We've got a busy weekend ahead... Adam is being baptized on Sunday, so we'll be seeing both sides of the family for that. I'll be sure to post pictures next week.
Also going to be offline temporarily... our computer hasn't been performing as well as we'd like it too. And it's not that old, so we want to see if there's anything that can be done to give it a boost. A friend's husband it going to take a look at it for us... and we are so grateful that he is! I'll be away from blogging, Facebook, and email during that time. So be patient if you're trying to get in touch with me!
Until next week! Have a great weekend everyone!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
OMG!!!
President Obama just mentioned my hometown in the State of the Union Address!
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg was a great place to grow up, but it is a town that is facing unbelievable economic challenges. Many large businesses have closed leaving people without jobs. The population there when I was growing up was close to 38,000. I believe the population is now less than 30,000. The area is suffering a serious "Brain drain." If you're not familiar with this term... that's when kids leave town for college and then don't return. I hope the town bounces back... there are some hopeful signs. A few new businesses have opened, including a book store opened by a classmate of mine. But the city is just crying out for a major employer to come to town... someplace that has more than just minimum wage jobs.
Okay... that's it. I'm watching the speech on DVR and I still have to do the dishes... so must get back to it!
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg was a great place to grow up, but it is a town that is facing unbelievable economic challenges. Many large businesses have closed leaving people without jobs. The population there when I was growing up was close to 38,000. I believe the population is now less than 30,000. The area is suffering a serious "Brain drain." If you're not familiar with this term... that's when kids leave town for college and then don't return. I hope the town bounces back... there are some hopeful signs. A few new businesses have opened, including a book store opened by a classmate of mine. But the city is just crying out for a major employer to come to town... someplace that has more than just minimum wage jobs.
Okay... that's it. I'm watching the speech on DVR and I still have to do the dishes... so must get back to it!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Wine and Diapers
Adam is already very popular with the ladies. Two of my "TV Gals" stopped by last night for a visit with me and the little one. Amy and Steph are two friends from my TV days. They came bearing gifts of wine and diapers - both of which will be put to good use! I miss my TV friends so much, so it was great to get caught up on their lives and all the gossip from the station. I'm enjoying getting caught up with so many of my friends during this time off. I'm making the same resolution I made last year... to do a better job of keeping in touch with people. As I've gotten older, I have developed a hatred of talking on the phone. But it's just as easy to pick up the phone as it is to shoot someone a long-winded email. So I'm going to try to reconnect with my oldest friends that way this year. I'm off to a pretty good start so far... I've talked to 4 really good friends who live far, far away by phone already this year. I've got about 3 others I need to call... and hopefully I can keep it up and call them all more often!Friday, January 22, 2010
I'm a Princess
I always knew I was a princess, but now even Alex openly acknowledges it! And it's nice to be appreciated by your four year old. He even gave me a ring to prove my princess-ship.
He got this very pink, Cinderella princess ring as a special treat from a classmate's birthday earlier this week, and he wanted me to have it. And let me tell you, pink princess stuff is not often found in these parts. The dog and I are the only gals in the house... unless you count Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Ariel, and Snow White... but they're only on VHS and DVD. So I'll take my pretty princess ring any way I can get it!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Baby Pictures
By popular request, a couple of new pics of Adam... he and I will be tackling our "to-do" list today. Running a couple of errands and trying to get some more thank you notes done are at the top of the list!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Redefining "A Good Day"
Now that I'm home on maternity leave with a baby, I've had to redefine my thoughts on what constitutes a good day.
Right now, a good day involves:
* 5 uniterrupted hours of sleep
* getting a shower
* not getting pooped/peed/spit up on
* getting some sort of dinner made
* picking Alex up on time from school
A really good day involves:
* hair dried and curled
* makeup applied
* doing things around the house
A super good day involves:
* leaving the house other than picking Alex up from school
* visits from friends or going to meet friends
Honestly it's the little things right now that make me happy. Clean clothes. Clothes that fit. Clean hair. Peace and quiet with Adam, and then later in the afternoon with Alex. I've gotten a little reading done here and there. I've figured out that I can crochet while nursing Adam. It's great because I'm spending quality time with the boys and getting a few things done for me as well.
Right now, a good day involves:
* 5 uniterrupted hours of sleep
* getting a shower
* not getting pooped/peed/spit up on
* getting some sort of dinner made
* picking Alex up on time from school
A really good day involves:
* hair dried and curled
* makeup applied
* doing things around the house
A super good day involves:
* leaving the house other than picking Alex up from school
* visits from friends or going to meet friends
Honestly it's the little things right now that make me happy. Clean clothes. Clothes that fit. Clean hair. Peace and quiet with Adam, and then later in the afternoon with Alex. I've gotten a little reading done here and there. I've figured out that I can crochet while nursing Adam. It's great because I'm spending quality time with the boys and getting a few things done for me as well.
Monday, January 18, 2010
My Budding Reader
Another post to update you on... this one.
We were trying to decide between the Tag and the Leapster.
Decided to go with the Leapster and could not be happier! I found a great deal on the Leap Frog Website. Got a Star Wars themed game system, with a game, for less than the price of the game system in the store, plus free shipping. Santa did good!
And Alex loves it! He's fascinated by video games, so he thinks it's very cool that he has his own video game. He has two Star Wars games (Jedi Reading and Jedi Math) and he also got a Wall-E game and a game called "My Amusement Park." He really likes all of them! The challenge is getting him to understand that just because the games at level 3 or 4 are fun, he doesn't know how to play them. But he's definitely learning stuff!
We were trying to decide between the Tag and the Leapster.
Decided to go with the Leapster and could not be happier! I found a great deal on the Leap Frog Website. Got a Star Wars themed game system, with a game, for less than the price of the game system in the store, plus free shipping. Santa did good!
And Alex loves it! He's fascinated by video games, so he thinks it's very cool that he has his own video game. He has two Star Wars games (Jedi Reading and Jedi Math) and he also got a Wall-E game and a game called "My Amusement Park." He really likes all of them! The challenge is getting him to understand that just because the games at level 3 or 4 are fun, he doesn't know how to play them. But he's definitely learning stuff!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Friday Funnies with Alex
"Bad guys wear bad pants."
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Me: "What do you want for dinner?"
Alex: "Chicken beef. Fresh and toasty."
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After school, after taking off his winter hat.
Me: "Go look at your hair in the mirror."
Alex: "Oh my gosh! I have a mohawk. Well, it's a snow-hawk."
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Me: "What do you want for dinner?"
Alex: "Chicken beef. Fresh and toasty."
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After school, after taking off his winter hat.
Me: "Go look at your hair in the mirror."
Alex: "Oh my gosh! I have a mohawk. Well, it's a snow-hawk."
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Adventures in Motherhood
Okay, so I know this is a bit late, but I survived my first weekend flying solo with the boys last weekend.
Craig went to Phoenix for work (for the Green Bay Packers playoff game), so I had my first weekend alone with both boys. For the most part it went pretty well. Saturday started off well, with some spitting up from Adam, some feistiness from Alex, and a dog that insisted on having to go to the bathroom nearly every hour on the hour. Oh... I nearly forgot to the projectile poop incident! Adam enjoys open-air pooping. I had no sooner pulled the diaper off, then I heard a little toot, and then BLECH! Okay, cleaned it up. Great. I decided to take the boys to 5PM Mass. We got ready no problem about 1/2 way through church, Adam needed a diaper change. So I instructed Alex that he had to sit perfectly still while I changed a diaper. As far as I know, he was great. Alex's reward for good behavior was watching a "Star Wars" movie when we got home. He picked "Return of the Jedi." So we survived Day One!
Sunday started off with all of us sleeping in. I put Adam in the bouncy chair so I could take a shower. After I got out of the shower, I went to check Adam's diaper. Complete diaper failure. FAILURE! Disgusting! So I got him cleaned up, then had to scrub his little sleeper and his onesie. I dug out the Oxy-Clean to soak the clothes in. I swore they were ruined, but after soaking them overnight, the stains came out. Meantime, Alex is doing "art projects" with markers and construction paper. He announces he has to go potty. And disappears for what seems like a long time. I don't think much of it. When he finally emerges, the dog heads into the bathroom and she doesn't come out for a long time. My head tells me something is going on, so I go in there and the floor around the toilet is damp. Great.
"Alex did you have an accident?"
"Yes, but I cleaned it up. I had to go real bad and I just missed."
I started to really clean up the floor, grab the floor mat, and it's SOAKED. GROSS! After some yelling in frustration, I finish cleaning up, and calmly explain to Alex that he needs to tell me when these things happen. If he tells me right away, I won't get so upset. -sigh- He actually seemed to understand. Amazingly the rest of the day went great!
Monday morning I had to get up, feed Adam, get Alex up, fed and dressed, and get him off to school. Did it! I swear I felt like Super Woman! It was a great feeling!
It was also a great feeling when I got the call from Craig that his plane had landed and he was on his way home. Now at least I know I can handle both boys on my own if necessary. And all I can do is laugh about the amount of bodily fluids I had my hands on over the weekend. Oh, and I'm really glad there are no more road trips on the horizon for Craig!
Craig went to Phoenix for work (for the Green Bay Packers playoff game), so I had my first weekend alone with both boys. For the most part it went pretty well. Saturday started off well, with some spitting up from Adam, some feistiness from Alex, and a dog that insisted on having to go to the bathroom nearly every hour on the hour. Oh... I nearly forgot to the projectile poop incident! Adam enjoys open-air pooping. I had no sooner pulled the diaper off, then I heard a little toot, and then BLECH! Okay, cleaned it up. Great. I decided to take the boys to 5PM Mass. We got ready no problem about 1/2 way through church, Adam needed a diaper change. So I instructed Alex that he had to sit perfectly still while I changed a diaper. As far as I know, he was great. Alex's reward for good behavior was watching a "Star Wars" movie when we got home. He picked "Return of the Jedi." So we survived Day One!
Sunday started off with all of us sleeping in. I put Adam in the bouncy chair so I could take a shower. After I got out of the shower, I went to check Adam's diaper. Complete diaper failure. FAILURE! Disgusting! So I got him cleaned up, then had to scrub his little sleeper and his onesie. I dug out the Oxy-Clean to soak the clothes in. I swore they were ruined, but after soaking them overnight, the stains came out. Meantime, Alex is doing "art projects" with markers and construction paper. He announces he has to go potty. And disappears for what seems like a long time. I don't think much of it. When he finally emerges, the dog heads into the bathroom and she doesn't come out for a long time. My head tells me something is going on, so I go in there and the floor around the toilet is damp. Great.
"Alex did you have an accident?"
"Yes, but I cleaned it up. I had to go real bad and I just missed."
I started to really clean up the floor, grab the floor mat, and it's SOAKED. GROSS! After some yelling in frustration, I finish cleaning up, and calmly explain to Alex that he needs to tell me when these things happen. If he tells me right away, I won't get so upset. -sigh- He actually seemed to understand. Amazingly the rest of the day went great!
Monday morning I had to get up, feed Adam, get Alex up, fed and dressed, and get him off to school. Did it! I swear I felt like Super Woman! It was a great feeling!
It was also a great feeling when I got the call from Craig that his plane had landed and he was on his way home. Now at least I know I can handle both boys on my own if necessary. And all I can do is laugh about the amount of bodily fluids I had my hands on over the weekend. Oh, and I'm really glad there are no more road trips on the horizon for Craig!
Amazing Friends and Family
I've been reminded over the past month how wonderful our friends and families are. Both Craig's parents and my parents rushed up here as soon as we found out we were in labor (a birth story is coming, I promise). They took care of Alex and Shadow for us and waited for the word that the baby had arrived. Craig's mom brought a ton of really good food, some of which is still squirreled away in the freezer. It will be great to pull out her lasagna or her toasted chicken sandwiches one night when the craziness of returning to work sets in! The sheets on my bed were washed and my bedroom was straightened when I came home. The bathroom was clean. The house looked great. I really felt spoiled.
Craig's parents and my mom were able to see Alex's Christmas Program the Monday after I had Adam. It was neat that they were there for that. I never had grandparents or other relatives be able to attend any of my school functions, so I'm glad Alex had 3 out of 4 grandparents there. (My dad had to work... :-( )
My mom stayed for 6 days and helped out around here. Craig was off work, but Alex was still in school, which meant Craig was able to run the last minute Christmas errands without feeling bad about leaving me alone. My mom made a TON of food, some of which is still squirreled away in the freezer. She made comfort food... Roundsteak w/Mashed Potatos and Gravy, Apple Pie, Kolachy (polish cookies... hoping to post that recipe for Recipe Swap Thursday), and Sloppy Joes. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. It was great having an extra set of hands around.
Craig's parents came back for Christmas, then Craig's brother Brian and his wife Sarah and their son Payton came to visit. Then my sister Jen and her husband Dan and their three boys Matt, Jon and Nate came to visit. It was so much fun to see nearly the whole family! We'll see my brother Mike and his wife Jen later this month at Adam's baptism.
Friends have been calling and a couple of stopped by to visit. My friend Therese brought us over a wonderful pasta dinner with an apple pie for dessert last week. Even picky Alex asked for seconds! Hoping to visit with another friend, Lisa, later this week. I've gotten a lot of emails and I'm hoping to have even more visits or meetings over the next few weeks.
I truly feel blessed to have all these generous, supporting, amazing people in my life, both near and far. I only have about 5 weeks left of my maternity leave, and it's going WAY too fast. But it's been great to spend time not only with my new addition, but also with my amazing friends and family.
Craig's parents and my mom were able to see Alex's Christmas Program the Monday after I had Adam. It was neat that they were there for that. I never had grandparents or other relatives be able to attend any of my school functions, so I'm glad Alex had 3 out of 4 grandparents there. (My dad had to work... :-( )
My mom stayed for 6 days and helped out around here. Craig was off work, but Alex was still in school, which meant Craig was able to run the last minute Christmas errands without feeling bad about leaving me alone. My mom made a TON of food, some of which is still squirreled away in the freezer. She made comfort food... Roundsteak w/Mashed Potatos and Gravy, Apple Pie, Kolachy (polish cookies... hoping to post that recipe for Recipe Swap Thursday), and Sloppy Joes. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. It was great having an extra set of hands around.
Craig's parents came back for Christmas, then Craig's brother Brian and his wife Sarah and their son Payton came to visit. Then my sister Jen and her husband Dan and their three boys Matt, Jon and Nate came to visit. It was so much fun to see nearly the whole family! We'll see my brother Mike and his wife Jen later this month at Adam's baptism.
Friends have been calling and a couple of stopped by to visit. My friend Therese brought us over a wonderful pasta dinner with an apple pie for dessert last week. Even picky Alex asked for seconds! Hoping to visit with another friend, Lisa, later this week. I've gotten a lot of emails and I'm hoping to have even more visits or meetings over the next few weeks.
I truly feel blessed to have all these generous, supporting, amazing people in my life, both near and far. I only have about 5 weeks left of my maternity leave, and it's going WAY too fast. But it's been great to spend time not only with my new addition, but also with my amazing friends and family.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
And the winner is...
The winner of the Baby Pool contest to guess my due date is...
Ashley from South Meets South!
Ashley is expecting her first baby... a little girl who will be named Lily!
Ashley's guess was:
Friday December 11th, 8:45PM
7 lbs 14 oz
Adam's actual stats were:
Friday December 11th, 7:20 PM
7 lbs 12 oz
She was awfully close... almost eerily so! Ashley, I'll be in touch with you about sending your prize!
Ashley from South Meets South!
Ashley is expecting her first baby... a little girl who will be named Lily!
Ashley's guess was:
Friday December 11th, 8:45PM
7 lbs 14 oz
Adam's actual stats were:
Friday December 11th, 7:20 PM
7 lbs 12 oz
She was awfully close... almost eerily so! Ashley, I'll be in touch with you about sending your prize!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Long Time No Post!
It has been forever since I've posted, but I've been a little bit busy with the new baby, the holidays etc.To catch you up, Adam is one month old today! I can't believe how fast time is going. We're all doing great so far. I'm very thankful to have so much time for maternity leave (I'm taking nine weeks) but also a little sad because my leave is nearly half over. Also sad that we don't get adequate maternity leave in this country. Other countries allow up to a year off... some with partial pay, some with full pay! But I can't complain too much. My employer has been great so far.
We survived the holidays. We had a week of non-stop visitors. It was fun, yet exhausting all at the same time. It was great to see everyone though. We were glad people were able to drive up to visit us and that the weather wasn't too awful. Craig went back to week the week after Christmas, so I had one week with both boys home. Then Alex went back to school the first week of January.
Alex is adjusting very well. He's having the usual challenges of a 4 year old: not listening, needing multiple reminders to do a task, sassing, etc. But he is great with Adam. There really hasn't been any jealousy to speak of. Alex adores his little brother and we are glad for that! Alex is also doing really well in school. His teacher has commented to us that he's doing much better with listening and focusing on his work. So again, hooray for that!
I haven't read many blogs, and don't know when I'll have time to catch up. So I'll comment when I can and I hope you'll tune back in to mine. I hope this is the beginning of my getting back in the swing of things.