Dishwasher Drama

I can't believe I forgot to post about the dishwasher drama in my last post!!! On our last morning in Atlanta, the dishwasher needed to be run. Butch got it started. A while later, Butch, Lacey & I were downstairs in the basement and Nancy yelled down for help. The dishwasher was leaking bubbly water all over. First thought was that Butch put too much dish soap in. Wrong. He used the regular dish soap - that you use in the SINK for dishes. So, Nancy ran the rinse cycle a few times to get the soap rinsed out. My poor hubby. (And this is the man that the government thinks needs to be on the Watch List.)

Christmas

We left for Atlanta on Christmas Eve. Everything went so smoothly at the airport. Well, not everything. We tried to check in at curbside, but for some reason, couldn't. So, we went inside to a kiosk and had the same problem. The computer said "see an agent". So, we waited for several minutes until one of the people behind the kiosks decided to help us. It turns out....that my husband is on the watch list. Weird. He has to just wait it out until they decide that he doesn't need to be on the watch list. Ugh.

Anyway, we got boarding passes and headed for the security line...or lack of line...and breezed right through. Lacey decided at that point that she had to be a real traveler and pull her Dora suitcase behind her. Too cute. Wish I had taken a picture, but Butch had taken the batteries out of the camera!!! (Why?) Thankfully, the airport was pretty empty and she wasn't in anyone's way. She was an angel while we waited for the flight to board. I really thought we'd be chasing her around, but she stayed close. She fell asleep as soon as we sat down on the plane and woke up about 45 minutes later crying. I think her ears were hurting.

We got to Steve & Marilee's house around 3:00ish, I think. We had a fabulous lasagna that night. After the girls went to bed, we opened gifts and had cheesecake for Butch's birthday. Marilee also had these great chocolate covered strawberries that she had received from a client or someone at work. Yum-o. Waayyyy too much to eat, but so good.

Steve & Mar got Nancy a cool gift. It's a framed print of the record of arrival for Nancy's ancestors. It's a copy of the actual page -- so cool. We'll have to look into this site for my side of the family, too.

Christmas morning, Lacey woke up around 6:50. And, Sam slept until 9:00! ;-) (Samantha is sick and sleeping well/a lot. I don't know how she does it since I can never sleep well when I'm sick.) So, once everyone was up, we had a breakfast bake, then helped the girls open all of their (too many) gifts. (All the gifts you see under the tree were for the girls.)

Later that day, we had ham, stuffed ham, green bean casserole, potatoes, bread, etc. Followed, of course, by dessert.

The day after Christmas Nancy, Marilee & I snuck out for lunch while all the men stayed home with the little ones. It was nice to get out and be able to talk without wondering what they were doing. We went to a cute little shop while we were out, too.

Lacey & Samantha's interaction was "interesting" and a little stressful for me. Toddlers normally like "parrellel play" at this age and that is what Lacey preferred, but Samantha wanted to play with her a little more. Even though I had read that toddlers don't "get" sharing until they are older, it was still embarrassing! After I got home, I had to do some reading on sharing again....to make sure that I wasn't raising an out of control kid. Luckily for me, she's not. It's not until age 3-4 that they really get it. It's best just to practice sharing with them and not to expect too much when they are around other toddlers. I also checked with Miss Lisa (daycare) about how Lacey is there and she said she is very good for her age. She especially plays well with the older kids. Mary Kate (who is 4 months younger than Lacey) and Lacey don't play well together b/c they both want the same toys. And, apparently, Mary Kate is a "taker". Miss Lisa thinks Lacey has just learned to be very defensive and fight for what she wants to avoid losing things.

Anyway....we left for the airport on Wednesday morning and arrived about 2 hours before the flight. It's a good thing that we did. By the time we made it through all the lines and went to the bathroom, we only had time to grab something for lunch (to eat on the plane) and board. Insane. I can't believe it took so much time. Lacey was cranky, but after she ate a piece of pizza and had a cup of milk, she was happy. And delerious. The girl stayed awake the entire flight. Decided she'd fall asleep after we'd landed, so she slept for about 10 minutes. She even stayed awake for the drive home.

It was great to see everyone in Atlanta, but it was good to be in our own bed again (with Lacey in a separate room so she could be restless and noisy by herself).

We've already taken the Christmas decorations down. They are so pretty, but it is always good to get the clutter away.

Today, Butch is taking lots of cardboard and our tree to the recycling spot. And, we are planning on a lot of NOTHING for the weekend. The neighbors are having a New Year's Eve party, but it's "no kids" this year, which is unusual for them. I think we'll just have a nice dinner and enjoy a movie.

Daycare Christmas Party

Last Thursday was the daycare Christmas party. All parents were invited at 5:00. Lisa provided dinner, had arranged for Santa to stop by and the kids had all participated in a gift exchange. Lacey had Kyle for a gift and Kyle had Lacey...hehe. Anyway, he got her some cute things that she loves.

Lisa also spoiled them by getting gifts. Lacey got a doll that has a binky & bottle and some peg puzzles.

And, the parents were given a goodie bag of things that the kids had made over the past week or 2. The first is actually a card that Lisa did, but I had to post it to show that Lacey will sit still (and smile) for a picture in the right circumstance. (I am not around and Amanda, Lisa's daughter, is there to make her smile.)

And, finally....cake. Who can resist?

Merry Christmas!

Southern MD Stuffed Ham

If you haven't had it, you really don't know what you are missing. Dad is the pro at making it and does so every Christmas. For several years now, I've wanted to send some to Annie & Steve (in Houston) because I remember her commenting about how much she loved it at our wedding. (Yes, it was a main course at the wedding reception.) I just couldn't figure out how to handle shipping it.

This year, Butch, Lacey & I are flying to Atlanta for Christmas. It would be my first Christmas without stuffed ham. That was enough to get me moving on how to ship it. (Yes, Annie, my own personal issues are what finally got my butt moving.)

Dad did the ham on Wednesday. The plan was to let it cool and to ship 2 boxes on Thursday via UPS. Well....due to the size of the ham and the weight of the ice packs, the cost was $117 to Houston and $101 to Atlanta. Um, no. We regrouped and repacked. I tried to send it through the post office via Express Mail (a.k.a., "sometimes overnight"). However, because both zip codes were too far from the airports, they couldn't guarantee an overnight delivery. So, I drove back to the UPS store and shipped a smaller package of it to Aunt Annie. It wasn't as much as we wanted to send, but it is a nice taste of it and didn't cost $117!!!

We'll be taking a cooler on the plane to Atlanta. We'll have to take the ice packs out and leave them in the car. Then, go through security. Then, get ice at a restaurant/fast food joint once inside security. Delta has assured me this will work fine. (Hopefully security doesn't hassle me.)

The package to Houston arrived safely today and (thankfully) was cold upon arrival, so it should be FINE. Whew.

An Early Christmas at Home

Things have been so busy lately. It feels like we have a huge list of things every week and it just keeps growing. 3 weekends ago was filled with decorating, 2 weekends ago was our party and last weekend was Christmas with my family on Sunday. We also had 2 parties on Saturday, but had to bail because I was feeling to stressed about it all. On top of all of this, I've had to have all Christmas shopping completed b/c of needing to ship things to Atlanta and be ready for my family yesterday. Whew.

So, Santa came last Saturday night and left Lacey some of her big things that he didn't want us to bring back from Atlanta. She got a table & chair set, a doll & stroller, a Dora sit & spin and a Dora suitcase. She adored the doll & stroller from the start and spent a good part fo the day coloring at her table. Since then, she's insisting on having her meals there. (It's sitting in the sunroom, next to our table, so it works.) Everyone arrived at the house for brunch by around 10:45 or so (except the "kids".....Kristin, Kyle, Jessica....who were late b/c of celebrating Kyle's 21st birthday). We had a WONDERFUL brunch. I love breakfast food. We had an egg & sausage casserole, an egg & ham roll-up, Grand Manier french toast, home fries and fruit. Mmmmm. And, for every one not pregnant (everyone but me) there were Mimosa's!

Lacey was tired and cranky for the gift exchange, but that's okay. She enjoyed everything later, after a nearly 3 hour nap.

Leaving a toddler unattended

Lacey was happily playing in my room the other day. I went to check some things on the computer, then came back after a few to check on her. This is what I found.

Any thoughts on what it is?

Lipstick! She'd gotten into my purse. It was all over her face and hands, but luckily, not on the carpet or bedspread. When I talked about her being a mess, she kept looking at her hands - no clue it was on her face. So, I had to take her to the mirror, where she just grinned.

Christmas Party

We had our "annual" Christmas party on Saturday. Just after Thanksgiving, I started putting up decorations. The weekend before the party we got the tree. We scaled back on the number of people invited because it was a bit overwhelming last year (probably about 50 people). We weren't really able to talk to everyone. There were probably about 30 adults and a few kids this year. Just right.

There was TONS of food...too much despite trying to cut back from last year. Meatballs, hanky panks, veggies, crab dip, fiesta dip, cucumber sandwiches (pampered chef), buffalo chicken dip, etc., etc. Yum-o. And, of course, lots of sweets. (I had a migraine on Sunday from eating too many of the leftover sweets.)

The drink of the evening was Frostini's. I must admit that I had a taste. I had to. With Bailey's and Godiva Liquor?! Dee & Kristin already had a glass of wine when I started making them, but that didn't stop them.

Lacey was an angel the whole time. It amazed me how easily she handled all those people being in her house. To start the night, she played with Britney (neighbor who is about 7) and they drug every last toy out of the toy box. Even with Britney leaving, Lacey went on playing. She lasted until 9:00 and probably would have stayed up if we'd let her.

Now that the party is done, we can focus on all of the other Christmas projects. I've got to finish up shopping this week. Anything for Butch's family (and Lacey) needs to be shipped to Atlanta since we'll be there for Christmas. And, everything for my family needs to be done because we are having brunch on Sunday to celebrate since we leave the following weekend.

I managed to get Christmas cards done for my work peeps yesterday, so I can mark that off my list. I still need to address all of our personal ones. Another thing to be done this week. Ugh. So much to do.

On top of all of the holiday preparations, our office is moving on Friday. Same building, same floor, just a new spot. So, I spent the entire day yesterday packing my office. (I have cuts on my hand to prove it.) I still have a few boxes left to do tomorrow. (I'm working at home today.) Thursday is our dept. holiday lunch and Friday is the floor holiday lunch. Whew.

Today, I have a doctor's appt. and have to do the Gestational Diabetes test. Hate that. The stuff I have to drink is yucky. (Speaking of, I need to get that in the fridge so it tastes a little better.) And, last time I failed it and had to go for the 3 hour test....drinking that stuff several times and sitting in the waiting area of a lab for 3 hours.

And, despite that test this afternoon, I'm having a hard time staying away from all of those sweets today. I have to wait until after the test!!!

Here's a funny story: Butch took leftovers for lunch to work yesterday. Put the meatballs into the microwave and couldn't figure out what the smell was. He had taken peanut butter balls instead of meatballs! So, they were melted all over the place.

Okay...better get some work done.

A visit to Santa

On Thursday, daycare was closed. (In my opinion, one of the only downfalls of in-home daycare -- it's only 1 caregiver and she DOES deserve some time off.) Anyway, Lacey stayed home with me and I had the day off. So, after a nap, we headed for the mall....and a visit to Santa. Normally, Lacey is not a fan of the stoller, but she got in without a fight. She was an angel for me - not complaining once as we stood in line at NY & Company. After we finished, we went to find Santa. In line, she stayed in her stroller and was just checking everyone out. She would point to Santa and say "Santy!" with delight. When we were next in line, he waved at her. The nerve. She just just turned her back. I let her out of the stroller and she walked through the entrance with me, but walked in the other direction....away from that scary man with a beard and hat. What was momma thinking, walking toward him? So, as any good mother would do, I picked her up & plopped her on his lap (after trying to calmly get her on his lap). She screamed. I told them just to take the pic. They took 4. There were 2 where she screamed so much her eyes were closed. Anyway, she recovered a few seconds after I picked her up and we have this wonderful picture to share. ;-)

Thanksgiving

Chuck & Nancy arrived on the Tues. before Thanksgiving. Lacey stayed home from daycare on Wednesday so they could spend more time with her. Butch & I took advantage of having them here & we went Christmas shopping for Lacey. It was good to get some things done!

We had a fabulous crab quiche (if I do say so myself) on Thanksgiving morning and then got to work preparing our contributions for Thanksgiving dinner. Nancy made sweet potato casserole and a reuben dip; and I made a crab dip and corn pudding (Kyle's fav). Yum-o. We headed over to Dee & Buck's around 1:00ish to spend the day.

There was a pretty good crowd at Dee's house....Dee, Buck, Kristin, Kyle, Rick, Kristina, Jess, Justin, Dad, Linda (Buck's mom), Ed (her husband), Wally (Buck's bro), Chuck, Nancy, Butch, Lacey & me.


I had gotten Lacey the most adorable outfit to try to get some good pictures, but she wouldn't cooperate, which is the norm these days. She is just way to busy to sit still for a picture.














Our big news for the day was announced.....that I'm pregnant! We hadn't told anyone in the family yet, so it was a good time to do it with almost everyone there.


We didn't do much else during the weekend, but it was good to have some time around the house. I can't tell you how hard it was to get up on Monday morning. Lacey may not let us sleep in, but at least I didn't have to shower & get going right away.

PS3

I was listening to my favorite morning radio show this morning.....Elliott in the Morning. I absolutely love this show. He's goofy and childish at times, but such a nice way to pass the time when I'm sitting in traffic.

Anyway, when I started listening, they were talking about some special things that ebay is doing with all the sales of Playstation 3. I didn't really catch all of that part of the story. However, Elliott is one of the obsessed fans of Playstation & is so giddy with excitement about it coming out. He is not one of the crazily obsessed fans that is camping out in front of Circuit City for 2 days, though. Thank God. Or I would really think less of him. It is insane. I can't imagine literally camping out for something like that. It's raining. And windy. And, their is a tornado watch. I don't get it.

When I talked to Dee, she said I would get it when Lacey is older & wants something that is in high demand. Perhaps so. However -- and maybe I'm wrong -- but I think a lot of the people that are trying to get this thing are buying it for themselves. As adults. To me that is extremely sad. They don't have anything better to do with their time?

I also believe that many of them are buying them to sell on ebay. The "buy now" price on ebay for many of these is $3000-6000. I'll say it again...insane. I just don't get it.

"To each his own" is true, but that won't keep me from calling these people morons. Maybe the ones that are selling them online for a huge profit are laughing at me all the way to the bank.

I just remembered that a friend of mine bought some of the TMX Elmos this year. She sold 2 on ebay for $600. I sure hope Lacey doesn't think I'll go that far for something she wants!!!

While I'm still on this tangent, shame on Sony for this, too. They know what the demand is. How could they not make more in time for Christmas???

Halloween and other updates

Lacey was a sock-hop girl for Halloween. Very, very cute. However, she was NOT in a good mood for trick or treating. As it turns out, she had a diaper rash and a wet diaper was irritating it. And, I just kept thinking she was teething and being grumpy from that. Poor girl. Bad mommy. Can you believe we took NO pictures Halloween night? Butch was in charge of the camera since I had Miss Grumpy hanging off of me. He swears he took some. But there are nowhere.

Anyway, we went to 3 houses in our 'hood. Then hopped in the car and went to Dad's and Rick's. Even with feeling bad, Lacey was polite and said "thank you" to everyone that gave her treats. Too cute.

The Sat. before Halloween, we went to a party at the library. She had NO interest in storytime or the party, but had fun wandering around the library.

Butch & I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on 10/23. Hard to believe. We went to The Melting Pot on Saturday night and ate way too much, but YUM-O! I love that place. Dee & Buck babysat for us. In Dee's words "she was a perfect angel". She'd been a turd off & on all day for us....but for Aunt Dee, "an angel". Ha! Typical, though, huh? At least she had fun. We didn't get back until about 8:40 -- late for Lacey. But, it was the night that time changed, and I wanted to keep her up later anyway. It worked, too. She's done great with the time change.

Butch has SATs last Saturday, until about 2:00. But he came home & planted lots of tulips. Can't wait to see them in the Spring.

On Sunday, we went to Dee's to watch the Redskins...wow what a game! I never counted on them winning. What a great surprise.

Bird Feeders & Squirrels

We have a bird feeding station in our front yard and I love to see all the birds that come to eat. We have a baffel on it to keep the pesky (a.k.a. piggy) squirrels away. This worked from the time we moved in (Sept. 2004) until a few months ago when some smart squirrel figured out a way to get to the feeders. I had been wanting to catch them in the act for a while now. I have even started to think about setting up our video camera. Well....a couple of weeks ago, I got lucky. After seeing one helping himself to some feed, I knocked on the window and he jumped off. But, he came back. And, I was there to watch. They have been climbing up the pole, then jumping from the pole over the the finch feeder (the bottom of it was only an inch or 2 above the baffle). Caught in the act! So, we lowered the baffle about an inch or so and it seems to have been just enough to keep them from jumping to the finch feeder.

Cold & Flu Season is Back!

Lacey got her first cold in August - as soon as she went back to daycare. She's already had and recovered from a 2nd. And, has had her 3rd for nearly 2 weeks. Blah! On Monday night, she woke up crying around 9:15 and when I went in, I found a feverish toddler. 100.9. Of course, I immediately thought, "here we go again with ear infections". I took Tuesday off & got her to the doctor as early as we could (even though she didn't have a fever at this point) and was very happily surprised to hear that her ears looked good. I can't tell you how happy that made me. But, since she'd had a cold for 10 days and a fever the night before, she got some antibiotics to help her fight it off.

Now, of course, I understand why she needed her binky back. (Did I post about that? She slept horribly on Sat. night and was starting the same way Sun. night, so we gave it back. All for good sleep.) Now, even with those binks she isn't sleeping well. Which means Mommy isn't either. Ugh.

Pumpkin Farm

We went to a local pumpkin farm yesterday & had lots of fun playing outdoors. The weather was perfect (low 60's and sunny). We did walk out with several pumpkins and some huge apples, but only after letting Lacey run around (while we ran after her).



Lacey was obsessed with climbing the stairs to be the face of a scarecrow. And, once she got over her fear, she loved the "tunnels", too.

Update on LJ's Bink

Wow. We took the binkies out of the crib last night just to see what would happen when we put her in there. She whimpered a tiny bit and that was it!!! Wow. She slept from 7:30 to 5:15. Unfortunately, she decided it was time to get up then. Hopefully that was a fluke.

Rude People

I just don't get how some people can be so rude. There is this woman who works in my building and she is always walking so fast that you'd think there was a freakin' fire. If you are behind her, don't think for a second she's going to hold the door for you. I get behind her frequently from the garage and it's the same thing every time. Ugh. Today, she got on the elevator I was on -- going down to the lobby -- and rushed off as soon as the door opened. Forget that I was standing closer to the doors. Then, she rushed off ahead and let the door going outside slam in my face. What is with people?! Then, when I came back into the lobby, I got on an elevator that decided to ignore the buttons I was pushing. I pushed my floor 3 times and had to push "close door" to get it moving. Right at that time, Miss Rude (or insert any descriptive word you'd like to here) walked up to get on. I, being a *nice* person, actually pushed "open door" to let her on (why, I don't know...she doesn't deserve it). I mentioned that the doors were being a pain & she hopped off. I guess b/c she couldn't be bothered? It wasn't going to be fast enough? So, I held up the freakin' door for her and she didn't even take the elevator.

At lunch today, walking back from High Noon (my fav salad place in the world), I had to step out of the way for a group of 4 women that thought they really needed to walk side by side. Across the whole sidewalk. So that those of us going the opposite direction had to move. I say it again...what is with people???

Scrapbooking

Aunt Marilyn gave me a scrapbook and lots of supplies for my baby shower nearly 21 months ago. I laughed and said "I don't know how to do this!". She had the outside decorated beautifully - the crafty, creative person that she is.

So, I've been wanting to get moving on that project for a while. I got some scrapbooking magazines about a year ago. Dee got me a book for Christmas last year. And, it all just seemed too overwhelming. I finally found a "class" in Prince Frederick - about 20 min. from our house. It's a 1 night beginners class. I've been watching it for about 6 months. I finally went last night!!!

It wasn't much of a "class", but she did go over the different tools and helped some with ideas. I managed to get 2 pages done - Lacey's 1st 2 days of life. I'm excited b/c I bought a couple of tools that will help me continue with this. And, I feel like I know a little better what I'm doing.

There is a follow up class next Monday and I'm going to work on a page for my pregnancy.

No, I won't have the time to turn into a scrapbook queen. But, it was GREAT to have a night out "on my own". I'm hoping to at least do scrapbooks for Lacey and her sibling (whenever that time comes) and maybe other "special" ones.

The Pacifier

Lacey loves her binky. Now, she only uses it to sleep, so it's not like she always has it in her mouth or anything. But, she loves it to sleep. She usually has several in her crib so she can always find one in the middle of the night. And, she likes to have one in her hand to fidget with.

Today is the 2nd day that she has napped (at daycare) without it. Wow. I've asked Lisa to let me know what she is doing that is special!!! Mind you, I haven't tried it, but would like to know if there is something that helps. (Other than it's daycare and not her parents.) I'm hoping we can go without it for naps this w/e and maybe try to go without it at night soon after. In all honesty, I don't care if she sleeps with it until she's 3. But, she has shown she doesn't need it. And, it would be nice to not have to keep them clean!

Travel, GA, pictures, jury duty.....

Well, Butch left this morning for Pittsburgh, so it's just Lacey & me this week. The only real difficulty with that is managing getting her to daycare. Butch usually takes her since he has such a short commute. Daycare doesn't open until 7:00 and I am supposed to be in the office at 7:30. Not gonna happen. But, I am hoping my schedule will work out that I only drive in 1 of the 3 days left in the week. Oh, and I have to leave a little early to make it there before they close at 5:30. Well, I could work until my normal time, but then I'd pick her up right at 5:30 and since she normally eats dinner earlier than that, I'd have one cranky monster to deal with. Since work is flexible, I'll leave early.

The only other thing is that she sometimes wakes up crying early in the morning - when we are getting ready for work. If I go in, she expects to be rocked. (She doesn't do that to Butch.) So, hopefully she'll sleep well in the mornings so I can shower without listening to her cry.

Butch & I watched Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy - sort of as a marathon. Man, that show is good! Season 1 was only about 10 episodes -- Season 2 was 27 or so. I've been staying up to late trying to get through it so I can watch Season 3 (which is currently on TV).

We took Lacey to Picture People to have pics done on Sunday. I'd been postponing it b/c she always had an issue (skinned knees, runny nose, scratch on her face, etc.). And, I knew it would not be fun. She does NOT like situations that are "new". She wouldn't get out of my arms, so we only did "mommy & me" pics. Only 1 turned out decent. We are going to hire my coworker that does photography on the side to come to our house and do pics. A lot more $$$. But, we know we'll get lots to pick from and that Lacey will be more at ease (hopefully).

Next week, I have jury duty. It officially starts on Tuesday since Monday is a Federal holiday. I have to call in after 5:00 on Friday to see if I have to show on Tuesday. And, then do that every evening through the week. I'm hoping I don't have to go. Too much is going on a work to have to miss it for something like jury duty.

Daycare is closed on Monday for the holiday, so I have to take 1/2 day off. I'll work during Lacey's nap, I guess, and check in as much as she'll let me. I'm glad that we don't have jury duty to worry about that day! Daycare is also closed on Friday for Lisa to attend a conference. Butch may be taking that day off.

Can't think of much else that's really going on. Seems pretty boring, but thought I'd post anyway!

Charles County Fair

We went to the fair 2 weeks ago and I am finally taking the time to post pics! Lacey had a cold and was clingy while we were there (in other words, didn't get out of my arms the entire time). Butch didn't want to bring in the stroller b/c he was convinced she'd be running around with excitement.

She loved the animals! She just about jumped in with the sheep. One of the ladies let us in a pin with 2 ducks and geese. That was cool, except she wouldn't get out of my arms to really enjoy it! ;-)

Lacey & I road on the carousel, but she wouldn't sit on the horse! She was just taking it all in. When Butch got on one of the rides, she was afraid for him. She kept fussing until he got off.

It was a fun day and we were lucky with weather. It had rained off & on for several days before. You can imagine the mud. Blah!

We got home & kicked back to relax!






I thought about going to the St. Mary's or Calvert County fairs since they were last & this weekend, but never got organized enough to do it. So, we'll make plans for next year & hope she is more into the rides then!

Toonces 1990-Sept. 25, 2006

It's been a very sad several days. Over the last week, we've found big areas of pee in the sunroom and assumed that Toonces was having a hard time getting all the way to the litter box. On Saturday, I realized it was worse than that. He was just peeing wherever he was laying....and then barely moving out of the way. He did it twice on Saturday. I know it must not have been nice to be so sick and weak that you can't even move away from it.

So, on Monday morning, I called the vet. And, waited for a call back for about 5 hours. At that point, I think I had already decided that it was time. Every time that day I started to change my mind, I'd find Toonces in his own urine. I talked to him several times throughout the day to say good-bye and tell him how much I would miss him.

Anyway, the vet & a vet tech/nurse came out within about an hour from the call. If you have never watched a pet be euthanized, it is very quick. Thankfully, Dee had warned me of that & I had read it, too. Within seconds, my baby was gone.

Butch buried him back in our woods in a spot that we can see from our window.

Even with Frisbee & Kramer, the house seems weird. Toonces always wanted to be in the same room with me, so he was always there. Kramer is more of a loner. (Although for the last 2 nights he has been around a bit more.) And, Frisbee wants to be in the same room, but wants to be pet and played with constantly. Toonces was just hanging out.

I know he had a very good, long life. But, that doesn't really help me to be less sad.

The Annual Family Party

Yesterday was the annual Lacey Family Party.....always lots of fun! Dad has hosted it for more years than I remember. This is the first year we've had it in September and I think it worked really well! The weather was BEAUTIFUL. By avoiding August, we were able to avoid the humidity, too. And, while the pool water was cool, the kids didn't care at all.


The party usually starts around 1:00 and goes into the evening. Of course, Butch & I left around 7:00 so Lacey could go to bed. When we left, there were 3-4 poker games going. From what I hear, the last people didn't leave until 12:30. Of course, those last people were Dee, Buck, there friends (Chip, Lynn, Dana, Gordon, etc.) and Kristin/Kyle and their friends.

Aunt Alice (Dad's sister) and Don came, along with my cousins, Lacey & Lee. (Yes, there is another Lacey in the family.) They live in FL and we don't get to see them very often, so it made the day extra special.

Even with all the family that lives close by, we don't see most them much more than once a year. It's crazy. We really need to be better about that.

Lacey thoroughly enjoyed herself. The past few weeks, she seems to have come out of her shell a little more. She is easing into situations much better and is more sociable.

She adored Andrew -- my 2nd cousin. I told KarenAnn (his mom) that I was going to hire him to entertain!

Butch & I spent most of the day chasing her around and we were truly worn out from it. I wanted to go to bed at 8:30, but refused to do that on a Saturday night!!! We agreed that we had more fun this year (compared to last), but that it was just more exhausting! Funny how a toddler can do that to you.

Ultimate Fighter

Every once in a while Lacey gets so banged up that Butch calls her the Ultimate Fighter Champion. On Saturday, she fell and bit her lip (her bottom left), resulting in blood and a little swelling. Yesterday, she refused to hold my hand and fell down the steps to the garage. Luckily, she didn't hit the concrete. However, she did get scraped up (her right forhead, cheek and nose). Then, after her nap, I found a clump of melted candy in her hair (her left side). I guess she had it in her hands when she fell asleep in the car. Luckily, this washed out pretty easily. But, I had to take a picture!

Lacey's 18 Month Check Up

Lacey had her well baby visit last week. She weighed 23 pounds....25-50th percentile, so still a little petite thing. Dr. Jill is still very happy with that. They said her height was 35 1/4 inches, which is like 95th percentile. I think they must have gotten it wrong. It's pretty easy to, since toddlers don't like to lay there and be measured. I think I'll try to do it myself with a mark on the wall.

She had to get her chicken pox vaccine, but did really well. Screamed (of course), but quit with 30 seconds. No side effects from it, thankfully. They also did a finger prick to test for iron since she is such a picky eater. I'm guessing that will be fine, because although she's picky, many of the few things she eats are high in iron (eggs, spinach, oatmeal breakfast cookies).

So....now she isn't due back officially until she's 2. But, we'll go back in October for a flu shot. Hopefully we won't be back for anything else until then!!!!


*****
I'm back....I did check her height again on my own (with a mark on the wall the way my mom used to do). She is only 32.25". I don't know how they got that so wrong!

Not much

So the summer is coming to a close! Butch went back to work yesterday. Lacey starts daycare next Tuesday. I've been home with her for a couple of days, and Chuck/Nancy are coming into town tonight to help out for the rest of the week. We took L to daycare one afternoon last week - just for an hour or so - and she was loving it. Of course, Butch was there the whole time, but she wasn't paying any attention to him. And, when I came, she waved to me and went about her business. She didn't want to leave when we did. I'm taking her again on Thursday morning for a little bit and am hoping she'll be the same way.

She & I both have colds. Blah. I've been drugging us both with Benadryl at night so that we can sleep well. Hoping that she avoids an ear infection this time. She has her well baby appt. tomorrow, so we'll see how her ears are doing then. She's due for her chicken pox vaccine - ouch. The # of vaccines have gone up 50% in the past 10 years. I read that a few days ago.

Toonces is hanging in there. Since I've been dilligent about giving him his fluids every single day, he's been eating better and has gained a little weight. I'm hoping he'll get some more muscle in his back leg so that he can walk a little better. He was having trouble getting in and out of the litter box...and decided just to go outside of it. So, I bought smaller, kitten sized boxes and he's doing okay with that.

We got directv hooked up in our basement, in front of the treadmill and I love it! We have DVR (Tivo) there, too, so I can watch my soap while I'm walking. (Yes, it's my guilty pleasure....I still watch Days of Our Lives.) I can walk for 30-40 min. while watching it and the time flies. Hopefully I'll get back into a shape! Oh - the best part is that we aren't paying any more per month for this. We canceled the DTV in our bedroom since we never watched it.

Toonces Update

When we got back from OBX, I realized that Toonces was looking very thin again, so I weighed him. He was back down to 5.5 pounds again. I called the vet and had to wait about 2 weeks for an appointment. He was looking even smaller on Sunday, and not eating hardly at all. So, back on the scale again - this time about 4 pounds. I was able to move the vet appt. from Wednesday (today) to Monday, thankfully. My poor boy's kidneys are failing. The vet thinks they are probably about 70% shut down. He doesn't eat b/c his kidneys aren't flushing out all the bad things and it makes him feel sick.

So, the vet sent us home with some fluids, which I give him each day. It's like an IV bag. I put a needle under his skin and let the fluids run in for a few minutes. He seems to be doing a little bit better already. He won't be cured, but at least he feels better. The vet had given me a recipe for a homeade diet that's low protein -- and it is rather gross. Plus, Toonces is smart enough to eat all the meat and leave the rice - not good since it's supposed to be low protein. So, my friend (a vet tech) is sending me some special canned food to give him instead. She said she's known cats that lived for months with the fluids, so as long as it isn't stressful to Toonces or to us, just to keep that up. There is a part of me that thinks it is just his time, but until things get worse, I can't make that decision.

This week

We are dogsitting Woody - Rick & Kristina's Maltese. He's a cutie. But, he has issues. I think he needs a therapist. Major separation anxiety. Luckily, since Butch is home for the summer, he's not left alone. When he is, he will mess on the floor b/c he is so stressed out. So, Butch thinks Woody has more of a problem than that. He, for some reason, thinks Woody will just pee whenever. So, he's been putting the water dish up at bedtime. This was a problem on Sunday night. Woody woke me up 2x to drink. The first time, I thought he just wanted outside, so I let him out. But, realized that he was thirsty. Then, 2 hours later, he woke me up again. My guess is that after being outside (at my dad's) in the heat all day, he was just needing more water. He had water available at Dad's, but must not have had much.

Then, on Monday night, Lacey woke up 3-4 times throughout the night. So, I was exhausted yesterday. I should have gone to bed early. But....Butch had a late volleyball match and I usually stay up to keep the dog(s) from barking when he gets home and waking Lacey. I didn't go to bed until 11:00. Stupid me. I'm beat.

We had some a/c problems again. It wasn't cooling off well upstairs before we went on vacation. But, we couldn't get someone in before we left, so I called this guy after we got back who said he could do it and to call when we were back in town.. I called him 3 times over a week or so. He never called me back. Then, I remembered someone else that we know that does HVAC work and called him. He was there within 3 hours. ;-) He refilled the coolant for us, so it's working for now. But, yes, we have a leak. It was filled last in early June.

Now that we've dealt with sleeping in much warmer temperatures, we're leaving the thermostat turned up a bit. Lacey had been sleeping so well while the a/c was broken, that I wondered if she had been cold previously. The night that she woke 3-4 times, was the first night that she'd woken in the middle of the night in over a week. So, last night, we turned the thermostat up a couple of degrees and she slept through. Hmmmm.

It is so freakin' hot here. Yesterday, I checked weather.com for Hughesville and it was 100*....and the heat index was 116*. Yikes. We are supposed to see some cooling off on Friday....thankfully. I think today it is supposed to hit 101*.

We're going to Pittsburgh this weekend for Chuck & Nancy's 45th anniversary (and Chuck's 75th birthday) party. Steve, Marilee and Samantha are coming in, too. I'm excited for Lacey & Sam to see each other again. They were only about 5 months old when they met.

I'm not looking forward to 5 hours (or more) in the car with a 17 month old, though. It's about a 5 hour trip normally - with 1 or 2 quick stops. I know it will be longer with Lacey. She gets so frustrated being confined for long periods. I bought a couple of new DVDs for the trip and a new toy. We can use those when things are getting rough.

OBX

Butch, Lacey & I went to the Outer Banks, NC for vacation for a week! It was so great to have an entire week away. Last year we had a couple of long weekends visiting friends and family, but not a week long "vacation".

We met my good friend, Tonya, and her family (Todd, Elizabeth & Rhianna). Tonya & I have known each other for 13 years (hard to believe). They moved to SC - just outside of Charlotte, NC late last year and I was so excited to have her closer! They have 2 girls - ages 6 & 4.

Butch, Lacey & I arrived around 4:00, checked in, had dinner and relaxed. Tonya & family didn't get in until much later. They left their home around 1:20 and it's a 7+ hour drive. Plus, they stopped for dinner along the way.

The first full day we spent at the house. Tonya brought a couple of pools for the girls and we set them up on the deck, so they were able to play their while we were hanging out on the deck, or inside, or whatever. Tonya & I went grocery shopping, too. After dinner, we finally decided to walk to the beach! (Sad, I know....can't believe it took all day.)

The next day we ended up going to the Soundside beach, where the water is calmer and better for kids to play in. Lacey was bored with that after about 20-30 minutes. There was one more day that Butch & I tried the ocean beach with her, but it was so rough and she'd either get too brave with the water, or wander off. So, we gave up! But, she did get to explore a bit.

We didn't really get to spend lots of time with Tonya & Todd (and the girls) because of L's napping needs. ;-) We had usually done something and were back for her nap around the time they were heading out for the day. But it worked out fine since we had dinner together most nights and spent time hanging out after the girls went to bed.

Butch & I had a date night, too. We went out to dinner and drove around a bit -- and still ended up home before Lacey went to bed! We were so hungry that day that we left for dinner at 5:15!

Lacey was quite intriqued with the older girls. Liz was really good with her. Rhianna wasn't so sure. I think she was a bit jealous since she wasn't the youngest one around. I told Tonya that Lacey is like a cat --- going to the one person that doesn't really like her. She kept going up to Rhi.

Oh - one day we went to Kristin's beach house, too. She & her girlfriends happened to be there the same week as us, and they had a pool. So, the 3 of us drove to her house and swam/played for a little bit.

On the last day (Thursday), we drove to Roanoke Island to see the NC Aquarium. Lacey didn't have a ton of interest in it, but it was good to do something with Tonya & Todd, even though we weren't really "with them" -- since her girls were really into the aquarium.

It was amazing to me how easily Lacey adjusted to everything. She has been such a cautious, careful baby/toddler, but she just jumped into everything wonderfully. She was letting Todd & Tonya pick her up after 1 day.

After about 5 hours in the car on Friday, Lacey had some energy to burn up. But, she has slept so well every night. I think she was exhausted from all the fun.

I'd planned on adding a couple of pics here, but blogger is giving me a hard time! If I can make it work later, I'll do a separate post with pics. Lots of you have already seen the pictures anyway.

A Weekend Away

Butch & I went to visit Agnes & Trampas last weekend --- without Lacey! We've each traveled for work and been away from her, but until now, she hadn't been without one of us for an overnight visit. She stayed with Rick & Kristina for the weekend and did wonderfully!

Now, on to our trip! We got in to the airport around 5:30 p.m. and Ag picked us up. We went back to their house in Spencerport, NY and relaxed for a bit before heading out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant where I tried a bite of sushi for the first time. It was okay, but don't think I'd ever order it.














On Saturday morning, Agnes & I went for a walk along the Erie Canal. It was great to have a good friend to chat with while walking. I miss her! Then, we all headed out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel to have some "stick to your ribs" food before driving about 90 minutes to the finger lakes to taste wine.


Our first stop was at Bully Hill Winery. We tried about 7 wines and loved most of them. They were very inexpensive, too.










Then we went to the Heron Hill Winery and tasted another 7 or so wines! The woman that was pouring for us was awesome. Lots of fun and very generous in pouring. ;-) Then we bought a couple of bottles and listened to a guy play the guitar and sing -- he was quite funny, too.

After a 90 minute drive home, Trampas grilled chicken and steak kabobs, plus we had yummy corn. And, of course, some more wine. Along with playing a game of Cranium.

On Sunday morning, they drove us to Lake Ontario and through downtown Rochester. We were quite tired after our Saturday adventures. Landed back at BWI around 4:00 and were at Dad's picking up Lacey by 6:00.

It was a great weekend! They are hoping to come down for a visit this fall. Can't wait to see them again!

Swim Lessons

We signed Lacey up for swim lessons this year. We probably could have done most of it on our own in PaPa's pool, but, I thought it would be fun to go to lessons. It is...and we are learning some things to try....but 4 nights a week is tough! Last week, we had 2 classes b/c Butch & I were out of town on one of the nights and another night was canceled because of weather. This week we are hoping to make all 4.

Here are some pictures from her first night at class.











She is much more comfortable in her PaPa's pool. The instructor said that makes sense b/c private pools are smaller and there are less people. She's been underwater a few times. I'm not going to push her any more this week b/c she's starting to not have fun while we are there. There isn't any point in upsetting her. We'll just leave class having ideas of things to try in the future.

A day of parties...

We had a really busy day yesterday! Well, most of it was in the afternoon. At 4:00ish, we went to an annual 4th of July party at Susan & Steve's (friends and employer of Dee). It's huge. Including kids, they were expecting 160 people. They have a 2-person "band" and provide crabs, hotdogs, hamburgers, etc. Then, everyone brings a side-dish, dessert or appetizer. By the time she put out "dinner", I'd already eaten too much!

They do a great job of having things for kids, too - bubbles, balls, moonbounce, etc. Lacey had a blast. She was chasing all the big kids around. As you can see from the picture.....she couldn't keep up (you can't see any of the big kids!).


















We left that party around 6:30 and headed to my friend's party (Donna, who I went to high school and community college with). We couldn't stay long since Lacey was with us & she needed to get to bed. But, it was fun. They have a trampoline and Butch hopped on their with Lacey. Donna also has a pool.....not easy to keep Lacey out of there! At the end, I let her splash her feet in it. L had a cookie to go and was wiped out on the drive home.

We got home around 8:15 and had her in bed by 9:00. Not bad - only an hour later than normal. But, she didn't sleep well. Probably from so much going on during the day and her brain processing it all. Or, it could have been teething. (How come it's always a guessing game?) I'm leaning toward teething b/c we gave her a dose of Motrin before bed and she slept well until 12:30ish, when it was wearing off. We gave her more at 1:00 and she slept well for another 4-5 hours. She has a molar that is giving her a really hard time. The other 3 came it without us even knowing. Strange.

New Furniture!

At long last, our new furniture arrived. We ordered it in mid-February and it was supposed to take 6-8 weeks. It took 4 months. Our bedroom no longer looks like a dorm room! Oh...and that is new carpet, too. The old carpet was messed up from the leak we had several months ago that also resulted in having to repair the ceiling in the family room.






The armoir barely made it up the stairs. It's 2 pieces, but our stairs have a landing 1/2 way up and turn.













Here is the new piece for our dining room. We needed some more space for our china, etc. However...before we can put anything in there, we need to put a lock on it b/c Lacey is already opening and closing everything on it!

Summer, minivan, vacation....

It’s been so long since I’ve posted that everyone may have quit checking! Not sure where to start.

Butch’s last day at work was June 15, so he is now enjoying the summer with Lacey. She isn’t whiney with him (or anyone for that matter) the way she is with me. So, they should have a good time! For some reason she whines with me a lot. If I try to cook, clean, read, anything that isn’t focused on her. I know she may miss me since I work, but I spend a lot of quality time with her, too. “Time-Ins” is what that is called, BTW. Anyway, hopefully it is a (short) phase and she’ll grow out of it.

Chuck & Nancy were here for a little over 2 weeks. They left on Saturday. It was a great visit and Lacey enjoyed them….I’m pretty sure they enjoyed her, too! However, Lacey’s sleep patterns weren’t as good as they had been. I think that’s our fault because if she cried out in the night, we went to her immediately – in an effort to keep her from waking them up. Now that we aren’t doing that, she’s sleeping a little better already.

We have some fun trips coming up. Butch & I are going to Rochester, NY July 7-9 to visit Agnes and Trampas. Lacey is staying with Rick & Kristina for 1 night and with Kristin for the next night. I’m looking forward to time with Ag & Trampas, and to having adult time, but dreading leaving Lacey. She’s not very accepting (to put it mildly) of others. But, I think once we are gone, she’ll fine. I just wish I didn’t have to hear her cry when we go.

Then, on June 14, we leave for the Outer Banks for a week! Ahhh….I can hear the ocean already. We’re meeting Tonya & Todd & their girls (Elizabeth & Rhianna). I hope we have good weather most of the time since I know Lacey loves the outdoors so much. I assume Liz and Rhi are like that, too. We have a 4 bedroom house with a Jacuzzi. It’s 340 yards to the beach, so not too far. Carrying everything that is needed for 3 young ones might be tough, though!

Lacey is starting swim lessons on July 3 for 2 weeks, 4x a week. I can’t wait. She got into PaPa’s pool on Friday and loved it. At first she wasn’t sure, but it took her no time to think she was a fish.

Oh – we bought a minivan! A Honda Odyssey, EX-L with rear entertainment (DVD). It should make traveling much easier and more comfortable. I drove it to work on Monday, but I’m in the CR-V today. The van is a little hard to maneuver in our garage here at work. And, Butch is with Lacey for the summer, so it makes sense for him to have the van. He was looking forward to driving the CR-V, though. We’ll see how it works out.

So, with 3 weeks and 2 days left before leaving for vacation, I am on a mission! I don’t care what the scale says, but I want to feel better and look more tone! So, I’m following Weight Watchers again and have signed up on sparkspeople.com. It’s got a lot of fitness and nutrition resources, plus you can track calories, etc.

Yea for 3 day weekends!

Ahhh...the first day of a long weekend is always good. ;-) After L's nap, Butch & I are taking her to Dee's for a visit while we go shopping for a minivan. We aren't sure we can swing that payment - because I really don't want to give up the basement finishing project - but I do want to get some ideas and do our "research". For those of you wondering "why a minivan and not an SUV" (Aunt Annie), I already have a small SUV (Honda CRV), which we love, love, love. But, I would like more room for vacations and longer trips....and don't want a big SUV. We rented a minivan for our Thanksgiving trip to Pittsburgh last year and loved it. There was so much room. So, without looking, I know *my* first choice would be a Honda Odyssey. It's a Consumer Report recommended one and I love Hondas. But, we'll look around. I have been checking Carmax's website for used ones - like 2005 or newer. But, haven't had luck finding anything that "new" and have found NONE with the DVD entertainment thing for the back.

Let's see...other weekend plans......we're going to Dad's on Monday for a cookout. And (happily) don't have anything else "planned". I'm thinking of calling the woman from The Little Gym - the one that was in our childbirth class - to see what they are doing tomorrow. Might be fun to do something with them.

Last week was week 2 of being home with Lacey - while trying to get 1/2 day work in. She was really testing me the last 2 days. But, I think (hope) that was from her shot that she got on Thursday. Speaking of.....

She had her 15 month well baby visit on Thursday. She's just under 22 pounds (25th-50th%) and is 31.25 inches long (50th-75th%). Dr. Jill is very pleased with her growth. She has a pet peeve of childhood obesity, so she is thrilled when she has some "little" patients. Lacey got her MMR shot - and just as the nurse was going to do it, she warned me that "it burns" when going in. Nice. LJ was not a happy camper. But her ears are totally clear. I think that I'm glad daycare closed down so she could have a break from all the germs. I'm hoping that by August, she'll have grown enough that her ears are more developed and drain better.

Chuck & Nancy are arriving on Wednesday for a couple of weeks. I'm hoping to find some fun things to do around her while they are here. There is a crab festival in Leonardtown on June 11. There will be a car show and some other things there, so they might enjoy that. I'll enjoy tasting some yummy crab treats. Seems like there was something else....oh yes....maybe a visit to Chesapeake Beach. I've never been there. It's about 45 minutes away and there is a restaurant there that is supposed to be pretty good. There is a small boardwalk, etc., so might be fun. And, while they are here, we are hoping to find a night that Dee & Buck are available for dinner out with us. C & N offered to stay home to babysit. Sounds lovely. ;-)

I think that's about it....plus L is fussing....after only 50 minutes of a nap.

Tricia

This week

So, this week I am working at home every day except Wednesday (today). Butch is off today with Lacey. I hope he has as great a day as I’ve had with her the last 2! She has been so happy and easy. Yesterday, we went to The Little Gym in Waldorf. They have “classes” for toddlers. The one she is in is the “Birds” and the ages are 10-19 months. We sing songs, play with balls, do some tumbling, play with bubbles, etc. She LOVED it. It took maybe 10 minutes for her to warm up. Then, she just squealed with delight. We will definitely go back. Butch is taking her next week. Then we have to wait until the summer session which starts in mid-June. I’m jealous because Butch will be taking her. The summer class is Wednesdays at 9:30 – during my staff meeting. But, I think I’m going to take 1 Wed. morning each month off to go. Then, in the fall, she’ll be 19 months old and they have more choices for class times, so I should be able to get a Saturday class.

I’m working ½ days on the days I’m home. I’m able to work during her naps and also check emails, etc., while she’s playing on her own. It’s going pretty well so far.

Oh – at The Little Gym, one of the women from our childbirth class was there with her 15 month old daughter. It turns out that they live really close to us – maybe 6-7 miles. So, we exchanged numbers. I’m hoping we can get together with them sometime soon. It will be nice to have friends in the area with a toddler.

This weekend, we are going to a cookout in Alexandria – it’s at the apartment complex where Butch lived when we met. It starts at 4:00, so we’ll be able to bring Lacey so his old friends can meet her. Sunday he has a work function, so he’ll be gone all afternoon.

That’s it for now.

Update

Things have been going really, really well. Lacey recovered from her ear infection well. I took her to see Dr. Jill a few days after she finished her antibiotic to make sure things were good and to get her opinion on the 6 ear infections (1 was only an "almost" infection really) since December. She agrees that b/c daycare is done for now and cold/flu season is over, we'll wait & see. Hopefully she'll be fine. If she continues to get them..now or when daycare starts again...we'll go see an ENT to discuss tubes. I hope she doesn't need them.

Chuck & Nancy arrived on Sunday, 4/30. I really thought that since Lacey hadn't seen them in 2 months, there would be an adjustment period for all of them (C/N and L), but I was happily wrong. I'm thankful that Lacey is healthy - I know that helps a lot. She is loving them both, but absolutely adores Grandpa. It's really cute to see how excited she gets when she sees him. I'm glad that they are having all of this bonding time.

Having her at home during the day makes me wish even more that we could find a nanny. I know that she'll need a preschool-type environment around age 2-3, but I love having her home. I think I'm going to keep my eyes and ears searching - if not for her, at least for her little bro or sis (no, I do not having any special news....just planning for the future).

I've been going to random spots to work on my telecommuting days - library, Borders, etc. I tried to work upstairs in our "office" but the height of the computer desk doesn't work well for me. It works fine for the PC, b/c the keyboard is low. But, not for the laptop. Plus, I don't have room to spread out there.

C/N leave on Sat. Next week & the week after, I'll be working 1/2 days at home - working during her naps and sporatically through the day. Butch is taking off 1 day each week so I can go to the office.

That's all for now....

Toonces

I don't think I ever posted about my concerns on Toonces - my oldest cat. He's 15. My roommate & I got him in college and I kept him because she couldn't afford him on her own. So, he's traveled back & forth on breaks from Salisbury, been through several moves with me, etc. I love him dearly.

About 4 years ago he had a tumor on his leg that was removed. Within a couple of months, it came back. I decided to have his leg removed because the vet said it was likely it would continue to come back - but wasn't a type of cancer that would spread. He was healthy except for that. So, he recovered well from that.

Over the past few years he's lost weight. He was never a big cat (like Kramer is) anyway, but he was getting so skinny that people were commenting on it. I took him to the vet a month ago and she took blood to test for hyperthyroidism - this came back negative. She wanted to test for diabetes and if that was negative, consider that it might be cancer. However, key symptoms of those problems are lack of appetite and increased thirst. He has neither. He's hungry all the time. So, I decided to test my theory -- that we were starving him. Sad, I know.

Let me explain. Frequently, he would throw up immediately after eating. I guess he ate too fast. So, after being tired of cleaning it up all the time, we decided to cut back on what we gave him. The original idea was that if he didn't throw up, we'd give him more at that time. But, life got busy and we didn't do that.

So, I bought special "senior" food that is good for sensitive tummies and am giving him lots more. He chowed...and never threw up. I took him to the vet last week to have him weighed and talk about my theory. I told her I would still do the tests if she felt he needed them. However, he has gained 1 pound in 1 month. That's a huge percentage of body weight. The vet was thrilled. She said there is no need for tests and that I am welcome to bring him in anytime to weigh him so I can make sure he continues to gain.

Anyway, I'm quite happy that it isn't anything serious, but can't tell you how horrible I feel that we were starving him!!!! Poor little guy. Life is hard enough with Lacey chasing him. You'd think he could at least count on a decent meal.

Lacey update...

Sorry that it's been a while since my last post.

I guess I'll start with the most recent drama. Friday, when Butch picked up Lacey at daycare, Kim said she hadn't slept AT ALL. But, she slept through Friday night. Saturday she was okay for the most part. But, that night she slept horribly. I never slept for more than 40 minutes straight. We tried her in our bed, rocking her, etc. I'm glad I had her in bed with us for a bit, because I realized at that time that she was warm. We checked and it was 101*. (She's never had a fever without an ear infection.) Finally, at 4:00 a.m., after going to her every 40 minutes, I just gave up & sat in the rocker with her the rest of the morning. Sooo very tired. At least she got a few hours sleep.

On Sunday, she woke up pretty happy. But, when she got a bit cranky and had a 100* fever, I called the Pediatric After Hours place and headed in. Sure enough, the doc said "ahh, that looks like it hurts". Only 1 ear this time. I feel horrible that it got so bad. But, she had finished a round of antibiotics (for the "almost" ear infection) on 4/15. And, she didn't have a runny nose. So, when she wasn't sleeping great last week, I thought it was just teething. However, since she has become such a good sleeper, next time she wakes up needing comfort in the night - even without a runny nose - we are going to see Dr. Jill!

I'm taking her to Dr. Jill on Friday to make sure this is cleared up before the weekend. I want to make sure that the antibiotic we've been using these last few times is still working on her.

Daycare closes at the end of this week. Which might be a blessing. Lacey won't be around germs as much. But today Kim kept her all day - despite the fact that she was obviously sick. Most places would have sent her home. When I picked L up this afternoon, I was talking about my head-ache and feeling dizzy (due to lack of good sleep) and Kim said "that's why I didn't call you". She knew I would need a break. How can you get so lucky with daycare? Blah!

Chuck & Nancy are arriving on Sunday to help us out with Lacey for 2 weeks. I hope that Nancy adjusts okay to L's early wake up time! If she'd sleep a bit later, I'd be fine keeping her up later. But, it seems like she wants to wake up by 6:30 regardless of the time she goes to bed.

Butch is in VA Beach for a conference through tomorrow morning. He offered to come home today, but if you are a mom, you know that you feel this need to be primary care giver. Even when you are exhausted and want to sleep more than anything, you will still prefer to be the one taking care of your darling baby. So, it makes no sense for him to come home early.

Anyway...on to happy things! I picked her up today & Kim said she had napped all of 20 minutes (not a happy thing), and hadn't eaten well (also not happy). I was prepared for a hell of an evening. It turned out awesome. She played happily, ate well, laughed (and laughed some more) and was just too much fun. It has given me a 2nd wind, so I am having a glass of wine and preparing to watch 24. Bliss. The only thing missing is my man.

Update

Hi all. Things are going well here. I've just been busy, so I haven't posted.

Lacey's daycare is closed this week for the Charles Co. school spring break, so I'm home with her Monday - Wednesday. Butch's break starts on Thursday and goes through next week (lucky dog). I'm planning to work 1/2 days b/c I don't want to burn 3 days of vacation when I need to take some more after her daycare is closed.

Speaking of, we've worked all of that out. We put a deposit down for Lisa, who has an opening in August. Butch's parents are coming down the 1st 2 weeks in May and then again for about 1 1/2 weeks in early June. We have 15 work days to handle with our vacation time, or help from others. I'm hoping that I can work 1/2 days at home so that 5 vaca days last 10 full days. I'll need to go into the office at least 1x a week, I'm sure. Need to talk to my boss about it this week.

We are supposed to have decent weather this week - sunny & mid-60's - so I hope to head to the park with the munchkin a couple of days. She loves the outdoors.

Speaking of weather, it finally rained a good deal yesterday. We really needed it, but the timing was bad! The 5K hospice walk was yesterday morning. Being wimps, we didn't go. But, at least they have our donation.

We finally called our friend, Mike, to say "yes" we are ready to move on the basement project! He's coming by tomorrow night to talk more about it. I'm excited, but it might be rough since Lacey will be home during the days. I don't know how much noise they'll be making and how well she'll nap! We might have to do visits to my dad's house if it's too bad.

We also have to get new carpet for the bedroom before the furniture is delivered. (The carpet is ruined from water damage we had last year - a leak in the shower.) Anyway, preparing to move all kinds of stuff out of the way for those 2 projects is a pain! We'll figure it out.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Other stuff

It was too much to include everything in 1 post! Now it looks like you have a special treat - 3 in one day! ;-)

In my very long commute last night, I was able to catch up with Agnes. She and Trampas are doing well. Everything is unpacked in their new house. They were picking up his mom at the train station when I was talking to her. Butch & I are hoping to visit them this summer for a weekend.

I ordered an iPod yesterday! I never thought that I would. Just didn't see the reason for the hype since I'm not a huge music person. But, they are so freakin' cool. You can also put audiobooks on them. And, you can store your digital photos - so I can always have current pics of Lacey when people ask! It's so weird now with digital cameras - I rarely have pictures with me to show people because they are still on Shutterfly. Oh, they also can store your calendar and contacts/address book. So, Marsh has a deal with Apple and I got it for 8% off. I almost forgot - there is a converter to let you listen to anything on it in your car. So, I no longer have to have CDs and audiobooks all over the place. It can all just be on the iPod. I'm hoping the audiobooks are a little cheaper this way, too.

Can't think of anything else at the mo.

Daycare update

The daycare person that I mentioned before - Lisa - won't have an opening until at least June, maybe (most likely) August. I called several other places and only have 1 other possibility so far (Kathy). We are going to meet her today. I didn't ask many questions on the phone, but it sounds like she doesn't have any LITTLE ones, which I don't like. We are trying to make things work with Lisa. We have 7 weeks between the current daycare closing and Butch being off for the summer. Butch's parents have offered to come help some, so we are waiting to hear what dates they would be able to do. And, I think that between Butch & I, we can take about 3 weeks off (alternating, maybe). I've had a couple of other offers for help, too. My cousin, Shelly (thank you) and another cousin's housekeeper has offered. So, I think it might work out. I'm meeting with Lisa on Tuesday next week. She has strep throat right now, so she's not available to talk.

Butch & I have talked about it all so much. Part of me thinks that we should continue looking for a solution that would start earlier. But, we want to do what is really best for Lacey in the long-run, and I believe (from all I've heard) that Lisa's daycare is the best option. When I told her that we are trying to work it out with her, she sounded excited. Even though enough business isn't a problem for her, she knows Kristina and her sister, Karin, so I think she already feels like it could be a good fit.

Butch's (and my) summer will be totally different than we planned. He was planning to spend a good deal of time getting his business moving along. But, Kristina also has the summer off and she might be able to watch Lacey once a week or so, so that he could focus on the business. And, I told him I'd be happy to let him have a couple of evenings per week to himself to work on it, too. I work from home 2 days a week, too, so he certainly won't be by himself 2 days a week.

It helps to write all this out! It's like my little online journal!

Cherry Blossoms, Tourists....and Traffic...Blah!

Butch thinks I'm sort of mean because I think there should be a rule that tourists stay off the road during rush hour! I'm quite serious about it, though. Our metro system is very user friendly, so there is no reason to avoid it!

Of course, the tourist cars aren't the only thing driving my crazy right now! There are a ton of tour buses and tons of pedestrians EVERYWHERE. It doesn't help that my commute takes me right through the WWII memorial, the Mall and the dreaded (but absolutely beautiful) Cherry Blossoms! It was completely insane yesterday. My total drive was 2 hours and 15 minutes. I only go 45 miles. Yes, you read that correctly. It took me an hour just to get out of downtown (only about 3 miles, tops). Now you see my frustration with tourist season. Had I realized how bad it would be, I would have either worked later, gone for a drink, or taken the metro myself! However, Wednesday was nowhere near that bad, so I didn't think it would change so quickly.

The Blossoms are gorgeous, though. If it wasn't such a stressful drive from the traffic, I could probably enjoy staring at them. I'd love to go downtown at some point, but I know this weekend will be nuts and I don't know if it's worth doing.

Daycare Woes

Kim called last night to tell us that she is closing her daycare at the end of April. A friend has offered her an opportunity that she can't pass up (better hours, more money). I can't blame her at all, but of course, all I can think about is what does this mean for us?!

We've been so happy with Kim (and Bernie). Yes, there have been minor issues - as there always will be when someone else is taking care of your child - but nothing big. I have counted our blessings with daycare and now we have to start over. Not only do we have to try to find someone in less than 5 weeks, but, I would imagine Lacey is not going to be happy about the change (to start, anyway). I imagine she will adapt okay, but Lacey goes to Kim with such ease in the mornings. She does NOT like to go to people she doesn't know. In fact, she doesn't much like to go to anyone if she's in mommy's arms. (Good thing Daddy usually takes her.)

I called & left a message at 1 place. She has been recommended by Kristina and also by a neighbor. I know she had an opening in January - she'd called because I was on her waiting list. I can only hope that she has an opening now. She's close by & I've heard that she really teaches the kids quite a bit (including Spanish). I don't want to do a daycare center, unless that is our only alternative. I've heard too many things that I don't like about them. They are really strict with all of their rules. (No more bottles at 1 year old, hard soled shoes are a requirement, etc.)

Blah.

A couple of pics

Okay, here's a pic of the bedroom...newly painted.















Here are pics of the new living room furniture.

Movies, Work, Lacey & Vacation!

It’s been longer since my last post than I thought! Sorry!

Dee, Butch & I went to see Harry Potter a couple weekends ago. It was good, but since I am an avid reader, I was disappointed at how much they cut out! I heard that they were thinking of making this book into 2 movies, but were talked out of it.

That weekend, Butch & I watched Walk the Line (very good) and this past weekend, we watched Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I didn’t want to like that one b/c I am still a weird person that’s mad at Brad & Angelina for their affair and hurting Jennifer Aniston. But, it was a good flick.

I was in Chicago last week for work. Twice a year, all of the Client Execs get together for a 2 day meeting. Blah. All in all, it was an okay meeting. However, I stayed up late with several colleagues on Tues. night and had a bit too much wine….along with everyone else. So, sitting in a meeting for 6 hours on Wed. was not fun.

Friday & Saturday, I painted our bedroom. It’s “stem green” and quite nice. I can’t wait for the furniture to be delivered….in late April or so.

Lacey’s doing really well. She’s saying some new words – baby and pretty. She will also growl when we ask her “what does the bear say”. So freakin’ cute! I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this age! Last night she woke up around midnight crying and since I can see her eye-teeth coming in, we gave her Tylenol. That worked until 4:00 a.m., but she quit pretty quickly. Poor baby. I hope they come through soon.

Oh! We booked our vacation house! I am so excited! We’re going to OBX with some friends (Tonya and family) for a week starting July 14. They have 2 young daughters, so it should work very well. The house is pretty close to the beach, so it shouldn’t be too much of a pain to lug all of our things! (I hope.) It seems like I should still be doing planning – even though it’s 4 months away.

I think we’re starting Lacey in swim lessons next month. With her Pa Pa’s pool, I think it will be worth it! She is totally lovin’ the bath these days, so I’m hoping it will work well.

Stuff

Don't you like how my titles are so boring?

My drive home today was a B*t*h. It took me 1 full hour to go about 8-10 miles. I'm not kidding. Then, on the beltway, I hit some strange piece of metal. It was thin & wide. It covered the width of the lane I was in. I couldn't avoid it b/c there was a car right in front of me, so I didn't see it until.....too late. Then, my car made a strange noise when I was going at low speeds the rest of the way home. Amazingly, Butch fixed it. For those of you that know him, you know he's not a "car guy". I guess the metal thing in the road jammed something and he got it back into place. So glad it wasn't an expensive thing.

I have to go to NY tomorrow for work. (Was kind of hoping the car thing would keep me from having to go. Like maybe, I couldn't drive up to the airport. There are no cabs down here, so that's what would happen if I had a car issue.) Anyway, I'm leaving at my normal time & should be home by my normal time. And, at least the weather will be AWESOME!

For the weekend, plans are still being made. We really want to go see Harry Potter at the Cinema & Draft House. It's playing at noonish both days. Dee wants to come, too, but is all stressed about packing for their Punta Cana trip. But...she had BETTER come to this! ;-) Kristin is hoping to come, too. I'm hoping that Kristina (or Rick, or Jess) can babysit. Mind you, I'll have to reschedule an overdue hair appt. on Saturday if we go then, but I DON'T CARE! HP is more important!

I started doing Weight Watchers Online this week and it is downright scarey how much I'm eating!!! ;-) WW helps you track that...by counting "points" (based on calories, fat and fiber). Chai Lattes and wine KILL me. I'm supposed to have about 20 points a day. If I let myself enjoy wine and chai, I take about 40! If I cut those things out, I'm still at 30. At least I'm thinking about it. I'm only 3 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, but I want to be lower when I see Dr. Aron next month!!!

Well.....I think that's enough. Hope you all are having a great week!

More...

As promised, I thought I’d post some “non-Lacey” stuff. Although, I have to start with Lacey news first! She took steps last night! Very wobbly steps, but she walked about 3-4 steps toward me. So sweet. She did it twice so that her daddy could see, too.

Our furniture for the living room was delivered yesterday! Finally! It only took about 4 months. On top of the length of time, the pillows on the love seat are wrong. The loveseat is floral and the pillows were supposed to be striped. They are floral, too. I’m trying to decide how to handle it. It does look good, so I’m afraid to push for the stripes now. Butch wants to tell them we want the striped pillows and we aren’t giving these back. They took 4 months to get our furniture to us and we had issues throughout the process. I don’t know whether to blame Broyhill or Holladay House (where we ordered from). Holladay House should have checked to make sure all was correct prior to delivering it, so I do believe they are at fault to some extent.

I hope the process for our bedroom furniture goes much more smoothly. We ordered that earlier this week. It’s supposed to be 6-8 weeks. We’ll see. We also have to time things well – we need to paint the bedroom and have new carpet put in before the furniture comes. The carpet is ruined from a water problem that we had a few months ago.

I had lunch yesterday with one of my “online” friends, Danee. For those of you that don’t know, I joined babycenter.com when I was pregnant with Lacey. I found a group of 1st time moms that were all due in February 2005. And, we are still posting together. Most of us, anyway – some dropped off after the babies were born. Anyway, Danee is in town from TX (Dallas area) for work. It was great to meet her! We had very similar labors (extremely long and hard). Both of us had wanted to go naturally (no epidural or meds) and neither of us could because of how long things went. Ours were the 2 babies that didn’t sleep well until 8-9 months, etc., etc. Kieran (her baby) and Lacey are so much alike.

Well, I’d better get some work done. I have a client meeting tomorrow and while the report is done, I still have lots of prep work to do.

Last week….

We had one heck of a week last week! Over that weekend, Lacey had been pulling at her ears and had also gotten a cold. So, on Tuesday when her temperature was a little over 100 on Tuesday, I decided we’d go back to the doctor! I was supposed to take a 1:00 train to NJ that day. And, Butch had a big meeting that morning. So, I decided to change my arrangements and planned to take the 2:00 train. We went to the doctor….and Dr. Mike simply said “just a bad cold and maybe some teething”. So, we left with no prescriptions.

Butch’s parents (Chuck & Nancy) came into town that afternoon. They were coming to celebrate her birthday. Butch said Tuesday night was bad…she cried out numerous times. At some point, he gave her some Tylenol and she finally settled down.

So, Wednesday, she seemed a little bit better. We opened some birthday gifts (a day early) since Butch wouldn’t be around the next night (work). When I picked her up from daycare on Thursday, Kim said (as soon as I walked in), “so glad to see you”. Or something like that. Not what you want to hear. Lacey was sitting on Mr. Bernie’s lap with her binky, just hanging out. When I took her, she just laid her head on my shoulder. So, back to the doctor on Friday (3rd time in 8 days – the 1st was just a recheck from her previous ear infection). Dr. Jill found both ears infected. So, we walked out with the prescription. This is not the way a birthday should be spent.

Anyway, after getting a dose in Fri. night and another one Sat. morning, she was doing so much better and very ready to enjoy her party! I somehow managed to bake her caterpillar cake on Friday night. (I was tired and not really wanting to.) Everyone came over around noon-ish. We had some of Lacey’s favorites – cheese and crackers, spinach dip (she’s not much on veggies, but likes spinach) and pizza. Too much pizza by far, so we have a lot in our freezer now.

We got her a ball pit for her present and she LOVES it. It totally keeps her occupied.

She got lots of other fun things….clothes, toys, books. I think her favorite book is the Teletubby one that Grandma got her. She loves them.

I think you all have probably seen the pictures….and you could see for yourself that she had fun with her cake! Green icing all over her face and in her hair.

She took a good nap after everyone left, but since it was a late nap (she woke at 5:00), she wasn’t ready to go to bed until 9:00. That’s about 1 ½ hours after her normal time! The whole time she played in the ball pit.

She’s doing better now. We went for her well-baby visit on Monday (4th visit in 11 days). She’s 19 lbs., 9.4 ounces (25th percentile) and 30.5 inches (50th percentile). Dr. Jill is very happy with her growth. She’s actually slowed down – used to be 50th percentile for weight – but Dr. Jill likes little babies. She got 2 shots – screamed at first, but was fine after about a minute.

I’ll try to post again within a day or so about some non-Lacey stuff (for those of you that care)!