Genetics

It's cool to see the different traits that Parker has gotten from each of us.

From me: A super cool squinty eye. One of our cheeks is bigger than the other, so when we smile one of our eyes pretty much closes. How much it closes depends on how big our smile is. How much it sucks? Depends on how big we smile.

Sorry kid.

From Thane: The ability to curve his tongue like a bowl. Did you know that was genetic? I can't do anything cool with my tongue.

P stuck his tongue out for the first time today..so of course I encouraged it. We spent about 5 minutes sticking our tongue out at each other. P was totally amazed.

Tonight he woke up from his 8:30 nap (so at this moment at 10:08 he is WIDE awake and laughing)and we worked on it again. Now he can stick it out and to my amazement...curl up the edges. How interesting is that?

He can also say "yes" now...when he wants to.

Last night he was about to attack the DVD tower, as usual- this kid has a weird obsession with it, when I said, "Parker, No."

Yes...I tell my child no.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at me. Turned back and reached out, "Parker, No!" Stopped...started at me...slowly turned back.

Repeat a few times before he finally stopped...looked at me...

and whispered "yes."

Thane and I both stopped and stared at him.

"Thane did he just...?"

Thane-"ya......I'm pretty sure he just said yes."

Oh boy. Talking back already?

I am well aware that I could have just gone over and redirected him to something else. In theory, ya I could have.

If you've ever had a 1 yr old who is obsessed with the DVDs, TV power button, you laptop or remote control...you understand that redirecting rarely works. It usually just makes them scream and then they go back to it at lightening speed. Besides...I want him to know "no" and the sign for it.

So here we are, stunned.

Parker looks at us, slowly turns back, and sloooowwllly puts his arm out to pull out DVD while shaking his head "no." Thane starts to laugh. and I yelled at him. (Thane, not Parker)

You can't laugh at your kid when you're trying your best to be serious. Here I am, almost choking on my laugh for God Sakes....but if I laugh while saying no...well then he thinks he is being cute. Man was he being cute.

Long story short...after already telling the long story. After the 15th time of us saying and signing "no" he looked at us, slowly sat down, and then slowly crawled away from the tower.

I'm pretty sure he was thinking, "If I crawl away real slow, maybe they won't notice that I was at the DVD tower and they will forget my love for it. I'll try later."

No kid. We won't.

 

Aaaamazing.

I just ate the most AMAZING donut EVER.

Ever.

Amazing donut.

Why do they taste so good?

Well let me tell you. It's the frosting.

It was white with chocolate drizzle.

Dear God it was amazing...probably the last donut I will have in months.

I'm ok with that. I worked out for an hour today, 40 extra minutes to make up for Friday and Saturday. I'm well aware that it doesn't exactly work that way...but its a small victory for me. That's a long time.

I lost a pound since the 1st. Boom.

I'm excited for the 24 day challenge to see what I can do.

 

 
and in honor of tomorrow:

When CartWheel Goes Bad

So I'm sitting in my car in the Target parking lot, checking FB so I could give P a few more minutes of sleeping when I see Frannie's status,

"Here's a great idea, lets go grocery shopping on a Saturday before everyone is shut in for three days because we live in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin. " said everyone in Madison and surrounding communities... #livinthedream"

Then it hits me...I'm the dumbest person ever. I look around me...people EVERYWHERE. What a bad time to do shopping, but I'm already there..I have to trudge on.

We get there and I head straight to the baby stuff because well, it seems P needs something every time I go to Target. It's a quiet aisle...not many people.

Then I step out by the books...chaos. Total chaos.

People stopping dead in front of other people. Kids running in and out of aisles dodging carts. People standing at a dead stop in the middle of the walkway looking at their list or on the phone or waiting for kids who are running everywhere.

Dear lord....

So far I'm fine. I calmly walked from the baby stuff to the groceries and only had to stop 3,000 times because of people running in front of me. My favorite was the teenager walking right at me but looking only down the side aisle so he didn't see me only to dodge me at the last second before he rams into my cart. Because of course he was going full speed. "There's a deep freeze coming! I MUST find the legos!!! Can't watch where I'm going!!!"

Then I get to groceries. Wow. You'd think people were going to be stuck in their houses for days or something. I can handle crowds.

I can't handle people who don't realize there is an obscene amount of people shopping around them and they seem to think they have the whole store to themselves.

This women...oh I get annoyed even thinking about her. Ever have that person who bothers you in a store and you CAN'T get away!? I swear she could teleport.

She was in EVERY aisle I was in...blocking the entire aisle with her sideways cart..and then somehow beat me to the next aisle..with her sideways cart.

At one point, she created a line. A LINE for the aisle she was in because people couldn't get past her and she was throwing can after can of some shit in her cart.

I thought I had gotten away from her..and then I turned the corner and almost ran into her cart. She was now in the main aisle of Target, with her sideways cart, yelling back at her husband. "They only had FOUR?!?!?! I need SIX!! Well I HOPE I have SOME AT HOME!!!"

Well ma'am..I hope you do too. Can you move your f'in cart so the hordes of people can get by you???

Now onto the fresh produce. I needed green peppers. They had 2. 2.

Well duh Pam. People are going to be stuck inside for 3 days less than a week after the new year. People have to buy green peppers, not chips. If only this would have happened at the end of January I would have been fine. There probably would have been 30 green peppers.

Onto my checkout. Every line had at least 4-5 people on it, with a cart that looked like they were cooking Christmas Dinner for 8.

Perfect. I picked one and crossed my fingers.

A man came behind me with 3 things. So being the great person I am...I let him go in front of me.

He didn't want to because my "time was just as valuable as his." (what a nice thing to say) but I made him. So he went in front and then turned back, "Oh...did I forget to tell you that I'm paying with a check and that usually requires 3 different forms of ID and I only have 2?"

Totally kidding. Thank god.

So I go back to shoving Parker full of kid treats when I look up and hear the cashier go, "It will crash the system. You already used your cartwheel."

5 minutes later a manager shows up and gives us all $6 coupons...the register crashed and they had to restart it....AND redo her ENTIRE order.

The guy in front of me turned back, "Forgot to tell you I'm a jinx."

Ok..I still wasn't annoyed. It was a long wait. So long. But I figured whatever coupon she just HAD to use..that she made the guy scan even though he warned her must be a high value one. Like $20 off the car seat she was buying. That's worth a system crash to me.

This whole time, all 15 minutes, P is doing awesome. Then he starts to flip at the 20 minute mark. I'm not exaggerating.

The register finally starts, the lady lets the guy in front of me with 3 things go, and then they scan her entire order again. All 4 boxes of diapers and like 15 Target bags. It's at this point that I get a glimpse of her coupon.

$1.

$1 off a 2-liter.

ONE DOLLAR!!!!!

I was totally fine with everything at Target until that moment. A dollar??? How rude do you have to be to risk a system crash on the busiest day at Target since Black Friday???

He didn't tell you that the system could crash just because he didn't want to scan your ONE DOLLAR coupon.

I would have given her a dollar from my wallet.

So moral of my story: Use your coupons BEFORE you let them scan your cartwheel. It WILL crash their system and it takes a REALLY long time for their computers to reboot.

My New Friend

I had all these things to blog about today, but as I sit down to do it.....poof. Gone.

I am slowly getting more excited for the 24 day challenge. My bestest friend from college is having amazing results from Advocare and she just posted some before and after pictures. Absolutely amazing. She is really working it.

Notice I said she is working it...not it's working for her. It has taken me a long time to realize that I HAVE to do it...nothing/no one will do it for me. 

I am taking things with those whole "body transformation" slow. I have to. It is not reasonable for me to be like "I am eating ONLY salads all year!!!" or I make a mean green pepper, mushroom, and chicken mix....mmmm..but I can only do that one day and then the next day it goes to waste. I have to have variety and good stuff or I get bored and fall head first off the wagon. Onto a rock.

I had Chipolte today. Yes..Day 1. BUT!! I got brown rice...fajita veggies..and no cheese. A few subtle changes. Yes, it was still a billion calories. Yes, I shouldn't have gotten the wrap. But damnit..I didn't want chicken noodle soup. 

I'm a big girl. I need my food. I figure if I start small, don't go balls to the wall, I am more likely to figure this out. Stick to it. I didn't snack today. I wouldn't let myself. I had a burrito for God Sake..I didn't need to snack. 

I haven't snacked after dinner. I did have a cookie with dinner though. That sucks. but oh well...I was mad after I ate it, it wasn't worth it. So I won't do it again. 

I did work out tonight. 20 minutes. Personal win because I forced myself to get dressed. Working out was the last thing I wanted to do tonight. After P went to bed, I wanted to blog, order some Advocare, maybe Pinterest, and go to bed. 

But NO! Between T texting me today, Emmy's pictures, the pictures Becky posted for encouragement...I made my ass get off the couch and put on my new shoes. Instantly I was ready to go.

I had a nice talk with a 60 yr old gymnast today. He was very interesting. The nicest thing he said to me after I called myself fat, "I don't think you are. We all have different body types. I can see you have muscle tone..." to which I replied, "its just hidden under the baby fat" and he agreed. :)

He made a point, that I already know, but I easily forget. Women give up everything to have miracles. Their hair, their nails, their bodies. Dont' get me wrong...I wouldn't have it any other way...I just wish I didn't have this gross ass stomach to look at every day. I actually wouldn't mind seeing my C-Section scar everyday.

It's my reminder that I'm bad ass. 

It's my reminder that I can literally do anything. 

Feeding a baby in a sleepy, oxy induced state..that takes mad skills people. Recovering from a c-section is NOT easy. I hear I did in fact have it easy, and that is scary. Recovering from a c-section and caring for a preemie...not easy. I can do anything.

Anyways, he says that we don't give ourselves enough slack. Yes, we can lose weight but it takes time. It took 9 months to put it on, blah blah, but he continued. "and then all that recovery and taking care of the baby. That takes a lot. Then you have to find the time to workout without leaving them at home or taking away from your time with them."

Wise man. He gets it. (His wife did have 4 kids..I hope he'd get it)

I'm so glad we had our field trip today. This man motivated me. He didn't know me, and I will probably never see him again, but our conversation today helped me big time.

Thanks old man...you're pretty cool.

New Year...New Me.

Well...hellllllllllllllllllllllloooooo 2014. You sexy beast.

I honestly can't believe how fast 2013 went. I mean..it probably helps that I was sleep deprived and living the dream all at the same time. Life goes fast when you're havin fun people.

So much happened last year. (It's weird to say last year when that was...yesterday.) 

The biggest event...surprise surprise...was Parker being born. My God, talk about the most amazing event ever that came early. :) 

It still amazes me that even though he was 5 weeks early, man his timing was perfect. It made every event this year that much more enjoyable. I thank our lucky stars every day that he is ok, healthy, and that him coming early has not created any medical problems. We are blessed. 

I do not thank our stars for the fact that him coming early most likely means that any future siblings will also meet us early. That adds a whole new level of stress to being pregnant. 

A lot happened this past year. Not all of it good. Who ever has a perfect year?

A lot is happening this year!! Friends getting married, friends having babies. I can't wait. It truly is going to be an amazing year.

With that being said. We all know what people do on this day.

Make a vow to change themselves for the better. So here we go. If I share them...they will come true right? Right.

1.) Get back to a body that I can be happy with. 

I don't even want to commit to a number of pounds lost, or a size. I just want to be happy with how I look. I thought I was ok...until I saw some pictures. Ugh pictures. I hate not wanting to be in them. I LOVE pictures. I should love being in them. I shouldn't have to worry about my double chin ruining what could have been an amazing shot. I shouldn't have to worry about my belly looking fat...or my arms being too wide. No. I have control over that...I need to get it under control. 

There is another baby at some point in our future. This fact alone motivates me to get back into shape. I can NOT add more baby weight to what I have now. There would be no coming back for me after that. I know it. 

There is my baby now. I feel that if I lost some weight, I would have more energy for him. He deserves that. He deserves the best mom that I can be, and I will give him that.

So to get this ball rolling, I am doing the 24 day challenge with Advocare. My dear old friend Kyle talked me into it....and I'm excited. Even though I don't see him every day...I know he will kick my ass if I don't stick with it. ;) I have also talked a few people into doing 10 of those 24 days with me. I will need all the motivation and support I can get...I plan to blog about my journey, even if its just a quick blurb. I need to be accountable. MAKE ME BE ACCOUNTABLE!

2.) Be a better mom.

Parker deserves me at my best. I don't feel I always give that to him. Well, that changes today. The laundry can wait 10 more minutes if that means I can sit with him and watch the look on his face when he throws a block and it actually lands inside the container. He is so curious right now. I love seeing his reactions to things. I will not miss out on those things just because I think I need to be doing something else.

3.) Do 20 minutes of activity a day. Every day.

I own an elliptical machine for God's sakes. I CAN do that. 

4.) Blog more.

I was reading my pregnancy blogs and loved reliving that experience. This has motivated me to keep going with it. I am upset that I stopped blogging last year. So many great things happened. I have the WORST memory probably ever. Ask any of my friends...I am not a steel trap. Not even close. I need things like pictures and blogs to help me remember details. 

 

So that in a nutshell is going to be what shapes my year. and a few other things that are a little to personal to share with the entire world. Let's just say...new year...new me. 

I got this. 

Tooth Fairy

P Baby has TWO teeth.

TWO.

They popped in Saturday, September 7th. :)

Possibly while at a wedding.

Did I know he had teeth that just cut through his gums? Nope. Not at all because he is an amazing baby.

He should have been in horrible pain, but nothing. He was in a great mood and was a dancing machine.

He is now the proud owner of two front teeth.

Another First

Parker's first real medical issue. Oiy.

He started daycare last week because my nanny had knee surgery and needs 2 months to recover. So he started right as all the other kids got a virus. My child's immune system that has only experienced dog hair.....of course got it.

All week he was exhausted. Bed by 7:30 exhausted. So we chalked it up to him being over stimulated at work. Fantastic!

Then his runny nose started...and then a cough.

Took him to the doctor on Tuesday and yup..just a virus. Don't worry, it will run its course. Great. I hate viruses. They suck. Who wants to hear that you can do nothing for your child? You just have to listen to his heart breaking, chest rattling cough for 10 days. 10 very long days.

Wednesday I go to hang out with him on my break and his legs are purple. Purple. Great.

We check his torso and yup...purpleish too. While at the doctor on Tuesday they checked his oxygen, so Wednesday I was worried that he was low on oxygen and that is why he was turning purple. So I was about to call the dr when my coworker came to talk to P baby and then goes "Oh Pam are you crying??"

Sigh...yup. Of course I am. Ugh. Over reacting mom...again. Then my boss comes over...looks at P and calms me down. Thankfully.

Thursday. P's lead teacher calls me and tells me to come down to see him. I had told her when he started that he plays with his ears all the time and I wasn't sure if it was a "I'm tired thing" or a "ear infection" thing. So she has been keeping an eye on it.

So on Thursday I went down and was holding him while she did the test. The left ear...nothing. Right ear...as soon as she did her test he pulled as far away from her as possible. yup...that's not normal!

And he hasn't eaten more than 5 oz all day, and it was 2pm.

We go to the doctor. Get there and oh! The phone nurse didn't put in our appointment. Great.

So we finally see the doctor an hour after we are supposed to. I should just be thankful that we were still able to see us I guess.

She checked his ear and instantly saw he had an infection. She listened to his chest, several times. She seemed a little concerned and had a nurse bring in the oxygen checker, which of course P hated and wouldn't let them do.

They came back in with another one and the Dr finally got it to work on his fingernail...and he was low. She ordered a chest x-ray.

She warned me that it would be traumatic....boy was she right.

You have to sit your baby on this bicycle seat and then press them into a plastic cylinder tube with their arms above their heads. It's like a medieval torture device. So P is screaming while she is having me hold like 7 different things . His arms are above his head, smooched against his face, and he is looking at me like "WHHHHYYYYYY MOM?!?!?!!?"

So that's done. The Dr looks at it...and does see some spots but thinks its just mucus. Nope. 7pm that night she calls me again. A specialist had looked at it...yup pneumonia. New prescription.

My mom called to see if we needed anything from Madison. The conversation went like this:

M- "Hey, we are in Madison do you need anything?"
Me- "No...we should be good. thanks though."
M-"Oh."
Me- "Mom, do you just want to come see Parker?"
M-pause....pause "Ya."

So they come over and I take off for Walgreens and make it there with a minute to spare. I'm sure they didn't appreciate it because they were just about to close, but I was pretty stoked.

So now P is on some crazy stuff that tastes really bad so I have to trick him into eating.

Sigh...I just wish he would eat and get back to normal. I miss my baby.