Taylor-madebaby

Fascination with dishwasher?

2012-01-12T17:39:00.003-05:00

What is it and my kids - specifically my boys - and their fascination with the dishwasher? I can't unload or reload without them practically crawling into it.

Let me clarify - this is mostly just for the toddler-age time-frame. Seth, now at almost 5, is almost oblivious to the thing. Daniel, on the other hand, won't let me near it in peace. Today as I was unloading it, he was underfoot as usual. The funny part about it today was not only was he just plain underfoot, but now that I've reached 7 months in my pregnancy, bending isn't always so easy. So as I attempt to clear out the dishes from the bottom drawer of the washer, I decided to try and squat to do it. Only what did I find under my bottom as I squatted? Yup, the head of a one-year-old.

Funny for me, and luckily for him I was moving slowly!

The thing that's also funny about this is when I'm trying to do dishes and Brian is home, if I ask him to try to keep him out of the kitchen, I can't seem to grasp why he doesn't understand that that means "keep him busy." Because what usually ends up happening is Brian will come and get Daniel out of the kitchen and put him down in the living room floor. Which means that it's only a minute or two before he's back in the kitchen playing in the dishwasher again. Oh well.

If only their interested in the dishwasher continued until they were old enough to load and unload it for me!

Daniel (& others) update

2011-07-21T22:28:00.002-05:00

I can't believe I've done such a poor job in keeping updates on Daniel - or anyone else for that matter! I suppose it's not secret that baby #2 doesn't get as many pictures as baby #1, and poor baby #3 and up just miss out almost entirely! Oh well, at least I've got a pretty valid excuse for not posting often. 3 kiddos sure keeps me plenty busy! And if you've met my kids, you know that's not just making excuses! :)

Seth is as inquisitive as ever. Sometimes he asks SO MANY QUESTIONS I'm about to lose my mind over trying to keep my cool and answer him. Sometimes I have to tell him it's quiet time. Kara, for what she lacks in size compared to her big brother, she makes up for in volume! She has a set of lungs and buddy, she knows how to use them!

Daniel, well, the littlest Clemmer is holding his own at 8 months. Still no teeth, although I think I can just see a tiny sliver of white peeking out, but he sure does love to eat! I've recently introduced him to crackers and he's a BIG fan! The only problem we have with mealtimes is 1-we don't feed him fast enough or 2-he gets distracted and wants to eat sideways so he can watch everyone else!

They make me crazy, but it's still a blessing at the end of each day when we put them down to bed and Seth asks to be tucked in, Daniel smiles sweetly at me, and Kara says "mommy, I love you SO much!"

The 7-Day Doubt Diet

2011-07-21T22:26:00.002-05:00

Do you want to join me in losing the weight of discouragement and self-doubt? Renee Swope, from Proverbs 31 Ministries is offering a FREE “7-day Doubt Diet.” Just click here to enter your information in her sidebar, and you’ll receive a week’s worth of devotions from her upcoming book, A Confident Heart. And be sure to let me know so we encourage one another along the way.

Daniel's mobile!

2011-03-24T12:37:00.002-05:00

I forgot how much they can move just by rolling!

Just for reference, Daniel started out on the play mat...

Adventure in the Outdoors

2011-03-24T12:29:00.001-05:00

We went outside again today. I swear, I need a fence around the perimeter of our yard desperately!!! It's all I can do to keep Kara from running down our driveway and into the main drive! I don't know where she thinks she's going, it's not like there's anything interesting in that direction to draw her attention except for more woods... Maybe she just remembers the few times we walked up the hill in the snow to Nana's house? And considering there's a trampoline, Nana's house (which has cable and a slew of new and interesting toys) and of course Nana and Pawpaw, why wouldn't she want to go up the hill? Besides the fact that she doesn't quite get the fact that Nana and Pawpaw have to work and aren't actually there!

But still, we had fun. I'm so glad we got out today before the rain started. It was so funny - the clouds rolled on by and for a bit it looked like we were going to miss the rain. We played out front for a bit, the kids all over the place while I tried to get the leaves out from under the front steps (fighting a losing battle I'm afraid), then when we'd had enough of that, we went in for a juice pouch and then we moved to the back.

Once out back, the kids (read: Seth) found the water guns I'd bought at a yard sale at the end of last summer. I filled them for the kids and let them have at it! Luckily for me, they weren't all about shooting ME with them, but instead worked on spraying the rocks and sand and other things that they could actually SEE the results of their shots. Except for that one moment when I realized Seth was walking behind me shooting my butt...

Kara had a harder time with the water guns than Seth did - her little hands aren't quite big enough to wrap all the way around the handle and squeeze the trigger, so she mostly ended up shooting straight up into the air or dripping water on herself, but she had fun anyway, so I guess that's all that matters!

I felt bad bringing them inside since they're calling for rain for the next few days, especially since it was so pretty out. The clouds from earlier had vanished and it looked like the forecast for rain was wrong. But, we had to have lunch, so we came in and ate, and I played with Daniel for a bit since he'd been left out of the outdoor play.

After lunch, Seth asked to get out his new scissors, so I found a few preschool practice shapes to print out for him and let him have at it! These scissors are pretty neat - they're actually connected at the top, so they're almost like the kids chopsticks that are tied at the top with a rubber band! They're really easy to use since all you have to do is squeeze them together and they pop themselves back open - so you don't have to worry about the hand strength to close/open/close/open.

Poor kiddo - since (thank goodness) it's not a constant trait, I forget sometimes how he can sometimes be a perfectionist. He got so disheartened that he couldn't cut the shapes out *exactly* on the lines. I was really proud of how well he did though, and tried to talk him up really big. I even sent a few cutout shapes to grandparents in the mail to show off his cutting skills!

After a little bit of play for Kara and cutting for Seth, it was naptime. Again I felt bad for "wasting" the pretty day, but by then it was just beginning to get a little cloudy. They hadn't been down for nap for half an hour when I hear the thunder and realized it was finally moving in! Sure enough, the rain is off and on and it's nice and wet outside with occasional thunder. Good thing we got out earlier!

Beautiful Spring Weather

2011-03-21T16:58:00.002-05:00

We went outside today to enjoy the beautiful weather before the impending rain hits and I'm SO glad we did! Last spring/summer we didn't "do" outside too much because Kara was in an awkward stage and couldn't do too much and I was pregnant - together made for a not-so-fun time outside. And I have to say that this spring I'm really becoming an outdoor kind of person!

Not only did I get some (read a little) yard work done, but Kara got to swing, Seth played in the sand with his bucket and shovel, they both helped me pick up rocks from the yard to "build a wall" on our slowly eroding bank (I'm hoping this will be an ongoing project - probably for the next upmteen years...), we found a lizard and a frog which the kids both thought were super cool, we played "basketball" with a ball and the kiddie pool (talk about a big basket!), and just had fun in general.

Sometimes I wonder if the kids like to go outside in large part to the juice boxes they get to have... About halfway through out time outside we took a snack break and had a pack of peanut butter crackers and the kids had capri-sun juice pouches while sitting in their own personal folding chairs - which Seth informed me that they couldn't have their snack without! I'm a big fan of the juice boxes/pouches while outside because it's not as big a deal if they get squeezed outside!

It's funny how much Kara liked checking out the lizard. Seth named it Crawly, and Kara was super upset when I made her come away and leave it alone! Too cute!

And the video game addiction begins...

2011-03-18T09:14:00.004-05:00

Actually, it began a while back, but I've made a point not to "feed" it if at all possible. Since Brian's at work all day and I'm not a big gamer myself, this has been relatively easy. Seth loves playing the Kinect - we got him the Kinnectables game and he loves that, but Kara is terrified of the cubs on screen. She'll cry "they get me!" or "they scare me!" But, Seth is pretty good about controlling them and playing games with them.

He also loves the Kinect Adventure and Sports games. He's not too bad on some of them, although it can be frustrating for me when he wants to play something but can't quite get it and I have to either keep directing him in what to do or explaining why it isn't working over and over and over again...

But, for a belated birthday gift, Seth got a Smart Cycle - if you're unfamiliar with it, basically it's a kids video game that uses a bicycle to control the game instead of a controller, so they're kind of getting some exercise while they play. Of course there's also a joystick and a few buttons on the cycle, but the pedaling is key.

We just got it hooked up last night, and aside from my total lack of knowledge in hooking up a video game console, it went okay. That and the fact that it was already after 10 when we got home from dinner with a friend. And the point that I didn't find the right hook-up until after a while of trying to negotiate the plugs on the TV. Oh, and then when I finally DID get the right hook-ups, I had NO IDEA what plugs to actually plug in WHERE. So, then came the game of random plugging to see what combination worked. Then, what input to set the TV to. This was NOT my idea of fun...

When we finally got it working, the real fun started. Despite Brian's reminder to turn the volume down (due to some weird thing about the video games being one volume level while the TV is at another) I completely forgot, so when the game actually did turn on, it was WAY loud. I don't mean as in "wow, that was kind of loud," but as in "BLAST YOUR EARS OFF YOUR HEAD" loud. As in Kara totally freaked.

I don't think I've ever heard that kind of noise come out of her before. She. Was. Terrified.

I think I got the bad mommy award just for that.

When Kara gets scared by something, she has to keep reassuring herself about it. So even after I got it turned down to a less ear-splitting volume, she kept telling me "That was really loud!" and "it not scare me! It just really loud" and other variations of the same theme. She'll probably be afraid of the TV for a few days now...

The bad news in all of this is that since I got the Smart Cycle used, I don't have the booklet that went with the games that came with it, which means I have no idea how to help Seth learn to play them. So it looks like he's on his own as far as trial and error goes to figure them out. Good thing he doesn't mind. I think he'd spend all day on the thing if I let him...

Oh, and in other "good news," I found a VTech version of a "smart cycle" for Kara at Once Upon a Child the other day - it's a really cute giraffe that has various letter, number and animal games. And even better, it's self contained and doesn't have to be hooked up to the TV. My dream come true!

Our latest achievements

2011-03-18T09:06:00.002-05:00

Well, at least Daniel has a recent achievement...

Well, so much for doing a better job of keeping the blog updated! Baby Daniel is here and is already almost 5 months old. The big news of the week for us is that he's now also rolling over, not to mention he's really going places with his wiggling and scooting and new-found rolling ability!

Seth and Kara are doing good in their roles of big brother/big sister, and they love making Daniel smile and laugh. That being said, they also hate it when he cries, and when he starts up in the car, I often have complete chaos in the backseat with Daniel crying and Seth yelling "Daannnieeelll!" as if that will help calm him down. Kara normally joins in with a few yells of her own, just for good measure - in case I don't have enough noise already. You know, I read a magazine article the other day about distracted drivers and it mentioned that parents driving young children and babies in the care were actually just as distracted while driving as say a new driver or a driver on the phone or texting. I totally buy it!

Bad mommy

2010-09-29T22:25:00.003-05:00

So, how bad of a mommy am I that this blog is supposed to be all about keeping friends and family up-to-date on our family, and I realize I haven't written anything about baby #3? Or, maybe a note here and there, but really, nothing worth mentioning? Yeah, I realize that baby boy isn't here yet, so I don't have any cute anecdote to share, but still... I had plenty to say when I was pregnant with Seth, right?

So not only am I feeling guilty that the summer is over and we spent probably only a handful of hours outside, but now I've also been neglectful of sharing baby #3 info! *Sigh* Well, at this point, the little guy is almost here anyway, so I guess all I can do is try to do better - although something tells me that with three kids 4 and under, updating the blog isn't going to fall into the routine easily. Heck, what routine?

Although, that IS one of my goals for after this little guy shows up. And yes, I realize that #1: implementing a new routine shortly after the arrival of a new baby is going to be hard at best and #2: I keep referring to this poor kid as "little guy" and "baby boy" instead of by name, but there's a reason for that. Yep, no name yet. So I guess that's a goal for BEFORE this little guy makes his appearance: figure out the kid's name! (Although Seth will quickly tell you that HE thinks we should name it Keegan or Keith - which I keep trying to tell him we're NOT going to do since those are his cousin's names... For some reason that doesn't seem to bother him in the least!)

So wish us luck on the name-hunting, and hopefully I'll get back here to update with another post before baby #3 actually arrives. Considering if you go by the doctor's estimated due date of Nov 9th, I've still got another 6 weeks, so sure I can manage that, right?

It's potty time!

2010-06-14T13:57:00.002-05:00

Today marks the "real" beginning to our potty-training journey. Sure, we've done the pull-up thing, with hit and miss success, but today, Seth is in BIG BOY UNDERWEAR!!! We'll see how it goes. This AM when he got up he said he wanted them so I let him wear them, so I figured why not. We'd been wondering how to decide when enough was enough of this back and forth effort. I'm hoping it's not a mistake...

For this morning's beginning we've set the potty timer for 1 hour intervals and so far only 1 accident that was *kind of* my fault - the timer went off but we were in the middle of eating lunch, so I asked if he needed to go and of course he said no. I told him okay, but after he was done we were going to the potty. A few minutes later he'd already done just that in his underwear - thank goodness for plastic chair cushion covers!!!

And of course, where would we be in potty training if there wasn't the ever-familiar "didn't quite get it pointed down into the potty just right and even though it wasn't an "accident" we still got our underwear/shorts/socks wet" issue... SO, two underwear/clothes changes into the day, and it's almost naptime.

I'm expecting LOTS of laundry this week.

Luckily, I don't have any specific errands to run, so we can pretty much stay at home all week, which is a plus! I'm also trying to go into this expecting accidents, with a calm, matter-of-fact attitude that this is just how we do it, diapers are for babies, he's a big boy and can do this. No rewards, no threats, nothing but we pee/poop in the potty and that's all there is to it. (Let's see how long I can keep my cool about this all!!!)

I've also got a special plastic chair set up for him in the living room if he's watching TV or playing a game with a blanket underneath it, and like I said earlier, there's a plastic cover on his dining room chair (which fortunately is over laminate flooring not carpet!) Also, we're spending a lot of time in the kitchen as an attempt to save the living room carpet. I'm thinking that if it's not raining tomorrow and not miserably hot, we'll be spending some time outside too.

Anyway, prayers for success and patience are appreciated! And of course, tips and tricks are welcome too! I'm praying this will be our first and last attempt at potty training with Seth - and hopefully it won't take months to master!!!

"Speedos" for Seth?

2010-05-13T15:08:00.003-05:00

We went by the Goodwill today for a few minutes to kill some time. While we were there, I looked at the kid's shoes to see if I could luck out and find a pair of sandals for Seth. I'd told him we needed to get him a pair since all he has are tennis shoes and flip flops, which he doesn't walk well in.

We found a few, but none the right size. We left to run another errand and I didn't give it another thought. I thought Seth didn't either. But as we were pulling in the driveway about an hour later, Seth was very upset and telling me that we forgot his Speedos! We didn't get him Speedos and he wanted Speedos!

Took me a few minutes to figure out he was meaning that we didn't get his sandals. Where did "Speedo" come from???

THIS is why I don't play "Super-mom"

2010-05-13T14:43:00.002-05:00

Today I was trying to get a head start on dinner, trying to be a good wife and mommy, when I was suddenly reminded why I don't normally do this... I had sent Seth to the bathroom because I had previously gotten the (stinking) impression that he needed to poop. Although he's still resistant to going poop ON the potty, I try to at least have him in the correct room!

Anyway, I was working in the kitchen when I realized more time had passed than I had meant for it to, so I went to check on him. Obviously I went first to the bathroom, which turned out to be empty. BUT, there were Seth's shorts on the floor and the toilet lit was up (we always leave it down). When I checked across the hall in Seth's room, there he was, climbing into his crib by way of his rocking chair, which was already occupied by Kara. How did SHE get in the crib???

It was only after Seth climbed into the crib and started gleefully bouncing that I realized that he only had his t-shirt on. He was completely naked from the waist down. Now at this point all I could think of was "where's the poop!?!" since I knew I had smelled something earlier. (That and "HOW did Kara get IN there?!?")

I quickly grabbed Seth and got him out of the crib, turning him around to check his butt for smears and glancing around the crib and surrounding area for traces of needed cleanup. Nothing. What is going on here???

I asked Seth where his pull-up was. "In the trashcan!" We went into the bathroom and sure enough, there it was, with tell-tale streaks in it to prove I wasn't crazy, there had been poop present. But still, no poop. So I asked the next logical question. "Seth, where's the poop?" "I flushed it in the toilet!" he said proudly. That would explain the raised toilet lid...

So apparently, my 3-year-old who refuses to actually USE the potty, knows exactly what it's for and how to use it. This is extremely frustrating. Forget the part that he finished, didn't let me know, and didn't actually wipe himself. He pooped in his pull-up, took it off, dumped it in the toilet and flushed it away, remembering to put the dirty pull-up in the trash before he went back to play. Naked.

Luckily, it wasn't a bad poop - there was barely any traces on his butt or pull-up, so I think I'm off the hook as far as cleaning up the rooms go... but still! Good grief!

And I still can't figure out how Kara got in the crib! Yes, I know Seth can climb in via the rocking chair, but it's a stretch for him, so there's no way she could have made it on her own. And even with Seth's help, I can't imagine she made it in without face-planting, which I would have heard either as it happened or after she cried about it. Oh well - that's a mystery for another day I guess!

How fun are tissues?

2010-05-09T22:46:00.003-05:00

I can't keep tissues out any more. Apparently she gets this from me, as my mom had a good laugh when I told her about this and showed her the picture. Who knew tissues could be so much fun?

Mawmaw and Pop's latest visit

2010-05-09T22:40:00.003-05:00

Just recently, MawMaw and Pop came up for a short weekend visit. This time was a little different though, since Dusty and his girlfriend Lauren came with them. I was a little nervous about them coming, I was afraid they'd be bored or think our house was a disaster (which the basement really IS!) or something like that. But, the visit went really well and I can't wait to do it again. And, I'm not the only one!

Needless to say, when Pop and Mawmaw come to visit they steal the show as far as Seth's concerned, and Kara's quick to join the party! Although Kara wasn't too sure what to think of Dusty, Seth was instantly Dusty's new best friend! When we went our places and I was repeating my normal "you've GOT to hold someone's hand in the parking lot!" he was always race to hold Dusty's hand. It was too funny!

Now that the visit is over, Seth still talks about "my friends Dusty and Lauren." It's too adorable and I hope they come back with Mawmaw and Pop soon!

I do hate that I really fell down on my camera duties this visit though, and I only got a handful of pictures. Oh well, there's always next time - and what a great excuse for all 4 of them to come back again soon!

trying to decide if Dusty is friend or foe...

Eating a donut with Mawmaw. Yum!

The dreaded Pink-Eye!

2010-05-09T21:27:00.002-05:00

Well, it finally happened. Kara got Pink Eye. I noticed it first Wednesday afternoon after getting her up from nap, so I took her in first thing Thursday morning. I felt like a really bad mommy when we got to the clinic because I was trying to rush and not shock her system too much when I got her up since it was SO early (for both of us), and I didn't turn on the light when I was getting her ready. So although I really DID dab at her eye to wipe off some of the nasty eye gunk, since it was dim, I didn't see how good a job I had done. It was also dim in the rest of the house and in the garage, so I didn't get a really good look at her until we got into the doctor's office.

Needless to say, my dab job was terrible and she was still covered in nasty crusties. Although, that may have helped her case with the doctors considering how terrible she looked! Anyway, armed with an antibiotic and eye drops, we headed home. Two days later (Saturday morning) as I get Seth up to get ready for his swimming lessons, no surprise here: he's got it too.

So, now Kara's on the upswing and poor Seth, although he looks better today, still looks like he's been crying. Most of the pink is gone, and he never had the really bad eye gunk that Kara did, but they both HATE the drops, and it's a battle twice daily (or 4 times daily if you count twice daily times two kids!) to get those drops in!

We're just waiting to see now if they "share the love" with Brian and myself, although we're both being pretty careful to wash our hands often. Although I do have an advantage over Brian - I went in to the Dr this AM feeling lousy and turns out I've got a sinus infection (no surprise there!) and got my very own antibiotics. So, if I do come down with it, the doctor told me that the antibiotics for my sinus infection should knock that right out too! So there is some good news after all! Ha ha ha!

Love those toddler conversations!

2010-05-08T22:45:00.001-05:00

So we're at the grocery store - all 4 of us - and Seth's riding in the car part of the car buggy. All of a sudden, he starts telling us (in a rather desperate voice) "I'm not a fish!" At first we just laughed it off and told him "buddy, we know you're not a fish," but it soon became apparent that for some reason this was really important to him. So we stopped the buggy so I could lean down and ask why he thought that we thought he was a fish. He didn't really answer that question, but went on to tell me that he didn't want us to put him in the water.

By now, Brian and I are truly confused. So I asked him if the bathtub was okay, reminding him that he liked taking baths. He said yes, the bath was okay. So I asked about going to the pool for his swimming lessons, which we've been doing for a few Saturdays now. He said yes, that was okay too. So I did the only thing I could think of: I reassured him that we wouldn't put him in any water except the bathtub or the swimming pool.

Where on earth did that come from???

Review of The Gospel According to Lost

2010-04-01T23:01:00.002-05:00

I'm a big fan of certain TV shows, Lost being one of them. So when the chance to review this book for Thomas Nelson came up I jumped for it! The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay was most definitely an interesting read, but I was slightly disappointed. It was an easy read, but for some reason I seemed to struggle through it. Maybe it was the fact that some of the comparisons between the characters of Lost and scripture got a little bogged down, I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it was the fact that even though it was CLEARLY stated that the point of the book was not about spoilers or even unveiling exactly what the writers had in mind when they wrote the show, I was still hoping for something along those lines!

I tend to watch my TV shows without giving much thought to them. I'm a strictly for entertainment watcher. However, when parallels are so strong they jump off the screen at you, I can't help but notice. But, since I don't usually go searching for deeper meaning, this book was an interesting look at a show that is obviously filled with hints of much more than we see on the surface.

One of the large concepts in the book was how the characters change over time. How even killers can become respected leaders, and how people come to look to them for help and advice. The theme of redemption and change is a strong one, one that Seay points out is a journey and not something that happens quickly. For several characters, Seay points out that they feel helpless to change who they are and feel that redemption for themselves is impossible. He also points out that "One of the most satisfying pleasures of Lost is that we find characters who actually change and grow."

This book has made me see that there's so much more to the show than I'd given it credit for, and even mentioned past episodes that I'd forgotten and now want to go back and re-watch. It's a quick read and an interesting one. Whether the writers of the show truly meant to parallel biblical principles or not, Seay makes a compelling case to support it. For fans of the show, I would recommend checking into this book, just don't expect any undercover revelations or spoilers for the coming episodes!

Seth (& us) are liking our new Life Group!

2010-02-25T00:08:00.002-05:00

On the way to Life Group today Seth told us "I like Life Group. The kids go upstairs, and there's fish!" (They family that hosts us has an awesome salt-water fish tank that he's in love with. It's got a "Nemo" fish and a "Dori" fish, along with a shrimp - it's really cool.) I was so happy to hear that he enjoys going - especially since we'd only been one time before today. I don't know what the kids do upstairs, but it must be fun!

One thing that we talked about today that I thought was especially interesting and gave me a different view. We were talking about prayer and how we often forget to take the things in our lives that we stress about to God. We talk to our spouses, our parents, our friends, but still forget (or neglect) to take them to God.

Someone pointed out that we should consider it from a different angle. As parents, we would be hurt if our children were going through something that was causing them stress or grief and they didn't come to us. Even if we couldn't provide relief from their troubles, we would want them to come to us, to trust us with their burdens, to help them with the load even if it was just to comfort them in a moment of trouble. But we forget that God is even more so a loving Father who wants us to include him in our lives, that he wants to be there for us and provide a place of refuge.

How sad for us, and what comfort and blessings are we missing out on?

Random Acts of Kindess?

2010-02-24T23:49:00.005-05:00

This is just an amazing post on an amazing idea. If half the people who read this decide to imitate it in some way, the world would be a better place. Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes and read it - it's worth your time. I promise!

How I Celebrated My Birthday (aka 38 Random Acts of Robyn)

(This woman celebrated her 38th birthday by doing 38 RAOKs - random acts of kindness - and also encouraged her friends and family to do an RAOK or two in honor of her birthday. Her posts tells what all she - and the rest of her family - did.)

Family Christmas photos

2010-01-21T22:48:00.004-05:00

We finally got our act together just days before Christmas and went to have our family Christmas photo done. While there, of course we were sucked into having individual and kid group photos taken also, but it turned out okay and we didn't spend an arm and a leg - just a few fingers. The results weren't bad, with the exception that now that Seth has finally decided that cameras are okay again and doesn't cry every time you try to get a picture of him, he's also decided that cameras mean "cheese it up." So, that being said, most of the shots of him are some kind of goofy face or shoulder shrug. The shots of him with Kara are equally distracting, with him refusing to "pose" in anything remotely resembling what the poor photographer was trying to get him to do. *sigh* Two-year-olds. What can you do?

But, all in all, like I said, the shots turned out okay, and other than a few moments when Kara was totally freaked out by the giant teddy bear that was bigger than she was, we had no meltdowns (which is a win in my book!) So, without further ado, here are a few samples of the shots we got...

Review of Ted Dekker's Green

2009-12-13T23:14:00.005-05:00

I just finished reading Ted Dekker's book Green the other night and was so glad to have come to the end only to realize that now I've GOT to pick up some of his other novels as well!

When I first started reading Dekker's Circle Trilogy, I didn't know what to think. The description of Elyon's waters was a little, well, descriptive for my taste, but as I kept going in the book I was drawn in to the story and it fit rather than being superfluous as I had first thought. In the next books, the descriptions ceased pretty much all together, and now with Green they are back, but I have a better appreciation for them now.

I love how Dekker parallels our world and our problems and questions with the world of Thomas Hunter's dreams. When Thomas's son Samuel challenges Thomas's steadfast faith in Elyon, his questions are frighteningly similar to questions you hear people ask today. His bitterness and hurt due to his lost faith echoed in my mind and it shook me to realize that these questions are accurate to real life today. He says "So there is power in the heavens to affect us all; does that mean we understand it? ... If the truth is so obvious, wouldn't the whole world easily see it?" Oh how this is so true of people's wavering faith today!

Samuel talks about the state of the Circle and how time passed without seeing Elyon has worn their faith thin. "It's splitting apart inside. These rumors and speculations have spawned a dozen different groups that claim to know the full truth, and you don't even know what the truth is, isn't that right?" This mirrors our churches today!

Dekker succeeds in making spiritual warfare an actual physical presence that the Circle and Horde have to deal with on a daily basis. I greatly appreciated the representation that was woven expertly into the story. The story itself was brilliantly written, once again joining Thomas's world in "present Earth" with his new life in "future Earth."

The battle between the Circle and the Horde comes to a head in Green, and we see how the Circle is torn apart by doubt and anger. The Horde fares no better as they are blindly lead to battle, themselves fooled from within.

I can't say much about the ending without giving it away, but Dekker is right on target to say that Green now completes the circle and it can be read as either the beginning or the end. I'm not sure how I liked it, I'm still mulling it over, and probably will be fore a while - which is a great testament to the effectiveness of the story!

I would most definitely recommend this to any Dekker fan - but don't expect it to be fluff, and do expect to come away wanting more!

What do I know of Holy?

2009-12-10T14:56:00.000-05:00

And following the red was the short...

2009-11-07T17:19:00.002-05:00

DCP_1205
Originally uploaded by briannetc

This pic is when we were in TX for a bit to visit Brian's family. We had dinner out with some old friends of Brian's and it was a great time. But, the point of posting this pic is two-fold. One, I wanted to show off my short, and I mean really short, hair. This is what happened AFTER my red-hair phase... since waiting for the red to fade out was taking so long, I had the stylist dye it back, which of course you can imagine really over-processed my hair and it was nothing but fuzzy frizz for about two weeks before I gave up and had them cut it all off. I couldn't stand it and thought it would be better to let it all grow back out naturally than try to slick it down and make it "look" nice until it grew back. So, thus began the beginning of the pixie cut. (Although I never quite got the hang of the styling or volume I was hoping for...)

The second reason for posting this pic is to show off the fact that *sometimes* Brian really does wear things that I buy him! Although, I have to admit that when I got him this shirt, it was kind of a gag since I never thought he'd actually wear it outside the house! But, he's more self-assured than I gave him credit for, or maybe he's just proud to show off that I think he's "Mr. Wonderful!"

My red hair - 2003

2009-11-07T17:12:00.001-05:00

My red hair - 2003
Originally uploaded by briannetc

Since I can't seem to ever remember to get these photos off of my old Mac that's gathering dust in the basement, I thought I'd use the "blog this" feature from Flickr since it was already posted there. I wanted to post the pic for those of you who hadn't seen me with the red hair and didn't believe I actually did it! And not only did I go red, but I went short and styled too!

It was fun for a while, and I may do it again someday (MAY being the key word there), but for now it's nice to not have the expense of the upkeep!

Loving this fall weather

2009-10-21T23:12:00.002-05:00

I took the kids outside to play a little today and immediately felt guilty that we hadn't been outside more this year. But somehow, being outside with an infant just doesn't seem like a lot of fun to me. Pair that with Seth wanting and sometimes needing me to be with him while he plays makes it hard. But today, I put some shoes on Kara, grabbed our walking-toy and headed for the yard. Okay, more like the driveway, but it was beside the yard!

It was the perfect weather - we all had on long sleeve shirts and pants, but the sun was out, the breeze was just right, and the temperature was perfect. Kara enjoyed "standing" up in the walker, and Seth (once he got over his disappointment that I wouldn't let HIM in the walker) played on his tricycle and little play 4-wheeler. He especially liked riding them off the edge of the driveway into the leaves that have accumulated beside the house.

As I watched him play, it made me miss being little. He played in those leaves and had a blast - not even thinking about what bugs might be lurking underneath. When he sat down in them, he was interested in the leaves for the sounds they made and how they looked, not caring about dirt. He wasn't too keen on the bugs that buzzed by occasionally, but I have to say I agree - more because they were mostly all stinkbugs, and I've had more than my fill of those little nuisances this year!

I do hope we have more days like today that we can enjoy before winter really sets in. It sometimes seemed like we spent the summer in a damp kind of haze. (I'm sure it didn't help matters that Seth spent a little over a month of summer in a cast - which obviously limited our outdoor recreation!) So bring on the fall! Leaves, pumpkins, apple cider - here we come!

Seth's "work"

2009-10-21T23:07:00.004-05:00

We went to the dollar store the other day and while we were there, Seth saw a bag of pompoms. I had previously bought him a kit from the craft store AC Moore that was a "make your own spider" thing where the body was a big, black, glittery pompom, and you glued on the pipe-cleaner legs and google eyes. He enjoyed that so much (even though daddy did all the glueing) that he just had to have the pompoms from the dollar store.

Being the bad mommy that I am, we haven't actually done anything with them yet, but he's opened the bag and takes them out several times a day to play with them. I think he especially likes the fact that we tell him not to let Kara have them! But soon, I'll have to break down and get the glue out so he can do his "work." Yep, that's what he's been saying - those pompoms are his "work!"

He's stopped several strangers to tell them all about it - and some family members and friends too! Although when he says it, it comes out more like "mom moms" instead of "pom poms" - just in case you get to hear him talk about them!

Oh, and grandparents, don't be surprised if you get a Christmas gift made with lots of glue and "mom moms!"

Check out this gorgeous girl!

2009-10-21T23:06:00.002-05:00

Love that hair!

They're a talkative bunch!

2009-10-16T22:04:00.003-05:00

My kids just crack me up. I can't wait to hear what little Kara is thinking once she starts to talk. So far she seems to be a big talker - she babbles all the time. She's started saying "da da" a lot, which you can imagine thrills Brian to pieces! Not really any big "ma ma's" yet. I'm still waiting though! One of my favorite "Kara-isms" is when she gets talking and starts saying "diddle diddle diddle." It's just too funny!

Seth is most definitely a talker - I have to say that at least for now he takes after his mommy - he can talk a mile a minute. Except for this new annoying habit he's developed, a kind of stutter (but not really), he can talk up a storm! His new thing seems to be that his brain is going faster than his mouth can keep up, so he throws in a few "zuz a zuz a's" in the middle of his words. Sometimes he'll even tell me "mommy, I don't know the right word!" which is adorable and sad at the same time.

He was talking to various adults tonight at our Mom2Mom's dinner, which was funny. Sometimes he can be so sociable - like he's never met a stranger. The sad part is that between his toddler-voice and the "zuz-a-zuz-a's" it can be really hard for other people (sometimes even US!) to understand him. You kind of just have to pick up on any word you can and try to expand on that!

He says the funniest things though. Just this morning, he said, "Mommy, please can I have candy? Don't say no." He was sure to cover all his bases! And as most parents can relate to, he's also a little parrot. Brian has a saying that drives me nuts - no reason really, except that he says it all the time. Seth copied him the other night, and it just cracked me up to hear this little guy mimicking his daddy's favorite response, "No doubt!" I did have to warn Brian not to teach that one to him though. I don't think I could handle both of them saying it all the time!

Veggie Tales movie event!

2009-09-30T20:07:00.001-05:00

This Saturday, October 3rd, Family Christian Stores is hosting a Veggie Tales event! To correspond with the release of the new Veggie Tales movie, they are having a family fun day complete with several showings of the new movie, Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving.

According to the email I got, here's the info:
Saturday, Oct. 3 | one day only
Watch the entire feature at 10 AM, 12 PM and 2 PM at your local store
• A poster and balloon for the first 20 children
• Learn a lesson in giving
• Stickers and coloring pages for all (while supplies last)

If you heard about the new movie, check out the clip below:

And she's off!

2009-09-25T09:34:00.002-05:00

Kara is officially crawling!

She's been moving around just fine for some time now, but not actually crawling. You know, scooting, wiggling, almost-crawling, but not actually moving both hands and knees at the same time. She is now doing just that - and I have a feeling we're in for it. I just thought she was mobile before!

Are you expecting?

2009-09-23T00:19:00.002-05:00

No, not me, any other moms out there! There's an Amazon giveaway thing where you can register to win a "Dream Baby Registry" with an additional year's supply of Huggies diapers. Do you have any idea how much money we spend on diapers alone!!!??? It's got me THISCLOSE to switching to cloth. I'm almost there. But not quite.

I'm not expecting, so I can't enter, but I thought I'd pass it along. Since you're probably going to register somewhere for baby stuff, why not register online at Amazon too? All you've got to do to enter is create an Amazon registry with at least 10 items (and we all know how hard that is!) and they're picking one winner a month from May to December for a $3000 "dream registry." How cool is that?

Hey moms, do you like to write?

2009-09-23T00:02:00.006-05:00

Check out this contest over at Parenting.com - it's asking you to write a 300 word essay (I know, who has the time or energy to write an ESSAY for crying out loud!) but hear me out - about "What motherhood means to me." At first I'm thinking, easy enough topic, but then I realize that it's a little more deep than I first gave it credit... so maybe I'll have to give this one some thought! Also, they've requested a photo to go along with your "essay." But, if you win, here's what you get per the Parenting contest info:

If you're our winner, your essay and photo will appear in the March 2010 issue of Parenting, and you'll be offered a one-week guest-blogging gig on Parenting.com. But that's not all -- you'll also receive a huge haul of Baby Björn gear, worth more than $1000!

Also something about a new movie coming out called Motherhood with Uma Thurman that looks absolutely hilarious and true to life, and a must-see for moms everywhere - but I'll let you check that out yourself! Good luck if you choose to enter! (I think I'd love to be on the panel that got to read all of the entries - that would be so interesting!)

Seth's new football obsession

2009-09-20T21:01:00.002-05:00

I think that next time there's a game on that Brian wants to watch, we're going to have to make an exception and let Seth stay up to watch the whole thing with him. He was so excited when Brian said that he could watch the game downstairs with him... Seth watched until halftime and then Brian brought him upstairs for bed. I had to go in twice to tell him to settle down that it was bedtime - once he was just making noise, the second time he was actually calling me "mommy. Mommy!" That time I actually went in and talked to him. When I asked him what was wrong, he said that he wanted to get up, and that he'd be really quiet and just watch with daddy. Talk about making you feel bad!!! I hated telling him no, but since we'd already put him to bed, I didn't think it was a good idea to let him get up. I don't think we're at a place where he could understand the "this is an exception, don't try it every night."

Oh well... next time!

Halloween is when?

2009-09-20T20:53:00.002-05:00

I cannot get over how fast time seems to go now that we have kids. Or maybe it's just that as I'm getting older time goes faster. Whatever the reason, Brian pointed out something that I really have to agree with. When I mentioned Halloween coming up, he said that Halloween just seemed to be the sign of the end of the year, since following Halloween seemed to be Thanksgiving and then Christmas and New Years, all right there together and over before you know it!

I've been trying to decide if I wanted to host a Halloween party for the kids in our mom's play group. We did it last year (it seems like just a few weeks ago instead of last year!!!) and it was a lot of fun. And I realize I've got almost a month to plan it, so I don't know why I'm waffling on the idea. Maybe because even with a month's time to plan it, it IS a lot of work... and Seth is in his "hitting" stage, which makes play-dates a little stressful.

But everywhere I look there's signs of Halloween and all these really cute Halloween and fall decorations, candies, snacks, and general holiday nick-nacks that just call my name. I guess I'll have to decide soon, but something tells me we'll be having friends up for a costume party after all. It was just too much fun last year!

Seth's soothing words

2009-09-20T20:44:00.002-05:00

I absolutely LOVE listening to some of the things Seth has to say. His personality is just blossoming, and to find out what' really going on in his little mind is amazing. The other day on the way home, Kara started crying. She was so tired, and hungry, that she was getting pretty riled up. Seth was asking "what's wrong, mommy?" So I just explained that she was tired and hungry. Since he had previously "helped" her eat her cheerios, he assumed I was telling him that it was his fault she was hungry and crying. (I have to remember that he takes things literally!) I had to then tell him that it wasn't his fault she was hungry, but I did ask him to talk to her and tell her it was okay.

For some reason, sometimes when she's upset, he can talk her down and she'll respond to him while she won't for me or Brian. So, he started talking to her. This is a bit of what I heard from the backseat:

"It's okay Kara. Don't cry. I'm sorry I ate all your Chex. (to which I told him it was cheerios) It was an accident (which sounds like ax-dent)" He kept saying some version of this over and over. After a bit, he added, "it's okay Kara. Mommy will save you from the monster. She save me from monster." Huh? What monster?

He just cracks me up!!!

Oh, and she did calm down and completely stopped crying. Go figure.

First Tooth!

2009-09-20T20:28:00.002-05:00

Kara has gotten her first tooth! Well, pretty much, anyway. I first noticed a tiny little nub peeking through her bottom gum on Wednesday night, which kind of explained a lot... She had had a cold, bu had been getting over it but still was waking up at night and seemed fussy. We kind of just figured she was still having some stuffiness at night, but it seems we didn't consider teething as a possibility until it was obvious! Funny how you forget things from one baby to the next...

Add to the fussiness the fact that she's been drooling like a faucet - we should have seen it coming! I guess it's good timing for Kara since I think we're about done nursing. This just kind of puts the final nail in it!

Pillowcase dress

2009-09-16T10:48:00.003-05:00

Some of my girlfriends were talking about this pillowcase dress the other night and I thought it sounded cute and relatively easy, so I looked it up. Is this not just too cute? And from a pillowcase? How awesome is that?

Even better, Jen at RedInstead has detailed - and easy to follow - instructions on her blog! I think I might just have to try this out for Kara!

Review of Fearless by Max Lucado

2009-09-08T15:34:00.005-05:00

I just finished Fearless by Max Lucado. The title pretty much sums up the theme of the book, although it may be simplifying the issue a bit. The message that Max Lucado shares in Fearless is how to address and overcome the fears we face. And these days, those fears can be great and overwhelming, ranging from fears about health or finances to wars and the economy. Many of these same fears have paid me a visit personally over the past few years in some form or another, especially since we now have kids of our own.

Somehow it seems as if having kids has upped the fear factor - there are so many more/new things to worry about. For example, earlier in the year we were going to take an extended trip and drive to see family in Texas but word of the swine flu was spreading faster than the actual flu was and we decided to cancel the trip - pretty much based on our fear of what contact with the virus could mean to our children. Although some of our fears are based on fact and sound reasoning, others may not be. This book helps distinguish between unfounded fears and living an educated, although unafraid life.

Maybe that's why I found it so appealing. I am by nature a fearful person. I knew even as a child that I was a worrier. I got it honestly, if worrying is a trait that can be inherited, because both my grandmother and mother are worriers. It's my personal "thorn" in my side and one that I struggle daily with. I have recently come to realize that I need desperately to find a way to get my fears and worries under control so that I can be an effective and strong parent for my children. I realize that God is the answer, but was unsure of where to start. Prayer has most definitely helped, but when I saw the title of this book, I couldn't help but want to hear more. I was intrigued to see what this godly teacher had to say about it, or more importantly to glean from his knowledge of scripture what God says about it. The encouragement I've taken from this book, from the scriptures quoted and reassurances given from Jesus himself has been great.

The fact that Jesus warns that we will have trouble, that we will be persecuted, and that things will get worse before they get better (at least on a global scale) is countered by the fact that God is in control and that all things happen by his plan for the good of his people. The fact that God's children still get sick and die, still suffer loss of finances, homes, children, jobs, the list goes on and on, is tempered by the fact that God is there. Max Lucado points out that Jesus's most common command falls into the theme of "fear not." He says that "the Gospels list some 125 Christ-issued imperatives. Of these, 21 urge us to "not be afraid" or "not fear" or "have courage" or "take heart" or "be of good cheer." (pg. 10)

The fact that Jesus addresses the issue of fear so often proves that he realized how prevalent our fear would be. Max Lucado also points out that Jesus himself suffered fear before he went to the cross. It's easy for me to forget that Jesus experienced the same feelings and emotions that we do every day as a man. The fact that he is also God sometimes makes me forget that he has a personal experience with fear.

I have highlighted so many passages in this book, I wish I could share them all with you, but I'm sure that would be some kind of copyright infringement! I cannot tell you how much this book has helped and encouraged me. Although I know that my battle with fear may be a never-ending one, I have a renewed knowledge that God is there, waiting for me to pour my heart out to Him in prayer. That He will answer and that He never moves or changes. That if I will fix my gaze on Him and not on the problem or fear, I will not falter. That God is always bigger than my worries. These are facts we are hopefully taught in Sunday School growing up, but to be reminded of them is never a redundant lesson.

Fearless may be a quick and easy read, but it is anything but "fluff" reading. The message in this book is one of hope and encouragement for us as we face new fears each day. If you suffer from fear, doubt or worry, this is most definitely a book to read. Start with Fearless and continue with prayer and praise.

1 Peter 5:7 - Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

And so it begins...

2009-08-28T17:11:00.002-05:00

We've started talking about one of my most dreaded aspects of parenting: potty-training. Although we agree that we don't think Seth is really ready for it yet, he's getting there, and we've begun talking to him about how big boys go to the potty and that when he's ready, he can tell us and we'll take him to the potty. Thank kind of thing. We've even had a few episodes of sitting in the bathroom with him on the potty, but I think it's more of a novelty of being naked on the little potty chair than anything.

There actually WAS one day when he did go poop in the potty, but it was more of an accident than anything. Since then, nothing. But that's okay, I'm not pushing the issue, and I'm hoping that we can get through this transition without too much of a headache. I've heard too many stories of parents who struggle and fight and threaten and plead and bribe their kids. Heaven knows I don't need another battle to fight with my kids!

However, I think we've just recently taken one more step in the direction of potty-training. Since we've begun talking with him about it, whenever I notice the tell-tale signs and ask if he wants to go to the potty, Seth has recently started telling me, "No mommy, I want to stay in here and poop!" Maybe we need to install a TV in the bathroom, although that might not be a good idea either...

Too much sugar...

2009-07-25T00:28:00.002-05:00

SO wish I could have gotten it on video this AM, but for some reason both of my kids see the camera and immediately stop whatever it was they were doing... Note to self: no more frosted flakes for breakfast. This morning Seth was literally running in circles asking for a snack. I'm sure I didn't help discourage this action as I got tickled and was laughing at him (the kid's a ham!), but it was still hilarious!

He was wired all day long... and then didn't want to go to bed at 10:30. He was still talking in his room around 11 when I went in and told him to settle down. I messed up and told him we were going to "Touch a Truck" day tomorrow and he got so excited I couldn't make him understand that it was TOMORROW only. *sigh* You'd think I'd learn to keep my mouth shut...

I love my kids!

2009-04-07T17:37:00.000-05:00

I supposed all parents feel the same - your own kids are just amazing. There are so many little things I want to make sure I remember as the time passes, and I tell myself I need to write them down (or at least record them on my blog!) but the time gets away from me and so do the stories...

Yesterday morning I put Kara down on a blanket in the living room floor with the thought that I could see her through the opening between the kitchen and the living room as I unloaded the dishwasher. I kept an eye on Seth too, to make sure he didn't get to close or do anything to bother her. Since the TV was on, he was partially engrossed in whatever was on, and he came into the dining room, got his bowl of fruit loops and his cup of milk and took it into the living room to sit beside Kara on the floor. I thought "oh, how sweet!" as he was glued to the TV eating absentmindedly with his little sister beside him.

And it only takes a minute...

I bent down to get something out of the bottom drawer of the dishwasher and when I stood back up, he was ever-so-generously trying to "share" (read: FEED) his fruit loops with his little sister! Luckily, she spit them out and didn't choke, and I have to admit it was kind of funny. But how do you discipline THAT sort of thing? You spend half of your waking hours telling your toddler to SHARE!!! and then when they actually DO, it's sharing something that you DON'T want them to share!

How do you like that?!?

Seth wants one of "Those!"

2008-12-29T22:30:00.003-05:00

Kids just crack me up... Seth has obviously noticed the changes we've been making in the house - for crying out loud, we even moved his room! But does he really understand what's goiing on? We've talked about his baby sister Kara and every night when Brian puts him to bed they say their prayers and pray for her too. So he's familiar with the name, and he definitely notices that he can't climb all over mommy like normal.

So, as we enjoy our last night as a family of 3 and get ready for our induction scheduled tomorrow, we couldn't help but get a serious kick out of Seth's response at dinner tonight...

Tonight at dinner Seth saw a family that had a baby with them. He seemed pretty excited, so Brian asked, "Do you want us to get one of those?" and Seth said "Those!" Then Brian said, "Okay, we'll get you one of those tomorrow, okay? How about that?" and Seth then replied with equal enthusiasm, "That!"

Kind of makes you wonder if he really has any idea that we ARE in fact going to get a baby, and that it won't be something that we can return! I guess he'll have a big surprise for him coming tomorrow!

Kara's 36 week checkup

2008-12-10T16:34:00.004-05:00

We went today for our 36 week checkup and everything looks good. Kara is measuring pretty much on schedule and it appears that she even has hair! They're estimating that she's weighing about 7 lbs 2 oz as of today, with 4 weeks to go if she goes to 40 weeks! Let's see... do the math, if babies typically gain 1/2 lb a week, that's about 9 lbs 2 oz - bigger than Seth! But he came 3 weeks early and was 8 lbs 9 oz. So I guess we'll have to see!

Anyway, here are a few pictures they gave us of her - can you see her face in the first one?

The blessings of toddlers

2008-11-05T13:59:00.003-05:00

This "parenting thing" is so exciting! It's incredibly frustrating, but very exciting. Seth's at the stage where every day he's learning something new. They say that kids can learn a lot of words in a day, even if they don't use them. We're finding this out to be true - seems like every day he'll say something that he hadn't been saying before. (Which makes us realize he's listening VERY closely... so to all those family members and friends out there who use more - um - colorful language, keep it to yourself around our kid!) I mean that in the nicest possible way - but in the most serious way too!

Just today he said "mess" - he tipped his juice cup upside down and it dribbled apple juice on him in the car. Some of his words aren't as easily translated, and we have to work at it to figure it out, but once you get what he's trying to say it's more clear. At least to us... Like "juice" and "shoes" - two words he's been saying for a while now - they sound A LOT alike. But, there are others that need no explanation. "Cheese" is one of them. That kid would eat nothing but cheese if I let him - the sliced American cheese that it.

Other little things that probably aren't a big deal - every kid does them - but it's a big deal when your own does it. Like today at lunch he was stacking his juice cup on top of the lid of his little take-out cup (that I had fortunately emptied!) He balanced them really well and didn't knock it over once. And then there's his block sorter - you know, where they put the square block in the square hole and the round block in the round hole - he's sorting some of the shapes all on his own - without prompting from us. (I admit it, I've only worked with him on this like once or twice, so it's not like I'm "teaching" him this stuff!)

Although, with his newfound learning skills and language is coming the independent streak... like today when he decided he wasn't ready to leave the post office so he laid down in the floor. Typically this isn't a big deal - you pick the kid up and off you go. But with 8 months of a baby to bend over and carry along with the squirming toddler - not so easy... and you can't just drag him out of there by his arm! (Although there are times...)

But like I said, it's so exciting and at the end of the day, so rewarding it makes even the lay-on-the-floor fits worth it. Like when he says "thank you" without being prompted. Or when he climbs up on the couch next to you just for a snuggle. And then there's the smiles... Well, you get what I'm going for!

Such a great blessing to have such an awesome kid!

Halloween playdate party

2008-11-04T22:56:00.003-05:00

Well, it's come and gone - and it was a blast. I decided to host a playdate at our house for Halloween so I sent the invite out to my Meetup group. We had 7 moms come (I think that's the right count) and two moms had 2 kids, so that makes 9 kids - plus Seth and myself made for 18 people in the house. It was great!

And, I'm proud to announce that I didn't have to chase Seth down to fuss at him for hitting or taking toys, okay, maybe I did have to watch him for the taking the toys thing... But believe it or not, one time when I told him to give it back he did! I'm SO proud! (Doesn't happen too often!)

I've decided that as crazy as these things may make me (Is it going to go well? Is anyone going to show up? Is my kids going to behave? Am I going to get my house clean? Will I be ready?...) I love doing them. I'm already thinking I'd like to do another one for Thanksgiving and definitely one for Christmas - but something tells me that with Kara due so close to Christmas it may not happen... Oh well, there's always next year!

Pumpkin Patch visit

2008-11-04T22:50:00.002-05:00

Since I never posted on this... well, better late than never!

We went with our family and some friends to a nearby pumpkin patch - something I think we will make a tradition - and had a blast! Seth was big enough to enjoy it, and he LOVED all the pumpkins. "BALLS!!!" he kept saying. Except for getting his feet caught in the vines that were running all over the ground, I think he enjoyed it.

It was a little hard for me - all the walking and the up and down of the actual pumpkin patch, but it was so worth it! The one thing I hate though, is that by the time we got there and picked out our pumpkins and then decided it was time to visit the food stand for some ice cream - it was ALL gone! But, I got some hot apple cider, and we did stop on the way home at a Cold Stone Creamery, which was nice.

They had a few animals in stalls for the little kids to check out - Seth enjoyed that, although it wasn't really a "petting" area. I couldn't believe how crowded it was. The last time we went was two years ago and it was kind of overcast, so it wasn't nearly as busy.

And just think - next time we go we'll have another little one with us!

I think I've lost my mind...

2008-11-04T21:59:00.004-05:00

So, I'm really starting to think that cloth may be the way to go. I spent a little over $30 on a pack of diapers for Seth the other day and it was only for something like 94 diapers. That's only about $0.32 a diaper, BUT, for some reason, he's had two pretty serious blowouts in these (same brand as we've been using). Also, if you consider we've been buying diapers for almost 2 years, if you estimate us using say, 5 diapers a day, that comes to about 3650 diapers costing us about $1168 - and he's not showing any signs of being even close to potty training...

I've got a few friends who are doing the cloth thing and it's starting to sound like maybe it's not the headache I once thought it was. Have I lost my mind? I wish I could say that I'm trying to consider the environment, but at this point, it's strictly about the $$ - and the fact that it's better for the earth is just a nice plus!

Anyone got any brands to recommend?

What we trade for being pregnant

2008-10-24T22:37:00.003-05:00

Just read this in a BabyCenter email I got for my "You're 29 weeks!" newsletter. Each week they send you an update on what's going on with the baby and your body this week during pregnancy, along with articles that may interest you, advice, hints and tips, and a "funny thought" for the week. I thought this week's was particularly good, and was really funny so I wanted to share it:

If only you'd known you were going to trade...
• Monthly PMS for nine months of weeping
• Lacy thongs for cotton tents
• Sex for gas
• Zinfandel for Ovaltine
• Birth control for laxatives
• Going to the gym for getting up to pee
• Your waist for a hot-air balloon
• Kickboxing for kick counts
• Your innie for an outie — a way-outie
• Sleeping for groaning
• Freedom for the most intense love you've ever known

Does the craziness ever end?

2008-10-24T17:44:00.003-05:00

With Kara's birthday getting closer and closer, the time has seemed to really take off! We've finally gotten motivated at the same time, so work to get ready for her arrival has finally begun (now that we're down to just weeks instead of months!) Since we're swapping rooms for her and Seth and to do so in the first place we have to clear out the extra room, we're getting the new room in the basement ready. Also, we're swapping my craft room and Brian's computer room in the basement, so we can't move the stuff from the office downstairs until that's done! Soooo, I've finished painting my new craft room and Brian has all the stuff to put the ceiling in. Now if we can get that done this weekend, we can get everything moved around and start clearing out the office upstairs. I'm SO excited!

After the office is cleared out, that will become Seth's room, so we'll paint it before we move his stuff in. After we paint and move him in, we'll have his old room, Kara's new room, ready to paint. We don't really have any "stuff" for her, so we don't have much to move into the room once it's done (except clothes!!!) I'm hoping that I can talk Brian into installing another half-rack of hanging space for her stuff. We'll see how that goes - by the time we get there he may just be done with home improvement projects for a while! (And, we still don't know what we're going to do with the bookshelves that are currently in the office...)

There's so much to do and so much I want to do but don't have time for... Seth naps really well, and for that I'm very grateful, but it still just never seems to be enough time to get it all done! Once Kara gets here I know that time will be even less - that's kind of a little overwhelming! But, people do it all the time, so I guess we'll figure it out as we go.

So, 30 weeks and counting! Seth came at 37 weeks, so that really puts it in perspective!

Dress giveaway

2008-08-22T19:50:00.002-05:00

This is a cute little dress - and although it's a little bit advanced for what our little girl will need any time soon, there's nothing wrong with planning ahead! This blog hosts bi-weekly giveaways - which is pretty neat. Check it out for future giveaways!

Make way for pink!

2008-08-22T19:43:00.003-05:00

So far, the only negative I can think of about having a girl this time around is that I only have little boy stuff at the house. Some of it will be okay to do double-duty - things like blankets and crib sheets don't matter if they look boy-ish for a little girl, and I don't mind using some of Seth's more generic clothes, but I have to draw the line at some of them. Such as the shirt he has that says "Ladies Man" - no way is that going on my little girl! :)

So, I'm grateful to have a girlfriend with a little girl who is willing to share some of her older clothes - although the tricky part will be seeing if the sizes and seasons match up. There are nothing but little boys in our family, so I unfortunately won't be getting hand-me-downs from my sister's kids!

It's also funny to see things differently now that I know it's going to be a girl. I was out the other day and saw a couple with a little girl - they had one of those elastic headbands with a bow on it in her hair. Considering how many people have to ask "is it a boy or a girl?" I got to thinking "is that something I want her to wear?"

Also, it was nice that Seth turned out to be a boy, since Brian and I could NOT agree on a little girls name. Sooo, we've got at least a 4 month head's up to work on it, so hopefully by the time the baby actually gets here we'll have a name picked out! (Our running joke is that when we DO pick out a name, we have to make sure it's easy to pronounce since we have a few family members that for some reason put an extra "T" sound in Seth's name, so it comes out "Steth." Go figure.

We finally know!

2008-08-22T18:49:00.002-05:00

You know, I've been amazed at how many people seem to think that two kids are enough. As in, after two, you should be done. I can't honestly say how many we'll end up with, but two is not our cut-off point. Anyway, I've had several people lately tell me that "if it's a girl, you'll have one of each and can be done!" As if one boy and one girl make the perfect family, or as if it were to happen that we'd end up with two boys, we would need to try again until we got a girl. Oh well...

Anyway, we finally had our 20-week appointment, and our ultrasound shows that everything seems to be okay. That was the best part of the visit - to know that the baby is healthy. However, we did also find out what we're having, and many, many people will be thrilled to know that it's a girl!

It's funny, when we first found out we were pregnant the first time, I was hoping for a girl - if for no other reason than because I thought that since I am a girl, I'd know how to raise a girl better. But now that I have Seth and he is such an awesome little boy, I really had no reservations about what sex the baby was - as long as it was healthy. But now that we are having a little girl, I am excited. A little nervous considering all the emotions and drama and stuff that inevitably come with girls... :)

So, we've hit the half-way point, and there's only a few months left to go. I'm so excited!

Say Please!

2008-07-21T16:28:00.003-05:00

Seth already has a few words that come out regularly - his favorite of which is "ball." Also in his repertoire are: up, daddy, mommy, doggie, uh-oh, Keith (his cousin's name), gall gone (all gone), yum yum, and arf-arf (he calls our dog this a lot). Last night, however, he added a new one that just thrilled us to pieces. "Peas!" he said, as he pointed up at his diaper bag, which he knew was filled with snacks just for him.

Even though we'd been battling with him all day to eat good food instead of snack-food, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to encourage the word, so we gave in and allowed him a few apple-cinnamon rice cakes, and after those were gone, a few animal cookies.

Although the "L" was left out, it was obvious what he was saying, and the fact that he said it in the right context without being prompted was even more gratifying. It seems like he's picking up new things every day. It's so exciting!

Also, his "pretend" skills are expanding. Yesterday in the nursery at church, he was carrying around a plastic hot dog. I told him to go put it in the microwave and he walked over to the little kitchen they have, opened the microwave door, and even pushed some buttons after closing the door. He knew what to do and did so without us showing him how. I was a little surprised he got the microwave right - seeing that the kitchen has a cabinet, a fridge, several lower cabinets, a sink, and a counter in addition to the microwave. Guess our little guy knows his way around the kitchen!

Eating with a fork!

2008-07-21T16:19:00.003-05:00

Last Wednesday, July 16th, Seth used a fork for the first time. It was too funny, but too exciting all at the same time. I didn't bother to get him a toddler fork - those things are so blunt they wouldn't spear anything, and work more like a spoon. I know I'd rather not have him playing with a real fork, but I figured since we were right there with him we could monitor any activity that appeared to be getting a little dangerous... Sooo, thus we have begun the journey of Seth feeding himself. Well, kind of anyway. He's been feeding himself for a long time now, finger and hand-feeding, that is. He's got a very good grasp of getting the food he wants into his mouth, and an even better grasp on not getting the food he doesn't want out of it!

He's also started saying "No" with a vengeance. I believe it was actually his first word, but after a few days of saying it half-heartedly, he stopped saying it altogether, which didn't hurt my feelings in the least! But, it's back now, and he sure knows how and when to use it, which is good in the long run. At least now when he's pointing randomly at something on the table and we ask "Juice? Do you want your juice?" he can tell us definitely "No" or babble incoherently something that lets us know we've gotten it!

I do wish I had a video of him feeding himself to post here - it was really great to see. Even though I gave him a short-handled fork, it was still a little long for him, and he had to turn his wrist in a funny way to get the food into his mouth, and he needed some help to get the potatoes onto the fork in the first place, but it didn't take too long for him to get into it. He was a little grouchy when I took it away from him, but after a while, the novelty wore off he wanted to play. And, as messy as learning to eat is, I didn't need the added mess of playing to clean up!

He's also decided that sitting in a big-boy chair at the table is far better than his high chair, so he sits at the table with us when we eat. He doesn't like the cushions on the chairs though, so he pushes them off before climbing up. Yep, he climbs into the chair himself, which is great, but he's also decided recently that he now wants to climb from the chair onto the table - so we've really got to watch him!

Latest Clemmer family news

2008-06-16T00:27:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe it's been since September that I last posted! So much has happened and Seth has grown so much. He's started talking a little bit, he's running all over the place, and he's such a little man! He brings me joy and frustration every day - he's such a blessing to us all.

Now, as many of you probably already know, Seth is going to have an exciting year - he's about to be a big brother! Yep, we're expecting #2 at the end of the year. The actual due date is Jan 6th, 2009, but we're really hoping for a 2008 baby. And, considering Seth was 3 weeks early, we're hoping this one will follow suit! We won't know for about another 10 weeks what it is, but we should be finding out so we can plan a little ahead of time what we need to prepare for. If it's a girl, we've got some serious furniture rearranging to do. If it's a boy, we're thinking about just letting the boys share a room. We'll have to see how that goes!

Anyway, we celebrated Father's Day today by sitting around the house and then running out to Lowe's and having dinner out at the Outback Steakhouse. It was a nice, leasurely day, and I hope Brian enjoyed it! Not exactly that same excitement I got for my Mother's Day present (Brian came home a few days after Mother's Day with a Honda Odyssey - we traded the truck in on it), but still not a bad day.

Anyway, I'll try to keep everyone as updated as possible, but life is busy these days chasing Seth around, trying to work part-time, and keeping up with the house. The good news is that I'm actually starting to feel human again, so housework isn't as awful as it has been the past few weeks. (I think I'm a little more nauseous with this one - and I'm definitely more exhausted and more sensitive to smells than I was with Seth!) So, here we go to start a new adventure!

Grandparent's Day card (number 1)

2007-09-08T23:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, nobody be jealous - we sent one card to one set of grandparents and one to the other. (My parents don't really do email, so they don't get an e-card...)

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Raspberries!

2007-09-07T14:53:00.000-05:00

This is just too funny! Now that Seth is really drooling up a storm thanks to the whole teething thing, when he blows raspberries now it really has a "neat" effect! Apparently he's decided that it's a lot of fun, because he's been doing this all afternoon! He's just too cute! (Of course he's all wet, but who cares?)

My little talker

2007-09-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

It's one of my favorite things when Seth "talks" to me. His baby babble is so precious, I need to make sure we've got it recorded. (Although it's hard to get it on tape since he tends to freeze up whenever he sees a camera of any kind...)

The funny thing is when sometimes in his babbling he says things that seem to be real words. The other day he said a bunch of stuff and I could swear "mommy" was in the middle of it. Sure, I know it wasn't for real, but it was a special moment!

Now that he's really experimenting with his noises, there's one in particular that realy cracks me up... he makes this "eeeee" noise that stretches out and he does it several times in a row. Every time he does it, (I almost hate to admit this) it makes me think of Mini-Me from the Autsin Powers movie and the noise he makes. I know, it's awful to compare the two - especially since my little man is WAY cuter than Mini-Me could ever hope to be - among other reasons! But seriously, he really does sound like it. It's too funny!

I can't help but wonder if he's going to be a talker as he gets older. We don't talk a lot at home during the day - when it's just the two of us. Now that I'm trying to get some work that I can do from home, I'm grateful that he entertains himself so easily, although it does make me feel bad that I'm not really playing with him all day. Oh well, at least I am at home with him, and once he gets older and plays in an interactive way, I'm sure our routine will change - again! I guess it's best just to go with the flow and be ready to adapt!

This one's for you Ron...

2007-09-05T15:56:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share these shots of Seth in his OH State garb... not even a year old and already he's got a "team" to cheer for!

He's just too cute! (and I think he knows it...)

7 months and counting

2007-09-05T15:03:00.000-05:00

The time just keeps flying by and little Seth is 7 months old... He is growing so fast it's crazy. Just yesterday he leaned forward to reach for something and I can tell by the way he did it that it probably won't be long before he's going places. When he tolerates time on his tummy, he can really wiggle himself around pretty well. As much as i can't wait to see how he progresses as he gets older, I think I'll miss the days when I could just put him down and know that he wasn't oging anywhere!

He's just such a great kid - he's got such a ready smile and a wonderful laugh... he can make your day when he gives you either one! I'm so excited to see what kind of little boy he's going to be...

Seth's professional pics

2007-08-30T23:05:00.000-05:00

We finally took Seth to have his picture made at a studio. It's about time - he's 7 months old today! Actually, we went a few days ago (last Saturday), but we had a pretty good time and got some really good shots. Here are two of them...

6 Month check-up

2007-08-04T22:29:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's really been that long - Seth is growing up so fast, it doesn't seem right to say he's six months old already. Oh well. Sometimes I have moments when I'm like, "I can't wait until you can hold your own bottle," or "I can't wait until you can talk and tell me what you need/want." But I realize that those times will come much too quickly, so I'm trying to enjoy the time as best I can while it's still here.

Anyway, like I said in the title, we went for Seth's 6 month check up just this past Tuesday. He weighed in at 16 lbs 13 oz and measured 25 3/4" long. His head is 17 1/4" around. He's in the 75% for length and 50% for weight. The doctor said he's showing signs that he has two bottom teeth coming in - and I can vouch for that - he's drooling like he's trying the flood the place! Not to mention everything he gets his hands on he frantically tries to stick in his mouth... nothing seems to do the trick quite like his fingers though! At least he hasn't gagged himself recently!

He's slowly getting the hang of eating baby food, although we still end up with more dribbling down his chin than actually in the mouth, but we keep working on it! And he's sitting up really well by himself now - except when he's tired, but hey, even I don't sit up well when I'm tired! :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share these shots of him at the doctor's office. He absolutely loved the paper they put down on the tables - it was all kinds of wrinkled up when the doctor finally came in!

Oh, and he did great with the first shot, but he decided that one was enough, and when they gave him the second and third shots he was just plain mad! But he's such a brave boy!

New photos uploaded

2007-07-09T20:39:00.001-05:00

Check out our flickr account - I've uploaded some new pictures. He's such an adorable little boy!

Our cereal experience

2007-07-03T23:28:00.000-05:00

Well, we tried the baby cereal! So far, according to all the baby stuff I've read, we're right on target. We mixed it up so that it was pretty runny and only made up about a tablespoon or so of it. Most of it dribbled down his chin and onto the bib, but for our first try I'm pretty pleased. The faces he made were priceless, and although it would be so easy to try to rush his eating skills, it's kind of exciting to see him experience the food for the first time.

I've been reading the Super Baby Food book, and I have to say I'm enjoying it - which is saying a lot since I usually am bored silly by anything that's non-fiction. The crummy thing is that I had checked it out of our library and it's overdue. I went to renew it but it's already got another hold on it, so I've got to give it up... The additional crummy thing is that I had to request it from another local library - there's only one copy of this book for all of our area libraries. What should this tell them? Oh well. I've checked out our local half-price bookstores, and I've asked my mother-in-law to look at the stores they have in TX for it - they've got such a better selection than we do! Hopefully I'll be able to find it for cheap.

Anyway, I guess after a few weeks of cereal, if he does okay, we'll move on to other foods... Guess we'll have to see how it goes! Check out some of these great faces!

5 months old and growing

2007-07-03T23:12:00.000-05:00

I can't get over how the time is flying by... I went yesterday to the lactation center at our local hospital to pick up my very own pump so I could return the one I'd borrowed from a girlfriend. While I was there I had them weigh Seth to see how much he'd grown since his 4 month checkup. (He was 14 lbs 12 oz then.) Can you believe he's now 16 lbs 2 oz? Wow. He's practically doubled his birth weight!

Brian and I were looking through the pictures of him on our media center tonight and it's amazing how much he's changed in 5 months. Everyone told us how quickly they change and how fast the time goes, but you just can't really understand it until you're there... Here's just a few shots for you guys to check out our sweet, sweet boy!

Here's our sleepy boy! He's really enjoying his bouncy seat much more now, but we've got to watch him or he'll actually knock the thing off that holds the toys above him - that or he'll pull the toys off the hanging rings! Also, now that he's pulling his head and shoulders up, we've had to start strapping him in! Used to be he rarely wiggled when we put him in the bouncy. And, it's always good for naps too...

In case you can't tell from this picture, Seth is doing MUCH better with tummy time! (For those of you who didn't know, he used to hate it and we really didn't give him much time on his tummy... I know, bad mommy.) Now, he seems to enjoy it - maybe it's because he can actually reach for the toys we put in front of him? Also, he rolls over pretty well. Usually it's the first thing he does when we put him down, which means I have to roll him back over onto his stomach! But once there, he usually plays for a good while before he decides he's done!

Baby Seth update

2007-06-22T16:51:00.000-05:00

Since it's been a little bit since our last post, I thought it might just be time to write again to update everyone on our little boy! He's growing like a weed and is just as cute as ever. Not that anyone ever had a doubt I'm sure! (Can't tell that I'm a proud parent, can you?)

He's started sitting on his own for a few minutes at a time and he's doing much better at "tummy time." Where he used to not tolerate it at all, now he'll stay on his stomach for a little while before he decides he's done. He is even rolling from his stomach to his back. (I know, I know, that's the easy one, but hey, I'm still thrilled!)

He also has this cute little crib toy - it's supposed to attach to the wall of the crib, but we've got it on the side of his stationary jumper. (I can't tell you how much I love that thing - almost as much as Seth does I think! Thanks SO much again to my awesome girlfriend for letting us borrow it!) It has little fish in it and when you push the button it plays music, lights up, and the fish wiggle. Anyway, he's started pushing the button all by himself! It's funny, he'll start it and stop it and start it again.

He's still working on the hand-eye coordination thing, but hey, it can't all come at once! I think we're going to try cereal with him tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. Can you believe he's almost 5 months old already? It's gone by so fast...

4 Months Old!

2007-06-06T20:36:00.000-05:00

Can you believe little Seth is already 4 months old?! How fast the time has gone by... He's growing up before our eyes - sometimes almost literally it seems. Here he is in his bumbo seat. He's my little cutie!

We went in for his 4 month checkup last Friday and he got a clean bill of health. He's weighing in at 14 lbs 12 oz and is in the 50%. He got his four booster shots and was such a trooper! I did better this time and Seth was the only one who cried! :)

He's learning new things every day. He's started reaching out for toys that you put in front of him, and he loves his jumper. He likes to reach out and try to move the beads from one side of the arch to the other. He also likes his bumbo seat and will sit with daddy and watch him play video games. When you read to him, he likes to reach out and pat the pages. So far we stick to board books!

Long time no post...

2007-05-24T22:40:00.000-05:00

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last update! Seth is keeping us a little busy, but we're loving every minute of it! (I know Brian would rather be keeping up with him than work, but hey, we gotta eat!)

We just finished a weekend visit with Mawmaw Cyndi and Pop Clemmer - they came up from NC and stayed the weekend. We had a good visit and Seth really showed how sweet he is! The only problem is that he got used to being held and made over all weekend so we had to get back into our routine! :) But, it looks like we're back on track - as much as you can be with a baby, and Seth is as sweet as ever. (As I type, he's making sweet baby noises in his sleep on his daddy's lap...)

We go in next Friday for his 4 month checkup, and he's due for another round of shots, so keep the little guy in your prayers. But otherwise, it's pretty much the same-old, same-old here. Oh, it's not an official weighing (I'll post that after we have our appointment) but we weighed him the other week and he was 14.4 lbs! He's getting so big!!!

Growing boy

2007-04-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

It's wrong I tell you, wrong! I've already started having to go through Seth's clothes to pull out the ones that no longer fit. His cute little sleepers (which I LOVE) - you know the ones with the feet? - they are pulling tight in the legs and the ankles. Some of his onesies are tight at the bottom snaps. I put a cute shorts and t-shirt set on him today and decided that it has to go in the no-wear pile because the shirt would never meet the top of his shorts...

It's funny. Brian comes home from work sometimes and says "he's changed since this morning!" I don't really notice as much since I'm with him all day every day, but it's moments like this that it really occurs to me how much he has grown over these past three months - and how quickly he is changing...

Just recently he's started grabbing on to toys. He's still not really "reaching" for things, but the hanging toys that hang on his carseat or his bouncy seat, and sometimes on his jumper - anyway, the toys that hang in his face, he will sometimes grab onto those. It's so neat to see him learning new things and gaining new skills. My little boy is growing up! Who told him he could do that?!?

Seth's Easter outfit

2007-04-29T16:11:00.000-05:00

Isn't my little man just so handsome?! We went shopping and found this adorable outfit, so thanks to Grandma Myers he was the most dashing at church and at the family lunch! He even tolerated the neck-tie pretty well! Too bad we have to keep a bib on him so much, it covered his cute little outfit...

Baby love

2007-04-29T16:02:00.000-05:00

Even after 3 months I still can't believe how much love you can have for one person! Seth is growing and changing every day. Even when he cries he's adorable. And I'm in SO much trouble when he's old enough to realize that those big crocodile tears just tear his mommy's heart...

We've recently borrowed a free-standing jumper from one of my friends and he absolutely loves it. Now we've got to get one of our own... :) It has a little blue kangaroo in the front that bounces around when he does, and there are lights and music that go off when he bounces it just right. He sits in it and wiggles just enough to set it off and he'll laugh and giggle, he smiles and just loves it! It's so much fun to watch... (it's also nice that it keeps him busy for a little bit so I can get some housework done!) I'll post a picture of him in it once I get a chance to clean off my camera's memory and get one!

Seth laughing

2007-04-29T13:36:00.000-05:00

Check out this awesome video of Seth's laugh! We had to be kind of sneaky about it, so it's kind of a side-view... every time he sees the video camera, he stops doing whatever cute thing he was doing. It's like he knows... But we finally got it - and now we have his laugh on camera for prosterity!

Seth 04-27-07.wmv

Seth videos 10 & 11 weeks!

2007-04-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

Click here to download - Seth 10 weeks

Click here to download - Seth 11 weeks

Happy baby

2007-04-02T22:27:00.000-05:00

Here are just two more shots of our happy boy! He loves being "naked," and is usually pretty happy to have his diaper changed! He's just too cute. I can't get over how big he's gotten, although I still go back and forth with "he's so big," and "he's so little!"

Sweet Seth

2007-04-02T22:21:00.000-05:00

I just had to share a few shots we've taken recently. Here is Seth in his daddy's Nintendo game carrier. He fit in it so well... I'm not sure exactly how he ended up in it, but once he was there we couldn't pass up the photo op.

Here's two shots of our sweet little guy from just last night. Brian was getting ready to change him and get him ready for bed, and somehow the outfit didn't quite make it all the way off of his head.
I got to looking at him and though he looked like the little Dutch girl with her hair flipped out on the sides - Not that I think he looks anything like a little girl!!! But with the way the feet on his outfit are flipped out to the sides, anyway, I just thought it was cute. And look at the absolutely adorable face he's making in the second picture.
You've got to wonder what they're thinking!

2 month checkup

2007-04-02T22:09:00.000-05:00

Well, we went in today for Seth's 2-month checkup. He got 4 shots and one oral vaccine. Poor baby! (Although his mommy cried too....) He did awesome though, I was so proud! We got there and it was like he knew what was coming - he started crying in the waiting room! I felt like a heel, knowing what was to come. Luckily, I had remembered to give him his dose of Tylenol beforehand, so I guess it helped.

They weighed and measured him - he's now 12 pounds 15 ounces and is 23 inches long. He's such a big boy! The doctor said he's in the 50-75th percentile and is the picture of good health. Just what I wanted to hear! He's holding his head up pretty well, and smiled really pretty for the doctor.

The nurse was really good and really quick with the shots, but it still made me feel awful. I'm sure Seth didn't enjoy them much either... I guess I need to work on keeping myself together though - I can't cry every time he gets hurt! That won't help anyone!

We don't go back again until his 4 month checkup in June, and then he'll have to get his booster shots, so we'll do the fun stuff all over again. *sigh*

Anyway, when we got home, he slept for about an hour in his carseat - which is usually unheard of. When he woke up, he took a little bit of a bottle and then went back to sleep for about another hour to hour and a half. I guess that doctor's visit just took it out of him!

March update

2007-03-21T08:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. This has been a crazy-busy month! But in a good way! Just last week we had Brian's family from Texas up to visit for the week and then we had his cousin and his family from Ohio visit for the weekend. We're settling back into our "normal" routine now, and things are going well.

I can't believe how big Seth has gotten! We should be going for his 2-month check-up soon, so I'll get to see how much he weighs and how long he's gotten. I'll let you know what they tell us. Until then, check out some new pictures of our sweetie!

Isn't he just SO cute?!?

2007-03-05T17:22:00.000-05:00

Maybe I'm a little biased, although I can't imagine why, but isn't my little guy just too cute? He loves being bundled up nice and tight - unfortunately I can't wrap him as well as Brian can - and he really likes being nice and toasty warm!

Seth's 1-month checkup

2007-03-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we had our 1-month checkup for Seth today and he's doing great! He's up to 10 lbs 7 oz! He's such a big boy! He did great with his shot, he only cried a little bit. Other than a case of baby-acne, he has a clean bill of health and we go back for our 2-month checkup at the beginning of April.

It's kind of funny, since I'm with him all day, every day, I don't realize how much he's grown until there's something very specific to show me. We had to take the infant headrest out of his carseat out because he has grown out of it, and then when Brian was holding him like a football, we realized how much more he fills his arms than he did before! Anyway, here's a more recent photo for you guys to check out...

Seth at home

2007-02-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, it's probably not nice to be posing the baby so young, but we couldn't help it...

I do wonder what he's going to be like as he gets older.

Will he be a computer/technology junkie like his daddy?

Welcome baby Seth!

2007-02-13T11:33:00.000-05:00

As most of you probably know already, baby Seth didn't want to wait until Feb. 20th to join us, so he made his appearance early on Jan. 30th at 9:40 AM. Weighing in at 8 lbs 9.4 oz and measuring 21.5 inches, he certainly didn't need longer to grow! Here are some pictures of the "little guy" - I'll be posting more as the days go on...

Here's Brian with Seth and aunt Kelly and cousin Keith
Here's Pawpaw Taylor with baby Seth
Mommy and Seth
Nana Cheryl and Seth

Baby News!!!

2007-01-30T06:18:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update: Baby Seth is on his way!

I was up at 2:40-ish when my water broke and Brian and I got to the hospital around 3:30. I got my wonderful, wonderful epidural around 4-ish and now we're just waiting for Seth to make his appearance!

We'll post pictures as soon as we can - until then, keep us all in your prayers!

Baby shower pictures

2007-01-28T17:27:00.000-05:00

Here I am at my work shower - the ladies were really great - we had food and gifts one night after work and needless to say, everyone was incredible generous!
We ended up getting two slings at my office shower, which was awesome. We got both the one I wanted (shown here) and the one Brian wanted. Neat! (By the way, as a side-note, I can't fit in these overalls any more... And they say 4 more weeks!!!???)

Here's Brian and I with my sister Kelly and her little boy Keith at our Solid Rock baby shower. Brian is really good at putting the boys to sleep! Let's hope he's that good with Seth!
Here's a big bulk of the stuff we received from our showers - I tried to make sure I got everything out of their bags and boxes so we could take an inventory of what we received and what we still needed to get. Look at all the stuff!
Here I am with Melissa at the buffet table at our Fellowship Community Church baby shower. Sorry you can't see all the great food we had! We had some great stuff - including chocolate fondue with strawberries and marshmellows! Yum!

For a better variety of photos, go online to my flickr account to check out a better list!

Baby blessings

2007-01-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

I can't get over the incredible outpouring of love and support we've seen from our family and friends over the past few weeks as we've had our baby showers. We've been so blessed by not only the gifts, but the love and encouragement and prayers we've received. Seeing how supportive and excited everyone is for us makes us realize how loved we are and how many truly great people surround us. I wanted to share some pictures of the gifts and the showers we've had. Not to brag by any means, but to show how blessed we are.

Happy Birthday to A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)!

2007-01-18T09:52:00.000-05:00

Check out my post at www.greetings.ca - it's Winnie the Pooh day today! In honor of A.A. Milne, the creator of the famous bear, today has been dubbed a holiday. How neat is that?

Family photos

2007-01-09T16:17:00.000-05:00

Just had to share a few pictures of my family!
Before Christmas Brian and I, my parents, my sister and her two boys
got together for dinner at K & W Cafeteria.
I think this picture shows what a good time we had...

Here's my mom with my nephew after the church Christmas play.
Can you tell what part she played?

What's a Cricut you ask?

2007-01-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

Well, let's just start by saying that a Cricut is one of the neatest, newest things out in the crafting market. It's a personal die-cutting machine that, unlike the Sizzix, is electronic, so you don't have to do anything by hand. Great for any kind of paper-crafting. The Cricut machine is completely self-contained, so you don't need to plug it into a computer to make it work. There are various different cartridges that you can purchase to have different type fonts and designs, although the machine itself comes with a basic font and shapes.

Basically, you put the paper in the machine, type in what you want to cut out, whether it's an image or words, select any special feature you want to apply to that image, hit go and the machine cuts it out for you. No more scissors, no more hand cramps, no more pulling a handle and loading up a die (see the Sizzix). Just quick, easy, and precise! Oh, did I mention that with the Cricut you have the option of choosing different sizes also? Not so with other die-cutting systems. One cartridge does up to 12 different sizes of that same image. Pretty neat...

The cartridge I got for Christmas is the Paper Pups. Here is just a brief sample of some of the designs that come in that cartridge.

Excited grandparents

2007-01-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I probably don't need to tell you how excited everyone in our family is about a new addition. Even though my parents already have two grandsons, they're also appropriately excited about another! :)

My inlaws in TX and OH have thrown us a shower, which was awesome, and my inlaws in NC have literally showered us with gifts! I don't have pictures yet of what all they've done for us, but let's just say they went above and beyond! Thanks to them, we're equipped with a carseat and stroller, a really great swing, and money towards a crib and dresser. Not to mention a handful of other gifts. (here's a picture of the swing we got from Toys-R-Us - it swings both front to back and side to side and has music and neat stuff!)

We're scheduled to have a shower from my family on Saturday the 13th, and another one after work from my co-workers on the 9th, and the last one on Saturday the 20th from our church family. Man, we're going to have a few busy weekends! We are so blessed to have so many people who love us this much and want to celebrate with us!

Our first baby shower

2007-01-02T15:42:00.000-05:00

And so it begins - we had our first baby shower while we were in Ohio thanks to our awesome family there. I felt really bad but really grateful that they would take the time out of their already crazy holiday schedule to do this for us. I can't tell you how much we appreciate it you guys!

We got some really awesome gifts, and we had a good time. Brian even got roped into playing the baby games! (Poor guy - I think he meant to sit them out in the kitchen and play cards with the other guys...)

A gift from Brian

2007-01-02T15:40:00.000-05:00

Check me out! (okay, not really me, because it's not a good picture, but check out my gift!) Brian got me a Cricut for Christmas! The really neat thing is that I told him I knew exactly what cartridge I was going to buy first - the one with the puppies! He laughed and then later when we got home and did Christmas with my family, my parents had already bought me that exact cartridge! Are we in synch or what?

Christmas baby gift

2007-01-02T15:38:00.000-05:00

I had these onesies made for Seth - but for Brian also. They have the Halo banner and say "Gonna be a gamer, just like my daddy" on them. They're really cute! Think Brian likes them? Sure hope Seth does!

Christmas chair

2007-01-02T15:35:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law Amanda gave this to me for Christmas - she stained it herself. What a great gift, and how amazing for her to take the time to do something like that for me (and Seth!)!

Let the new year begin!

2007-01-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

Wow - is Christmas really over already? Is it truly 2007? I can't believe how the year has flown by. I guess it helps that we've spent half of 2006 expecting baby Seth! Now we're just weeks away from his arrival and I can hardly believe it! I can't wait I'm so excited!

Christmas for us went really well. I was a little anxious to be out of town in Ohio at 7 1/2 months pregnant, but thankfully we had an uneventful trip. (Except for the getting lost twice on the way up there!) I'm glad to report that we didn't get lost on our way home once!

We went to visit family in Ohio and were there for about a week. I know we both hated to leave - I think it's been about two years since we've seen many of these family members. It was especially nice to see some of the new family - two little ones that weren't with us the last time we visited!

Brian and I were blessed to be so welcomed. Not only did the family host us for Christmas but also threw us a shower while we were there despite the already hectic holiday schedule. Hopefully it won't be another two years before we see everyone again!

Brian's office party

2006-12-18T23:32:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo of us dressed up for Brian's office party - the photo isn't my favorite of me, but hey, I can't complain at 7 months pregnant! I don't know that I have a "good side" right now...
But hey, for the most part, I think baby looks good on me!

Office Christmas Parties

2006-12-18T23:23:00.000-05:00

Gearing up for the holiday season means... yep, office Christmas parties. This year, that meant two dinners at a local ritzy hotel and a chance to get all dressed up! Okay, for Brian this isn’t a big deal since he has to dress for work every day, but it was fun for me. Okay, so this year it was a little harder than it usually is, but hey, at 7 months pregnant, I don’t think it was too bad.

I found this teal dress on sale at a local consignment shop when I had just found out I was expecting. It was beautiful, and the tags were still on it – it had never been worn! I knew I had the Christmas events coming up, and I took the chance that it would fit. Fortunately it did, and I decided to wear it to Brian’s office Christmas party. It was a really cute dress, and I finally found some shoes that worked with the dress as well as my feet! Although I have to say that it took a little bit to get used to flats…

Brian’s office party was fun, even though I didn’t know a lot of people to talk to. They had karaoke and dancing, and the food was pretty good – different, but good. I was surprised that we actually stayed the whole time.

My office party was nice, I enjoyed it because I got to see all my co-workers all dressed up and in a non-work setting. Dinner was nice, and they had a live band that was pretty good. The only problem was that the music was so loud you couldn’t visit. For my party the invitation said “business casual,” so I decided against the dressy dress and went with a pants and sweater combo, but wore the same cute pixy-like shoes. I’ve decided I really like those shoes! I got so many compliments on my hair, and that’s always great, and it was so nice to get dressed up. My co-workers don’t get to see me done up much! I hate that we didn’t stay late, but Brian was working on the start of a cold, so we left around 9:30 or so, but we had been there for about 3 hours.

Now we just have one more dinner to go to, this Thursday, for his Board of Director’s meeting, so we’ll get to enjoy one more fancy – and free – meal. I love the holidays!

Me, Seth, and Santa

2006-12-18T22:35:00.000-05:00

Here's baby Seth's first picutre with Santa! (I think we were comparing stomachs...)

Actually, it's my parent's pastor, and no, they don't really "promote" Santa, but it was part of their Christmas play. It was a really neat production, written by the pastor himself. The basic storyline was that God appointed a toymaker to bring joy to the people to remind them of what the spirit of Christmas was about. In doing so, he made toys for the local children, and the tradition of Santa was born - but specifically with the purpose of pointing people back to Christ.

Let the countdown begin!

2006-12-18T22:27:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post but time has gone by so fast! Christmas is just days away and I don't have enough time to get everything done... Oh well. Tomorrow begins our first visit of our "every two weeks" appointments. I can't believe we've only got 9 weeks left. Acutally, I think it's 8 weeks... I'm so excited, but I can't believe it's almost over.

Other than the fact that getting a good nights sleep is harder and I'm starting to walk and stand funny (Brian laughed at me the other day for leaning instead of standing), I'm feeling pretty good. It's funny, people keep asking me, "so, are you ready for this to be over?" It makes me sad that some women have such ar hard pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I've had my moments, but as a whole, I've got nothing to complain about!

So, we'll go for a check-up tomorrow, then we'll take our holiday trip up to Ohio, then once we get back, we'll have another visit again the first week of January. At that point, we'll be at 32/33 weeks. How cool!

28 week check-up

2006-12-07T23:43:00.000-05:00

Wow, the time has flown by - I can't believe we're already 28 weeks done with this pregnancy! By the end of December, I'll be 32 weeks, only 6 weeks left before Seth is considered "fully cooked" as one of my girlfriends calls it!

Well, at my 28 week check-up, I passed my blood-sugar test, and other than having blood taken and having to get a shot, it all went pretty well. We heard Seth's little heartbeat again - that's always a thrill! Can't wait to meet him, although I hope he waits a little longer to make his debut! I asked what the "magic" number was, and it looks like either 34 or 35 weeks is best if a baby is going to come early. At least by then there is less chance of them having problems. I can't believe that 35 weeks will be the week of January 15th. That really puts it into persepective!

How awesome!

More recent photo

2006-12-04T22:49:00.000-05:00

I realize that I haven't posted a lot of photos lately - unfortunately I've been unable to access my pictures until just recently. Anyway, as I was scrolling through my past posts on my blog to show my parents, I realized how boring it must look with no pictures! Not only that, but the last photo I have of myself is at 5 months!

Well, now that I'm starting into the 7th month, I realize I've been very slack in keeping out of town family and friends updated on the "new and improved" me, and I realize how much I've changed in two months. Wow, I thought I was big back then! Well, look at me now! (And if you can't tell which one is me, you need your eyes checked!)

Here I am with my sister and a dear family friend at my nephew's baby dedication. I wish I took better pictures, but I guess you've got to use what you've got. This doesn't really show a good profile view - I'll have to get Brian to take another side-shot of me so you can see it better. Baby Seth is on his way! Can't wait to see him in February when he makes his debut!

My nephew's baby dedication

2006-12-04T22:34:00.000-05:00

My sister and her husband just recently had their two boys dedicated to the church. It was a very special occasion and it made me look forward to the day when Brian and I can do the same for Seth. Our own church has a baby dedication service, but it's more of a group thing, where new parents come and bring their children to the front for a brief part of the service one Sunday morning. This is nice, and it's great to see the people willing to do this in front of the church body, but I really appreciated the specialness (is that a word?) of the service my parent's church had to it.

Not only was the service a separate service from the main Sunday worship service, but it was a service specifically focused on my two nephews. This personal touch really made a difference. It was nice to see the family and friends that turned out for the occasion to support my sister and her husband and their two boys - to really show their love and support for their family.

The service was relatively short, and afterwards we had a small reception for people to visit. I wish I could say that we did better at mingling the two families, but that wouldn't be true. Even still it was a nice evening and I can't wait for our turn!