Lead Foot, Ladybugs and a Little Bit More

My day started off well (Please insert sarcasm here.). I was on my way to work, wondering if we were going to have another mass invasion of lady bugs today, when I noticed flashing lights in my rearview mirror. Yes, I got pulled over for speeding and admittedly I was speeding. I was so carried away by my ladybug daydreams that I forgot to set my cruise control. The officer who pulled me over was the one officer who would issue a speeding ticket to his own mother. Amazingly enough he gave me a written warning and I'm not even sure that he knew I was his coworker. (Please note I did not cry, mention where I worked or try any other antics to get out of a ticket.) I may not have received a ticket, but I still had to show up to work and face humiliation from my fellow dispatchers. That right there should be reason enough to escape ticket free.

Speaking of the ladybugs- Ryan came home yesterday after work and vacuumed up the lady bugs. What a chore. By the time he came home they had scattered all over our upstairs. I was proactive and closed the bedroom doors, which kept the intruder levels to a minimum in those rooms. Ryan sprayed the outside of our house with bug killer and left the vacuum upstairs. I have a feeling we'll be eliminating lady bugs for quite awhile!

I forgot to mention last week that they have finished construction on the bridge and removed the traffic light. Sweet freedom!

Thank you everyone who voted for Kaden and Angel Ava's mommy and for passing the word along. They won the furniture contest and Kaden will soon have a new bedroom!

Now for some funny Aric anecdotes:

-Yesterday Aric and I were in the Commissary. I had him in the baby bjorn facing out. For the most part he grabbed my jacket sleeves and hung on for dear life. Occasionally he grabbed the handle of the shopping cart. At the checkout lane, I moved away from the cart so an employee could help me unload my groceries. As I stepped away Aric reached out, grabbed a bag of M&M's and held on for dear life. I had to pry his little fingers off of the bag. I hope this isn't a glimpse of what is to come.

-Last night Aric and I were sitting on the floor petting the cat. After awhile the cat started attacking my hand, which is a usual response from this particular cat. Aric grabbed the cat's hind leg and started laughing. He's going to be a mischievous little boy, isn't he?

-Aric mastered rolling over from back to belly, but somewhere along the line forgot he can roll from belly to back. This has caused a large amount of frustration on his part when he finds himself on his belly and doesn't want to be there. This morning he was in his crib while I was getting ready. I could hear him talking to himself, but didn't go check on him since he wasn't fussing. I finished getting ready and decided to check on him before I went downstairs. Poor little guy. He was facedown in his crib, crosswise with his two little feet stuck through the crib bars. I think he was just about to the point of frustration. He'll have to remember he can roll over on his back and learn to not stick his feet out of the crib bars!

Costume Free

If you show up here on Friday and expect to see pictures of Aric dressed up for Halloween, you're going to be sorely disappointed. I never celebrated Halloween growing up, so it's hard for me to drum up any excitement towards it. I just can't justify buying Aric a costume that he'll only wear once and he won't even know what the point of it is. (He will also most likely be uncomfortable and turn it orange from the sweet potatoes or squash that he ate beforehand.) If you see us on Friday this is what we'll look like: Aric will be dressed up like a baby, Ryan will be dressed up like a mechanic and I'll be dressed up like a dispatcher. Edgy, I know.

Invasion

I heard a noise down our seldom used hallway, flipped on the light, and encountered this:

Those are lady bugs. Hundreds of them. I think we should seal that door off!

Bliss

Today was a good day. I napped when Aric napped and did nothing more ambitious than three loads of laundry. The best part was hanging out with Aric all day.

Hilarity Ensues

Ryan, Aric and I were all in Aric’s room this evening. I was sitting on the floor stain-treating Aric’s clothes while Ryan was getting Aric ready for his bath on the changing table. Ryan pulled Aric’s diaper off and turned towards me to comment on how messy it was. As Ryan looks back, Aric pees in a perfect stream directly into his own face and open mouth. Ryan starts laughing so hard he doubles over. I tell Ryan to at least clean off Aric’s face. Aric starts screaming. Bath time gets moved up to right then.

Ryan brings Aric to the bathtub and I grab the spray nozzle to clean Aric’s behind off before setting him in the tub. I forgot that it takes a moment for the water to warm up and end up spraying ice cold water on Aric’s butt. He screams louder.

We get him calmed down and into his bathtub with warm water. As I start to wash him, Aric again feels the need to pee. I pick Aric up and ask Ryan to dump the water out of the tub. Ryan turns over the tub not realizing that the spray nozzle is in the tub filling it up. The nozzle flips over and shoots water all over the bathroom.

This whole event took less than five minutes. It’s great to be parents!

Squash

Crossroads

**My husband pointed out that "I'm dumb" and wrote that we use disposable diapers not cloth diapers. What can I say, I was tired!

**Thanks to everyone who has commented, called or e-mailed me. I really feel your support! And I don't feel bad anymore that I'm not planning on making homemade babyfood. Gerber will work just fine for us for awhile!

Here’s a little update, since I’ve been remiss in saying anything sooner. Ryan went back to work last week. They have hired him back on in a temporary position. This time we are aware that his job ends sometime in January. To be on the safe side, he has applied for four different positions with the same company. It’s such a relief to have him employed again!

…And Ryan was able to turn in his Army packet on time! Well, actually, he was given two extensions because he was having so many problems getting his release paperwork signed by his National Guard unit. We really left this to God. We could’ve driven ourselves crazy with worry (and we did a little), because it seemed so hopeless to get his paperwork turned in on time. It has been so neat to watch God line things up and see this paperwork go through the system in a month and a half. We have been told that normally this paperwork takes anywhere from three to six months to travel through the National Guard chain of command. Now we wait... Ryan won’t hear anything until November 21st on whether they want him to go back into the Army or not. We are very optimistic. We have heard that he is one of sixty candidates and the only one who has any background education related to the field. And if this doesn’t work out, then we know God has some other path for us to take. Right now we’re just trusting in Him.

I am at a crossroads. It’s not even that big of a deal, but it really hit me today when I was in the grocery store. Eventually when Aric is old enough and capable of eating more foods, I plan on using a baby food grinder and feeding him whatever we are eating. I thought that before this time arrived I would prepare his food, puree it and freeze it. He would have a freezer full of home cooked baby food instead of jars of Gerber. Now, I’m rethinking the time and effort that would have to go into all of that homemade, pureed, frozen baby food. I think I am exhausted, overspent and in need of things to be easy. My wakeup call- Tuesday at 1am Aric woke up to eat. I changed him, brought him back to our bed, fed him and carried him back to his room where I laid him on his changing table. Half asleep, I realized that I hadn’t put him in his crib. It scared me. What if I hadn’t realized my mistake and left him on the changing table? He could’ve rolled off and hurt himself and it would’ve been my fault. I realized I’m dangerously exhausted. I already make laundry soap, use disposable diapers, and breastfeed. Is it really going to make a huge difference if I buy jars of Gerber until he reaches the point where we can use the baby food grinder? Is it going to make me a bad mother? I don’t think it will affect him one way or another in the grand scheme of things.

Anyone want the two sweet potatoes I bought today to cook? I’m sure not going to eat them!

Catching Up

I had two whole hours to myself yesterday after work. What did I want to do with that time? Sleep! What did I actually do? I primed the new wall in the guest bedroom, folded diapers, made dinner, and washed dishes. How exciting.

What happened to the instruction manual that came with Aric? Did I misplace it somewhere? We're trying to figure out this solid food thing. So far I have him eating rice cereal at his evening meal. When do I start switching to other cereals and foods? How much do I give him? When should he start eating solids at other meals? Just as I think I have things figured out a curve is thrown at me.

I cut my hair off a little over a week ago. (I'll have to get Ryan to take some pictures.) I took Aric with me to the appointment. He spent the entire time sitting in his bouncy chair watching it happen. Afterwards, he would not smile at me. He wouldn't smile until finally I spoke to him. It's weird that one haircut would cause him to lose his mommy.

Remember that traffic light on my road? It was installed for road construction. Thankfully they installed sensors, so the wait at the light is minimal. The construction seems to be moving at a snail's pace, though. I think the light will be there for awhile.

And finally, do me a favor. If you ever call the police and they ask for the location of the crime don't say "At my home.". I'm not a mind reader. I don't know your home address!

Further Information

I probably should've added some further information to my post yesterday about the photo contest for Kaden and Angel Ava's Mommy. The contest is a Sleeping Angel's Photo Contest to win a new set of bedroom furniture. Kaden and Angel Ava's Mommy, Amy, is a finalist. She entered a photo of Kaden sleeping at the Ronald McDonald House with a picture of Ava when Ava was in the hospital and Kaden wasn't allowed to visit her.

I don't know of a more deserving family. Nate, Amy's husband, is a police officer on my shift at work. They have two children and one on the way. Kaden is four and was born with a diaphragmatic hernia. Ava was born in January with Turner's syndrome and passed away in May. Nate and Amy are expecting a healthy little boy in early 2009. You can read more about them here. The contest ends October 29 and you may only vote one time per computer. It would be really nice if they won this furniture for Kaden. Thanks for your votes. I know Amy appreciates them!

Take A Moment

If you have a moment go to this site and vote for Kaden and Angel Ava's Mommy. Amy entered a photo contest to win her son a new bedroom set. You can only place one vote per computer.

October 15

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I miscarried our first baby, Samuel, on August 29, 2006 and our second baby, Zoe Jane, on May 19, 2007. Ironically, a year ago today I took a pregnancy test on a whim and discovered I was pregnant with Aric. I think about those two babies more and more because now I know all that I have really lost.

My thoughts and prayers are with anyone who has ever lost a child...

A Note to My Husband

Happy Twelve Years today! Who would've thought that we'd be here today when we started dating twelve years ago? We've been through so many things that other people never have to experience, but I wouldn't trade it for anything because it made us who we are today.

Love always,
TS

P.S.- Thanks for not letting my dad scare you away the first time you met him.

I...

I am- tired, so tired.
I want- stability in our lives.
I have- a beautiful baby boy that I thank God for every day.
I wish- I could've known my other two babies.
I hate- that I don't get more time with my son.
I fear- more now that I know what the "real" world is like. That's what I get for being a dispatcher.
I hear- crickets and slurping.
I search- constantly for pacifiers, spit up rags, and other items that always seem to disappear when I need them.
I wonder- if the motor of my $125 baby swing is really going out or if my child is getting too heavy and the motor can't keep up.
I always- double check all of the doors and rooms every night before bed.
I usually- spend more time reading blogs than I should.
I am not- shy, just reserved and taking it all in (and remembering it- I remember alot of random things about people).
I dance- when no one is looking.I sing- silly songs to my son when it's just the two of us.
I never- sit on public toilets. Ick!
I rarely- go to Wal-Mart because I don't like the people who shop there.
I cry- when I'm mad and it only makes me madder.
I am not always- on top of things.
I used to be but sometime during my husband's deployment I started to let things slip and I've never stopped them.
I lose- sleep.
I'm confused- about why imaginary numbers exist (and why they were brought up in the sermon last night).
I need- a replacement piece for my breast pump. (You really wanted to know that, didn't you?)
I should- exercise again, but I just don't seem to have the time or motivation.
I dream- crazy dreams ever since I became pregnant.
I TAG- anyone who hasn't done this.

Jumparoo and a Four Month Checkup

I found a gently used jumparoo on craigslist.com for Aric. How exciting for him to have a new toy to entertain him and strengthen his legs! We brought it home last night, washed it up and put Aric in it to try it out. He was so fascinated with the toys and activities. On the lowest setting his little legs are just a tad too short for him to jump in it (he can touch the ground with his tiptoes), but the way he’s growing I’m sure it won’t be too much longer.

I’m not holding my breath that Aric will want to use the jumparoo later today. We went to the doctor this morning for his four month checkup. (Four months- that’s hard to wrap my mind around!) Aric is doing so well. He’s 26” long and 15lbs 11-1/2 oz. Developmentally he’s ahead of his age and the doctor said he does an amazing job of holding his head up. We can also start Aric on solid foods whenever we want. We have everything we need to start him on rice cereal, but I think we might wait a couple of days. The downsides of the four month checkup were the immunizations that went along with the appointment. Right now he’s sleeping in his swing. I’m sure he’ll wake up soon for some comfort, food and Tylenol. Poor little guy, but he needs to have them done.