Michael Jordan, Kris Allen, and Smokey Robinson. Here are some pictures.

MILEY CYRUS & BEN STILLER & MICHAEL JORDAN

KRIS ALLEN!

SMOKEY ROBINSON

And then Kris joined Smokey on stage!

3) Tony, Melody, Ian and I went to the park Friday evening. It was a nice evening and it was nice to get out a little as a family. Melody had fun on the monkey bars, Ian gave the swing a try, but it turns out he was sleepy. After that, we went to dinner at Zaxbys! Here are some pictures from the park...enjoy!

4)Mr. Ian has been working on crawling. He tries sooo hard! He screams and gets mad when he can't get where he wants to go. But he's getting close! My prediction? Within a month, we'll be chasing a crawler! Oh golly I gotta find a baby gate! Oh, and by the way, he lifted his arms, and was up on his knees 4 times this weekend. Couldn't get that on camera, but I did get some cute pictures. I was trying to upload a video as well but it's taking too long so I'll try to get it on here in a day or two.

I don't think I left anything else picture worthy out. I have a horribly busy day tomorrow so I better get to bed. I hope everyone has a good week. I am hoping that since I went to work today, I will be able to take a day off sometime this week.

3am...waaaahhh, waaaahhhh

3:15am Mr. Ian is awake. He is screaming. He's been awake for an hour. He screams if I hold him, he screams laying down. No fever, maybe a little gassy. I gave him tylenol for any teething pain he may have. He most definitely wants a bottle but I am thinking he just wants it so he can go back to sleep peacefully when the fact is, he has slept through the night without it before so I think he can go back to sleep without it now. Going to check and console...

3:20am Paci is back in, he's got a cute snuggly teddy bear which honestly helps to keep the paci in and arms occupied, and he is quiet. So lets see how long he stays that way.

I wanted to post earlier anyway because I took the kids to the park today. I have some really cute pictures that I'll post while I see if he is going to stay quiet. 3:22am and its still quiet. Uploading pictures now...







3:24am all is quiet and I am glad I got on to share these pictures. I love my kids and after this long hour of screaming it is good to see a picture of Mr. Ian smiling. Another note...can you believe Melody has slept through his screaming? It shouldn't surprise me as she too cried it out at Ian's age and has developed very good sleeping habits.

Golly its 3:26am and he is still quiet. I should let you all in on a little development update on Ian. He is rolling now!! Now, I've known for awhile that he was quite capable from rolling from his stomach to his back because he's been doing that for awhile (there is a video earlier in the blog), and I have had a suspicion that he could roll from his back to his stomach but that he just didn't have any motivation. Well folks, he must have found some motivation because he's been all over the living room this weekend just a rolling. He did it for the first time on Saturday and it amazes me how far he can get by rolling. Gonna have to purchase that baby gate soon.

3:30am... still quiet. I should think about going to lay down since I have to be at work in 4 hours which means I should get up in 2 1/2 hours. I hope that you enjoy the pictures from the park. They are so cute. Ian really did enjoy that swing, and Melody enjoyed swinging beside him even though her bottom didn't fit in that baby swing at all lol.

Well, I think we have successfully cried it out and it really only took an hour and 1/2. Hopefully I won't be back tonight.

It's been awhile...

Wow what an interesting month it's been.

Ian started veggies about a month ago and then moved onto fruit and he's done well with everything. I even mashed up bananas instead of buying the jarred ones so I was proud of myself. He likes everything and is a good eater (when he isn't sick).

My mom came to visit two weekends ago. That was fun. She met Mr. Ian. He was cute and cuddly and was a good boy.

Right after she left, Ian got sick, and then a week later Tony didn't feel good and then I got it and finally Melody is recovering (she's had a fever since Thursday). Whatever we had is awful, sore throat, nausea, sinus problems, fever - I don't think I ever before had sore throat and nausea in the same day. I took Ian to the doctor and he gave him some oral steroid medication to help him get over it quickly. Those steroids made him one cranky boy! The cold medicine he gave made him fussy too. So, I am glad to be telling that virus good bye!

This weekend we were supposed to have friends over on Friday night and had a sitter arranged for Saturday we have ended up home all weekend because Melody was running a fever. After missing my Mother's Day dinner and then our plans falling through for this weekend, next weekend better work out or I'll be really cranky!!

OK so now that I'm done complaining, I did rent a couple good movies on Friday. I rented The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Last Chance Harvey and Bedtime Stories (this one was more for Melody than me) and I like them all especially Benjamin Button. I also found some wonderful Kettlecorn Popcorn at Wal-Mart - it tasted fresh and better than that stuff you pop in the microwave. I love Kettlecorn!

Sooo now what you've all been waiting for (well you have, you just didn't know it), here is a video of me and Mr. Ian. I am being a total dork but the payoff is worth it - Ian is laughing and giggling and I think this is as close to a belly laugh as he'll come.



And here is the latest and greatest cute photos of the kids...