Awesome napping form
He was whining about something…then it got too quiet. 🙂 That’s some form he has there!
A little while later he had moved. Seriously? That’s where you choose to nap? 🙂
And then waking up…a tad grouchy.
Maggie and Charlie also got in on the cool napping style.
And then—of course—when I try to lie down for a minute just to rest my eyes…that’s when Katie wakes up and starts screaming. 😐
Owen #2
Someone likes to chew on the B strings like Owen used to…
Owenisms 18
Some good ones from the past week or so…
Owen is picking up toys.
Me: Thank you buddy.
Owen: No—thank YOU!
Owen: What are we doing today? On the porch? We’re getting a new one!
Looking at my old Frogger game.
Owen: What’s that button for?
Me: That’s like the button on Xbox that makes you move and walk.
Owen: What’s that button for?
Me: It starts the game over.
Owen: No, it’s the jumping button.
Me: No, it’s the reset button to restart the game.
Owen: Ahhh, no.
Me: Owen, can you go let Maggie out?
Owen: Of course!
Owen’s first words to me this morning:
Owen: Oh no! Grem and Acer are after me! After my nose!
Me: Your nose?
Owen: Yes! I know who can help! Finn McMissle and Holly! I need supplies!
Me: What kind of supplies?
Owen: A bandaid for the wheel!
Me: ???
Me: Owen, can you make the sounds Katie makes?
He tries.
Me: I wonder how she makes those sounds?
Owen, very matter-of-factly: Practice.
Owen and I were playing Legos on the floor.
Owen, touching my unshaven leg: Mom! Your leg is…prickly.
Me: Yes, it is. It’s hair, like on your legs.
Owen: No! It’s sharp! It’s spikes!
Me: I wouldn’t say it’s sharp. Prickly was correct.
Owen: No. It’s spikes.
Owen: Mama, can I watch my show?
Me: No, no TV right now.
Owen: But I’m a good boy! He looks up at me angelically and actually bats his eyelashes at me! See? I’m a good boy!
Me: Yes you are a good boy but no TV right now.
Owen: I’m not happy.
Owen’s new time out box.
We got a new storage box for the deck for pool towels and toys and whatnot…and of course Owen had to get in. We told him it was his new time out box. 🙂
The deck is done!
Being built, that is. (Now we just have to get everything back on it so it looks nice again!)
But first, we had to get different wood delivered because there was a slight misunderstanding on the size of the second deck so different pieces of wood would work better. They worked most of the day…and about 6:30 it was done!
We did move the table and chairs back to the lower level to test it out, but I can tell already I want it back where it was originally (if only to make meals outside easier so we don’t have to lift Katie’s high chair down and up again). And it’s a little too close to the bay of windows in case of a sudden windstorm that sends the umbrella and/or table flying.
Tom also still needs to build some seating around the upper edges but for the moment, it’s done! Owen loved running around on it, too…
And Katie. Wow. She LOVED being outside with the breeze in her face! (It was a really nice night—almost bordering on chilly—which was surprising after the humid day.) She sat outside in her high chair FOR AN HOUR perfectly content!
I love my Charlie and Bella!
Our new family portrait!
So back in February, a friend of ours posted about this really cool family portrait he had commissioned by KateWhitmoreArt on Etsy. Everyone RAVED over it and said they would love one…including me. And then a few months later, I finally said YES, I’M DOING IT! But it was going to be a pre-deployment surprise for Tom.
I worked with her for about six weeks before we had a final product—sending ideas, evaluating sketches, changing details, etc.—and I managed to keep it a secret up until the very end, when I needed his input on something (though, honestly, I could have decided on my own—but you know how I am about surprises and the final reveal would only be a day or so away anyway).
And I have to say that for someone who doesn’t get choked up too easily…I think Tom was actually a bit choked up. 🙂
In it, you will notice all the small details of our family that I gave her to make it perfect…
- Owen driving his police car.
- Me taking a photo of Owen with my iPhone.
- A replica of our favorite Troy playground/park in the background.
- Tom wearing an MSU shirt.
- Katie wearing pink and grabbing my hair. The artist did the hair-grabbing thing on her own. I did NOT provide that detail.
- Owen is wearing blue.
- All pets are accounted for—and Charlie even has the nose dot.
- Owen’s drink is his actual cup.
- We have USMC Tervis tumblers. (I wasn’t expecting them to have a visible design, but I can tell they are the USMC one that I sent her the sample photo of.)
- Our exact diaper bag is under the table.
It turned out more perfect than I could have imagined. But, it did take a bit to get there. Here’s the first draft, when she was trying a Christmas theme (I told her we loved Christmas):
She sent it with this:
I thought it was a little too ‘out there’, possibly. I thought it would be cute to have you guys in the tree, surrounded by your ornaments and lights! I just felt it might be a little fun—the ornaments would have either icons/colors for your interests, the USMC, Cars, things like that, and something a little more unique than a standard portrait. Something you can’t get a photo of, you know? If you don’t feel this one, though, just let me know and I can take another crack at it!
So, while I did really like her unique take on us INSIDE a Christmas tree (I had told her we LOVED Christmas) I just wasn’t loving it enough…so I gave her the suggestion of a park or the ocean and sent a few more pics, after which she came up with this:
My thoughts were more YAY! but it wasn’t QUITE there yet. She said she didn’t do a slide (as I had suggested) because the spacing/sizing didn’t work out right. So to me it didn’t look like we were really at a park but more just having a picnic—which we haven’t really ever done. And I wasn’t sure about the kite as he’s never flown a kite so that’s just not him. I thought I might be over-thinking it but my online sounding board assured me I wasn’t…and that the artist DEFINITELY wanted clients to be happy. So I asked her to put Owen in his power wheels police car, have me taking a picture with my iPhone, have our actual sippy cup/Tervis tumblers on the table instead of a pitcher of lemonade, and change the picnic basket to the diaper bag (a long story, but it took trying/buying/returning about 15 bags before I settled on that one, so it’s kind of a running joke).
She was fine with all the changes and then sent this, which was IT.
Then came the color version and it was almost perfect. Bonus points if you can see what the last missing detail was.
Highlight this text to see what it was: The white S on Tom’s shirt.
So overall I’m absolutely and completely THRILLED. I’ve already ordered artwork for our walls (I had bought a Groupon ages ago unsure of what I would use it for…and I’m glad I saved it for this) and I’ll just say that I’m sure this will turn into Christmas presents… 🙂
Monster baby!
We were ball out on the front porch watching the new delivery of decking when Owen decided he wanted to sit in the stroller.
Owen’s first sheet tent!
I’m not sure exactly why I thought of this today, but I did. And Owen loved it. LOVED IT! He was practically giddy with excitement. Katie liked it, too!
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
So I figured it was time for an Owen poop update. Unfortunately it’s not great news.
Since his initial appointment, we had one—ONE!—good week of Owen pooping by himself in the potty…meaning knowing he had to go, stopping what he was doing to poop (even coming in from playing!), clean underwear most of the time (rarely any skids, even!), earning Legos on an almost hourly basis…
Then it all turned to shit again (pun intended) and after two weeks of shit-filled underwear/pull-ups I am (once again) at my wits end.
I just don’t get how he could make the change so easily—be doing everything PERFECTLY—then apparently some inner flip switches and he decides You know what? I’m not going to do that anymore and I’m going to pretend like I have no clue what’s going on.
Sometimes we catch a lucky break and he actually poops in the toilet after we tell him to go in there (but not always). We have tried the every-hour-on-the-hour method…to no avail. He won’t even tell us he has pooped his pants.
So, that week he was being awesome? It was amazing. I was so happy and had zero stress and life was great and thought Yes! This is what life should be like! Ahhh! Yeah, that was apparently the kiss of death. Now, unfortunately, the urge to strangle him is back.
But I guess at least he’s pooping and not backed up. Small consolation. 🙁
I can’t wait to hear what the doc has to say at our next appointment. I’m guessing his job is done (for the most part) because Owen is no longer backed up and IS pooping.
Maybe we need a psychologist. Or an exorcist. :p
Before & After
So we’ve been wanting to get this chair redone every since Tom’s mom handed it down to us in 2003 (when we got our first house)…and we finally did it. The boyfriend of someone in my mom’s group does reupholstery and it wasn’t nearly as expensive as we’d always thought (though it was still a chunk of change). It’s not perfect—if you look close you can see he used white (?!?!?) thread—but it’s not super obvious from a normal viewing distance. We also lucked out on the fabric—upholstery fabric is notoriously pricey, but we got it from a $7.99 store. YAY!
BEFORE
AFTER
FABRIC CLOSEUP
Katie’s new diagnosis
Well the pediatrician says impetigo or herpes so she’s being treated for both. It’s still contagious, but not as bad as molluscum.
That said, I texted my sister the diagnosis (and of course I didn’t get her text until I left the office) and she said “It’s not herpes if it’s on her finger, too.” Hoo boy. So now I’m leery if these docs don’t even know something that seems basic… But I guess we’re covered either way with the meds (one twice a day for seven days and one five times a day for 10 days).
We were also referred to an ophthalmologist since it’s by her eye so that’s this afternoon.
—
Ugh. That was painful.
Our appointment at the eye doctor was 1:15 and as a new patient I had to be there at 1:00. Fine. We got in about 1:25 so not bad. Then it was AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER by the time the doc came in. Oh, at about an hour someone finally came in and said “He just got back from surgery, he has one quick thing to do, then he’ll be in.”
What? JUST got back? At 2? So why the hell were we scheduled for 1:15? (They didn’t say emergency surgery.) And then it still took another 30 minutes.
The pediatrician didn’t say “Good news, they squeezed you in!” so I assumed we had a normal appointment. Apparently not.
So let me just tell you HOW MUCH FUN it was with an already over-tired baby WAY beyond her nap time and an energetic 4yo cooped up in an exam room. Thank heavens Tom met me there and could help out. I may have lost my mind otherwise.
And the actual doc part? Seriously two minutes. GRRR. One squirt of dye in her eye and a quick look with a blue light to see if there were scratches. Nope, okay, use this ointment. See you in two weeks.
😐
Then Katie was out within two minutes of me starting the drive home.
Half done!
The lumber arrived this morning—and my first thought was HOLY CRAP! It takes that much wood for our small deck?!
Yeahhhh. Our order was just a tiny portion of the truck. 🙂
The machine was really cool. I asked what it was called—a Crab.
Working on the deck!
The first section was finished in about two hours! They’ll be back tomorrow to continue…but I think it might take one more day since they have to build the support structure for the second half (they just reused—and added onto—the original one for the first section).
We all have matching cars!
Even Maggie!
He was SO proud of himself!
Poor Katie
Ugh. Poor Katie.
Before we left, I noticed two red spots on her face by her eyes. I just thought they were random baby pimples and didn’t think much else about it.
We came home and she had another one—and the old ones weren’t gone. Another day, and she was up to five—all around her eye.
It was at this point I decided to ask my sister, Kathryn, who has professional dermatology experience. Her diagnosis was Molluscum, a type of wart. (FYI: don’t google–EEK!—though the pics are all WAY worse than what she has.)
Unfortunately, they are contagious, and can be spread on herself or to Owen (or to us). 🙁 But how do you keep a baby from touching her eyes/face/mouth? EXACTLY. YOU CAN’T.
My sis said to keep her (and Owen) very moisturized because it spreads more easily to dry skin. So I lathered her up really well last night…but then she woke up with three more around her mouth and one on her finger! Ugh. I bandaged the one on her finger but then I have to watch that she doesn’t chew the bandaid off (and swallow it). And of course it’s one of the two fingers she puts in her mouth to comfort herself. 🙁
They’ll (supposedly) eventually go away on their own but it sounds like it’s something that can stick around for a long time (like 5 years) and the best treatment is burning or freezing. 😐 Though my sis says from what I’ve said and pics I’ve sent they don’t seem to be that bad. There are other creams but Googling says they’re not very effective (and my guess is they shouldn’t be applied around a baby’s eyes).
I just hate that she has to deal with this. (Okay, I’m not kidding anyone. I hate that I have to deal with it as well.) They look awful but don’t seem to itch (fingers crossed). Though she does seem to be more cranky than she’s ever been…and I’m guessing her no-nap days are because of this somehow, too, though she does sleep all night.
We have an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow so we can confirm. We don’t need to quarantine ourselves (you just have to take precautions) but I really want to because it just seems easier. I did cancel our playgroup date tomorrow but I’m sure we’ll be back next week depending what the doc says.
I just hope there’s something we can do…
So serious.
I looked outside to see this. He was playing with Mater and Lightning.
He loves shoes.
In the field
I thought it might be interesting to post the pics Tom sent me during his week in the field back at the end of April.
This exercise had 150 marines in the field for a week.
Getting ready to get in the humvees for the convoy.
In the humvee. You must wear a helmet and flak jacket.
The first stage of the convoy.
Close-up of the humvee.
Setting up the COC (command operation center).
The setup, which is built from scratch upon arrival. This is about half of it.
Taking a time out to get a picture of a cool butterfly.
MRE cakes. Yes, full cakes with frosting. Which we now have four of in our garage because Tom thought it would be cool to have them. 🙂 Be warned.
Inventory after the exercise is over. No one can leave until EVERYTHING is accounted for.
Tonight’s Skype
Katie crawls up…
…and over Tom.
While Owen is off wandering.
Tearing down the old deck
After some back and forth on scheduling issues…they ended up able to come out today to do the tear down.
Step 1—Clear off the deck. It actually looks quite big with nothing on it.
Step 2—Sledgehammer!
Step 3—Crowbar!
Step 4—Wait!
We see lots of these.
I’m not sure why, but we’ve been seeing a lot of these lately. This little guy was on our front porch as I was leaving to run errands.
I have to admit I like the green ones better. They’re cute. This one is a bit freakier to me.
The pool I didn’t know we had.
I discovered one of Owen’s play areas today…the “pool” in the half bath sink. He knows to pull up the stopper and turn the water on to make a pool for his little turtle (a bath toy).
Annual Accidental Freezer Defrosting
I swear this is becoming an annual thing. Ugh.
I went to put some bagels in the freezer this afternoon and discovered that the door was ajar and EVERY SINGLE THING was thawed. Still cold, thankfully, but completely thawed. Even the super thick pork loins. Ugh.
You’d think I’d be used to this by now but your mind still races with the HOLYSHITWHATDOIDONOW thoughts.
Of course, my first thought was “Oh crap! The babysitter probably got in the freezer this weekend and I hadn’t showed her or even told her about the baby lock so that probably got in the way and caused this.” So I texted her and asked when she had been in there (just to know how long it had been open) and she said she didn’t go in there. Hmmm. Then I noticed that the baby lock had busted off. (We’ve had it on ever since we had the door pop open before.) Tom says that the door seal doesn’t work well at all so if it got hot enough maybe the lock popped off (it’s just on with glue after the sticky tape popped off). Well, I didn’t think the entire seal was bad…but maybe it just isn’t as strong as it used to be (it IS 10 years old). So anyway, we’re sure that was the reason but man…WHY did it have to happen the 48 hours we were gone when we’re NEVER gone? Ugh.
So anyway, I rushed to the shed to pull out the huge cooler (which, of course, was under a bunch of crap). I had piles of TOSS, EAT, and REFREEZE. We have no space heaters anymore so I had to get hair dryers (I wanted to defrost the ice as quickly as possible)…except I blew a circuit when I tried to run two at the same time. Owen was intrigued by what I was doing and helped for about three seconds.
It seemed like it took forever, but I had the entire thing emptied, defrosted, and refilled in about an hour. (I guess experience does pay off, eh?)
Thankfully quite a bit of the stuff could be immediately refrozen (hot dogs, professionally packaged stuff, spaghetti sauce). Some stuff will be cooked and refrozen (brats, ground beef, hamburgers, pork). But we still have about 15# of meat to eat this week.
And we obviously also need to look into other door locks and/or alarm systems. I remember it was a bit challenging to find an acceptable door latch in the first place and the reviews for alarms on Amazon don’t look too promising.
Hoo boy.
The General’s Dinner
A few months ago we went to a USMC charity event called Basket Bingo and a group of us bid on—and won—a five-course dinner at the general’s house. Well, it was tonight.
Our good friends happened to be behind us coming on base—and we were quite early—so we stopped by the water to take some pictures. It was just a little windy.
Karen and Tom
The first couples to arrive.
FIRST COURSE (appetizers on the back deck)
Watermelon tequila shooters
Brie toasts with papaya salad
Chicken satay skewers with chocolate BBQ sauce
Mojitos
Our Hosts, General & Mrs. Lukeman
The table setting.
SECOND COURSE
Plantain soup
THIRD COURSE
Mélange of jumbo lump crab, mango, and avocado in a tropical fruit purée
FOURTH COURSE
Island pork tenderloin with a brown sugar glaze
Coconut shrimp with a mango sauce
Baked green rice
Green bean sautée
FIFTH COURSE
Raspberry sorbet
Layered key lime tart
Molten chocolate cake
The staff from the gourmet club that prepared and served the dinner.
The whole group enjoying post-dinner drinks on the deck.
Then, we got takeaway gifts of a rum cake, spiced nuts, and a packet with ALL the recipes! I will definitely be making the Chocolate BBQ Sauce because it was DIVINE and I could have drank it with a straw!
Overall it was a fun night and a very enjoyable meal…I just wish I hadn’t been running on fumes (zero hours of sleep after our short weekend trip to DC).
Weekend Babysitter
The kids had their first non-family member weekend babysitter while we were in DC—she’s the mom/nanny I found on SitterCity that introduced me to the mommy group.
Thankfully Owen has outgrown his major issue with us leaving and was completely okay with Amy (and her daughter) coming over to stay. It also probably helped that he sees her every week at play group.
He wanted to wait on the porch for them and when they pulled in, he excitedly screeched “Miss Amy’s here!” 🙂 Tom arrived shortly after they did and when he walked in, Owen pointed at Amy with a sweeping arm motion and said “Daddy! Looook!” It was adorable.
Then we were off and Owen barely even noticed or cared! YAY! On the way up, Amy texted this picture:
Awww! So cute! She said “They are just both so great. Owen is SO polite!” And she said he was calling her Sir Amy because he went on missions and reported back to her. They set up perimeters in the back yard. Soldiers manning the slides, all safe. That’s SO him. 🙂
Saturday morning I got this picture, saying her daughter braved the morning swim:
Later that day—“Airing out the babes.” 🙂
I told her I’d never even taken both of them out together! She’s hired! (I asked her later who was in which stroller and she said Owen was too squished in the small stroller so Katie went in that one and he went in the bigger stroller but that it was a tight fit. I’m impressed he fit at all—I would have made him walk! But, she said snacks and drinks were a necessity!)
Amy had also brought one of her dogs over—which Maggie LOVED! Owen wasn’t too sure at first because she’s a big dog…but Saturday evening I got this text:
“These two have become quite the pals!” (She told me later that the dog would follow Owen around the backyard as he played, and Owen would stop to pet her and incorporate her into his imaginative scenarios.) YAY OWEN!!
Then I got a text saying the barter box* was full:
*Part of Amy’s payment is a box of goodies from our huge pantry. We first did it when she watched Maggie one weekend and Amy was game for another surprise box!
Our wide-awake cutie:
We made it home about 3:45, but only for long enough to get ready for our dinner at the General’s house at 6. We didn’t want to confuse Owen (or possibly start a tantrum by him seeing us leave again) so Amy took the kids out for ice cream while we rushed in and out.
We got home—FOR GOOD—at 9:45. Amy said both kids were VERY good, that Owen is incredibly polite and has extremely good manners, and that Katie was attached to Amy’s daughter at the hip all weekend. 🙂
It was AMAZING not having to worry one bit about the kids all weekend. I am eternally grateful to have found Amy.
And as a word of warning to the grandparents: the bar has been raised…we now expect texts and photos when you guys babysit the kids! :p
Star Trek Patio Party
We headed to DC this weekend for another Patio Party (the last one was in 2008) with the TiVo peeps. The two main events were—obviously—a viewing of the new Star Trek movie and a party on a patio. 🙂
Tom cleaning off the patio:
Me at my first Coke Freestyle machine:
The best seats EVER at a movie theater—electric reclining leather seats (no flash on my self-taken photo because a lady two rows behind us threw a hissy fit that people were using their flashes…before the lights even dimmed and WAY before the movie was even close to starting):
Our group that saw the non-3D version of the movie:
One of our good friends, Andrew:
My obligatory self-portrait pose (taken specifically for Andrew because he gives me grief about taking those pictures):
A recreation of a 2008 Patio Party photo:
And that’s about all the photos. We take a lot less pics now for whatever reason…
The only bad thing about the weekend was that my drink of choice for the evening—vodka and Monster [energy drink]—apparently reacts completely different with my body than it used to and I did not get one wink of sleep Saturday night. 😐 This was NOT the best time or place to have to realize this…away from home with a 6-hour drive ahead of us and nighttime plans once we do get home.
Once we got on the road and grabbed a quick hot breakfast at Panera, it was off to Ikea for a quick visit to pick up Owen’s present (he always gets a present when we come back).
So overall it was a good—though short—weekend!
Owenisms 17
Owen: Put your seatbelt on! We’re going to the pizza market!
Me: Owen, what makes you happy?
Owen: Maggie. And Charlie and Bella. And Katie and daddy.
Owen: Holding an empty pizza box. Knock knock.
Me: Who’s there?
Owen: The pizza man!
A few minutes later.
Owen: Holding an empty box of crackers. Knock knock.
Me: Who’s there?
Owen: Cracker man!
He has gotten on a kick of asking for good news and bad news. We have zero idea where it came from.
Owen: Mama, tell me some good news and bad news.
Me: Hmmm. The good news? You got a chocolate for pooping in the potty. The bad news is you still had lots of poop in your underwear so you don’t get a Lego. Now you tell me some good and bad news.
Owen: Bad news…I lost you in the library. [This was from a dream he had weeks ago.] Good news is you still love me.
I didn’t do it!
I was in the kitchen doing something and when I looked in the living room, I saw this:
Owen swears he didn’t do it. Knowing Katie, it’s entirely possible she actually did do it herself…so I had Owen join her.
And a good shot of her cute outfit from (I think) Grandma Marsha!
Playing in Owen’s room
We rarely play in Owen’s room but we did today!
Owen loved showing Katie his microphone:
“EX-TER-MIN-ATE!”
“Get back here, Katie!” He’s great at “saving” her.
