Birthday Suit Love

It has been discovered that my little boy prefers to be out of his clothes rather then in them. Any opportunity he has to be nude, he will take it and "run".

A couple of weeks ago my mom was watching Drew and was changing his diaper on the living room floor. My FIL had to come home from work since our heat was acting up when we had a power failure in the neighborhood, so he was in the basement working on the heating device. He called upstairs to my mom and asked if the heat was on and needed paper towels. So, my mom left Drew on the floor with NOTHING on his bottom half to run down paper towels to my FIL. She came back upstairs to find Drew in the kitchen, army crawling his way through the house. Yes, she got pictures, but I can't show them, but he was happy as a clam to be naked and getting around!! I asked her what was her logic (through my giggles and amazement) and she said "I thought he'd lay right there" since he just work up. Um, ok mom!

Other times while we are changing him on the floor, since he disputes being on his changing table, he tries so hard to get away when the diaper is off his little bottom.

So last night, Drew had a messy diaper and he had to be stripped down to nothing so I could clean him up. It was very close to bath time, so I didn't want to put a new diaper on him and within 15 minutes take it off and it most likely wouldn't be used. So, I wrapped a burp cloth around his little waste as best I could and brought him into the living room so I can clean up the changing table area.

My FIL was in the living room and was shocked that I brought him in the family room with a burp cloth hanging off of him to sit in there while I cleaned. I said, hey he's not complaining and left the room. By the time I came back to get him for his bath (maybe 5 minutes later) he was in his toy tub, naked with the burp cloth sitting in the middle of the room all alone. Drew was in heaven. He was naked and playing with his toys. It was hilarious! Shortly after I scooped him up for his bath time.

All I can say is we will be in so much trouble when he learns to take his clothes and diaper off himself!!

Timeline Thursday

Help me! Break me out of here!! 1/22

Relaxing in the living rm 1/23

Hanging out at supper 1/24

Double Trouble 1/25

Playing with my highchair toy 1/26

Ooh, whats in here? 1/27

Climbing at day care 1/28

The Lost Symbol

This is the 3rd book in the Dan Brown series with Robert Langdon as the main character. This poor guy comes across more situations where he's in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he's the man for the job.

This time, Professor Langdon is on a mission to uncover the secrets of the Masons to assist his long time friend Peter Soloman who has been kidnapped by a lunatic who thinks he should use the hidden powers to make himself a god like creature.

The novel has its far fetched ideas about religion vs. science, but it twists into the plot of the Mason's hidden secrets.

The book was well written, with page turning scenarios with each character, but I felt the story could have ended a little sooner then it had after the villain in the story had found his destiny. But, over all it was a good read!!

Microphone Check 1-2-3

The other day, my son made me laugh so hard, I thought I was going to wet my pants. There was one point where I couldn't breath I had laughed so hard.

We had picked up a plastic microphone with a spring in it that would help the toy appear to be real while you sang into it. The toy was taken out of its package and passed around the adults to show Drew what to do. When it was Drew's turn, he just held it at first while looking at Grandpy. Then all of a sudden, Drew started grunting while holding the microphone up to his mouth. The grunting involved his entire body for assistance. His while body tensed up and shook while he was "singing" into his new toy.

I was laughing hysterically. I couldn't stop laughing while he was trying so hard to sing like we did into this thing.

Over the weekend I realized my abs were hurting and it dawned on me, it was from laughing so hard at Drew. It was priceless! The pain was so worth it!!

7 Teeth

Drew has been teething for a little while now. He has been working on 5 teeth coming in all at once since mid-December. It has been hard on his little system, on him in general and on us.

He had two teeth already before his new arrivals. It was all of a sudden, his upper gums around his front teeth area started to swell up and so we figured he was getting 4 teeth all at once. Then all of a sudden another bottom tooth appeared which made the new amount to be five.

The new bottom tooth popped through in no time after it was discovered. Then his right upper front tooth and side tooth appeared. We've been waiting for his other upper front tooth and side tooth to join us, but they've been very stubborn. Then, within the past couple of days, we started to see the two teeth starting to come through. This morning, we noticed little white teeth coming through Drew's little swollen gums. Yeah, they have arrived!!

Now, the little guy has 7 teeth. I hope things quite down for a little while before the next round starts!!

Timeline Thursday

O-R-E-O

It has been discovered, Drew likes sweets. I know its hard to imagine when his mommy thinks chocolate should be a major food group.

I was hesitant about our little experiment, but Jeff really wanted to see what Drew would do with an Oreo. I rolled my eyes and said, fine as Jeff was handing Drew a cookie.

Well, let me tell you....I have not seen Drew concentrate on a food item as much as he did with this cookie. He took big boy bites, chewed and treated the cookie like it was a piece of Fillet Mignon! It was amazing to watch. The cookie did fall apart towards the end, but he treated that treat with respect and I could tell he was enjoying every bite.

Jeff can't wait for the time when he can teach Drew how to dunk an Oreo in a tall glass of milk.

Ok Already

Its voting day in Massachusetts today. Its a special vote for the late Edward Kennedy senator's seat. On today's ballot its just to vote for the next senator to fill his "seat" and nothing else. No questions, nothing just to pick the next senator.

And let me tell you, I can't be happier it will be over shortly. Its nothing about the political side of things, its just the ruthless acts of the candidates. Its not really all of them (there are three) but between two, Brown and Coakley (the third candidate is Joe Kennedy). They are bickering at one another on commercials and radio ads. They go back and forth, one commercial is for Brown, the other is for Coakley, all saying how bad the other one is. This has been going on for a few weeks now. And its not just one each, its several between the two in one commercial session.

Then, the past few days, its been non-stop with phone calls. Its not even this bad with local elections or even the presidential elections. It went over the top yesterday for the two main candidate "camps". Between them all, we received 8 phone calls pushing for "their" candidate within a short amount of time. Enough already! Stop harassing me!! I know there is an election and I already know who I was going to vote for, so stop trying to pressure me! As it was, I had the day off and I was trying to rest and the darn phone kept ringing! Don't they know it was a holiday??!!

Well anyway, the election will be over this evening, and I couldn't be happier, it just seemed to be more catty this election then past years. Its just so childish to see our commonwealth leaders act that way and be able to represent the common people on our issues. Sigh!!

Right Now Wish Items

Since I shared my large item wish list, now its time to reveal my right now wish list. This list is all about things I'd love to happen right now. Its not much, but to me it would be the best thing to happen these days.

1. Drew to Sleep through the night.
This is a daily request to my little boy, but he still wakes up in the middle of the night. Now-a-days it could be from teething since he crys out in his sleep, but then an hour shy of waking up for the day, he's awake. I consider up for the day at 5am. So, if he would just sleep to 5am or later, it would be fantastic!!

Well, that's about it!! We are in the process of trying techniques, taking suggestions and just listening to my inner voice on how to sooth the little guy to sleep through the night. I do have to say, he has slept for 4 nights all through the night, but I would like some more please!!

9 Months Already

Little Mr. D has turned 9 months old. Its hard to imagine already and time will just continue to fly by. Every day he is learning new tricks, growing into his own little personality and just loving life.

Drew now has 5 teeth showing, with two still on the way. His poor little gums have been swollen for those other two teeth for some time now, so I hope for his sake they come soon.

He is moving so quickly with his army crawling and any day now, he will blast off on his hands and knees to get around. Just today he was trying to figure out what to do while up and rocking back and forth. He moved ever so slightly with his hands and knees, but then would quickly flop back on his belly. Drew's also trying to pull himself up on things, he can get his upper body off the ground, but he hasn't figured out how to pull his lower body under him.

When you hold his hands while he is standing up, he tries to pull away, but he can't stand alone yet, but he really wants too. We try to have him walk a little and he hesitates while moving his feet a little, but we have some work to do in that department.

He said da-da first a couple of months ago and has been non-stop with it. Just this last couple of weeks he's been saying ma-ma more and more. It just melts my heart when he says it!!

Drew is doing so well. I can't wait to experience all the new things he will figure out this month. I keep telling him he has to get a job, but that isn't sinking in yet. Maybe next month!!

Big Item Wish List

Everyone has a wish list. You may call it something different, but essentially we all have some sort of list (large or small) that we hope to be able to accomplish someday.

This list is my big item list. These are items that I hope to someday achieve, but just not in the near future because of a certain restrictions called, lack of funds and Drew being too young.

The accomplishment I'd like to achieve for my family in the relative near future is purchasing a pop-up camper. Jeff and I love to camp and hopefully so will Drew. Zack is on the fence about it, but at the moment, if we go, he has to go. My thoughts are, if we get a pop-up, it has a little more shelter then a tent if the weather doesn't corporate and gives the family room to move around rather then being stuck in a tent if its raining. Its not so much fun when its raining, in a tent and have a kid around. I so would love a pop-up camper.

The next thing on my large item wish list is a trip to Disney World. This wouldn't be something we would do next year or the year after, I would hope to do this trip when Drew is around 5 years old. I would love to stay in the Fort Wilderness area so we can camp while we are at Disney (and another reason I would love a pop-up trailer). Drew could be a little older too, but I want to go when the magic is still there for him while at the Disney park. I also hope that Zack would want experience this with us too, if he wants to go. There are things to do there for older kids, I just hope he won't think he's TOO old.

And last but not least, a lovely Hawaiian Cruise. I know this won't happen for a long time, but Jeff and I really want to go back and what better way to see more then one island then a cruise. If the boys want to join us too, so be it. It would be great to have the whole family together, cruising the beautiful waters of Hawaii and explore the islands together.

So, keep those dreams alive since you never know when your wishes may come true......

Timeline Thursday

C is for Cookie, That's Good Enough for Me!

I grew up watching Sesame Street. I know most people in my generation did (and still may). I know I turned out alright with the help of the big yellow bird, the green grouch and that blue guy who loves cookies. Matter of fact, I remember going to see one of my first movies with my dad called "Follow that Bird" starring Big Bird in the early 80's. Sesame Street helped me learn the basics.

These days there is Elmo and few other characters, but you really don't hear too much about the 40 year old show unless you look for it. A couple of weeks ago I had stumbled across a Sesame Street Greatest hits CD for Drew. I picked it up to give him some music variety in the car instead of listening to his Fisher Price music all the time.

Let me tell you, those songs brought back so much! I forgot how much fun and carefree the music was, never mind the lessons. So, I am going to try and expose Drew to the Sesame Street gang as long as I can find it on TV for now and see if he enjoys it, then the DVD purchases will begin.

I know parents are the number one key for kids early education, but these "pre-school" shows like Sesame Street, Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer and so many others out there give the kids a new way of learning with a fun and entertaining way that parents sometimes can't provide. I just hope Drew likes Sesame Street as much as I did when I was a kid.

What to do? What to do?

I'm a planner. I like to think ahead. Sometimes that is a good thing and other times, it makes for a nerve racking, hair pulling, headache sort of adventure.

My newest task to tackled is Drew's first birthday party. I know we are 3 months away from celebrating this huge achievement, but I'd like to start planning since if I don't, it would drive me crazy.

My huge roadblock in my planning is, what type of party do I do? I don't have a huge house, so my large family will not fit comfortably inside. Since his big day is in April, it is possible that while living in New England, we could have a snow storm outside so I don't want to plan for something in our backyard. I won't be able to afford renting a hall since things are tight already, but his birthday falls right after the Easter holiday and our Virginia trip to visit Zack.

So, I've been contemplating just having our usual birthday guests over to the house for cake and pizza with Wonder Pets decorations. I'm so worried about upsetting my extended family since they won't be invited or able to squeeze in for a party. I don't want to assume that the extended family will get anything for Drew, but most likely they will for his first birthday, so what do I do? I feel horrible even thinking about not having everyone together, but I'm financially strapped.

This is one predicament that won't solve itself anytime soon.

Fort Making: 101

Step 1: Find an object to hide under

Step 2: Try not to be seen

Step 3: Have an escape route

Step 4: Get caught while having fun

I was home yesterday with a sinus pressure headache and exhaustion. I very grateful it was my mother's day to come over and watch Drew since I didn't have to leave the house in the morning to bring him to daycare.

While I was laying on the couch in the early afternoon hours, Drew was in his crib attempting to take a nap. He was a little fussy since he was fighting the tired wave that was hitting him hard, but we wanted to see if he would actually fall asleep.

A short time after, my mom was in the kitchen and I was still on the couch when I heard silence coming from Drew's room and a weird sliding noise. I sprang from my spot and peeked in his room. I had to walk quickly out of his room with my mouth covered so I wouldn't laugh hysterically in his presence. I found my mom and told her she HAD to look in on Drew. She gave me with a puzzled look and then poked her head in the room. She could not believe her eyes and just stood there with her mouth open.

My darling little boy had pulled his changing table mat off of his changing table that is right next to his crib. He pulled the mat off by its buckle (that is used to secure the baby to the mat) that must have slipped from underneath earlier in the day. Usually, its hidden to avoid these situations.

But, it was too funny to watch him play with the mat just like it was a brand new toy. I just shook my head and thought to myself, oh boy are we in trouble!

Timeline Thursday

Room Transformation

Drew's first birthday is only a few months away. I can't believe that he'll be a big boy in no time.

With that, I was thinking of re-doing his room. Since we were able to move Zack's part of the shared boys room into our finished basement, that left a lot of wall space uncovered in the room.

I didn't want to continue the frog theme that was placed on Drew's side of the room for his baby theme since he's moving into the toddler stage. So, I have decided on the much loved Winnie the Pooh. I have a few posters I could hang along with the photo's of his family, but that left a huge bare wall unattended too.

I have been looking for something to place on that wall for a couple of weeks now. I have thought of a few ideas, but shot them down since it would take too many pieces to come together. Now my next idea is to paint a mural. Yup, I'm crazy!!

I was nervous about drawing on the wall, since I haven't ever done that. I was so nervous to be able to accurately place all the details where they needed to make the characters look like Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and the gang. So, I've come across a seller on ebay that has traceable murals for the wall. Perfect!! Now, I just have to figure out what scene I want to paint. I'm so excited!!

We Are Family

While Zack was here right before Christmas, my FIL requested that all of his grand kids have a photo session together. I thought it was a great idea!!

So, a date and time was suggested by my FIL to all and it all worked out great!

All the kids during the photo shoot were wonderful which made things run so smoothly. The kids from left to right, Drew, Zack, Ally and Jayden.

Maybe next time, we will get the entire family in for a photo shoot. We were thinking about doing it this time, but not all the parents were available. So, maybe in the summer we will have a group photo session. Yeah!

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho Its off to work I go.......

Its back to work time for me. I had a lovely week off from work, and now its come to an end. I feel so relaxed, laid back and rejuvenated, I guess its time to go back. I just hope this wonderful feeling doesn't leave too quickly!

It'll be an interesting few months here at work too. Our current boss is leaving for another school and we will be in the process of interviewing a new supervisor shortly. Our second in command will be taking over in the mean time, but it'll be interesting to see the process happening.

Its budget time here at work too and let me tell you, its not my favorite time of year. Those large numbers scare the pants off me, it makes me so stressed out so I hope it doesn't drive me crazy too much this year.

Other then, so far it looks like a great year at work. Lets keep our fingers crossed for all of us to keep our jobs in this economy for the New Year!!

2010, Here We Come

Wishing you and your family, a happy and healthy New Year!!