Gage WHINE-house....

So, remember when I posted about the Big Boy Bed?

Those days are a thing of the past....

Gage's Song (to the tune of "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse)

"They tried to make me sleep
In my bed, but I said,
Nooooo, Nooooo, Nooooo.

They say it's bed-time,
But I've made up my mind.
When they try to make me
stay there, I won't
Go, Go, Go.

No rails to keep me in bed.
I refuse to lay down my head.

They tried to make me sleep
In my bed, but I said,
Nooooo, Noooo, Noooo."

...........So, as a result, bedtime somehow became around 10PM.
That's no good.
Nap-time was no good either.
This child who used to take a 3 hour nap & wake up happy, he was missing too.
The child who napped in his big boy bed was fussy & finally fell asleep as a last resort. He woke up after 45 minutes to an hour, and so the late afternoons & early evening were filled with whining, demanding of popsicles, and pretty much glued to Mommy's hip or legs. Life became impossible for this Mommy. He'd WHINE for Daddy from about 3-5. Then, when Daddy came home from work, Daddy couldn't look at him, or play with him, or do anything. Life was rough.

So finally, this Mom gave up. I need nap time. I need bed-time to be around 8:30.
And, lately he's been climbing into our bed & has slept there...gosh, a lot. Countless nights. So, we've got to work to get back to our old sleep routines. While I LOVE snuggling him in my bed, and waking up to see him sleeping so sweetly---none of us are really sleeping THAT well, so we've just got to get back on track!

For now, the rail is back up.

Last Sunday....

Well, for the Sunday over Memorial Day weekend, Dad, Allen, Gage & I all went to:

It's a great water park for little ones!

Gage was free to get in.
We aren't City of Rowlett residents, so it was $10 for each of the rest of us.
Not expensive at all.
And, you can bring in a cooler with snacks and drinks, so you don't have to buy food there if you don't want to. That's nice!










(I'm wearing my glasses, and Dad's extra sun glasses...yes, over my glasses. Why? Because I'm a dork like that, and don't have any prescription sun glasses!)

Yummy snack cakes!


The other cool thing---they have a big wooden castle-like park next door. It belongs to the city, and it's totally free. And it was awesome. The playground could have been a little cleaner b/c there were empty water bottles here & there...but I'll cut the Parks Dept. a little slack b/c it was a big holiday weekend for parks & stuff...

Gage playing in the park's playground...

He loved the bells/chimes as you enter the playground area.








It was a good time...it was a great day!


AAAND: Allen had a loose tooth at the beginning of the day. He was eating a Sour Patch Kid candy, and that tooth came out. Before Allen knew it---he swallowed it! Yuck! But, he was glad to lose it.

:)
It really was a super-fun day.

For the Hubby.

So, my hubby says that I don't blog about him enough.



Well Hubby, this one's for you.

Here I am with Hubby at the Land Bridge in Aruba when we got engaged.


Another shot from our engagement trip...


Here we are in Sedona when we were visiting my parents in Arizona...


Here we are, attending a roof-top party at The Kirby, the building where I lived when Hubby & I met...


Cooking out one afternoon at Magnolia Station, the lofts where Hubby & I got our first place together...


Now, at this point, if anyone has noticed, Hubby wore that shirt a lot. It was my fault. Here's why: I would often purchase his clothes for him. He had about 3 or 4 of those shirts, bought by me on separate occasions. One day, Hubby asked me to not buy any more of THAT shirt. WHAT? I had not even noticed that I had bought 3 or 4 of the SAME shirt for him, and he kept wearing them b/c he thought "well, she must really like this shirt if she keeps buying me more of them." So, there's that....

Here we are on the front porch steps of the Scottish Rite Temple in downtown Dallas, where we got married.


And then, in November 2003, we got married...




After that, we bought a house...started our family...


And this Hubby of mine became a Dad.
:)











:)
Okay...so that's my Hubby.
He may be a Jackass, but he's my Jackass.

And poor Hubby. It's raining as I type this. On Saturday, he washed & waxed my car. Sunday morning, of course it rained. And again now, it's raining....

Saturday Night Cookout....

We cooked out at Pop & Gammy's on Saturday night.
Dad's in town this weekend, and he's got Allen with him this weekend...so, we cooked out over there.

It was fun!

:)

Me & Allen

...and Gage's head right there!

My dad...caught off guard by the camera!


"Kicky Ball" (not to be confused with soccer) in the backyard...


My papa, outside watching the boys play...


Gammy gave Gage TWO ice cream cones after his dinner...


And THEN, she made him a plate of two strawberries, and some sugar for dipping. We can see how that went...

He licked the plate clean.


Needless to say, Gage was W*I*R*E*D for the rest of the night!


Me & My Gammy


A good time was had by all.

The random upset of the evening: we were sitting in the living room, and I think it was Hubby who saw some children outside in the street. Little ones. I'd say one was probably a year old, and the other was a little smaller than Gage, and not as verbal. He was probably 2. IN THE STREET. We went out there, and I scooped them up as they were climbing the stairs up to the neighbor's front door. We know my grandparents' neighbors, and this set of little ones does not belong to them. So, we're going door to door---we're asking the older boy where he lives...in both Spanish & English, because he looks like he may be Hispanic. The neighbors on the other side of Pop & Gammy were having a party, so we asked if they belonged at the party...no.... By now, I'd say 5-7 minutes has gone by, and Gage is starting to flip out b/c I'm holding a baby that is NOT him. So, as my Dad is dialing the police & talking to the 911 operator, a woman comes out & collects the children. Hubby was LIVID about the situation, and the woman just kept telling him that she didn't speak English...so, when I started asking her questions in Spanish, well, suddenly she felt like she had some explaining to do. I think she was their grandmother, although I never asked & she never said. I helped her carry the kids home, because the 2yo definitely did not want to go with her. He busted out of the fence/gate that encloses the driveway. He used a kids ride-on car toy to wedge the gate open & keep it from reclosing. (He may not be very verbal, but he's pretty freaking smart...) So, he busted himself & his kid brother out of the backyard. The grandmother was inside doing something with potatoes. I think peeling them. I can ask quite a few things in Spanish...but, listening to the answer at 90 miles an hour is not so easy for me!

So, crisis averted. It could have ended so badly, but it didn't.
:)

What else happened on Saturday?
Hubby washed & waxed my car.
Now, he's super sunburned.
And, it rained this morning.
So much for all that hard work.

Helping with the new furniture....

So, the new living room furniture was delivered on Wednesday during Gage's naptime. I had no idea that the tables would not be put together. WTF? They were dropped off in boxes. I asked the delivery guy, "Is that my coffee table?" When he told me yes it was, I responded with, "It looks a little flat. Are you going to put that together for me?" No, he was not going to, and he did not. I commented, "What if I was a single mom here, and had no tools or no idea how to do it!?" To which he responded, "well, are you single?"
No. No, I'm not. And my husband will have the lovely job of putting this together. Thanks.

Anyway....when Gage woke up from his nap, he went NUTS about the love seat being on his "road". His "road" is the border of the rug. He was crying hysterically! He took me to my room & told me to stay. He shut the door. He returned to the living room, still just bawling. I mean---big, fat tears just streaming down his cheeks. I was peeking around the corner as I watched him take the throw pillows off & throw them to the side. Then he removed each cushion & piled them to the side. After that, he huffed & puffed...used all of his might to push the love seat off the rug onto the hardwood floor, and thus clearing his road. He was just heartbroken that we would be so disrespectful as to place furniture on his road.

So, the only thing that made him develop some sort of acceptance toward the new furniture was helping Daddy put the new end tables & coffee table together.




Why, yes, those are sharp scissors in his hand. He did amazingly well with them, under strict supervision of course. He had a great time stabbing & cutting large chunks of styrofoam with them.


And in this pic, you can see more of the new love seat. The couch matches...


I haven't taken any pics of the whole living room yet.
The paint color & rug that were already in the living room---well, to our surprise it all goes. So, we don't have to change that, but we have to change the window treatments. I need to find some curtains, and we've got the white wood blinds to put up, but they need the curtains so that the window will look right.

Anyway....I've got to work on finding something that's just right....and then I'll post a new pic!

:)

Mommy Injuries...

So, Thursday night, Gage was in bed with us. He leaned forward, grabbed the blankies & his Teletubby doll, and SLAMMED back....into my face.

It immediately started swelling around my eye socket & cheek bone. I just knew it was going to be horrible. I was afraid that my cheek bone was fractured because it hurt so bad to open & close my jaw & just move my face in general.

In the end, the bruising & swelling has not been so bad. And, the bones aren't broken (luckily, I work in an ER, so I've got the hook-up there...)

Pic Taken on Friday, and really---it's not too bad. The swelling was worse Thursday night...So, it's my right eye & it's covered with makeup/concealer. Really, not bad.


Pic Taken on Saturday, little more bruising...yuck.No makeup.

Last Wednesday's Play Date

Gage & Justin met at the park last Wednesday, as arranged by their moms.

:)

Justin is much younger than Gage, and he was soooooo excited to swing & watch Gage run & jump. Gage was so sweet & gentle when he would rub Justin's little hand.
Justin was happy to peek out of his stroller & watch Gage as we walked the trail around the park. At one point, Gage was softly singing to Justin. It was so cute!

I'll Never Get Off the Soap Box...

I'll never get off my soap box about the safety of kids in & around cars.
Since my nephew's death in September 2005...it's just something that I think about constantly.

Recently, Christian singer, Steven Curtis Chapman lost a daughter when she was accidentally struck by a car in the driveway of their home.
Pray for this family.
http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/

*Never Never Never leave your car unlocked, even in the garage or driveway.
*Contact your legislators about mandatory safety features in the automobile industry---the technology exists to improve safety with our cars, but the features are options, not requirements.
*Invest in rear backup sensor for your car, or if looking to purchase a new car, consider purchasing a car with this feature.
*Never leave your child unattended in your car, even just for a minute! It takes less than a minute to steal a car.

For more information about kids and cars, you can visit these websites:

www.kidsandcars.org

www.harrisonshope.org

~Lainey-Paney

Leave me Alone.

My head feels like it is going to explode from allergies.

I think that Allegra is officially useless. I feel horrible.
Or, maybe it's an incredibly powerful drug, and I would feel 8 million times worse if I weren't on it.

I don't know.

I just know that I'm sneezy, and coughy (is that a word???), and my eyes feel like they are going to pop out, and my ears feel like they are being slowly pushed inside out from the pressure of my brain being coated with useless snot.

Everytime I bend down to pick something up, I feel like the inner contents of my skull are sloshing around slowly, and it hurts.

Other than that....life is suuuuu-per.

We had a play-date today with Stephanie & Justin. Justin's only seven and a half months old, so he wasn't much up for playing....but Gage was so sweet & gentle with him. We moms had the kids in the strollers & made a few laps around the park. Justin was so content to just watch Gage, and at one point, Gage was softly singing to him. It was very sweet. Justin loved the baby swings, and the boys had a great time.

So, I was outdoors for HOURS today, which is what really exacerbated this whole allergy thing. I walked over 2 miles today. My hiney muscles are sore! Some parts of the trip to the park are hilly, so I worked those gluts!

AAAAND: the new furniture came today. Lovin' it. Lovin' it.
We don't have to repaint in here. It all looks really nice together. But, we've got to get new living room window treatments. I've got the white wood blinds to put up, but they need curtains in between because it just doesn't look right otherwise. It's 4 windows wide, so...it just needs curtains. I haven't exactly found what I want yet, but I'm pretty flexible. I'm sure I'll find something soon. OR, maybe I'll make some. I want a sewing machine for my birthday....so we'll see. I should probably buy curtains, and as far as sewing goes---start out with something...smaller.

Anyway.
Happy Wednesday.
I'll be popping Benadryl soon & taking my hiney to bed.

In With the New? ....but how to deal with the old???

In light of the new furniture coming tomorrow...
I've been doing some cleaning, sorting, rethinking about things. Rearranging in this here living room.... I'm sitting in here on the PVC lounger...blogging & wondering what to do with all of these TOYS!

This pic was taken last August. So, we still have all of these toys, and then some!


Gage has bins in his room....but they're all full now too.

So, what do all of you guys out there do for toy storage in common areas? We have plenty of toys in Gage's room, but we all like to play together & spend the majority of our time in the living room.

So---what do you guys do?
My thoughts: I'd like to go through the toys, sort out those which he is too big for, or just doesn't play with. For the ones he still loves, I'm thinking about getting some of THESE from Ikea:


For now, we have toys in various baskets sitting around. The baskets are fine, but it's "toys-toys-toys" when you walk into our house. And, he doesn't play with most of them!

Which brings me to my next question. What to do with all of these toys????
I want to have another baby...do I box them up & put them in the attic? Do I give them to someone else, and get new stuff for the next baby?

Advise away....

Sunday....

So, Saturday was filled with yardwork...

...and Sunday morning....well, Super Man thought that the yard could use a little more work.


And...what? What's THAT????


Is that....a big boy bed????


As a matter of fact, it is!
So, Sunday we took one of the sides off the crib, turning it into one of it's convertible features: the "daybed".
So, that meant---no nap.
We tried, tried, tried, and then finally it was beyond the point of trying b/c who wants the kiddie going down for a nap at 5pm, right???

Anyway...Sunday also brought the first swim of the season. I got exactly 3 photos before the battery died, so sadly, none of them are stellar. Oh well. It was fun...you know, until it was time to leave.


Sunday night, Gage ended up sleeping in his big boy bed. He slept there all night. After he fell asleep, we got a little scared that he might roll off onto the hardwood floor. So, we took the cushions off the couch in the den, and put them on the floor next to his bed.

This morning, he was still in his bed...all of the toys & blankies were on the floor, but HE was still in his bed.
:)

Speaking of couches....Friday after work, the new living room furniture was purchased. It will be here on Wednesday. The couches we had were steam cleaned by Hubby, and purchased & hauled away on Saturday. So, my living room is empty. You know---except for five thousand toys & two WalMart-1983-lookin' PVC loungers. What's up??? Hubby REFUSED to let me post pics....but hey---I figure it's just for 3 or 4 days, so who cares? It's not worth going through the hassle of moving the den furniture in here for 3-4 days worth of sitting.

We live in an old house. It was built in 1949. I often explain it like the house from the movie "The Others." Not that it is anywhere near comparable in size---but in the manner that every single room can be closed off by a door. Seriously---even the hallway. You can shut every single door that goes into the hallway & it can be pitch black. Every single room can be shut off. It's kind of weird....but, it's been nice with a baby. Regular size baby gates fit the doorways, and we don't really need them because we can just shut the door when we don't want Gage to go in somewhere. Or, rather, WE USED TO BE ABLE TO JUST SHUT THE DOOR. Now, he's tall enough to just open the door.

Now, I'm just kind of rambling.
It's Monday evening. Gage didn't take a nap today at the Mother-in-Law's, so it's been a pretty touch-and-go evening.