poo

Usually, I think babyE's farts are cute.  But not today.  Today, every time I hear a toot in his pants, I wince because I KNOW that there will be runny poop in that diaper when I go to change it.  He's gone through 3 outfits already today.  UGH.  That's all.

This was outfit #2 today (just jammies)  - he looks sick, no?

Randomness

I'm taking BabyE to the doctor today to see what is up with this cough that will not let up.  It's been an ongoing battle for the past 8 weeks.  Maybe he's had a few colds that are running together - at least that's all I'm hoping it is!

Baby E in the FIRST sink bath in the new kitchen.

In other news: the kitchen remodel is DONE!  Well, Big J still has to put up trim around the floor, and we have to paint the door, but other than that, we are finished!

View from the entry - the hood over the range is still covered in white plastic - it is
stainless steel to match the rest of the appliances. 

view from the breakfast nook - The door on the left goes down to the basement, but I have to get it painted
before we put it back on.  the huge butcher block was from our old house - I couldn't bear to part with it!

I finally got all my Christmas presents wrapped up and ready to go - I fell a little behind because this is the year of the home-made gifts......My brother and sister and I (and our spouses) exchanged names as usual, but there were rules.  We are only allowed to spend $10 and the gift we give has to come from either a second-hand store or be something we make.  It should be an entertaining Christmas morning (to say the least).  Last year we had to make the gifts and there were some very creative presents exchanged.  There was a sweatshirt and CD of the "Kringle Kris" aka my little brother; an adorable frame with a photo of BabyE - a gift from my sister-in-law; a set of dressed up golf-club covers; a home-made cookbook; a set of hand-spun wooden darts; and there was one more, but I can't seem to remember what it was!  It was really fun, and a good way to not spend a fortune on gifts :)



We will be trekking up north (how much farther NORTH can we get from here??) to my sister's on Christmas Eve for the festivities.  Have a safe and Merry Christmas!

17 months!

Baby E after his fall at the ice-skating rink.

 Dear Baby E,

Baby E yelling at his cousins in the bathtub
The girls kept moving his cups around.....

Can you PLEASE lose the attitude?  I know you are getting your top molars in, but do you really have to throw yourself down on the floor and scream every time I try to change your diaper?  Also, would you mind not playing with that DAMN music box every second of the day?  I get it. It plays 76 different songs and it lights up and you can choose which instrument you'd like to hear, but if I have to listen to the classical version of "London Bridge" one more time, I might just start drinking BEFORE noon.  On the other hand, please don't ever stop giving mommy your "lovies", you know, the ones where you run up to me at lightning speed and when I pick you up you grab my face with both of your hands and 'kiss' my face until I'm laughing so hard I almost pee.  Those are my favorite kind of kisses.  Oh, and please continue to put on an excellent show for complete strangers.  Like Saturday when I took you to the ice-skating rink with your cousins and you danced and danced while the girls skated.  Then, when you tripped and fell and had those giant tears, I picked you up and you laid your head on my shoulder and let me cuddle you.  Don't stop that, because 5 minutes after your fall, some ladies came out of the warming shed and told me that they LOVED your little dance and that when you fell, there was a collective gasp that went through-out the room.  Oh and please don't EVER lose your desire to learn or your curiosity!  It's kind of annoying when you keep opening the bathroom drawers to take everything out, but I love how you study each thing as you're doing it and then line it all up on the floor.  I love you little peanut and I can't believe you are already 17 months old.  Where has the time gone?  You are getting bigger and smarter everyday and I could sit for hours and just WATCH you!  Thanks for making me laugh and reminding me of how important it is to be a good role model for you!

playing in the kitchen during the remodel

Love, Mommy

sick baby

Baby E is sick.  Not the crying, throwing up, fever, chills sick.  Nope.  He's the kind of sick that the goo runs from is nose like a dripping faucet and the cough starts in his lungs and works it's way into his throat and then turns into a sneeze which means MORE green goo for me to clean up.  Does this sickness faze him?  Not in the least.  I declared today "pajama day" at our house.  Me and Baby E will not be leaving the house, so I found his most snuggly pj's and warmest socks and he's running around like a madman.  He's into making piles and so far today I have found a pile of books, a pile of tissues (dirty ones from the bathroom garbage can), a pile of small stuffed animals (including Elmo, and those things that sing when you push their bellies) and a basket full of things with wheels (cars, trucks, pull-y things).  So since it's pajama day you'd think he'd want to take nap,  huh?  Nope.  He wants to wander from room to room and make piles.  Oh well.  Maybe he can help me sort clothes in the laundry room.  In the mean-time, enjoy the photo of him under the Christmas tree after his bath last night (I FINALLY found my tree skirt this morning)!

Shopping with a toddler

I've decided that shopping with Baby E would be an EXCELLENT advertisement for birth control.  Picture this on your TV:
A not so young woman gets out of her giant SUV cute little car.  She walks around to the back of her car where you assume she is going to open the passenger side back door and take out her purse.  However, you hear this: NONONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOO.  Whatever could that be you ask yourself?  Certainly not that adorable 16 month old in the carseat who is screeeeching because his hat has dropped below the acceptable level on his forehead.  Cut to the store:  Mom gets a cart and attempts to put child in the seat.  This is a no-win situation.  He will not sit in the seat when it is obvious that walking and pushing the cart is much more fun.  Cue the whining.
Produce Section: Child - apppo,  apppo,  apppo? Mom:  No, honey,we don't need apples, we already have some.  Child: APPO, APPO, AAAAPPPPPOOO!!  Mom: how about some bananas?  Child (in his adorable shrill pitch) AAAPPPPOOOOOO!  Mom: Where are the oranges?  Child:  Bana?   (banana).  OH. MY. GOD.  Other patrons who once thought he was cute are now rolling their eyes at me and wondering what kind of mother I am.
Deli is next:  Mom: you can look, but please don't touch the glass because other people want to see what is in there too.  Child is oblivious and puts not only all 10 fingers but also nose, mouth, tongue, cheek, forehead and ear on glass.  Oh I really hope they clean that thing regularly.  After he is away from the glass and in the personal care aisle (we needed toothpaste), he sees it.  The one thing he simply cannot live without.  That's right folks a box of condoms.  Why oh why do they put them on such a low shelf.  He hands them to mom and screams until she puts them in the cart.  Fade out...... Then your screen goes black and in big letters it says something about birth control.
So that was my exciting trip to the grocery store.  Some lady did stop me and tell me what a beautiful little girl I had.  I should have just said thank you and walked away, but instead I told her that he was a boy, not a girl.  To which she said "really"?  People are stupid sometimes.

Halloween!

 Now that fall is almost over and winter is getting ready to settle in, I figured I better post a few pictures of Baby E (who is really not a baby any longer but rather a toddler, but I'm going to keep calling him my baby until another one comes along).

This is the first year he was able to get out and enjoy the fun things that autumn in Wisconsin has to offer.  We played in the leaves almost every day  - too cold to even think about playing outside right now....at least until I get him some warmer pants!

I took on the task of making his costume for Halloween this year.  I can't tell you how many times I ripped parts of it out because I suck at sewing and haven't used a pattern since 8th grade home economics class  they just didn't feel right.  I must have worked on that damn tummy panel for about 3 hours and then realized that NO ONE WOULD SEE THE FRICKIN' TUMMY  because the vest would cover it up.  Rookie mistake.  Next year he's getting something made out of cardboard.  I gotta say, though, he really was cute!
I'll post some photos from his "Fall Photo Shoot with The Cousins" next time!

Where. Have. You. Been?

Now that's a question I used to hear a lot when I was younger: "your hands are all sticky - where have you been" (um, probably eating candy behind the couch). "your hair is all wet - where have you been (most likely playing in the sprinkler). You're limping - where have you been (fell off my brother's scooter).  "It's an hour past curfew, where have you been?"  (probably 'cruising' Main Street with my best friend). But now-a-days, I've been nowhere. And it sucks. I try to leave the house at least once a day to save sanity, but that doesn't always happen. So why, you ask, haven't I been blogging? Motivation. Or lack thereof. I've been trying to find some motivation to write, but can't...Of course, I DO have stuff to write about (mostly Baby E and his achievements), but it's hard to sit down and get geared up. So I'm going to try to do this more often - by more I often I mean at least once a week - props to all you bloggers who do this everyday!

So here is some of what I've been doing lately:

Estate Sales - OMG! I didn't think it could get any better than garage sales, but then I discovered Estate sales. When grandma/grandpa/aunt/uncle die, the kids/grandkids/nieces/nephews just open the doors to the deceased person's house and put price tags on everything. This is MY kind of place. I got the BEST photo from the 1920's of a little boy crying at the bottom of the steps who looks so much like BabyE that it's uncanny. I also got a fantastic old grate that I'm currently using as a welcome mat. My favorite find, though, is my new set of fall dishes! How awesome!
Took a trip to see Jason's family in Kansas City - had a great time and was SO glad to catch up with family that we regrettably get to see so little of!

Baby E: He's getting SO big and walking all over the place. He has decided that it's MUCH better to be outside on the "wheeee" (which is what he calls the slide), than pretty much anyplace else on Earth. He also loves to brush his teeth - screams when I try to take away his toothbrush. I sit him on the counter and we brush together. He makes a hacking-type noise when I spit - pretty funny! He has also started fake sneezing. I think it's hysterical. Also, I guess he has made the life-choice to be a vegetarian (at least for now) I CAN NOT get the kid to eat meat. I just hope he's getting enough iron. He knows where is belly, legs, eyes, teeth and hair are. He also knows things like: light, picture, baby, book, Delilah (our cat) and Orange (his stuffed cat). I'm loving watching him learn, and he's awfully cute, too!

So that's where I've been. Hopefully you'll be hearing more from me, soon!