Safety First...

I see mom and dad put this on before they go out skiing...

I think this is how it goes on.

A little big, but doable.

I knew I'd need this helmet for something.

I've heard of Big Foot, but Big Hand?

Music to rock by

Picture Perfect

I've got this skiing thing down!

This is how you ride this thing right?!

Mommy Guilt - I'd like to forget it ever happened.

So as I mentioned in a recent post, my sister, Dawn and family came to visit a few weekends ago. (Yes, I'm still very behind on updates). Well, my nephew, Michael (who's 2) isn't the happiest of sleepers when he's in a pack-n-play and given that the Colbster will pretty much sleep anywhere we put him, in the past we have saved ALL of us from sleepless nights. Knowing very well that Michael would probably holler when put to bed, which means, that Cman would wake up and then Jules would have to sleep in the same room as a wailing baby... all these things = not a good picture. So we just do a little bed juggling and avoid the sleepless nights, Michael doesn't know any different and we all enjoy a good nights rest.



How we do this... I've not minded moving the Cman into a pack-n-play for the night and letting Mr. Michael have the crib. Am I a good Aunt or what?! hehe. J/K. When we pulled this trick early last year the Colbster wasn't phased in the least because he was just too little to know any better. Then sure enough this past summer we were headed on vacation and they stayed over the night before and well, Cman was much older now so I wasn't sure how this would go over. (Well, if 13 months is old as compared to 4 months!) Sure, he was a weee bit confused as to why he was just rocked in his room, drank his bottle in his room, listened to music in his room, and then we walked out of his room to go to sleep not in his room. But considering we travel so much he doesn't really mind the pack-n-play, would much prefer the comforts of his own crib, but went with it. 10 minutes later the little guy was snoozing away as he normally would, just... in his own house in a different bed in a different room. Way to go with the flow, I'd say.

So now here we were just a few months later and faced with the similar situation. We were going away again the day after so I was ok with transitioning the little guy into sleeping once again in the pack-n-play since he'd be there the entire following week anyways. Might as well get used to it.


This time I threw a twist in the situation.

I'm an avid reader of "MckMama"'s blog "My Charming Kids"... check her out, you will be fascinated, amazed, and in awe, but that's a post for another time. What I did take away at one point from her blog is... having 4 kids under 4 you have to "make do" and be creative with where you put them all. Sure enough, MckMama was creative enough to come up with the most unique twist on the idea for a bedroom for their 1 yr old daughter "Small Fry". Sure enough, where did they put her... make her a cozy space just big enough for a 1 year old - their walk-in closet! How fun. It seems perfect enough, already has space for clothes, has room for a crib and changing table and wallahh.. bedroom we will call it. Soooooo knowing that we live in the woods and don't have curtains or shades on our bedroom windows which for sure would mean that the little man would be up at the crack of first light. I reflected back to MckMama's ingenious idea. The little guy does NOT sleep with a nightlight - check, the closet is pitch black, the little guy just needs space enough for the pack-n-play - check, our closet has that, the little guy would like his music - check check, there's an outlet and we have an extra CD player, we'll be close enough to hear him - check, closet is IN our room... sooo my brain told me this could and would work out great. Everyone would then have their own sleeping space. Dawn and Eric in the guest room, Jules in the blue room (aka temporary 2nd guest room soon to be Sheldon's room), Michael in Cman's crib, the Cman in the closet (aka makeshift bedroom for the night) and then there was us. Woah... I couldn't believe we could pull this off and everyone get a normal nights rest.



Was it too good to be true?



So, a little later than normal because we went out to dinner, but bedtime came for the Colbster and as in August, I rocked him in his room, shut the shades of his room, read his story in his room and pretended life was as normal as possible... until he finished his milk and gently we walked out of his room, down the hall, into our room and into the closet. I could only imagine what the heck was going through this little mind of his as I layed him down not just in his house this time, not in his room, not in his bed, but what in the world was he doing in Mommy and DaDa's closet?! ha. So the confusion took its toll for about 6 minutes, I rubbed his back and he zoned out to the music and drifted into lala land. What we thought was for the night - as usual. Our little sleeper - Mr. 14 hours! Yes, you read correctly, Cman is perfectly content to go to bed between 5:30 and 6 pm (6:30 is pushin it big time!) and sleep til 8. There was 1 morning several weeks ago I finally went in to check his pulse because it was nearly 9:30 and he was sttilllllll sleeeeeeeeeeeping! It's safe to say we skipped morning snack that day! Sure enough he played hard that morning and was ready to go back down for his normal nap at noon. What a kid.



Anyways, I digress. Perhaps to avoid the story and the memories of the closet bedroom from that Saturday night.

So back to it...



6 minutes later he was off to lala land and down for what we thought would be his normal sleep. I actually figured he might sleep later than normal because there were no windows and he would truly get no light to know it was morning. Seeing as it wasn't his normal space, I checked on him a few times before we went off to bed too. And sure enough each time the only thing I found was a silly skipping CD and a sleeping Cman not worried at all that his music was clicking away on the same 2 notes over and over again. Gosh is that annoying. Dun... dom... dun... dom... dun... dom... OYE! But he was dreaming none-the-less. Guess we need a new lullaby's cd considering we've worn this one out.



So kids all tucked in and sleeping... adults chit chatting all night long we finally decided to head to bed.



Goodnight all... see you in the morning... ahhh a full nights rest even with company over. The bed swap was working.



I check on the Cman one last time before climbing into bed. He was coughing a little but nothing out of the ordinary given that it's winter and everyone we know has a cold. Turn off the music and ahhh my pillow. Scott and I are watching tv and suddenly he starts to cry. Crap - the tv must have woke him up since his music was now off. Quick, turn off the tv and he'll roll over. But 5 minutes later he was now coughing and sobbing and obviously very upset that he was awake halfway into the night.



Out of bed I climb to go rub the little man's back, yes, where, of all places, in our closet. This was a bit weird. It's ok, it's ok little man, back to sleep. Shhh shhh - time for bed. Rub the back, cough cough... hmmmm. He's wheezing a bit, let me go get his humidifier out of his room since he usually sleeps with that. Perhaps he's just missing the extra moisture in the air. I go out to the bedroom and say to Scott. He's wheezing a bit, I'm going to go get his humidifier, will you go in and rub his back? No problemo... daddy to the back rubbing rescue.



I come back. And sure enough, Scott has Colbster in his arms in our bedroom still wheezing, but this time far worse. Forget the humidifier... go get his nebulizer, lots of albuterol and pulmicort - that's not wheezing, he's in a full-on asthma attack. GRREEEEEEAT!!! Way to go mommy... so much for this great idea of the closet. So much for everyone having a good nights sleeep. So much for just needing the humidifier. Oh crap, oh crap. Back to his actual bedroom I go, and yes, as quietly as I can possibly grab all these machines and medications and mask trying not to wake sleeping Michael for lord knows we're doomed if BOTH little boys are up in the middle of the night.



Scott was holding a limp dish rag, which at that point bore littleresemblance of our normally happy, smiley child who was gasping for breath and holding it for breathing out was just too painful. Scott being an asthmatic himself knew exactly what was going on the minute he walked into the closet, I, however, had never experienced a full-on attack because Scott's had been controlled so well by the time we started dating. Sure, I've seen him wheeze and grab time after time for his spray since we keep 1 in each car and in the house and every where else we can think of. And yes, we've definitely seen Colbster wheeze and cough and need extra albuterol treatments several times a day... but nothing ever like this before. This was just darn right scary. And gosh... here's the ultimate of mommy guilt - it was all my fault. I came up with the grand idea to set up his makeshift room in the closet, I didn't think that this confined space with dust his lungs weren't used to would trigger an attack like this.... ughhh. I still have a pit in my stomach every time I think about it.



So here we are with an albuterol treatment steaming into Cman's lungs, still crying and coughing and not wanting to breathe... trying to coax him into taking a deep breath, watching him just sink worse and worse into this asthma attack, still thinking - God am I glad Scott is here, God please help him, God please this is all my fault, just make him breathe in the medicine so he feels better - nothing. The machine starts spitting because we've run out of the cup of medicine. Open another Scott whispers trying to keep the little man calm. I pour another vial of Albuterol into the nebulizer cup and pray again watching my little boy so upset because he can't do the one thing he isn't supposed to be able to control, the body does it on it's own, hell you even practice in the womb - breathe!



Go start the shower and turn it on scolding hot.
Ok, anything to make it better, anything.



We'll have to try hot-cold-hot-cold next.
Helps to break the lungs out of the attack.



We were about 5 wheezes from high-tailing our butts to the hospital... the last time we were there was when we brought the little guy home at 2.5 days old. The next time we were supposed to be there was in June when Sheldon arrived. The next time Cman should have been there was when he was boasting to the world that he was a Big Brother. Not like this. Not because of this.



2 treatments in and the coughing is a little less. The little Colberoo is looking at us with eyes that seem to be yelling - help me please. I look at Scott, ok so what do we do next. He seems to be calming down, let me have a Pulmicort. In goes a another vial of medicine.



By now the little guy has luckily stopped crying and realizes that we are doing our best to help him and the medicine is beginning to work.



We weren't in the clear, but certainly turning the corner from heading down... hill... fast.



Pulmicort was in and Colbster was calmer snuggling into DaDa's big cozy arms. Coughing and upset, but calmer.



Ok so he was certainly NOT going back into the closet tonight that's for sure. So into the blue room where Jule's was sleeping I went to dig out the other pack-n-play we have. It was the easier of 2 choices, getting the one out of our closet, wiping it down, getting new sheets, new everything to make sure whatever the heck it was that set off this stupid attack had absolutely no remnants or just get the other one. I opted for the easier option it was after all almost 1:30 am. Then sneak back into the room with sleeping Michael to get a sheet and a new "raggie" (that's Colbster's little blankies that he sleeps with), wash off the paci's and set up yet another sleeping arrangement right by our bed. We weren't letting him out of our sight or more than an ears distance away for the remainder of the night.



Slowly relaxing and beginning to feel a little normal again. The lungs were still not right though since he was certainly coughing and periodically wheezing as I set up his new cozy space.



Knowing he was out of the woods, Scott lays him down in the pack-n-play and we turn back on the music to lull him back to sleep. Poor guy, he was fighting it. Last time he went to sleep he woke up not being able to breathe. I wouldn't want to let go either. It's ok, just close your eyes.



Nothing.



Sure enough. We knew the little guy was beginning to get better about 2:45am when --- POP!!
Running, running, running....
Circles....
Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth....
Up and flop.
WHAT IN THE WORLD?



Yep, the Albuterol kicked in and now the Colbster was running (literally) circles around the pack-n-play as if he was in a race against Forest Gump. Round and round... Stand up and flop onto the mattress. Up and FLOP on the mattress.



That stuff may open the lungs, but boy does it screw with your adrenaline too. This child had more energy at 2:45am cooped up in 1- 3x4 ft pack n play than any child I've seen at a carnival or laser tag birthday party.



So here Scott and I are, in the bed about 2 feet from the pack-n-play hiding under the blankets trying to pretend to sleep so he will follow our lead and trying NOT to burst into absolute laughter watching this scene. We knew right then that he was going to be OK.

Phew!



From limp dish rag to marathon runner in a matter of a few hours all because of a few vials of medicine. People begin to question the use of modern medicine or yadda yadda because it "does things" to the body besides fix the problem. After witnessing this situation, I'll take the marathon runner and the medication anytime!



Suddenly, out fly the paci's, out are tossed the raggies, and blanket and now the adrenaline is wearing off. The Colbster starts getting upset that he is losing the battle of wills and his body is beginning to get tired again.



So I slowly and as quietly as possible lean out of the bed and gather up the raggies and pacis. Place them back into the pack-n-play and just as quickly 1 is snatched up and popped into his mouth. Up, up stands the Colbster - ughh - I thought we'd be repeating this paci in and out situation all night. But... With 1 last FLOP - he was on his way back to sleep.



Phew. 3:30 or so in the morning I now lie awake with a sleeping Colby a few feet away, reflecting on the night that was supposed to be and yet how it actually was.



Mommy guilt - ughhhhhh - it's all my fault.

I should've known.
It works for MckMama and Small Fry.
Why me? Why now? Why Colbmeister?


There's that pit again.


What would we have done next, Scoots? I quietly ask (still feeling like I obviously need to know more), he is after all my asthma expert, by experience and necessity, not by choice. And what was the answer I got, but was not expecting ---- We'd have gone to see the "Pepperoni Pizza Man" of course. Ok so our son is gasping for his last breath and you're thinking about food? Nice. :) No... not THAT pizza. The "Pepperoni Pizza Man" - and who might that be? Scott then proceeds to tell me the detailed story about how as a child he remembers going into a full-blown asthma attack (always in the middle of the night) just like this very one we experienced tonight and every time not being able to get it to break at home and being rushed off to the hospital to get a Prednisone shot. There he and his parents would always find the doctor on call at 3 am was the same guy and every time he was chompin on a piece of what else but pepperoni pizza. Guess some memories are imbedded forever. I would prefer not to meet this so called Pepperoni Pizza Man, I don't even like pepperoni, and I surely do not like asthma attacks.



Not sure I'll ever be able to think about that night without "the pit".
Not sure I'll ever be able to forgive myself for putting my child into a situation that nearly killed him. Wasn't a car accident, wasn't a genetic issue, but simply my own closet.
Not sure I'll ever have Colby give up his bed again just because he's flexible.
Not sure I'll react the same way next time I hear him wheeze.

Luckily the story ends well and Colbster is going to be fine.

I think I'll stick to taking advice from MckMama on things like praising God for miracles, or babywearing, photography and breastfeeding and keep the Colberoo happily in his bed, with his humidifier and his music, in his room. No more closets for us anytime in the near future.



Thank God for nebulizers, and Albuterol and husbands that have been through this before. Thank God for resilient little boys!



As for this one Saturday night in January, I'll try, but realize I'll never be able to forget the memories of the Colbsters very first (and hopefully, but realistically not last) asthma attack.

And with that one simple Saturday night in January, I have been dreadfully reminded that I am officially the mother of an asthmatic.

Oh well, just another thing to take in stride... this is life after all and we don't have control over the outcome, happenings and how it plays out. Guess we'll have to wait and see what He has in His plans for the future - Saturday or any other day, asthma or no asthma - life... here we come!

ALL Boy

We've had our fair share of snow these days, (I feel like that's all I've blogged about since December). Which means, of course, that a boys best friend is bound to come around soon enough.

Nope, not his doggie, although he does truly love that too,

nope not the ice cream man,

but.... THE PLOW TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Waiting patiently for Mr. Plow Truck Driver to clear the cul-de-sac.

Watching the technique.

Soooo proud of the Plow Truck!

Child Labor?? or Family Fun??

Snowy Smiles

It's only January, we've still got quite a bit of winter weather ahead and yet based on the pictures over the last few weeks we are definitely becoming snow bums. I feel like every morning we wake up to a little bit more, either a dusting, or a lot more, a dumping.

But despite all the shoveling... we're still smiling!

Cousin Fun

We weren't able to get together with my sister, Dawn, her husband and 2 kids over the holidays... I think too many visitors invaded their house. No big deal, we waited a few weeks, let the chaos settle down and then could actually spend some quality time together.

Soooo, the weekend kicked off with a fun dinner out for yummy Mexican (no, Cman may be a good eater, but he isn't yet chowing on a taco or burrito dinner - he and Michael opted for chicken fingers, Julia a burger instead - very authentic Mexican!) The kiddoes were off to ZZzzzzzzz land and we get a chance to catch up, chit chat and just enjoy Dawn and Eric's company. You forget how much you leave out of telephone conversation when you're just lounging around the livingroom and watching the fireplace. SEVERAL stories and many hours later we were all off to bed. We knew for sure the kids would be up and ready for breakfast and we'd still all be sitting here chatting. Ha!

Some waffles, eggs and a good 'ol fashion (pretend) Christmas morning breakfast, then it was present time. Michael opted to open his gifts from the comforts of the couch - faaaaaaaar away from Doug, Jules however would have preferred if Doug had slept with her snuggled under the covers instead of in our room. AND THEN... of course it began snowing. We've certainly had enough of it. So off to show these NYers how we sled in these parts, after all we do have quite the sledding hill/driveway, now that it's paved and sledding worthy.

Eric and Jules did their best impression of the Abominable Snowman.

Ready to take on the hill!

Post snow spray!

Dawn wasn't the head first daredevil like Eric, instead opting for the traditional 2 person sledding position! :)

Michael was content to catch snowflakes on his tongue and build a snow fort.

Doug thoroughly enjoyed having more playmates.

Colbster got in on the sledding action too and enjoyed the time just relaxing and visiting with his cousins.

And how cute is this crew of cousins!!!!

A great visit with fun times and more memories.

... I think we wore out the kids...

And maybe their parents, too!

Blog Break

Hi ALL!

I took a blog break, but fear not... I have plenty of posts just around the corner. We've been quite busy so there's definitely news to be shared, pictures to be posted, gasps and oh nos and of course - as always - laughs to be had!

Check back tomorrow and the next few days for a review of many, many more adventures.

We've had plenty... some which I would like to forget, others I would like to never repeat, and of course others we'd love to have continued forever, never returning to the real world tomorrow morning. Either way... all are now a part of our life and I'll live to tell right here on this blog.

Ahhhh... I just love being able to string you along in suspense for a little while... just like - have you come up with your answer to the post from "What, where or who in the world is "Sheldon" tentatively named after?" .- But for now I'll leave you with a snippet of what we've been up to.

We played more games like this!

With people like this...

Had more and more and MORE of this...

Which of course means this...

And then did some silly, fun family things like this...

But, we can not let our toddler have all the fun.

So Scott and I also found ourselves in compromising positions like this...

And this...

And then did our best to stay warm like this...

Enjoyed some wonderful family time like this...

And this...

In a beautiful place like this...

Are you in full anticipation of the details yet?!

First of Many...

The Cman came home with his first of many school projects at Christmas. They had creatively filled baby food jars (well, tubs b/c glass isn't allowed in the building) with water and glitter - wallahhh a Snow Globe!

What a great idea. Unfortunately it was leaking so we couldn't keep it, but instead took pictures and will have the memories captured here forever!

Flashback Friday

HAPPY FRIDAY!
Here's a funny flashback on bath time.


This picture was taken last April when the Cman was 9 months old!





Double that number as yesterday he turned 18 months!
He obviously has not changed his mind about the tub.

A little slimmer, a little less pale, a lot more water, a lot more bubbles, a lot more hair...
...still enjoying tub time just as much!

17 weeks n counting

Today, despite yet another snowstorm... which wound up being a bit of a bust, the predicted 4-6 inches turned into 3 that blew away with the gusty wind ...I had my 17 week (and 1 day- can't forget that 1 day as every single day definitely counts in these 40 weeks) prenatal visit. All is well, my BP was totally normal even with having had to bring the little guy with me to the appointment. (HE WAS A CHAMP and I was soooooooooo proud of how well behaved he was the whole time we were there. Sat on my lap checking out the PA student who was with the doc today. Just swinging his legs on the exam table along with mine when they asked the standard questions, to which I answered no, no, no and no because somehow (KNOCK ON WOOD) I have (well, thus far) and had the easiest pregnancy(s) known to man woman. Thanks Colberoo for being my side kick and tag along no matter where we go! Oh side note: he is the best grocery shopping buddy around in case anyone is looking for a coupon holder. Feed him cheese or cheerios up and down the aisles and up until about an hour and a half you are golden!)

Anyways, I digress - as usual!

So back to "Sheldon" - yes, a post will follow soon as to why this Baby #2 has become 'officially' (NOTE: NO THIS WILL NOT BE THE CHILD'S NAME ONCE HE/SHE HAS ENTERED THE AIR BREATHING WORLD!!!!!) known as "Sheldon". I will leave you to ponder for the moment and yes, do feel free to leave a comment as to your best guess what and where and how the in-utero nickname of "Sheldon" has come from. Should you NOT already know the correct answer (as only a few have been privileged at this point to get the full explanation) then anyone who guesses right I'll come up with nifty prize to send you. Gotta throw a prize in here for sure, make it a little fun. Some of you may recall that Colby's in-utero and still sometimes (along with a heap of others) nickname was "Fishy" - hence why the labels for all posts about him has the tag "Fishy". (AHHHHH, I saw it, yes, I did... right there, ding ding, I saw the lightbulb go off in many heads just now, do not deny it, my friends!) Therefore, he was known for many, many months as "Fishy", "the fish" or "Fishy in da tank" because well, he was in "my tank" swimmin' around. And of course it became that much more fitting of a nickname when we decided to do his room as an under the sea theme. It was a work in progress over many weeks (check out the links to the photos which do not really do it justice as there are no photos of the awesome boat that hangs from the ceiling or the lobster trap end table) so currently we're in the midst of gathering ideas for "Sheldon"'s room so fear not he/she will have as inviting and cozy a space as the "Fish" does. This new nursery currently being called "the blue room" will have its own theme that I can assure you will have nothing at all to do with the nickname "Sheldon" it's origin or the role that the actual name had once played. So stay tuned there!

"Sheldon"'s ticker was chuggin' along great. Wooosha wooosha wooosha wooosha woosha - ok so that is my best impersonation of the sound made when hearing a fetal heartbeat come through the skin and into a speaker - the sound of which was heard this week at 154 BPM (beats per minute) ... good, strong and growing as he/she should be.

Speaking of he/she - we have decided this time to find out what the baby is - aka boy or girl! In a few short weeks (read Feb 6th) we will find out whether I am still the lonesome woman of the house or if perhaps I can begin to even the playing fields a bit. And also whether we are set and ready with tubs and tubs of baby boy clothes stocked away in the basement or if we must begin from scratch with all things girl. At this point I'm outnumbered 3 to 1. Although I'm not much of a "girlie girl", which you already know based on posts like this and this and this so at this point I'm OK with "being one of the boyz" otherwise known in our house as the "chainsaw gang" because yes, my friends, I do own and have used my very own chainsaw. Long story there, but yet more to look forward to learning about yours truly in the future - I surely cannot give away ALL my secrets in a few short posts! So regardless of the outcome I can assure you of 1 thing here and now... there will never be fruooo froo, frill or lace items entering this home even if "Sheldon" is "Shellie". But, as they say, only time will tell, or in this case, only the ultrasound tech will tell. And just for another fun bonus for the next 3 weeks I've posted a survey on the left - Boy or Girl - place your vote, we'll be sure to let you know on Feb 6th as to whether you should bother heading to the casino or not!

So friends, all is well at 17 weeks and 1 day with "Sheldon" and mommy and daddy and big brother "Fishy" and well, Doug Dog too for that matter. Sooo we'll just keep on plugging away at life, outgrowing more clothing and packin on a few more pounds while this our 5th member of the family keeps incubating.



(Ok so blogger is being finicky and I can't put up the poll right this moment, but do not worry, it will be there soon enough and you'll have your 3 weeks to vote!)

This is definitely NOT a house where you will find a vegetarian!

A happy diner!

Yep, all things considered tops on Cman's list.. big scoops to prove it!

In case you are trying to figure out what it is that he's shoveling in for dinner tonight. We had... BBQ chicken on the bone (leftover from the other day) (and yes, he does eat it off the bone - see next 2 pics), penne pasta in a broccoli alfredo sauce, green beans and applesauce! Of course whole milk to wash it all down. Quite an assortment. He gobbled it up and asked for more! :0

Yes, he follows in my footsteps and picks the chicken clean - down to the bone!

Our happy health nut... and like his mom, a bit of a canivore!
(This picture is from the first day we had the BBQ chicken, obviously he (well, we all do) like it quite a bit so Nanny was kind enough to make extra for us to snack on while Scott was away this week. Thanks!!! It was yummy even a few days later.)

It seems that our little eater has not changed his mind since this post (from our September Disney trip) about chicken on the bone. He looks quite carnivorous at this meal, however, he's actually a well-rounded chow hound. :) Yes, this is the only child I know that I could (and do) send green beans, rice, and ham for lunch at school and it comes back empty with a note "Ate all his lunch." And funny enough a lover of most anything that is offered to him... EXCEPT sweets!

Can you believe it - a child with a dislike of all things most would consider topping the "yummy" charts. He hasn't really picked up a taste for those "bad for you foods" that would be part of the teeny tiny top of the food pyramid. Right from his first taste of birthday cake... gosh I thought he was going to throw it at me with disgust (luckily everyone else seemed to enjoy it). Some might even think from this picture taken immediately following his first taste of cake that he hated it so much he threw up. Luckily not, but he wasn't a fan to say that least. He's really being risky lately (can you feel the hint of sarcasm) considering he actually does like Teddy Grahams! ha... that's probably his "sweetest" "treat". I like that his preschool teachers laugh that he is the ONLY child in the classroom that does not enjoy when another has a birthday and cupcakes are brought in OR when snack that day is pudding, they know to have a nutrigrain bar on hand just for our little man. I love that at least they are sweet enough to be accommodating.


Heck, I'm certainly not complaining...

1. It means that as of right now he is faaaaaaaar healthier than I EVER was as a child. Still to this day, the closest thing to green food that gets anywhere near my lips is lettuce and raw celery (cook it and forget it). The only 2 orange items in my diet are orange sherbert and Sunny D. And until I HAD to become desensitized because it is absolutely one of Colberoo's favorite fruits, I would nearly vomit any time I saw or smelled a banana. haha... I used to have a co-worker who would eat one every day at the desk about 3 feet next to mine (yes, hello, Matt) and I would happily take a trip to the kitchen, ladies room, ATM, watercooler, whereever, until the coast was clear and in t-minus 3 minutes he was done ingesting that strange item disguised as a food. Luckily, I think motherhood gave me a stronger stomach than I must have had before, because I can now even touch the peel for the poor boy rather than seeking Scott to do it every morning or avoid mentioning the word that begins with a B and describes a yellow food that monkey's love when he was traveling and not around to do it for me. Guess things CAN change. And there is no way that I would have brought ham and rice for lunch as a child, and most definitely not a cold cut sandwich like any normal person would eat. Wait, did I just insinuate that I, in fact, was not normal. Oh well, I certainly don't deny it! Nope, instead my cold cut of choice is still and always will ONLY be bologna and cheese. Unfortunately pregnancy has this no, no for cold cuts and many other foods for that matter, so guess I'll have to wait until Baby #2 rolls around in June for another yummy taste of the only thing at the deli counter that costs less than $2, $3, or even $4 per pound!! The other childhood lunch of mine instead was PB (NO J---DEFINITELY NO J, icky, pleck, ick!!!!) on white bread only of course, potatoe bread if I got a surprise or perhaps for a change a cream cheese sandwich. Come on... who didn't bring cream cheese sandwiches for lunch in elementary school - wait, you mean to tell me I was the only one? No, not one of these exotic recipes, but simple as that... cream cheese spread on bread. And why wouldn't you - we all put it on a bagel?! What's the difference if it's just on plain bread instead of this wacky round bakes dough thing with a hole in the middle? And then... just wait... in Middle School we got to use microwaves and then wallahhh, J. R. Simplot invented and my mom purchased our fair share of "Micro Magic" food products to last 3 years of middle school! Come on any child of the 90s has to remember ... the milkshake you microwaved, or the cardboard box of french fries that somehow DID actually come out crispy. So, I digress, big time, but as you can see, meat and potatoes are my foods of choice and the Cman at this point is already my food idol!

2. I can save on the whining - "but MOOOOOM, I WANT those COOOOKIES" - at the grocery store (for a little while at least). Instead we cruise through the produce aisle and the child is signing banana like a mad man, or vroom our cart into the canned food and pick up the commercial sized jars of mandarin oranges, peaches, pears and every other fruit or vegetable you can think of. Although at this point pineapple is not on his yummy list - perhaps- hahahah too sweet! :) Silly boy.

and

3. Junk foods are certainly not the cheapest items in any store. Next time you happen upon the snack aisle, check out how much it is for 1 box of Fruit Roll ups, a bag of Oreos, or Cheetos forget about the shelves and shelves of boxes containing things parents consider 'cereal' - sorry last time I checked Trix were games you play on your friend and not a breakfast food.


.... so I'll take it and enjoy continuing to feed my little 18 month old health nut as many peaches, mandarin oranges, yogurt, green beans, corn, broccoli, cucumbers, bananas, crackers and hummus, applesauce, eggs, french toast, cheerios, grilled cheese and turkey, chicken, ham, pork, rice, every type size and shape of potatoes, etc, etc, and non-sweet items as he wishes.

Eat Up Healthy Boy!

Silly, Silly Doug

We definitely have a lot of fun as a family... I think Doug, our dog, takes it to another level!
Check him out trying to catch the snowballs! Silly pooch!

Sand toys = Snow Toys

Sand toys, snow toys... just depends on the season!

Snow Bum!

UPDATED:

I've entered the Cman into a kids photo contest through I heart faces! I read about it on "the Bean's" blog (thanks for the idea) and thought that since this was a recent photo it might be a great one to use.

Check them out here as each week they host a photography contest about faces!

Wish us luck!

Keep Away... from who??

Doug LOVES to play ball in the backyard. Doesn't matter what size, shape, form or how many people want to participate in the game... any ball, any time should be his motto. If you remember we got him this new big, supposedly indestructable ball for Christmas so we could all play in the backyard. Figured that was a good gift idea considering he's popped every other ball we've owned (well, except tennis balls). We gave it a try when we got our last snowstorm and so far so good. Everyone had lots of fun playing keep away- not sure who was keeping away from who for a while- and thus far it has not been popped by the pooch with big teeth. We shall see how long it holds up!



I've got the ball...

... try to catch me...

... still trying to keep up with me?...

...Awwww, I let you get it! ;)

Winter Slip-n-Slide

What is a snow covered slide good for?

Slippin' and Slidin'!!!


Weeeeeeeeeee

And zoom right off the end.

A weekend makeover!

If you've been keeping tabs on the blog then you already know that I was TOTALLY psyched to have gotten a countertop for our laundryroom as my "big" Christmas present from Scott!!!!!!!!! (ok I know, i'm an organization freak and big dork - no, this is not something I even attempt to deny!) Well, since we had quite a bit of time off together as a family between Christmas and New Years we thought it might be fun to tackle this project. So sure enough last Saturday Scott started by moving some pipes and outlets down so the counter would slide over them. Then came the counter which needed to be braced so it would be strong enough to hold heaps and heaps of laundry, or perhaps even me if I needed to stand on it to get to some top shelves. I may be tall, but we've got 9 ft ceilings so I'm not that tall! And by dinner we had what appeared to be the beginnings of a whole new room.

With JUST the counter installed the room already looked fresh and new. I had counter space!!! Woo hooo. But sure enough, we are over achievers and couldn't let the project stop there. So Sunday after church we had lunch and started out on an adventure to one of our favorite stores - IKEA! What a great place for cabinets, storage ideas or any weirdo random item you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. 3 new "upper cabinets" and a lot of browsing later we were on our way home to finish the project. After dinner and putting the Colbmeister to bed we were determined to complete our new room. I put the cabinets together while Scott prepped the wall with the hanging bar specific for Ikea cabinets. A short half hour later (it is THAT easy to hang Ikea cabinetry) we had a completed laundry room makeover.

I LOVE MY NEW LAUNDRY ROOM! Perhaps I might even get Scott to adventure into the world of washing and drying as well?! :)

Sorry I don't have any before pictures because we always seem to forget to take those, but here's a sneak peak into our new fabulous room. Oh and in case you're wondering... the laundry room I painted when we moved in to this house - yes, it is supposed to look and feel like you are "IN" the washer. Hense the bubbles, jeans and tshirts, bathing suits and socks flying about around you. Fun right?!

See spiffy new counter and cabinets.

Some new places to keep the mops and ironing board. YEAH get it all off the floor.

FANTASTIC!!!

Like Father, Like Son!

MORE SNOW!!!

Yep, we got more snow last weekend.

The Cman definitely enjoyed this experience more than his first snowy walking adventure. Well, first he figured out he could walk in his snow boots! That was a milestone unto itself. And 2nd, who wouldn't like playing in the snow with a great new snowsuit to show off! It's safe to say the other one was getting a weee bit tight on the ever-growing little man. Thanks Nanny and Pal for the perfect Christmas gift, it sure looks like it is already going to be quite useful.

Hi Guys, like my new outfit?!

Ummm, I've pulled my sled into a predicament.

2 peas in a pod... both look like they've been up to no good!

Ready for another sledding adventure.

Check out the videos for a live action shot!

ZOOOOOOooooom!!!

We officially discovered that our driveway is THE BEST sledding hill ever created.
The Colbmeister even decided it was quite fun to go on the big boy sled.




Scott taking a test run down the driveway!

Scott and the Colbmeister taking a turn.

Me... almost a wipe out!