Potty Training

The other day I asked Garrett when he was going to start going pee pee on the potty. I said how about when you are 3, he said "uhm, never?" lol!! I am hoping he will be ready sooner rather then later!!

Garrett O'Banion

Everyday we are just amazed at the things he says and does, it's different then when he was a new born, but it's still almost daily he'll say something and I'm just amazed. He understands his name really well, Garrett O'Banion. Yesterday he did something I didn't like and I said, Garrett Wayne, and he looked at me and said, "i not garrett wayne, i garrett o'banion". Lol, no matter how hard I tried he did not believe me that wayne is his middle name!!

Christmas

It's been a busy week for us! The 23rd we had dinner with some friends. Garrett & Grace played pretty well together, I think Garrett forgets (or doesn't really understand), that she's half his age. He's a little rough for her, but in the end, she kissed him pretty thoroughly and tried to bite his foot!! He loves his "Baby Grace" though.

The 24th we had dinner at Matt's uncles, and Heather came to visit. Poor thing, it took her 7.5 hours to get here from Dallas! The roads were so bad, for 2 hours she just sat in park on the Hwy. Our night was pretty uneventful. Garrett got to play Santa and opened a few presents. We were both still feeling pretty crappy so we didn't stay late.

Christmas morning was fun. I'm pretty sure Garrett walked right past the tree and didn't even see that Santa had come! When he came in our room he was just so excited that Daddy was still in bed, when we asked if Santa had come he had no idea! He loved opening presents, even wanted to open ours too, which we didn't mind at all. He didn't get an overabundance of gifts this year, but he doesn't know the difference and he seemed to really like what he got.

On the 26th, we went to Matt's parents and celebrated with Matt's family, Garrett & I were both feeling so much better, and he loved playing with Ryan, so he had a blast. Of course, he got to open more presents! He asked me today if he would be getting more presents, lol! I don't think he gets that Santa only comes once a year.

Heather stayed until Sunday afternoon. Garrett got a bike for Christmas and he has just loved riding it. Well, yesterday he & i went to the park, it was freezing and we weren't dressed right at all! But, on the way home he says, "momma, we forgot to wake Aunt Header", he thought we had just left her at home in bed!

29 weeks

Somehow I got a week off on my Dr's appt, my ob says it's because she's off next week and didn't want to wait 3 weeks to see me, so now I'll be going on odd weeks.

According to her scale I lost 1 pound :) lol, so I am 19 pounds at 29 weeks, I am so happy about that!! I can still wear my rings and tie my shoes, I do feel better with this pregnancy then with Garrett, the weight gain and swelling were so bad with him, maybe that means this one is a girl :)

She finally let me talk to her about picking a date, I told her Feb 22 or 23 would be perfect for me and why and she said, ok, I can live with that :) She said we'll discuss it more as I get closer, but tentatively it looks like this baby has a birthdate!!!!

It's been a bit of a rough weekend, Garrett has been so sick and I've got a touch of it, she gave me some antibiotics to be safe and Garrett has a Dr's appt at 2pm. I was debating with him, but when I told her his symptoms, she said take him in. She's worried about h1n1, I'm not, but I promised her I'd take him in, so we are going. Of course, it's right at nap time, so that's never good, but what can i do?!?!

Garrett's Dr said it's just a nasty virus, she gave me some rx cough medicine to help with the cough and congestion. Should have gone with my gut & saved myself $30!!

28 weeks

I had my second ultrasound yesterday. My parents are here visiting and they were able to come with me. So, it was Garrett, Grandma, Grandpa & me all in the little ultrasound room! My parents loved seeing the baby, they were very happy they were able to be here for that moment. Everything is good. The baby is 2.7 pounds, I've gained another 4 this month, so we are both right on track. The Dr said again, she will deliver me at about 38 or 39 weeks, so I have only about 10 weeks to go :) The heartbeat is very strong. All in all it was a great checkup for the baby.

This is the first time Garrett has ever gone to the OB with me, he wasn't too sure about the u/s, the tech let him sit on the table with me, he laid with his head on my shoulder for part of it and told her not to hurt his momma. She let him help move the probe around my stomach, but he wasn't too interested in the black & white tv monitor, he did like hearing the heartbeat though. The funniest thing was when we went into the exam room, he wanted to sit on the exam table and I'll be damned if he didn't put his feet in the stirrups!! I laughed SO hard. It was hilarious! He also used a tongue depressor and some crazy over sized q-tip. Then he wanted me to measure his tummy and he measured mine. He was very entertained while we waited for the Dr. After she checked me out, Garrett wanted her to check his tummy, so he laid on the table again. I think he likes the OB!!

I start going every 2 weeks now, hard to believe i'm that far along already.

Third trimester

I have one book that says 27 weeks is the third trimester and another that says 28 weeks is, so I'm not really sure if i'm in my third trimester or not!

27 weeks

It is official, I am now in my third trimester! Not much to report. I am right on track with weight gain, I am very proud of myself this time. I go for my second ultrasound next Thursday, my parents will be here so they will be able to meet the little one. Some minor swelling starting, my rings are getting tighter and tighter, although with this cold weather, it's been better the last few days. I have to keep asking Garrett if he's cold because I'm so warm, he thinks it's funny and just says "I fine, momma". I am excited that I only have about 10 weeks or so to go, not 13!! Now, if we could just agree on some names!!

Sky Fiber

After 3 weeks and 2 interviews, I finally got a call......I did not get the job. Apparently they made an offer to another candidate yesterday, so when I called to inquire they were scrambling with what to tell me. The other candidate called back and accepted the job this morning so they called to tell me sorry. He did say if the other candidate hadn't accepted they were going to offer it to me. Oh well.

Trip to the mall

Garrett & I decided to go hang out at the mall today. I had to return an outfit of his and since it's so cold out, I thought he could get some exercise. Of course, I parked at the wrong Dillard's! But, he walked right with me all through the mall, when I was returning his outfit, he was hiding in the clothes rack right next to me, or so I thought! When I was done, the sales girl and I couldn't find him anywhere!! She called security immediately, and thankfully, there was no one else in the store. I figured he was just right there in the toddler girls section, I looked everywhere, we checked the dressing rooms, the boys section, shoes, etc. I was trying so hard not to panic. We were all calling his name, nothing. They found him all the way at the other end of the store! A good 3 departments over, hiding in a clothes rack. I managed to not freak out and only started crying when they brought him over to me. He said, "I was just playing hide & seek, why are you crying, momma?". So innoccent! I didn't know whether to hug him or yell at him! I choose to hug him, tight! He just kept saying, "why are you crying". I explained why I was crying and that when we are in the stores, he must stay by momma because it scares her when he runs off and leaves her. He said ok, I have no idea if he really got it though. I think so, when we were leaving the mall, he said "i stay by momma, so she's not scared".

Happy Thanksgiving

We hosted Thanksgiving this year. It was a lot of fun, it's always a lot of work, but things went really well, no major hiccups. Matt's cousin, Kelley, and her family were able to join us from Colorado this year, and the kids all had a blast running around and playing. Of course, I was busy and didn't get any pictures :( In all, it was a great day. My only complaint is all the flies that have moved in! We had the back door open and now I have a small infestation of flies & no idea how to get rid of them.

I am very thankful for my family and friends. This year has shown as some hardships, with me losing my job and we've seen our real friends come through. It's been a blessing being able to be home with Garrett and really spend time with him. And of course, we are ecstatic about the baby coming. In all it's been a great year, and I can't wait to see what the next year brings us.

Update on Matt

Exactly one week ago, Matt hurt his back. He came home from work, went to the gym & when he got home said his lower back was tight, we decided to get a jump start on our Thanksgiving cleaning, he wanted to wipe down all our kitchen cabinets, well, as he bent down to wipe off the last one, he pulled a muscle in his back! Stubborn, stubborn man drove himself to the ER at 3:30 in the morning after arguing with me that he could not wait until a decent hour so we could find someone to looks after Garrett & I could drive him. Thankfully, the closest ER is literally at the entrance to our subdivision, so he didn't have to drive far and never had to accelerate much. The Dr told him it was bad muscle spasms and prescribed Motrin 800mg, they weren't working and Monday when he had to literally crawl into the bathroom, we called his Dr, they did x-rays and said yes, it is just a bad muscle spasm, but prescribed some muscle relaxers and pain meds to go with the Motrin. Each day he got a little better, but he decided to spend the week at home. Normally, i would think this is great, but with how much we had to do, it wasn't so great! I ended up doing the majority of the cleaning myself, which was what we were trying to avoid. By Wednesday he was doing well enough to help me cook and with the floors, so that was good. And of course, he is fine now, he is hunting with Chris and couldn't be happier! The Dr did say he might want to get an MRI to see if there's more disk damage to his back, but Matt decided to wait, since if they tell him he needs surgery he isn't going to do it right now anyways, so why pay a small fortune for the MRI. Since his other surgery he hasn't been able to work out and has been eating too much, so he thinks it's just the lack of exercise and weight gain. He's hoping Monday to get back to working out and see if that helps things any.

Garrett's room

It is not done, but I am so tired of painting that we've declared it done for right now! We need to get some accessories, a book case, drapes, bedding etc, but while I am unemployed, this may have to wait. The wall with the road still needs some work, I want to paint lines, becasue you can't really tell it's a road, and Garrett's name needs to be hung up. But, here's some pictures of where it's at now. He loves his room and has rediscovered some toys that have been in his closet, and he's really enjoyed that! He's napping better in there too, it's a bit darker, which is great! He does wake up a tad earlier because it faces the street so I think he hears the cars in the morning, mainly Matt's truck!

Glucose test

I had to go back to the Dr's today for a 3 hour glucose test, since my blood sugar was a little too high Tuesday, but it looks like it was a false negative. After 2 hours, they sent me home, my levels were so low, they weren't at all concerned. Yay!

24 week checkup

I had my 24 week check up today, the Dr is very pleased with how things are going. According to her scale I've gained 12 pounds so far, with Garrett, at 24 weeks I had gained 24 pounds, so a big improvement there. My iron levels are back up, so I'm doing good there too. Today was the 1 hr glucose test and I failed :( The cutoff is 140, I was right at 140, so I go back Thursday for a second test, this one for 3 hours. Matt wasn't too thrilled, since he has to stay home with Garrett, but it wasn't my fault! My next appointmnet is December 10, my parents will be here, so they will be able to attend my second ultrasound! I'm very excited. I have decided it's a boy, but everyone around me still thinks girl, so I guess we will see. The Dr, today, even said a girl, based on my weight gain and HR. She swears she doesn't know what it is, that's just her guess.

She also convinced me to get the h1n1 vaccine, now I just need to get Garrett his.

Life with a toddler

I haven't written in a while, I guess there's not much going on. I did have a job interview this week, i didn't write because I was invited for a second interview, so there's not much to say, yet. Although I did interview with Kohl's, I did not get a call back, so I'm guessing they choose not to hire me. We had decided I wouldn't accept the job, but still, how depressing that I can't get hired in retail! But, it was $7.25 and hr, 15 hours a week, just not worth it!

I'm 24 weeks, but I go to the Dr on Tuesday for my glucose test, so I'll have more news then.

Life with Garrett is fun as usual! We went grocery shopping yesterday and he was riding in the car cart and grabbed a chocolate cake mix when I wasn't looking! I didn't notice until we got home because someone helped unload the groceries, they were busy and I guess this was to speed things up, so I didn't notice until we got home! I'm pretty sure it was $1 or something like that, so I'm not upset, I just laughed when I saw it!!

I need to write more about Garrett, i measured him earlier this week, he's now 38.5 inches, so he did go through a growth spurt, which explains why all his pants are too short! He can still wear 2T shirts with no problem, but he is definitely a 3T in pants now. He is losing that baby shape, he's lost that pot belly, he's much more long and lean now, you can see his ribs and his spine. He's not terribly skinny, but you can see his body shape changing.

we are still having trouble with nap & bedtime, I'm just not sure what to do about it all! I'm hoping it's a phase and he eventually just grows out of it, but I'm sure tired of fighting with him! We alternate doing bedtimes. Last night G was laying on our bed watching a little tv and I reminded Matt it was his turn, he laughed and said let him sleep there, I'll sleep in his bed! That's how much "fun" bedtime is right now. It used to be my favorite thing of the day, not anymore!

He is just a sweet heart though, he loves to hug and kiss, he loves to hold my hand, he wants to help me do everything. He is my shadow. And he takes after me in the talking department, pretty mucha s long as he's awake, he's talking! People think I exagerate, but we were at dinner last night with Matt's family, Ryan brought a friend and he just kept laughing at Garrett, he finally said, man he talks a lot!! So, it's not just Matt & I that feel that way.

Happy Halloween

We had a great time on Halloween. Garrett dressed up as Spiderman, he liked trying to shoot webs from his hands. He had a blast. We went to a fall festival before we went trick or treating, it was in our neighborhood, he had a lot of fun, they had a ton of games geared towards kids and well, you just couldn't lose, so he always got candy! On our way back to the house, we trick or treated, and G loved it! One house scared him, it was decorated pretty well! Matt left us near the house and went to pass out candy, while Garrett and i finished up, then we went back home. He was getting tired by then, but after a little snack and some milk, he had SO much fun handing the candy out. He would rub to the curb and say "coming?" and then race back to us at the porch so he could give candy away.

I forgot my camera when we went to the festival, so I don't have many pictures at all. sorry! I have a couple of our great pumpkins though!

Fishing with PaPa

On Friday, Matt, his Dad, and Garrett went fishing. It was really cold that morning, and sadly they didn't get any fish, but they had a lot fo fun!

"get up, momma"

I've pretty much thrown in the towel on potty training. He has been asking to wear underwear lately, which i think is a great sign, but not peeing in the underwear seems to be something he's not ready to master! He has decided the best place to poop is under the kitchen table with all the chairs pulled in. Today, I'm sitting there eating lunch and he comes and kind of run/slides under the table and pulls all the chairs in, but i'm sitting in the 4th. He says momma, move. And i refused until he asked me nicely, finally, he sticks his head out and says, "get up, momma, PLEASE"!! How could i resist? Maybe if i put the potty under the table he'll use it??

ultrasound & surgery

Yesterday was a big day for us. I had my 20 week ultrasound and Matt had some much needed surgery on his lower back. Honestly, other then waiting around for Dr's ALL day, everything went great.

The ultrasound was so fun. I asked a ton of questions just to drag it out a little, we had waited almost an hour due to some mix up, so i was taking my time! We saw the face, and hands and legs, and, well, that was all :) we closed our eyes, when she measured the femur and found out the sex. For size reasons the Dr told the tech she needed to know what i am having, the tech said now they write it in the far back of the chart anyways, becasue some moms change their minds, so now they can go back and tell them. I can tell you the HR was 149, no idea if that leans boy or girl, but the whole experience was fun. My iron is low, but the Dr feels I can bring that up with diet, so I'm going to be embarking on an iron rich diet :)

Matt's surgery also went well, although i'm sure he won't call it fun! The Dr was an hour late. For some, this is a minor inconvenience, fo the pregnant women it was nauseating! I didn't want to leave Matt so I ate lunch 2 hours later then normal. The surgery lasted an hour from start to finish. All i can say is he has some stitches, it's pretty bruised and tender and getting him to sit on the couch and rest is nearly impossible! I've given up, if it hurts him bad enough he'll sit, right? He can't lift Garrett for the rest of this week, he also has to stay home all week, Monday he can go back to work, but only office work. He can't lift anything heavy for 4 weeks. This is going to be very hard for Matt, but I think pain will remind him!

20 weeks

I am 20 weeks today! I go to the Dr on Tuesday for my ultrasound, and sorry, we do not want to find out the sex. I know this is killing some of you, but I think it will be fun waiting this time. I feel fine, minor aches in my hips and that stubborn sciatic nerve that flairs up daily, but other then that, I'm good. I've gained 10 pounds, and i'm so happy I made it to 20 weeks only gaining 10 pounds. Everyone said 10 lbs at 20 weeks and I did it! I do try and walk daily, it doesn't always happen, but I'm trying.

We did end up pulling Garrett from daycare, so he is home with me full time now. Some days are better then others!! The daycare has been super nice, they are allowing me to bring him up for interviews and Dr's apts. so that's a big help. He went on Tuesday becasue I had a couple of job interviews.

Yes, you read correctly, 2 interviews in one day! The second one is a much better fit for me, so I am hoping and praying that they decide to go with me!!

Next Tuesday, Matt is finally having that surgery he's been needing since last Christmas! He kept waiting for a "good" time and I finally convinced him there isn't going to be a good time. Before the new baby comes is about as good as it can get, he finally had enough I guess. It's going to be hard for him, I know. He'll be home, probably, all week, and then won't be able to return to work, 100% for about a month. I know it will be hard for him to not work and it will be hard for his employers to not want him back, but again, there is no good time to be down and out for a month! I am desperately hoping I get a job soon, I'm just not sure how well the 3 of us will do at home, with Matt in pain and cranky! So, everyone cross your fingers and say a prayer for all of us!!

Appeal

I lost. No more unemployment. Not sure how we will make it off Matt's income alone. Somehow we'll muddle through. I imagine we'll pull Garrett from daycare, that will save a few hundred a month, not much else we can cut out. The gym membership for sure. But, the tv and internet are on a contract, everything else is kind of necessary, gas, electricity, insurance, etc. Pray that a job comes along soon. I need one, bad.

18 weeks

I am a little over 18 weeks now, which is the start of my 5th month. I am feeling fine, and gaining weight right on target, so things are great....pregnancy wise.
As far as unemployment, some of you know the roller coaster I've been on, when I was first let go, I filed for unemployment, I was denied, about a month later, someone from TWC called me and interviewed me about my termination, she made the decision to overturn the original decision and i started receiving unemployment, then 2 weeks ago, I received a letter from TWC stating that Wells Fargo was contesting the unemployment and i had to appear in phone court. This was a week ago Monday, WF was not prepared, so it was rescheduled for Thursday, I still have not received notification if my unemployment will continue or not, but when I went in and requested a payment for the last 2 weeks, my claim was not denied, so I am hoping this is a good thing! I should be able to debit the money tomorrow, so we'll see if it's there or not.
The job search is dismal, I've applied for approximately 75 jobs, I've had 4 interviews, 2 in the last 3 days. One with Chase bank, i was not hired, due to my recent termination. I had an interview today with a job placement agency and she was pretty frank and said it doesn't look good for me. I am in the "professional" category but unfortunately, so are plenty of others. With A&M being so close, they have a great HR/Recruiting degree program, she said they also tend to accept lower pay then someone like myself. She said she knows of one job posting that had 125 applicants!! I am trying to stay positive, but if the unemployment is denied I am not sure what we will do. I was even turned down at Target! If anyone has any ideas, I'm open to them!

Time Out

We went and ran some errands after our morning walk, and G was just being a brat, he threw some toy on the floor in anger and when we didn't get out at the post office he was just crying and being unreasonable, on our way to the bank and post office, he looked so tired and I really thought he would fall asleep. well, after his fit in the car, i told him he was going straight to timeout when we got home, his behavior was completely unacceptable, he got really quiet and didn't say another word the rest of the way home and was SO serious when we got out of the car, but i'll be darned if he didn't walk right in and sit in time out, i didn't even have to remind him. I was stunned!!
Then when it was time for nap, he threw another fit and kept kicking me, well, i don't tolerate kicking, I was changing his diaper and i said, do you want momma to spank you and he kind of shrugged, now keep in mind, I almost never spank him, it has to be bad, so he did it again, i said if you kick momma one more time, i will spank you on your bare bottom, he did it again, so I spanked him. oh, you should have seen the look on his face! He was crying and when i got him dressed, i said do you think you need to sit in timeout for a minute and he said yes, and ran and sat in time out!!

the crazy thing is, the rest of the day he'd been SO good! It was either angel or devil today, no in between.

16 weeks

I went to the Dr today for my 16 week checkup, I gained 5 pounds, but 1 was clothing, so 4 pounds, which is perfect! So, I'm right on target, I gained a little on the high side for the first trimester, it should be between 3-5 pounds, I gained 5, so I'm sitting at 9 pound weight gain, it's good, I just need to keep watching what I eat.
The heartbeat was strong and fast, it's always amazing to hear that. I go back in 4 weeks for the big ultrasound, we will get to see the baby, but I've already told the Dr we don't want to know the sex. She said she needs to know, but won't tell us :)
We talked again about a 37 or 38 week delivery. She did explain to me that it won't be a date we'll be picking in advance, she will exam me, and if it's time, then it's time. So, I have no idea how that will work for Mom & Dad to drive down, but we'll worry about that more later.

Disney Live

On Friday, September 11, we went to see Disney Live, this is a combo of all of Garrett's favorite Disney characters. They had Mickey & Minnie, of course, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and Winnie the Pooh, Darby & Tigger. Garrett loved it! He didn't stop smiling the entire show. The only bad thing was he wasn't quite heavy enough to keep the seats down, so he either sat right at the front, or we helped hold it down, but he had a blast, and of course Matt and I enjoyed it because he did. It lasted about an hour and a half, so just the right amount of time. Here's some pictures of him enjoying the show.

EEEEWWWWW!!!

I was going to jump right back into the potty training today, but I am now officially ending it!

When he got up, he wanted big boy underwear, and i was just about to go to the bank, so i sugested we put a pull up on, and when i took the underwear off, he had pooped! Not, like a hard poop, but soft, mushy nasty poop! I freaked out and that scared him, so he's standing in the living room and there's poop on the floor, my hands and then he stepped in it! Gross!!!

I soaked it in the toilet, i had no idea what to do, but i have decided i can't handle any more of this, potty training is over, for now!

Potty training day 1 & 2

Wow, it's so much harder then I thought it would be. We went through 8 pairs of underwear yesterday, he only peed in the potty once, and that was when he sat there and we read books. At lunch, he peed so bad, it was running all down the legs of the high chair, i had to give him a bath! I almost threw in the towel at that point. He also had gotten up at 5:45, never a good thing for him! He did get to the point where he was telling me he was wet, so I am taking that as a good sign, but it's slower progress then I had ever imagined!

Day 2 is going a little better, he did pee a little in his underwear and again, the only time I got him to pee, he had peed a little and we ran to the potty and he asked me to read to him, and while we sat and read he peed, a lot. He was super excited and wanted to flush it, so, again, I'm taking that as a good sign. At nap time, when we went to read books, he wanted to bring the potty in his room and he sat on it while I read, no success, but i thought that was good, yesterday he was running from the potty. Tonight we are going to Disney Live, my timing kind of sucks, but I am very concerned that he hasn't pooped since Wednesday, so I'm kind of hoping the break and the chance to wear a diaper for hours might help him poop. He's been getting constipated lately, so this worries me.

I promised myself I would try hard until Sunday and if he still isn't getting it, we'll go back to diapers, if I try hard for 4 days and he doesn't get it, i'm guessing he isn't ready, but i'm hoping another 2 full days and he'll be better at it!

Potty Training boot camp

Well, I think the time has come. Garrett came home from daycare with diaper rash again, and he only goes twice a week, they also told me they need more pull-ups, the package I sent lasted 5 days! I talked to Matt and we agreed we can't afford to be buying that many pull-ups, so I am armed and ready. Today is picture day at school so he went today instead of tomorrow, so that means he & I will have 5 straight days together! I have tons of underwear, treats, tattoos, stickers, and various kinds of dinosaurs. So, I'm ready, the bigger question is, is he ready. I talked to his teacher today and she believes he is ready, so we are going to give it a try! Wish me luck tomorrow.

2nd Trimester

I've officially left the first trimester behind! As of yesterday I am 14 weeks pregnant. I have a long way to go, but it's nice to have that one hurdle done with. I do have a bit more energy, I'm hoping that continues. Not much else has changed since last week though. I did feel the baby move early this morning. The books say it's too early, but I think you just know what to expect the second time around, I don't feel it all the time, it's pretty sporadic, but I do feel it.

"Aunt Header's"

This past weekend, Garrett & I headed to visit Heather. Matt was going to help Chris set up for hunting season, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to go up to Dallas. The drive up went fine, we left at dinner time on Thursday, G got to eat french fries and chicken nuggets in the car, and watch movies, he did great until we saw the Dallas skyline, then the rest of the trip was "Where's Header" at one point, he shouted out, "Header, where are you?" Yes, this sounds cute, but after 45 minutes, I'd had enough! But, other then getting to bed very late, he was a very good boy. He did not sleep well, he would only sleep in bed with us, and he woke up a few times just crying, he wasn't even fully awake, he'd just sit there crying, if i tried to touch him, he'd get worse, so I'd sing and he'd fall back to sleep, one time he draped himself over Heather, she was sound asleep and didn't seem to mind so i went back to sleep.

Friday, Heather had to work, so we decided to go with her, let G play in the kids center and i would work out, gasp! i know!! Well, he was so tired, and it was pretty crowded, so he refused, Heather took him to her office, she has a door she can close and I still got my workout in, we all met up for lunch and then G and i went back to her place to nap, we both napped!! She stopped on her way home to get groceries and after we ate, we walked around outside a bit. He went to bed better, at 9:30 this time, but only if Heather went to, that might be the earliest Heather has been to bed in ages!! He slept much better!

Saturday when he woke up we let Heather sleep in a bit, after we were all up, we went to a nature reserve to take a walk, the path ended at a play area, so we thought it was perfect, G didn't like it so much, he cried and ended up being carried for most of the 1 mile walk. We did get to see a large turtle walking around and G liked that a lot. We almost had a meltdown at the park, but i got him distracted with a stick, after another good nap, and dinner, we went swimming, oh, the water was cold! the sun was down and it had cooled off a little bit, G didn't notice one bit, he jumped right in and Heather was brave enough to get in too, I sat on the edge! We had to bribe him to get out, even though his lips were blue, but ice cream is hard to resist! He went to bed much easier and even slept in!!

Sunday, our plan was to go back to the pool, but G refused to eat breakfast, so no pool. We helped Heather pack up a few more boxes and then we had lunch and headed back. G did not do so well coming home. He watched Lion King and i assumed he'd fall asleep, nope. After Lion King was over, it was well past nap time, but he refused to go to sleep, cried for over an hour, and then i finally reached back and rubbed his foot and he fell right to sleep, but we were only 30 minutes from home! Somehow Matt got him to go back to sleep when we got home, so he ended up getting about an hour and a half nap.

I forgot my camera and was so sad, we had some great moments at Aunt Heathers! Garrett loves Kahlua, Kahlua is terrified of Garrett, that's a major reason she went to live with Heather. He would follow her around, kitty, kitty, and she would run and hide. Aunt Heather had some packing peanuts and boxes and those were a huge source of entertainment for him!! He loved moving those peanuts from box to box, then just dumped them on the floor! Yes, we made a big mess, but we cleaned it up before we left. Heather had the bright idea to let him play with some stamps and ink, i thought it was a good idea too, oops, we were wrong! He got more on himself then the paper, he was green for a few days!

Thank you "Header" for letting us come visit!

Swimming

A couple weeks back I went and attempted to buy Garrett some arm floaties for the pool, I had no idea how hard that would be, but apparently, summer swim season is over?!?!? in the stores at least. I finally found a pair at Target, I was looking for some cloth ones, but realized that wasn't going to happen, so I bought the only set I could find. At first, he was a bit scared, he'd been swimming in this boat kind of thing, and this gave him so much freedom. The first day we went, he clung to me the whole time, the second time we went it was better, and so on. Well, yesterday we went swimming and as soon as we got to the pool, his little friend was there and she was already in the water, he sat at the steps and semi patiently waited for me to get them on, and then he took off! without momma! He just walked down the steps and started kicking and swimming, he hollered back, "I fine, momma". I was stunned. I got in the pool quickly, but the reality of it was, he didn't need me. He and his friend, Dorothy (who's 8 and a very good swimmer), would go up the steps, over to the side of the pool, jump in, and then swim over to the steps, all without any assistance from me! Now, don't get me wrong, I was never very far away, but for the first time since G was born, I kind of floated in the pool on a noodle, it was so nice. They ventured over to the kiddie pool and I sat on a chaise lounge!! I know, it was hard for me to accept too, but with the arm floaties, he pops right back up. I won't let him go in the big pool alone, don't get me wrong, but how nice to semi relax and let him play and swim!

12 week checkup

I went for my 12 week check up today, everything is fine, the baby has a nice, strong heartbeat. I've only gained 1 pound :) well, in the last month, we won't say how much overall!! The one thing she did stress, and I freaked out momentarily, is she has decided she will not let me go full term, Garrett was too big and I tore too badly, so she's saying 37 or 38 weeks, which is around February 12-19!!! As many of you know, Garrett's birthday is Februaury 1st, our anniversary is Februaury 12 and my birthday is February 18. Wow, what is with Februaury!! I freaked out and said no, I want a March baby, she said well, i'm giving you 6 months to get used to the fact that you will have another February event to plan! I really do like my ob and the whole time she's telling me this, she has a big grin on her face. She said she thought she'd tell me know rather then spring it on me in January sometime. She reminded me how badly I did tear and that it's not worth it, second babies are almost always bigger, so wouldn't I rather have a nice 7 pound baby instead. well, when you put it that way, yes, I would!!

Flutters

I wasn't sure, but I've checked with some people and now I firmly believe that I felt the baby kicking last night, so I was 11 weeks and 5 days pregnant :) It seems early, but I'm guessing it's since I know what it feels like now. I don't feel it all day, maybe it has to do with me being full from dinner so the baby is pushed closer to the surface, I have no idea, but I felt it :)

Pretending

I have a necklace and a ring I wear a lot, the other night, Garrett put both on, over his pj's, and told me he was "going to work" and I need to stay home!! He then took my keys off the counter and pretended like he was going to leave. His imagination is really starting to kick in, he pretends so much now! This morning he "made" me waflles, they came out of the pillow, but who's paying attention?!?! Yesterday, I was doing the dishes, and he "made" me eggs. It's just so cute!

Pregnancy

A lot of people keep asking me how this pregnancy is different then the first, and to be honest with you, I'm not too sure. So far, it's not much different. I have not had morning sickness but I didn't with G either. I am tired, the nice part this time around is since I'm home, I get to nap every afternoon. I do think I'm hotter this time around, but last time I was at work and it was always freezing in my office, so I'm not sure that's a good comparison. I can say I am showing a lot sooner. I am just over 11 weeks and I am in maternity pants, I can't button any of my regular pants. I can still wear my skirts and dresses though, and tops are ok, as long as they are long enough. I can't say that I have any cravings yet, maybe just for carbs, pasta and bread, so I am trying to be very careful about that. I am very worried about weight gain, since i gained so much with G. It was out of my control with all the fluids I retained, but I'm being much more aware of my weight gain this time, last time I just stopped looking at the scale, it's still early, but I'm watching that scale! I'm fluctuating between 4 & 5 pounds gained so far. It's 3-5 pounds for the first trimester and I have a little over 2 weeks to go, so I'm trying!!! Heather is going to take a belly picture of me so I can post it this weekend, so everyone can see the baby.

And, yes, sorry to disappoint everyone, but we have made the decision to not know what the sex will be :) We are going to use G's nursery, he's already moved out of it, so there's no need to know. My friend wants to throw me a shower and i was hesitant, i don't feel like you need one for the second baby, but then she suggested like a meet & greet after the baby is born and i like that idea, that way if it is a girl, everyone can go crazy with their bows and dresses and if it's a boy, well, then everyone can buy us diapers :)

Garrett - baking & tantrums

Garrett & I have our good and our bad days. We made banana bread last Thursday together, and that was a lot of fun, he did not like the actual baked bread, but loved the batter. I have some pictures and as soon as I can figure out how to get them to download to this blog, I'll add them in. Matt made some brownies on Sunday night and once again, G had more fun licking the spoon then eating the actual brownie, which i think is very funny.

Yesterday was miserably hot outside, so i decided to head to the mall play area to burn some energy. It's not real large, but I figured it was still better then sitting at the park, outside, and melting! He had fun, they had these 4 electronic toys, 2 cars, an airplane, and an ice cream truck. They are the kind that you put some quarters in and the kids can ride them. He preferred these over the play area and he was the only kid in and out of them, so i think he was in kid heaven. Well, i told him they were broke and he completely accepted that, he just pushed buttons and pulled levers. Well, of course at like 10:30, my stomach starts growling and since we were by the food court, i was dying, so i convinced him to get some food with me, and just as we sat down to eat, a mother put money in the airplane! I could have killed her. G shot out of his chair and yelled my turn! Scared the baby on the airplane, of course! Well, i made him wait until i finished eating lunch, then i said, ok, one ride, that's it, he had pooped, so we had to go. He agreed......until it ended! Then he had a fit. I ended up carrying him, crying, thankfully, not screaming, all the way to the car, the entire ride him he kept repeating "my car" over and over again, until i thought i was going to lose my mind, just in this whiny voice, so i told him, once more and you go to time out as soon as we get home. I thought it worked, he was quiet for oh, 5 seconds! then he started up again. I was losing my mind by the time we got home, so as soon as i parked the car, i got him out and put him in his room, shut the door and went back out to empty the car. He was NOT happy. He kicked and screamed, and when i went to the door to ask if he was ready for momma to come in, he said no! I said fine and left him a little longer. When i went back he said he was sorry. But, he refused to eat any lunch, said he just wanted milk, so i gave him a big cup and after he drank it, took him to bed. When i peaked in on him 15 minutes later, he was sound asleep and had put his frog "to bed", the frog was laying on his pillow, face down, with the blanket on it, so cute! When he woke up, 3 hours later, he as all hugs and kisses, and i love you momma!!

Here's the thing though, why does discipline feel like I"m the one in trouble too? I made the decision to leave, so I had to deal with the crying and the whining, then since he was not behaving, he didn't get to watch Diego in the car, so I had to listen to the whining and the crying all the way home, then when he was in time out, I had to listen to him screaming and kicking. How is this the right thing to do? Wouldn't it just have been easier to stay longer, or turn on the tv, etc?!?! I know the right thing to do, but why is it so hard!

Job update

I feel like I'm slacking on the blogs! Here's a little update:

I am still unemployed, but I do have a job interview later today, and I just followed up with the company I had a phone interview with last week and they said "Other departments are still reviewing your application, and it should only be another 2-3 business days before someone gets back to you". So, cross your fingers! I've heard this company is a bit slow on their hiring process, so I'm not ruling them out yet.

Naptime

Ever since we bought G his race car bed, we've had no trouble getting him to sleep in it, but for about a week now, at naptime, he insists on sleeping on his nap mat! I brought it out when we watched my friends daughter, Alexa. I figured Alexa could sleep on the mat and Garrett on his bed, nope, he wanted the mat, so ever since this day, about a week ago Saturday, naptime is on the mat and bedtime is in the bed. Funny thing is, he'll sit on the mat and call for me when he wakes up! He doesn't even try and get up and wonder around or play. He's so well trained :)

Update

So, i figured it was time for a short update. I've been unemployed for 3 weeks now. Jobs are few & far between, I've applied for about 6 or 7, I had an "interview" this morning. I say it like that because she asked me about 6 questions, i was in an out in under 15 minutes. It was with a job placement agency, and basically, she said she didn't have anything I qualified for. In some aspects I'm over qualified for places like that. I'm not looking for a job, i'm looking for a career, so i have higher salary requirements and standards, then someone right out of college. I'm not giving up hope though. I keep saying all this happened for a reason, I'm just still searching for the reason!

I am thoroughly enjoying being home with Garrett, I was sick yesterday, so it was a bit harder yesterday. He went to school this morning and was not at all happy about that. He knows the route i take, as soon as i pulled off the hwy he started crying, "no, Amy". Poor Amy, he likes her just fine, but he sure does give her a hard time when i first leave! He loves being home with me and I'm enjoying it while I can.

We had finally decided to go ahead and have Matt's surgery done on his back. He's been putting it off since Christmas, there just never seems to be a good time. I convinced him it would be better to do it while I'm still unemployed and i can take care of him, rather then me just starting a new job and then having to take time off. Not sure how well that would go over! But, sadly, his boss had to have emergency hernia surgery today, so Matt's surgery is being placed on the back burner again. That is one bad thing about working for a small, family, run business, only one person can be out for something major at a time! We wish Chris a successful surgery and a speedy recovery though!

As far as being pregnant, not much to report. Depending on what i wear you can tell. I had this dress on for the interview and I'm sure you couldn't tell at all, but now I'm wearing gauchos and a t-shirt and it's pretty obvious! I'm hot all the time though, could be the 103 degree temps we've been having. Maybe there's a reason God didn't let me have a fall baby! He knew how miserable I'd be!

I do have to say the house is cleaner then it's ever been. Laundry is always done and we are eating really healthy and well. By the end of the week i do get tired of cooking, but thankfully, Matt's been doing the weekend cooking, so that's nice!

Jacket

Garrett is obsessed with wearing jackets right now. It was 101 when we went to dinner last night and he threw a fit over us not letting him wear a jacket, he kept saying his arms were cold!! I gave in and let him wear it, but when we got to the restaurant Matt was embarrassed and convinced him to leave it in the car. Watch, by winter time, he'll refuse to even wear it!

Chocolate

Last night we ate dinner really early, so Matt could go to his parents to help them with the new BBQ grill. I promised Garrett, that when Daddy got home we'd have some ice cream. When Matt got home and we pulled the ice cream out we asked what kind he wanted, he said "Chocolate", while he was eating it he said, "I like Chocolate!!" it was so cute!

Of course, this morning he wanted chocolate ice cream for breakfast, he had to settle for a choclate chip waffle :)

and baby makes 4!!

It's official, we went to the Dr yesterday and I am 8.5 weeks pregnant. We were able to hear the heartbeat and see our little peanut, which is always fantastic! My due date is March 4, 2010. Seems like it's a lifetime away, but I know it will be here fast. The little peanut measures in a little under 2.5 cm, the Dr said it has a very strong heartbeat and is a very good size for 8.5 weeks. She said everything looks great and we go back in 4 weeks. She was also super nice, since I'm not working, she said not to worry about prenatals, she's going to give me samples every time I go in, until I get a job :) I love my Dr!!

Stay at Home Mom

I am loving being a stay at home mom! G is currently set to go to daycare twice a week, Tuesday's and Thursday's. I've loved having him home this week, but I think it's really important for him to continue to go. I know he learns a lot there and he needs to be away from Mommy sometimes. Yesterday, we went to Bounce, and he had so much fun! He was a bit unsure when we got there, but it didn't take long at all for him to take off. Everytime we got in the car yesterday, he asked if we were going to Bounce.

Little Mimic

I have finally gotten the office organized, Garrett's new room is emptied out and everything has found a home. I moved all my Wells Fargo stuff onto my desk, my pictures, and pens, etc. I have a ceramic frog, I bought in cancun, and a wooden turtle, we bought in Jamaica. Garrett has moved both the frog & the turtle onto his little desk, and my pens. He did this yesterday afternoon. He had wondered in here by himself and come into the kitchen and announced he was "all done". I had no idea what he was talking about until I came in this morning and saw he had moved my stuff. What a little mimic!

"I'm Happy"

At lunch on Saturday, Matt, Garrett & I were sitting at the kitchen table eating sandwiches and Garrett looks at me and says, "Momma, I happy". It was so sweet!! He puts his hand to his chest when he says mine, me, or I, so he had his hand on his heart when he said this and i just thought it was so precious! Then he asked if I was happy, was Daddy happy, was Grandpa happy, Papa, etc.

Big Boy Bed

Last night was Garrett's third night in his big boy bed. I have to say, I just didn't know if he, or maybe I, was ready for the big boy bed. But, Matt bought him a race car bed and he LOVES it! He tried so hard to help put it together, after it was together he went and got his helmet and Matt's truck keys and was sitting on it trying to start it! Now, keep in mind, there is no steering wheel or anything like that. But, we've had no issues, he's gone to sleep with little to no complaining 3 nights in a row. My goal today and tomorrow is to move his stuff over into his "new" room. Our plan is to leave the nursery as is, so whenever we have another baby, the baby will use the nursery. I do plan on painting his new room but that might need to wait a week or so. The batteries in my camera is dead and i left the charger at my parents, so as soon as i can post a photo for you i will.

Unemployed

Yes, I never thought I'd have to say it, but I was fired from my job yesterday. I was extremely surprised and upset. I made a mistake and I paid the price for it. I admited my mistake and even with 4.5 years with the bank, HR still felt they had to let me go. I'm trying to see the positive in this, i'm the type of person who does say, "Things happen for a reason". Wish me luck in my job search!

Trip to Detroit

On Tuesday night, Garrett & I headed to my sisters in Dallas for the first leg of our Detroit trip. He did great in the car, we left at 6pm and arrived at 9:30, of course he fell asleep at 9:20! But, after he played with Heather's cat for a bit, we all clmibed into her bed and he went right to sleep. He did great on the airplane, we had a bit of a struggle at baggage check, he was quite upset about checking his car seat, and he didn't like waiting in line to get to our seats. He loved "blast off" as he called it and going "up, up, by the clouds". He did wonderful on the flight, even though we had to change 3 diapers in the tiny bathroom. Our only meltdown on the plane was putting his seatbelt on to land. he was having too much fun playing peek a boo with the girl seated behind him. But, in all, I'd call it a successful trip!

Happy 4th of July

We celebrated the 4th at Matt's parents house. His cousin moved to Colorado a couple years ago, and the 4 of them were able to join us, so that was really nice! The kids had a great time playing and i'm pretty sure the adults had a great time eating and talking. It was hot, about 105, but with the pool, i'm not sure the kids noticed. Everett had his golf cart out, so that was a big hit too and to end the afternoon we made Smore's, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

Unfortuntely for us, Garrett did not have a nap, so he was not able to stay awake for the fireworks. Matt had gotten up at 5am to cook, so we were all in bed and missed out on the fireworks this year. Next year we will plan better.

Cake Decorating Class

A friend of mine, Desiree, talked me into taking a cake decorating class with her. I have to say, I was skeptical, i'm not very creative and as you can see, they are not the best decorated cakes I'm sure you've ever seen, but you know what, I had so much fun! And I decided that was well worth it. I had to pass on the second course because I had too much going on in July, but I plan on taking the 3rd and 4th course as well! Wish me luck!

Potty Training

This was our first, real attempt at potty training.
I’m going to call the weekend a success!! I woke up Saturday with a positive attitude, before Garrett got up, I reread some of the books that talk about potty training. When he got up I asked if he wanted to try and go pee pee in the potty today and he said yes. So, he went naked all morning. He drank milk and 2 cups of juice before anything happened, but then we hit the jackpot! The first time he was sitting on the potty and all the sudden he said “push/”, I said sure. And he peed, so we cheered and he got to flush it and wash his hands, and put a sticker on a chart, then we went back to playing. The second time I caught him, he was playing and all the sudden froze and looked up at me, I said “are you peeing, hurry, sit down” and we got a little in the potty, so we repeated the flushing and the hand washing. Then he decided, on his own, to just sit on it and scooted himself across the floor and was playing with some puzzles, a few minutes later he stands up and says all done. I thought with the puzzles, but no, the potty was pretty full. So, I’m guessing on the second one, he got startled and it stopped, but by sitting there doing puzzles, he finally emptied his bladder. He was so excited! At nap, we had to do a diaper, but I promised him when he got up we’d go buy big boy pants, and he went right to sleep! Unfortunately, the rest of the day he was in diapers. We went to Target and he picked out Diego underwear and a “packpack” with Elmo on it. I am tired of carrying the diaper bag, so we’ve officially switched over to a backpack, which he LOVES to carry, so I am loving it! After that we went to a surprise college graduation party and then to another party, so no more pee peeing in the potty that night. And yesterday we were really busy in the am, but after his nap he ran around with his Diego briefs on or naked in the back yard in the pool. I told the teacher about it today, and he was so proud and she said she’d work with him. She said he’s the only one so she can give him lots of attention. I’m not sure how successful we will be, but I thought I’d try and I think we did good. I have to say, seeing him run around in his Diego briefs and his little shirt, I got sad. He’s growing up!! I kept grabbing his bum and saying now I can get you better, so after a while every time he walked by me, he’d grab his bum and say no get momma!! Lol, made us laugh. Matt had to work Saturday, so he missed the success, but I’m hopeful we are on the right track.

I hadn’t planned on doing this for months, but he just kept getting diaper rash and I thought let’s try, he’ll tell me if he’s ready and honestly, I think we got “lucky” more then anything, but the fact that he got pee in the potty was huge for me, I think he gets the concept a whole lot better now, and he loves the Diego underwear!

Starting Out

I've decided it's time to get on board and start blogging. I wish I had done this when Garrett was born, or even when I was pregnant with him. But, i figured now is a good time. I'll just jump right in. Today seemed like a good day, Garrett is 2 years and 5 months as of today! He has gotten so big and we are enjoying him so much.