Sunday, July 29, 2012

Organized Boards

I have always been the kind of person who waits until something looks dirty until I clean it. This means I would have marathon cleaning binges. With the beginning of a new school year (with a lot of changes in the works), another semester of grad classes, and a growing and moving toddler, I can no longer be this person. I searched Pinterest for chore board ideas. Many of them seemed to complicated for me. But then I found one I liked. (Example)  I liked the simplicity of it, and used it as a model.

I went to Michael's for my supplies. I found huge frames (11x14) on clearance for $6 and scrapbook paper (which was also on sale for half off). At home I already had stencils and a Sharpie. I measured and cut my paper into 3 sections: daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning. (You can always use one background, but I liked the clean division.) Then I listed the chores. Some of the charts I had seen on Pinterest listed every single chore, but I just combined things because I knew what I meant. I just needed a way to keep track of things that had been done and things I still needed to do. I loved how it turned out, so I also made a menu/note board. I can keep track of the dinners and notes for the week (helping with shopping and deciding what to do every night). A dry erase marker lets you use these over and over.


Cleaning Board
Menu/Note Board
Menu/Note Board filled out

I hope these help me to be a little more organized at home this year.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Goodbye to Another Summer

Today was my last day of summer break. Originally I was going to go to a workshop for the new common core standards, but yesterday I started feeling really bad about not being with my little man and I backed out. I am not normally this person, and I did feel terribly guilty. But, I feel more guilty about going back to work tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and I am super excited about this year. I love getting a new group of kiddos every year and learning who they are and letting them get to know me. But I will miss Dylan more than words can express. There's something amazing about getting to be the first and last thing he sees everyday. I am actually tearing up as I write this...I think tomorrow may be a bit difficult.

I wanted our last day to be a blast! So, Michael worked from home (and is doing most of his work tonight so he could be with us during the day) and we took Dylan to the movies. At 10:00 AM, they have $1 kid movies everyday during the summer. We figured if Dylan cried or got antsy we wouldn't be out a lot of money. This week they were showing The Smurfs. Dylan LOVES Toy Story and will sit through any of them, but we weren't sure about The Smurfs. He did GREAT! We sat through the whole thing and he only got loud once, but I think he was yelling at Gargamel.

We then ran to Target to get a few things, grabbed lunch, and Dylan took a nap. (I took one too, because by this time I was struggling with a headache.) After his nap I wanted to take Dylan to Saxony Beach. It's this neat little beach area that is less than a mile from our house. I was really bummed when we got there and it was closed. We came home and I filled up his little pool and he had fun splashing away.

Next we took a family field trip to Lowe's (Michael tells Dylan it's Daddy's toy store) and got some home improvement ideas. We will be starting one very soon! After a yummy dinner at Noodles and Co we came home for our nighttime routine. Tucking my little monkey in tonight was hard because I know I won't see him in the morning...or all day. But I know when I pick him up I will get a BIG smile. I am going to work hard and be a good (great) teacher, but I will be counting the days until our two weeks off in October.

Here's to a great summer!






Wednesday, July 11, 2012

My Monkey is One!

I realized recently that I never blogged about Dylan's first birthday and it is an event I want to remember. (Plus, blogging is a great way to procrastinate doing my grad work.)

Dylan has been our little monkey since before he was born. We decorated his nursery with monkeys, I got monkey clothes for him, and I even had maternity pictures taken with our favorite monkey. So of course his first birthday party had to be monkey themed.



I began searching Pinterest for ideas months before his actual birthday. Making his party outstanding became a small obsession. I wanted to make my own decorations, but I had never really done anything like it before. After months of work, and a tiny fortune (when you buy a little here and a little there over a course of time...it adds up) I had the results I wanted. Here's a peek into his party.

Banners: I added monthly pictures to the number ones.

Party favors: they were filled with yellow, green, and brown M&Ms.

Up close
Palm trees Michael and I worked on together.
Kids' favors: cute bears I couldn't resist!
Table center pieces: I thought the blue table clothes looked "ocean-like" with the palm trees.
Balloon Drop (Kids loved this!)
Fabulous monkey cake I ordered from a friend. It was yummy and cute!
Dylan's Smash Cake
He loved it!
Mommy and the birthday boy.
Michael asked me if I am only going to do this for his 1st birthday, and I told him probably. But, this party was so great I may change my answer on that one! I can't believe my little guy is growing so fast. I am happy to have so many pictures to keep these memories alive.






Sunday, July 1, 2012

First Family Vacation

(I have been trying to finish this for weeks. I finally just ignored grad work and house stuff to finish.)

We did it! We flew on an airplane...twice...with a toddler and survived!

I have been really antsy for awhile. I needed a get-away badly. So Michael and I planned a trip to Florida. My BIL and his wife invited us to stay with them and we took them up on the offer. Bonus: they still had all their baby stuff so we could travel "lightly".

I am always a wreck before any flight. I'm not nervous about flying; I'm nervous about missing a flight. We are always at the airport super early because I get nervous about checking-in and security. This trip was no different. Getting through security with a toddler was a sight! We had about a half dozen of those tubs for shoes, bags, laptop, camera, etc... and then we had to fold up the stroller and put it through. Then we had to collect everything and they had to test the liquids in the sippy cups. Once we were through security I was able to breathe normally again. (For the most part...I still had to fly with a toddler!)

We boarded the plane and a nice gentleman was our seatmate. I immediately felt bad for him because I didn't know what could happen. He said he'd been through this with his own kids, and not to worry (like that stopped me.) Before take off the flight attendant informed the man there was an empty seat a few rows up if he would like to move. He said he was fine, but she told him it was more for our sake, and Michael said he wouldn't hurt our feelings, so he took the other seat. This was a blessing because Dylan was antsy and after we got in the air he began getting fussy and whiny. He didn't want snacks or drinks or toys. I knew he was tired, but he wouldn't sleep. Finally, after passing him back and forth a few times Dylan finally fell asleep in my arms. The rest of the flight was great. And after we landed everyone around us cooed over him (happens everywhere we go!).

We spent the next 6 days having a blast. We spent all of our time with Michael's brother and SIL and their beautiful 6 year old twin girls. We went to Orlando and visited Downtown Disney for some shopping. We ran into our good friends, the Ho family, who was also on vacation. We all had dinner together; 6 adults and 6 kids! We stayed overnight and had breakfast with Pluto and Goofy. Dylan loved that! We spent a day at Clearwater Beach, but Dylan was NOT a big fan. He did much better when we went back another evening and just walked the shore (it was a lot cooler and that helped).

We had fun the whole trip, but my FAVORITE part was our last full day. We went to Busch Gardens! I loved seeing the animals, eating food, and riding rides, but my favorite part was the Sesame Street area they have. You know you are a parent when your excitement stems from the happiness of your kids. Dylan LOVED this park. He got to meet some of the characters he loves watching on TV. He had his picture taken with almost all of them. He enjoyed going through the giant tree-house with Michael, bouncing on the rope bridges. He liked riding the carousel. But the part he really enjoyed was the splash park. He would run around getting wet and when he got splashed in the face he would squeal and go in for more. He also enjoyed an animal show that had critters doing all kinds of things. I can't wait until he's bigger and understands even more.

We had a great trip! We did so much and spent time with family we don't see often enough. When we got home and started looking through pictures I was already mentally planning another one, but Michael said "We just got home!" HA! I loved this trip and can't wait to take many more with my wonderful guys!
Dyl with his beautiful cousins, Brooke and Ashley

The Build-a-Dino we just had to get!

Family!

Yay to sunsets on the beach!

Brooke with Uncle Michael and Dad (Marcus)

Brooke, me, Ashley, Debbie, and Dylan

Family pic with some characters (sorry it's a bit blurry)

Dylan meeting Elmo (His favorite) and Big Bird

His face says it all!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Blood, Bumps, and Bruises: The First of Many

Yesterday we were hanging out at my sister's having a great time. Dylan was everywhere, greeting everyone, just loving his freedom. We spent most of our time pulling stuff out of his reach, but that's part of taking a mobile toddler anywhere. He loved all of the attention he was getting.

Now Dylan has unfortunately received his mommy's grace (or lack there of) and he falls A LOT! But he usually just picks himself up and keeps on trucking. Yesterday during one of his social laps Dylan bit the dust pretty hard and began crying. Someone noticed right away he had blood in his mouth. I quickly scooped him up and headed for the kitchen, Michael closely behind us. Michael got a wet paper towel and we put it in Dylan's mouth. We tried looking in his mouth and got a good enough look to see his lip was okay. The blood seemed to be coming from his teeth. I called the on-call doctor and was lucky that it was Dylan's doctor. She assured me he would be okay. She told us to try and apply pressure on it, but there was no way he was going to let us do that. We decided it had been a long day and we would just head home.

My sister lives downtown and Dylan started crying as soon as we put him in his car seat. He cried for a long time; we both knew he was tired and thought he'd fall asleep but he didn't. I had Michael stop at the first CVS he could find (which wasn't until Binford) and I ran in to get Tylenol for Dyl. I was hoping it would help with any pain. I noticed his mouth was still bleeding and insisted we stop at the MedCheck to make sure he was ok. As soon as we walked in they sent us to the Triage room and an RN came to check him out. With Michael and me holding Dylan's limbs still she pulled up his lip. Instantly we saw the problem...he had hurt the gums right above his top teeth. There was so much blood and it looked so bad I immediately started crying (I had really held it together and been calm up to then). I felt so helpless that my little guy was hurt and I couldn't do anything. The doctor came in and explained that Dylan was fine, it looked worse than it really was. He said a lot of blood can be a good sign because it's the body's way of fighting bacteria and stuff. He said Dylan will get hurt a lot...and since he's my kid I know he's right. So I need to prepare myself for more injuries and more blood!

Last night I rocked Dylan to sleep (to comfort both of us) and was just grateful he was ok. I know there will be blood and bumps and bruises along the road, but I hope he knows I will always be there to kiss every single one.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Scissors and Smiles

Dylan's hair had been getting a little shaggy; he was pretty close to rockin' a mullet. So, Michael and I decided it was time for Dylan's first haircut. I wasn't planning on blogging about it, but we had 2 completely different experiences and I want to remember them. We discussed where we should take him and decided on Cookie Cutters because there was a new one pretty close to our house. We were certain that a place that advertised kids' cuts would be a good pick and we wanted a good memory for this first.

We decided today was good because Michael would already be home with the little guy and we both wanted to be there for the cut. So after I got home we headed to the Cookie Cutters at 116th and Olio. Upon entering the building I was given a hostile greeting. I said I was looking to get my 1 year old's haircut. The woman looked up at me (for the first time) and said she was booked until 7. That would have been fine, except her tone was down right bitchy! I turned to the door just as Michael was bringing Dylan in. I hustled toward them shaking my head. I was too upset to speak. I finally told them she was booked all night and Michael asked if we wanted to go in and make an appointment. I told him I didn't want someone like that anywhere near my child. We had a few errands to run, so we decided to try another location...96th near Lantern Road.

Upon walking into the second location I was warmly greeted by 2 ladies. I explained that I wanted my son's first haircut and could make an appointment, but they were available right away. Miss Stacy, Dylan's stylist, let us pick out a movie and then led us to a cute little cop peddle car. Dylan was so mesmerized by everything I don't know that he even watched the Elmo's World that was in. He was all smiles the WHOLE time and Stacy just cooed all over him. They took his picture, saved us a lock of hair in a tiny baggie, and gave us a certificate. It was a great experience. My little guy is growing fast!

I took a LOT of pictures, but I won't post all of them here. :)



Before



Doing Great!



All Smiles



 
After



Certificate (Sorry I couldn't get it to flip)



Monday, April 30, 2012

The Case of the Missing IUD and other Craziness

I did not fall off the planet...it just feels like it sometimes. It has been months since I've blogged. Being the mom of a mobile toddler, a wife, a teacher of 6th graders, and a graduate student is enough to make anyone feel like drowning. I have wanted to blog about so much because my little man is growing so fast and I'm afraid I will forget everything, but life just keeps getting in my way. So now that I have a little break between semesters of graduate school I thought I would take out a little time to write...it is a great outlet.

When I was pregnant with Dylan I noticed a bump under my chin. I pointed it out to my doctor and she said if it was still there after a bit we would have it checked out. I let it slip my mind until after I had Dylan...I was more focused on becoming a mom and the arrival of my new baby. During one of Dylan's check-ups I mentioned it to my doctor again and she recommended a plastic surgeon to see. After an IV CT-Scan, that doctor recommended me to an ear, nose, throat surgeon. After a throat scope and an ultrasound we discovered I had swollen lymph nodes...very swollen lymph nodes and he would need to operate to remove them. So we scheduled it for the first Monday of my spring break so I wouldn't miss any school.

After having Dylan, I got the Mirena IUD. Everything was fine until January when I started having...we'll just say issues. My doctor sent me to have an ultrasound to see what the issue was. About a week after the ultrasound I received a call from the doctor's office. They let me know that they couldn't find the IUD on the ultrasound and I should take a pregnancy test. Talk about a big scare! I waited until Michael got home, because I was too nervous to take it alone. It came back negative, which was a relief. Not because we don't want other kids, but I am just not ready for another baby right now. The doctor also set up an appointment for me to meet an OB-GYN (our family practice had just recently stopped offering these services). The OB also did an ultrasound in the office and had the same results...no IUD. As a precaution she sent me to have an X-Ray to see if it may have gone elsewhere. 10 o'clock the night after my X-Ray the OB called to tell me the IUD  had gone through my uterus wall and was now in my abdomen. Apparently, this happens to 1 in 1,000 women. I would have to have surgery to remove it. So we scheduled that surgery for the second Monday of my spring break.

As my break drew closer, I was battling mixed feelings. I was completely ready for a break from school. Anyone who teaches understands where I am coming from. But I was also feeling terrified and nervous. Not only would I have my first surgery, but I would be having two!

My first surgery went great; however, the nausea afterward was awful. I was sick for days. Michael did a fabulous job of being my nurse, taking care of Dylan without my help, taking care of all the meals, and doing all the housework. Amazing man! By the weekend I was feeling well enough for a trip to the zoo. I tried to enjoy the weekend as much as I could knowing my next surgery was soon. My second surgery went well, they gave me a lot of meds for the nausea and they worked great. I was pretty sore that week, but at least I had plenty of time to rest. Dylan seemed under the weather that week and even though I couldn't lift him, we cuddled a lot.

When we met with the throat surgeon, he gave us great news. The biopsy came back clear. He was sure I had some kind of infection that caused my lymph nodes to swell, but everything looked fine. When I met with the OB she said everything was fine. Although she did tell me that during the surgery they almost didn't find the IUD! She happened to turn the camera up to see my liver and it was hanging out around it. She was grateful she didn't have to wake me up with bad news, and so was I.

My spring break wasn't the best, but at least all of this is behind me and I can focus on making some fun family plans this summer. Sorry this was so long, and maybe a bit rambling.

Monday, January 2, 2012

2011: A Year in Review

2011 was a great year at our house! When I look back on the year it is hard to believe everything that happened. I have been so busy I haven't really been able to write everything down as it happens, so I was thinking I could just write a blog and try to include everything I can remember.

  • January 
    •  Ringing in 2011 with some very dear friends and getting news that one of our close friends was also expecting her first child.
  • February 
    •  Celebrating my sister's birthday. I was so uncomfortably pregnant at the time I requested no pictures. (My mom, of course, didn't listen.)
  • March
    • The birth of our first child. Dylan has made our family seem more complete. I love my husband and seeing him become such a wonderful father has only made that love grow exponentially.
  • April
    • My 32nd birthday. Michael planned an evening out with many of our friends who didn't mind that I didn't want to leave my 1 month old with a sitter yet.
  • May 
    •  Celebrating my first ever Mother's Day. A nice quiet brunch with my family at Champp's and some sweet gifts; my favorite was a chain with 2 silver discs (one said Dylan and the other had little foot prints) and Dylan's birthstone.
  • June 
    •  Celebrating Michael's first Father's Day. Dylan and I tried to spoil Michael since he is so great to both of us. We went took him to Puccini's for lunch with my family and then played miniature golf. My sister carried Dylan in the baby carrier (like a backpack in the front) while she played. It was a funny sight!
  • July
    • Dylan's first 4th of July. We went to several parties/cookouts, but couldn't stay too late. Dylan wasn't up for parties at this time.
    • My cousin's wedding. We drove for 5 hours (both ways) to celebrate my cousin Mike's nuptials. Dylan didn't enjoy the car ride he wouldn't let us watch the wedding sitting down, but it was a nice time anyway.
    • Grad school. I was accepted into Ball State's Graduate program for Curriculum and Technology. It has been a lot of work so far, but hopefully it will be worth it.
    • Swimming. I took Dylan swimming a few times. He started to enjoy the water.
    • 2nd Anniversary. My sister watched the little man so Michael and I could celebrate 2 wonderful years of marriage. We stuck with the traditional gifts (we have fun trying to be creative). This year it was cotton. I got Michael some polos from Banana Republic and a book by one of his favorite authors (not cotton, but oh well), and I got a new fluffy robe and warm, fuzzy blanket to cuddle on the couch in.
  • August
    • School begins. I went back to teaching after a nice long maternity leave. It was very difficult to leave my little guy (still is), but I know he's in good hands.
    • Another wedding. We took another long road trip to celebrate my cousin Joe's wedding. Dylan was slightly better in the car and actually let us enjoy the ceremony, but we had to leave the reception earlier than we wanted. Dylan likes to remind us he's in control.
    • And yet another wedding. One of my dear friends got married and this one was in town! Dylan did great through the whole service and we even enjoyed our dinners, but once the major partying began we had to leave.
  • September
    • Labor day cookout. Fun times with our wonderful friends. Dylan wasn't the only spitting up that day!
  • October
    • Dylan's first Halloween. We dressed our little man up in the cutest monkey costume. We didn't go trick or treating, but he did help pass out candy. He loved watching everyone come to our house.
    • Halloween Party. My mom stayed the night at our house so I could enjoy my first "real" night out. The party was a blast (as usual) and Dylan did great for his GiGi!
    • Fall Break. I had 2 glorious weeks off from school. I spent this time enjoying my family. One day we met my sister and her boyfriend at the pumpkin patch...on a whim.
  • November
    • Thanksgiving. I cooked my very first turkey ever! And it turned out pretty great, if I do say so myself.
  • December
    • The month of traditions and festivities! We took Dylan to see Santa (twice) and he did great. We took him to ride the train at the State Museum. We had him "help" decorate the house.
    • CHRISTMAS! Dylan's first Christmas. Michael and I were very excited to start new traditions at our house. Waking up Christmas morning so your kids can open presents is even better than opening presents yourself.
    • New Year's Eve Party at our friends' house. Dylan was a rock star. I tried to put him to bed but he just screamed. He was perfectly happy partying with everyone until the ball dropped. Then we hurried out of there.
I know I may have forgotten some things, but I am a busy momma. I will need to find time to blog more in depth about Dylan's first Christmas; it was such a good time for us! I hope everyone had a wonderful 2011. Here's to a new year!