We traveled to Kansas on the 23rd to spend Christmas with my family. This was the first year that Andrew really understood Christmas, and he had a great time. As we were opening presents on Christmas day, Andrew shouted "I am SO happy right now!". Santa brought him the trains he had been asking for, as well as Lightning McQueen's truck, and he has been playing with all of them for days.
While Brian had to go back to St. Louis to return to work, Andrew and I stayed and have been hanging out for the past week. We have been able to see his cousins Max and Erin every day we have been here, and he loves spending time with them. On Monday my mom and I took all 3 of them swimming at the indoor pool, and Andrew was in heaven. For a boy who sometimes hates taking a bath, he took to the swimming pool like a fish. It was almost a little scary for me because he had absolutely no fear about jumping in and trying to swim, but he still can't do it on his own. We'll have to get him in some swim lessons this spring so that he might be a little more ready for the pool this summer.
We will be heading back to St. Louis tomorrow, and it should be quite the event. Because Brian took the car back with him, Andrew and I will be taking the Amtrak train tomorrow. I cannot wait to experience this with Andrew, as I know he is going to absolutely love it. Hopefully I'll get a post up about that after the trip.
Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sorry!
It's been way too long since I've written on here. I guess I assume most people see everything I post on facebook, but I do want to try to keep up with my blog for record keeping sake. I like being able to go back and read about different things I have blogged about, and now I get to add another item to the list of topics.
I am pregnant again! I actually found out I was pregnant on my birthday, which was a wonderful present to receive. It was a little bit shocking, as Brian and I had been waiting to try again until we were settled into our new lives in St. Louis. Well, it happened on the first month. I'm due June 4th, the day after the school year ends and 2 days after Brian's birthday. Couldn't have planned that one any better! It's been a fairly easy pregnancy so far aside from being nauseous 24/7 the entire month of October. But I'm back to feeling better, and have hit the point where I am outgrowing my "normal" clothes and am having to get creative with my wardrobe because maternity clothes are huge on me right now. I will start posting belly pics again soon.
We have informed Andrew that there will soon be a new baby in the house, and he does not seem very pleased about it. But I think the idea is growing on him. It better!
I am pregnant again! I actually found out I was pregnant on my birthday, which was a wonderful present to receive. It was a little bit shocking, as Brian and I had been waiting to try again until we were settled into our new lives in St. Louis. Well, it happened on the first month. I'm due June 4th, the day after the school year ends and 2 days after Brian's birthday. Couldn't have planned that one any better! It's been a fairly easy pregnancy so far aside from being nauseous 24/7 the entire month of October. But I'm back to feeling better, and have hit the point where I am outgrowing my "normal" clothes and am having to get creative with my wardrobe because maternity clothes are huge on me right now. I will start posting belly pics again soon.
We have informed Andrew that there will soon be a new baby in the house, and he does not seem very pleased about it. But I think the idea is growing on him. It better!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Halloween
I think I'm getting to the point in my life where I really could do without Halloween. Sure, it's a fun reason to dress up and get candy. But I've started viewing it from a different perspective...the parent perspective.
As a parent with an almost 3 year old who has recently entered the world of being scared, Halloween does not sit well. Seeing all the scary costumes really freaked him out. We tried to go a party at a neighbor's house yesterday, and he would have nothing to do with all the people there who were dressed up. I agree with him! I just don't get what is fun about dressing up as something dead or scary. His preschool did have a Trunk or Treat event on Friday night which was much more my style, little kids in cute costumes.
I am honestly amazed at what some parents will let their children dress up as. There was one boy there last night who was probably around 10, dressed as the Grim Reaper. No thanks! I joked with Brian last night that maybe we should be exposing our son to swords and scary stuff so he would think it was normal and not get scared by it. And the girl's costumes are just getting too sexual. In a way, I'm relieved we don't have a girl and don't have to enter the world of girl issues.
Last but not least, there is the candy factor. Andrew has definitely inherited his dad's love for candy, and I will admit it was pretty fun last night watching him enjoy and marvel at his first Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. But putting a limit on the candy is so hard, and I don't want him getting sick either. The last thing I need is for this kid to have more energy from a sugar high!
As a parent with an almost 3 year old who has recently entered the world of being scared, Halloween does not sit well. Seeing all the scary costumes really freaked him out. We tried to go a party at a neighbor's house yesterday, and he would have nothing to do with all the people there who were dressed up. I agree with him! I just don't get what is fun about dressing up as something dead or scary. His preschool did have a Trunk or Treat event on Friday night which was much more my style, little kids in cute costumes.
I am honestly amazed at what some parents will let their children dress up as. There was one boy there last night who was probably around 10, dressed as the Grim Reaper. No thanks! I joked with Brian last night that maybe we should be exposing our son to swords and scary stuff so he would think it was normal and not get scared by it. And the girl's costumes are just getting too sexual. In a way, I'm relieved we don't have a girl and don't have to enter the world of girl issues.
Last but not least, there is the candy factor. Andrew has definitely inherited his dad's love for candy, and I will admit it was pretty fun last night watching him enjoy and marvel at his first Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. But putting a limit on the candy is so hard, and I don't want him getting sick either. The last thing I need is for this kid to have more energy from a sugar high!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A day of mixed emotions
Today is my birthday, a day that should normally bring happiness and celebration. As I've grown older, I have been able to find some joy in the day, but there is always something in the back of my mind about this day. Unless you knew me in high school, you probably don't know about how this day has a different meaning to me.
On my 16th birthday I lost a very important person in my life to suicide. It was a day that started off great, with my friends Anne and Danika waking me up and taking me out to breakfast before school. Also, my dad was pretty strict about me driving without an adult in the car, so my 16th birthday was a day I had looked forward to for a long time. It was a day that I would take one step closer to being an adult.
I remember sitting in math class, and one of my former grade school teachers came in to get me. She took me in the hall to tell me that Anne's dad, Dan, had died. I think the chief of police was there, too. I'm pretty sure I started sobbing, but don't really remember. At that point, I didn't realize it was suicide, I just thought he had died. We had seen him driving away that morning as we were coming home from breakfast. Dan was a police officer, and frequently went out to the shooting range to practice. That was where he went that morning when we saw him leaving.
Through the course of the day we learned that Dan had, in fact, killed himself. Dan had been a fixture in my life since kindergarten, and he often called me his adopted daughter because of how much time I spent with their family. I went camping with them often, and remember him always being around for an encouraging word at soccer games and swim meets. And now he was gone.
To this day I still do not understand why he made the choice to take himself from us. But in the years since, I have realized that I really don't think people who commit suicide are able to contemplate the impact that those who are left behind will face.
I often look back to my 16th birthday as the day I lost my naivete. The real world was now in front of me, and it has been a difficult world for me to handle at times. I have struggled through rough times in my life, but have always been able to overcome my hardships with the help of those who love me. For that, I am thankful for each and every birthday that I am able to celebrate and find joy in. Some birthdays are easier than others, and I never know going in to the day what I will feel like. Today has been an emotional day for me so far, I'm not sure why, but I really felt like I needed to sit down and write about it. Thanks for listening.
On my 16th birthday I lost a very important person in my life to suicide. It was a day that started off great, with my friends Anne and Danika waking me up and taking me out to breakfast before school. Also, my dad was pretty strict about me driving without an adult in the car, so my 16th birthday was a day I had looked forward to for a long time. It was a day that I would take one step closer to being an adult.
I remember sitting in math class, and one of my former grade school teachers came in to get me. She took me in the hall to tell me that Anne's dad, Dan, had died. I think the chief of police was there, too. I'm pretty sure I started sobbing, but don't really remember. At that point, I didn't realize it was suicide, I just thought he had died. We had seen him driving away that morning as we were coming home from breakfast. Dan was a police officer, and frequently went out to the shooting range to practice. That was where he went that morning when we saw him leaving.
Through the course of the day we learned that Dan had, in fact, killed himself. Dan had been a fixture in my life since kindergarten, and he often called me his adopted daughter because of how much time I spent with their family. I went camping with them often, and remember him always being around for an encouraging word at soccer games and swim meets. And now he was gone.
To this day I still do not understand why he made the choice to take himself from us. But in the years since, I have realized that I really don't think people who commit suicide are able to contemplate the impact that those who are left behind will face.
I often look back to my 16th birthday as the day I lost my naivete. The real world was now in front of me, and it has been a difficult world for me to handle at times. I have struggled through rough times in my life, but have always been able to overcome my hardships with the help of those who love me. For that, I am thankful for each and every birthday that I am able to celebrate and find joy in. Some birthdays are easier than others, and I never know going in to the day what I will feel like. Today has been an emotional day for me so far, I'm not sure why, but I really felt like I needed to sit down and write about it. Thanks for listening.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Potty Learning
Warning***Yes, this post talks about pooping and peeing.***Get over it. I'm a mom.
We have officially entered the world of Potty Training, which I am trying to look at as Potty Learning. Andrew has shown some interest in sitting on the potty, especially because all of his friends at school use the potty. The last few days he has wanted to wear underwear over his diaper, so I decided this weekend we would take the plunge. Last night I found some sticker charts online, and printed a few off to use as an incentive. I let Andrew pick his favorite, and we started the morning by him getting to put stickers on it for pulling down his own pants and sitting on the potty. There were a couple of accidents in the morning, and I learned that having tile floors and a leather sofa are helpful! I decided I needed a shower, and of course when I got out Andrew came running to me and he had pooped. Ug. Hopefully we won't have to deal with that again.
He continued to have accidents in the afternoon after his nap, and I was getting pretty frustrated. It just wasn't clicking with him. Lately he has been on a pancake kick, and we had them for breakfast, and he asked for them for lunch. Then he started asking for them for a snack, and Brian suggested using them as reward. BINGO! He sat on the potty and peed for a pancake.
And then while eating the pancake, he had an accident. Sigh. But he asked for another pancake and I told him he had to go potty for it. He did! Maybe this was working...
I decided he needed some time outside, so we went out to swing and play soccer. Of course, another accident. What's nice is I didn't have to clean it up. I changed him and let him run around in his underwear outside, and he seemed okay.
It was getting close to dinner, and he asked for popcorn and Goldfish crackers. I told him that he would have to sit on the potty and go pee in order to get them, and he did! It was amazing. Towards the end of the day I felt like maybe we had turned a corner. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful.
We have officially entered the world of Potty Training, which I am trying to look at as Potty Learning. Andrew has shown some interest in sitting on the potty, especially because all of his friends at school use the potty. The last few days he has wanted to wear underwear over his diaper, so I decided this weekend we would take the plunge. Last night I found some sticker charts online, and printed a few off to use as an incentive. I let Andrew pick his favorite, and we started the morning by him getting to put stickers on it for pulling down his own pants and sitting on the potty. There were a couple of accidents in the morning, and I learned that having tile floors and a leather sofa are helpful! I decided I needed a shower, and of course when I got out Andrew came running to me and he had pooped. Ug. Hopefully we won't have to deal with that again.
He continued to have accidents in the afternoon after his nap, and I was getting pretty frustrated. It just wasn't clicking with him. Lately he has been on a pancake kick, and we had them for breakfast, and he asked for them for lunch. Then he started asking for them for a snack, and Brian suggested using them as reward. BINGO! He sat on the potty and peed for a pancake.
And then while eating the pancake, he had an accident. Sigh. But he asked for another pancake and I told him he had to go potty for it. He did! Maybe this was working...
I decided he needed some time outside, so we went out to swing and play soccer. Of course, another accident. What's nice is I didn't have to clean it up. I changed him and let him run around in his underwear outside, and he seemed okay.
It was getting close to dinner, and he asked for popcorn and Goldfish crackers. I told him that he would have to sit on the potty and go pee in order to get them, and he did! It was amazing. Towards the end of the day I felt like maybe we had turned a corner. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
I can't believe it has been so long since I've last posted. Starting back at work has kept me so busy. I am enjoying my new school, but of course have a lot of things to figure out and work on. I am hoping things will calm down soon and I can get into more of a routine.
Andrew has been doing an awesome job transitioning into his new school. There were a few rough days and lots of tears shed by both him and I, but now he happily runs in and will hardly stop to say goodbye to me. He also received his first backpack last week, which has helped him be more excited about going to school. One of the greatest things about his school is that they have a big indoor gym area, so when it is too hot or too cold to go outside the kids can still have a space to run around. If you know Andrew, you know he needs that every day! He is so active all the time, and hits the ground running every day. Andrew is also learning so much at his school, and has started counting and reading letters very well. It is so fun to see his brain soaking in so much.
What I love the most is that he has started to sing. Every night before he goes to bed Brian and I sing "Hush Little Baby" to him, but now he will join in with us or even sing it all by himself. I love it!
Andrew has been doing an awesome job transitioning into his new school. There were a few rough days and lots of tears shed by both him and I, but now he happily runs in and will hardly stop to say goodbye to me. He also received his first backpack last week, which has helped him be more excited about going to school. One of the greatest things about his school is that they have a big indoor gym area, so when it is too hot or too cold to go outside the kids can still have a space to run around. If you know Andrew, you know he needs that every day! He is so active all the time, and hits the ground running every day. Andrew is also learning so much at his school, and has started counting and reading letters very well. It is so fun to see his brain soaking in so much.
What I love the most is that he has started to sing. Every night before he goes to bed Brian and I sing "Hush Little Baby" to him, but now he will join in with us or even sing it all by himself. I love it!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Holy Hotness!
We are living in the midst of some hot weather here. I know it's been hot everywhere lately, but it just makes life so miserable. Today, the heat index was at 90 by 8 am. Andrew and I tend to not leave the house very much, and luckily we now have more room inside our house for Andrew to run around. I've even thought about bringing some of the smaller outside play toys we have into the basement for him to be able to use. What has been frustrating is that I don't really want to go out into the heat to run in the mornings, especially when I have Andrew with me in his jogging stroller. There are definitely more hills in our neighborhood here than where we lived in Ohio, and pushing him in the stroller is a new form of torture. But he does make runs a bit more interesting, with his constant talking and observations.
I've been trying to do some activities with Andrew this summer, and so far we have visited the Museum of Transportation, the St. Louis City Museum, and were able to go see Nick Jr's Storytime Live. Andrew loved all of the trains at the Museum of Transportation, and we are hopefully going back again next week. The City Museum was different. It's a very creative, fun place, but I think Andrew was a little too young for it. And the Storytime Live show was fun, although Andrew was a bit scared by it at first.
I start at my new job in less than 2 weeks, with 4 days of new staff orientation and then 3 days of professional development. School starts August 18th, so it will be here before we know it. I did find a daycare for Andrew that I think will be a good fit. Finding childcare is not easy, especially after how much we all liked his school back in Ohio. But I'm trusting my instinct that his new school will be a good fit.
I've been trying to do some activities with Andrew this summer, and so far we have visited the Museum of Transportation, the St. Louis City Museum, and were able to go see Nick Jr's Storytime Live. Andrew loved all of the trains at the Museum of Transportation, and we are hopefully going back again next week. The City Museum was different. It's a very creative, fun place, but I think Andrew was a little too young for it. And the Storytime Live show was fun, although Andrew was a bit scared by it at first.
I start at my new job in less than 2 weeks, with 4 days of new staff orientation and then 3 days of professional development. School starts August 18th, so it will be here before we know it. I did find a daycare for Andrew that I think will be a good fit. Finding childcare is not easy, especially after how much we all liked his school back in Ohio. But I'm trusting my instinct that his new school will be a good fit.
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