All about Bubba

I CANNOT believe my little guy, Bubba, is 2. It is just INSANE to me! Time really flies. It seems like just yesterday I was watching him roll over for the first time... but now he's a big boy! He's been using the potty everyday (sometimes w/o accidents). For the most part he feeds himself... and picks out his clothes for the day. He lets me know when he's hungry and what he wants to eat (most of the time is CANDY he's screaming for...) He's a good boy too.

When I asked what he wanted for his birthday he replied "Thomas GAMOONS..." aka balloons with Thomas the Tank Engine on them. So I decided to have a little Thomas party for his 2nd birthday. We acquired a small ball pit from a friend, JDub blew up water balloons, and we had our slide in the back too. Everything was a hit! His guests enjoyed the ball pit too... and a few people got wet but it was all good. He was a good boy; sharing everything up until the end when it came close to bed-time. He made sure to say "tank you" to everyone... even before he opened their presents sometimes!

And the most amazing thing yet?! The hours upon hours of watching "Elmo Potty Time" has finally paid off!!! Bubba had been enjoying running around the house naked... and doing the naked dance (don't worry we caught that one on video for blackmail... I mean enjoyment later ). Sure he had a few accidents while naked... its to be expected. But after purchasing Elmo big-kid-underpants he wanted to wear them! So the day before his 2nd birthday.... he demanded to wear Elmo. We woke up that morning and put them on. I made sure to tell him that Elmo doesn't like it when you pee or poop in him... so if he had to go he needed to tell Mommy and we could hurry to the potty.

Well I think we went through all 7 pair that came in that pack the first day! But that's ok. He freaked the first time he started peeing in them. He cried and cried... he was upset b/c he didn't want Elmo to be mad that he peed on him! But I assured him that Elmo would forgive him... and just like on the video... Elmo and Grover said "accidents happen... and its ok..." He does wondefully with me when it comes to going to the potty. He'll even tell me when he has to go sometimes! Most of the time I see him grabbing himself and ask if he needs to go and then we go even if he doesn't feel like it. He's getting better at going with JDub too so that's nice. I just hope he can get the hang of it and get help from other relatives... He manages to stay dry during naps... but we still have him in pull-ups at night (sometimes they're dry... and then some days they're wet). But all in all it is a wonderful thing! As much as watching "Elmo Potty Time" drove me crazy... I think it really did help. I can remind him about the things they teach in the video... like using toilet paper (but only a little bit), flushing, washing your hands... etc. I know I'm still spending alot of time in the bathroom these days... but at least 7/10 times he actually does go!!

We had his 2 year checkup last week. The doctor was a little shocked when I told her we'd been using the potty... She thought it was a bit early for a boy. But honestly he was showing the signs... wanting to use the potty.... telling me he needed a new diaper... staying dry during nap-time and even some nights.... and wanting to wear underwear. And I'm glad I did it. Since we spend most of our days at home we haven't really had too many accidents... I am getting more worried about when MOPS starts back up, and being in nursery at church... but time will tell. I know it's not the end of the world if he does have an accident... But I really am proud of him. (And myself for being patient...)

The next step is to get him to use his own potty... I just bought a Baby Bjorn potty chair (so I dont have to worry about him falling off our toilet and getting hurt... its happened...). So lets hope he wants to use that and then he'll be able to sit on it himself!!

sooo annoying!

So I happen to be one of those people who get very annoyed by things... its really a terrible burden. I can't get through the day w/o being annoyed by something. Most of the time its Bubba who's driving me crazy... sometimes Mango likes to get in on it too... Sometimes it feels like its JDub's job to annoy me... and then there's the most annoying thing yet....

Hairs?! Yes I'm talking about hair being the most annoying thing to me lately. Not the hair on my head... well technically its hair that use to be on my head. I swear I shed like a dog! I am constantly finding hairs all over me. And summertime is the worst. It annoys me even more b/c I'm usually wearing tank tops or sleeveless shirts and there always seems to be a hair tickling my arm, my back, my neck, my chest... doesn't matter where... and then its impossible to find! If you ever see me examining myself... hair is most likely the culprit.

If you're an aquaintence (or sometimes stranger....) and you have a stray hair on your clothes... I am likely to pick it off your sweater as well. I can't even listen to what you're saying half the time if you have hair on you... I'll just stare and stare until finally I pick it off... I know its weird..

And then there's when I'm in the shower. You would not believe the amount of hair that comes off my head when I'm in the shower! And then they're stuck to my legs when I'm trying to shave... ugh.... hair you drive me crazy!

Self-less...or selfish.....

There are certain times in my life when I consider myself to be a self-less person... Most of the time this is when it comes to my children! I think I've mentioned I will forego showering b/c there's just no time.... I will not get online or watch the TV shows I wish I could b/c I'd rather be going for a walk, or reading to Bubba. I will skip the opportunity during the day to do my workout b/c I'd much rather snuggle with Baby while he sleeps in my arms....

JDub and I have given up a lot since we started our family. We knew we'd have to make these sacrifices (no cable tv.... less eating out... no or minimal vacations.... buying ice cream instead of "going out for ice-cream".... turning down invites to concerts... or trips out to the bar... etc) I really don't mind giving these things up most of the time. But there are those times when I'm jealous of the friends and family who seem to go and do whatever they please!!!

And then there are times when I'm a little selfish... JDub doesn't have too many hobbies... He works on the house alot, and plays video games on the XBox here and there. Now he comes home and tells me he's joining a Fantasy Football League?! Ugh... Instead of being happy for him to get involved in something with guys from his work, I think "great.... how much time will this take out of the time he spends with me or the kids?!" I know... its terrible. How self-centered am I?! I even said "So this time you'll spend on the internet making your teams or whatever it is you do..... will this come out of the time you spend looking at Trucks online every night?" Sometimes I just can't help myself. JDub is such a wonderful husband and father to our boys.... I need to stop being so mean and let him have a little fun just for himself.... so say a little prayer for me to be more supportive. I can always take that time to have a little "Me" time myself right?

It's human nature to be the jealous type right? I wouldn't say I'm jealous all the time... but it does flare up now and again. Lately I've been mowing the lawn, not b/c JDub wouldn't do it... but b/c I'm jealous of the alone time he would get if he were to do it?! Being a stay-at-home-mom is a 24/7 job. With rare down time... Kids are always needing a new diaper (Please let Bubba take an interest in potty-training again soon!!) or something to eat. They crave your attention and involvement. But they can sure make you laugh and want to show them off too :)

what you do in your sleep.....

I've kind of always wanted to video tape myself while I sleep... Have you? Some mornings I wake up and I have no covers.... this I believe is b/c JDub is a sheet stealer! He's always hoarding the blankets.. He sleeps in the fetal position half the time with the covers all up around his neck. I can't stand that! I feel like I'm going to suffocate if they're all up around my neck the way he likes them. Unless its winter and I'm freezing... But honestly I wake up every day and my pillowcase is half off the pillow. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?! What in the world am I doing in my sleep to cause my pillowcase to come off?! I can't figure it out..

Sometimes the sheet will even slip off the mattress on my side. Its all good when I go to bed. I usually even straighten everything out and pull the fitted sheet down more... and yet its almost coming off the bed by morning. I dont' know why... but this doesn't happen whenever I have Baby sleeping with me. Sometimes if its been a rough night I'll pull him into bed with me...  or if we're all taking an afternoon nap I'll just have him sleep in bed with me b/c he never sleeps as long as Bubba does. I always wake up in the exact same position that I fell asleep. I wonder why that is? Maybe its some sub-conscious thing cause I know I don't want to squish my baby.... I know you're not suppose to sleep with infants... but I just know deep down I could never hurt him.... and I'm not drinking or anything so its not like I'm out of it.

I get a kick out of watching my two sons sleep sometimes... so if might be funny to watch myself!

Buyers beware of Chicco brand car seats!

When it came time for us to buy a carseat over 2 years ago.... JDub did a lot of research. He is soo good about that. He has the patience... and apparently time... to do that sort of thing. So when he came up and said he thought the Chicco brand travel system (a carseat, base, and stroller combined) was the best buy.. I said lets go for it! I even recommended it to friends. It had high safety ratings and good ratings from people in general. I really liked it too! I still notice other families have the same exact one when we're out and about and its 2 years old! So yea... you might have noticed how I said LIKED and not LIKE...... yea well while we were on the choir trip, which Baby came along on.... he developed this terrible rash on his little elbows! I couldn't figure out for the life of me what it was from. He was in the car seat alot b/c we were traveling alot.

TURNS OUT IT WAS THE CAR SEAT! Can you believe that? Little did we know Chicco brand carseats have been giving poor little babies rashes for a while now.... Apparently it is the fire-retardant part of the fabric... mixed with baby sweat... I dunno. But I felt soo bad. And well its not like you can just go somewhere w/o a carseat! So that was a bit of a bummer.. for a while there I ghetto-rigged a pillow case over top of the fabric, cut holes for the straps and buckles to keep his little arms from rubbing up on the fabric. And now we've purchased a cover from diapers.com... nomie brand. So far so good! The rash is soooo much better. His poor little elbows are a little dry still... but he just moves those arms around so much I dont think they've had time to heal all the way! Anyway. The cover is really nice. And it definately beat having to buy a whole new car seat! The only problem is now I'm not sure if we'll be able to use the stroller since its the same fabric... right now we can still click the car seat into the stroller and use it that way.. and well we can lay a blanket down too. But yea that totally sucks. So beware if you're in the market for a car seat...

Let's all go to the movies...

Bubba had his first movie experience this week! The local cheap theater (movies are ususally $3 a pop) has a promotion going on this summer. Free kids movies (kids 17and under are free, adults $1) Monday thru Thursday at 10:00 all summer long! This week was Monsters vs. Aliens. I had been wanting to go all summer but didn't really have the chance until this week. My grandmother is in town from Tennessee to see Baby for the first time :). She's loving him and his red hair of course (she's a red-head as well!). So I convinced her and my mom to come along and take the kids. Baby was wonderful... he just watched the movie/slept the whole time. Bubba on the other hand didn't make it through the whole thing........ but he was pretty good for about an hour of it!

It was quite the production! They really went all out at the theater. Sparkles the Clown was there scaring... I mean "entertaining" before the movie. They had kid packs with popcorn and candy. I think Bubba was more excited about eating popcorn than actually watching the movie! Of course I made the mistake of letting him get a big container of apple juice... I thought if I held it while he drank we'd be ok. Yea well we were until he started fussing and saying "I DO IT!" Which in turn led him to spill apple juice all over his shirt... that was about the same time we had to leave and go out into the lobby...  I should have known it was going to be packed when we showed up and there were two school buses parked in the lot! There were 4 theaters all full of kids! It was pretty insane. It was fun though. And I'm glad he was able to experience it. We might have to try again before summers over... if I can recruit some help again!

On another note, Baby rolled over from his stomach to his back for the first time this week!

I Dreamed a Dream

Please sing the following to the tune of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis!

There was a time when I would sleep

When no screams or cries

would wake my slumber

There was a time when I would unwind

And I'd relax

Resting was so amazing

There was a time

then it all was lost.....

I Dreamed a Dream in time gone by

when everyone could speak

and use the potty

I dreamed that I'd never get so annoyed

I dreamed that burp rags were a plenty

Then I was clueless and well rested

And dishes were used, washed and put away

There were no diapers to be changed

No tantrums thrown, no food wasted

But the children come all day

with their whining soft as thunder

as they tear your world apart

your dream's faint and far away

We use to be cool and much less lame
we'd see friends and go out after twilight
I use to be known by my first name!
But "Mommy" is all I am right now

And still I dream for time to read

And money to go on vacation

But there are purchases we can't forsee

And there are dreams that are not useful

I had a dream my life would be

So different from this one I'm living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has tainted the dream I dreamed

choir

Whooo what a long weekend and week this is going to be!!! We had our mini-tour for choir this past weekend. It was lots of fun. Here's some pics of the places we performed!!

I'd have to say my favorite was singing at the Sinsinawa Mounds in Sinsinawa, WI. I believe the average age of our audience was 70! Lol. And most of them were nuns. It was pretty cool. They were so appreciative of us being there and performing for them. And they were just too cute!

Baby was such a good boy the whole time... and thanks again to my mom for coming!!! She watched him while we practiced and performed. Everyone just oooeh and aaahed over him... I don't blame them cause I do too! He's just such a happy baby these days which is sooo nice.

Tomorrow we're off to Mason City for one last performance of this music we've been working on since the beginning of the year. I missed our concert in May b/c of Baby being born early and all... so I was so happy to be able to sing it this past weekend and tomorrow too. Hopefully we'll be as great tomorrow as we were this weekend (not to sound full of myself or anything... but we're pretty good :) ) I think my mom has heard us enough to agree!

Just as a little side note.... I'm working on a nice little parady I'll be posting soon I hope... if I have some more time to work on it that is!

My new favorite thing.. the Woombie

OMG I have been getting the best sleep lately! And I really think its all thanks to this little thing called a Woombie. This is a picture of Baby wearing his woombie... well this is actually an old picture, from the first weeks at home after his birth. This is the newborn size... he had to upgrade to the "Big Baby" size... All I can say is this was the best investment ever! ($2 at a garage sale?! thanks to my mom!) He goes to sleep anywhere from 8-10:00 pm and doesnt wake up until 3:00-4:30! It has been wonderful this week. And I really think my mood has been better because of all the sleep too.

The only problem is Baby spits up... ALOT... So I am constantly having to wash it and then it has to air dry which takes time... but I guess its all worth it if I remember to do it. And well if I forget... it just has dried spit up on it... it wont kill him to wear it again!.. I know you're probably thinking that's disgusting. But desperate times call for desperate measures. And when it comes to sleep I can get a little desperate! (Don't judge me....)

This week is coming to an end... and while it had its hectic moments (I'm pretty sure I've been spending up to 2 hours in the bathroom each day {due to the fact Bubba is potty-training and enjoys wasting my time...} 15-30 minutes at a time.) In general I'd have to say its been a pretty good week. Mostly due to my new favorite thing... the Woombie! So thank you thank you thank you to the inventor of the Woombie. I could kiss you right now.

Was it magic?....

So the other day JDub opened up his drawer (Yes.... you read that right.... his one drawer he has in our dresser. There are four drawers total... but come on... he still wears clothes he wore in high school... so its not like he needs the extra storage.  He'd prolly tell you different... but whatever!) and he said "Yay! The Boxer Fairy came." Now I know that's not exactly the "Thanks honey for doing my laundry... I needed boxers how did you know?!" but it was funny. I try to do my best on keeping on top of things like this. I mean I am home during the days so the least I can do it keep up on laundry and cleaning... Well maybe not the cleaning so much. Its hard to do when you have a little one wanting to "help" or a crying baby keeping your hands busy. It can be a real chore just getting the broom out of the closet b/c Bubba wants to drag the thing all around the house... terrorizing the cat and knocking things down.. and of course I have to worry about him hitting Baby with everything he gets his little hands on.

But anyway... sometimes I forget myself that things don't happen automatically or magically! Someone has put their time/effort/money/hard work into it... So don't forget to appreciate those in your life..... whether its mowing the lawn or getting you a beer... oh and speaking of beer... if you haven't tried the Summer Shandy by Leinenkugel's yet you should! It is yummy... its beer with a little bit of lemonade in it. It is very refreshing on a hot summer day. And yes I am breastfeeding... but they say a beer a day helps your milk supply! So I'm helping Baby by drinking a little bit of beer!!! :) Its really a win-win situation.

But yea make sure to let the people in your life you are thankful for them! I hope you all know how much I appreciate you :) It means a lot to know that people are interested in what's goin on in my life and read this little blog of mine. Love ya!!

Old = lame

Is it just me or the older you get... the more lame you become? I mean think about it... when you were younger you got excited about fun things like dances... and graduating high school. Then cool parties and going out to the bars.... then of course graduating college... then came marriage and children! But after all that what's there to get excited about?

Here are some examples of the things I get excited about and you tell me how lame it is...
-finding a coupon for something I needed to buy anyway...
-finding a great sale on kids clothes...
-when my doorbell rings and its my order from diapers.com
-getting my workout and shower in before JDub gets home from work
-a great cup of coffee
-even having the time to write on this blog is awesome!
-when Elmo is on so I can get some things done around the house...
-fitting into some of my old shorts.. (ok that one's pretty awesome... and I'm proud of that... but still need to do some work...)
-getting a babysitter :)

So yea... I really think the older you get its the smallest things that make you happy. Which in turn makes you pretty lame... Then again... maybe there's a curve on it ya know? Like you're lame for 25 years or so... but then once your kids are grown and on their own you're back to cool things that excite you.. like retiring and going on cruises and what not....

Sleep

Why do kids fight sleep? I would give anything to have an uninterupted 2 hour nap every day... and go to bed before 9. What gives? So I did get a decent nap in today... that was a nice surprise... but taking that nap meant I didn't do my workout... or shower... so you win some and you lose some I guess.

Oh and my birthday came and went... I'm totally bummed b/c I forgot to check my other email account and I missed out on free cold stone ice cream. SO NOT COOL. Apparently the coupon expires within a week of your bday so that sucks. I did however get some nice gifts :). Thanks to all... We've been listening to Lady Gaga.... my hair looks great... one because I finally chopped it off and donated 10 inches to Locks of Love and two, because my grandmother gave me WEN shampoo!! I really do like it.. I dont think JDub will let me continually get it... but hey at least I can have nice, no fuss hair while my life is crazy right now.

I really think in the long run I will enjoy having our boys so close in age... but right now the "terrible two's" and a colicky 2 month old are really bumming me out........

Summer time!!

Oh garage sales how I love thee!!!

This time of year is great! The weather is nicer.... I dont have to be cooped up in the house as much... we can go for walks... and go garage saleing!!! The only problem is, it is not an easy thing to do with two children.... especially an almost 2 year old and a newborn! Yikes. I recruited my mom to come along with me on Friday. Let's just say we only made it to 2 garage sales.... hardly worth going across town... but it was nice to try it out. Then again I did get some clothes for the boys and even some stuff for myself all for under $12!!! Bubba has already enjoyed wearing his new Thomas the tank engine summer pj's and I can't wait to see Baby in his new ISU gear!

One thing that sucks about this time of year is all the construction!!! I swear you can't go a mile w/o running into some (here in Iowa anyway). I know the roads are terrible... but jeez. You might as well say we only have 2 seasons.... winter... and construction... so much for spring summer and fall!

Summertime is fun though. JDub and I just celebrated our 4-year anniversary! Well I dunno if I'd call it much of a celebration.... If I recall we had a nice family from church drop off some dinner (yes people are still dropping off food 6 weeks after the birth of Baby! Its awesome :) ) we did our usual nightly routine... feeding the kids... bathing the kids... and went to bed early! Oh well... what do you expect! My bday is coming up next week too... whoo hoo.. birthday's just aren't as much fun the older you get.... that and the fact it falls on Father's Day this year... so I think I'm gettin screwed just a lil bit... cause JDub will get all the attention! j/k No he deserves it! He is an awesome father to our little boys... And apparently he says we're done having kids (honestly, this is the worst time to decide that.... Baby is still too young!).

Tanning

I am one of those people who use to indoor tan frequently... It just makes you feel good! It's a nice relaxing time... and I could usually only go for 10 minutes at a time b/c I'm practically albino... In college it was great b/c a roomie of mine worked at a rec center where we could go in and tan for free! It was so awesome. I love laying outside to tan as well... but honestly who has the time? And then you get those pesky tan lines... You have to remember to turn over or you'll get burned on one side and be all white on the other. And don't even get me started trying to tan the sides of your legs or body if you're laying out... its nearly impossible!

Honestly though, I dont know if I should technically call it tanning for me. Cause I tend to turn a shade of pink or red... not brown so much. Well I guess you can say I turn a little brown because I get more freckles when I'm out in the sun. I get so sick of seeing those commercials where they're talking about skin damage and dark spots..... they talk about freckles like they're blemishes! Well if freckles are blemishes than I have the worse case of acne anyone has ever seen!

So lately I've turned to using those self-tanning lotions. They're not all bad. I know a couple years back I used one of those gradual ones. Where when you use it every day it gradually turns your skin a darker shade. If I recall it worked pretty well. But honestly I dont shower every day..... let alone put lotion on so I dont see that one working out right now. I usually have some time on the weekend to take a nice long shower... exfoliate... shave... all that good stuff so that's when I take the time to use the self-tanning lotion! Here's the best way I find to use it....

1.Exfoliate and shave your legs. (I've only been using the lotions on my legs b/c my arms are pretty freckled from exposure right now anyway...and NO ONE needs to see my stomach right now... yuck!) I have this sugar scrub from bath and body works... or any type of scrub with beads to help get that dead skin off should work.
2. Completely dry your skin. If you have any drops of water on you at all it will cause streaks which is NOT attractive... I know from experience.
3. Put a nice creamy lotion in areas that crease... like around your ankles, your knees, and your feet.
4. Then I like to use the self-tanner lotion... I usually do the front, then back and rub it into the sides in circular motions on my calves and then thighs.
5. I find when applying the lotion to my knees, ankles, and feet, it is best to mix it half and half with another gentle lotion (like lubriderm). That way you don't risk getting it too dark and settling into the creases...

Of course you should let it dry before putting clothes on, and I wouldn't recommend putting any tight clothes on after.... just make sure you do it on a day you can lounge around for an hour or so until it completely dries... no working out, or showering... You could even do it right before you go to bed! or start a long movie...

I guess while I miss tanning... at least they have this substitute.... as long as you don't cake it on and put too much you won't look orange. And hey... don't we all look better with a tan?! I know I do... cellulite... stretch marks... you name the flaw and a little tan will do wonders on the your appearance!

Free time

OK.... I took baby to the chiropracter yesterday... I know some of you out there are thinking WHAT? Taking a baby to the chiro? But I was kinda desperate! Have you mothers out there ever felt this way? Cause I do frequently... well maybe not frequently.. but still I feel a lil desperate sometimes. It wasn't bad. Dr. Chris Smith was very nice (and cute I might add...) and it was all pretty gentle. So far so good.... He was pretty instantly great right after the treatment. He's been sleeping alot... but baby's sleep alot anyway... he's just sleeping without me having to hold him! Which is a huge plus for me. I'm not going to say it worked for sure just yet. I mean it hasn't even been 24 hours! But so far so good.... its just too bad he's not in my network... otherwise I might go there too! (He has free adjustments for kids every 1st Thursday of the month... how cool is that?!)

With me not having to give Baby constant attention... I almost feel like I have free time again! I was able to do my workout, get online, and do some laundry too! I should have showered.... I'm thinking "Car Car" might be the nickname for the new babe. That's what it sounds like Bubba is saying whenever he says his name! I also came up with "Farter".... b/c you wouldn't believe the gas that comes out of this kid in the morning! But that might be too crude... it does rhyme though!

I'm getting a little depressed how none of my clothes fit... I had to breakdown and buy a new one-piece swimsuit.... I think it looks ok... I haven't had any girlfriends over to tell me the truth yet... (any one can feel free to stop by and make me try it on and tell me the truth... i still have the tags and the receipt!). I asked JDub... but I think we all know what a husband's opinion on how we really look means nothing..... I think I bounced back pretty fast after Bubba was born... yea not feeling that way with Car Car though.... But man I am feeling it after my pilates tape today! Yikes.... I am OUT OF SHAPE!!! I need a walking buddy this summer.... any takers?! I have a double stroller and everything!

Anywho... my free time is up... Bubba's awake.... let me know your thoughts on the possible nickname... and Happy Friday!!!