Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Six Month Checkup

We just got back from the six month checkup. Isaac is snoozing away.
I gave him children's Tylenol before we went, but we didn't get the shots until almost two hours later, so hopefully, he'll sleep until it's time for another dose. After the doctor checked us out, it took 40 minutes for the nurse to come give him shots. It's rough keeping a tired baby entertained in a 10 by 12 room with nothing in it he can touch. Good times.

The boy is 26 1/4 inches long and weighs in at 17 pounds 12 ounces. On Babycenter.com, these are both in the 25th - 50th percentiles. The head measurement wasn't working out so well, due to the hyperactive baby-zilla.

Anyhow, we don't have to do shots for 6 months!!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Three New Things

Number 1:
Isaac had a cracker today.





























Number 2:
We installed a gate (prison).



















Number 3:
I hung sweet pictures in the kitchen (yesterday, with the help of my mom).

Early Departure

My mom and Jake left this morning. Originally, they planned on leaving tomorrow. My mom was worried about getting her life back in order when she got home, so she wanted some extra time. It works out, though. I think Isaac was struggling with all the commotion in the house.

So far, I've found several forgotten items:
1. Jake's Heelys (not sure on that spelling).
2. A transformer
3. One shirt
4. One sock
5. An "Electricity" activity book
6. A video game token
7. Sunglasses

It's sad to see them go, but it has been a long long month of madness. It will be nice to settle in. Just me and the boy and the husband.

MONSTER DAY!!!

Yesterday was one of the worst Isaac days since the first month or so.
The monster would not sleep.

He started off by awakening at 5:00 am. From there, he took 3 super short naps throughout the day. He screamed and wailed while he was awake. He was SOOOOO tired, but he just refused to sleep. I think he was afraid he was missing something. It was miserable. Finally, my mom took him for a walk around 5:15 or so. When she arrived home, he was asleep. He woke up for the transfer to the crib. We all crossed our fingers and back asleep he fell!
At this point, the dilemma was: do we let him sleep through the night and risk a 3am awakening? (He usually sleeps around 10 hours-ish). Or, do we let him take a nap and get him up for a little while and then put him to bed for the night?
We opted for choice A. We let him go. Around 8:30, he stirred a little, so Derek fed him and put him back down. (He hadn't eaten since 2:30 at this point, so I guess he was probably starving).

When did he wake up this morning, you ask?
6:10 am!!!

And better yet, he's back down for a nap - with no screaming or flailing or arching of the back (my fav).

Thursday, July 26, 2007

We Have Liftoff!

So, Isaac is crawling. Everywhere.

He was trying hard before I went to NY, but a series of events seemed to stall him.

1. We went to NY, where everyone held him. All the time.
2. When he wasn't held, he was confined to very small areas with hard floors.
3. He started to push up on his feet (instead of knees) and then he didn't know what to do.
4. He learned to sit up on his own. This pleased him and he spent a couple of weeks just sitting around.

Finally, he realized his potential for mobility and began to work hard on this new skill. In the last couple of days, he's gone from scooting on his belly to his intended destination to the "One Legged Jiggy Crawl" (props to SarahPowers who coined this phrase after observing Jake Paine crawl 9 years ago). He keeps his right foot on the floor and pushes off with it, dragging his left leg behind. Kind of like a skateboard. It's pretty cute.

He's learned that with great mobility comes great explorations. He's found every little thing on the floor (prompting frequent vacuumings). He's found magazines, books, Jake's Transformers, cables, cords and old bones of Lucy's. It's an adventure.

We bought some gates today. We are in a whole new age of baby raising...

More Family

My mom arrived last night to get her son.
She's staying through Sunday morning.
Then, it will be back to life, as usual. I say that, as though anything is ever "usual". It seems just as soon as I get used to something, it changes.

Today, we went to Babies R Us to get some gates for the ever-changing Sir Isaac T. Lidbom. Then, we swung by World Market and Home Goods for some shopping. My mom bought a string of porcelain fish that appear to be eating each other. And Jake got some gimmicky candy type thing. Good times.

Then, my mom mowed our lawn. She's crazy.

When the boy awakened, we went to "Once Upon A Child" and "Plato's Closet". I scored some Gap shorts. My mom got a lot of crap. The boy fell asleep on the ride home. He was exhausted.

We played a lot of Wii Big Brain Academy. It's a lot of fun, and has definitely consumed a lot of our time. I am a B+, so far.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Monday, July 23, 2007

Poll Results

I closed the polls early, so that the rest of my stuff would be on the top of the page.

Who visits my blog:
I do, and I leave coments all the time! -- 4 (15%)
I do, and I sometimes comment. -- 14 (53%)
I do, but I'm a stalker and you'll never find me out. -- 8 (30%)
I do not visit your blog. Except for this one time. -- 0 (0%)

Votes so far: 26
Poll closed

It's GAPING!

This morning, I was in the bedroom with Lucy. As I bent down to pick up some clothes, she tried to jump up onto the bed. The top of her (rock hard) head collided with my lower lip and my tooth plummeted through the soft insides of my mouth. It was incredibly painful and very bloody.

I wasn't too sure what to do. The doctor's office said I should go to the ER and get it looked at because they had no record of my Tetanus shot. (I got one before I married Derek due to a harrowing mountain biking accident). The dilemma was, if I went to the ER, they would quarantine poor, sweet Lucy, to make sure she wasn't a dangerous threat of a canine. If you know Lucy, you know this is preposterous.

I took a quick shower and sort of brushed my teeth (I didn't want to have someone digging around my mouth without having a morning brushing. I would rather risk infection).

I called the France's and they let me come over so the doctor dad could take a look. He took 3 seconds to check it out and informed me that I would be fine, and despite the gaping hole in my lip, I didn't need stitches.

And that's how my day started out.

Yard Sale

We had the bright idea to have a yard sale on Saturday.

The Background:
Two years ago, we moved to this house. Then, six months ago, I had a baby.

The Reasons:
1. There were several boxes still unpacked from the move. If we haven't missed that stuff by now, we don't need it.
2. I have several items of clothing that I am pretty sure I am a long way from fitting in again. It's a good excuse to buy new clothes if I ever achieve my pre-baby weight.
3. There are many things that we found we didn't need/like for our baby boy.
4. There are many activities that Derek and I will likely not participate in, now that we share a new baby boy.

The Take:
$400 approximately.

The Highlights:
1. I became very irate with a pleasant auctioneer who patrolled the neighborhood on the eve of our yard sale and popped in because he "didn't think he could make it in the morning". I tried to keep him from coming in, but he didn't pick up on my passive aggressive sarcasm. After digging through the choice items (furniture, electronics, etc), he informed us that he'd be back in the morning to pick the stuff up. Interesting, since 10 minutes earlier, he wasn't sure if he could make it in the morning. So, I remarked, "huh, that's convenient since you just said you couldn't make it in the morning". Apparently, at this moment, he detected I was not fond of his evening intrusion. I continued to mutter more passive agressive comments to myself and others until Jake became worried that the friendly auctioneer was going to come kill us in the night. He didn't.
2. Selling the stupid stroller for $20 that we bought from our neighbor for $100.
3. Ridding ourselves of a broken basketball goal.
4. Realizing that we needed a replacement for our kitchen/dining furniture that we sold to said auctioneer. Bleh.
5. Realizing that the replacement for our kitchen/dining furniture would exceed $400.

The Conclusion:
It will be awhile before our next attempt at a yard sale.

Here's some shots of all the junk we were attempting to organize and sell!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Celebration Station Action Shots

Isaac, napping, while Derek and Jake rode the go-karts:
 
Derek and Jake, go-karting:
 
Isaac, enjoying some tasty 25 cent icecream:
 
Jake, go-karting on his own:
 
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Thursday, July 19, 2007

Celebration Station and Other Updates

I suppose it's been awhile, according to the precedent I set last week.

There hasn't really been much to report.
Jake has played many many video games. We bought some crap at Target. We went grocery shopping. We had lunch at the Olive G. with Doyle and Gretchen and Cora. We attempted to go to Adventure Landing (only to find several busloads of kids who were doing the same, so we turned around and left).

Today was a big day filled with action and adventure.
We traveled to Greensboro for an exciting day at Celebration Station. On thursdays, they have $6 all-you-can-ride go-karts.
Here's the highlights:
1. When we waited in line for 20 minutes when we first got there to purchase our bracelets.
2. When Jake and I waited in line for an estimated 40 minutes to take our first go-kart ride.
3. When some kids pulled off a very sneaky plot to cut in line in front of us, just before our turn. (We had to wait for another round of go-karters because of this).
4. When some kids cut blatantly cut in front of Jake, while he waited to ride the kiddie go-karts.
5. When the girl running the go-karts kindly turned away several kids who were clearly tall enough to ride them. She was very unpleasant.

Jake had a lot of fun, but it was pretty boring for me. I rode no go-karts. I played no games. I just let my anger with the general public rage inside of me. And I watched Isaac the Boy. I'll be posting pictures soon. Maybe.

On the way home, we stopped at the Farmer's Market for some fresh produce. We just watched the finals of the World Series of Pop Culture. (I think I could win). Now that it's over, we can claim our lives back. Darn you VH1.

Tomorrow, we're prepping for a Yard Sale on Saturday. And that's the scoop.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Five Month Slideshow

Here are some shots since we've been back from NY.

NY Slideshow

Since I'm way behind on picture updating, here's a slideshow of pics from NY on Picasa.

Slaving Away in the Hot Sun

Here's some shots of Derek and Jake clearing the garden area and making it look presentable.

Derek doing the clearing:

Derek and Jake consulting:

Derek raking and Jake supervising:

The final product:
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Saturday, July 14, 2007

Jake in NC - Days 5 & 6

Lots to report this time...

Yesterday, Jake and I walked into the hoppin' town of Lewisville and scored some coffees from Casanova's. Then, Derek's sister's little boy came over. Jake taught him how to jump off the couch onto a pile of pillows. We only watched him for a little bit, before Derek's mom came over and relieved us of the second baby. Isaac took a long afternoon nap and when Derek got home, we all hopped into the Element for a trip to Cookout for some dinner and tasty milkshakes.
Isaac had a rough time getting to sleep, so I mowed the lawn while Derek took a snooze with the little man. Finally, after he was fast asleep, Derek constructed a billowing fire in the backyard, the neighbor came over to hang with Jake and we had roasted marshmallows as we chilled fireside.

Today, Jake and I hit some local yard sales. We got some stuffed animals (for Jake) and picked up a few toys and clothes for Isaac T. While we were out, Derek began working on getting the garden into a somewhat tolerable state. (We did not plant a garden this year and it has become quite overgrown with grass, weeds and a cute little gourd vine). We put the boy on a blanket in the yard and chipped in. Jake earned some cash for all of his labors.
Later, we attended the 1st birthday party of Isaac's future BFF, Josiah. There were sooooo many people and a lot of noise and Isaac had a rough time with the whole event. Jake played some recreational games (air hockey, pool, ping pong) and we had some cake and then headed home.
We worked more in the yard and then Derek took Jake to Kohl's to spend his hard earned money on a spy watch. I tended to the little man and awaited their arrival (with dinner).

Now, Isaac is sleeping away. We're watching Talladega Nights, The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. We just ate some tasty ice cream. And another two days are down.

Look for pics and videos soon. It's been a bit hectic.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Jake in NC - Day 4

Yesterday was another somewhat uneventful day.

Isaac and Lucy and I went for a long walk in the morning.
Jake slept in.

We went to Kohl's and the Dollar Tree in the mid-morning/early-afternoon part of the day. I looked for shorts at Kohl's (to no avail) and we bought a whole lot of candy at the Dollar Tree. We got the usuals, Nerds, Sprees, and Swedish Fish as well as some novelty items, like Special Edition Carnival Flavored Skittles, Retro Flavored Starbursts, and Create a Cookie Gummie Candies. Interesting. On the walk back from DT to Kohl's we stopped at Target for some Icees. It was a pure sugar shopping spree!

The neighbor came over in the afternoon and he and Jake played the Wii (and other games) for awhile. Then, we went to his house for a dip in the pool. Isaac loved it. He loves to swim. After we tired of swimming, we came back to our house and waited for Derek to arrive.

We talked to my mom (the grandma) online for a little while. We ordered pizza. Isaac went to bed. We watched the World Series of Pop Culture (which I seriously think I could win). Then, I went to bed.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

AP Scores

My AP scores are in. I'm disappointed.
For those that are unfamiliar with the AP scoring, kids can get a level 1 through 5.
They get a 1 automatically. They need a 3 or higher to get credit at most colleges.
I had:
6 level 5's.
7 level 4's.
7 level 3's.
1 level 2.
and 4 level 1's.
I knew I would have a few failures, but not 5 kids! I feel bad for a couple of them, because they worked their behinds off. I'm sure they're more disappointed than I am.
Well, that's the closure on my teaching year. On to motherhood....

Jake in NC - Boring Day 3

Nothing exciting on day #3.

Isaac slept until 8:00 and so it was a little bit of an off day for him. He is really fighting naps and bedtime these days. It's frustrating.

We did make a trek to Wal-mart to buy formula.
And we watched The Barnyard.

That's it.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

My 1996 Theme Song




Your 1996 Theme Song Is: California Love by Tupac and Dre



Let me serenade the streets of L.A.

From Oakland to Sacktown

The Bay Area and back down

Cali is where they put they mack down

Give me love!

Favorite Candy

My favorite candies:
1. sweetarts.
2. sprees (hard, not chewy).
3. nerds (not rainbow flavored, though).
4. sour patch kids (these would rank much much higher, except that they hurt my teeth and peel layers of skin off of my tongue).
5. blow pops (see blow pop post).

honorable mention: gobstoppers, skittles, runts, fun dip

Happy Birthday Josiah!

Here's a birthday SHOUT OUT to Isaac's friend Josiah. I stole the following picture from Lorena's website.

Jake in NC - Day 2

Day 2 of Jake's visit got an early start. Seems the baby wanted to get up around 6:00 and there was no getting him back to sleep. Finally, after 45 minutes of squirming, playing, and talking to me, the boy got me up.

After the first nap, we packed up and went to the mall. There was a sweet sale at The Children's Place, so we stocked up on 6-9 month and 12 month clothes. We also picked up some goods for Josiah's birthday and some back-to-school clothes for Jake. Isaac slept for much of the trip and Jake thoroughly enjoyed pushing him around the mall (except when he was studying video games at Game Stop or action figures at KB Toys).

The neighbor's kid came over in the afternoon and played with Jake, while the monster and I took a nap (since he refused to nap alone in his pack and play). From 3:30 until bedtime, it was a scream party for Sir Isaac T. Lidbom. I'm not sure what's going on, but he WILL NOT go to sleep in his pack and play anymore. I have either had to get him to sleep first, or go to sleep with him on my bed. I guess this is the new phase in his life. Gotta love the phases.

Well, that's the update on Jake's (probably very boring) trip to NC. Stay posted for another exciting adventure tomorrow!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Jake in NC - Day 1

Yesterday was a busy first day for Jake Paine's visit to NC.

After the baby had his breakfast and began his first nap, I put Jake to work, listening for him on the monitor while I mowed. I was almost done when Jake flagged me down outside and said that the little man was awake. I came in and gave him a bottle and put him on a blanket. Jake watched him while I finished the lawn and took a shower.

Later we went grocery shopping, since we don't have much food in the house. Jake bought all the supplies to make his own Lunchables. He even got to decorate the Gladware container. Outside of the cost of the containers, we made each lunch for about $1.60. We were proud.

Then, later, we went to Target to get a few things and to get out of the house. We shuffled around for awhile. Jake likes to push the stroller.

When we got home, we went over to see if the neighbors were home. They were, so Jake stayed and went swimming for awhile. I came home and fought with the boy to get him to sleep. The last few nights, he's been throwing big fat screaming fits at bedtime. It's awesome. He finally fell asleep on my chest at 8:30. He was wide awake this morning at 6:00 am. Good times. I guess I should be thankful. I've heard plenty of horror stories about babies that still wake up 5 times in a night at this age. Anyhoo... that's it. Bye.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

home sweet home

we're home. we rolled in around 1:30ish.
it is good to be back.

the trip was not entirely enjoyable, this time around.
we picked derek up at the buffalo airport and headed straight home.
we stopped for dinner somewhere in pennsylvania.
jake wanted burger king. derek and i wanted taco bell.
so, we hit taco bell first. after a very very long wait, we got our order along with an apology and explanation. it seems that taco bell was holding a training session at 6 pm on a saturday evening. good.
we moved on to bk. we just barely beat a crowd of traveling boy scouts. jake went through the line and placed his order. he didn't realize that he could pour his own drink (that comes with a kids meal) at the drink station, so he told the cashier that he wanted a coke. after we paid, we looked at the receipt and there was an extra drink on the order. derek went to the cashier. here is a summary of the conversation that took place:
derek: we only needed one drink.
cashier: he ordered two.
derek: well, we only need one.
cashier: well, you get one of them for free
(the kids meal drink that gets included in the cost of the kids meal....not free)
awkward silence while cashier tries to wait for derek to give up the fight.
cashier calls manager over.
cashier: they ordered two drinks, but now they only want one.
we got the money back. good customer service.
then we wait about 10 minutes for the chicken nuggets and fries.
then we get on the road.
i dig into my bag of taco bell treats, only to find that i am short a chalupa. :(
i checked the receipt. it's on there. i bought it. it should be on it's way into my mouth, but no.
i wonder once again, should they be training at 6pm on a saturday evening. i enjoy my $4 burrito and one of derek's tacos and fester in my frustration with the fast food industry.
and we keep driving.

we stayed last night in a hotel. jake LOVED it. he likes mini things, so the soups soaps were very appealing to him. plus, they had a window bench that was big enough to double as a bed for a 9 year old boy, so he slept there happily. it was a win-win for everyone.

isaac traveled well. he has been fast asleep since we got home. derek's parents are on their way over to see the little man. he's changing so fast these days. when we got home, i put him on the floor and a couple seconds later, i looked over at him and he was sitting up. we cheered for him and he fell over backwards, but these things take time.

well, that's about it. time to settle in for the rest of summer. :)

Thursday, July 5, 2007

More NY Pictures

A morning nap....

Got my thumb, got my foot, watching TV... Life is good:

Getting fed by Brookie.

Meeting (Aunt) Lesolie.

Waiting in the car for Dad to bring us donuts!

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

First Chomper

A tooth poked through Isaac's gums sometime last night.
He woke up this morning, and I did a quick check, and there it was!
I knew it was close and it was good to see that it is finally here. Maybe the drooling will subside somewhat? Until tooth #2, that is.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Just the two of us...

Derek left me and Isaac this morning.
We're on our own in Batavia, NY. (Not really -- my mom and stepdad and Jake are still here).

The folks of the lake are putting on quite a fireworks display tonight. Surprisingly, Isaac has slept soundly through the entire event. I am getting ready to check on him, because the sound sleeping is quite worrisome.

Since my last post, we've:

1. had a cookout at Leslie and Eric's new house. They bought a house in downtown Buffalo and it's in desperate need of a lot of work. They completely gutted the place, but since have finished a few rooms - enough to make it somewhat livable.

2. had a cookout at the lake. It was similar company to the previously mentioned cookout at Leslie's. My old college soccer coach (who lives in a cottage down the road) stopped by. It was nice to catch up. I won a Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots tournament that Jake put together.

3. went to the Varland's for breakfast. Julie (mom), Nate (dad) and Anna (1 year old daughter), that is. We had a good time talking about our new and improved lives as parents.

4. checked out several garage sales. We picked up some clothes for the little man. He's on his way out of all the 3-6 month clothes and ready for the next round.

Well, that's about all...
I'm going to check on the boy. Have a lovely day~