The MomGate MG1

So my husband is a vendor... meaning he sells bread from a local bakery to stores/resteraunts/etc.  He has a route that goes through a very nice section of Hamden.  And at these places there are 'Donation Bins.'  You have all seen them, they claim they will take your old clothing and give it out to the downtrodden... well read the fine print folks, some of them are Forprofit places that sell your donated clothes and don't give anything back in the process.

But I digress.  Specifically on the boxes near us it says 'CLOTHES ONLY'  no Furniture/No Toys/No random things you just want out of your house... okay that last part I added but hey, you will see bags of bric-a-brac all over that place.  And Furniture... and mattresses... I mean come on people.. NO ONE wants your nasty old mattress... heck I dont want the one I have ;) 

well the toys that get left there usually get left in the rain and ruined.  The trucks that collect the clothes never do anything with the toys/furniture/random stuph.  All they want are the clothes.  So my husband has found some very nice used toys for our kids.  Heck it is akin to driving down backstreets in town on Sunday or Tuesday night to see what folks think is worthless.  That is how I got the Little Tykes Cozy Coupe for my darlings along with some other neat things. 

Does this make me trashy?  I would hope not!  My kids are enjoying these cast offs, and honestly they don't care if it is new out of the box or was used!  I like to think I am keeping useful things out of the landfil, and you know... when I am planning on rehoming these toys, there are donation places that wouldnt say no to these gems... or I might know some other low income families that would find this windfall a blessing.

Alright... so we all know kids can be a challenge.  However rewarding, challenging none the less.

Just last week the duct tape was removed from the VCR built into the TV in the playroom(music channels make Caitlynn silly!) but a whole bunch of toys and a surge protector (dont know WHERE they found that one, considering I've been looking for it for a year now...) were shoved in.  I guess that beats the fingers that used to get stuck in there... which is the reason the duct tape was there in the first place...

but I digress.

The latest battle, well besides the sleeping issue, has been over clothes.  Gabe as a rule would rather not wear pants.  He is happy in his underoos or a pullup.   I am blessed that he prefers to have something on the bottom rather then nothing at all... but that's Cait.  Well we used to let Gabe chose between 4 shirts to wear a day.  I'd lay them on the bed and he would pick one and our day would begin.  Over the past week, every time we try to peel him out of a grimy dirty and sometimes stinky shirt, he would have a complete poo fit and tantrum.   

I swear you look at Gabe funny and he starts to cry... which brings up a lot of frustration with Shawn and exasperation from me.  I don't know how today's battle ended... I left to do my errands with Gabe still screaming bloody murder about the 'Ben' shirt he was wearing yesterday.

Well at least Cait just takes off the clothes she doesnt like... of course that includes the diaper.. Oi Vey.

OKay this is going to be a full on mommy rant because I honestly need to get it out of my system before I explode. 

My son Gabriel has NEVER been a good sleeper.  From day 1 he hated to sleep.  Luckily Caitlynn is a good sleeper but that is another post...

Well ever since the kids got Rotavirus, Shawn took pity on Gabe and let him sleep in our room.  I warned him it was a baaaaaaaad idea.  Granted it did make it easier to deal with the diahreah before it exploded all over the sheets, Gugs, floor.  Believe me cleaning THAT up at 2am sucks as well.  And during that period of a week when he was sick, he mastered the poop on the potty thing.  Which is a good thing... however, we STILL cannot get him out of our bedroom. 

"Oh just let him cry it out in his room" you say... um yeah... if anyone heard my moans back when Gabe was an infant you'd know that he can seriously cry for 4+ hours straight, projectile vomitting all the way.  And that right now just get Caitlynn all riled up and then SHE can't sleep either... I told Shawn this was his monster and he had to deal with it... but obviously, he would rather bitch about getting no sleep then helping me retrain Gabe how to sleep in his room.

"It's a phase, he'll grow out of it" you say... he has NEVER wanted to sleep, either alone or with someone.

"You're just exaggerating" says the pediatrician.  Yes, I am exaggerating that my son sleeps approximately 5 hours a night, no naps, and very little 'down' time during the day.  I am being completely honest.  We follow the same bedtime routine every. single. night.  The kids pretty much say they are ready for it and we have offered Gabe the option to stay up, he wants to go upstairs.  Thats when the REAL problems begin.  7pm Gabe says 'Night Night' and curls up on the dog bed on the floor in our bedroom. (don't get me started about THAT one) I hear giggling and laughing coming from the bedroom.  Okay thats fine, he is playing with his toys and Ben.  Then I hear the thuds, bangs and occasionally barks.  Go in there and try to discipline him.  Often I go in there to see an entire box of tissues shredded, or a book destroyed, or last night, he slept in a big pile of his pullups.  He falls asleep around 11pm and then 5am he is back up full force, after his 2-3am brief period of wakefullness.

This past week has been so bad, his eyes are completely sunken in and bloodshot, he can't run in a straight line from being tired and STILL he fights it.  Even when I try to go to bed with him I can't.  He will just constantly babble right in my ear, thrash around and then keep going.  Seriously, when I am feeling ill I cannot even go to sleep early because he will sit there and keep me awake.  I am literally at wit's end.

Maybe I should consider seeing if Ama and Gaggee will take Caitlynn for a couple nights and days next week while we once again deal with 4+ hours of nonstop tantrums from Gabe at bedtime.  Or maybe I should just give in and put a TV in his bedroom so he can fall asleep to that... because sad to say it, when the TV worked in the master bedroom it wasn't this bad.  Turn on PBS Sprout and while he didnt always fall asleep quickly, at least he wasn't destructive.

::beats head into the desk:: As I write this, I am one solid mass of pain.  I was pretty much on my feet all day running Gabe into the ground to hopefully exhaust him enough that he'd sleep tonight.  You see, we are supposed to be going to a Memorial Day party on Sunday... and while I REALLY want to go, if Gabe is acting like he is right now... it would be an embarressment to take him anywhere.

::crosses fingers that this gets better soon:: I think I am gunna go crank up my music really loud so I cannot hear Gabe, he knows to just go to the potty if he has to go (although he apparently would much rather have us bring him just in case he needs the BigE potty to poo) or at least tell us. 

So I just had to dart to the computer to write this post before I procrastinated enough that I forgot my line of thought... like I do with so many blog posts I MEAN to write.

When I was growing up, a neighborhood was a serious community.  We watched out for each other, kids played together, adults had dinner with each other, block parties and when one family went on vacation, the neighbors watched their houses, pets and mail.  These days it seems like neighborhoods are not as close knit... at least where Shawn and I have lived.  Granted we lived in low income housing and the cops were coming daily to one apartment or another... since we moved to Meriden I have found in my next door neighbor a good friend AND a good neighbor.

My neighbor also has two kids but they are older then my two.  She has always been friendly and open with us and has helped us out a lot.  From handmedown clothes, toys and baby gear, she is always there for a friendly chat or a helping hand.  Since we moved in, she has been out of work on disability from an accident at her last place of employment but as times are rough she has been looking for a new job.  Well she found one close by that lets her work Mon-Friday during the day, the only problem is getting her kids off to school. 

Well She just happened to be talking about it to me when I was commenting on needing to find something to pad our income a little.   And voila, I volunteered to start seeing her daughter on the bus and walking her son to school in the morning.  Not only is this a wonderful thing for her, she has someone she trusts looking after her kids, but it is great for my health and the kidlets.  Now I can't weasel out of my morning walk =)  Even though we have all been sick for almost 2 weeks now, my energy level has started to soar.  I FEEL better mentally and physically even though I have been in the throes of an intestinal virus. 

So something that I offered to do to help my neighbor out, has ultimately helped me more!  Ahhh how I am glad Cathy is my neighbor.

Sooooo I think someone kidnapped my kids and replaced them with well behaved children.

Since Saturday we have had one... just one tantrum and it wasn't even a big'un.  Minus Saturday night - the kids have been going to bed without a fuss and since Monday they have been taking their naps.  Of course by writing this it probably means they are going to be hellions today.  Yet still, they have been playing very nice together - I haven't caught either of them hitting each other, there is still some minor toy fighting but not like I have been getting used to.

Maybe it is the nice weather... maybe it is they are finally adjusted to the time change... maybe... well I don't know, I just hope it lasts! 

I have a loooooong list of errands to do today, but if I am lucky I should be able to get some pictures uploaded later from Easter.  I have a couple videos as well that I want to post - mainly of Caitlynn being Caitlynn.

Well although I am a lover of winter and snow... Spring is such a nice season especially after a snowy winter.  The sun is out but it isn't so hot that I cannot breathe... And of course I WANT to take my daily walks with the kids. 

Shawn and I just started a routine that I hope we can continue to do throughout the spring summer and fall, an evening walk.  We get the kids in the wagon and start chugging.  We are lucky that our neighborhood is nice, although the bad areas of Meriden are starting to encroach.  After all there was a group of teenagers in front of the park drinking out of paper bags yesterday... I mean come on people, if you want to be stupid don't do it in front of a child's play area... of course knowing the youth in this day and age, a couple of the kids running around were probably belonging to those drinking...

I digress.  We started walking around our block, and there is a pretty good hill one street over so it isnt completely mild.  Tuesday was our first night of doing this and we walked the block three times.  Yesterday we only walked it once but that was because we let the kids play at the playground for about 45 minutes, until it started to get dark.  Caitlynn got to sit in the bucket swing and boy did she love that! 

Not only is it good for the kids (while it took them longer to fall asleep, they seemed to sleep more deeply)  but it gets Shawn and I off our keisters.  Goodness knows I need to be less sedentary, but it feels so good to be getting fresh air and excercise.  And with Shawn trying to quit smoking, again, it seems like we aren't in the negative spiral anymore personally. 

Lets hope we can keep this up!  I am tired of the constant grumpiness =)

So yes... 24 hours later the plumber still hasnt given me a definite time or even DAY on when he can come look at our backflow problem... maybe I should find a new plumber.  Problem is so many of them will scalp you.  Today being Wednesday as well... it is my usual grocery shopping day.  Once again there will be no napping for me... and of course being concerned about getting my banking and shopping done.  Of course I do want to stop at the craft store today because I found an idea for a great Christmas present for my family members. 

If it turns out well I may consider adding them to my Etsy shop... I've been lazy lately and havent added anything new.  Doing my best to find some way to make some extra money while being home with the kids.  Lots of ideas but nothing panning out yet.


But as for the title of this post - back to it anyway since I am rambling.  I really need to get down in the basement and start cleaning out and tossing the waterlogged things that were ruined over this past weekend.  3 days of torrential rain I doubt anyone in CT has a fully dry basement.  And of course some of the ruined things are our own fault for not really unpacking them when we moved 2 years ago.   Luckily my MIL brought a dehumidifier over for the basement, here's hoping we can keep it for the summer ;)  We have tax return funds still, but honestly I would much rather keep it as an emergency fund. 

Ahh well, I guess I should get back downstairs before my kids drive my MIL crazy.  Caitlynn has been clingy lately, not her norm, so I am guessing she is going through a growth spurt or something.  Ahhh the joys of motherhood! =D

And now I need to get back into the habit of using the blogger. Not only is it stress relieving... it helps keep me on track with our budget meals and menus!

So anyway - this past week has been a really rough one, not only from the recent time change... (I hate 'springing' forward) but also a series of unfortunate events. They didnt come in threes this time... unless maybe they are multiples of three - I should count them and see if we had 6 or 9 sad issues this week. Yikes!

Well Caitlynn is walking now, when she thinks we aren't watching. She thinks she can get places faster by crawling, which at the moment is true, but she will quickly get the hang of this bipedal thing. She has claimed a lovie, thank goodness, and it is a silky and plush blankie that used to belong to Gabe. Luckily she isnt very picky so I can swap between four different blankets. However they are all plush on one side and silky on the other. Two green ones, a blue one and a recently purchased pink one. if she doesnt have them at naptime and bedtime she has a fit. Now to just convince Gabe to stop trying to steal them from her crib!

Anyway, this week our menu is very limited due to the fact we have to pay for a plumber... and a dehumidifier... and potentially a couple of new rugs... so it is mostly leftovers from the sweet potato soup I made last week. I did manage to snag some Chicken Paprikash leftovers from Ama and Jaggee's house Sunday so that will be tasty.

Tuesday: Leftover Chicken and soup
Wednesday: Take out day (after a day of grocery shopping/car maint./banking I dont want to cook)
Thursday: Pasta Primavera (Have a hankering for lots of veggies!)
Friday: Stuffed Porkloin with apples
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Lasagna

So now I am sitting here waiting for the plumber to call and hoping Gabe stops being a grump and takes a nap, goodness knows Caitlynn needs it!

So I know that kids like repetition. Not only is it good for their development, it drives parents crazy!

Past week Gabe has decided all he wants to watch during TV time is Ice Age; Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Which was fine the first 4 times... now I am getting tired of it. I was able to swap up by putting in the original Ice Age, which Gabe was okay with. But yikes, and I thought listening to the movie Cars in the car was bad enough!

Well he also has a favorite bedtime story, as do most kids his age. His is If you Give a Cat a Cupcake. It really is a cute book, and the way Gabe asks for it is just as cute. You ask him which book he wants to read and he says 'Cat Cake!' How can you say no to that =) Occasionally daddy can sneak in a different book, but usually it is Cat Cake. Granted the cat in the book looks like one of our felines, Spaz.

He also thrives on his routine, he knows when Daddy comes home from work it is usually time for a bath and a nap. The bath is just a fun way to play with his sister (who also LOVES the bath) but some bonding time without Mommy. It gives me a short window of time to pay bills and do little tasks.

If it keeps the house in order... I guess I will be watching Ice Age until he finds something else to latch onto... could be worse I suspect!

alright... here is a mommyhood rant. S

Shawn has been working late the past week (late meaning he gets home after noon =p) and his usual routine is to come home and give the kidlets their bath before naptime. Granted usually we go upstairs at noon because Caitlynn is demanding a nap, Gabe isnt quite there yet but I cant leave him unattended while I put his sister down for a nap. Shawn gets home and gets Gabe out of his room for a bath (just in case he poops which he has been lately) and then tries to convince the kid to go to sleep. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt.

Well today... for the first time in months he walks into the bedroom, strips, and then walks out to start the bathwater. But he drops his pants on the floor with all his change/keys/wallet etc in his pockets onto hardwood. So it makes a noise. Cait's eyes pop open and hey look at that, no more nap. Granted I am not feeling 100% and I really could have used some extra sleep. On top of that, he WAKES GABE UP to give him a bath. You NEVER wake Gabe up if you can help it... he is worse when you wake him up then when he doesnt sleep at all.

And of course Gabe will not go back to sleep. So now I have two wicked crabby kids and Shawn has shut the bedroom door and is taking HIS nap. SOmetimes I really think he does this on purpose ><

And to make matters worse, my farking social worker hasnt emptied her inbox in 3 days and I REALLY need to get intouch with her. Not a big surprise considering it took me 3 months to get in touch with her LAST time, but at least I could leave a message on her voicemail. So I am having one helluva shitty day.

On the plus side, Dragon's Age: Origins is awesome. More about that later =)

Well we make concessions in life to make everything go smoother... and I have made a rather silly one lately.

As any regular reader of my blog knows, Caitlynn has been having sleeping issues lately. Mostly revolving around teething and the need to practice crawling. Yet for the time being I have found a method that is helping her sleep better, not only at night, but during naptime as well. Oh and this is in her Packnplay as well.

Like her mommy, Caitlynn has a love of textures, specifically soft fuzzy ones. And my blanket is a VERY nice and soft blanket called Cashmina. Believe me when I say this.... it is the comfiest cozyiest blanket I have ever had... okay it's really a comforter but it is my blanket! So Caitlynn likes to take this blanket and rub her hands on it, and pull it against her face to feel the softness as she falls asleep. Something I like to do as well mind you. So lately I have been putting half the blanket in her Packnplay with half of it on the bed. Even when she is put in there awake, as long as she can play with my blanket she is usually content. WHen she starts to fuss, I just have to reach in, pop a pacifier in her mouth and she drifts off. I think I might have to buy myself a new blanket soon... when we move her into Gabe's room I might have to buy a little Cashmina blanket, and sleep with it so it smells like me.

Hey if it works right?

It is usually not a good thing...

I learned this with Gabe a while back, the trouble he has gotten into when I thought he was playing quietly... from opening christmas presents, to eating an entire quart of blueberries, to trying to open juice boxes himself... the list goes on. But yesterday was the first time that applied to Caitlynn.

She was having a rough day since she was overtired. Little devil decided she didnt want to nap unless I was laying next to her, and my knee was hurting so bad I couldn't stay in bed. So eventually I got tired of her kicking and trying to bite me, so I put her on the floor to practice crawling. She wasn't happy and was fussing and crying. Then it got quiet. I figured she found the pile of cheerios I put on the floor for her.

I was wrong.

Out of the blue Gabe starts screaming bloody murder. Ask him what is wrong all he is saying is 'Noodles!' Okay hun your noodles are right the.... CAITLYNN! There was Caitlynn her grubby hands in Gabe's bowl of noodles with streams of them from her mouth to the floor. Little shit wiggled to where Gabe was eating his dinner and proceeded to help herself.

When it comes to food, Cait is not shy at all.

It has been a rough week (again... yeah eventually things will get better!) Thursday of last week Gabe was up all night with explosive diahreah... not fun... but then when I went to get him up for the day, he had puked all over the floor in his room. He was so upset and was trying to clean it up with baby wipes. I assured him it was okay, he didnt mean to and plopped him in for a nice warm bath. He was tired but no fever so I figured I'd just keep him hydrated... and then while watching TV with him and cuddling, he projectiled all over me. And it was red, granted I had given him a popsicle, but it was still freaking me out. I called up my mum and then called up the PEd. I would have rushed him to the ER if my car was working (stupid battery) but without insurance that woulda been pricey. The Ped. knowing my insurance dilemma atm told me to wait it out, keep him hydrated and watch for any other symptoms. Luckily he recovered quickly, must have been either a 24hour bug, or he was drinking bath water again.

Scary! No one likes to see their kids sick, but even less when you are currently in the process of fighting for health insurance.

Well to make my day even better (sarcasm inserted here) Thursday night I slipped in the family room (Shawn neglected to tell methat Gabe spilt his water on the floor, he says my falling was 'karma' for giving Gabe a bigboy cup... yeah great husband eh?) and landed on my knee. Unfortunatly one's knee isnt supposed to bend the way it bent. Sheer and utter agony. Luckily no deformation and only a little swelling but omg the pain. And since we dont have insurance... cant even get that checked out.

Friday Shawn comes home from work throwing up... so I guess he caught Gabe's stomach virus. Yay. He was too sick to help me take care of the kids, so crippled me had to try and do everything once his mother left. I called her at 8:30am to help me out, she arrived at 12:30pm but at least she helped right? Getting the kids up and down the stairs made me cry from the pain, I STILL have to scoot on my butt to get down.

Saturday we were planning on going out with our friends, and Shawn was intent on going even with a sour stomach. I thought, oh boy I get to drink tonight since it hurts to drive and Shawn has a sour stomach. Boy was I wrong. Not only did Shawn get royally angry at me when I asked him to drive, he pretty much ignored me the whole night. Good thing Marcel came along so I had SOMEONE to talk to =p and Marc is always good for giving me attention when Shawn ignores me. So Shawn had two scorpion bowls, and I had a sip of Marc's beer. Joy. I could have used the alcohol to take the edge off the pain. Didnt help that a gaggle of kids decided to pole vault my bad knee in the crowded waiting area of the resteraunt.

Sunday, a VERY cold VERY rainy and windy day. We were supposed to go Punkin picking with the folks we went out to dinner with, including kids this time. Shawn decided he was going to be in a foul mood and snap at me constantly all morning. Hey I agree I am a slob and I am not a very good housekeeper, but I was vacuuming every day last week, even when I couldnt walk. So if he wants to get pissed at me for the mess in the house, he should see it if I didnt do ANYTHING to try and pick up after the kids. But no, I cant appease him when it comes to cleanliness.

So we left him at home and I packed up the kids, gimpy as I was, all bundled up for the cold. Picked out two punkins as fast as we possibly could and then went out for lunch. Gabe had a great time playing with Sherri and Jed's two sons, but especially Michael. Gabe just LOVES Michael. And of course Cait was a little angel... as long as we kept the pizza crusts coming. I had to take away her sippy to tighten the lid and BOY was she angry about that!

Now last night Cait was up at 1:30am wanting to play... and when I took her downstairs so Shawn could get some sleep, even tho I went to bed early and he did not, I somehow managed to twist my just starting to feel better knee. Oh my goodness, my vision went white. So today I am back to how I felt on Friday, I have a bunch of laundry that needs to be done and I KNOW I cant make it up and down the stairs with a laundry basket. Oh happy day, and if I ask Shawn to help me I am going to get an attitude since he is still pissy from this weekend.

Another day in Paradise >.<

That is my current mantra... for the past 4 days Caitlynn has decided she doesnt want to sleep past 11pm. and she isnt a very good napper anymore, just too much fun to be awake I guess. Well I think I have managed about 7 hours of sleep in the past 36 hours... which means not only am I exhausted, I am very very very cranky. Today I am a little more alert then yesterday... yesterday I didnt manage to get Gabe to go on the potty at all, I'd trip him then start to fall asleep while he played musical potties.

Part of it is Cait's teeth coming in, bottom two finally broke through and top two are on their way... but also I think she has been having nightmares. Last night she'd be screaming and kicking and writhing... but still be asleep. Talk about rough =( I finally brought her downstairs at around 2am and plopped her in her swing so Shawn could get some sleep. I thinks he slept in there for an hour while I dozed on the couch. Then we shlepped back upstairs. Of course once Gabe got up, Cait passed out in her porta crib... yikes.

Hoping I get Gabe on the potty mroe today, if I dont pass out on the couch again...

But I have to keep telling myself...
This too shall pass...

This is the time of year I love the most. Crisp weather, leaves changing color... and of course soup season. For me soup season is awesome - not only because we get all the free bread we want to go with the soup, but because soup on average is a cheap filling meal. During the summer, who wants to eat hot soup? But during the fall and winter... I can eat soup practically every day, and a pot of soup lasts for more then on meal!

So this week I decided to only plan for three dishes. Two of which are soups and one is a thrifty hearty meal. So we are going to be having:

Taco Bean Soup
Creamy Potato Cheese and Leek Soup
Enchiladas

All of these make quite a large amount of food, so it will keep us sated through the week. Thinking of maybe cooking some in the crock pot this week.

Now onto WoW news... I hate Tuesdays in general. This is the day the kids sleep in without fail... and yet WoW servers are down for maintence. i swear its a conspiracy =) I'll cope of course, hopefully get some beads glazed to be strung. Friend of mine is a nurse and requested one to hang her badge on. So maybe if the other nurses like it they will put in orders. I can hope right? Anyway... back to WoW since I digress.

I got my paladin to 70 last night, and sure there are millions of people who can level faster then I can, but hey I have other things to do >.>. I admit I am addicted to the silly game, but where else can you find cheaper entertainment? And even more so since some WONDERFUL friends gave me a year game subscription card for Christmas last year (and I still have until I think June on it!) So now I am trying to decide whether I should stay in Outlands to level until I finish the last 3 zones, or if I should just head off to Northrend with everyone else to trya nd level as fast as possible. GRanted I only work on him when he has rested exp (which is dwindling at this point) but I bounce between him and my shaman. She just reached 65 and still has a level and a half worth of rested on her.

I made Chal mainly so I could have a tank, I have never played a melee class in WoW past level 18 (not including the druid I powerleveled with Chal) so I think I am lacking in some understanding on how tanks work. That and well, I like to know how other classes work for when I raid lead, if I ever get back to it since my last one failed due to extensive absences.

I have some good friends willing to help me out at least =) but I dont know if I wanna just jump into Northrend... maybe I should, because then I can tank for PuGs and not feel bad when I suck miserably. Of course first I have to finish leveling my blacksmithing. So I won't be leaving Outlands until I mine enough Adamantine to be able to use the Cobalt that is prevelant in Northrend.

Lucky for me, friends of mine bombarded Vegonna, my engineer 65 shammy, with materials to get her engineering and jewelcrafting past the magical 350 point. So I dont have to worry about her too much, once she reaches 70 - Northrend is her destination =)

So anyway... I guess I shall return to real life. Sounds like Cait is up and ready to start her day, which means Gabe will be bouncing off the walls as well shortly.

Okay... so its Patch Day on WOW... and big surprise... the servers are messed up... frustrating since computer time is my zen time... and today was a loooooooong day.

Cait had her 6month today.. and Shawn didnt get home in time to watch Gabe... so yeah... had to take both of them. And unfortunatly the doctor that we go to is nowhere NEAR punctual with appointments. We had an appointment at 12:15 and we didnt leave until almost 2:30. Which is worse because they scheduled the appointment during nap time.

Rough. Well Gabe did behave, he was playing with a little girl in the waiting room. Then the ticklemonster was chasing him through the exam room. Cait of course was a little angel =) until she got her 3 shots... oh that still breaks my heart. Yet she still was easier to calm down then Gabe used to be.

So we stop at McDonalds for chickies onthe ride home, and Gabe was happy =)

I take Cait up to try to get her to nap a little, and when I come back downstairs, Shawn and Gabe are passed out on the couch cuddling each other. Oh boy I wish I had my camera handy. It was sooooooo cute!

But then I sit down to play some Warcraft... and OMG the lag is just horrible... if you can even get on. I am so tempted to just turn off the computer and go get a bottle of wine and read some novels... but yeah... the addiction is strong. I will sit in Vent and wait for the raid to be called >.> even tho I am a backup - at least I am reliable!

Well apparently I couldnt beat the sickness that is going around... Shawn has been sick for a week now - and the kidlets have been having minor cold symptoms as well. I, like usual, have been fighting it with taking my vitamins, drinking more water, and washing my hands lots and lots. Getting more rest then usual is out of the question... but hey, doing what I can. Two days ago I finally felt my body sucumbing. Started with a sore throat, then moved to body aches and last night... or rather 3am this morning the nausea. Vomitting, Schlotzkis, dry heaves... yeah not fun. Of course Cait was up at 2:30 wanting to play. Kat, in his half awake state, griped at me for staying up to play WoW. As if that is the reason I am sick, he's the one who brought this home ><

Anyway, no fever thank goodness, but man... anything I put into my stomach doesnt stay there long. And no, I am not pregnant again =p Seems like everytime I feel run down or sick that is the first question people ask!

Well if Cait doesnt nap today I am planning on working on some more glazed beads, getting the hang of using this melting pot. Plenty of room for improvement tho, I shall post some pictures later to show folks the difference in the beads. Hoping to try a few new techniques this weekend but we shall see how long this virus takes to run it's course. I am so lucky that my constitution improved immensly when I was pregnant with Gabe... Mommy's can't afford to be sick!

So yes I have been a bad meal planning momma for the past week. No Blog entries, no menus for those of us who are on a very limited budget... but it has been quite the hectic week. Yes we did do the Ramen recipes and yes they were surprisingly delicious and cheap! Although next time around I will definitely do more in the flavor department. But when you really have to pinch, ramen noodles are a filling and tasty way to stretch the budget... oh and they are VERY kid friendly. My son just adores 'oodles.

So one of the reasons this past week has been rough is because Gabe decided that he didnt want to be in his crib anymore. Ever. He was crawling out of the crib and making a ruckus during nap and bedtimes. That wasnt what worried me... what worried me was the fact he had some pretty impressive bruises from his climbing escapes. So we made the decision it was time to move him to a toddler bed. Man it is hard to accept that your baby boy is growing up... and I was worried about a lot more. Gabe has NEVER been a good sleeper, from the moment we brought him home fromt he hospital he was little caffeine baby. (And to think I barely drank any caffeine while I was pregnant or breastfeeding) So how would he handle sleeping when he wasnt confined. Las Vegas made me cringe... he barely slept at all that whole week. But his safety was first concern.

SO I was happy enough just making his crib into the toddler bed, but then we'd have to buy a crib for Cait... so It was either buy a crib or buy a toddler bed. Toddler bed it was. I researched a bunch of beds and figured we'd just get a little wooden one like my parents have.

Enter Linda.

Now my mother-in-law is a very generous and loving person... but she is a bit scattered and VERY impulsive. Thats for another post... she decided that she wanted to buy the toddler bed. Which was good news to me since we are still VERY strapped for money... so she went to Toys R Us and looked at the toddler beds... and she picked out the two that she wanted to pick from. A car shaped bed or a Thomas the Tank Engine bed...

Now Gabe LOVES cars and trains... but trains are his favorite. Everytime he visits my parents he immediatly upon entering the house takes Gaggee by the hand and leads him to the basement door. My father has a train setup down there.

Since MIL was picking up the tab... we went for the Thomas bed. This was Friday night, I didnt want to wait too long because of risk of injury to Gabe... but we got home from the store too late on Friday to put it together immediatly. Gabe was crushed. I made the mistake of bringing the boxes in on Friday so Gabe saw the picture. First thing Saturday morning he ran to the box and hugged it. He was so excited. My siblings warned me that a 'play' bed was not a wise decision and I was very skeptical about it, but hey... maybe this would make him WANT to sleep? (okay my brother corrected me... they warned me it was impractical ;) )

So after Shawn put the bed together we brought Gabe up to see it... the entire time Shawn was piecing the bed together Gabe was chanting Daddy Datata (which is his word for train, think the train sound) We brought him upstairs and his face lit up. He practically squealed and ran to hug his Thomas bed. He collected all his favorite stuffed animals and even ran downstairs to grab Froggie. He spent a good hour playing on his bed before I made him come downstairs for dinner. He was not pleased.


Bedtime we brought him upstairs and did his normal routine. It took him a long while to settle down, but we let him have his freedom. About an hour later we checked on him, he was passed out on the floor next to the bed. We giggled then put him back in bed. The morning dawned with Gabe tearing apart his room and finding everything we thought we took out... think qtips with the cotton ripped off.

Naptime... we were dreading it. He is a terror when he doesnt nap. So we do the usual routine and then put him in his room for quiet time. We placed a child knob lock on the inside of his door. We have VERY steep stairs and worry about him falling down. We left him a sippy and a couple of books, not to mention the trains he has in his room. He actually took about an hour nap! Sure it wasnt as much as he needed, but he actually took a nap in his bed!


Yesterday he took almost a 3 hour nap in his bigboy bed without us having to take his toys away! And last night he actually fell asleep *IN* the bed instead of on the floor. I think maybe this transition was harder for me then for him. I went in this morning and there he was, playing on his bed with his stuffed animals, no clothing ripped from the drawers, although there was chalk drawings all over Thomas and his wall.. but whats a little chalk for peace of mind that your son is safe!

So I want to say... the first piece of advice I give any friend who is pregnant or wants to be... Follow your Instincts. *YOU* know your baby better then any well wisher be they inlaw, friend, grandparent, book, or some wacko off the street who thinks they are a better parent then you. Once I decided to follow that philosophy life was better at home. I kept trying to get DS to 'conform' to what the books and my friends said he should be like. DS is an individual with his own personality. Sure he is a clingy mommas boy right now, but that won't last forever. And honestly, how many parents wish they held their children LESS when they are all grown up? They are only so little and dependant on you for such a short time, why force them to grow up faster?

My first biggest beef was with breastfeeding. Now I am an avid lactating mommy but it was not easy to get to the comfortable spot I am in. When I first started with DS I really didnt know anyone who breastfed. My mom didnt, my MIL didnt, really didnt have many friends with kids and the ones who did weren't lactating mommas. So I was kinda doing it without a whole lotta support. When we finally hit the 8week mark it was no longer painful and hard, it began a whole new set of bonding that I do miss with DS. However, since DS was clingy from the getgo (I think he had some medical problems to do with GERD. The Ped didnt believe me but looking back I really think that was half the problem) folks said it was because I was breastfeeding and holding him too much. I am sorry but I feel that breastmilk is the best food for a growing baby, although some can't do what I did it was just the right fit for our family. after I started ignoring those comments I became comfortable in a natural process and no longer got antsy and tried to find a place to hide to feed my son.

At 6 months folks said, okay he is starting solids, time to wean him. I said no way. Not only did I love the experience, it was comforting to both of us when he got sick, or hurt himself. Sure he had to eat more often then a formula baby, but I also got to cuddle him while I slept. Of course snotty comments would follow about me coddling and spoiling, and how he'd never sleep through the night. Once more, ignored!

10 months and DS started sleeping through the night. We had to take a rougher approach then most attachment parents because of the fact I was losing my mind. DS wasn't happy if I was home and he wasnt occupying my entire attention. And he was starting to get too heavy to carry around in his Moby wrap all day. 3 days of sleeping on the floor in his bedroom finally saw him sleeping through the night without needing to cuddle in bed with his parents. A milestone that folks said would never happen because I held him too much and I nursed him too much... What is with all the 'too much' when there are so many kids out there with 'too little' be it affection, food, shelter etc.

Then a year came along and the same thing started. Heck I would get people completely shocked that I was still nursing at a year. When did breastfeeding become everyone's business anyway? DS wasnt ready to wean, I wasn't ready to wean, so we didnt.

At 18 months I stopped BF around people, was too tired of the stinkeye and the negative comments. Neither of us were ready to wean and DS nursed more for comfort then nutrition. Of course no one seems to remember that it is recommended to nurse for 2 years. Of course about that time I was pregnant with DD. And while some folks tandem nurse a toddler and a newborn I knew that wasnt going to be for me. And if I ended up with another one like DS that would be simply torture. So at 20 months, 2 months before DD was due, I weaned him. We did it gradually, I didnt make him and I quit cold turkey. It wasnt easy, but it wasnt impossible. It helped to remind DS that now he could eat chickies and pasta and fruits... and lots of other yummy stuff. He only asked to nurse once after DD was born, and I let him try, but he lost interest right away. See, they all grow up eventually =)

Now with DD, since she is so much easier then DS was... I am not getting the negative feedback... even though I am not doing anything different for DD. I hold her a lot, I nurse her, I sleep with her by my side. She used to sleep all night with DH and me, but she much prefers her space when she sleeps. Sure she doesnt need me as much as DS did, but I am grateful since DS is still a clingy boy and loves his momma above all else. Folks just need to remember, DH included, that kids arent copies, they are unique manuscripts with their own personalities, their own ways of doing things and my mantra, something a friend from WoW told me...

This too shall pass.

So DD has always been easier then DS was... DS was to be blunt, demonbaby. People were VERY surprised when I said I was pregnant with number two... since they knew number 1 was such a handful. The differences in their personalities are so very apparent. While DS is high maintence, DD is very low key (usually) and while DS thinks sleeping is unimportant, although he gets VERY crabby when he goes without, DD seems to enjoy it.

Well as you may have read... after Vegas it was rough, no one wanted to sleep. Partially because of DD's eczema, the time shift and a cold we all picked up. But Sunday DD ended up taking an almost 3 hour nap by herself and then went to bed... and slept for 8 hours! She did wake up about 3 times but I was able to rub her back and she fell back asleep. After 8 hours I figured she was hungry and just pulled her into bed with me. And last night she did the same! Sure I still wake up at every little whimper and cry but its a huge step forward for us! She even put herself to sleep last night with just about 5 minutes of fussing. I guess with her able to put the pacifier in her mouth on her own helps, when she can find it that is. Also since she is turning over on her own, the fact that she can sleep on her belly probably helps too.

Pretty soon I guess we will have to consider when to move her from her PacknPlay to a crib in her brother's room. Okay maybe in a couple more months =) I kinda enjoy having her so close... they grow up so very fast.