Happy New Year!!

2009 was very good to us, and we are looking forward to all 2010 has to bring! Here are the highlights:

2009
- We were able to take 2 amazing trips - Mexico in February and Rome in September.
- In March we did the Colon Cancer walk "Undy 5000" in honor of my mom. It was the first time the race was held in St. Louis.
- We enjoyed another Crab Party at my dad's house.
- We welcomed our new niece Natalia into the world.
- And learned of our own arrival to come in April.
- Celebrated birthdays and holidays with friends
- Enjoyed playdates and minitrips around St. Louis

Of course we had some difficult times as everyone does - but we overcame and the fun times are always the ones we really want to remember.

Looking forward in 2010 to:
- 3 year wedding anniversary
- Reese turning 2 (bittersweet)
- The arrival of our second boy in April
- More adventures and if we're lucky a trip thrown in too!!

Happy New Year everyone!!! May 2010 bring you everything you need and be all that you want it to be!

My shameful secret

Okay, moms - I'm reaching out and seeking advice, but before I do so I must reveal my shameful secret. Here it goes - please don't laugh. I'm sure some of you have been there.

I don't get to shower until 12 or 1 in the afternoon.

Now, read that carefully. See how I used the word "get"? I have always showered when Reese is napping - that way I know where he is, what he is doing and he is safe. Well, now he is down to 1 nap, which has its ups and downs. The big down - I REALLY miss my morning shower.

I have decided it is time to reclaim my shower time!! Working moms shower in the morning - and I'm betting a lot of them do it while their little ones are awake. Well, me too - I want that - so what is the secret??

Let me give you some background before you think I'm all gross and everything - I don't shower first thing in the morning because as soon as Reese gets up we have breakfast and go to the gym - makes sense right?

After the gym we come home to play until lunch and then down for nap. IF I do go anywhere it is Walmart or Target or the grocery store and well, lets admit it - there are ALL types there. In fact I'm proud of my workout appearance - at least I went to the gym. The other day I walked into Target and saw dozens of moms with their kids - and not a single one of them was in workout gear. Oh, no! They all looked cute and primped and ya know what - I'm not ashamed to say, I felt a little superior.

Okay, off my high horse.

Now I have had the occasional morning where we had to be somewhere early and I needed to take a shower. On those days I took him in the bathroom with me and he was still so fascinated with the shower and being in there that he just kinda stood there while I took a very fast shower. But let's be honest, that is going to wear off REAL soon.

So, mom's how do you do it? What is your secret to getting a shower in while your little one is awake? - remember I have a toddler who is full of energy.

Of course, I'm being a little fecicous here, and my questions are somewhat rhetorical. I have an idea of what to do, but I WOULD really like to hear from you - whether it's suggestions on how you keep your kiddos occupied while you shower OR if you've been in the same boat and have some fun stories to tell.

If you enjoy reading this - please click on the follow button and become a follower of my blog. I'd love to have ya!!

We're conversing!!

It has been amazing watching Reese learn new words. I am utterly amazed at all the words he knows in his 18 months of life. Even more amazing is how he will hear a word, tuck it away in that little brain of his and bring it back out weeks later - SURPRISE!!

As amazed as I am at his growing vocabulary and language skills, I was blown away the other day. We had our first . . . . conversation. That's right - up till now it has always been one word here and there (with the occasional 2 words put together)- usually him requesting something or pointing something out, but the other day it turned into something more.

He innocently walked into the kitchen, pointed at the cantaloupe and said, "cant"
I said, "yes, that is a cantaloupe".
To which he replied, yes REPLIED, "have?"
I said, "No, not right now" and
he said, "later?"
You betcha buddy - we can definetly have that cantaloup later!!!

We had our second conversation 2 days later which was even cuter. I went to get him out of his crib in the morning and he said, "Dada?"
I said, "Dada's at work".
Reese said, "home"
I said, "No, he's at work"
Again Reese said, "Home, Home"
"I know you want him to come home, but Dada is at work, he'll be home later."
"Oh, NO!" said Reese as he threw his arms down at his side.

I could've hugged him to pieces that morning!!

How do they do it? How do they so easily transition from one word to the back and forth banter? Crazy!!! Amazing!!! And totally awesome!!!

Stay at home mom vs. working mom

So I was watching Dr. Phil today while getting some house work done and Reese was napping and I was astonished at the topic. They had both working and stay at home moms in the audience and they were arguing which was better - REALLY??? Aren't we past this yet???!!!

I guess at this point I should tell you my point of view on the topic - neither is better. Yes, I truly believe that. Staying at home is best for ME and MY family, that doesn't make it best for anyone else. An easy comparison in my mind is my child/family vs. my brothers child/family. I stay home - my sister in law works. My son is healthy, smart and very happy and my niece is healthy, smart and very happy. I challenge anyone to say that one of them is better off than the other.

I believe that a happy mom (really, happy parents) contributes HUGELY to a child's success and if working makes a mom happy - great - she'll be a better mom at home for it. If staying at home make her happy - again, same thing.

Obviously there are people who disagree with me, or there wouldn't be a huge debate about it on Dr. Phil today, but what I want to know is why we (women, society) feel the need to argue it out?

So what do you think - why are women so angry/hateful/ready to debate over whether stay at home moms or working moms raise better kids?

I have my own theory, but I'm curious to hear yours - so please share!!

Reality Check

Okay parents back me up on this one - at some point in time we have all looked at our babies (probably while rocking them to sleep) and thought, "Oh, I would just love to bring him to bed with me and cuddle with him all night!" Of course, those of us who aren't into the family bed thing (nothing wrong with it - just not right for eveyone, myself included) don't bring them into bed with us because we know how difficult it can then be to get them out of it.

Well, a few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to "cuddle" with my son all night - so for those of you who are tempted, let me fill you in on my experience.

Dan and I had decided to take a family trip to the Lake of the Ozarks - a last minute getaway. So last minute in fact that it was too late to get a condo, but late enough to get an awesome deal on a hotel. So I booked the hotel, very excited about our uber cheap deal and then it hit me - where would Reese sleep?? In a crib of course. Yes, I know they have them at hotels; however, I have a VERY routine oriented child and he is used to sleeping in his own bed, and even more so, by HIMSELF - with no one else in the room. Oh, boy! How was this gonna work out.

Let me tell you . .. . Not well. We arrived at the hotel around 7 pm. Spent some time looking around, letting Reese run around. Then we headed to the room to follow his bedtime routine as close as possible. We brushed teeth, read books, gave him his lovey and blankets and put him in the crib - and he screamed! We hid in the bathroom (yes . . .hid) and waited and he didn't calm down. After trying this twice we thought maybe we'd just hang out watch some tv and maybe he would just pass out and we could put him in the crib. Well he got super tired and we tried again with no luck.

So again, he came to hang out in bed with us and watch tv/look at books. Finally, around 11 - yes it took that long, he had fallen asleep. At this point we were too tired and too scared to move him, we just wanted him to sleep. So we decided he would stay with us.

Well, I was quickly reminded of why I moved my son to his crib and out of our room at 3 1/2 weeks of age . He is the most restless sleeper I've ever known! Several times during the night I was kicked, elbowed, slapped etc. Then he woke at 12:30 or so and wouldn't sleep. It was like he thought he had just had a nap. So we decided to try benedryl so we could all get some sleep.

For those of you who have heard that benedryl will help your child sleep for a plane, or car trip - I BEG to differ! Shortly after the dosage my child was running around the hotel room like a crazy, wild child. Apparently Benedryl has the opposite effect on him and makes him hyper. Oh, joy of joys!!

He did finally fall asleep and we were all extra groggy the next day, but we still managed to have a great time and the second night (although he still slept with us) went much smoother. Overall, it was a really nice (and believe it or not, somewhat relaxing) weekend.

So parents, next time you have the urge to bring your sweet baby to bed with you - just stay and rock them a little longer and do yourself a favor and put them in their own bed. You'll ALL sleep better for it.

On a side note - he would nap in that crib in the hotel room but not sleep there at night. Any thoughts on that?

We've got a climber on our hands

Recently Reese has discovered that he can climb!! Oh, joy of joy - just what I needed another instand heart attack.

It started off simple, climbing up the couch, then chairs, his toy chest, into cabinets, and attempting the bookshelves. Now he has more confidence and is taking more risks. A while ago he climbed a carseat at our friends that was on the floor next to a dog cage. He used the carseat to then get up on the dog cage and began jumping and screaming. Extremeley proud of himself. Today while I was sitting at the table I heard him playing in this toy tent he has, or so I thought. He was making some rather excited noises, when I turned around and realized somehow he had scaled the side and was getting ready to stand on top of it. By the way, it was also getting ready to buckle beneath his weight.

I swear I'm gonna go grey early - no doubt about it! I just hope I don't have another John Vincent on my hands. If you're not sure who that is see story below:



John Vincent, the man who climbed and BASE-jumped off the Gateway Arch on September 14, 1992, is on his way to jail for 90 days. Vincent originally pled guilty to the misdemeanor and was sentenced to a $1,000 fine, 25 hours of community service, and a year's probation. On December 19th, however, Vincent had to appear before a federal magistrate judge for violating terms of his probation, for failing to report to his probation officer, and for two recent encounters with the police. The judge revoked his probation and ordered Vincent to serve 90 days in jail, beginning December 29th. The assistant U.S. attorney noted in court that "Mr. Vincent has a serious attitude problem." A request for a delay on the jail reporting date made by Vincent's attorney was denied. [Deryl Stone, CR, JEFF, 12/20]

What will I do then!!!????

Another milestone

Today I bought Reese his very first lunchbox!

He is 15 months old and will be starting a Mommy's Day Out program in September. One day a week he will go and hang out with new friends he'll make and teachers who will encourage him and help him to learn new things. I can't believe my baby is going to go to "school". Okay, okay I know it's not really school, but it's away from home for a whole day - the same length as a school day! Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for him. I want him to have this experience and I believe it will be a very positive one for him, but it is a milestone that just shows how fast he is growing up.

I have to confess that the teacher in me was SO excited to buy him the lunchbox and his reaction was priceless. He grabbed for it right away, held onto it the entire shopping trip and kept saying "vroom, vroom". Too precious! I was so into the "back to school" spirit I even bought him crayons and markers to play with at home.

I have a feeling growing up with a teacher for a mom is going to be interesting for my children. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get groaned at a lot when I get excited for back to school shopping and I'm positive I will be called a dork more than once. But I don't care - I love it!!