Both kids are vomitting now. Evelyn threw up last night at 4am, and Gabe at the breakfast table. I thought we were out of the water with Gabe because it had been over two days since he last got sick.

Evelyn is acting totally normal, but Gabe seems more ill. He wants to be held constantly, and he glazes over a lot while he is playing. Our pediatrician said that this is something that is going around, and that the diarrhea can last up to 14 days, but more commonly it is lasting about 7 days.

I am hoping that I don't get this, but I guess I am not very optimistic right now. I almost always get this sort of thing when the kids have it. We are washing our hands like crazy. That's the best we can do right now.

Owl candle update

Someone bought it off of craigslist! I posted it for $3, and this lady emailed me to ask my if I would take $1 for it. Of course I said yes.

In the listing I said that it would make a great gag gift. I also used the phrase "utterly glorious" because I just had to.

I was not here when she picked it up, but Joe was. It's a good thing, too. Turns out the woman collects candles. I am not sure what I would have done when I heard that if I had been here, but I am afraid it would have been something a lot like choking, which would have been bad.

My neighbor came over last week and gave me this. Not as a joke, either. It is taller than a gallon jug of milk, and very heavy. In case you can't tell, its a candle. I have been trying to pawn it off on everyone who comes through my door, but no takers yet. When Evelyn learned that it is a candle she asked if we could put it on top of her birthday cake. Seriously, I considered it, but it is so heavy that it would smash any cake out there. Plus, I just want the damn thing out of here.

Gabe vomitted yesterday morning. He wouldn't eat breakfast, so we thought something must be wrong with him, and he was a little whiney. And then....it happened. But that was it. Nothing else for the rest of the day. He ate a normal breakfast this morning, and he seems to be fine. Its strange how kids do that.

So far, Evelyn seems to be fine.....

Chief and I are going out tonight, and so I was in my closet trying on clothes this morning. Nothing fits me anymore. This is so depressing to me, but it might also motivate me to do something about it. Maybe even a New Year's Resolution. More on this later.

I was in the asian grocery earlier this week looking at the green tea selection. I have been considering using it as a diet aid. I saw several brands labeled "Dieter's green tea", and I thought I had found what I was looking for. When I read the label, ALL of them contained laxatives (senna). In fact, I am not even sure they contained any green tea at all. I will just stick with regular green tea for now. I am not against dietary supplements, but I think it is hard to find one that is safe. I am open to suggestions.

I just overheard Gabe making two of his animals kiss each other.

If I were being video taped today, there would be loads of examples of how NOT to parent. The kiddos are sleeping now, so I am going to try to pull it together, but so far, its been pretty ugly. Evelyn just had a full blown meltdown because I turned the TV off. I think we are all just a little cranky.

Yesterday, Evelyn started asking Gabe, "Gabe, are you going to marry me?". To which Gabe would reply, "Uh-Uh" (that means no). And then Evelyn would start laughing hysterically.

I mean, we have hill billy roots and all, but I never expected this. I think it is mainly because Evelyn just figured out that Gabe has started answering questions verbally. I think she likes talking to him now.

The worst of it is that I find this to be so funny, that I keep asking Evelyn to do it again. I can't get enough of it.

I just overheard Evelyn asking Gabe if he thinks something is cool. He said yes.

These two are so wild. Normally, all they want to do is jump on the bed. But they also like to pretend sleep, too. I busted those fakers.

Today, Gabe woke up at 3am.....and never went back to sleep. Which means that I also woke up at 3am, and never went back to sleep. Yawn. I am going to try to take a nap, but I am not a very good daytime sleeper.

Evelyn slid down the firepole at preschool today. I am so proud. She has been wanting to go down the one at the playground for a while now, but she never has the nerve. She is so brave.

I have been having Evelyn attend the rehearsals for our church children's choir. This week, most of the other kids were singing, but not Evelyn. She kept her little mouth shut through the entire thing. When I asked her if she could sing the song she repeatedly told me that she is too little to do it, and yet she still says that she wants to be in the children's choir. Later on Sunday we were practicing the song, but Evelyn still would not sing, even at home. Then, I just blurted out, "I'll make you a chocolate cake if you learn all of the words". She clarified some of the details of the deal, like whether or not we could also have candles on the cake. Of course I said yes, and she proceeded to sing EVERY SINGLE WORD of Silent Night.

Little stinker.

Parent-Teacher conference

Today we had our first pre-school parent teacher conference. It was pretty uneventful. I didn't hear much that surprised me. The teacher said that Evelyn does not play with or talk to any of the other kids in her class. She said she just does her own thing, pretty much all of the time. When they sit in circle time, Evelyn has her own spot where she always sits that she apparently guards rather well. The teacher said she does not get confrontational, but she guards her space. If someone gets too close to her, she will move.

The teacher also mentioned that Evelyn has a difficult time with transitioning from one activity to the next. She completely tunes out the teacher when she is being given instructions. We have this same problem at home. I am always asking Evelyn if she is ignoring me.

She also likes to draw mountains. I guess every time the teacher asks what she is drawing, she says it is a mountain.

Overall, I am pleased with how the conference went. I think most of the stuff we covered is age-related. I will probably address the issue of not paying attention to instructions, but I think that is all. Evelyn has always been quite shy, but she has also grown tremendously in the last year.

Bus of God

Today Evelyn and I were listening to some music with lyrics about the Lamb of God. I was explaining that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Evelyn said, "I'm the bus of God, Mommy".

"You're the what?"

"The bus of God. The city bus."

Don't ask me where this came from. I have no idea.

Funny

Gabe's newest word is "funny!" It is so adorable. He will knock down some blocks, laugh, and say "funny!" Little does he know how funny he really is. He also calls all animals "horse" and any moving vehicle he calls "truck". I will often hear Evelyn correcting him in the back seat. "No Gabe. That's a bus. B-u-u-u-u-s-s-s. Buh Buh Bus."

Evelyn has a new favorite outfit, which she has now worn two days in a row. She actually asked to get dressed this morning, which never, ever happens. I usually have to keep after her for about 15 or 20 minutes to get herself dressed. And, since she is 3, there is no way she is going to let anyone help her get dressed. I am thinking it might be interesting to see just how many days in a row she will want to wear the same outfit. I will have to sneak it out to wash it, but if she is going to volunteer to get dressed herself, and do so quickly and happily, why should I care if she wears the same outfit all month long?

Yesterday, I looked into little Gabe's mouth, and he has a molar! And not just the beginnings of a molar, but a full fledged one, and another on the way. I feel like such a slacker mom, because I was totally oblivious to it. It did not just break through recently from the looks of it. I would guess it has been there for a few weeks...at least. Maybe it is because I have been engrossed in Harry Potter for several months now. I just finished the last book today. Loved it.

My ring finger problem persists. It is so weird. I have never had this issue before even though I have been wearing it for 6+ years. I keep getting this painful red rash underneath it. Oddly, the same thing happened to my sister several years ago, and she turned out to have a nickel allergy. So, she can't wear her wedding band anymore. I am hoping it is not the same thing for me.

Tonight, I am making chicken stock. I always freeze chicken bones, necks, etc until I have enough to make some stock. This time I had a bit of a breakthrough with my technique. I am a very Mastering-the-Art-of-French cooking kind of cook. I love perfection in food. So the fact that my stock was sometimes too cloudy, really bugged me.

I was using the wrong spoon to skim off the impurities. That's it. When I showed Joe my new skimming tool, he said that my new spoon would have been that one he would have chosen, too. Next time I need cooking advice, I will ask him.

Evelyn's first day of preschool

Today was the first day of preschool. Evelyn was very shy. I asked her if she talked to any of the other kids, and she said no. She told me she was too shy. I guess she will be fine, but it is really hard for me to sit back and watch her play all by herself. Not only that, but she looks down at the ground, and turns away when other kids talk to her. She usually talks to adults just fine, but kids seem to intimidate her. I am just trying to reassure her that the other kids want to be friends with her. I am really trying not to criticize her for it.

Tonight, I got out my guitar for the first time since before Gabe was born. I am a really crappy guitar player, mostly because I never practice. But, I really wanna get better. It just doesn't come naturally to me. I only got through about one song before I had to give my fingers a rest.

I have not been wearing my wedding band/engagement ring for the past few days, because I keep getting this rash underneath it. It has happened twice in the past two weeks. I think it is a fungal infection, but I always think everything is a fungal infection. I had shingles right after Evelyn was born, and I swore it was a fungal infection until my doctor told me otherwise.

So, if you see me not wearing my wedding ring, don't start thinking my marriage is on the rocks. Its nothing a little Lotrimin can't handle.

Tagged by mg

RULES:
1. You can only say Yes or No!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!
3. Tag 5 people to complete the survey!
—————————————-
————–Danced in front of your mirror naked? Yes
Ever told a lie? Yes
Had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back? Yes
Kissed someone of the same sex? Yes
Kissed a picture? Yes
Slept in until 5 PM? No
Had sex at work? No
Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes
Held a snake? Yes
Ran a red light? Yes
Been suspended from school? Yes
Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? Yes
Been fired from a job? No
Sang karaoke? Yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Sang in the shower? Yes
Gave your private parts a nickname? No
Sat on a roof top? Yes
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? No
Broken a bone? Yes
Shaved your head? No
Slept naked? Yes
Blacked out from drinking? Yes
Played a prank on someone? Yes
Had a gym membership? Yes
Felt like killing someone? Yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse cry? Yes
Cried over someone you were in love with? Yes
Had sex more than 4 times in one day? No
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? No
Been in a band? Yes
Subscribed to Maxim? No
Tripped on mushrooms? No
Donated Blood? Yes
Video taped yourself having sex? No
Eaten alligator meat? No
Eaten cheesecake? Yes
Still love someone you shouldn’t? No
Have a tattoo? No
I tag Maureen, and Becky S. I know I am supposed to tag 3 more, but everyone I know has already been tagged, sorta.

Ok, now I am tagging Charles Okonkwo. Charles YOU NEED A BLOG!!!! I would read it.

Joe's family just left. They visited us today. It was a really nice visit. Evelyn is really getting into having grandparents. She used to be a little more shy, but now she just talks up a storm. She was really badly behaved at times, but overall, her cuteness made her completely irresistable. I did not give her any snacks all afternoon, and at dinner she kept saying "Oh mommy, this is the best hamburger I have ever had. This is the best watermelon I ever had." And so on. I think no snacks in the afternoon is here to stay.

More soon.

Yesterday, Gabe slept until 7:30am. We would have been in shock over it if it hadn't been for the fact that he cried off and on from 3:30am until 5am. But, today, he is back to his old tricks, so I guess it was a fluke.

Gabe has started talking a bit. Here are his words:

• thank you
• uh-oh
• more
• milk
• daddy

I am sure there are more, but I just can't remember them right now, and it is still in that phase where most people cannot tell that he is saying anything. He understands everything we say to him, and he usually does what we ask. I just started doing time-out with him this week. I don't think I started this young with Evelyn. She was a little more mild mannered at this age than Gabe is, and I am a little wiser the second time around.

After vomitting yesterday, Evelyn was passing on some of her experience to her doll baby. She kept changing her doll's clothes and would say to her, "Oh baby, we have to change your clothes because you got vomit on them". What a good mommy.

Some of you may know from talking to me that Gabe has been waking up every day at around 5 or 5:30am for about 6-8 weeks now. But....this week...he has slept a bit later on two days. One day he woke up around 4am and cried off and on for 10 minutes, then slept until 6:30. And today, he woke up at 5:30, but he went back to sleep after a quick diaper change.

Ohmigosh! Could this stage of crack-of-dawn-waking be coming to an end? I hope so.

Last week, I sorta had a little revelation, thanks in part to an insightful friend who was praying for me. I need to stop trying to micro-manage my kids....even when they wake up every day at 5:30am. So, I am trying to let it be right now.

I love the age that Gabe is right now. He is 14 months. He's starting to talk here and there, and he and Evelyn are getting along a little better. This morning, Gabe was tickling Evelyn's feet. So cute. He loves getting into the recycling (he's very eco-contious), and he takes off as fast as he can when I say "put that down" or "what do you have in your mouth?" He understands everything I say.

As for Evelyn, she woke up crying this morning. She said her tummy hurt. We came downstairs and she vomitted twice, and then slept on a blanket on the floor for about an hour. She seems fine ever since. Her appetite is back, but we are on the BRAT diet for the rest of today. Does anyone know if something is going around?

Weekend with the in-laws

Well, we got back yesterday from a weekend in Indiana. Maureen had to pray for me the day that we left town to head over that way, because I sorta have a crummy attitude about visiting with Joe's family.

It was a pretty good time. The kids didn't get enough sleep, but they never do when you are visiting family. Joe's mom always makes homemade ice cream for the July 4th holiday, and since she was having everyone over on Saturday, that is what we did. Two flavors--vanilla and peanut butter. Now, normally, I LOVE peanut butter anything. But, I am a bit of an ice cream snob, I must admit, so this particular ice cream is not my thing. All around, I ate way too much sugar. I hate that.

I also nearly broke my ass playing soccer with one of the cousins. Seriously, I fell right on my hind-quarters and did not break my fall at all on the way down. It hurt like hell, and I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. I actually took two Aleve. I never take pain medication. I have been trying to make myself remember to take pain medication when I am in pain, lately. Some pharmacist I am, huh?

We were exhausted yesterday when we got home, and the kids were really messed up. Gabe took forever to fall asleep. He was hysterical. Poor little guy. Fortunately Joe's folks don't really have much of an expectation that we will visit them except for this one time in the summer. They always come over to visit us. I know they are trying really hard to do things to show us that they love us. Like, they hardly turned the television on at all. And, they did not get out the camera right as we were getting in the car to leave and the kids were falling apart. I am very thankful for those two things, and I am going to try to focus on that as much as I can.

The Cliks- Oh Yeah

I finally found this song. I have been looking for this. I can't stop singing it.

My inner rock star

I have a rock star somewhere inside of me. I just know it. But I gotta go look for her if I want her to come out. She is just so tired of trying so hard to be a rock star when there is so much other crap to do. Boring, mundane crap. So I don't really have time to get her out much. I just keep telling her to wait. I think that might be a mistake in the long run, but its not really something that I ponder much. It just happens.

I need to give her a name.

More later.

Our siding is done! It took one day. The crew started at about 7am, took a break between 9am and 11am because they were waiting on the siding to arrive, and finished by 6pm. They were a great crew, very polite, and the foreman wanted to make sure that we were happy with the siding. Some of our plants got a little trampled, but we were warned that would be the case. The house looks great, and we are really pleased with the job, especially since it has been totally free. We are even getting money back. :)

I was struck by the contrast between the painting crew and the siding crew. They were here on consecutive days, and that made it easy to compare the two. The painting crew didn't start until 10am and they were ready to leave by 4pm, even though the job was not finished at that time. I had been at home all day because they told me that I needed to be there so they could paint the doors, and then we would need to let the doors stand open for several hours afterward so they could dry. So when 3:30pm came, and they had not started on the doors, I called our contractor to see if he could light a fire under the owner. I did not want to be stuck home all day again the next day. The owner came over and painted the doors himself.

The siding crew, on the other hand....well, you just should have seen them. I don't think they wasted a single minute. And they cleaned up WAY better than the painting crew. I wasn't looking to compare the two crews. It's just that the difference was so incredibly obvious, that you would have to be asleep to miss it.

I can never remember what I want to blog about when I sit down at my computer. Does anyone else have this problem? I am sure that I have lots to say, but I never get around to it because I can't remember any of it.

The biggest news that I forgot to blog about is Evelyn's thumb sucking. She has quit cold turkey, pretty much all by herself. At her 3 year checkup in April, her pediatrician talked her out of sucking her thumb when she was not in her crib, but she still sucked her thumb at night and at naptime. I would even catch her doing it sometimes when she was watching tv, but she stuck to Dr. Anne's recommendation pretty closely. But, one night about a month ago, she noticed that her thumb had shrivelly skin on it from her thumb sucking (like when your hands have been in water for too long). She asked me what it was, and I told her it was from her thumb sucking. She said it was scratchy, asked me to wipe it off, and said she did not want to suck her thumb any more. Amazingly, she totally quit at that point. I think this is a remarkable accomplishment for a 3 year old.

The next biggest thing that I forgot to blog about was a conversation that Evelyn and I had about buttholes. She wanted to know if I had a butthole, if Gabe had one, and if Daddy had one. I kept telling her to stop saying butthole, but I was also laughing so hard that it probably egged her on a bit. When Joe got home that night, the first thing Evelyn said was "Daddy, we talked about buttholes today". I was so proud.

That is about all I have forgotten....that I can remember.

So, today, we had some painters at our house. Painting. And now, I am like..."why didn't we paint like forever ago?". It makes a big difference. We had all of the trim painted white, and the doors painted black. Tomorrow, or someday soon, we will be getting sand colored siding.

The only bad part, is that there is no way the kids will sleep through the siding job. So, I am not sure if I want to be around for that.

Gabe's first birthday and more....

Happy birthday buddy! Gabe's birthday was actually yesterday (the 20th). I was going to have a big party, but we decided not to. Gabe is not really going to know the difference. At one year, he is already walking really well, but not much talking yet. He has started imitating me, he laughs out loud, and he will give me a kiss if I ask him for one. I could eat him up. He is so laid back compared to Evelyn.

Enough about kids....we are getting new siding!!!!! It is as a result of the hail storm back in October. We are finally getting around to it. I think it might happen this week. We get some painting, too. I cannot wait. Our old siding is aluminum, and it is pitted, old, and ugly. Goodbye ugly siding!

This morning Evelyn and I were in my room. She had been up for 20 minutes, and I was getting dressed. So she told me she was going downstairs, which is totally fine with me. Ten or fifteen minutes later I went downstairs, and I didn't see her anywhere, but the basement door was open, so I assumed she went down to the basement. "Evelyn? Are you down here?" I looked around the basement, and didn't see her. There is only one other place she could be. Evelyn never used to be brave enough to go outside by herself, but recently, that has all changed. She is allowed to be in the back yard by herself, but never without permission. I looked at the front door. Locked. The side door. Oh God. It's unlocked. Oh God. EVELYN?! EVELYN?! The back yard...empty. Garage...empty. My level of panic increasing exponentially with every passing second, I ran out front, still calling her name. She wasn't in the front yard. It is at this point that I know that this story could end very badly because I have no idea where else to look except for up and down the streets. Then I heard another voice besides mine. It wasn't Evelyn's. It was one of our neighbor's voices--a woman in her bathrobe who had apparently come out to get the paper and saw Evelyn. The woman was saying, "She's right here", but it seems like it took me forever to figure out what she was saying. My thoughts were racing. Then I saw Evelyn. She was just standing on the retaining wall in our neighbor's front yard. When I got to her, she was a little scared. I don't think she was scared of being there alone, but it scared her when she saw how I was acting and because the other neighbor lady was asking her questions. We talked about how she broke the rules and why it is not safe for her to be alone without my permission/supervision. To her, it was no big deal.

Later, I asked Evelyn if she had unlocked the door by herself. She said yes. I asked her to show me how she did it. She couldn't do it again. I think she just got lucky, but I know that soon, she will be able to do it by herself every time. I have such mixed emotions about Evelyn maturing, as does every parent. I am so proud that she is not afraid to go outside by herself. But I want to make sure that she never does it again. Sort of.

Don't laugh...

I really want to start a cosmetics review blog. You know, we have the CV cooking blog, why not the CV makeup blog? Its just that, when I score a great find in the world of beauty, I just want to spread the love around and let everyone know. Seriously, does that make me so bad?

The kids are driving me nuts today! Mainly just Gabe. He never wants to take an afternoon nap. I know I have just spoiled him by repeatedly going back into his room after putting him down and then rocking him to sleep. But it is a hard one to break since Evelyn is trying to sleep right next door. He was sick last week, so things got a little out of hand. Tonight we begin baby boot camp. Ugh.

Evelyn is now at the age where she is trying to delay bedtime as much as possible. She is getting pretty clever at it. One of my favorite tricks of hers is when she strains to try to get out a poop when we put her on the potty before bedtime. She does this a few times when I try to get her to wrap things up until I call her bluff. But in rare instances, she actually produces something, which just makes the whole thing funnier. To her, straining to get out a premature poop is better than having to go to bed.

Simon says

Evidently, Evelyn has Simon (of Simon says) and Jesus confused. We were just outside playing and she keeps saying, "Mommy, reach for the sky. And Jesus says touch the ground. And then touch your knees, and Jesus says jump!" Its a new twist on an old game. I know I should probably clarify the issue, but it is so funny. And besides, I don't really care if she knows anything about Simon at all. Right now, Jesus says touch the ground, and that is just fine with me.

Gabe's first steps

Gabe turned 11 months old yesterday, and he just took his first steps today. I am so glad Joe was here to see it! He was so cute and excited, and seemed to be into the idea wholeheartedly. Once he realized he could do it, he kept trying a bunch. I can't believe how fast the past 11 months have gone. It is slipping away so fast. Right now, he is still all sugar, sugar, sugar. No real rebellion to speak of. But someday soon he will wake up as a 3 year old who will tune me out when I talk and throw tantrums because he doesn't want to go to bed. I can't wait to see what he becomes, but right now I am going to try to hang on to baby Gabe.

Gabe, I need you to stay a baby just a little longer. And please, let me kiss you, even when you turn two.

Well, now everyone in the household has the stuffy nose. At least I think we all do. But now I don't have to worry about keeping everyone's germs away from everyone else's germs. And, Evelyn's symptoms don't seem to have lasted very long, so hopefully it will be short for us all. Gabe has the worst of it right now which stinks since he is still nursing. Ever tried to nurse a kid with a stuffy nose? Let me tell you, it is no walk in the park.

Finally, a nice weekend in the forcast! We have so much work to do in the yard, and I hope this stuffy nose business doesn't mess anything up.

Okay, I admit it

I love Dancing with the Stars. And I really love this season because I really love one of the stars. Apollo Anton Ohno. Did anyone see his samba? Damn. That mofo can dance! I love short track speed skating, and now it is so much fun to see him doing something so different from his normal career.

Some of the other contestants are good too. Laila Ali is good, although most of the rest of the women are pretty bad. And Billy Ray Cyrus is a sorta hilarious, but he is not such a good dancer. He just doesn't have it. I thought I would totally hate him, but he has turned out to be very interesting. He doesn't take himself too seriously, but yet he is not just blowing it off. He works hard.

My next step is to figure out a way that I can get myself on that show. I am not a professional ballroom dancer, and I don't play one on tv. Plus, I am not a star (although I am sure some of you would beg to differ). Let me know if anyone has any ideas.

Evelyn developed a super stuffy nose last night. It happened all of a sudden on the way home from home group. Today, she sounds so cute and sad when she talks. She can't breathe at all through her nose. I am doing hand washing, hand sanitizer and taking echinacea, but I just don't see how I will be able to avoid getting it. With all of the nose wiping that I am doing I know I am being exposed to it. Oh well.

In spite of how crummy I know she must feel, she still had the energy to scream "Don't touch me!" at me today. Blood curdling scream. I was trying to comfort her, but she would have none of it. It is so incredible to watch your little toddler morph into a monster at times.

Am I the only one with an 11 month old who won't nap right? Because I feel like I am right now. He won't take two naps, but he's not ready for one. And for some reason, it consumes me when my kids don't nap. It actually paralyzes me. Gabe is finally asleep, but I spent way too much time getting him to that point.

On a lighter note, Evelyn finally noticed that Gabe's anatomy is different from hers. She was watching me change his diaper one day. This is how it went:

Evelyn: Mommy, what does Gabe have?
Me: What do you mean? Do you mean his poopy?
Evelyn: No Mommy, what does Gabe have?
Me: What do you mean?
Evelyn: I mean his swingin' body.

So then we went on to clarify that his swingin' body is actually his penis. Frankly, I prefer swingin' body.

Happy Easter!

I had my family over to our house for Easter yesterday. It was actually very non stressful. My sisters (I have 4 of them) are great at pitching in, and they are all great cooks. But today, I find myself very sad as I mull over all the conversations we had.

One of my sisters in particular I keep judging in my heart today. As if I would do so much better if I were in her situation.

Then there was the part where I casually mentioned to another sister that I recently heard a study about hot dog consumption and type II diabetes. This was after her son indicated that they eat a lot of hot dogs. I am cringing now, just thinking about how cruel it was of me to say such a thing.

Lastly, I had a conversation with my mom about her hearing loss. My mom lost her hearing 5 years ago. She is not yet 60, so it is not normal age related hearing loss. She lost it all very quickly over a few months due to a rare auto-immune disorder. She has had a cochlear implant since then, but still can't hear very well. She especially can't hear in large group settings. There is just too much background noise. Anyway, she is really struggling with her limitations and how they make her feel so out of the loop. So many notions about what other people might be thinking. It breaks my heart. She probably has another 25 years with this and no really good solution.

I enjoy my family immensely. I am just not sure why I am sometimes such a self righteous ass around them.

Today is my fourth day with the flu, but I feel SOOOOO much better today than I did the past three days. I am just really tired, but I don't feel sick. In spite of the fatigue, I am doing a great job of kicking Evelyn in the rear today. She has been a little out of control since I got sick. So now it is toddler boot camp. She has been in time out at least 5 times already and its only 11:30am.

Needless to say, I am getting a flu shot next year. This is my second year of getting the flu. Last year, I was 8 months pregnant. God, that was awful. I don't even know where I picked it up. No one else I know seems to have it, including my family, thank goodness.

The only plus about being sick is that when you finally feel well again, it feels incredible. I am always so alive after I am sick. I love that. That should be tomorrow. Tomorrow, I may conquer the world.

Rambling

Gabe and Evelyn a few weeks ago hanging out on the couch. Gabe loves Evelyn so much. He always wants to be doing whatever she is doing, which drives Evelyn a little crazy sometimes. We have had a few time outs for pushing and stuff this week.

On a more positive note, Evelyn has been doing some amazing stuff lately. She talks like such a grown up, she can sing all the words to so many songs, plays by herself, reads stories to Gabe, writes letters, wants to check her email, takes long walks with me, makes up names for herself, sets the table, and the list goes on.

And now for the big news......Gabe has been napping!!!!! He does not appear to be napping today, but after 3 days of good napping, I am in a little bit better frame of mind to take it.

Joe said he would be home at 5pm tonight! He has hardly been home before 6:30 this week except for Tuesday night. We have been making a concerted effort to get out of bed early so that he can get to work earlier. It has been good. I have made it to the gym once and he has made it there twice. A huge improvement over our previous average of ZERO. I am also trying not to eat anything (or drink anything with sugar) after 7pm. If I eat late in the day, it makes me really groggy the next morning. I just hate having the kids wake me up. I need some time to myself before they attack me. Hopefully, this will continue.

I am going to lose my mind

This is the third day in a row that Gabe has refused to take an afternoon nap. It is driving me crazy. He is totally mr. fidgets even though I know he is tired. This is, for sure, my least favorite part of parenthood.

Evelyn and I are going head to head today on the issue of food. I never have to do this kind of thing with her. Its odd because Evelyn has always been a very good eater. But I decided a few months ago to have it as a goal that she eat the same food as Joe and me at every meal. Lately she has been more and more particular about what she wants to eat, and today I had just had it with this. I offered her a plate of very good food for lunch. Chicken and rice. Nothing weird. She piled all of the rice on top of the chicken, and I don't think she took one bite of anything. I know she was hungry because she had been asking me for dinner for 30 minutes before I finally fed her. After a few tries, I put the plate away. But come snack time, that same plate is coming right back out of the fridge. We will see how it goes.

I just bought a bunch more of those compact fluorescent bulbs yesterday. The package says that they are 5 year bulbs, but we have not had any of them last more than 2 years at the most. We have only lived here for 4 years, and I know there are several that I have changed multiple times. Not that I really care, but it is a little annoying considering that they are so expensive. What are we doing wrong? I think it must be the wiring in our house.

Joe is back to work today!

Today is the first day that Joe was able to go back to work. Things with his back are getting better. He got some prayer at church yesterday, and we are continuing to pray for healing for him. I think he is pretty excited to be back at work. Joe is not one to take time off, so spending a week out of the office was a major sacrifice for him. And I am glad to be back to my usual routine.

Both kids are sleeping right now. Woo hoo! Every time I come down the stairs after getting them both to sleep, I always feel like I should do some kind of touchdown dance or something. Even though it is a regular event, it feels like a major accomplishment.

Did anybody see Evelyn's semi-major temper tantrum yesterday at church? I tried to put her coat on her, and she flung herself down on the floor kicking, screaming and crying. I kinda just stood there beside her and didn't say anything. Ignoring her is what works best with her, I am finding.

Now that I think about it, we had a weird day yesterday. Gabe cried in the nursery a lot and he was upset almost the entire time. Evelyn throwing public tantrums and Gabe falling apart. What next?

Things appear to be back to normal today. I hope it stays that way.

With Joe's back being on the fritz, I am the designated snow shoveller in the household. So, I shovelled snow this afternoon. Evelyn helped. It was so much fun. She loves the snow. She told me I was ridiculous for throwing snow on her.

I love snow. I don't like freezing rain much, but I really love snow. I love how everything is so quiet.

Today Joe decided to stay home. His back is really messed up. He is walking around half bent over. It has been threatening to go out on him for several days now, so it is not a surprise. And honestly, it is convenient that it happened on a day like today (with the snow and all). Joe's back does this a couple of times a year. The man needs more exercise! We used to do yoga together (don't tell anyone) and it really helped him.

Ok...here is the big news of the day. I MADE IT TO THE GYM FIRST THING IN THE MORNING!!!!! I pulled in the parking lot at 5:07am. I always used to go in the morning until Gabe was born. It has taken me too long to get back into it. And it still may not work for me, but I am really going to try. I find that if I don't work out first, it gets pushed aside. I am just too pooped in the evening.

Lately I have been really trying to lose those last few pounds of baby fat. I do really well for a few days, and then I totally blow it and gain it all back. I have been trying to focus on self control being one of the gifts of the Spirit, but I know I am getting it all wrong. I have not been trusting God with this at all. Honestly, I am just tired of the whole having to trust God day in and day out bit. I would prefer to have my problems disappear as a result of my faith. Pretty ugly, huh?

Gabe is doing EVERYTHING right now. It happened overnight. He started crawling, then sitting up, then pulling himself up. He is just now nine months old. I am totally addicted to him. Its like he and I have this little connection going on that nobody else really sees. I love it. He is eating now, but he refuses to be spoon fed. He must feed himself. I gave him pizza a few days ago! I like the fact that he is eating, but it is making him cut back on nursing quite a bit, which I don't like. I am just super-paranoid about plugged ducts and all that since I have had such a problem with it this time around. I'm a little afraid he is going to try to wean himself. I doubt that he will do that, though because he hasn't had a bottle since he was 10 weeks old. I am just too lazy to pump.

I love this picture of Evelyn and me. She is such a cutie. I think she is even going to survive having a little brother.

Pound plus my ass

I buy Trader Joe's brand of bittersweet chocolate which I use for baking. It comes in a package called "Pound Plus". Instead of 16oz it is like 17.6oz or something like that. Anyway, it is divided into 40 squares, which makes each square equal to 0.44 oz. What the hell? I don't know of any recipes which call for 0.44 oz or any multiple thereof of chocolate.

I guess the obvious solution here is to buy another brand.

I am baking today. That is why this came up. I am baking a bittersweet chocolate tart for my home group. And I am not even going to be there. Now, if that is not Christian love, I don't know what is.