You know you have a bad case of pregnancy brain when...

...you open up the washing machine (after the load is complete) and realize that you somehow washed a book--a BOOK--with your load of towels. A James Patterson mystery novel, to be precise. Oh, and also a plastic Easter egg filled with small toys. 3 1/2 more months to go. Let's hope this is the worst offense I'll have.

Off to go clean up the shredded, wet pages lining the sides of the machine...

24 Weeks: What a week

Well, it's been a whirlwind week, and I don't really see it calming down anytime soon. Probably the biggest decision made was to take a new job. I know--crazy to be starting a new gig at 5 1/2 months pregnant, no? About a month ago I got a call from a guy I used to work with asking me if I wanted to come work at a local start-up to run Marketing (he was hired to be the VP of Sales and Marketing and needed a Director of Marketing). Long story short: I told him I wasn't looking, that I'm only working 20hrs a week in my current job and I'm about to have a baby. He didn't care. After some negotiation, I decided to take the plunge and give it a shot (still working only 20hrs a week). The company I had been working for (major mega corporation) was a good place to work, but it taught me that I much prefer working in a smaller, start-up environment. I like the pace, I like the opportunity. The hard part will be getting used to going into the office again (with my former job, I could work from home). Also, it will be a little like working in a frat house since I'm the only female employee out of ten total employees (think dirty dishes in the sink and kegerator in the kitchen...truly a start-up environment). Regardless, I'm excited to start the journey (which begins on Monday).

Also, we've had the general stress of getting ready for baby. We are in the process of getting Will's "big boy" bedroom furniture, moving him into the (former) guest bedroom, getting the baby's room set up (have to re-do the decor since we're having a girl), organizing the house (trying to figure out what to do w/ all the stuff that was stored in our guest bedroom now that it will be Will's room), etc. Oh, and just the general nesting craziness that I have in wanting everything organized and feeling like I don't have enough time to get everything done.

Complicating matters is my body. While I generally have easy early pregnancies (and I am so thankful for that), my pregnancies get more challenging right at about this point. With Will, I went into early labor at about 30 weeks. I ended up in the hospital for a week as they tried to stop the contractions, etc. I was on bed rest for about a month (which is not as fun as it sounds--sort of like being a prisoner in your bed), had contractions throughout the rest of my pregnancy and he ended up coming late and I had to be induced (ah, mother nature, what a little kidder you are). Anyway, for the last week I've noticed the contractions starting (Braxton Hicks, I'm hoping) and the pain and pressure. If I'm up standing or walking around for too long it gets worse and I have to lie down. My doctor wants me lying down for two hours a day in hopes of avoiding a hospital visit (um, sort of hard to do between a job and watching Will. At least he still naps). So, you can see my dilemma of not being able to get done all of the things that need to get done (and that I want to get done). My husband is a huge help, but the poor guy can't do everything. So I'm trying to let go of some of the things that are a want vs. a need, and realize that just because I have a due date of February 3rd, it doesn't mean everything HAS to get done by that date...or else. Note that the operative word here is "trying" to let go. For now that's the best I can do.

First dental exam....featuring Mickey Mouse

I finally took Will to the dentist for the first time a couple of Fridays ago. He was an early tooth getter--first two teeth popped in at four months, he had six teeth by six months and a full set of teeth by one year. We brush his teeth (while we do it daily, we are bad about doing it multiple times a day) and he's always had a good set of chompers, but I noticed he had a brownish film on his front teeth about a month ago (eww, I know), so I set the appointment--something I'd been meaning to do anyway.

I HIGHLY recommend taking your child to a pediatric dentist vs. your usual dentist. I took him to a place right by our house called Hill Country Pediatric Dentistry and it was AWESOME. I'm talking bright, toy-filled waiting room w/ flat screen TVs playing the Disney Channel, toys/Lego tables in the exam rooms, flat screen TVs above the exam table so when your kid is lying flat, there's a TV right above them playing cartoons, goodie bags galore and prizes at the end. It's a veritable carnival complete with a tooth cleaning (not to mention the dentists are all specially trained in dealing with children and they do a fantastic job of putting the little ones at ease).

Since it was Will's first trip, they just did a basic cleaning (no x-rays). The dentist started cleaning his teeth with just a regular toothbrush (which they let him pick out) and once she determined he was comfortable with that, she moved on to using the real-deal tooth cleaner (the electric rotating one). Once she determined he was cool with that (and he was--the kid was a champ the entire time), she tried the water pick and suction thingy. He did great with both. The dentist finished up with some floss and told us we were doing a great job w/ his dental hygiene (apparently the brown film came right off--just needed some toothpaste with a little grit).

Here are some pics of the big day:

Playing with Legos before the dentist arrived

The dentist starting out with the toothbrush while Will watches Handy Manny

Graduating to the electric tooth cleaner....while continuing to watch Handy Manny...

Blue or Pink? It's....

...pink! Yes, we found out at my 20-week ultrasound on Thursday that we are having a girl. We were totally shocked. For some reason, we were both convinced that we were having another boy. Thoughts of two brothers, best of friends, was what we had in our minds, especially because Will is the ONLY boy on both sides of the family (he is going to be outnumbered at holiday gatherings to say the least.) So when the ultrasound tech said it was a girl (and reconfirmed it three times), we were a bit stunned.

I think that entire first day we were in a bit of a haze. Not so much because we don't want a girl, but because we had to change our vision of what we thought our family would be. Other reasons that having a girl left me feeling a little nervous:

-Boys are very non-fussy. No hair bows, pony tails, pink frilly dresses or make-up to deal with. Most mornings Will is lucky to get a comb pulled through his hair and even then he still looks like he has a bird's nest on top of his head. And it's okay. Because he's a boy. Oh, and outfits? T-shirt and shorts/jeans. Not much thought to it. I am not a girly girl AT ALL, so I am obviously going to have to step up my game here. And wake up 30 minutes earlier every morning.

-Drama. From what I hear from my friends with girls (and from being one myself) is that the drama starts at an early age. Boys definitely have their share of tantrums and whatnot, but if they fall and hurt themselves, they generally pop right back up and keep on running. And when boys argue, they punch each other in the arm and then get over it. Girls cry, carry grudges and have a general gnashing and wailing of teeth.

-Pre-teen and teenage years. Let's just say I remember how I acted around the ages of 11-13. I wasn't so pleasant. Especially to my poor mother (sorry mom!). Karma is going to be a bitch, ya'll.

-Periods, body issues, boobs. Enough said.

So after having those thoughts reeling in my head when I heard the words "it's a girl!", and after mulling it over for a day or two, I've come to the conclusion that I'm excited. I think Will is going to be a great protective big brother and I look forward to doing mother/daughter things with my girl that I wouldn't get to do as a mom to only boys. We will be blessed to have one of each. And we all know girls are the ones who take care of their parents in old age, right?

Looking forward to meeting my little, feisty--she already kicks up a storm in there--girl in Feb!

DFW

We had a fun but busy time in Dallas last weekend. I went to high school in Fort Worth, so I still have some close friends in the area. And, my sister Pam lives in Lewisville and Billy has a close cousin who lives in Flower Mound (both Dallas suburbs). So every time we head up that way, it's always a whirlwind of activity to try and see as many people as possible.

We drove up Friday afternoon and spent the night at my sister's house. It had been almost NINE months since I last saw her and her family (my two nieces, Kara and Hayley, and my brother-in-law Eric). Scandalous, I know. How is it possible we live in the same state and go that long without seeing each other? I could have gotten pregnant and had a baby in that amount of time.

Saturday we met a long-time friend of mine, Ryan, and his family for lunch and then drove back to my sister's in time for Kara's soccer game. We spent the rest of Saturday with Pam's family and then got up bright and early Sunday to visit Billy's cousin, Ellie, and her husband and daughter, Riley (age 5). After that we headed to Fort Worth to visit my best friend from high school, Kendra, and her family (she has two little girls, 4 and 3, and Will loves them). After lunch with them, we made our way back to Austin.

Will spent all weekend in the company of the ladies. My two nieces, my friend Ryan's daughter (age 5), Ellie's daughter Riley and Kendra's girls Hannah and Gwen. He was in hog heaven. The kid loves the ladies, especially if they are slightly older. Note in the picture below that he is tightly holding Gwen's hand. He had a vice grip on her and was upset when she tried to let go (note his sightly forelorn face).

Kara and Will cutting up at the piano (doesn't Will sort of look like Ralphie from A Christmas Story in those glasses?)

A Few Things

Just a few things going on lately:

1) Will is in a really cool stage right now. Well, yes, I've thought that about most stages, but this is the first time I'm seeing these moments of big boyness which makes me excited, proud and a little sad all at once. He's at this point where we can sit and have real conversations. Or he'll crack a joke just to make me laugh...and the joke is actually funny. The other night before bed we were sitting on the couch listening to the radio just having a nice little conversation about the day. We sat like that for about 20 minutes (which in almost-three-year old land is an eternity..sitting like that for stretches of time just doesn't happen). It was a really sweet moment...gave me a glimpse of things to come.

2) Will is also fascinated by the baby in my belly in a pretty scientific way. I would imagine little girls are excited about their mommies having a baby in a different way--wanting to talk about the baby, wanting to help take care of the baby, picking out names, etc. Not Will. He wants to know the details. This probably started because I read in some book that you should tell your older child that the baby is growing in your uterus, not your belly (b/c if you say belly they might think you ate your baby or something like that). Anyway, so I had to give a brief definition of a uterus, explain that's where the baby lived and since then he loves to proclaim, "there's a baby in your uterus, mommy!". Anyway, that led to a question about belly buttons and umbilical cords and good God I'm afraid of what's next. Please, please don't let him ask how the baby got there in the first place...not prepared for that conversation for another, oh, 25 years or so.

3) Speaking of the baby, I'll be 17 weeks as of Thursday and have my next doctor appointment that same day. I'm anxious to make sure everything is alright and going along as planned. I think I felt the first inklings of baby jabs today in the vicinity of my right ovary. Sort of made me relieved that he/she is still moving around in there. But then I proceeded to continue poking my belly to make it happen again and of course now I'm concerned that I somehow damaged the baby by poking too hard. Sigh.

That's about all for now. Billy's out of town all this week for work. Just got Will to bed so I'm heading off to take a bath and read "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". I'm currently obsessed with this series...sad to already be on the third and last book....

The Big Catch

Today Billy and Will had a father/son excursion (of which I'm sure there will be many more to come over the years--activities which don't include mom. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love seeing the bond between my husband and son). Some good friends of ours (Ryan and Ryan David Keathley) invited them to a father/son event through their church. It was a day at the Texas Disposal Systems Exotic Game Ranch that included a bus tour to see all the animals like giraffes, zebras, rhinos, etc, clay pigeon shooting, barbecue and of course, fishing.

Billy made sure and packed all of their fishing gear and off they want this morning to the ranch. After the bus tour, they hit the pond to fish. Will has his own fishing pole, and as I've mentioned before, we have taken him fishing without any luck catching anything in the past. Today was different. After several nibbles on his line, he finally landed a small blue gill. Billy said Will was so excited and apparently several of the other fathers and sons that were fishing stopped and congratulated Will on his first catch.

Later at the barbecue lunch, there was a brief awards ceremony. Billy, Will, Ryan and Ryan David were eating their lunch when they heard the emcee say "And where is Will Fanning?" Apparently the event organizers had gotten wind of the fact that Will caught his very first fish that morning, and they gave him an award (along with a $15 i-Tunes gift card). They asked Will to stand up, so Billy held him up on his lap and everyone in the room clapped and cheered for Will (and mind you, there were about 200 people there). Billy said the look on Will's face was priceless when he realized everyone was clapping for him--grinning ear to ear--and then he got a little bashful (nothing like a roomful of 200 strangers staring at you when you're two to make you a little timid).

Needless to say, I'm proud of my little angler. Here's a pic of Will and his proud pops--and the famed fish:

It's Official

We are expecting baby Fanning #2 in February! Yes folks, I am finally pregnant--about 13 weeks so. After having surgery and an IUI (basically, insemination in the doctor's office) it happened. I feel very blessed that after more than a year of trying, things have worked out. I have several friends for whom it was not so easy and their journey was much longer, and after dealing with the whole infertility racket (I have a whole new level of sensitivity now and will never ask a couple again when they are going to have kids and to hurry it on up already...you just never know what they are going through), I know how stressful it can be. We are very lucky indeed.

So far I've been feeling pretty good. I've definitely had more "morning sickness" this time around (which actually strikes at any point of the day), but nothing horrible. Just some slight queasiness or general "blah" feelings here or there (and for a few weeks the thought of eating a vegetable or salad made me want to hurl). I didn't have any of that with Will, so that was a new phenomenon.

I did have a blood clot in my uterus a few weeks ago that caused some bleeding, but luckily it seems to have resolved itself and it's gone now. Apparently this is pretty normal and most blood clots get reabsorbed into the uterus.

So now I alternate between being very excited and thinking "oh, sh*#. I'm going to have two kids. How will I manage it all?". I suppose I will figure it out just like everyone else does, one step--and sometimes mis-step--at a time.

Mission Accomplished: Potty Training

Will is officially potty trained. How did we do it, you might ask? Well, quite honestly, we didn't really do anything at all. Will turned 2 1/2 in May, and for the last few months he's been using the toilet on and off on his own without much consistency. He had pooped a couple of times, but then never did it again. Until about a month ago. He pooped in the potty and never looked back, so to speak. We have not had a poopy diaper since---it's been all toilet, all the time. Same for pee-pee. Now, that's not to say we haven't had an accident here or there (when he gets busy playing, he doesn't want to stop go to the bathroom, so we've realized we just have to stop him and make him go). So that's it. It just sort of happened on it's own without us really doing anything. No fighting, bribing, weekends of running around naked. It just happened.

So while I'm very happy about this milestone (good Lord, it will save us some dough. I'm done paying nearly $20/week for diapers and wipes), it's also a little more challenging in some regards. Now when we are out and about, I have to make sure we make pit stops every so often (when he was in diapers, this wasn't a concern) and it's inevitable that we'll be driving down the highway, in a hurry and I'll hear his tiny voice shout "mommy, I have to go potty!", which leaves me frantically looking for a gas station or convenience store or nice patch of grass somewhere. And then there's the issue of unhygienic public bathrooms and the filth that comes with that.

But overall, I'm glad we made it here. Pretty easily and seamlessly. If only all of parenting were this easy...

Finally, a post. Oh, and Hilton Head.

Wow, have I ever been neglecting this blog. Well, to recap, we went to Hilton Head, South Carolina two weeks ago with Billy's family. To celebrate Billy's parent's 40th wedding anniversary, we all got together, rented a house near the beach and spent a week hanging out enjoying each other's company. The house his parents rented was incredible--4 bedrooms each with their own bathroom, a huge playroom with beds for the kids and a pool out back. It really couldn't have been a better set up. We spent mornings on the beach, afternoons in the pool. We took a dolphin watching trip one morning, watched fireworks by the water one evening and spent a day in nearby Savannah, GA touring that very cool, historic southern town.

It was great spending time with family and getting to meet our new niece, Ally. She's only a couple of months old and it was so nice to hold such a tiny baby again--I forgot how small they are! And she is a dream--she's basically been sleeping through the night since day one. We should all be so lucky, eh? And best of all, watching Will and Kiley play together was so much fun. At 2 1/2 and 3, they are at the ages where they actually play together, on their own, and they were the best of friends. I just wish we lived closer to them so they could spend more time together (they live in Atlanta, GA).

Last week I had to go to NY for work for three days. Two of them were spent in the city and one was in Long Island. I'm glad I went and got some face-to-face time with my co-workers and boss, but boy was I glad to get home (albeit on a delayed flight last Thursday that didn't land in Austin until nearly 2:00am, but home nonetheless). Oh, and it was 102 degrees up there--hotter than Texas. So much for escaping the heat. (And it was all over the news about the "heat wave" in the East. I had to laugh at a news clip where they were trying to see if they could fry an egg on the sidewalk...silly Yankees.)

So I'm happy to be home this week after traveling the last couple of weeks. Here are a few pics from our South Carolina beach trip (the second to last photo is a shot of Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, for all you Food Network lovers):

Random Items

So I just put Will to bed and here I am blogging when I have one million things to do, like find my car keys (don't ask). But I figured it's been a while since my last post and well, let's just face it...I'm procrastinating.

This past weekend was Father's Day and we went to my parent's house on Saturday. That night we took Will to see a Round Rock Express game at the Dell Diamond--his first baseball game! We celebrated the occasion by eating hot dogs, buying a baseball cap and playing on the play scape (yeah, they have a play scape at the ball park--thank God because a two-year-old doesn't necessarily like to sit still for nine innings). Anyway, it was nice to celebrate the holiday with my dad and husband--two of the best dads in the world!

Work has been a little crazy lately. I've been getting more and more responsibility despite maintaining my 20-hour a week schedule. We'll see how I keep up. I found out I will be headed back to lovely Islandia, NY (on Long Island) to visit the company HQ for the entire week of July 5th (well, I'll probably be there Tuesday through Friday). That's a LONG time. I mean, I need to go to meet with people in person, but it's a long time to be away from home and I'll have to figure out who's going to watch Will on the days I would normally be home. Meh.

In better news, we are headed to Hilton Head, South Carolina next week for the entire week--beach vacation, here we come! Billy's parents celebrated their 40th anniversary this year and they wanted to get the whole family together, so they rented a beach house. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their two kids (Kiley, who is 5 months older than Will and baby Ally who was just born two months ago--can't wait to meet her!) are also coming, so it should be a fun, relaxing week. I've never been to that part of the country (and, apparently Savannah, GA is only 45 minutes away, so we may spend a day checking out that cool town, too).

Alright. Time to do dishes. And find the car keys. Hasta later.

Conversations with a Two-Year-Old, Part II

I mentioned in my last post that Will is talking in complete sentences and we can have full-blown, two-sided conversations, some of which are pretty hilarious. Tonight Billy went out with some buddies for a beer after work, so Will and I headed to Panera Bread for dinner.

Over Will's grilled cheese and bowl of veggie soup (yes, for some reason that kid loves their veggie soup with pesto), and my panini and salad, I asked him about school (he goes to daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays while I work). He told me he had a good day and talked about a few of the kids in his class. Then I asked him:

"So who's your best friend at school?"

"Um...Addy!" (you may remember this story about Addy from a previous post. They have been long-time pals).

"Addy? Addy's your best friend?"

"Yes, she's my girlfriend." Whaa? I didn't even know he knew that word! I mean, I'm sure he doesn't really know what it means, but still. Good God.

So then I reached across the table to dip my bread in his soup:

"Hey, don't do that, mommy!"

"Okay. Sorry bud."

"Mommy, that's ree-diculous. Ree-diculous."

It happened

Well, I knew this day would come. The day when my son was old enough to embarrass me in public with his words. Now that he's two and a half, he is a talking machine. It dawned on me the other day that he only speaks in complete sentences now--no more one word or few word phrases. When did that happen? Seems like it was overnight.

Anyway, now that he's talking and we have full blown conversations (which is pretty cool), along with that comes the potential for him to slip out some things in front of people that might not be appropriate (kids, after all, have no filter). One thing he's really into lately is noticing people's emotions. Like if I have a stressed or worried look on my face, he will say something to the effect of "you're not happy mommy?" You get the gist. The kid is noticing how people are feeling.

I had to get some blood taken last week, so Will and I were sitting in the waiting room at the lab waiting to be called back. The room was pretty full of people when a person walked in that Will immediately noticed. Let's just say that this person was sort of a Pat. It was clear to me that this was a woman, but I could see how she could have been mistaken for a man, especially on the part of a two year old. She sat down near us and Will proceeded to point directly at her and loudly say "HE'S not happy, mommy? HE'S not happy? Why is HE not happy?" I tried to play it off like it wasn't happening and redirect his attention to something else, but everyone in the room knew that my son was clearly calling he a she, including the she herself.

I've never been so happy to be called back to have blood taken in my whole life, which fortunately happened pretty quickly after "the incident". Thank God for small favors.

Avert Your Eyes--I'm Trying to Have a Baby!

So I mentioned in a previous post that I had surgery last month for fertility reasons. Basically, we've been trying to conceive for more than a year now, and despite tracking ovulation and timing things perfectly, no baby. We went through all the basic fertility testing with my ob/gyn but after all of that came back normal, she suggested that it was time to see a fertility specialist.

At my first consultation with Dr. "Baby Maker", he basically told me that while I may look twenty-five (flattery will get you everywhere doc), my eggs are 34 and we need to get a move on (ouch--so much for flattery). Anyway, the surgery was done to rule out any issues that may be hindering pregnancy (like adhesions, endometirosis, etc.). Turns out I didn't really have any major issues, so I guess that's good (or bad, depending on how you look at it--an explanation would be nice!).

Anyway, my main point in recounting all of this is to explain how strange it is to actually visit a fertility doctor (or, if we want to get technical, a reproductive endocrinologist). When you walk in the waiting room, no one really wants to make eye contact. I mean, the nurses and staff do, but all the patients in the room don't really look at each other. We all know we are there for one reason: we can't get pregnant! It's sort of embarrassing in a way. If you go to a different doctor, say an ob/gyn, you could be there for a myriad of reasons: annual pap, yeast infection, baby, etc. No one really knows why you are there. Not so at the fertility doctor. See, you spend all your time not wanting to talk about the struggles you are going through and sort of living that out in secrecy that when you see other people in the same boat, you want to stare! But you don't want to stare, so you sneak furtive glances out of the corners of your eyes. And you sort of want to check out what everyone looks like and figure out what their situation is. Turns out most fertility patients look pretty much like anyone else--nope, no distinguishing mark or a scarlet "I" on their chests for "infertility".

Oh, and I had the worst of all fertility patient experiences last week. I was coming into the doctor's office for an appointment when a co-worker and his wife were walking out. Horrors! The jig is up! We all sort of mumbled "hi" and "so great to see you" sorts of niceties, but let's be real. We were all really thinking about how the other one can't get pregnant and wondering what sort of treatment are they undergoing, etc. It's a very private thing, this infertility business, so it was sort of like standing naked in front of my co-worker. Ew.

Conversations with a Two-Year-Old

Will: Mama, where's daddy?
Me: He's still at work, baby.
Will: I wanna go to work with daddy...(whiny voice)
Me: You can't go to work.
Will: Why?
Me: Because work is for big people.
Will: Why?
Me: That's just the way it works. You go to school and mommy and daddy go to work.
Will: But I want to go to work!
-pause-
Will: I go to work next year.
Me: hmm? (distracted, emptying dish washer)
Will: I go to work next year.
Me: You'll go to work next year?
Will: Yes, mama. I go to work next year.
Me: We'll see.
Will: Let's try mama. Let's try.

One Fish, two fish (or in our case, no fish)

I am very lucky that I have an outdoorsy sort of husband who grew up fishing and camping. Since the moment Will was born, Billy's been anxious to get Will his own fishing pole and out on the water.

Last summer when we were in Minnesota visiting relatives, we took Will fishing on the boat with us, but he was still too young to really "get it". I recently bought Will his own little fishing pole ($3.00 at the A-MOM sale, thank you very much), and we took Will to Lake Travis last weekend for his first official fishing exursion.

We tried fishing off a bridge and didn't catch anything, but it was still fun to get out there and try. This morning we attempted another fishing trip, this time to the dock off Lake Austin that's in our neighborhood (we are lucky to have access to this beautiful spot). We hiked down to the lake as Will picked up acorns along the way (which he probably enjoyed more than the actual fishing. Note to self: check his pockets before doing laundry). We got to the dock and dropped our lines in, had breakfast, and attempted to catch a fish.

We didn't have luck, yet again, but it was still fun to get out there and watch our son try fishing for the first time. He still doesn't have a lot of patience for it and he's more interested in the lures at this point than the actual fishing process, but hopefully this is the start of a life-long love of fishing and the outdoors.

Here are a few pics from our morning:

Surgery

I had surgery last week, so I've been a little out of the blogging loop. Billy and I have been having a tough time conceiving baby #2 (more to come on that later--let's just say it's been a long year), so I had a laparascopy last Thursday to go in and investigate my lady parts (ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, etc.) and clear out anything that might be impeding pregnancy. I had a bit of endometriosis removed and a cyst, but that's about it.

After talking to other women who've had this procedure done, I thought the recovery time would be relatively quick and easy. Ha! That's what I get for thinking I'd be up and running (or at least walking) two days later. Not so much. I've had a lot of pain and it's still difficult for me to walk four days later. It's frustrating to say the least. I've got a doctor appointment this afternoon, so hopefully I can get some insight as to why I'm still having so much pain, particularly on the right-hand-side incision. I'm also ready for the bloating to go away--they inflate the belly w/ CO2 to do this surgery which leads to a distended stomach (not exactly an attractive look, if you know what I mean. Particularly since I've been rocking oversize elastic pants the last few days. HOT!). Let's just say I'm ready to get back to my normal self. And to be able to pick up my son (can't lift anything heavy, and Lord knows my son ain't a feather weight).

Until then, hydrocodone is my friend.

Weekend Haps

We had a nice weekend despite the gray weather on Sunday. Friday night I headed out with some friends who are moms of twins to the Austin Moms of Multiples (A-MOM) sale. This is an annual sale they have where the members sell gently used toys, clothes, shoes, bedding, nursery accessories, etc. Since my friends are all members, they get to shop early before the sale opens to the public. Even better, they get to bring one guest and my friend Jennifer brought me (thanks, Jennifer!). I scored some sweet deals including a brand new train table set with all the accessories and trains. I wasn't planning on buying any big (literally) ticket items, but I just couldn't pass it up ($70 for something that normally costs $200+). After some rearranging of our playroom, it fits perfectly and Will has been spending hours playing with that thing. Score! After the sale, my friends and I went to grab dinner and drinks. Not a bad way to spend an evening: shopping and margaritas.

Saturday we went down to SoCo (for you non-Austinites, this means South Congress) to watch the annual Lonestar Round-up, a car show that then culminates in all the old school hot rods (think 55' Chevys) "cruising" up and down Congress. My husband grew up with a love of old cars and car shows--something he and his dad and brother did together. So we went downtown, enjoyed the gorgeous afternoon, saw all the old restored cars and ate dinner (oh, and of course stopped at the infamous hey cupcake! trailer afterwards. Who can say no to butter cream frosting?) PS: Note that the last two pics below were taken at dinner. Did you know that there are dozens of iPhone apps targeted at toddlers? Will's favorites include a Thomas the Train puzzle where he has to put the correct pieces into the shapes to make a train and an Itsy Bitsy Spider game that has numbers and letters incorporated. It's seriously genius, especially when you are out to dinner and your kid is so over the ginormous bag of toys you brought from home to keep him occupied. I heart Steve Jobs.

Will 2-Year Pics

I have been known to procrastinate a bit, so I just got around to having Will's two-year pictures taken (sad, I know, especially since he's almost 2 1/2). Rather than going to Picture People or Babies R' US or something of the like, I wanted to get nice portraits done in our home.

Cue in our friend Cindy Speck who is an amazing photographer (and offers very reasonable pricing). She came out to our house this weekend and took some great shots of Will. Having two young boys of her own, she knew how to work him to get the best smiles and shots (especially since these days when I try to take Will's picture he turns away from the camera or does a really cheesy fake smile). She literally took hundreds of shots in several poses--indoor and outdoor--so she's still working on editing the vast majority, but she sent me a few as a preview. Enjoy! (and thanks, Cindy!)

Usually you find candy in those things...

This morning Will was playing with one of those plastic Easter eggs and figuring out which of his toys would fit inside the egg. He called to me, "what's that mommy?", and he was pointing to something on our living room carpet. It was early morning, so it was still a little dark in the room, but it appeared to me to be a little pebble--probably something one of us tracked in from the outside with our shoes. I said, "it's a rock, baby," to which he replied "oh!" and promptly put it into the plastic egg, shaking it to make noise like a rattle.

Later, we were in the playroom where the sun shines in brightly through a large window. I was holding the plastic egg as Will played with other toys. I opened the egg and caught a whiff of something a little unpleasant. Upon closer inspection, I realized the "pebble" that Will had been playing with all morning was really a piece of cat poo. A petrified, hard piece of cat poo that my long-haired Persian cat, Doug, must have deposited in the living room.

Needless to say, copious hand washing and egg washing ensued.

A Few Things

1) We had a great St. Paddy's day last week. Did I mention that it's my husband's favorite holiday? Every year we throw a corned beef in the crock pot (even though the corned beef is really an Americanized version of Irish food) and head out to Mother Egan's (local Irish pub) for an afternoon of day drinking, eating fish and chips and hanging out with friends. This tradition has not changed even since we've had Will. We've always made it a celebration and always will.

2) We're still working on potty training, but we seem to make more and more progress every day. Will pees in the potty (and he prefers to stand on his step stool using the "big boy potty" which is fine with me--less mess than cleaning up the little potty) several times a day, including when he's at daycare (we did have one mishap when he peed in the trash can in the bathroom while my parents were babysitting). He has pooped in the potty a few times (which, as any parent knows, is a huge deal), but I think he still prefers to do that in his diaper. It's pretty funny, though, to flush the poo down the toilet as he waves bye-bye to it and says "see you soon!." I've put him in regular underwear a few times, but he wets his pants every time we've tried. I think I'll just have to find a weekend to stick around home and get him used to being in underwear. Note to self: invest in some heavy duty tarp before attempting this measure.

3) I've been trying several new workouts lately. For a few years I was pretty into running, but I've burned out on it. Instead of enjoying my runs, they became a chore. So I've been branching out. I've been doing some yoga, which is hilarious because I may quite possibly be the least flexible person you'll meet. I cannot touch my toes...hell, who am I kidding? I can barely touch my knees. So, while some of the yoga poses are challenging for me, I have been enjoying it (particularly power yoga.). Also, I just took my first Zumba class, which was so much fun. It's basically an hour-long aerobic dance class set to international music. Similar to yoga, I look ridiculous doing it (trust me, you don't want to see me "pumping it out"), but it's a good time. It's a great workout, but you don't really notice because you are having so much fun.

4) Speaking of fun things, Will is quite enjoyable these days. Yes, he has his moments of two-year-oldness, what with it's whining and bursting into tears when I tell him the sky is blue. But, he's talking up a storm and he really is a sweet kid. I'm happy that--while he's clearly all boy-- he's not an all-out rambunctious and aggressive boy. He's pretty laid back and friendly. Case in point: His teacher at daycare told me that they had a fire drill the other day. All of the kids in his class had to line up holding a rope with circles on it (each child holding one circle) and walk out of the building together. Apparently there were alarms going off and lights flashing, and the little boy walking behind Will started crying because he was scared. Will turned around and said, "It's okay, Connor. Don't cry" and helped lead Connor out of the building.

5) Work has been crazy. Since we were acquired, the pace has been break-neck. The company is in the midst of a reorganization, they are shifting strategy and we have a major event coming up in May that the entire company is working towards. It's insanity, people (and I hear common place in large companies). Hopefully things will slow down after we meet this deadline, but we shall see. Billy's been traveling quite a bit for work (as in a couple of days a week, every week) so trying to keep up the work load (even though I only work part-time) and take care of Will is an interesting juggling act, indeed.

From the mouth of babes

What I overheard my son saying while plaing with his car race track this afternoon:

"On your mark, get sick, go!"

On the Road Again

I am in NY. No, not NYC, just NY. As in Islandia, NY on Long Island. As many of you know, I have been working part-time for the last year and half for a company called NetQoS. We were acquired by a large company, CA, in November and since then it's been sort of touch and go as far as 1) what I would be doing for the company, 2) if I would be able to keep working part-time, and 3) if I would have a job at all.

So, a trip to Islandia where CA's headquarters are located was planned. My current boss and I got on a plane last night (Sunday...yuck) and had meetings all day today. The good news? I got to meet a lot of different people across the marketing group and I also confirmed my new role (details still TBD). The best news? I get to keep my part-time schedule!

It was really hard to leave Will on Sunday. This is my first business trip in nearly three years, and leaving on a weekend is never fun. I can't wait to get home to see the little guy on Wednesday! (although I am enjoying sitting on the hotel bed, eating a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and watching The Bachelor--a horribly cheesey show I don't usually watch, but an oh-so-guilty pleasure while on the road). Being away just confirms my prior realization: I don't want to work full-time. So, I will keep on loving my 20-hours-a-week gig for as long as it lasts--time will tell.

PS: Now I'm watching The Office...now there's a show...

Early to bed....

Sigh. It has been one of those days in mothering. I got a call at work around 1:00 today from Will's daycare. Turns out he woke up from his nap with a pink eye that was oozing and I needed to come pick him up (conjunctivitis has been going around his class, so I knew it was just a matter of time before he came down with it. Heaven forbid an illness pass by our house.) This has been the third call in two weeks I've received to come pick him up early (once because he threw up, another time due to the snow day we had, and then today due to the oozy eye--it's a miracle I still have a job). Anyway, Will has had a slight cold the last couple days and hasn't been sleeping well, so this combined with the pink eye made for a cranky day. Whining, not listening, crying, and throwing objects all ensued today. Billy's been out of town the last couple of days for work, so I'm sort of short on patience. And I have a boatload of mother guilt today for snapping at Will a few more times than I should have and also for plopping him down in front of the TV for a little bit (okay, an hour. I know--horrible! But I really needed the peace and quiet that come with two episodes of Wonder Pets. ) To make up for it, we headed outside for a long walk afterwards.

So, Will is now asleep (albeit coughing in his bed--poor little guy!) and I'm pooped. I'm headed to bed, ya'll. Yes, I said it. Bed. I know it's only 8:45pm, but I own it. I'm proud of it and I revel in it--dirty dishes in the sink be damned.

Surgery

Will is having surgery tomorrow at 6:30am to have his second set of tubes put in and have his adenoids removed. Not looking forward to it. Granted, the surgery is pretty quick (we did tubes last year, but they have fallen out), but it's not fun to have your child taken away from you and put under anesthesia. And, if this time is anything like last time, Will did NOT do well coming out of anesthesia. Let's hope that part goes more smoothly this time. I'm looking forward to the outcome of the surgery, though (after tubes last time, we had no more ear infections until now), but I'm still a bit nervous. I suppose any parent would be.....wish us good luck!

Don't Judge a Book...

I went to Thunder Cloud Subs for lunch today. When I walked up to the counter to place my order, a hipster-looking guy with skinny jeans, Converse sneakers and semi-tousled hair stepped up to help me. I told him what I wanted--turkey w/ cheese, lettuce and tomatoes--and when I went to tell him what kind of cheese, he said "provolone, right?" I said, "um, no actually American, please." He stopped, looked at me and said "Wow. That was not what I was expecting at all." Huh? I asked him why he thought that and he just repeated, "not what I was expecting," with a sort of half smile. Then, when he asked me if I wanted chips, I said yes and he asked what kind. "Jalapeño," I replied. Again, he said, "not at all what I was expecting" and sort of chuckled and walked off to get my chips.

I'm not sure what the heck that was all about. Granted, I was wearing work clothes (black pants, sweater, heals, etc.), so maybe he thought provolone cheese and plain Baked Lays better matched my outfit? Either way, I ended up tipping the guy because I thought that's what he would expect me NOT to do. Wait...did I just get suckered?

I C-U-P

We have pee, folks! In the toilet, that is....

Tonight when Billy was giving Will a bath, Will decided to sit down on the little kiddie toilet we have in the bathroom. Now, this is not so unusual; we have had this little toilet for quite some time, and he enjoys sitting on it but has never actually used it...until now.

You see, I decided not to sweat the whole potty training thing a long time ago. I have friends whose kids were trained at 18 months (on the early side) and friends whose three-year-olds are still working on it. The main advice I got, though, was not to push it. Basically, when a kid is ready they'll do it minus all the tears, bribes and accidents that may occur if you try and do it too early.

So, tonight when Will sat on the toilet, I didn't think anything of it. But then, all of a sudden, I heard a "pssssssssst" sound. Yep, he was actually going! Billy and I, of course, were clapping and smiling and cheering like he had just won the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, Will stood up, turned around and started going standing up! Even more impressive! He was so proud of himself--he kept turning around to look at us to see if we were catching this very cool situation, and he had a giant smile plastered on his face the entire time.

I have a feeling this is the start of many years of urine staining my floors and walls (ah, the joys of raising a boy). But for now, I couldn't be happier about it (ask me again in a week).

Illness and Germs and Viruses...Oh, My!

Good Lord, folks; another month gone by and no blog posts. What’s been happening, you may ask? Sickness. And lots of it.

As you may recall from my December posts, Will was under the weather during the holidays. While we were in Illinois for Christmas, Will developed a rash in reaction to the antibiotics he was on (for an ear, eye and sinus infection), and he was generally a cranky little boy most of the time were there—definitely not himself. The ear infection continued to get worse (more ooze from the ear), so we also started a regiment of ear drops (which he loves—NOT).

After we arrived home, there didn’t seem to be any improvement, so we went back to the doctor. She prescribed him a different antibiotic for a longer period of time. Bingo! It worked. Ten days later we were back to health. A lovely six days of no coughing, nose running, fever busting, waking at night. It was glorious.

Then, our friends the McDaniels came to visit us last weekend. We had a fabulous time with my very dear friend from high school, Kendra, her husband Brad, and their two girls, Gwen and Hannah. Gwen is four and Hannah is two, so as you can imagine, Will was in heaven. We took the kids to the Austin Children’s Museum on Saturday (and it seemed the rest of Austin did, too). It was teeming with kids (and might I add, many snot-nosed tykes) running around. I’m convinced this is what led to the next part of my story.

Fast forward to Monday. Fortunately, I was off work for MLK Day (a perk of working for my new employer, CA) because Will woke up cranky, feverish and lethargic. After a day of 103 temps (despite giving him Motrin), his breathing became rapid and shallow that evening. Off to urgent care we went. After several tests (and one episode of vomiting all over mommy) it was determined that Will has a “flu-like” virus which more than likely--but not conclusively—apparently the flu test is up to 40% incorrect--is H1N1. Yes, folks. The flu finally descended upon our house (even though he received one H1N1 vaccination —young children are supposed to receive two doses of the vaccination for it to be effective, but his pediatrician ran out of it before Will got the second dose, and I couldn’t find someone to give him the second one to save my life). So, he’s now taking Tamiflu. On top of that, he has another ear infection and is on another round of antibiotics.

We are off to visit the ENT on Friday to see if Will needs a second set of tubes. He originally had tubes put in last year, but they are starting to fall out, and since we are on ear infection number two already, he may need another set. At this point, I’d gladly go through the tube surgery again to avoid this non-stop merry-go-round of ear infections, fevers and antibiotics.

So there you have it: my excuse for not posting in the last month. Well, that and the fact that I’ve been sucked into watching really bad reality television lately. A girl’s gotta have priorities.

Merry Christmas

Well, we made it to Illinois and are enjoying the cooler (although, rainy) weather. Unfortunately, Will is still sick and is NOT himself at all. He's cranky, has no appetite, and is tired (did I mention my normally great sleeper has been getting up every night coughing and then waking up at 5:00am to start the day? I feel like I have a newborn again). This mama is tired.

But I'm also grateful to be able to spend the holiday with Billy's family, and watch Will and Kiley (Billy's brother's daugher who is five months older than Will) play together (they arrive here this weekend). What a joy! We are very blessed indeed.

Hope all of you have a very merry Christmas with your loved ones, and that 2010 brings you great things!

Thank God for Small Favors

Will is sick. He's had a nasty cough that has lingered for the past six weeks. I've taken him to see the doctor a few times, but she kept telling me "it's just a cold". Well, over the weekend the cold morphed from a cough into full-blown liquid oozing from every orifice on Will's face (including eyes) and a fever of 102. Back to the doctor this morning we went. Turns out the little guy now has an ear infection (first one since he got tubes 9 months ago), pink eye in both eyes (Have you ever seen a toddler's eyes glued shut upon waking? Me either, until now), and a sinus infection to boot. We are leaving on a jet plane this Wednesday to spend Christmas in Illinois, so I quickly got the prescribed antibiotics and eye drops and immediately started administering them in hopes of health returning in the next two days.

The silver lining in all of this is that Will is a super champ when it comes to taking medicine-- opens his mouth wide, doesn't fight it, swallows it easily. This was the first time I've had to give him eye drops though, so I was worried about what kind of fight would ensue to get those little bits of liquid squirted into his eyes (and I've heard horror stories from fellow parents). Turns out Will is a champ in this area, too. I told him to lie down ("diaper change!", he exclaimed, and I had to tell him, no, that's not what we're doing). Anyway, he got horizontal, I held his eye open and--squirt!--no problems. He literally didn't bat an eye. I got to the second eye and same thing. No fight, no holding down, no crying. After I was done he said "all better!" and ran off to play. I guess if he has to be sick, I'm lucky that at least he's a compliant sick kid.

CT Scans: Learn from My Story

This is going to be a really long post, but I’m hoping some of you parents out there can bear with me and learn from my experience—and also what I consider to be my mistake. CT scans can certainly be a useful diagnostic tool to detect illness or injury in your child. But, there are some serious risks and implications that parents need to consider prior to subjecting your child to these tests. I learned this the hard way and still regret it.

A couple of months ago, Will and I were playing in our front yard. He was riding his toy tractor up and down the side walk. Our driveway has a steep incline down to our garage door, and Will was sitting on his tractor at the top of this hill. Before I knew it, he started going down the hill and couldn’t stop himself. Needless to say, he sped down the hill and slammed into our closed garage door (fortunately missing the stone column between our two garage doors). He hit the door hard with his head, flipped off the tractor and landed on the driveway, head down.

Screams ensued and I ran down the hill to pick him up. There was no visible bleeding or injury, but he did have a red welt on the side of his head starting to form. And, because he hit his head so hard, I wanted to have him checked out to make sure everything was okay. We hear so much about head injuries, particularly after actress Natasha Richardson died from a head injury this past spring. We, as parents, are conditioned to be very wary of any hit to the head.

It was after 5:00pm, so I took Will to the local urgent care facility. By this point, Will had stopped crying and was acting normally, but I still wanted him to be checked out. The doctor saw Will and did a few basic tests (looking into his eyes to make sure they weren’t dilated, checking his ears for bleeding, making sure Will could follow the doctor’s finger movements, etc.), and the doctor declared that Will seemed fine, but you could never be sure. “But because of his young age, you really should take him to the emergency room to get a CT scan to rule out an internal injury,” he said. I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting this and I wasn’t crazy about putting Will through that, but then again, how could I say no? If the doctor is telling me this is something I need to do, and as a mother I want to do everything possible to make sure my child is okay, I need to do this test, right?

So, we left the urgent care office, but I was still hesitant about making the trip the emergency room and all that would entail. I called Billy, my husband, to fill him in and he was surprised, too, at the doctor’s suggestion. “Are you sure we need to do this?” he asked. I told him I didn’t know what to do. Billy decided to call his mom who’s a nurse and get her opinion on the matter.

Meanwhile, I was torn between going to the hospital and heading home. Will seemed fine, but I still had that nagging thought in the back of my brain of “what if he’s not fine and really does have a head injury?” Who wants to be the mother that didn’t do what the doctor told her and then ended up with a tragedy on her hands?

So, I headed to the hospital, still not sure what to do. Billy called me back and said his mom suggested waiting—if Will seemed fine, was acting normally and didn’t have a visible injury, why put him through the test and the unnecessary radiation that comes with a CT scan (and let it be noted, she was the first and only one who raised the radiation factor as a concern during the entire process)? I decided to call Will’s pediatrician to get her opinion on the matter. Since it was after hours, I was put through to their nurse hotline. After twenty minutes of waiting (I was sitting in the hospital parking lot at this point with Will wanting to run around and me a ball of stress), I finally talked to a nurse who basically told me I should just do what the doctor told me (and didn’t offer any other insight). I finally said screw it, we’re doing the test. I called Billy back to let him know and he was still unsure if this was the right thing to do, but he supported my decision.

I took Will into the emergency room, signed us in, and after about a 45 minute wait we got called to the back. We sat down with an admissions nurse who asked a bunch of questions about what happened. After that, we were admitted and put into a room to wait for the doctor.

While we were waiting, the nurse on duty came in and took a look at Will. She sort of mumbled something about him being fine, but that the doctor would be there soon. He came in, examined Will, gave him some Tylenol with codeine to relax Will prior to the test, and said someone would be there soon to take us back for the CT scan.

When we got back to the room for the scan, they put a little apron over Will’s torso and laid him on the table. For a CT scan, only the part of your body being scanned is enclosed (it’s not like an MRI where your entire body goes into a tube). Will did really well, and the test took about five minutes max. I was relieved when it was done.

We went back to the room to wait for the doctor to come in with the results. Sure enough, everything turned out fine—we were free to go. As we were packing up our things, the nurse came back in. I happened to ask her about the radiation exposure Will just received and she replied, “Yeah, it’s a problem.” What? What?!? This was the first time anyone during this entire process (other than my mother-in-law) brought up any issues with the CT scan and radiation. She went on to tell me she worked for years at a children’s hospital and that more and more doctors are ordering CT scans for kids—unnecessarily, often because of fear of law suit—and it’s a rising concern about children and cancer rates.

Needless to say, I walked out of there pretty upset. When I got home, I started to do more research about CT scans in general and sure enough, there is a real concern about these types of scans, the high amounts of radiation that they expose people to, and cancer rates. I sort of knew there was a risk associated with these tests, but I didn’t realize how much radiation they delivered. Every time someone receives one of these scans, their chance of getting cancer goes up. This is even more of a concern in pediatric patients because the effect of radiation is a cumulative thing over a lifetime. So, the earlier someone is exposed to these tests, the higher the lifetime cancer rate. And, in young children the radiation has an even more profound effect on the growing cells/brain of a child, so there’s that to worry about, too.

Another thing for parents to be aware of is the amount of radiation their child is receiving from one of these tests. Many hospitals don’t “dial back” the radiation levels on their machines to accommodate for a child’s smaller body, which means that your child could potentially receive an exponentially greater amount of radiation than is necessary. X-rays also expose your child to radiation, which unfortunately, Will has had several of those, too. But, the dose of radiation from an x-ray is minimal in comparison with a CT scan. A CT scan is the mack-daddy of tests and radiation doses—the highest of any test out there.

Needless to say, I have been upset about this since it happened. I basically submitted my child to a test that increased his cancer risk, even more so because he’s so young. It makes me sick to think about—I should have listed to my mother-in-law-- but at the time I made the decision with the information I had. What makes me so mad about this entire situation is that not once during this process did any of the doctors or nurses give me information about the risks associated with CT scans. Not the urgent care doctor, not the nurse on the hotline, not the nurses or doctors at the hospital. So what’s a parent to do?

If your doctor orders a CT scan, make sure it’s absolutely necessary. Are there other diagnostic tests that can be done instead to determine a problem, like an MRI (which is magnetic imaging, not radiation) or an x-ray (which is radiation, but in extremely smaller doses)? If your child hits his or her head and seems fine afterwards (is consolable, has no visible injury, maintains the same appetite, continues to play, etc.), you may want to just watch them. Or, take your child to a children’s hospital instead of a regular hospital in these instances. According to the nurse who told me how dangerous these CT scan can be (after I had already subjected my child to the scan), at a children’s hospital they are more aware of the effects these scans have on small bodies and are not as quick to order them. She said with a case like Will’s, they probably would have just sent him home. And, if you do have to have a CT scan , make sure the hospital’s equipment is set up to give a lower radiation dose to your child, vs. an adult-sized dose. Also, try to avoid unnecessary x-rays—even dental—for your child (and you!).

Obviously, there are instances when CT scans are a critical, necessary and potentially life-saving tool to diagnose illness and injury—I’m not saying to boycott them. The risks and benefits of the tests just need to be weighed. And parents need to be aware of the risks associated. I’m pretty sure if someone along the way had mentioned the risks to me (just like they do when I get Will vaccinated—heck, I get sheets of information about the benefits and risks of vaccinations), I would have declined the test. I just felt in my gut that Will was fine, and I should have listened to that. I’m sure there will come a day when he will need more tests like this (kids don’t go through life without injuries and illness), and I’ll have to weigh the risks and benefits again. I just wish I had made a different decision this time around so that he didn’t already start his young life with a higher cancer risk.

Here are some good articles and resources of information. Please check them out—these tests pose risks to adults, too:
How Dangerous are CT Scans? Time Magazine
CT Scans Linked to Cancer Wall Street Journal
Public Health Notification: Reducing Radiation Risk from Computed Tomography for Pediatric and Small Adult Patients FDA.gov

What's Been Goin' On?

Good Lord, how do I let so much time go by without a blog post? Well, I could use the excuse that life has been busy, because it has, but who doesn’t have a busy life? Here’s a rundown of the latest Fanning haps:

1) Will’s birthday: We celebrated Will’s birthday the weekend before Thanksgiving. The little guy turned two and we had a party at our house with forty—yes, forty—of our closest friends. A good time was had by all, and my in-laws and Billy’s granny came into town for the occasion, so Will did not want for any attention.

2) Thanksgiving: The weekend after Will’s party was Thanksgiving. We went to my parent’s house in Georgetown and my sister Pam and her family came down from Dallas. Copious amounts of food, beverages and fun were had by all. Will loved playing with his cousins Hayley (13) and Kara (11), and again, did not want for any attention.

3) Surprise!: The weekend after Thanksgiving, Will and I headed up to Dallas for my sister Pam’s surprise 40th birthday party (happy birthday, sis!). She said she was completely surprised and by the look on her face, I would have to agree. My other sister, Paula, flew into town from Portland, OR for the occasion, so it was really nice to spend a few days with my sisters and my parents, particularly since my family is not getting together for Christmas this year. And yes, Will did not want for any attention. (side note: This was my first car trip alone with Will. He's not he greatest car traveler, but he did pretty well. Timing the drive to coincide with his nap helped as did many snacks, and my laptop for him to watch a DVD--at least until he dropped the laptop and then cried to have it back. Sort of hard to accommodate as you are driving 70mph down I-35).

4) Holiday parties: I had my company holiday party last week and this week is Billy's. Twice in one month I get to wear a fancy dress and shoes--something that doesn't normally occur in the life of a mom with a toddler.

Next on the agenda includes a girl’s night out to see New Moon (yes, my friends and I are Twi-hards. I suppose this also makes me a Twi-mom. Team Edward!), a trip next weekend to Houston to visit some friends that will be in town from Australia, and then leaving the week after for Illinois to spend Christmas with Billy’s family. No rest for the weary! It’s a whirlwind, but it’s fun. Still have to figure out when I’m going to do my Christmas cards. Perhaps it will turn into a “Happy New Year” greeting instead…

The Big 0-2

Today Will turns two. Time has flown so quickly and my sweet little baby is now an incredibly funny, kind, and definitely opinioned little boy. It's so much fun seeing bits of his personality being revealed each day as he turns into the person he will eventually become. I am immensely proud of him, and my heart has grown bigger than I ever thought it would or could.

We have a little party planned for him tomorrow and my in-laws are in town, so it should be a fun celebration (re-cap to come next week). For now, here's a quick run-down of some of the fun things Will is up to these days as a full-fledged toddler:

-He is starting to speak in sentences. "Mommy, sit down!" is one of his favorites, as he always wants me to come play with him. He also likes "watch your hands/head/toes!" (which we are constantly saying to him), "one more time and 'nough" (meaning "we'll do it one more time and then it's enough"), and "mommy/daddy read book."

-He can count to ten, although he sometimes mixes up six and nine, but hey, who doesn't get confused every now and then?

-He knows/sings his ABCs, but I'm pretty sure he thinks elemenopee is a word.

-He enjoys singing songs in general. "Wheels on the Bus", "Itsy, Bitsy Spider", "Kookaburra" and this song by Guy Clark, "Austin" (definitely not a kids song, but a good one nonetheless), are some of his favorites. He and Billy "play" Billy's guitar together and sing a song they made up called "Mushroom Man", which is comprised entirely of the words "Mushroom Man".

-He is obsessed with carrying around this miniature book I bought him at Barnes and Noble. It's a small-sized "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", and now he must have it wherever we go. Fortunately, I bought two copies lest we can't find one.

-He's into telling people to share (including other kids at his daycare), although he doesn't necessarily follow his own advice all the time.

-He loves the shows Blue's Clues (to my chagrin), Yo Gabba Gabba, and Thomas the Train. He's recently become enamored with Cars the movie, and shouts "OH NO!" during the entire crash scene at the beginning.

-He's not potty trained yet, but likes to sit on the toilet making a "psssssss" sound with his mouth and then declaring, "all done!"

-He loves watching us cook. He insists upon either being held while we are cooking (hard to do) or standing on this little step stool we have so he can watch us chop, stir, and bake. He has a little toy grill that he loves to pretend he's grilling peppers on, just like daddy.

-He is VERY into "helping". He wants to help do pretty much all chores (carrying in groceries, taking out the trash, sweeping the floor, etc.). I'm pretty sure this won't last through teenage-hood.

-He and his daddy wrestle every night. Will does the pile driver on dad, and they love to chase each other around the house (Will also shouts "climby, climby!" and then proceeds to climb up Billy's chest onto his shoulders and then yells "flippers!", until Billy flips Will upside down off the shoulders. It's all very acrobatic).

-He is obsessed with forts. Pillow forts, box forts, trees that have a lot of overhanging branches that sort of look like forts when you stand under them. Our neighbor gave us a hand-me-down log cabin child-sized play house which resides on our back porch. Will could spend hours in that "fort".

-He likes pretending he's on the phone. He'll hold up his toy phone to his ear, tell me "shhh" (because that's what I tell him when we are on the phone), and then proceeds to have an entire conversation: "Hi! Um.....chicken nuggets!"

-He's a really good eater. We generally feed him what we eat, so he loves things like tomatoes, avocados, carrots, beans, mushrooms and olives, hummus, shrimp, fish, chicken, cottage cheese, most fruits, salsa, etc. He also loves soup, especially veggie, for whatever reason ("soupie!"). And, yes, just like all kids he loves his ice cream, French fries and chips, too. And chicken nuggets (see point above).

I could go on and on (just like any parent could). Let's just end with the fact that I adore this kid, and I'm so glad that two years ago today I was blessed to become his mama. Happy birthday, Bud!

Not too good to be true: Getting in shape while watching TV.

Since I've had Will, I've had to be creative about fitting in my workouts. I used to be an avid morning exerciser (got up at 5:00am and was worked out, showered and ready to go before work), but after Will, every ounce of sleep I get is too precious to wake up that early. So, I've taken to jogging with him in the stroller (not an easy feat to push 32lbs of kid and 25lbs of stroller up and down hills) and more often than not, doing an exercise DVD on my days off while Will naps.

I wrote in a previous post about my new love affair with Exercise On-Demand TV and it continues. For those of you who think you can't get as good of a workout at home as you do at the gym, think again. There are some REALLY hard workouts on this channel, and some of them are harder than most workouts I've done at the gym. As someone who has run triathlons and marathons, I'm not, as they say, just blowing smoke here.

Over the weekend I tried this workout. It's a forty-minute circuit training workout that gets your heart rate super elevated. At the beginning of the workout, the trainer mentions that there will be 15 seconds of rest between each exercise, and I thought that sounded like a lot of rest. Ha! I was so naive. By the middle of this workout, my muscles were shaking with the effort (Really? Five circuits of different kinds of push-ups?), I was dripping sweat and I felt slightly nauseated. All good signs of a tough workout.

So don't be fooled into thinking you need a gym membership to get in shape. All you need are a few dumbbells and a TV and you are set (just make sure you draw the blinds unless you want your neighbors to see you flailing around in your living room).

It's a bird, it's a plane...

I'm realizing the greatest thing about being a parent is reliving all the best parts of your childhood--things like Halloween and trick-or-treating. This year, Will was old enough to partake in the holiday festivities and man, was it fun. We dressed up the little guy as Superman (he's not really "into" anything these days, other than Blue's Clues, but I think my husband would rather not celebrate the holiday than to have Will dress up like a blue girl dog, or worse, geeky Steve. So, by default, it was Superman). We had dinner with the neighbors prior to trick-or-treating (their five-year-old son is Will's hero), and then we proceeded to meet up with other neighbor friends for full-on candy gathering. Will got it right away--he knew to say trick-or-treat when the door opened, to say thank you after he got the candy, and then to run like a mad man to the next house. We made it to about ten houses before he pooped out and the older kids went on ahead, but we had fun returning home and handing out candy to the other trick-or-treaters. Here are some pics from our evening, including a video of Superman flying:

A Work of Art

Billy and I have been living with a college-student television "get-up" for the last ten years. Seeing as how we are both in our mid-thirties and have a child, we figured it was time to upgrade from the old black TV stand and 783lb tube television to a nice armoire and flat screen. Easier said than done.

The flat screen part was easy--we bought one for what was a good price back in January. Unfortunately, we sort of jumped the gun and that television sat in our guest bedroom for the next several months. Why? Because we couldn't find an armoire that would work. You see, we have an unusual nook in our living room--the only space where we could put an armoire. We couldn't find a piece that would fit the size of that nook AND fit the size flat screen we wanted. Of course, we are sort of picky when it comes to design, so we didn't want to sacrifice on taste or quality.

Flash forward to April. Our dear friends David and Ruthe Ball were over for dinner. We've known them for twelve years--Billy and I both worked with David back in the late 90s. David is a graphic designer and artist--and probably one of the most talented and visionary people I've ever met. We were explaining our television dilemma to them when David got up to take a closer look at the nook where the elusive armoire would have to fit. "I can build one for you," he responded.

Billy and I had discussed hiring someone to do a custom piece, but all the people we talked to were VERY expensive, and even at those high prices couldn't deliver the intricate detail we wanted. David's offer, particularly since we are familiar with his talent and trust him explicitly--he's one of the good guys--was as good as gold.

After months of blood, sweat and tears (primarily on David's part), we brought home a gorgeous work of art. I call it that because it's truly one of the most beautiful pieces of furniture I've ever seen. He designed it to complement a buffet piece we have in our dining room, complete with carved sun bursts in the doors of the armoire. And not only is it beautiful, it's functional, built precisely to our specifications and components. Best of all? We have a piece of furniture in our living room, prominently displayed, that reminds us of our wonderful friend David and the love he put into that piece.

David is honest, kind, hard working and fair. If you need a custom piece of furniture or shelving or whatever, he can build it for you and you can be sure you're getting the highest quality and attention to detail around. You can reach him at david@davidballdesign.com or at 512-293-4668.

Here are some pics of our beauty (they don't do the armoire justice--really, you have to see it in person to understand it's magnitude). And ignore the beer steins sitting on the top shelf of the armoire--those will be, ahem, replaced soon. (No offense, honey! They are lovely beer steins...)


Up-close detail shot--see the carvings and brown mesh covers over our speakers? So nice.