Today...

Today....is a terrible, horrible, no-good-very-bad day.

And, it was all that way even before 7am.

This morning....woke up tired. Didn't sleep well.
Had to iron my pants....nothing ironed.
Gage wanted "donts" to take Memaw's.
So, we stopped at the gas station. As I was getting back in the car, I dropped my Pumpkin Spice coffee & it hit the ground---& splashed back up on my off white/stone colored pants. It was PUMPKIN COFFEE. So, it was brown & orange. You could totally see it all over me & all over the interior of my car. Baby wipes only go so far when cleaning messes up.
So, I drop Gage off, and then go to my local WalMart to find something to wear to work. Called in for being tardy with the "nothing to wear" excuse. Our secretary just laughed & laughed. It was kind of silly...but whatever.
Get here....oh sh*t. Today's the day of our internal disaster drill (I work in a hospital). Greeeeeaaaat. Hurried to change. Got in place.
Next thing I know I'm being paged to go to one area.....and then I did....they wanted me to meet with X. The scenario was explained to me. BUT: they didn't explain if he was a real patient, or part of the simulated disaster drill. I asked, got no answer. So, then I explain that X is not where they told me he would be. Person..."N" told me to go find him. I explained, "I have never seen X. I dont know him. I dont know who I'm looking for. I can't look for someone I've never seen." N further states, well, you lost him & you need to go find him. To which I replied (& probably should not have) "I didn't lose shit." She then tells me what he looks like....only: he's not somebody's father, he's a 17 yo kid. He's not wearing a dark suit, he is wearing a dark jacket & light gray stone washed jeans. He's not tall! I'm 5 feet tall, and this kid is barely taller than me.
So to recap: I was looking for a "father" of one of the patients who is tall, in a dark suit, wearing glasses, with dark hair.
X in reality was a 17yo not in a suit, not tall, but hey---he had glasses & dark hair.
WTF?

So.....that's that. we had our disaster drill & I had my own personal coffee disaster this morning.
I just want to get Gage & go snuggle on my couch at home.

2 years. 2 months. 4 days.

That's exactly how old my nephew, Riley was when he died.
Today, Baby Gage is 2 years, 2 months, & 4 days old.

I prayed that today would come, because the alternative is that it wouldn't & that means that I would have less than 2 years, 2months & 4 days with Gage...and that's a horrible thought. I knew it would be hard, and I knew that it would weigh on my mind, and for some reason I've been counting the days until today.

So, of course, this brain of mine goes to places that I don't want to think about. My imagination sets today as some sort of morbid frame of reference. What if today was all I had? What if I had all of my memories of Gage, all of our experiences up until this point & no more? What would it be like to have half a day with him today & no more? What would I miss the most (besides....everything)? Today I'm sure he'll be able to get away with murder b/c somehow in my mind---today's the day. Today's the day he can do no wrong. Today's the day he can eat M&Ms for breakfast if he wants.

So, I marvel at his little mind & vocabulary. Today he said the word, "kitchen". He's said it before, I'm sure. But today, I noticed. I noticed how he the "tch" sounds like "sh", and I asked him to say it again, again, again.

His imagination is taking flight. Night before last he was pretending to be a bird in the living room. Flapping his wings, pretending to fly & making bird noises.

He loves to brush his teeth. He has a little Elmo stepstool in the bathroom. He loves to climb up there & brush his teeth, and wash his hands. And, he's really good now to open his mouth & let Mommy do the brushing when he's all done himself.

He loves to play outside. All the time. He loves soccer, and we play "soccer" in the backyard at least 4 times a week! He doesn't like to share the ball, so basically he's the soccer star, and I'm just some other team who runs around in the grass. If he thinks you're getting too close to his ball, he just lays down on top of it. He doesn't like to kick it if it is too close to the fence, so he bends down & swats it with his hand until it is a little further away from the fence...then he is right back to kicking it!

He's so weird about food. He likes macaroni & cheese now, but you can't call it macaroni. You have to call it "noodles". HE can call it macaroni, and you can call it macaroni after he uses that word...but not before he uses it, or he won't eat it.
He loves hot dogs & calls them "weinie dogs". He loves ketchup, and asks for it all the time. Like his daddy, he loves to eat bread. Like me, he loves to eat grated cheese. He loves corn on the cob, and sausage for breakfast.

He likes chapstick, but you have to watch him. He puts it aaaaalllllll over his face. And on the rare occasion, you can apply it for him. For the most part, you just have to take it away from him when he's covered his lips & before he moves on to his cheeks & forehead.

He loves to go to the store. He is forever asking to go to the store. He loves "donts" (donuts) & night before last he begged me to take him to the store to buy "donts and tape". (Scotch Tape is his new favorite toy. Just tear an inch off & stick it to his fingers....he'll be content for about 10-15 minutes.) He claims to love "coffee & donts", but I'm not sure he's ever really even tasted coffee.

He's a greedy-gut. He's not very good at sharing yet, and I'm not sure if it's just his age, or his nature...or maybe the fact that he's an only child. I'm sure that all of those things factor into it. But, he's greedy. Over the weekend, he was at my mom's house, playing with my 5yo nephew, Trystan. They were playing with paper shopping bags. They were running loops through the house chasing each other & fighting over paper bags. Truly you had to be there to appreciate how cute it was...but Gage would wait until he thought Trystan was not watching, and he would stash his bags behind a Ficus tree or underneath a chair in the living room...as if they were completely hidden. Then he'd chase after Trystan to steal some more bags. Greedy-gut,I tell ya.

He likes all kinds of cartoon shows....Scooby-Doo, Dora, Diego, Handy Manny, Teletubbies, Curious George, Johnny & The Sprites, Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Caillou, JoJo's Circus, SpongeBob, Wonderpets, The Wiggles....oh, the list could go on. [and no, he does not watch TV all day long....he just likes a lot of different stuff, and seems to recognize all of these different characters....]

When you take off his shoes, he wants you to smell his socks & feet. When he gets out of the bath, he wants you to smell his feet.

He wipes his mouth on his sleeve, although where he learned this, I don't know. Daddy says it's just little boy instinct. It very well may be.

He is fascinated with his own nose. He is constantly exploring that nostril space with his fingers or just about anything he can put up there. You have to watch him like a hawk these days....

He loves his "blankies", although the position of current favorite seems to rotate. Right now, the current favorite is a light blue fleece blanket with cars on it. A gift from either Melissa or her mom...I can't remember which one now. He loves the blankets that my mother in law & a few friends crocheted when I was pregnant. He fiddles with the yarn & hole patterns as he drifts off to sleep.

Around here, he often likes to snuggle or sleep in "daddy's bed"....but when we are away from home, he refers to our home as "mommy's house." Daddy gets a bed; I get a whole house. Clearly he knows who is in charge around here, right???

He loves, loves, loves to go to the park. The swings used to be his favorite. Now, it's the slide. And, he's not going to do it alone. No sir. You have to climb up there too. You can either slide with him, or after him. But you bet your buns that you are getting a workout if you go to the park with Little Mr.Get-My-Way.

His favorite playmate is his distant cousin, Nora. (Nora is MY 2nd cousin, so how is she related to Gage??3rd cousin??? I don't know). He often asks for her, even though they've only played together a couple of times in their whole life. She's about a week older than Gage. And he calls her "Noh-wa".

He still loves the mobile in his room. It used to be attached to his bed, but he's too big for that now. We tried just putting it away, but every night he wants "Song". So, I ended up suspending it from the ceiling out of his reach (and almost out of mine)! Every night, he still listens to "song" as he twiddles the blanket & falls asleep.

The boy loves to dance. He has since he was soooooooooo little. He rarely does it on demand anymore. When he was younger, he'd dance all the time. All the time. Now, the mood has to hit him...but when it does, clear the dance floor & watch him in action. He's so cute.

Kissy-boy. He's kissed his little cousin, Nora....and it was so cute. And of course he's kissed family members. But....as we were watching "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry", he was at the TV trying to kiss Jessica Biel. I guess that's his crush. (he's got good taste. She's a total cutie!)

He does not like crowds or large groups. It really takes him a little bit of time to warm up to people in general, but crowds or big family gatherings----do not expect him to be on his best behavior, and do not expect him to be independent. He just wants to be left the hell alone....except he wants to be in Mommy's lap or on Mommy's hip when everyone else leaves him alone.

He's kind of moody. He gets that from me. I admit it.

He's allergic to something that gives him hives. We still don't know what.
He's got eczema, but it only seems to flare up about 3-4 times a year.
He does not like diaper cream of any kind. But, he likes powder. "spwinkles feel better." So cute.

When he was born, he had "old man hands". It took quite some time for them to plump up & become fat little dented at the knuckle baby hands.

His favorite songs: Born In the USA, Glory Days (both by Bruce Springstein), and #1 Favorite that he knows 99% of the words to: Ice, Ice, Baby by Vanilla Ice. Yes, it's very random, and kind of embarrassing, but I got the tape a while back at Half Price Books for less than a dollar. I thought it would be fun for a random blast to the past. He took a liking to it, and it's become his favorite. Period.

He hates trick or treating, and won't eat turkey unless it's a smoked turkey at my mom's house. He likes to sip "BabyMosas" (sprite & orange juice).

He loves Dr.Seuss, and every time he sees a picture of the character: the cat in the hat, he calls him Dr.Seuss.

He loves going up & down stairs all day long.

He loves playing cars & "twucks". He often lines them up end to end with such precision & determination.

He loves snuggling on the couch with Mommy. He likes to go to the mall & play in the kids area.

He's being groomed by extended family to love the Texas Longhorns. He has orange & white longhorn everything! Let's see....we've got UT: piggy bank, house shoes, hats (mulitple!), gloves, shorts, shirts, sweats, tricycle, dolls, footballs, baseballs, baseball bats, & basketballs.

He likes to watch football on TV. He's 2, and he LIKES to watch football. That's so crazy to me!!!! I can't stand watching football on TV....mega-boring to me. My husband cannot get me to sit there & watch football...even if it's the super bowl. Somehow, I will sit there & watch it with Gage. The other day, we watched part of the OU/OSU game as he was snuggling & getting ready for a nap. Everyone knows that I didn't give a flip about that game....but Gage, that's what he wanted to watch for a little bit....so we did.

He's just so sweet, and fun, and energetic, and complex. He's a moody little son of a gun, who makes my every day worth getting out of bed.

I have no idea what I did with all of my time before his arrival.
I can't imagine living a single day without his little smile, or mischevious hiding, or night-night kisses. I can't imagine what life would be like if this adventure ended. I'm so lucky to have him. I'm so lucky for all of his little personality traits....his sweetness....his smile, his excitement & energy. I'm so lucky to know him, and watch him grow & learn new things. I'm sometimes frustrated by being "the one" that he goes to ALL OF THE TIME....but, in reality, it's heart warming & I wouldn't have it any other way. When he's scared, I'm the one he comes running to. When he's in his bed, It's "Mommy" that he yells for. It's me. I'm his "one". And it won't be that way forever. So, I enjoy the times that he wants to snuggle with me. He wants to slide with me. He wants me to change his diapers. He wants me to play soccer with him. He wants me to get his milk. It's a lot of work being his "one"...but when I'm exhausted at the end of the day, I look over the day & love it.


It's just amazing how much love you can fit into 2 years, 2 months, & 4 days.

You are Evil, and You Must be Destroyed.

Melissa, you are evil, and you must be destroyed.

...okay, not really....but, you do make me laugh!

Someone without kids buys a 1 year old his first set of golf clubs. Real ones. Real, metal, break-the-coffee-table-&-whack-your-mother-in-the-head golf clubs.
[That someone would be Melissa.]

Someone with kids doesn't even buy the plastic ones b/c they know that they will have to chase little plastic balls all over the damn house & that being hit in the head w/ the plastic clubs is still going to hurt.
[That someone would be Me.]

Someone without kids sees a great deal on a drum or drum set, and immediately thinks of their best friend's 2 year old son.
[Again, that someone would be Melissa.]

Someone with kids has already mentally banned all drum or drum like, or may-be-turned-into-a-drum items from not only the home, but the garage, and family property in general. Someone with kids has already decided that if said drums are introduced into the home, they can only be used between the hours of 1am & 8am, when THOSE WITHOUT KIDS ARE VISITING & TRYING TO SLEEP. (how's THAT for birth control!!???)

Aaaaah....Melissa, you know I love you. And CLEARLY---you are pretty set on being "the fun one". No bunny outfits or ugly sweaters from M'witty....no. And, if Gage grows up to be the next Tiger Woods, or some amazing rock star drummer, he can thank M'witty for giving him his first set of clubs, or his first set of drums.

:)
Oh, and Melis: "Gosh, I can't wait for you to have kids. I'm already thinking about the packages of permanent markers I'm going to buy....and electric guitars....and playdoh....and finger paints.....and those rolly-popper toys....."

THE BEST DAY EVAH!

Ahhhhh....sweet, sweet, sweet day of bargains & shopping.

Today, is the best day evah.
My alarm went off at 3:30 am.
I had just barely fallen asleep. I swear, it was sooooooo hard to sleep last night, because today was the day of my favorite sport: shopping.
It's like....opening day @ the ballpark.
It's like....the first day of hunting season.
It's the first day of my hunting season, that's for sure.

So, at 4am, I was at Kohl's. Found $30 worth of stuff that I wanted. However....I left empty handed. Why? Because at 4:20 when I was standing in line....I realized that I could not checkout & drive to Old Navy in time to be there for the 5am opening of the doors. Also, I was a bit pissed at Kohl's to begin with. Why? Well, the advertisement indicated that this toy & that toy would be 50% off. I was very excited about 50% off toys. So...I get there. Um----50% off Matchbox cars. SCORE! Or, so I thought. I'm sorry, but a REGULAR price of $5.99 for ONE Matchbox car is insane. For that price---that little booger better entertain my child, teach him the alphabet, and put itself in the car basket at the end of every day. Even at half off, I could not bring myself to pay $3 for a Matchbox car. So stupid. Overall, I was just not pleased with the toy prices. Period. So, walking away from my $30 selections was not that hard.

Head over to Old Navy. Starting at 5am, you get a free MP3 player with a $20 purchase. Cool, huh? Well....(1) the fine print reads "while supplies last". Um...let me tell you how long supplies lasted.... the first 20-25 people through the door got coupons to redeem at the checkout for the free MP3 player when they bought $20 worth of stuff. (2) I already have an MP3 player that I don't know how to use. don't know how to download music to it. and honestly---not too sure when in my day I actually would use it. Don't need it at work. Don't need it on my commute. Don't really need to wear it at home on my days off.... (3) Toys R Us had MP3 players for $9.99. They were regularly priced $29.99, so it's not like I missed out a big huuuuuge thing. I was very pleased with the prices at Old Navy. What drove me there in the first place: toddler fleece separates for $5.25 each. Now granted, Kohl's had them for $4 & something cents each...but the pants weren't as cute, and the 1.5 hour line was so not worth it. I was in line to get into Old Navy for about 15-20 minutes. I was in line to check out for about....30 minutes.

Next: TOYS-R-US. Love it. A few things I wanted were sold out, but, I was still able to get some grrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaat bargains. Wooden peg puzzles: $2.49 each. How awesome is that? I happened to buy the last 2 there. Got some other great gifts. I don't have a truck though, and the one thing that I really wanted, I was unable to get home. That didn't matter b/c my local store was sold out. Mom checked with the Toys R Us in Tyler...they too are sold out. It's a swing set for 1/2 off. That would have been Gage's big gift....but, alas, no luck. The price is good for today & tomorrow, and the Tyler store may get another shipment....so, we'll just have to see. Mom's husband has a truck, and they said that they would go get it for us if the store gets one, and then they'll drive it up to Dallas for us. How sweet is that? Anyway...we'll just have to wait & see if it works out. Didn't wait in line at all to get into Toys R Us b/c I got there after they opened....waited in line for about 2 hours to check out. AAANNDDD---after being in line for that long, you kind of talk w/ the others in line around you. In the 11th hour, when I was about 5 buggies away from the checkout---this group of women cut in front of the young mom in front of me. She was so quiet & shocked....and then there was me. I didn't wait in that flippin' line from dark-thirty til sun-up for those women to cut. So, I said some things. An associate was summoned over. The manager came over, and it started to get ugly. Basically one woman said that it was her word against mine, b/c I was the one being vocal in the group. The women around me then began to speak up & support my stance that these women cut in line. The manager was telling them that they would not be sent to the checkout & they were redirected to the end of the line. They started bitching & moaning & saying that it was discrimination & that they were being singled out because they were black. Well, then the lady not directly behind me, but 2 behind me---she got mad because she is also black & she started yelling at the line cutters because she was offended that not only did they disrespect her by cutting in line, but then they cried "discrimination" because they were caught doing something they weren't supposed to do. she was calling them "a disgrace to their race", and then the line cutters who were LOUD were thrown out of the store, security was called, etc. IT WAS EVENTFUL. But I tell you what: I was not about to get screwed by the likes of them. Is it so hard to wait in line like everybody else? No. Their time is no more valuable than mine, and I was pissed at their audacity.

Final stop: WALGREEN'S. Revlon nailpolish: $1.99 each. Other Revlon makeup: Buy One Get One Free. Lot's of stuff was B1G1Free. Extension cords (for all those Christmas lights!) B1G1Free. Disposable cameras: $3.99 (Limit 3). [you guys know that my digital camera is at the warranty/repair shop, and it is killing me. buying all of these disposables is crazy expensive, so I was happy to find a deal!]
...anyway. All kinds of random Walgreen's goodness on sale. It's not a super-crazy-everyone-rush-in Black Friday stop, but they do have good deals.
Oh----they had wrapping paper: Buy 1 @ $1.99, GET TWO ROLLS FREE! I've been forbidden to buy anymore holiday wrapping for the next few years (I have a knack for stocking up on the stuff....), so I didn't get any....but I encourage all of you to get out there & get some. 3 rolls for 2 bucks. You just can't beat that...

Anyway...I was home in the 9 o'clock hour. So, that's what? 5 hours of shopping? Or, probably 1.5 hours of shopping, and the rest of the time was spent in lines or going from this store to that store.

...and while standing in the line to get into Old Navy, a girl told me that the stores at the mall opened at 1 am, and they'd been shopping at the mall since 1 am. WTF? I didn't know that. I was sleeping at 1am when I COULD HAVE BEEN BARGAIN HUNTING.

Next year: I'm going to save up more money so that I'll have a bigger budget to work with (I say that every year, and then I'm not good at doing that, and I refuse to charge this stuff & pay the interest on it....), & next year, I'm staying up all night, & shopping all night! I better not have to flippin' work on Black Friday 2008. Even if I do...I'll still shop first. I've done that for the past year or two. I'll get up early, shop, & be at work by 8am. It makes for a long day, but oh well.

....I hope you guys are having a fun Black Friday too.
:)

Happy Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving.
It's Thursday.
It's early, and I need coffee.

Last night, we made the turkey.I found a new recipe to try & it called for garlic, fresh herbs, and cipollini onions. We were all for it. It smelled so lovely cooking. I hope it tastes as great!

I also made the cranberry sauce & deviled eggs.

we're due over at my sister in law's house at 11:30.
they have a 2 story house. What does that mean? That I'll either be worn out by 12, or thankful for the best damn workout ever b/c Gage likes to go up & down the stairs....up & down the stairs....over & over again.

Last night: Gage put corn up his nose. I had to go in after it.
What the hell?
1) Where does this "up the nose" thing come from? I mean he just suddenly took a liking to this activity, and I'm tired of fetching shit out of his nose!
2) Didn't he learn the first time???? The styrofoam should have been a lesson, but no---he has to keep at it with corn kernals. UGH.

My jaw still hurts, so I barely open my mouth. I think that solid food should feel okay today. I tasted some turkey last night, and it didn't hurt too bad. I tried to eat a couple of Gage's M&Ms....um, that hurt a little more. My teeth are just sensitive.
:(

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Texas State Fair

Well, the Texas State Fair has come & gone.
We took Gage, and he had a blast! He rode rides, and ate corny dogs. He saw animals, and he was in Fair heaven!


Gage & Daddy rode a firetruck ride...


Gage & Mommy...


That's Gage & Daddy in front of the Texas Star. That's a big ferris wheel that is up on the fairgrounds year round. They only operate it during the fair, but I see it every week on my way too & from work.

And....a good time was had by all. Gage didn't like the swings too much, but he had a good time overall.

:)

My Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeth.

I had some major dental work done.

Went in at 12:30.
It's 5pm now. I'm finally home.
1/2 of my face (um, the lower half) is still numb. feels swollen, but it looks normal in the mirror. yes, I had to check. don't make fun of me.
my tongue feels like it is the size of a movie-theatre-pickle. (you know the ones....) anyway...the medicine is starting to wear off. the left lower quadrant is reeeeeeeeaaaallly starting to hurt. like down in the bone & somehow in my ear canal kind of hurt. ....and I'm pretty sure that I may be drooling on myself.

Thank goodness I'm home alone right now, right?
...of course...I did just post the details on the internet....
yup, i'm smart.

...further proof that I'm smart: I decided to have this done 2 days before the major EATING holiday. come to find out, I may have chewing sensitivity for a few weeks. lucky me. I'm smart.

Pictures...FINALLY.

Okay...the digital camera is off to the repair/warranty people in New Jersey. So, I had to resort to disposables for the time being. When, really, in what I've spent for disposables, I could have gotten a small 35mm & money-wise, come out ahead.

Anyway...I had some photo CDs made @ CVS, and I am finally uploading pics from the disposables... pardon the quality...what do you expect with a $7 camera, right?

So...Halloween 2007.
Remember, Gage went as the "Webmaster", and he hated trick or treating....
Fun times.

Getting ready to pull out & go trick or treating...


Going to the FINAL (& by final, I mean the third/last) house...


He hated it...but his costume was so cute. The legs kept riding up his calves...


So...there's Halloween pics.
:)

THIS is why I can't have anything nice....

My precious, beautiful, all-my-own-car....
Bought it.
It's mine.
I love it.
Had a flat tire the within...what? the first week or so. My fault. swerved to miss a squirrel, hit a really big city bump, & got a flat tire. Not fun, but no biggie.

Tonight however, the hubby was parking my beautiful jaguar in the garage, and backed it into the house.

Yes, this fab-o car w/ the rear back up sensor that tells you when objects, you know, or WALLS are behind you...um, he still managed to back it into the house.

Picture this: the cat on the back porch eating.
The dog lazing on the cold tile floor of the laundry room.
The baby, nestled snug in his bed.
Me, on the couch watching "Project Runway" & eating a 1/2 pint of ice cream...when I hear the house shake. Or shift. Or something.
I assume that hubby is home from his evening out.
Go to the garage door, to check out the "sound" that I heard.

...I scared the shit out him. He of course wanted to "check out the damage" before Mama-bear came out.

So of course, I've banned him from my car until his luck changes, and he is responsible for getting it fixed. I don't mean financially---we share $, so that's not it. I mean the headache. The hassle. The taking it into the shop & dealing with car dealerships, etc.
I'm not doing that shit. Period.

UGH.
So please, if you see me driving down the road w/ a dented ass-end---just know that I didn't do it.

"Keep Out of the Reach of Children"

Parents of the world, hear my warning.
Clearly we've tested this warning many a time at the Casa de Lainey-Paney, and today is no exception.
Let's venture back...we've tasted Vicks liquid vapor stuff that goes w/ the humidifier... we've taken a bite out of deoderant.... and today---today we packed our nostrils FULL of:




Yes, that's right.
What started out as a strip/block of styrofoam packing material, was grated into living room snow. And this morning, while I was ironing my pants for work, Little-Mister-Get-My-Way decided that he'd like to see just how many pieces of styrofoam he could jam up his nose. I think the # is about 9. That's because one piece in his right nostril (the first to go in & last to come out) was huge---about the size of my fingernail.
I was able to successfully remove all of the pieces with my fingers or tweezers. While he was screaming, crying, & thrashing, of course. The last piece....Oh, the last piece. If you look up your child's nose you will see that at one point it seems to narrow, but beyond that the cavity seems to widen again. The tip of the final piece of styrofoam was just beyond the narrowing. I could not get it. We tried w/ fingers, with a q-tip (but I was afraid that would push it up further), we tried w/ tweezers...we tried Little Noses & the boogie-sucky thing. We EVEN tried getting him to smell pepper & hopefully sneeze it out. No such luck. We tried getting him to "blow", but he's not great at blowing his nose....or so we thought. Ultimately, when we were discussing Gage going to the doctor, he blew his nose so hard, that the final piece flew out like a wet, slimy, rocket!


So, like I said, parents: we learned the hard way.
When they say, "keep out of the reach of children"...I'm certain that it is because they KNOW that some child somewhere will either eat it or shove it up their nose.

More Movie Reviews...

Deck The Halls
Cute.
But, I have to say...some scenes reminded me of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...which to me is just golden---the King of Christmas Comedy...


Shrek The Third
Gotta say---a bit disappointing. Maybe my expectations were just too high. I fully expected it to be more about them having the babies & parenting ogre-style. Not so much. The babies aren't born until the very very end...and it just wasn't as funny as I expected.
I did appreciate the music references & the actual music from the movie.


Evan Almighty
We all loved it!

Movie Reviews!

Knocked Up
Liked it.


Accepted
Has some funny parts. Mostly at the beginning.


Mr.Brooks
Loved It.
Loved It.
Loved It.
Creepy & weird, and perfect.


Oceans Thirteen
Loved It. Just saw it last night after class.


1408
Liked it a lot. It was creepy & weird, but kind of frustrating in parts too.


Alone With Her
Weird. It was okay, but weird.

Tagged...

I've been tagged by Dana (http://lifeiswonderful7.blogspot.com)
Must list 7 things about me...

1. Now that I have a son, I often refer to my husband as "Daddy".
2. On my TV as I type this: Scooby Doo cartoon.
3. I can't bring myself to finance things like a computer or furniture. I financed my car & my house. I don't want anymore monthly obligations!
4. I dont like writing in pencil.
5. I prefer blue ink over black ink.
6. I had to stop & buy milk on my way home from work today.
7. I love gingerbread.

:)
I'm not tagging others....
...but if you want to do it, then by all means!

I MADE MY TEACHER CRY!

Okay....did my presentation; did my skit.
People were crying. My teacher was crying.

It was sad. Hell, I cried a ton doing the research.

Anyway...the Texas law says that you can leave a child unattended in a car for up to 5 minutes.
My point: A lot can happen in 5 minutes. In less than 5 minutes, kids have been abducted from cars, kids have killed themselves with automatic windows, cars have been stolen with kids in them, & in one very very very tragic story, a car thief tried to push a 6yo out of the car, while the mother was also trying to yank the child out of the car. The child was tangled in the seat belt, and dragged to his death in a 5 mile chase where speeds reached 80 mph.
Just horrible, horrible, horrible, stuff that all happened in less than 5 minutes.

So...there you have it. My final project. Incredibly sad.

If you want to know about the laws in your state for leaving children unattended in cars, go to www.kidsandcars.org
Click on legislation.
These laws vary state to state. There is no universal federal law which would supersede the state laws. (1) That may be part of the problem. If we had a strict federal law, then it would supersede the less strict state laws....or (2) each state (in my opinion) needs a strict law, making it illegal to intentionally leave children unattended in cars. Every single one of the parents discussed in my project all said the same things: they never thought anything bad would happen; they never thought it would happen to them. And every single one of them would give anything to go back in time, & do things differently.

Wish Me Luck...

Big Project due tonight @ 6pm.
Topic: Texas Law about leaving children unattended in a vehicle.
Worth: 50 points (half my grade).

Wish me luck.
Oh, and of course, no final project would be complete w/o a skit, right?
(thanks for THAT assignment....)
My skit involves dump trucks & eggs.
dump truck = car
egg = child.
you can see where I'm going w/ that....

About me....

1. I like to eat grated cheese by the handful.
2. I cannot stand to hear other people eat. It is soooo gross. I would rather see someone chew with their mouth open than listen to someone eat chips or popcorn, or something...
3. I don't like the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz.
4. I've never seen a live turkey. I've seen plucked/frozen turkeys at the grocery store...but I've never seen a living turkey--w/ all the feathers & walking around.
5. my toenails are not currently painted.
6. I just wasted about an hour & a half working on my project only to realize that I was getting information about legislators---but not specifically TEXAS State Representatives. Great. I give up. It's only due on THURSDAY.
(okay, so I don't give up, but clearly, I'm blogging instead of working on it right now.)
7. I still love my Alanis Morissette CD from high school.
8. I don't watch Dancing with the Stars...but apparently I'm one of the only people in the U.S. who doesn't watch it.
9. Scary Spice's abs make me want to kick her in the teeth (yes, I'm hatin', I admit it.)
10. I like cereal. I like lots of different kinds...but the kicker: all the ones I like are for kids. I like kiddie sugary kid cereals like Fruity Pebbles & Honeycomb.

The Difference....

Sometimes, I want another baby.
I mean, I really really really want to be pregnant, and feel a baby kicking inside of me. I want to be preparing a nursery, and I want to have another birth story. I want to see a little person that I've grown, and hold the baby & love it, and learn everything there is to know about this brand new little baby.

And then sometimes, I think that I am just missing the baby that I would be having. I was supposed to be pregnant right now, and by now I would feel the baby kicking. I would have a preggo belly & b*tch about maternity clothes. I would be telling Gage all about the baby & how it's growing. I'd be freaking out about a room being ready & all of those things that you feel like you just HAVE TO HAVE before the baby gets here. I'd be freaking out about getting everything done in the next few months, and preparing Gage to be a big brother. I'd know if Masyn was a boy or a girl.

So, I'm having a hard time knowing the difference between wanting a new baby, or just missing Masyn.

And sometimes I think I want to start trying again...
...and then sometimes I think it's not fair to get pregnant again when I would have been pregnant with Masyn. I know that doesn't make sense. In my brain I know that no matter what, I don't get a newborn this Spring, you know? But, in my heart it doesn't seem fair to grow another baby where Masyn should still be.

And my poor husband. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to wait forever. He's always wanted our children to be close in age. I always thought that I wanted to have our kids 5 years apart! But, when I unexpectedly was pregnant, it was new, and unexpected, and I was not necessarily wanting to be pregnant & have another baby in the middle of the school year, when Gage was just 2....but, at the same time...it was exciting, and fresh, and seemed so...just unexpected. And, just when I was getting used to the idea, and getting excited, it was...no longer joyous. It was sad, and taken away. And so now, I have a hard time knowing if I want to get pregnant again, or just miss Masyn.

I would have been around 26 weeks pregnant. Give or take a few weeks. They weren't really sure about how far along I was....but, in July, I was 8-10 weeks...

I'm rambling.

Gage is down for a nap, and I need to start homework.
But, that was in my brain & on my heart. I damn sure don't need to be watching all of these freaking TLC-having-baby tv shows.

Last Night...

Last night, Gage found his shadow.

He called it "Gage's Monster". At first he wasn't so sure about his shadow. But, we waved to the shadow, and danced with the shadow, and the shadow jumped with us. We got down off the bed to go "check it the shadow", and....that's when things went down hill. Gage was afraid of the shadow, and wouldn't you know it: the shadow was afraid of Gage! So, we ran back to Mommy's bed. We told the shadow "Night-Night. Go sleep shadow!" and we turned off the light.

It was soooooooooooo cute.
Gage's Monster...the shadow.

Sunday Morning...

Yesterday: Gage had some firsts...

He watched two new movies. (well, new to him) A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie, and The Wizard of Oz (he calls it the "Witch Movie").
He ate hard boiled eggs for the first time. He's had boiled eggs in different dishes, but never just eaten a hard boiled egg. It was cute to watch him. and, he didn't want to eat the yolk.
He also said, "Eiffel Tower" for the first time. We have a little statue in the kitchen, and he wanted to hold it, and he just kept saying, "Eiffel Tower" over & over again...
AAAAANNNDDDD---he decided to shove crayons in his nostrils yesterday. Big fun. I have to go around behind him & constantly tell him to get stuff out of his nose. Oh, what fun!

I've got my last project due this Thursday night in class. I will be glad when it is over....but sadly, next semester I'm signed up for 2 classes. Due to scheduling conflicts, I will be taking yet another policy class, & it will be counting as an elective. I'm not excited about that b/c policy classes have not been my favorites, but I have to have a certain number of electives....so there you go. Policy.
In fact, this one next semester with be Policy & Child Welfare.

I've been sick with a cold. It started as a sore throat, and then...I was all sinus-y. It hurt behind my eyes & behind my face. Then, I was all sneezy. Now, I'm all cough-y, like my throat is tickled. It's not fun.
I'm glad though that I am over the sore throat part.I hate, hate, hate sore throats.

Lately, I've addicted to a computer game called "Bookworm". Love it.

I had a bad dream about Megan last night. I woke up & just wanted to call her! (But, Megan, I didn't call you---b/c it's 7 something in the morning on a weekend...I figured you are probably okay, and I didn't want to wake you guys.)
Anyway...I had a dream that we were getting ready for Megan's wedding...some place near a beach. I decided that I wanted to go out country dancing (yeah right, like I do that a lot). So, I went to some country bar by myself, then I went over to this place where everyone was getting ready for the wedding. We were all excited. I called Damon & told him that I was going to spend the night there w/ Megan & the other girls. Then...it was time for Megan to start getting dressed. I couldn't find her anywhere. She was gone. I was looking in pools (b/c they were all around for some reason), and looking in sleeping bags. I couldn't find her, her purse, & her car was gone (she was back in the little red celica). So, I told her dad that she must have gotten cold feet & left....or maybe she had an errand to run....but I really had a bad feeling that something was wrong. she didn't take her cell phone. So, I took off to drive around & find her. For some reason, Gage was w/ me, and he was about a year old. I decided that he could sit in my lap to drive around (yes, I pulled a Britney in my dream) as long as I didn't go over 65 mph. We stopped at a restaurant, and I suddenly had this feeling that somebody ATE Megan. I went back to the place where we were all supposed to be getting ready. Megan's mom & dad were dressed for the wedding, and I saw this weird guy with long blonde hair. He said something about going to feed the monkeys. I followed him, and there was this room with all of these cages filled with monkeys. They looked like they had straw lining the bottoms of the cage, but when I got closer, their cages were lined with tons & tons of blonde hair! And, so I decided that this guy killed Megan & fed her to the monkeys.

Yes, it was really really really weird & disturbing.
I woke up....

Fell back to sleep, and had two more disturbing mini-dreams before I actually got out of bed for the day.
(1) I for some reason put a spider on my belly. Then, I saw another one, and I smushed it. The guts of the smushed spider acted like acid & started eating through all kinds of stuff. That's when the one on my belly bit me, and it hurt like hell! Then he laughed & ran off. I heard a spider laugh at me, and felt this poison start to eat a hole into my skin.
(2) I heard a news report that some family was on a safari, and they wanted to know if there were pirrahnas in the Amazon river, so they dipped their INFANT into the water. The baby died because pirrahnas bit it so much. I was so upset about this baby & his/her stupid parents. It was just awful!!!
****So, there. I had some jacked up dreams last night.

I don't know that I need to be watching The Wizard of Oz right before bed any longer. Those flying monkeys still get to me....obviously.

ROAR!

As in, roar like a lion.

Zirelda has given me a major award!

Shameless says : Those people I've given this award to are encouraged to post it on their own blogs; list three things they believe are necessary for good, powerful writing; and then pass the award on to the five blogs they want to honour, who in turn pass it on to five others, etc etc. Let's send a roar through the blogosphere! The image above can be copied and pasted onto other blogs. Also, a small size of the award for sidebars can be found over at the writing circle site.


So...I'm supposed to write now about powerful writing skills (like I have those....) and pass this on.

Hmmmm....

There are soooooooooooo many blogs that I like to read, and different things that I like to read about. I don't know....I like to read about real people in their real lives, about the joys & pains, the struggles, and the real life situations that we all go through. some are situations that I've never been in, and some are situations that I have been in....so, to me....that makes for powerful writing. you write about what you know, and where you are.

VampDaddy's posts have brought me to tears more than once. and then, he can somehow sometimes put a humorous spin on things (see his post about the drugs used to treat his son's cancer....)
http://vampdaddy.blogspot.com

Gin's blog http://thesmallmoments.wordpress.com is actually the blog that got me going. I didn't even know what a blog was until her!

Alissa's blog....well, sometimes her words are powerful, but more than anything, she has amazing pictures. And what's that they say about a picture being worth a thousand words??? http://alissanderson.wordpress.com

Of course, Papa Bradstein needs to be commended for his wit. He's not just funny...he's witty. That's entertaining. http://bradstein.blogspot.com

And...then there is Patty in NYC. http://justanycgirl.blogspot.com
Her life is just so different than mine...and I enjoy reading about it.
:)

There are so many more. How do you pick just 5 when you read a bunch of blogs???
But, I did. I could only pick 5.

Me.

I like to take a spoon, dip it in the jar of peanut butter, and then I like to dip the same peanut butter covered spoon in a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I then lick the spoon clean, and repeat.

From the CMAs...

What is wrong w/ her boobs??????

Happy Anniversary...

So, I've been married for 4 years....

Way back when....

Our engagement....
Damon proposed in Aruba.


funny story about that...we were walking on the beach, and we just kept walking, and walking...and walking. I was ready to go back, but he kept us going along the beach. Later he told me that he was going over what he was going to say in his head, but kept getting it wrong, so he just kept walking & going over it again & again. Finally, he stopped & got down on one knee. Just as he started the proposal, a party barge docked & started blaring "The Electric Slide" sooooooooooo loud. I could barely hear his words over the music. Anyway.... that was our proposal.

And here were our engagement announcement postcards....


After that....engagement pics...

(this one was taken on the porch of the building where we got married)

And, I lived in downtown Dallas when we met, and then we got a loft together downtown...so we had our engagement pics taken downtown.


And...we had wedding showers! (I felt like a total spazz being the center of attention & opening gifts. The attention part wasn't so bad, but I get completely freaked out about opening gifts in front of others....but, I have to say that having wedding showers & a baby shower has really helped w/ that whole fear thing. It's not so bad anymore, but I was completely freaked out at my first wedding shower!)


Of course, there was a bachelorette party....which included me being spanked by a random (& might I point out: older) man...

And lots of alcohol consumption...(who??? me????)

And...me, at the end of the night, modeling lingerie...over my clothes.

[there were also body shots off Mike Modano's chest...but I believe THE MISTER destroyed those... Hey, Hubby...I still married YOU!]

And then...November 7th came.
It was a rainy, cold day.
I started the day @ Methodist Hospital checking on my Papa, and wouldn't you know it---I show up for a visit b/c I just knew they wouldn't let him out for my wedding. Well, I was wrong! Shortly after I got there, the doc came in & d/c'd him. Woohoo!

It was a busy day. I am sure I was a bitch...I don't remember. In fact, I don't ever remember telling Megan to get sugar b/c I was apparently certain that the caterer would forget. So, she says that I sent her to the store for sugar, and since I was not clear about cubes or granulated....I don't know, maybe she brought both.

I had to run back to the loft for something...and I remember that the last non-wedding song that I heard that day was "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith. Random memory, I know...

Before I knew it, it was dark...and wedding time. We were married on a Friday night at the Scottish Rite Cathedral downtown...(& like I said, it was rainy)


My dad walked me down the stairs, into the ballroom, & down the aisle...


We were married in the center of the ballroom with the guests & bridal party all around us. It was different, but perfect for us.


Mr. & Mrs.....


My fabulous super huge wedding cake...made by my mother!


I had fun & funky black feathers everywhere! In my hair, in my bouquet, on the cake, & in the floral arrangements...


I was sooooooooo tired by the end. And my hubby whisked me away! (Honestly, it was cold & wet. He ran down those stairs carrying me, and I was so afraid that he was going to drop me!)


...and then it was over.


We stayed that night @ the Adolphus downtown. We were so hungry...and the restaurant there was closed. Room Service was closed...or it was going to take a long time...something. I can't remember, but we ended up calling Mark (the best man) & he went to Whataburger for us. We ate Whataburger & crashed. Fun, huh?

:)

...and tonight. Tonight I've been married for 4 years. The hubby is out with his boss & a client. Not his scheduling choice, so...there's that. I'm sitting at home alone, with a cold. How's that for fun.

But hey---at least I got flowers today! [...they are from our neighbor for helping her during the middle of the night when her hot water heater busted...but, I got flowers nonetheless!]

Miss me....

I may have to slack this week on blogging.
I have to work full time this week, and do school, and still be a wife & mommy---so I'm busy! AND--this week, I am in MS-DRG hell. We've got 4 days of this intense training by 3M, and it's sooooo not fun. Not to mention that the classroom is as cold as a freaking meat locker, so I went to the ER & snatched a blanket from the warmer to keep my lap warm.

And today....I was supposed to have my rear in gear in the classroom at 8am. 2 minutes til: I am walking down the hall, and start my period in these light khaki pants that are almost white. Needless to say, I was a few minutes late...and that just started the flow of things for the day (no pun intended...)

...and to rap things up: I went to pick Gage up this afternoon, and he clobbered me over the head with a bat. granted, it was not wooden or aluminum---so that was good. But, it hurt nonetheless!

Oh what a day.
Calgon take me away!!!

Gage Lingo...

"Slickanoona" = Snickerdoodle Cookie

Off & On....used, but rarely used correctly.
Example: "Take the shoes On." when really, he wants them off.

"Fifi" = TV

"Leaka-logs" = Lincoln Logs

"Leeeeeeeeb-it." = Leave it.

"Darnin" = Darling = Memma = My mom. He calls her "darnin" b/c she always says, "bye darlin'".

....but, Slickanoona just might be my favorite. It's definitely in my top 5 for favorite things to hear Gage say. I just remember when he used to say "uh-oh" all the time, and it was my favorite. I still love to hear him say that....but, slickanoona is so long & complex & creative.
:)

Susan's Babies....

I so wish I could take credit for this....but I cannot. These are Susan's babies, Oscar & Charlie.


They are all dressed up for Halloween. How stinkin' cute is that??????
It's a prisoner & a cop.
It's a criminal & a cop.
It's cuuuuuuuute!

Happy Sunday....

Well...it's Spring-Forward-Fall-Back time. Which means? That I woke up super early according to the clock.

Gage is at my Mom's house. He spent the night. Drove to Canton yesterday for the trade off, and then she took him home with her. It's still kind of early, so I haven't called to see how their night went. I am suuuuuuuuuuure he's awake, but on the off chance that he slept in---I don't want to ruin that for them!

Last night we went over to Megan & Stephen's house. Susan & David also went, so it was all 6 of us. We made pizzas (meaning: the women were in the kitchen cookin' it up while the boys watched football), and then we played board games. It was SO.MUCH.FUN. We played Battle of the Sexes & the gals won. (of course....) and then we played 90's Trivial Pursuit. The boys won that, but (1) we're convinced they cheated, & (2) the game is clearly biased toward men, probably written by men, b/c who in their right mind knows that Pamela Anderson was on the cover of Playboy in 1998 Such-&-Such Month? Boys know that. So, while they may have won the game....they lost hubby points for even getting a correct answer. Boys are so dumb that way....

Anyway....we had a blast. And Megan's house is so cute. They had their hardwoods redone recently, and they are a dark, dark, dark stain--just like I wanted in our house! Anyway. They are so shiny & fresh that you just want to take your shoes off & walk barefoot!

Susan's good & excited about ordering her new car. That was apparently a funny conversation in the guy's room. I recently got a new car, so now Damon drives my Acura. Susan's getting a new car, and David's going to drive her 4Runner. So Stephen said, "is that how it works? Are you guys telling me that I'm going to be driving Megan's car soon when we get a new one?" Yes, Stephen---pretty much! [okay, not necessarily, but it makes for fun conversation!]

....I wonder how my buddy's doing? I'm sure he is awake....

Couple of things I need advice on: where do I get a belt for my super skinny but tall 2 year old? The pants that fit him in length are sooooo big around his waist. They slide right off. I know that at certain stores, they sell pants with adjustable button & elastic waistbands---like some of my maternity pants were! But, we've got plenty of pants for him that don't have that feature, and they fit in the length. I went to OldNavy yesterday & the Osk Kosh B'Gosh store. Old Navy had zero. Osh Kosh had some belts, but they started @ 4T. The lady there suggested WalMart, but I looked in our local WalMart & saw no belts in the baby section. I'm about to get creative & take my a$$ to JoAnn fabric to fashion something for him. Even if it is plain black or navy elastic with belt fasteners at the end. I laid in my bed this morning thinking this up. He's a boy. I hardly EVER tuck his shirts in, so it wouldn't show, and if it were ugly, I could always buy very plain ribbon to put over the elastic, even though "ribbon" itself makes you think of a girl.... Okay---if anyone knows where to get a belt to fit an 18mo-24mo waist---let me know.

2nd thing: how to clean a convection oven. Easy Off says not to use that. I read online about baking lemons in water at 200 degrees, getting the water to boil...yada yada. So far, the water is not boiling & the lemons are almost burned. And, even before that, I scrubbed the inside with lemons, water, & salt. It worked....okay....but not great. Anyone with ANY convection oven safe suggestions: feel free to chime in.

So, it's ealry, I've got laundry going...I've taken out the trash & recycleables, & have worked on the oven. So far....It's been a pretty productive morning!

:)

A Quick Few Words About Halloween...

So, I feel weird posting about this without pictures!
I still haven't gotten the pics developed (dig. cam is on the fritz)...
Anyway....

Gage hated Halloween, and I swear: until my child says, "I want a costume, I want to go trick or treating, I want to do this whole Halloween thing", we're not going to do it again! Not until I hear him utter those words.

WalMart HEARTS China...

...& so do the Wakeup Walmart people!

So, yesterday, we returned some movies to our local video rental store, and it is near a WalMart. We saw these people outside picketing near WalMart. I secretly admire people who picket anything...taking a stand & what not. So of course, I want to know what their beef is. They are a group called "Wakeup Walmart".

[www.wakeupwalmart.com/china is the website on the printed material given to me]
I got a paper handout from them. The man told me about WalMart & their trade deals with China. He then offered my 2 year old son the choice between Halloween candy or a Halloween toy. After talking about how WalMart has so much to do w/ China & how dangerous toys from China can be, he handed my child a small plastic frog. As we drove away, I flipped the frog over: "made in China".

Anyone else see the irony in this??? It was a yellow & black frog. Yellow plastic, painted w/ black paint for the spots/details.

La Escuela....

So, it's getting to be that time of year....time to pick classes for the next semester. I'm looking at the degree plan....and I've got 38 out of the 64 credits under my belt. I'm working on a 3 credit course right now, so by the end of this semester, I'll be @ 41 credit hours. I'm more than 1/2 way there!

If I do it right....I could take 2 classes next semester...6 hours. It looks like I have 4 more semesters to go. I should see about taking classes this Summer so I can graduate at the end of Spring '09???

THAT IS SOOOOOOOOOO FAR AWAY!