The Callon's

My Boys.

2012-01-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

I love how much they both love each other!

Van started solids this week.
Is it me or is time going by too quickly?

The verdict is out on how much he really likes rice cereal, but it is fun watching him try to eat it.

Speaking of growing up. Van recently learned how to roll over front to back and back to front. He also is in love with his Jumperoo!

Joey is still as silly as ever. Josh was working on the front door and Joey dropped everything he was doing, grabbed his tool belt and was right by Dad's side to help him out.

Snow!

2012-01-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

This week we have had quite the dumping of snow. Literally!
We had a little bit on Saturday and enough on Sunday to make the drive back from Yelm a little dicey and to make a snowman family on Monday in snow flurries.
Tuesday night was the big night though! Almost all of the west side of Washington State was gearing up for one of the biggest snow storms in a long time.
We are talking big, like we would get the amount of snow in one night that we would normally get in a whole winter.
CRAZY!
It snowed most of the night and into Wednesday morning giving us about 6-7 inches of snow.
While we played in the snow on Monday, it was really the only day that was doable to do so.

Cool Snowman family!

Joey loves snow!

Tuesday was wet and slushy while Wednesday was cold and deep.
Today, Thursday is bitter cold and ICY! All of the snow has turned into ice. The tree branches are.....

Notice the left off sentence?
Well today is next Thursday and as I was writing then, we lost power.

Remember when I said the snow has turned to ice? Well all the snow ridden branches on the trees also turned to ice and those heavy branches knocked out power to about 230,000 of us! We were out of power for almost 2 days. The first day was fine. It was kind of fun. We all snuggled up in front of the fireplace as a family, played cards and went to bed early. I woke up fully expecting the power to be back on, but it wasn't. Josh had to go to work so that left the boys and I to ourselves. Joey was getting antsy, Van was fussy and I was going crazy in a dark and cold house. So I packed up the car and attempted to get to my parents house for heat and electricity. I barely made it out of our street. Our cul-de-sac is on a hill and there was so much snow piled up and the city doesn't plow residential streets, so there were big blocks of snow everywhere. My first attempt was pathetic so I backed into the driveway and waited while I watched my neighbors (who were smart and parked their car on top of the hill) walk down to their house. I didn't want them to see me so desperately try to get out and fail. So I used the little area we had shoveled and cleared in our drive and gunned it out. I don't know how but my car glided up that hill like God was pushing it up for me. I never felt so desperate to escape.

Thankfully our power came on the next morning. In the grand scheme of things our situation wasn't too bad. We failed to secure our food in a our fridge and freezer and had to toss it all. But other then spoiled food we were incredibly lucky. We have friends who were out of power for 120+ hours!

Look how all the branches are bared down by the weight of the snow! All day we could hear the limbs breaking.

This picture turned out beautiful but it also shows how all the snow turned to ice real quick!

Crafts

2012-01-08T09:53:00.001-08:00

In an effort to be more unique with gift giving and to save some money I attempted to make some of the gifts we gave this year for Christmas.

I like sewing, but am not really great at it. I have the basics down, but I struggle with sewing in a straight line and I have no idea how to hand sew, even though I've been shown numerous times. These infinity scarves ended up being really easy to make but it was hard to get the concept down to begin with. I ended up "sewing" the last two inches of seam I couldn't complete on my machine with seam glue. Best.Stuff.Ever.
I like that scarves are light weight and are more springy in color. These scarves made great gifts for several girls on my list.

The wreath came to me in one of my mid shopping sprees at Joann's. Originally I was going to make this wreath wrapped in ribbon, but the beautiful bold colors of yarn caught my eye and my creativity took over. I matched some fat quarters to make the rosettes and sewed the hanging ribbon. This gift went to my Mother-in-Law for her blue room.

The jars were complete spur of the moment gifts. After wrapping the wreath in yarn I realized the possibilities were endless when it came to yarn wrapping. I used old canning jars and spaghetti jars to wrap yarn, ribbon and twine with. The back two jars went to my Mom since she likes blue and the skittle ones of course went to Andrea.

I am glad to say I have quite a few Harry Potter lovers in my life. Both pieces were ideas I got off of Pinterest. The framed art is nearly the same with the background words being lines from the books. The glasses ones went to my brother and sister-in law, Jason and Katy. They loved it so much they decided to make the theme of their nursery, Harry Potter. The other art went to my future sister-in-law Ashley.

The light switches are a personal favorite. I used Harry Potter font that I downloaded this summer to make our movie premiere shirts and my Silhouette program to cute the words out of vinyl. "Lumos", in Harry Potter terms means to use your wand as a flashlight and nox means "off". Hence the light switch. The black letter one went to Jason and Katy and I used the other part of the vinyl transfer to make one for myself using glue and glitter.

I really had a lot of fun making the gifts, but next time I need to allow myself more time. Nothing like finishing up gifts last minute on Christmas Eve!

2012-01-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

I have been fidgeting around with a new to me program called Picasa and have been having fun making colleges. Since I have been putting one together for Van's first year of pictures I thought I should make one for Joey. I only wish I was more creative back then or I would have put Joey in some kind of matching pose and outfit to really track how he grew in a year. But...oh well.

*click on the picture to make it larger

4 months!

2012-01-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

Time is going quickly!

16.3 pounds
26.5 inches

Look how big Van is getting!

Christmas!

2012-01-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas time was crazy this year!
Well not really, but Josh and I definitely felt pressed for time the couple of days before the 24th and 25th.
Josh took his "Santa" duty pretty seriously this year and I dedicated every free minute to making some of the gifts.
We started out the the Christmas Season trimming the tree and decorating with lights out doors. The latter took over 3 weekends to do because someone kept adding to the display. =)

Of course a visit to Santa was in place, including a presentation of Joey's "collage" Christmas list.

A Christmas lights drive with Hot Cocoa.

Check out this awesome light display we found. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Joey handed out his very own Christmas Cards and candy cane to his preschool friends.

And we can't forget to the Christmas Pageant his preschool put on. We were so proud of his singing skills.

It got a little weird on Christmas Eve Eve when Josh set up his wrapping station. Is it bad that he wraps gifts better than I do?

No Christmas Eve at the Callon's is ever complete without a Family Shooter.

Goofy Callon's.

Santa came by on his sleigh to recheck his nice list before setting out to deliver presents.

We couldn't forget to leave milk and cookies out for Santa and carrots for his reindeer.

It was a "Silent Night, Holy Night" for Van when he fell asleep under the tree.

Santa was nice enough to leave a thank you note to Van and Joey.

Joey was pretty excited to open Santa's Gifts Christmas morning. Although if you ask him he was more enthralled with Grandpa's gifts. Verdict is out on how "Santa" feels about this revelation.

Van even joined in on the fun of a lobster and steak dinner. Not really. But he did watch us enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner.

LEGOS!

2011-12-17T17:43:00.001-08:00

You can just call Joey....Legolas Callon.

Not this Legolas.

But this Legolas...with not so pointy ear and not nearly as much hair.

Brothers and Best Friends

2011-12-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

If you were to ask Joey who his best friend is, he would say without hesitation that it is Van.
Joey is the best big brother you could ask for.
He helps at the drop of a hat and is eager (over eager) to take charge of responsibilities that revolve around Van.

He loves having Van watch him play. And is always making sure Van see's all the cool things he sees.

The other day I was busy reorganizing Joey's room. Typically this is an activity that has to wait until one of Van's naps is occurring. But not this time. I plopped Van right on Joey's bed and Joey read numerous books to him and pretended that he was a teacher to Van.

No matter the situation, Joey steps up and lends a helping hand.

To be honest, we were worried how Joey would react to having a younger sibling. It's just been him for the past 4.5 years and he had our undivided attention.
From the moment Van came into our world Joey has welcomed him with open arms and a loving heart.

3 Months!

2011-12-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

No doctors appointment this month, so I did some questionable measurements at home.

Height: 25.5 inches
Weight: 14.8 pounds

No huge advancements yet. He is getting better with tummy time and lifting his head. I can tell he is getting close to rolling over.

Stuff my Joey says Part Six

2011-12-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

September 13, 2011
To the cashier at Fred Meyer: "My Mommy feeds my baby brother with her boobies."

September 29, 2011
To his friend. "I have a baby brother. His name is Van. He cries a lot."

October 1, 2011.
To the dry cleaner. "Van eats off of my Mom's boobies."

October 4, 2011
To a crying Van. "It's ok. Don't cry. We're not mad at you!"

November 1, 2011
To his preschool teacher. "My brother eats my Mom's boobies."

November 29, 2011
"Mommy, those pants make your butt look big!"

December 1, 2011
"Mommy, lets put Van in a manger, like Jesus!"

December 1, 2011
To the random lady stranger at the Victorian Christmas.
"My Mommy pumps milk out of her boobies. It makes a noise like this. (Machine noise).

December 2, 2011
In attempting to put him down for a nap, I gave him the option of taking a nap and staying up to wait for Daddy later or going to bed early and not seeing Daddy.
"Daddy doesn't love me"
I say, "of course he loves you. He loves you more than anything. He loves you more than chocolate!"
Joey, "But Daddy doesn't even like Chocolate!" Crying continues!

Someone has a preoccupation with nursing. =)

Advent "Calculators" and Christmas List

2011-12-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Mistletoe anybody?

The Season is upon us!

We love, love, love Christmas time around here.

Josh goes all "Clark Griswold".

I try to do some fancy decorations in the house.

Joey makes numerous Christmas list for Santa.
Well, they are more like Christmas list collages cut out from all the store's Toy Books they send out in the Sunday newspaper. Heaven for little boys, and a nuisance for us.
Try as we might, we've explained that a list to Santa is just a suggestion, not a guarantee. For Joey, he thinks it will all be his. We even told him Santa is poor. He counters that the elves make the toys, so it's free. Clever kid. He also makes list for Van too, because "Van asked him to." =)

*Disclaimer- Joey has this new thing where he blinks when the camera flashes. Try as he might, he can't keep his eyes open!

Van just likes looking at the lights on the tree. And eating....and pooping....and snuggling....all the time.

But all is right in this holy season. Going to a Christian Preschool means that Joey learns more and more about Jesus and what Christmas really means. We try to tell him about the Nativity, but it is like he doesn't get it unless it comes from Ms. Biermann. And that is ok. He comes home with a new song to sing every day about Jesus.

We have gotten to the point that at Joey's age we can really start sharing about the meaning of Christmas and he is a full participant in the celebration. I put up the Advent Calendar and he loves counting down the days and getting a special treat each morning. However, he calls the calendar a "calculator" which is really confusing to the people he tells about it.

Equal to his excitement of the calendar is his love for Christmas lights. Josh and Joey spent many cold days outside getting the lights set up just right. With the additional help of Craig and Josh's Dad, the lights are up and look wonderful. Sure there may be some "questionable" lighting set up. For example the plug for part of the Christmas lights comes out of a ginormous light bulb in the garage. But there is something about bright lights that make our hearts happy.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

Turkey Leg? Check
Delicious Pumpkin Pie? Check
Good Wine? Check, check, check....
Callon Cup Fun? Check

Van's first Thanksgiving!

Entertainment by Joey.

The Girls.

The Boys.

Callon Cup Winners.

2 months

2011-11-08T15:49:00.001-08:00

Time is a flying!

We've cycled through all the newborn clothes and are even fitting into 6 month pajamas! Something tells me Van is going to be a big boy, just like his brother.

See those chunky thighs?
They are very reminiscent of my "Michelin baby" rolls that I wore as a little one.

Preschool!

2011-11-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

Joey is official a preschooler!
Last week he started attending Immanuel Lutheran Preschool in downtown Puyallup. It came highly recommended by several friends whose kids also attend.
Our original intentions for Joey was to "preschool" at home and then start Kindergarten in the fall. But after the arrival of Van it was noticeably clear that Joey needed some time and attention away from the house. Two months into being a big brother, Joey has learned to entertain himself. He can sit at the dining room table for hours and play with his Legos and Hotwheels. If you know Joey, that is kind of a big deal given his attention span and energy.
He is only in his second week of school, but he loves it and he loves Mrs Biermann.
I printed out the sign he is holding from IHeartNaptime's blog. There are signs for all the way up to 12th grade.
Can you imagine Joey being a senior holding this sign?
Perhaps he will do it to humor his Mom.

One thing I love about Joey is that he is one funny guy. I could tell from a very young age that he is a comedian. The picture below is no different. He will give you one "real" pose, but then you have to take a silly picture as well.

1 month

2011-10-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe a full month has gone by already!

In some ways it seems like Van has been around forever; evidenced by the late nights, numerous diaper changes, and the ease of raising a second child when you are not frantic new parents. However, in these few short weeks Van has solidified a place in our hearts we never knew existed.
It has not been an easy road. Seasoned parents? Yeah, maybe. But skilled in raising an energetic 4 year old and meeting the high demands of a newborn? Nope. Nope. Nope. It is a learning journey that at times has been tiring and frustrating, but has also been rewarding and fulfilling. It is an experience that Josh and I are so grateful for and wouldn't trade for nothing.

This post wouldn't be complete without a few observations of our new life. We have all changed...for the better.

Josh: He is the champion swaddler and burper. His instincts are sharp and can usually figure out what Van needs before I do. He literally acts like a newborn pro. Josh has become an amazing cook; and dare I say better than me. Food Network and him are tight. Sunday and Monday dinners are usually his responsibility (that he is not willing to give up) and are typically very involved cooking sessions that result in a tasty dinner we have not tried before.

Keana: I surprised myself this time around. I thought that I would be laid up and only newborn baby functional for the first weeks. But I have been able to keep up with the housework and two little boys. Breastfeeding is going swimmingly. We have not had to supplement Van's feedings at all and I am so proud that I was able to stick with it this time around. I am not going to lie, it is very involved and time consuming but it has given me the chance to watch a ton of TV.
Of course the "Mom Guilt" is unbearable most of the time, I have found ways to involve Joey more in a way that does not involve him having to grow up too fast. When Van sleeps we do preschool workbooks and color. I have not found the perfect time management skills yet, but hopefully we can work into a routine here shortly. I struggle with the thought of leaving the house most of the time. The work that is involved in getting everyone ready to go is stressful, but once we are out the stress level lowers.

Joey: He is an amazing Big Brother. He is so caring and concerned about Van. I know he has struggled with the lessened attention, but he seems to be persevering through that. He offers to help me with Van, even when I don't ask. He sings to his brother, throws his diapers away and is constantly reminding me to make sure I "feed him on the other side." A majority of the Mom Guilt I feel is towards Joey. For over 4 years he was the only one. He got all the attention and never had to fight for it. I see him fight for it on a daily basis now. Of course it is natural to act out and push buttons, but I know that while he loves his little brother so much, he strives to get the amount of attention I have to give to Van at this age. I hope Joey knows that I love him so much and that this is not permanent. We currently are getting him enrolled in preschool so that he can have a little bit more time for him to be him and to get out of the house more often.

Van: In comparison, you are the easy baby. You are relaxed, a decent sleeper and only cry if you are hungry or wet. You are easy to please. However, you are the most gassy farter I know! The sounds that come out of your bottom are gross and impressive. It makes me laugh and really entertains us when you go on a 20 minute fart session at 3am. I love that your personality is starting to emerge little by little. You seem happy and I love the smiles I get from you.

Van's Birth Story

2011-09-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

The original plan for Van's birth was to have a VBAC without induction. At our 41 week important I was barely 1cm dilated and only 50% effaced. My doctor said he was willing to bend over backwards and do what I wanted in terms of the VBAC, but that I would have to be induced the next day. He said that the odds of me being in labor for two days and ending up with an emergency c-section were fairly high. After thinking it over and talking with Josh we opted to do elect for a repeat c-section. It was more important for me to successfully breastfeed Van then to undergo a trial of labor only to end up with an emergency surgery. There is a huge difference in terms of healing time and coping with a routine c-section than an emergency one.

On September 7, Josh and I headed to Tacoma General Hospital for a schedule c-section at 4pm. It was weird to nonchalantly walk into labor and delivery and get prepped for surgery. I was able to see my in laws, my Mom, my sister and Joey right before the surgery. Naturally, things were running behind and I walked into the OR (isn't it strange to just walk into an OR for surgery?) about 4pm. The environment was cold and I was all by myself. The anesthesiologist came into give me a spinal block and warned me that I might get sick because it drops your blood pressure and I already have low blood pressure. Sure enough, I was nauseated and panicking. The nurses kept calling back to bring Josh into surgery, but it took awhile. The doctors came in and actually started the procedure before Josh came in. When he finally came in he said there was a problem with the scrubs they gave him. Apparently they were too small and they had to find a pair that actually fit his body, which ended up being doctors scrubs. As soon as he came in and they gave me meds for nausea I finally felt better.

The whole process took less then 30 minutes and at 4:57pm we heard Van cry for the first time. I cried, Josh beamed with joy. I consider it one of those beautiful moments where you are so happy, you cry. It's only happened two other times in my life; when Joey was born and on our wedding day. While the doctors sewed me up, Van was cleaned up, weighed, measured and prepped for Daddy to hold him for the first time. As soon as we were brought to the recovery room I immediately nursed Van while Josh ran in and out updating our family on his arrival and sharing pictures. The recovery room was odd and peaceful all at once. For one, I got to hold Van and finally feel relief and happiness that he had arrived, but on the other hand another Mom was recovering in the partition next to me and we could also hear the many sounds of someone laboring down the hallway. We spent about an hour in recovery before I was wheeled out on the hospital bed to the hallway where a big group of our family and friends were waiting. Funny enough, we all fit in one elevator going on up to our room. Imagine me in a huge hospital bed and about 10 other people, plus the nurse in a cramped elevator.

The rest of the hospital stay went swimmingly. I was out of bed and walking around (slowly) 12 hours after surgery and Josh was a champ at changing Van and handing him to me to nurse and hold whenever needed.

The nurses and staff were amazing. I actually cannot believe that the 3 days we were there went so well. From the surgery, to recovery, to caring for a newborn again after 4 long years we drove away from the hospital on the 10th feeling relaxed and ready to bring our family of 4 home for the first time.

Welcome Van Gryffin Callon!

2011-09-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

Born: Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Time: 4:57pm
Weight: 8lbs 6.4oz
Height: 21 inches
Delivered at Tacoma General Hospital by Dr. Boutry

The meaning of the names:
Van was the first name Josh and I agreed upon. It was important for us to equally love the names we pick out for our children and this name is not overused and not considered abnormal.
Gryffin pays homage to Harry Potter and the house of Gryffindor. Gryffindor means to be brave and courageous.

Meet Ernie

2011-08-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

No, we didn't name our yet to be born baby Ernie. Although.....never mind. =)

Ernie is Joey's new imaginary friend. According to the above picture Ernie is either incredibly short or Joey has him in a choke hold....verdict is still out on his size.

Ernie has been around in the Callon family for awhile. His first friend was Uncle Robb when he was a kid. Recently Ernie was introduced to Joey by Grandma Airplane and he has been part of our family ever since.

A few things you need to know about Ernie:
-He's messy. And according to Joey, Ernie must have learned this from Uncle Robb because apparently Joey's messy room the other day was courtesy of Robb and Ernie.
-He gets Joey into trouble.
-Ernie sleeps with us at night, because Joey says Ernie hogs his bed.
-Ernie is fast. He apparently makes it from Yelm to Puyallup in two seconds flat!

Aside from Ernie's obvious "flaws" he is a well loved addition to our family.

Joey and Ernie watch "Phineas and Ferb" together. Joey assured me that Ernie took off his shoes to lay in my bed. Whew!

The other day I was sitting in the office and Joey was playing in the family room and all I hear is....
"Ernie! No, I am reading the directions!" (They were building legos).

However, we need to work on a couple of things with Ernie.

For one, he needs to clean up "his mess."

And two, Joey's laundry basket needs to be utilized properly.

40 weeks

2011-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

* How Far Along: 40 weeks exactly.
* Size of baby: Babycenter.com says about 7.5 pounds and 20 inches long. I am guessing this baby is taller than 20 inches though.
* Total Weight Gain/Loss: I am so not giving exact numbers here. For one I don't know that answer and two....because I have at least gained as much weight as I did with Joey.
* Maternity Clothes: Yah...still in those. But the selection is small. Thank goodness the weather has been amazing, I don't have to cram myself into jeans! However, I am thinking a mumu would be perfect attire right about now...Josh would disagree though.
* Gender: A boy. And judging by the intense heartburn I get...a very hairy one.
* Movement: He doesn't move around quite as much, but when he does it is almost painful. There is no room in there for him, so he pokes and prods until he is comfortable. It's been difficult deciphering his regular movement from Braxton Hicks contractions, but I do know that my stomach has never looked more funny then when he stretches out in such a way that my stomach is high peaked on one side and flat on the other.
* Sleep: I dread going to bed at night. Getting to sleep is the hardest part. I sleep best from about 2am on. I can't get into a comfortable position to fall asleep and my new addiction to Words with Friends probably doesn't help either.
* What I miss: I miss feeling healthy and energetic. Not that I am not healthy, but when I get up in the middle of night there are times where I can hardly walk and my knees hurt from the weight gain.
* Cravings: Desserts! I probably have eaten more dessert in the past two months then I have in the past 3 years. Let's just say that Josh makes this delicious Peach Blueberry crumble that I affectionately call the "Gobble Cobbler."
* Symptoms: Heartburn, back pain, Braxton Hicks, swollen feet, ridiculously long and healthy hair.
* Best moment this week: Making it to 40 weeks and not really fussing about today being the due date. I wanted to bake this one as long as possible. With the whole 2 vessel thing it was important for me to make full term with this baby. And with the way things look, perhaps an overdue baby. No big deal though. I am excited to meet him, but am glad to have him develop a little longer.
* What Joey thinks: Sweet Joey is just so eager to meet him. We rented a couple of books from the library about being an older sibling and what happens when a baby comes into the house. His only suggestion is that he doesn't want the baby to cry because that will scare him. Poor Joey, looks like I will be double comforting in a short while.

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-08-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Not a very eventful week this past week. It's probably a good thing though.

-We bought a new car this week. Traded in our Toyota Camry for a Mazda 5. I haven't even taken a picture of it yet, but I can tell it's going to work out perfectly for our little family. The best part about this car is that it has sliding back doors and captains seats for the car seats to fit in smoothly. It also includes a 3rd row of seats, and the whole back folds down if needed. Joey was pretty adamant about wanting his car seat in the way back, but after trying to install the latch system we realized the way back does not include the anchors needed for his seat. We could easily just use a booster seat since he meets the legal requirements to sit in one, but we invested in a nice harness car seat last summer that will allow him to sit in it up to 85 pounds. Safety first; although I can't imagine Joey will be willing to sit in it once he hits kindergarten, but we can visit that scenario when the time comes.

-I crafted quite a bit this week. I made a present for the assistant director at the daycare I worked for. She is moving up to Bellingham and played such an integral roll in Joey's preschool experience that I wanted to thank her. I made this pencil vase with chocolate dipped Oreo's shaped into apples. Thank you to Pinterest for this idea.

I finally got around to making Joey's travel map for him to hang in his room. It's an on going project that sewing pins and collector travel pins can be added to over time to commemorate his travels.

I also made him this really neat Crayon Wreath (thank Pinterest again). My Mom is notorious for keeping everything, so when we were at her house the other day I dug around in her closets and pulled out a huge box of crayola crayons (from when we were younger) and embroidery hoops from her sewing days (back in the 70's!). With the super powers of a glue gun, this wreath was fashioned together in no time. I am thinking of making monogrammed crayon art for Joey and Baby in their bathroom. I picked up 4 24 packs of Crayola crayons for 39 cents each at the store the other day, so I am in full on kid decorating mode!

-I also am working with Joey on keeping his room and things organized. He just received this HUGE box of Legos from my sister and even though we all told him not to mix any other toy in with the Legos, low and behold he dumped all the contents of his piggy bank and about half of his collection of hot wheels cars into it. Guess who had to go through and sort that out? =)

Last night I helped him clean up his room and put things back where they belong. Beside the fact that his room still looks cluttered, it at least is organized. I immediately took several pictures of his "clean" room. I printed the pictures out and pasted them on a piece of paper and hung it up in his room. This way he has a clear expectation of what I want him to do when he gets sent to his room to pick it up.

-I scored a Babytrend jogging stroller for $10 at a garage sale on Saturday. Actually, my mom scoped it out and I came right over to claim it. The only thing is that they couldn't get the front wheel back on and they gave me full disclaimer that it was "as is." I had no problem with risking $10 for an otherwise good condition jogging stroller. And I knew between the many handymen in my family, one would be able to fix it. The fork was slightly bent, so with a little hand and tool bending, Josh and my Father-in-Law were able to fix it and it works perfectly!

-Yesterday we all headed down to Yelm for a family dinner. Josh's Grandma, Betty flew in on Saturday to visit. Betty is funny in an old lady kind of way. She wanted to watch Jeopardy yesterday, but I had a hard time explaining to here that it didn't come on until 7:30 (it was only 5pm). She argued with me that in California, it came on at 7 and that I was wrong. Here in Washington we do it backwards though. I immediately found the Game Show Network to hold her over until 7 though. Hopefully that worked.
Joey loved talking to her though and showing her all his cool trinkets and treasures. At one point, Robb washed his car in the driveway and almost all of us were out there watching it dry, eating popsicles...except for Betty, she was cold. (It was atleast 85 degrees that day). =)

Nursery/Craftroom reveal

2011-08-24T08:53:00.001-07:00

It's here. It's here. It's finally here.
After several months of prepping, planning, and actually doing, I have finally finished the room that mixes two of my favorite things: babies and crafts.

Seeing that this is our second child we were both more realistic about how much the nursery would be used and had no qualms sharing a space that engulfs our office and craft room and the babies room, when he is sleeping.

Aside from the shelving unit on the wall and next to the desk every other furniture piece was either up-cycled or reused for this room. The idea was to be a frugal as possible and Ikea was my choice for the shelving that would house my scrapbooking and other craft items.

Here is a before picture....

My "blue print" (I can't find what I did with the nursery side blue print)

After....

The color scheme inspiration was courtesy of this Alexander Henry fabric that I used to make a chair pillow and the 4 fabric covered cork boards housed on the walls that double as functionality and decor. Every other color element in the room somehow "matched" the colors on the fabric. Thankfully this really allowed to go ahead with primary colors for baby boys nursery.

A couple of the rooms elements that I am really pleased with are ones I created or re-did my self.

The desk is still that ugly industrial desk from the before picture, but a coat of white spray paint on the legs and contact paper on the top transformed it into something that I could deal with. It's big enough to sew on and do scrapbooking, but not to big that it takes over the entire room.

This beastly $5 garage sale lamp went from this...

to this...

The changing table actually used to be a desk/hutch from Ikea. My mom was selling it, so I convinced her to give it to me as my birthday present. This is my first real attempt at a painted piece of furniture and I am super happy with the finished product.

All the nursery art/decor comes courtesy of my freehand or from my beloved Silhouette. Pinterest really helped to inspire me to find decor that I deemed cute, boyish, and meshed well in the room. I am in love with the C.S. Lewis quote and knew I had to incorporate it into the room somehow.

The mobile over the crib was inspiration from SewSheSew's blog. Her's was made out of fabric, but I went for the good ol scrapbook paper and modge podge approach.

You like that curtain? Little secret...it's actually a shower curtain that I bought for the boy's bathroom, but it ended up matching so well in here that I went with it.

I was amazed to find that I had so many craft items and projects at my disposal. When I started unpacking those boxes and putting things away I opted to keep like items grouped together and for the most part visual so that I wouldn't forget what I had. I am so notorious for buying a craft medium that I already have.

I've linked up to these fabulous blog parties!

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-08-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, I cannot believe how exhausted I feel. I am not surprised, but I suppose at 39 weeks I am pretty much dunzo! Wouldn't this week be a great week to have a baby? =)

-Things have definitely slowed down this week. The 38 week appointment was standard and they didn't check my cervix but I can tell my body is definitely practicing with the contractions. I keep putting off packing hospital bags. It probably has more to do with the fact that I have about 3 outfits that I re-wear time and time again (since they are the only ones that fit) and I don't want to have to pack one away for the return trip home. That being said, I am constantly keeping up with laundry and folding so that everything is orderly when the time comes to give birth.
For the most part I stay close to home slowly getting prepared and re-prepared for baby's arrival. Poor Joey is going a little stir crazy, but he has had no qualms watching Toy Story 3 for the billionth time! Tomorrow I will have my 39 week appointment so hopefully I will find out a little more information with dilation, etc.

-Nursery/Craft Room reveal: It's almost time to unveil the finished product. I spent the better part of this week working on nursery art and putting finishing touches together. I need Josh to hang my magazine holders today and print some pictures out and everything should be done. Of course I could keep going with this room, but then I would never finish it. Here's another little sneak peek for your viewing pleasure.

-I like to leave notes written with chalkboard pen on our bathroom mirror for Josh to read every morning when he wakes up for work. Usually they are motivational quotes, or an inside joke, or just something random. The other morning Josh left one for me that cracked me up. Short backstory: Joey and I do prayers every night. At the end I always say, "I love you all the way to the moon and back." Because we have all been going to bed about the same time Joey does Daddy's prayers for him. Basically they consist of Joey recounting our prayers, but he mixes up the words and songs and sometimes even meshes them together. Anyways, the note on the mirror read this yesterday morning...

It's hard to actually read, but it says, "I lift this all the way to the moon and back, Amen."

Joey mixed "I lift this all up in your name" and our "all the way to the moon and back" saying. Goofy kid!

-On Saturday I attended my friend Lisa's wedding down in Olympia. We've known each other since we were 14 and 15 years old playing club volleyball way back in the day and all the way thru college. It was good to see here and some of our other friends that I haven't seen in quite some time. The bride was beautiful and the ceremony was as well. I have never been inside the Capitol Rotunda, but the mix of marble staircases and the ceremony decor made it the perfect scenery for celebrating a marriage. The reception was held at Medicine Creek Winery and it was fun catching up with some friends there. I have to admit that I was a little jealous that I couldn't partake in the delicious wine offerings.

The beautiful ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda

The Bride, Julia, and I.

Julia and I

-Sunday we headed over to my brother's house for a bbq with his friends and coworkers. Joey loves going over there to see his roommates dogs and to play with toys there. I had my brother take a picture of us and he titled the following photo, "the calm before the storm." Let's hope that instead of a storm we have a couple blustery winds.

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-08-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

-This past week marked my 37th week of pregnancy. My doctor's appointment on Tuesday was the standard, "check my weight, blood pressure and baby's heartbeat" type of appointment. I am curious to see if I am dilated and I did ask the doctor when that happens. Typically he does it at the 39 week appointment, unless I am contracting before then. This whole week I have been having contractions that are sporadic and typically come every other day or if I haven't been drinking enough water, so perhaps I will get checked this Tuesday for my 38 week appointment. Baby continues to move quite a bit, but not constantly like before. Poor boy, he has hardly any room in there to move around!

-On Tuesday Joey had his second dentist appointment in his life. Originally I was taking him to a kids dentist, but found out that my dentist takes kids as well so we switched him over. He did so well there and let them take "pictures" (Xrays) of his teeth; well at least the front ones, he didn't like the things he had to clamp down on on his side teeth. When it came time to clean his teeth he was such a trooper and had to tell everyone that the lady tickled his teeth. He received a "dental prize pack" including a new toothbrush and floss, which he proudly uses every day. He also joined the No Cavities Club which enters him in a drawing every month for a prize for the remainder of the year and a pick from the treasure box. I was so happy that he didn't have cavities. We brush daily, but I always hear stories of parents being completely shocked when their kid's well cared for teeth have severe problems.

-

-Joey has been Daddy's big helper in the yard and garage the last couple of weeks. It is funny because on Josh's day's off I hardly will see Joey because he is so busy following Daddy around and helping him. Somehow Josh was able to snag a UPS hat from a driver and gave it to Joey. Joey loves it, but isn't keen on wearing it all the time. However, with the hot sun, this Mommy made him put a hat on for extra protection on one of the day's they worked outside.

One of the things that Joey and Daddy like to do is have their "watering" time. Since it's summer I have been letting Joey stay up late to wait for Daddy to get home (around 8:15) so that they can go water the plants and the yard. It's become a nightly ritual for all of us and it has definitely benefited our grass and the flowers that Josh and Joey planted a couple of months back. Our Lilies look amazing and they smell just heavenly walking up to the door.

-Thursday and Wednesday were dedicated to sewing items for baby. I am so grateful that I have my Mom and Mother-in-Law to help me. They both know so much about sewing and have been able to help me in areas that I am unsure of. The confidence boost I get from their teachings has really helped me garner a love for sewing. Typically I get frustrated and want to quit when it comes to sewing, but now I feel like I am on some sort of sewing high that I don't want to come down from. I posted previously of the items I made this past week that you can find here.

-On Saturday Joey and I attended a Big Brother/Big Sister class at Tacoma General Hospital. It was geared toward helping siblings understand the basics of baby and some tips on how to help Mommy and Daddy. The instructor took them on a tour of the labor and delivery and postpartum sections of the hospital, plus a swing by of the cafeteria. They also watched a really cheesy and corny movie that had the kids giggling and the parents feeling sort of uncomfortable. At one time the weird guy instructing the video briefly explained breastfeeding and exclaimed it to be delicious and tasty and then licked his lips. We got what he was trying to say, but the early 90's video still warranted some uncomfortableness that only an adult would pick up on.
Joey did so well at the class and not to brag, was the best behaved there. I also may be biased but, the cutest one as well. He learned how to hold the baby and even told unrelated stories of Toy Story 3 and how he hears the babies heartbeat even though the instructor had simply asked if there were any questions. He had the room laughing and at one point a Dad turned to me and said that he thought my son was just so great.

-After the class Joey was invited to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. He's been there a couple of times with my sister, but I haven't been since I was little. It's definitely an interesting place and was crawling with kids. I liked that it was affordable and that it was geared towards the younger kid crowd (7ish and under)so I didn't have to worry about Joey getting trampled by a 10 year old not paying attention. Joey won lots of prizes with his ticket redemptions and I even got to put in a couple of games of Ski Ball.

Joey and the birthday girl, Eloquine.

Joey and Chuck E. playing.

-Yesterday we had all of Josh's brother's over for a BBQ. Uncle Robb had been saying that Joey was ready to take his training wheels off of his bike a week or so ago and I had said that I needed to get him a better helmet before that happened. Well, yesterday Uncle Robb and Andrea came with a brand new helmet for Joey and someone was eager to get those training wheels off and it wasn't Joey.
Although Joey wasn't quite sure about the wheels coming off Robb did such a good job helping him brave through it. With persistent work and help from Uncle Robb and our friend Craig, Joey has started to get the hang of riding without help. He needs assistance getting started with the momentum and he can go quite a ways balancing himself, however he has completely forgotten the concept of brakes and uses his feet to stop himself now. It's definitely going to be a "practice makes perfect" sort of thing, but Mommy and Daddy were so proud of him for getting the basics early on.

Josh made a delicious dinner of BBQ Bacon wrapped Chicken, corn on the cob, and a very tasty Peach Blueberry Crisp for dessert. He loves watching Food Network and really goes all out for Sunday dinners. He reminds me of my Dad though, excellent excellent cook, but they both use every single dish in the kitchen and there is always a much anticipated wait for dinner to be served.

Getting ready for baby

2011-08-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have been a Sewing Machine!

Pun totally intended.

I have always admired the slings that I see mother's wearing their babies in. I was also a bit envious because I didn't even dream or imagine this stuff when Joey was a newborn. Of course they had Baby Bjorns and I used one while I coached volleyball but it always hurt my back and Joey never looked comfortable in it. I came across some really gorgeous slings on etsy.com when I first found out I was pregnant again. The one I really wanted was over $60, only because it was made with Amy Butler fabric. I found some more modestly priced ones for around $30 which I contemplated about here. However I couldn't decide on the fabric I wanted and I realized I just didn't love either one enough to commit.
Enter in my obsession with Joann's craft store. I found the cutest gray hounds-tooth fabric that I knew would look great on something. I dwelled on it for a couple of days and found a really neat baby sling tutorial on Pinterest.com from The Poplar Porch blog that really simplified the process and dumbed it down enough for me to get how to sew it.
I thought a yellow Chevron striped fabric would go perfect with the gray fabric and so I went on a very short search for it at Joann's and came up with nothing, but I did find a yellow dot fabric that matched well. I took the fabric over to my Mom's and she helped me sew my first sling together. My Mom has sewed since she was a little girl and one of her last projects was sewing me my homecoming dress sophomore year of high school. It was really neat to see her "light up" doing this project since it's been quite awhile since she has sewn.

Here I attempt to model it with a stuffed animal and a self portrait. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it turned out awesome. The fit is not right yet since I have a big baby basketball in the way, but it should be fine post birth.

My adventures in sling making gets even better. I made another with left over fabric from the car seat canopy I also made. Depending on your measurements, it only takes two yards of two coordinating fabrics and some thread and you got yourself, not one, but two slings. So after purchasing and sewing I only paid about $15 total in supplies for two baby slings. Technically, I can make another sling for nothing if I pair the two remaining pieces I have left over from the other two slings. Baby shower present? =) The second one only took about an hour to whip out, since I knew what I was doing.

In addition to sling making I also have created some blankets, diaper/spit up cloths, and a reversible car seat canopy.

The picture below shows both finished slings, a guitar blanket, and the cloths.

I didn't use any web sources for the blanket since those are pretty basic to sew, but I did research what fabric to use for the burp cloths (flannel for absorbency)since I wanted to pair them with the cute fabric I bought on fabric.com awhile back. The guitar fabric was originally intended for the car seat canopy but I mistakenly bought jersey knit fabric and it's very stretchy and hard to pair with regular cotton fabric so I reworked it to make a blanket instead.

The car seat canopy was fun to make, but took a little bit of time. It may be because I did it with my Mother-in-Law and we love to chat, but also because we were brainstorming how to do the ties. I get a little overzealous when I sew and go too fast, but I was really glad to do this project with her because she had some really good tips for me. I used this tutorial from the Vanilla Joy Blog. The instructions were almost like making a rounded blanket with ties to tie on the car seat handle. Since I was making it reversible (using the gray hounds tooth and teal dot fabric from the slings) it was a bit complicated getting it to all work together. None the less though, the canopy came out beautifully and it's probably my best "sewing in a straight line" accomplishment to date.

I unintentionally matched it to the car seat fabric. I say unintentionally because the guitar fabric was my first pick and the teal polka dots fabric was actually purchased to make a hospital gown with, but I have ditched that project...for now.

Lastly, here is a sneak peak at part of the nursery. I sewed up this blanket with the adorable Owl Fabric and a chenille underside. It turned out surprisingly well, considering sewing with two completely different fabrics is difficult and the chenille fabric kept slipping and moving on me. I do plan on finishing it with blanket binding for more of a polished look, but I may just leave it the way it is for now. Mainly because I have never sewed binding on before and it looks good the way it is. I would hate to mess it up!

And what the heck, may as well give a tiny reveal of the curtains (hint, it's a cotton shower curtain from target) and the neat paper mobile I made.

I linked these projects up to....

Piquing my Interest with....

2011-08-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

Pinterest!

I've heard of this site and even rummaged around it a couple of times, but today I finally took the leap and requested an invite. At first, I was bummed because I couldn't just sign up for it, but the invite came in my email within an hour of requesting it...so no big deal.
Basically it's just a site for to tag your interest. My bookmarks menu in my internet pane was getting ridiculously full of interesting craft projects and ideas and I was having trouble sorting through it all. Pinterest sorts it for you by sorting the pictures of the blogs and sites you visit for any sort of idea. You can pin travel, photography, DIY crafts, nursery designs. etc; the possibilities are endless and it is neatly stored in your own personalized categories called boards. Very simple to use!
The best part is that people can follow you and vice versa and you can get some really great ideas and tips just by repinning or going through other user's pins. I created a board that stores all my personal craft creations and I even have had some people pin my projects. It is exciting because I really had no outlet for displaying my work without linking my personal blog everywhere. Now people can see my work just from the photos I uploaded.

In other crafty news, I have been getting things done off my to do list...slowly. I get distracted easily and still have Joey to entertain and take care of so I do get kind of bummed that my to do list is not shrinking fast enough.
However, I completed the Crib Mobile today and I didn't even have to sew it or go out to buy anything for it. I just used scrapbook paper I had lying around and a planter base to attach the strings. Pictures to come soon....

I also realized that sewing can be quite boring and tedious, but I would rather have customized things like diaper clothes than just buying those boring prefolds at the store. Tonight I was able to crank out the diaper clothes and a Chenille blanket with the Owl fabric. I still need to press the seams and finish up an edge sew on each of those two projects but I surprised myself and got a lot more done tonight then I expected. Yay!

I also think I figured out the curtain I want to use for the small window in the craft room/nursery and it's actually a shower curtain that I just purchased for the kid's bathroom. Don't worry, it's not "shower curtain looking", so no plastic vinyl anywhere. I am going to test it out tomorrow or go in search of one if that doesn't work out.

Nesting to do's

2011-08-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling very motivated and energetic the last couple of days. Nesting is in full force and the baby's/my craft room is almost complete. I am feeling very listy these days and have been making list and crossing off my to-do's.

Nursery to do's:
-~~Find curtains to match~~
-~~Sew up fleece diaper clothes/burp rags~~
-Sew a car seat canopy
-~~Launder,fold, sort by size all baby clothes and blankets~~
-~~Sew this really cute mobile~~

Craft to do's:
-Start preparing Baby Callon's baby book
-Finish Joey's 4th year scrapbook
-~~Make my own family tree canvas.~~ <---I made these as Christmas presents for both of our families, but haven't done one for us yet.
-Make a family rules board. I like this one below, but need to come up with my own rules.

My OCD completed to do's:
-Label and fill canisters for kitchen use.
I used chalkboard adhesive and a chalk pen to make these really cool and changeable jars.

It's looking a little bulky with all that on the counter so I think the baking ones will go up into the cupboard. I just like how these serve as decor and are helpful organization tools. No longer can Josh ask what kind of cereal is available.

-Organize and color code bookshelf. Say what? I really did this, yah I was bored one day.

Our entertainment center serves as multiple purposes and I haven't really gotten it to where I want it yet. Since it's a catch all for all our media, I want to find a good way to make it look organized and functional without it screaming wires and cords and dusty remotes at me!
Oh and yah, Harry Potter books get their own shelf. =)
p.s. that 'Family' picture frame has been sitting there empty since I bought it this past winter. Apparently I need to find a picture, but I think I will wait until after baby comes.
-One tiny OCD thing I haven't done yet is organize our DVD collection. We bought this really great and huge cd holder meant for DVD's that I need to alphabetize our collection into. The idea is to minimize the bulk of the collection by only sorting the DVD's themselves and tossing the cases. Our collection is one hot mess of disc missing their cases and cases missing their disc, so I really need to get this done asap!

Other odds 'n ends to do's:
-Prep some freezer meals for when baby arrives.
-Pack bags for the hospital.
-Complete my birth plan.
-Go on a hospital tour.
-~~Install infant car seat.~~
-Order one of these slings from Essie Designs on Etsy.com

I love them both equally, but cannot decide for the life of me! I worry that the flower print is too girly, but seeing that I am the one wearing it, you would think that would be ok. Right? The Guitar one is very hip and I love the fabric as well.
Why can't I decide?

I am sure there is way more I can add to the to do list but these are what I really need to tackle within the next two weeks! Wish me luck.

36 weeks

2011-08-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

* How Far Along: 36 weeks. Only 4 weeks left
* Size of baby: Ultrasound reveals a 6lb 9oz baby plus/minus a pound
* Total Weight Gain/Loss: 36 pounds <---that should be fun to lose!
* Maternity Clothes: Unless I have to leave the house I usually just wear the Nike cotton shorts that I have in 4 different colors. It's hot hot hot!
* Gender: A boy. I made the ultrasound tech confirm today that baby was still indeed a boy and she said, "the man parts didn't fall off."
* Movement: He's gone from acrobat to a Kung-Fu Fighter. I get those jabs in the middle of my stomach as a gentle reminder that the space is getting tight down there.
* Sleep: Ugh....my nemesis! I rely on one tylenol pm to help me out with the restlessness, soreness, and constant adjustment. I try to go to bed as early as I can as Joey likes to rise around 6:30am. Typically he just comes into my room and watches tv while I sleep for an hour or so more. Gotta love that about a 4 year old!
* What I miss: wearing matching flip flops. Seriously! I looked down one day and I had one dark brown flip flop and one black flip flop on!
* Cravings: Anything that sounds good at the moment. I am craving fresh summer produce and my shopping list for tomorrow would rival a vegetarians!
* Symptoms: Hormonal mood swings...still. I am very sensitive lately and back handed comments and even looking at me wrong usually results in tears.
Braxton Hicks contractions come and go, but they are getting to be more common.
* Best moment this week: Joey woke up the other day on the verge of tears and said, "it's taking for a long time for baby brother to get here." He's getting so excited, even though I see a little bit of jealousy coming out.
* What Joey thinks: Joey likes the attention of being an almost big brother, but you can tell he is feeling a little bit anxious about it all. The mild jealousy is starting to show up in the form of tantrums during my maternity photo shoot and trying to turn the lights on during the ultrasound (since the attention was not on him).
*What I think: I am feeling nervous and anxious (see below bullet). Things are almost all ready for baby boy's big arrival. I guess we should finally decide on a name though.
36 week ultrasound/appointment: Today I had an ultrasound and appointment. The ultrasound went well, but I definitely noticed the technician spending some time studying the screen while the doppler was near my belly button. I asked if everything was OK and she said it was. While waiting for my doctor appointment, the ultrasound tech came back out to get me and wanted to have a "second set of eyes" on the ultrasound so my doctor stepped in as well. It's not diagnosed completely, but it looks like baby boy has a 2 vessel umbilical cord, when normally a baby has 3 (two arteries, 1 vein). They both thought that they saw 3, but only two were able to be picked up on the screen. Either the baby was not in the right position or the 3rd vessel flattened. Neither seemed too concerned about it and my doctor said that you can "theorize" that because baby boy is only in the 50th percentile for his weight at this time that that could be the result of only having two vessels. He said not to worry, but of course it didn't stop me from researching it further. Most of what I read stated a lower birth weight for baby was a possibility, but there are also further complications. Most 2 vessel cords are found in the 20 week u/s, but since mine is now only showing up in the 36 week u/s it may be just fine. Since my doctor isn't worried about it, I will try not too either. I still am wanting a VBAC, but if for some reason that may further complicate things I will elect for a c-section in a heartbeat!
*What's next?: 37 week appointment next Tuesday.

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-07-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if it's pregnancy brain or what, but I have the worst time recapping our week. I literally have to sit down and think for a bit about what happened or I go through my camera to see if I documented any of it. So here's for trying....

-I have laundered and put away almost all of Baby Callon's clothes. With the mix of all the new and adorable layettes I have received and some of Joey's old clothes I am thinking we are just about ready for his impending arrival. I had a box in my trunk for the longest time that I had left at my parent's house of newborn clothing that was intended to be mailed to a friend (but never did). It really was like Christmas in July going through all of it only to discover that it was the perfect array of sizes for baby as I was lacking pajamas in 0-3 month sizes. I also found several pairs of Robeez that were given to Joey as hand-me downs years back that we never got to use.

-I found a really great hospital tour to take Joey on that is offered through the Multicare Health Systems. It's called a Big Brother/Big Sister class that is geared toward 3-7 year old's and focuses on preparing them to be siblings and all the in's and out's of the the Birth Center along with a tour. It also focus on safety aspects through coordinated activities. I am excited to sign Joey up for this because it's been Josh and I's goal from day one to prepare Joey for the realization that it will not be just him anymore. After all, it's been just about him for the last 4 years. =)

-Baby has been moving like mad and it's become one of our favorite things to watch him somersault and twirl inside the stomach. I can also tell that the baby really responds well to Joey because Joey likes watching him move and will sing to him to wake him up and baby responds. One time Joey had his head on my stomach singing to baby and the baby kicked him. At first Joey was upset and said, "he can't kick me...I don't kick him!" It was hard to explain to him that it wasn't on purpose, but Joey got over it real quick.

-Joey and I enjoyed a nice picnic lunch with Aunt Holly on her lunch break at work. I made delicious turkey sandwiches and we ate those while enjoying the hot sunshine. It's nice to go visit her at work (which is quite close to our house)and be able to visit, even if it's only for a short amount of time.

Afterwards, Joey and I stopped by the perimeter fence outside of McChord/Lewis Base to check out all the planes that were parked out by the runways. Joey was so intrigued to watch the planes and the soldiers walking around on the field. Unfortunately no planes took off while we there, but Joey did get plenty of waves by all the soldiers driving right by the fence.

-To round up the weekend we enjoyed a bbq at Josh's parents house. It was hot, hot, hot but good company was had all around. The kiddie pool was brought out and I am not sure who had more fun with it...Joey or Uncle Robb. We also played ladder golf or hillbilly golf and enjoyed great food. Joey had so much fun at Grandma and Grandpa's that when we were getting ready to leave an invitation was extended for him to spend the night which was gladly accepted. Joey had such a good time there that he was upset when I came to pick him up the next day.

A mild summer

2011-07-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Sitting here enjoying a quiet moment between Joey going to bed and Josh getting home from work.

This summer has been surprisingly mild (compared to the heatwave that is spreading across the rest of the country). Upper 60's and low 70's are the norm and dare I say that I am loving it. I probably wouldn't say it if I wasn't 8 months pregnant and have no desire to be seen in shorts and tank tops!

Josh picked me this beautiful lily yesterday from our front yard. It smells amazing. I have never seen lilies this big (it's bigger then my hand)!

I am so glad that Josh and Joey planted these when we first moved in in March. Apparently it's against the Homeowner Association rules to plant anything without the approval of the board. We didn't know, and frankly think it's ridiculous. Recently they changed it so you don't have to get approval as long as its in a planter's box or pot. Wow...gee thanks.
We live in one of those homeowner's associations who are ANAL about everything. Which is surprising because there are only 10 homes in it. But that is a whole other story that I don't even want to get started on!

For the meantime I will enjoy the fragrance of our rebel lilies and the cool air that blows in through the windows.

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-07-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

What an exciting week that was jammed pack full of fun.

-This week was really the first week where I felt really pregnant. Fatigue has set in big time, but along with that has come a whole new round of nesting. The Crib is set up, thanks Mom and Dad Callon, and some baby clothing is put away. It was funny to watch Josh and my brother-in-law put together the crib, mainly because reading direction is overated and they only had one allen wrench to work with. Little did they know that Joey has a couple of those handy wrenches in his "tool box." The topper was when I warned them that putting the crib together in the front room wouldn't work because those things don't fit through doorways. Let's just say..."told you so!" =)

-Josh and I had been looking forward to Thursday, July 14th for atleast 6 months. Why? Only because it was the final midnight premiere of the Harry Potter franchise. The Deathly Hallows, Part Two was amazing. The movie itself was perfect and dressing up and getting to the theater early to fraternize with fellow Harry Potter fans was fantastic. Pictures and review to come!

-Saturday was supposed to be a girls day with my best friend, Kara. It started off with breakfast with my sister and Joey at IHOP. Holly took Joey with her so that I could go off for a couple of hours. Kara treated me to pedis and lunch at Red Robin. I haven't had a pedicure in a long time, and boy did it feel nice! As we were getting back to Kara's parents house, I quickly noticed my Mom's car and my friend, Paris' car in the driveway. I was surprised with a baby shower! It was a lot of fun and I got a lot of clothes, etc. for little Baby Callon. I felt very loved and very happy to be blessed so much with wonderful friends,family, and coworkers. I didn't have my camera, so I will post pictures later when they are sent to me.

-Sunday was an early to rise, early to bed kind of day. I mentioned nesting and it has transcended to Josh and even Joey a little bit. Closets are being cleaned out by me and Josh is making a mad organization spree of the garage. I had time yesterday to reorganize Joey's room to make room for a desk for his "preschool" we will be doing at home. He was so excited about his new "office" and I have caught him several times just sitting at his desk "taking notes." His only complaint is that he doesn't have a phone like Nancy (my boss/Kara's mom) at work. Perhaps a garage sale will turn up a conference phone for him.
After all the work yesterday, we were all in bed and asleep by 8:30 and were wide eyed and bushy tailed come this morning at 6:30 ready to nest for another day.

33 weeks!

2011-07-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

* How Far Along: 33 weeks. Only 7 weeks left
* Size of baby: About 4 pounds and 17 inches. Think a pineapple.
* Total Weight Gain/Loss: 31 pounds, courtesy of the numerous bbq's and sweets I have been consuming.
* Maternity Clothes: Dare I say maternity shorts and flip flops? I picked up a great denim maternity skirt at target a few weeks back that I am in love with. I may have to go get another one.
* Gender: A boy, and no we don't have a name yet. =)
* Movement: Thankfully he is moved into the head down position, unfortunately this means that my lungs and ribs get the brunt of the kicks now. No big deal now, this kid doesn't let me forget for one minute that he is in there getting big and ready to make his debut!
* Sleep: To be honest and to my surprise I have been sleeping well. I have had those awful charlie horses in my calves, but really they haven't happened too much lately. I find that laying on my left side and hugging a body pillow really helps me stay comfortable. Today was the first day that I still felt really tired after getting a long nights sleep. But this doesn't surprise me in the least bit.
* What I miss: I really don't miss anything, because, really I know that my life will be changed again and for the better. My body will be different for awhile and I could care less!
* Cravings: Pickles, so cliche...I know!
* Symptoms: Hormonal mood swings...still. My knees are starting to ache along with my back.
* Best moment this week: Being told that I was the poster child for pregnancy due to my good attitude and positive mindset! I quickly thought of the first twenty weeks of pregnancy not-so-goodness but I have had a lot of people say to me how good I look and that I genuinely look like this pregnancy has not been to rough. I am grateful for the observations and I continue to feel so lucky and so happy to have this blessing come to us!
* What Joey thinks: I have never seen a kid so excited for a baby brother. He sings to my belly and is adamant that his brother share a room with him. He is eager to give him his toys and actively is on the look out for anything his brother might want or need. Joey earned a new watch from the Gap the other day for being good at the mall. He immediately said, "thank you" and then asked if his baby brother could also wear his watch. I can tell that Joey is going to be such a loving and helpful big brother!
*What I think: Going back to this baby being such a blessing when it seemed like the odds were against us makes me feel so grateful and I believe this is where the positive mindset is coming from. I have had a lot of people say to me that they feel sorry for me for being pregnant in the summer because of the heat; and to be honest it kind of perturbs me. There are going to be the rough times of pregnancy, but there are also the amazing times as well and I will take both of the extremes any day to have this second blessing in my life. And besides, it may be hot, but I am not miserable about the heat at all!
*What's next?: 36 week ultrasound the first week of August. VBAC is still a go at this stage, still praying that this happens!

picture courtesy of babycenter.com

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-07-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

-This week went by exceedingly quick. Since Summer has started it seems like time just fly's! We've all waited so long for warmer weather and now that it's here you can almost feel fall creeping up on us!

-We made an important decision this week to withdraw Joey from daycare once I finish up working there. Originally, we intended to keep him there two days a week not only to have some time for himself once the baby comes, but also to have him prep for Kindergarten. The daycare really served it's purpose in getting Joey socialized with others and learning how to act in a group setting. Without PPC, we may never have realized the sensory issues that Joey was dealing with. I am ever grateful to that wonderful place for helping my little guy out so much. But now that I am going back to being a stay-at-home-mom I really feel that it is in his best interest to stay home as well. Of course, socialization and kindergarten prep are going to be a big focus, I also feel more comfortable doing it in a setting where I would be around. We all plan on joining the YMCA as a family and I am looking into co-op preschools; karate class is also an avenue we are looking at.

-Once again, Joey never fails to make me laugh. This week marked three new additions to "Stuff my Joey says."
1. Sometimes Joey ask a lot of questions. One day I exhaustively told him in a joking manner that he asked to many questions. He agreed and said, "I do ask a lot of questions." The kicker though was when I asked him something later on, he said, "Mommy, now you are asking way too many questions!"
2. I caught Joey looking down his pajama shorts the other morning. When I asked what he was doing, he said, "Just checking to see if I have underwear on." Oh really?!
3. Joey has quite the interest in all things Jesus and will quickly recognize Jesus on a cross, or a crucifix wherever we go. The other day, Joey said, "Mommy, Daddy has two cheezits on his nightstand, I put them there." I was really confused about what he was telling me when I looked over to find not one, but two crucifixes sitting on Josh's nightstand. So not "cheezits" but "Jesus'" Got it! I know that we have a couple of crucifixes as gifts and such from our college days, but somehow that kid seems to find them and really feels like Daddy needs to have them.

-Things are slowly coming along with the baby/craftroom. I acquired a desk/hutch from my parents that I thought would be good as a computer table in the room but I slowly realized I was running out of room and that it was too bulky for the space. I removed the hutch part and primed and painted the table part a light blue. The table will be used as a changing table/landing ground for baby diapers and such.

It went from this....

to this....

Josh is going to put a coat of polyurethane on it to seal it up. I am thinking that a chocolate brown diaper changing pad cover will look good on this to contrast the different colors going into this room. Hopefully it will all come together swimmingly!

-This afternoon we went to "The Office" themed birthday party of my brother-in-law, Jason. I have never seen The Office, but did know the answer of Dundler & Mifflin as the company name, so it did win me a candy bar! They had a pinata there and it was funny to see Joey try to beat it and open it up. After a couple of good tries, Uncle Jason came to the rescue to get all that delicious candy from being trapped inside the pinata. =) Joey was a happy boy!

Fourth of July

2011-07-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

This years Independence Day was celebrated at home and was a low key affair.
We barbequed with my sister and her boyfriend for lunch, but spent most of the day organizing and cleaning. Not very patriotic, but we are grateful to live in a country based on freedom and liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that we have many who fight to protect those rights.

Joey really got into the fireworks this year. Him and Daddy put on a firework show for our party of three. Joey kept asking to light more sparklers, but if you ask him, his favorite fireworks where those pellets that turn into snakes. Snakes my butt though...they really looked like piles of poo. =)

Joey was definitely Josh's little helper and really dictated what got lit when. We waited until almost dusk to start the fireworks.

I like how Joey is wearing a swimsuit, tank top and rain boots for his attire.

Josh and Joey were ready to move onto the big finale with these two fountains.

Don't be fooled by that fountain that Josh is holding. Because the finale went from this.....

To this.....

Somehow the fountain tipped over and started spraying the middle of the cul de sac with shots of the flash powder. It went every which direction and hit me in the leg and left Joey in tears, running into the house, and yelling, "I don't like THE JULY anymore!" It really could have been worse, and I am so glad Joey didn't get hit by any of the fireworks. Even at a safe distance, that last fountain was too close of a call and the show was done after that.

However, it didn't deter Joey from sitting in the middle of the cul de sac with Dad to watch the other house's fireworks (at a very safe distance).

In the end (about 10:30) we all crawled into bed and fell, surprisingly, fast asleep. Joey got the special treat of a makeshift bed out of couch cushions on the floor in our room, "just in case" the fireworks noise was too scary for him.

God Bless America!

Dooter Scooter

2011-07-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

You may remember Scoot Scoot from the Summer of 2009. Unfortunately, it was one of the first things to go when the economy really hit the tank. But thankfully things are starting to turn around and Josh found this new beaut on Craigslist.

To be honest, I wasn't happy at first that this arrived home about a month ago. There was no "wife consult" and I was under the impression that it cost quite a bit. After further inquiry I learned this little bugger was 10 years old, didn't run, and Josh literally got a bargain for this, like it almost felt like stealing...but not really.

After some mild repairing, tons of hours on YouTube learning how to fix the engine, and the replacement of a some seriously dim lights, Josh has a new toy. I am not sure who is more excited about it, Josh or Joey.

*Disclaimer: Before we have any quick to judge, yes that is Joey wearing a bicycle helmet, no, he does not ride on it for outings with Josh. However, he did get to go for a slow, slow ride around the cul-de-sac (in the background) and he loved it. He loved the ride as much as the time he spent "helping" Daddy work on repairing it.

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-06-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

-I am 31 weeks! Where the heck is the time going? The first 20 weeks were like the longest of my life...well really 15 weeks, since I didn't even know I was pregnant for the first 5. Better then not knowing for the whole pregnancy, like on that show, "I didn't know I was pregnant."
I had some mild Braxton Hicks contractions earlier in the week that freaked me out. I never have had them before so I got worried for like 2.5 seconds, but then they stopped and all was good again.

Supposedly this is what the baby looks like this week...courtesy of Babycenter

I only say supposedly, b/c with the amount of movement and kicking that is going on in my uterus, you would think this baby was a 4 legged, octopus like sort of creature who finds pleasure in doing flips and rolls inside me in all hours of the day! Just kidding...I love the all the movement. It's one of my favorite parts of pregnancy. =)

-Nesting has officially commenced! I started on the nursery/craft room this week and let me say...it is looking amazing. Josh's parents have graciously offered up their crib they had for Joey so we don't have to buy a new one, cough (because some unnamed doctor told us that we wouldn't be able to get pregnant on our own, so we subsequently sold all of Joey's baby stuff), cough....excuse me! The crafting side of the room is pretty much complete, now I need to incorporate the nursery side. Here is a sneak peak....

This picture is now out of date though...as that ugly grey desk is no longer grey. =)
The room reveal will happen as soon as it is complete though, which will be in about a month.

-Josh took a short trip to Las Vegas with his buddy, Craig. There they met up with Pino, one of our closest friends who moved to Arizona over a year ago. They had so much fun as evidenced by the pictures and videos that Josh has shown me. I didn't even have to ask to see if they behaved in Vegas. These three boys are like the most harmless hooligans I know!

-Joey had a rough week. His words, not mine and it included all of his toys being put away in the closet for him to earn back. I changed schedules at the daycare and only go from 10:45 to 1pm, before we would start our day there at 7:30. Because Joey is a true creature of habit, the adjustment has not been easy for him, as evidenced by his unruly behavior that included potty words, hitting, kicking and pretty much being defiant. I hope its a phase, because this week was difficult for us both. As I have said before, I am very self conscience of what others think of Joey and of his behavior in general. It is amazing to see the vast difference in his attitude when he is at daycare as opposed to being at home with me. The difference is night and day and I am sure a lot of it is showing off for the other kids in his class.

-But of course Joey is still the little man of my heart and knows how to crack me up. The other day Joey somehow managed to work "boob" and "Jesus" into the same sentence. How you ask? "Mommy, Jesus is in my heart, right next to my boob." And if that wasn't enough, he also had this to say, ""Mommy, is Jesus gonna get big in my heart and make my boobs big like the baby gets big in your tummy?" I cannot make this stuff up, even if I tried!
While I was working in the craft room today Josh and Joey were outside working and playing. I looked out my window to see Joey lying toppled over in our flowers with the bike on top of him. I asked him if he was OK and all he could muster to say was, "I took the turn too sharp." Gee ya think? =)

-And finally, I really have to show off one of my coupon trips from this week at Albertson's.

I got all of this for $2.76!
Last week, there was a deal that if you bought $100 in gift cards you got a $20 coupon to use like cash on your next purchase. I bought several gift cards to use over the next couple of months for places like BabiesRUs, where I know I will be spending some serious money at soon. The only thing I didn't know what that these $20 coupons expired within the week and you could only use one per transaction, so I shopped to my hearts content. For this transaction I was able to get about 6 pounds of meat and the other obvious foods using manufacturer coupons, plus the $20 coupon for a savings of almost 99%!

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-06-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

-Holy goodness I hit the 29 week tomorrow! Things are starting to really creep up and everything is becoming more surreal and more tangible. Not sure why it wasn't before, but now I feel like a little bit of nesting is kicking in plus a whole new wave of creativity and inspiration for all things baby related. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new baby fabric I purchased off of fabric.com

-Creativity is bursting in me in the forms of decorating. My task at hand is to find a way to make our office a nursery/office/craft room without it really looking like the latter two. I am pretty set on having the capabilities of a craft room mainly because my dining room table is more of a driveway for Joey's trains, planes, cars and trucks and apparently does not accommodate my sewing machine or scrapbooking supplies; plus I don't like hauling my sewing machine in and out.

-For the meantime I am sharing my dining room table with toys and meals and whipped up this cute little toss pillow in less than an hour this afternoon. I am planning for this pillow to sit on my upholstered office chair that I don't have yet. =) I love this Alexander Henry fabric and really want to incorporate this fabric for my craft space, but also still have it mesh well with a boy nursery. My dirty little secret with this pillow is that I sewed 3/4 of it and hot glued the seam shut where I stuffed in the pillow stuffing. I never learned how to whip stitch, let alone hand sew and since this pillow won't get much use I said, "why not?"

-Along with all this crafting madness comes a lot of frustration. I scored this sweet, outdated lamp for 5 bucks at a garage sale on Friday. I picked up a $4 can of light blue spray paint and went to work. The first and second layers went on great yesterday, but today when I went to put on the final layer the paint started to crack, completely ruining the finish. I failed to take the time to prime and sand it because I thought the first layer of spray paint would act as the primer and that is where I went wrong. It makes me feel very frustrated because part of the reason I take the time to visit the DIY craft blogs is to be able to do these projects and do them frugally and in my taste. Hitting that bump in the road today felt like a derailment to me. I hate not doing things right and when I make a mistake, it makes me feel timid to try again or try something new. But thankfully I have a husband and a brother who were there to give me the easy fix for a project that should look great when its done. Plus, did I mention the lamp base that is going to be blue matches the blue in the above Alexander Henry fabric?

-Yesterday was my Sister-in-Law, Katy's graduation BBQ. She got her Masters in Library Science and is officially able to be a librarian. Joey and I shot down to Olympia to hang with her and the family. Josh had to work, or he would have been in on the fun too. Joey had such a great time. He is at that age where I can sit down and enjoy conversation and food, while he can run around and play and stay out of trouble....for the most part. At one point he disappeared inside their house and I caught him with his Uncle Jason having a jam session on his drum set. I have a feeling Joey will be musically inclined.

-I realized last week that I was talking about how much I was going to miss my job after it's over next week, but good news! I am staying through the end of July as a very; very part time person. I get to break the staff in a variety of classrooms from 10:45-12:30 daily. This means I get to spend time with the kiddos and I get to sleep in and not be too worried about how much of a night owl I have been lately. Best of both worlds!

Fabric.com

2011-06-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

I am so excited. I just made my first purchase on fabric.com! I plan on making a lot of the stuff for baby this time around. Blankets, a cloth mobile, a sling, a nursing cover, and diaper clothes (spit up rags). The fabric I just bought is for the diaper cloths, but I have a feeling I bought too much. Oh well, it can be up-cycled to something else. The cloths themselves should be super easy to make since the material is made out of flannel. I plan on backing with chenille or a solid flannel color with quilt batting. I surf around on etsy.com frequently and have been inspired by a lot of the projects. Some of them look like things I can do, but there are some things I am too timid to attempt.

The fabrics on fabric.com came from different collections. I have fallen in love with Michael Miller's and Amy Butler's design collection. I love the colors and quality, however I am not in love with the price. Good thing a quick Google search provided me with free shipping and $10 off my order. Woot!

How cute are that guitar print? And those owls?!

28 weeks

2011-06-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

* How Far Along: 28 weeks? Just hit 7 months
* Size of baby: About 2.5 pounds, 14 inches. About the size of a chinese cabbage.
* Total Weight Gain/Loss: 23 pounds. Weighed in at the doctor today. I was happy to see I only gained about 3 pounds since the last check up, granted I didn't drink much or eat before I went in.
* Maternity Clothes: Yikes, some of my maternity clothes are getting tight, but since I borrowed from someone slightly smaller then me I am not surprised. I am leaning more on my target gouchos and comfy Toms shoes for work. In fact I just bought another pair today.
* Gender: A boy, still. Although the kids at the daycare can never remember that.
* Movement: I think this kid is practicing gymnastics inside of me. Last night he was moving so much and when I put Josh's hand on my stomach to feel the movement he would move to the other side. He was playing keep away from Daddy!
* Sleep: Gone are the restful, peaceful nights. I am having trouble getting to sleep and staying there. I can tell the Restless Leg Syndrome is also kicking in.
* What I miss: I don't really miss anything. In fact I am welcoming back some slightly hard working energy and being more motivated.
* Cravings: MILK! So good!
* Symptoms: Hormonal mood swings. My poor brother has gotten the worse of it!
* Best moment this week: I felt like today's doctor appointment went well. Lately I have been getting easily anxious and upset and felt nervous to go to see my doctor; but he was so friendly and personable today that it really made a difference in my mood. I am also really glad that this pregnancy is less complicated. Not that the other one was, but I feel healthier and more at ease with this one.
* What Joey thinks: He still is genuinely excited, although I think that will change when the baby comes; at least for the first week or so. I am seriously considering letting him name his brother though. We are coming up blank on the name game here!

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-06-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

This post is brought to you by a very tired Momma.

-I officially have 11 days of work left as the normal classroom assistant for schoolmates. I am starting to get sad, and am hesitant about leaving. Obviously I have to resign, but the kids there have been so amazing and wonderful. It has been one of those jobs that has been extremely challenging and fulfilling all at the same time. I have never had a job where my coworkers have been so nice and the kids are genuinely excited to see you. The great thing about this place though is, that even after I leave, I still get to come back and take Joey 2 days a week and see everyone there. I also have a good relationship with the office that I am sure me volunteering from time to time would be no problem.

-Tomorrow I enter 7 months of pregnancy and I can really start to feel it. Sleeping is difficult. It is almost a requirment to take a nap everday and I feel uncomfortable in almost any position I am in. Of course I will take the discomforts because being pregnant at this point is a miracle and Josh and I can't believe that after 3 years of trying to conceive we would be blessed with a second child; even though all the odds were against us.

-Last Wednesday marked the end of volleyball for me for atleast the year. We won the finals in 3 games...thankfully. I don't think I could have gone anymore games. I am going to miss my teammates, but hopefully I can get back into the swing of things come club season and winter league which both start in January of 2012.

-Josh continues to be such an amazing husband and father. Joey and him like to "work" in the garage and it's becoming a nightly routine for them. He is such a supportive husband and am so thankful for how thoughtful and loving he is.

-I've started full fledged couponing again after a several month long hiatus. The new tv show, Extreme Couponing has really changed the way coupons are being used and the amount of people using them in the area is crazy. It's almost a competetion now. If you want to partake in a good deal you better hope you get to the sale on the first day or get your newspapers before they are all sold out. The whole craze now is extremely frusterating because cashiers are less patient and even if you use a couple of coupons you are lumped into the "crazy" category. I miss the 2.5 years ago when it wasn't so complicated and less people where doing it, but I do love that more people want to save money though. Full price should never be an option. I have stocked up on atleast a month supply of diapers, but not all the same sizes, so I hope to still come across more deals soon. Tonight I am prepping for some good deals to take advantage of after I get off of work tommorow, but sleepiness is really starting to set in!

-The weather is starting to become warmer and Joey and I are getting in as much outdoor time as the heat will allow. We set up a slip and slide into his kiddie pool in yesterdays 78 degree weather, but the slide was neither slippery or slidey, even with water. Oh well, Joey hardly noticed. I like soaking up the sun and watching Joey play. I am so grateful that we have the whole summer to play just the two of us.

-Today was a nice day to rest and relax. We headed down to Lacey for Church with Josh's family and a nice lunch of IHOP afterwards. Joey and I snuggled for a 3 hour long nap and I cooked a delcious dinner of chicken and twice baked fully loaded mashed potatoes. While cooking I realized I was out of butter. I asked Joey if he wanted to go to the store with me real quick and he said yes. He very hurredly got our video camera around his neck and camera bag on his shoulder and said he was ready. I really wonder what kind of adventure/expedition he thought we were going on to the store.

scene and heard Sunday

2011-05-29T14:28:00.001-07:00

-For the first time in a while 2/3rds of the family is actually enjoying a weekend without big plans. Josh's work is open today and tomorrow for the Memorial Day Weekend Holiday. Joey and I have just been hanging out. We went shopping for a little bit today and to lunch at Red Robin with Paris. We hit up Kohl's and Joann's. I literally had to convince Joey that buying him new underwear is a good thing. For some reason he was adamant about no new underwear, until I told him that even the really big kids (me and daddy) wear them. I could have spent hours in Joann's looking around at everything and buying craft items but I stuck to some scrapbook paper and a wood plaque and paint for a present I am making for a bridal shower.

-I am still putting together the nursery...in my head. We really haven't done much in preparation for this baby and I am starting to get nervous. I am almost 27 weeks and in 3 weeks we are going on a 2 week vacation so I really am cutting it down to the wire it seems. I've started stocking up on diapers at a price point I am comfortable with, but not too much else is done. I feel like maybe I need an intervention or something or at least someone to force me to stop dawdling. It is interesting to see though how much more prepared you are for the first pregnancy then latter ones. By 27 weeks with Joey, I already had the nursery all ready and everything.

-Josh discovered not too long ago that Little House on the Prairie is on daily on the Hallmark Channel. Naturally I gave him a hard time about watching it at first, but to be honest, it has become one of our favorite things to watch at night. Each episode always has a good story and good lesson. I loved reading the books as a kid. In telling this to my sister and her boyfriend yesterday we got majorly made fun of, but who cares. It's better then the Jersey Shore...right?

-This week will be my last week of volleyball until after the baby comes. We won the league for the 8th time in a little under 3 years and we are going for an 8th championship as well. Next year Nationals are in Salt Lake City, but I am unsure of where we will be in a year from now. I imagine my life will be a lot different and complicated then it is currently. =)

-I can't end this post without a picture of Joey. This kid seriously cracks me up and it amazes me how independent he is. He knows how to pour his own cereal and milk without making too much of a mess and he emulates his dad perfectly while he watches TV and eats.

He vacuums?

2011-05-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

He may not be a pro at it, but I can always count on Joey to help me clean, especially vacuum. He got a little bit of the floor done, but decided I should finish....just so he could take pictures of me cleaning. Thanks!

And to take some of his feet.

26 weeks

2011-05-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

* How Far Along: 26 weeks? Just about 6.5 months along!
* Size of baby: Almost 2 pounds and about 14 inches
* Total Weight Gain/Loss: 20 pounds. I gained almost 10 pounds in a month. Not sure why, but the same thing happened at the same time while pregnant with Joey.
* Maternity Clothes: Fully in maternity clothes. I can still wear my regular stretchy pants, but as Josh so graciously pointed out yesterday that I was hanging out the bottom of one of my athletic t-shirts.
* Gender: A boy!
* Movement: He's a night mover, that's for sure!
* Sleep: I am not to uncomfortable with sleeping, but I do notice that I fall asleep quickly, but wake up constantly. Also, my sleep clock wakes me up at 5:58 every morning, which is good seeing that my alarm is set for 6.
* What I miss: I miss the feeling of having a normal body and surprisingly I miss working out. Not that I did it much pre-pregnancy, but I crave going on a run.
* Cravings: I frequently ask my boss if she is bringing in cupcakes to work.
* Symptoms: stretching, lower back pain, swelling, water retention, great hair.
* Best moment this week: A little girl in Joey's class asked me today what was in my stomach and then tried to lift my shirt up. She then asked if I had eaten my baby. That is a new one I haven't heard yet!
* What Joey thinks: Joey proudly wears his Big Brother shirt and was pretty upset yesterday when him and another kid got into a scuffle and his shirt got stretched out in the neck. I know he expresses excitement about the baby for now, but it's been difficult to explain to him that he can't "play" with him from the get go.

Belly Shot

Of course, Joey didn't want to be left out so he did his own belly shot.

Stuff my Joey says....

2011-05-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

I realized that I am terrible at remembering the cute things Joey does in time to write them down or blog about it. Last night, while getting ready for bed Joey said something funny and it made me think about what was the best way to write this. So I came up with a new label, "Stuff my Joey says". Most of the stuff that comes out of his mouth is hilarious. He has a real knack for humor. So here is the first installment of...."Stuff my Joey says"!

5/10
"Mommy, why do we have backs? Why do we have shoulders? Why is my hair spikey? What is that? What is this? Mommy, why am I not allowed to smell my butt?"

5/11
Me: "Joey, we are not allowed to touch people's butts or boobies, it's inappropriate."
Joey: Starts laughing hysterically..."Mommy, you said boobies!"

5/12
Post Lunch
"Mommy, may I have my Chocolate Easter Bunny?
"No, you can't."
"Mommy, why don't you love me all the days?"

Busy bee's

2011-05-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging quite like I want to as of lately. I am feeling more normal again so I am using that new found energy and motivation to get some things done. Although, I could totally go for some extra motivation these days. It's starting to get nice and warm out. I think that helps with my attitude and my energy. I seem to always breeze through work easily and happily, but anything else I have to do seems tedious and arduous. So I think for this post I am going to do a list/bullets type thingy.

1. Mother's Day was nice and low key. I realized after Easter and commuting to both of our parents house, plus Church, that it was just too much. Josh, Joey and I don't get to spend very much time as a family. Sunday's are our only days together as a whole. So for Mother's Day, seeing it's partly my day, I made the plans. I sent Josh down to visit his Mom for a couple of hours and I went and had brunch with my Mom and Joey. We met back up in the afternoon and I bought, as a treat at the store, a Lobster tail and New York Sirloin for dinner. I also had two left over steaks for myself to practice cooking on. So for the last two nights I have gotten to BBQ steak while Josh is away. I am working on perfecting Medium Rare, and am getting close.

2. I did our baby registry at BabiesRUs the other day. I didn't register for much, just the essentials at this point. I am starting to buck down and get some things ready for the baby, but I have a lot to do! Josh cleaned out the office for me so I can start organizing the nursery and putting it together. I have found some cute, cute slings on etsy.com that I have fallen in love with. I am hoping to try to make them myself though, so I can have numerous colors and variety.

3. Next weekend we go to San Diego for Aunt Judy's memorial service. She was Josh's Aunt and she was just a fun loving, faith filled person. So, while it's unfortunate the circumstances we are going down there are sad, we do get to see some of Josh's other family members and catch up.

4. I am winding down my post as classroom assistant in the Schoolmates Room come mid-June. They end their school year on June 21st, which will also be my last day as an assistant. I will occasionally fill in as a sub as needed, but this summer is dedicated to preparing for our new bundle of joy. I am sad to go, as it seems I just started working, but I will never forget what I have learned working at the daycare. It has shown me the type of Mom I want to be and has definitely taught me that parenthood is not black and white. What I have assumed about parenting techniques and discipline have gone out the window and I have learned so much about the development of children in a real life setting. This will be a job that I am ever grateful for.

23 Weeks

2011-05-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Shelley over at The Sprouffskes *Life on the Farm* did a very neat survey/record of her pregnancy, so I "borrowed" it from her page to keep track of the rest of my pregnancy. It's easier then trying to think up one on my own. Thanks Shelley! Also congrats to the Sprouffskes who just welcomed their second boy into the family on Monday, John Paul Emeric.

* How Far Along: 23 weeks? Is that really all it is? Apparently I had to go check
on babycenter.com how far along I was b/c I forgot. Way to go awesome Mom!
* Size of baby: Just over a pound.
* Total Weight Gain/Loss: 14 pounds. I've really shot up in the weight in the last couple of weeks. But, I should be gaining about a pound a week now.
* Maternity Clothes: My volleyball teammate, Heather is graciously letting me borrow her maternity clothes since I seem to have given away all of mine. I can wear my normal tops and sweaters, but I am in maternity pants all the way. I attempted to try on a pair of my regular jeans the other day. It. Was. Not. Pretty.
* Gender: A boy!
* Movement: He is very active, especially when I can concentrate on the movement...mainly at night. He has hiccups too, which I forgot how weird that felt.
* Sleep: I am doing ok on the sleep front. I wake up a lot for no reason. I am slightly uncomfortable and try really hard to lay on my sides.
* What I miss: I miss not feeling normal and having energy, but it doesn't bother me. This is such a wonderful blessing!
* Cravings: Omelets. I make them when I get home from work in the morning. Probably why I have so much weight gain!
* Symptoms: A belly?
* Best moment this week: A kindergartner at work asked me what I was doing after I dropped him off at school. I told him I was going home but would be back to work at 3. He goes, "oh...do you think you will have your baby then and bring him back with you?"
* What Joey thinks: Joey is so excited to be a big brother. He tells everyone he meets. He isn't quite sure on how that baby got in there and ask if everyone is having a baby. A couple of days ago he asked me if the baby in my tummy would be coming out of my mouth. Yes Joey...something like that.

Day 13

2011-04-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

A picture of your favorite band or artist.

This is one of the only cds I have ever bought where I literally love every song on it. Their music just speaks to me and I like how the songs are pure.

Happy Birthday Joey!

2011-04-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

Joey, today is your 4th birthday. 4 years ago today we welcomed you to the world and you have made us so happy ever since. The amount of love we have for you is unable to be put into words. At this moment you have 14 more years until you can be the boss; since you ask me everyday, "can I be the boss yet?" I think it might be a preschool thing, but just in case, 18 is when you can be the boss. We love you Joseph Benedict!

love, mom and dad

Day 12

2011-04-09T09:07:00.001-07:00

A picture of something you love.

It is impossible for me to put into words how much I love Josh and Joey. When I try it overwhelms me with emotion and the tears flood the keyboard. I can only say I never knew it was possible to love like this.

Day 11

2011-04-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

A picture of something you hate.

Complaining. Negativity. Whining. It's all the same to me. It drives me nuts. A little bit is ok, even healthy; but the incessant, unnecessary, constant complaining of the things we have no control over set me over the edge. It's so much easier to complain then it is to speak gratitude. Why is that? We should be praising the goodness in our lives, not dwelling on the negative. I am a glass half full kind of gal and usually look for a deeper meaning as to why things happen the way they do. My mantra: Stop complaining and go solve the problem. If you can't solve, change the way you think about it!

Day 10

2011-04-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

A picture of someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.

Ok, so since you I am already married to the best person ever and we are in it for the long haul, I want to have some fun with this post. So...I am posting a picture of my "crush I could see myself with."

What can I say? I have a thing for older men. Mark Harmon from NCIS is dreamy and all man.

Day 9

2011-04-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

My main squeeze, my man.
Josh and I have a very special relationship. I've never met anyone else who works harder or dedicates himself more than my husband. He truly works hard everyday for his family. He supports me through my roughest times and knows when I just need to be left alone. If I ever need a laugh, he is the one to do it. We both have a weird sense of humor and its not unusual for us to be having a regular conversation only to throw in an off the wall "Family Guy" quote or something else random.

Oh yeah, and yes, 6'8" Josh can roller skate really really good. It's very eery.

Day 8

2011-04-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

A picture that makes you laugh.

I would choose this picture! Poor Joey. This kid has some embarrassing pictures. What was supposed to be a cute picture of him getting a bath as a newborn amounted into me accidentally catching him peeing midstream. To this day I still have problems with his aim. But I have plenty of embarrassing pictures to make up for it!

Day 7

2011-04-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

A picture that shows your true self.

This picture is circa 2005, my senior year on the volleyball team.
Let me refer you back to this day one post, bullet number 2 entitled I.AM.A.DORK! If you can't tell, this is me impersonating Chewbacca. I also can do a mean Wookie roar. Ask anyone.

Day 6

2011-04-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

A picture of somewhere you've been.

A couple months before Joey was born we went to Hawaii. It's the second time Josh and I have gone together and we had so much fun. This picture was taken right before we went snorkeling. I hope we can go back soon.

Day 5

2011-04-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

A picture of your favorite memory.

This past Halloween is one of my favorite memories because Josh and I both got to take Joey Trick or Treating. Normally Josh has to work on Halloween, but since it was on a Sunday this year, Josh had the day off. It was fun to dress up with Joey and for Josh to see him have so much fun. Joey was adamant about being a blue dinosaur for Halloween and it proved very difficult to find a costume that fit that criteria. We ended up finding the one he is wearing on Amazon.com. It was a size or two too small, but Joey didn't mind. This was the first year that Joey really did understand the concept of Trick or Treating and to see that smile on his face as he ran from house to house was priceless.

Day 04

2011-04-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

A picture of your night.

Our nights typically consist of hanging around the house. Joey likes to take my ipod and try to watch a movie in the cupboard when he knows it's near bedtime.

Day 3

2011-03-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

NCIS is such an amazing show. It's one of the only shows my husband and I both equally love!

Day 2

2011-03-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

Sadly, this picture was taken almost two years ago. Time for a new one! Holly, my sister, and I weren't really close when we were teenagers but we sure knew how to torture each other when we were younger. We had our own personal version of sisterly warfare and it was not pretty; titty twisters anyone? Through the years our relationship has gone from difficult to close knit. She has been an amazing aunt to Joey and a very supportive sister. I don't know what I would do without Holly as my sister.

Day One of 30 Day Challenge

2011-03-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

10 Facts about me

1. I chose this picture because I am feeling fat and pregnant. This was taken last May in Vegas and I am about 10 pounds lighter and not trying to sound vain, but I look great in this picture. Granted I am pregnant now and have gained weight, but sometimes I struggle with feeling and looking my best. I actually wore this shirt yesterday with a blue cardigan to work, but I am thinking I look a little bit different. I so want to be tan again. Of course only a fake one...I prefer self tanner over a tanning bed, for obvious reasons.

2. I. AM. A. NERD. Always have been, always will be and I am proud of it. Anything from reading and watching Harry Potter over and over again, to making Star Wars jokes, (anyone remember, "May the Fourth be with you") being dorky is what defines me...ask anyone. I am also married to a pretty big and cute dork. Our kids are screwed.

3. I can't wait until February 2029. This is when all the sealed and classified records of the JFK assassination will be made public. As a firm believer of a cover up, I hope to see exactly what kind of classified information was collected by the Warren Commission to make the public think that it would buy such stories as the magic bullet theory and the lack of chain of evidence during the investigation. In my own opinion I believe that a rogue operation stemming from the highest levels of our government took part in the assassination as a means to keep from withdrawing from the Vietnam War under JFK.

4. I can be easily confusing. I tend to think in my head and not share all the details with the person I am talking to. For example, I bought a wall coat rack intending to use it as a hooded towel holder for the kids bathroom. I only told Josh that I wanted it hung in the bathroom, not telling him where or how I wanted to use it. He didn't read my mind and hung it up high and out of reach. Whoops.

5. I hold a special place in my heart for "problem children." As a parent with a child who has SPD, it is hard to deal with others who feel like my kid has behavioral problems and can't see him for the truly amazing kid he really is. I am so lucky to work at a daycare that cares so much about my kid. Joey's teachers are truly amazing and have helped him more than they know. As a result of having Joey, I have become a more patient person towards those who are difficult or misunderstood, especially children.

6. I have a strong urge to move to California or any other place that has a good climate. I am so over this wet and cold Washington weather.

7. When I was younger I had a big ol' crush on Billy Ray Cyrus. The singer with the mullet who sang "Achy Breaky Heart." I had a big poster of him on my wall that my dad, of all people, got me. His daughter is Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana. I feel old!

8. When we were in junior high my friend Kara and I loved Austin Powers. We were so oblivious to the sexual innuendos that engulfed the entire movie. For her birthday one year I bought her a personalized license plate for her car, named the Shaggin' Wagon. The plate said, "It's the Shaggin' Wagon Baby Yeah!" At the time we couldn't understand why her Mom wouldn't let her actually put it on her car. That is how oblivious and naive we were.

9. I can't imagine a life where my husband and Joey don't exist. In a lot of ways my life started when these two came into the picture.

10. Sometimes I think it would be cool to run for a local office or be in politics. But I have a feeling that there is way to much incriminating evidence out there for me to even have a chance. =)

30 day challenge

2011-03-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Straight up stolen from Kara's page!
Let the fun begin!

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your night.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of somewhere you've been.
Day 07 - A picture that shows your true self.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of you and your friends.
Day 17 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 18 - A picture of your favorite place.
Day 19 - A picture of a habit you wish you didn't have.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture that confuses you.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you crave a lot.
Day 25 - A picture of you last year and how you've changed since then.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-03-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

-We have a new addition to our family. It's called Josh's mustache. I am not sure if I quite have all the details, but he has been growing it for about a month because he lost a bet at work. There is no word when this "addition" will be leaving.

-I finally broke down and opted to do a belly shot. I never did one early on while being pregnant with Joey. As a matter of fact there aren't too many pictures of me pregnant with him...and that is probably a good thing.
I am 18 weeks in this picture. It is weird that some days I seem bigger and like this one I feel there is hardly any bump there.

-Not to be outshone by Daddy's mustache and Mommy's baby bump, Joey wanted to show off his bump/tattoo. I can't take credit for that tattoo or it's placement...that is all my sister's doing.

-I prepared my first seafood dinner last night for my friend Paris and I. It was surprisingly not hard. We stuffed our faces full of crab, shrimp, and lobster. It was buttery delicious. I may have created a monster within myself though. I realized how simple and quick it is to prepare, but the recipes I used called for copious amounts of butter, probably not the best for you.

-Wednesday marked the 6th time out of 7 seasons that we have won our league for volleyball. This team started in September of 2008 and has been going strong ever since. We do travel about 30 minutes up to Kent to play in this league, but have found it offers the most competition. Hopefully we can continue our win streak even with fatty me playing along.

-It really wouldn't be a week without some daycare stories to share.
On Monday I came back from my week vacation and the kids were pretty excited to have me back. We were playing pretend games where I was Queen Mother Keana and I was giving everyone jobs to do which include shoulder rubs and plans to take over the world. Everything was going swimmingly, until the 8 and 9 year old girls suggested we all pretend that I was going into labor and to give birth to my baby. I drew the line there. For some reason, I am not sure these girls exactly realize what goes into giving birth, but let's keep them innocent for awhile!
I ended the week having to talk to two sets of parents because two first grade boys were "practicing a popular Michael Jackson move, and I am not talking about the Moonwalk." It really does surprise me what these kids know at such a young age.

Scene and Heard Sunday

2011-03-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

-Yesterday morning, my friend Paris, whom I work with, came over to watch Joey while I went to my volleyball tournament. Joey asked if he could go and I said maybe when Aunt Holly came to pick him up, she would take him. When they came to the tournament in the afternoon, Joey sat with my friend Heather and watched me play. At one particular point in the game he looked at Heather and said, "that's my Mommy, she is awesome at volleyball." I love how Joey is very into making observations as of lately.

-I am starting to feel baby move around a tiny bit. It's hard to tell because I have discovered that I am lactose intolerant this pregnancy and any time I have dairy my stomach is a rumbling and there is major gas build-up which feels similar to baby movement.

-I enjoyed a nice long week vacation from work. I realized how much I miss being a stay at home mom. I resign from my position around the end of June when school is out for the kids. I will miss everyone at the daycare so much, but am so grateful to have had that place as a part of my life, even if it was short.

-On Saint Patrick's Day, my cousin Laura and her husband, Dave were up visiting from San Jose so they came over to my house for a traditional St. Patty's day dinner with all my family. We all had a great time and even though I didn't love my own cooking that particular night, everyone else said they did.

-I am so grateful to still be playing volleyball and doing so with a healthy pregnancy. I didn't play when I was pregnant with Joey and wasn't so active at all, so this time I notice that I have kept the weight down better. I can definitely tell I am slowing down on the court and am having to make some adjustments on hitting, but I am so glad that my team is understanding and that we are blessed with subs, especially during yesterday's tournament. I injured my foot near the arch and am not sure what I did. It feels like a big cramp in my foot, but won't go away; so this week I have to go to the doctors to get that checked out. Apparently your arches can soften out during pregnancy, so I am not sure if this is a symptom or an injury at this point.

-I want to leave off this post with a funny quote from Joey. One night this week I was tucking him to bed when he said,

"Mommy, when I grow up I am going to get big, and my legs are going to get big, and my butt is going to get big and your butt is going to get big!"

Gee thanks Joey! In retelling this quote to Josh, Joey then also mentioned that Aunt Katy's and Uncle Jason's butts would get big too. Ouch! Let's hope his foresight is not on target this early.

Settling In

2011-03-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

I took this last week of work off to finally get things put away in our new house. I still have lots of work to do, but I am starting to get excited for the ideas bursting in my head for decorating. I was finally able to start decorating our shelves since Josh has finished up the wiring for surround sound. One of my first "decorating" projects was hanging pictures and my collage I had made at our apartment.

I am really happy with how the collage turned out.
One of the big things I am trying to be open about is mixing in Joey's things with our decor. It's his house too and by golly, if he wants his "home office" set up right near the window, then he has the right to.

This has really given me inspiration for decorating our master bedroom and the nursery. Today my mom and I are headed out to Ikea and Pier One to get ideas. I am really digging light green this year for my bedroom and I have a good idea in my head about how I want the nursery to look. Think Carrie Bradshaw's apartment in the first Sex and the City movie. That blue color gives me envy, only if its a girl though. Hopefully I can get the go ahead from Josh to paint. Even though its a rental, they said we can paint; and actually, we hope to buy this house at some point.

The difference a haircut makes.

2011-03-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

Man Child.

Clean cut almost - 4 year old.

Joey

2011-03-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

I don't think its possible that I could love Joey more today then the day I gave birth to him, but my love seems to grow exponentially greater every day I am blessed to have him in our lives.

Last night we started a new tradition of Joey singing to baby. He's still a little confused on the details of how there is a baby in my tummy, seeing that there is just nothing there to evidence the fact. I explained that baby was the size of an apple at this point but would grow big to be a baby, it just takes time. This seems to have quelled his constant request to "take" the baby out of me so he can play with him/her. Anyways, bless his sweet little heart, he sang to baby our song that we sing to each other every night before bed, "You are my Sunshine." He really seems to be taking this big brother business seriously. Anytime I ask if he wants to have a baby brother or sister he says he wants a brother and wants to name him, "M, like the Letter of the Day at preschool." Okay.

Speaking of bedtime, we do the same routine every night. Normally I do all the prayers for him and then he sings to me and then I sing to him, but lately he has taken more interest in praying at dinner time, so I've changed it to where he prays and I help lead him. He always insist he needs help praying, but he is getting the hang of it.

Joey has grown up so quick before my eyes. I can't believe that in a few short weeks he will be 4. Although he exhibits wild tendencies on the exterior, inside he is one of the most loving, empathetic little boys I know. One of my favorite things he says is, "Guess what Mommy?" "What?" "I loooooovvvvveeeee you!"

Melts my heart!

The Baby Baking update

2011-03-08T11:44:00.001-08:00

This week my ticker says I have just hit 15 weeks, but I am all sorts of confused because my doctors appointment this week is for my 16 week check up. It's funny that different sources tell you different due dates. Babycenter.com, my doctor, and the ultrasound technician all give me different dates. Oh well. I am sticking with August 29th though because my doctor says I won't go past that. Regardless of dates, we are still baking a healthy, perfect baby.
Babycenter says that my baby this week is:
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light.
I recently went in for a 12 week ultrasound plus lab testing to do a risk assessment. The ultrasound paired with the lab work screen for a multitude of potential problems the baby could have (down syndrome, spina bifida, etc.) While it can't tell exactly if a baby will have a problem, it will provide the risk of having such problems. The doctors seemed very optimistic at the ultrasound and said baby looked wonderful and that baby was very cooperative when it came to checking out all points of interest.
I have definitely noticed a difference in the past couple of days when it comes to morning sickness. It is starting to subside and I notice that my energy is returning. I find it funny that I am able to play in a whole volleyball tournament, but cleaning the kitchen exhaust me. I think that more comes down to what is more fun though. Speaking of volleyball, I continue to play as long as my body allows. I plan on playing up until the end of the 2nd trimester which should get me through the rest of club season and our spring rec league. But the final decision comes down to my doctor.
I am showing a little bit. My boss calls it a little pooch, really it could just be bloat, except it doesn't go away. But I can definitely tell my hips are getting a little bit wider and my pants don't quite fit. I am not going to lie, this is probably a lot more related to my food cravings then anything else.

Best Friends

2011-03-06T08:17:00.001-08:00

Joey and his peers have gotten into a nasty habit in their preschool class about what makes you a best friend and what doesn't. Apparently the criteria is not consistent, nor considerate, but if you take a toy or push someone down you are more than likely to hear, "you aren't my best friend!"
Sounds cute. No? Well when it happens 27 million times per day I can imagine it only gets old and hurtful.
Anyways, this term has resonated over into our family life. The formula looks something like this. Joey gets upset/in trouble = "your aren't my best friend" (for punishing me). Lately, poor Uncle Cody has gotten the brunt end of not being Joey's best friend. Joey's words, not mine. However, if the last week or so has shown any improvement it's that Cody is back on the best friends list. Apparently owning a boat and promises of fishing are Joey's criteria and Cody seems to fit that bill. I think Uncle Cody letting you use his tools to help him lay down hardwood floor doesn't hurt either.

What strikes me about Joey's use of this term is how it means different things depending on the person it's directed at. For his best friend (truly) at school, Carter, is simply his really good friend. Although Carter is wise and tells Joey that he can't be best friends if he uses potty words. Smart Boy. But for Joey, in his eyes, Mommy is his real best friend. He tells me this all the time. "Mommy, you are my best friend." This happens at least 10 times a day. My first inclination was to put a stop to this, as I don't believe that parents and children are meant to be friends in any way. But I started to realize that for Joey, it is another way for him to say, "I love you, Mommy." Last night we were sitting on the couch, snuggling, watching Mickey's Silly Problem (for the umpteenth time) and he turned around, squeezed me tightly, and professed his love, "you are my best friend."

This warms my heart. Sometimes he just says, "I love you!" But other times, the other phrase is his way of saying, "I really love you."
There are times where I want to find ways to tell Josh or Joey, how much I really love them, because let's be honest, "I love you" sometimes doesn't express it as much as you mean.
So right now, Joey and I are best friends...Daddy too. But I can only imagine this will not last too much longer. I am thinking it's not hip to be "friends" with your Mom in kindergarten.

Happy New Years!

2011-02-20T11:15:00.000-08:00

This new year is definitely a happy one indeed! After being deathly sick the week after Christmas with a horrible sinus infection I felt like calling in the big gun medicines, but I also realized I was 2 weeks late. Any good Mom knows that at the slightest inclination you might be pregnant you don't take anything you aren't supposed to take. So off to the store for a pregnancy test and a Netti Pot. Random buys!
Taking the test I really didn't expect a positive result. In fact I had recently accepted the fact that we would only ever have Joey as our only child. Two years prior my fertility doctor told us our best bet to ever get pregnant again was through IVF. So naturally, the moment you are relaxed and accepting of your lack of fertility you get knocked up! To say we were shocked was an understatement. We never stopped trying to get pregnant, I just never thought it would actually happen.
Josh and I are so happy and even Joey is beyond excited to be a big brother. Today marks 13 weeks along for me. We are due August 29th and are going for a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarian section). I feel so relaxed about pregnancy this time around and am not freaking out about every little twitch of pain or weird feeling like I did with Joey. I have a great doctor and nurse or I see regularly and we are happy to be living in a house now in the great city of Puyallup. Joey has a big backyard to play in and has free reign of being noisy for the time being. In the apartment we were always having to tip toe around to be extra quiet.

A six month break?

2011-02-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

Not so much a break as it was I was busy, delayed, sidetracked, lazy....errr tired. =)I really thought I could slowly get caught up with my post, but I don't think so. So whats better then getting caught up at this point??? A recap of the past 6 or so months.

June/July:
The end of June saw a huge change for our family. Joey started going to daycare/preschool for a couple of days a week so that we could integrate him in with kids. I didn't realize how unsocialized he was until I saw his behavior around other kids. It was anything but a smooth transition. Joey struggled with displaying good behavior and structure. He tended to fight with other kids. There were also some red flags raised with behavior and learning style. I became really concerned and was lucky enough to have some good resources through the director of the daycare and through Multicare.

July consisted of a big 2 week vacation to San Jose, CA and Lake Tahoe, Nevada. My Mom, Joey and I braved the 14 hour drive and were relieved to arrive in San Jose. I used the vacation as an opportunity to wean Joey from his pacifier. I simply told him I forgot it at home and would you believe...the kid hardly missed it. Had I known it was going to be that easy I would have done it a year prior! While in the Bay Area we visited San Francisco, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and took a big hike in Big Basin...Redwoods everywhere! Joey would tell you that the Boardwalk was his favorite part of the whole trip. We got him an unlimited rides bracelet and that kid ran from kiddie ride to kiddie ride. To this day he still ask daily to go to California to ride the rides. Cody and Ashley flew into the Bay Area to meet us and drive up to Lake Tahoe with us. You should have seen my car with all of our luggage plus 5 people. It was a tight squeeze. Cody, Ashley and I visited the casinos to celebrate Ashley's birthday. I taught Ashley how to get free drinks (not hard) and she in turn watched me lose money gambling. As in every year prior we use Lake Tahoe as a place to relax while on vacation. Of course we visited Virginia City and trekked up to Squaw Valley, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics; but for the most part we lounged around, went to the beach and ate lots! At one point at the beach Cody rented a ski doo and Joey got to ride on it. He was so excited. My Mom, Joey and I also took a boat ride on the Lake. We enjoyed some Mimosas and the captain let Joey "drive" the boat. As every year prior, we had such a good time.

August/September

August remained pretty uneventful for us. I was offered a job at Joey's daycare as a substitute whenever needed. It was an exciting change since I had been staying at home with Joey for over 3 years. During this month I mainly helped out with field trips. I also started having Joey tested for the behavior he was exhibiting. The word Autism was tossed around a lot, but after taking a Vineland test with a social worker at Mary Bridge it was apparent to her and to me that while he had some of the symptoms of Autism, he indeed did not place on the Autism spectrum. Instead she encouraged me to seek out further testing for Sensory Processing Disorder. In a nutshell Joey is a sensory seeker. His sensory system doesn't "sense" as well as the average system so it was the reason why Joey has to touch everything or really run into something or someone to feel. His behavior was showing that he was not being body aware and while he was hitting kids constantly, it wasn't in a malicious way...he just didn't realize his own strength. I did lots of research and got a referral for this disorder, but was also encouraged to take Joey to the Tacoma School District for developmental screening to see if he could get into early developmental preschool.
In better news, this month marked the official time that Joey was fully potty trained!

September brought more major changes. As a result of changes at the daycare I was offered a part time position as the classroom assistant for the Schoolmates class (2nd grade to 6th grade). To this day I work a split shift from 7:30-9am where I drive the kids to school (I am a pro at driving 15 passenger vans) and then I come back from 3-5:30pm where i pick the kids up from school and be with them until closing. While I never saw myself working with kids since being a stay at home mom, this job has been the best one I have ever had. The kids are amazing and I have learned so much in the process.
Joey also started in his new classroom this month, the Trackers. The transition was not easy for him. The structure and schedule was pretty rigid and Joey had trouble following the rules and instructions. At one point I had gotten a couple of incident reports home for Joey "strangling" other kids. I use that term loosely because it turns out Joey is a whole head taller or more than the other kids and what was thought as chocking was really Joey giving tight hugs....around the necks of other, smaller children. While things were really dicey in class with Joey, we were able to get him in for a screening with the school district. They tested a broad range of skills (motor, verbal, etc) to see where he was at for his age. We were politely asked not to return as Joey was scoring above average and did not qualify for development preschool.

October/November

October meant saying Happy 30th Birthday to Josh. For as long as I have known Josh he always told me he never thought he would make it to his 30th birthday. This morbid thought always worried me, but I was bound and determined to prove him wrong...and I DID! I threw him a surprise birthday party with the theme as a Halloween Party. He was surprised and I was happy with the turnout and the mass amounts of Halloween decorations we acquired!
While not everything about turning 30 is fun, Josh had to go in for a sleep study for his sleep apnea (that he swore he didn't have, but I beg to differ!). While his heart hadn't really been giving him any trouble it was concluded that sleep apnea could be a big part of his health problems. From irregular heart beats, to constantly being tired to chronic pain, sleep apnea can do a real number on your body and we weren't ever aware of the effects of that. He qualified for a CPAP machine and let me tell you, there is nothing hotter then sleeping next to a creepy masked Josh every night. But I am not complaining...at least he doesn't snore!
On the daycare front Joey and I's class got to celebrate Halloween Parties and Field Trips. What I like about my schedule is that I can work but also spend lots of time with Joey and his class. Joey's Trackers class went to the retirement home this month as well as the fire station. The kids were amazed by the fire trucks and were lucky enough to be there during an actual call out so they got to see the firemen and trucks take off.
One of my very favorite parts about October was Trick or Treating as a family. We took Joey to my parents neighborhood to trick or treat. Joey desperately wanted to be a blue dinosaur this year and would not take any substitutes. It took a while for us to find him the right costume and Amazon.com had one just right for him. Unfortunately it was one size too small, but in Joey's eyes that didn't matter. I even dressed up as a cat to go with Joey. It was awesome b/c one house was giving out full size candy bars to the parents who were dressed up. SCORE!

November

This month was a quiet month for us. It seems that time adjustment has really helped Joey tame down at preschool. I felt lucky enough to have one of my kid's moms in my class as an occupational therapist who deals closely with sensory processing kids. With her help and the help of the teachers and directors at the daycare we were able to sit down and make a plan for Joey to adjust and cope. I can happily say now that the improvements that Joey has made because of that meeting have greatly changed how he behaves and has reduced the stress that I and his teachers have been dealing with. One of treatments that was implemented was a weighted blanket during nap time for Joey. It seems to help him relax and calm himself down for sleeping.
I was suckered into doing a Thanksgiving Day 5k (Norpoint Turkey Trot) with Kara. The days before we had a huge snowstorm and there was ice everywhere. This being my first 5k ever I about died. It probably would have been a better idea to train before hand, but you know how I like winging things. While it was quite demanding and I was pooped afterward it didn't stop me from signing up for another one. Oh yeah and there was nothing more fulfilling then running 3.1 miles and then stuffing my face full of delicious Thanksgiving food afterward. Oh...and some wine too.

December

Oh December! How we love the Holidays. We attended a Young Life Auction where we were the lucky purchasers of a 9 foot tall Christmas tree, fully decorated. Lets just say that that was fun fitting into our apartment.
Andrea and I enjoyed our yearly tradition of making a gingerbread house, but this year I made her run in a 5k before hand. I am almost certain she could have kicked my butt, but she was nice enough to run with me.
This month also marked our 5 year wedding anniversary. Josh surprised me with a trip to Vegas in January. I got him a deep fryer. I can confidently say that we were both happy. As per usual we celebrated Christmas Eve and Josh's parents and Christmas morning at my parents with dinner at our apartment later on.

Silverwood

2010-06-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

Last week, my Mom, Ashley, Joey and I drove over to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and went to the Silverwood Amusement/Water Park. We only got to enjoy the Amusement side though. It was so COLD! Like barely 50 degrees cold. Unfortunately I didn't pack so well for the adverse weather and had to go and buy some tennis shoes for Joey. It was weird going to an Amusement park in jeans and rain coats, but none the less, we had so much fun.

Even though it poured down rain we still were so excited to go on all the rides. My Mom has been talking about taking Joey on rides, probably since the day he was born, so it was no surprise that the first ride she suggested was a roller coaster. REALLY!?!?
Ok, so plug your ears, b/c a bad mom moment is coming on. Joey was definitely tall enough to ride the roller coaster, but just because he was tall enough, didn't mean he was ready. I sat right next to him and watched his face go from excited, to leery (going up the climb), to scared silly.....At that point I pretty much was holding on to him for dear life and my hands covered his eyes. I have to admit, I think I was more scared than him, because at the end of the ride, he wanted to do it all again. SERIOUSLY!?!?! I felt horrible for taking him on a ride that he shouldn't have gone on. Even though he loved it he still said it was scary. And of course, being the worry wart mom that I am, I worried the entire time we were there that he somehow sustained internal injuries. Of course he didn't and he had the time of his life!

We had so much fun going to Idaho. Even though I was born there I, for the most part, was too young to remember much. I loved the small town feel of Coeur d'Alene and maybe someday I can see my family and I living in a small town like that.

Viva Las Vegas

2010-05-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Josh and I headed out to Vegas once again and such a great time.

Apparently Josh was quite the slot machine pro and won us some great show tickets and was able to fund the rest of our trip. Not too shabby. I on the other hand am not a really good gambler. I love all the lights and noise though that the machine makes...oh and the alcohol. =)

We did a lot in our short amount of time there. Included in the festivities where 3 shows. Holly Madison's Peep Show at Planet Hollywood. We had front row seats and it was actually a really cool show. We hit up Criss Angel's Believe at the Luxor and it was neat. On the last night we saw Cirque de Solei's "O" at the Bellagio. It was truly an amazing show. We won free tickets to see "KA" at the MGM but we didn't have an extra night or time to see it, but luckily we had already saw it last year.

Besides gambling and shows we also hit up Madam Tussuad's Wax Museum. Josh and I had a blast taking pictures with the wax figures. We also rode the New York New York Roller Coaster and the Sahara's Nascar Roller Coaster. You should have seen Josh's face when the Nascar Coaster took off so quickly!

We also ate some great food. And by great food I mean the best Guacamole in the world courtesy of Yolo's Mexican Grill. It was so good we went back twice! We also ate at the McDonald's a lot in our hotel room. Gross I know. But they had these delicious Cajun Chickens that haven't been avaliable in Washington for over 10 years now and I just love them. To be honest, we aren't huge food connoisseurs, so anything easy and tasty is right up our alley. =)

By the end of the week we were so eager to get back home and see Joey. My sister flew in all the way from Tennessee to watch him for us!

Driftwood Dash 5k

2010-04-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Kara's sister threw a 5k run to raise money for the Nepal Orphan's Home. She went there in July of last year and it changed her life forever. Ever since, Laura has been finding new ways to raise money to help the Orphans in Nepal.

I have never ever done a 5k...ever. I don't really run and haven't for some time. So I borrowed a jogging stroller and went out with the stroller brigade. It was a lot of fun. My time was 46:55 and was the first stroller in....whoop whoop! That was mostly walking and a slight jog at the end because Joey was not having being in a stroller anymore.

Before the race started the kids did a little dash around the island. Joey brought in the rear. He cheated and cut through half the course and still came in last. Haha!

After the race there was a raffle and I made out like a bandit. Such luck! Or it could be the fact that I purchased 50 raffle tickets though. Joey won a new helmed, knee pads, and elbow pads and I won a free round of golf (which I am gifting to my dad for Father's Day...muhaha).

The Driftwood Dash was so much fun and I am glad to be able to have participated in the race and given back to the Nepal children.

What Joey is up to

2010-04-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

These are the kinds of things I find Joey doing....ALL THE TIME!!!
Silly Boy!!!

The Quad Birthday Party

2010-04-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

So it turns out, on the Callon side of the family there are 4 birthdays within 2 weeks of each other. That's a lot of birthdays, parties, presents, etc.... So this year we opted to throw Joey's, Andrea's, Katy's and my birthday party into one big celebration. We held it at the Grand Residence Center in our Apartments and themed it as a homage to the foods we like. I divided 4 tables and each theme was centered around things that the birthday person liked.

For Joey it was balloons, hot wheels and toys. For the food on his table, we went with Kool Aid and peanut butter and jelly.

For Katy, her table was the appetizer table. She loves chips and dips and Diet Pepsi.

For Andrea, her table was the drink table. Since she loves Crystal Light and Water we did that. Of course I had to throw in her birthday present on the table as well....A bottle of Stoli Blueberry Vodka. She also has a major sweet tooth, so lots of candy was necessary as well!

For my table I decorated it with an appetizer feel as well. I love fruits and veggies, so I put on strawberries and dipping vegetables. I also like wine...so of course it was featured as well!

All in all, we had a lot of fun. For Joey's 1st and 2nd birthday we went all out and had lots of people. But this year we decided to be low key. There are so many birthdays ahead of him full of children and games, so a quiet year worked out well this time.

So Happy Birthday to us all!!!!

Joey's Birthday

2010-04-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

For Joey's Birthday my Mom, Holly, Joey and I went to Spaghetti Factory for lunch. Lucky for Joey, we got to sit in the trolley. He was so excited and couldn't stop looking around and exploring. After lunch, we went over to Toys-R-US for Joey's annual birthday club gifts. He picked out some hot wheels cars (his new love)and was ever so excited.
A few days prior, my Uncle Paul was in town so we did a little birthday dinner for Joey with him as well. Guess what he got him??? More Hot Wheels Cars....guess what I got him for his birthday party? Hot Wheels Cars. I may be in trouble! Before dinner, Joey helped Cody and Uncle Paul work in the garden. Joey is such a helper and was so excited to help out Uncle Cody and "Alca Hall" (Uncle Paul). After my Uncle left to go back home all Joey could talk about was him. Someone has a new best buddy!

Happy Birthday Joey!!!

2010-04-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today you are 3 my big boy! I can't believe it's been 3 years since you came into our lives. You have changed us for the better and you make Mommy and Daddy so happy!

Forks, Washington

2010-04-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

So I will so admit that I am a huge Twilight Fan. Well, not obsessive, but I really enjoy the books and the movies. Jpsj teases me b/c he says I have a crush on the actor that plays Edward, Robert Pattinson; but really I just find Edward's character so romantic and a tad dreamy. Huge difference Josh!
Anyways, my Mom thought it would be fun to go up to Forks (where Twilight takes place) while my Uncle was here visiting. I thought we were just going b/c my Uncle Paul had been up there before, but low and behold I find out my Mom's true intentions on the drive up. She wanted to go so I could tour Forks. We've been there before, but that was years ago before Twilight was even a thought in Stephanie Meyer's mind.
I was kind of embarrassed to admit that we were going...especially when she told the waitress at the restaurant in Port Angeles that that was why we were going. Thanks Mom!

We did have a good time though. The town of Forks is really into the whole Twilight craze and definitely caters to the hype. They landmark certain places in town that correlate to the book, even going as far as labeling Bella's house and the Cullen's house. We also got to go down to La Push Beach on the reservation. It was neat and I actually thought the description of the beach was what I imagined it to be in the books.

Sign at the Fork's Welcome Center

La Push Beach...Joey looks amused

Team Jacob

Team Edward

Bella's Truck

Guess who came to visit?

2010-03-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

My sister, Holly.
I was having one of those horrible days where nothing was going right and I wished my sister was with me. Low and behold, someone knocks on my door at 9pm last night and it's my sister. She flew in from Tennessee a whole month early to come visit me for my birthday....and Joey's. It had been since October since I last saw her. I was expecting her in May to come visit and hang out with Joey, but she opted to make two trips. What a treat!
She went in to wake up Joey and surprise him, but the poor kid was out like a light and so confused. He wasn't really awake, but saw her for a bit. You should have seen him this morning though....biggest smile I have ever seen!

An Avatar Baby?

2010-03-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

Joey and I decided to paint the other night.
I started to realize that I haven't really exercised Joey's creative side, which might be because he is not at all interested in coloring. He opts to break crayons instead. So I opted to break out the paint in hopes of getting some new refrigerator art from Joey.
And this is what I got....

He looks like a little Avatar Baby, but he didn't quite get enough paint on the body.
But thank goodness we used washable paint (he decided to wipe his hands on the chair)! Josh will never know, unless he reads this. =)

In the end I ended up with three new art pieces and Joey got to take a really "colorful" bath!

In like a lion.....

2010-02-28T13:42:00.001-08:00

I can't even believe that tomorrow is March! Where does the time go?

Nothing really new to report here.
I did capture a fabulous picture of Josh the other day.
I am not sure why he was sleeping Joey's room, but he definitely stood out!

On the 19th we celebrated my parents 38th wedding anniversary by going out to dinner. My dad ordered the Flintstones Ribs and boy were we ever shocked! Nice Bib.

Joey got to be one of the boys that night. Josh had to work and typically Joey is better behaved at restaurants when Josh is around but he did well sitting with Uncle Cody and Grandpa.

My Mom and I got the roomier side of the booth!

Joey has been quite the au natural boy lately. The other day I caught him right after his bath looking out the big window in our living room overlooking the main street.

This one was one of the more modest shots I was able to get of him. It kind of looks like he is "holding up" binoculars. I then had to explain to him the finer points of modesty.

Yesterday Joey insisted that he go get his Leo figurine from Little Einsteins that he left in my car. He put my shoes on and was attempting escape but his efforts were futile. This kid just does not believe in pants!

I went to a baby shower yesterday for an old childhood friend of mine. I hadn't seen Lauren since high school but it was so good to catch up. We reminisced a lot and even remembered our plans to move to Santa Cruz and work at the local McDonald's. We were such silly kids.

It did turn out though that she had moved to Santa Cruz after high school and I had worked at McDonald's as a teenager so we both fulfilled parts of our plans. The shower was a blast and I even got to make her a super cute diaper cake.

Lent

2010-02-17T14:09:00.001-08:00

I love Lent. It's a good reminder that we too can be renewed in our faith and in our convictions. It's also a good time to reflect on our priorities (or lack their of) and be able to self assess the changes we need to make in our lives to be more like Jesus.

Josh, Joey and I went to the Ash Wednesday Mass today. Josh and I can both agree that the Gospel of Matthew is one of our favorite gospels and today was no exception. The Gospel, in a gist, talked about that we should make the celebration of our faith a private matter. We shouldn't show off to others how much we pray, fast, or give charity too. By doing so we are bragging and condoning self righteousness. The things we do in our hearts, like any charity work, should be done because its the right thing to do, not because we want to look good in the eyes of others. The only person we need to "look good" in front of is Christ when he face him on judgment day.

Part of the season of Lent means digging deep within our selves to eliminate the temptations we face in everyday life. Jesus spent those 40 days in the desert willfully declining every single temptation the devil put in front of him because he loved us so much. During Lent its time to show Jesus how much we love him back and how strong we can be to resist temptation.

I hope to make this Lent better then any years prior. I hope to teach Joey more about Jesus and find more room in our hearts not only for Jesus but for others as well.

A new venture

2010-02-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

I started something that scares the bejeezus out of me and makes me super nervous.

After a lot of thought and contemplating I started a Mom blog. I knew that I loved to blog and that I had something to say. After narrowing down a couple of options I decided on a blog entitled, Mom of the Year.

It is basically my experience of being a Mom to Joey and talking about the the lighter side of mommyhood. It includes the ins and outs of raising children and also following the notion that every mom aspires to be "Mom of the Year". Of course it's a humorous approach and I talk frequently about "my not so great mommy moments" but I feel like it might be a good outlet for me to contribute to the blog world. At times its candid and revealing which is why I am nervous about the whole thing, but I would kick myself if I didn't start something I really wanted to do. So here it goes!

The link is
Mom of the Year Please come check it out and become a follower if you would like. Down the road I would like to host giveaways and such I hope that you will follow me in this new adventure!

Decorating

2010-02-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

First off I have to say, please check out Just A Girl's Blog. Her design ideas are amazing and one day I want to be able to have a beautiful home to decorate and use her design tips. She truly is brilliant and creative!

Decorating an apartment doesn't seem to go together in one sentence.
Since we have moved in in December I have found it difficult to put things where they mesh well with everything else. This doesn't surprise me, it took me over year to make our last house feel like a home and decorate to a point that it looked cozy. I want to decorate my apartment but am afraid to. One of the hardest parts of moving in the first place was leaving behind the permanent decor in our old house, but I always know that I will have my own place to decorate again.
For now, I am grateful that our apartment management really is all about making our new place feel cozy and comfortable. Before we moved in they painted accent walls for us. We opted to leave the accent walls in the living room and our master bedroom the current color (mocha brown and hunter green). I would never choose to paint my master bedroom hunter green so I opted for the "when in Rome" approach.
When it came to Joey's room, Josh's only stipulation was that he got to pick the color. Since I was the final deciding factor on choosing to call The Metropolitan our home, he wanted to pick the color. This, understandably so, made me nervous. I had plans for a Mickey Mouse themed bedroom and felt only a primary color would suffice. But Josh pleasantly surprised me!
Joey's room was quite simple to decorate without really having to commit any permanence to the decor. I picked up some vinyl decals from Costco that set me back $15 and they are easily removed; although they are a one time use decor. I still need to sew up Joey's comforter which really is the matching bed sheet and some flannel material in circle shapes. I also need to extend the curtains a bit. The windows in his room are surprisingly long!

All in all I am pleased with his room. The design goal was to be a fun kids room but not to commercially or busy. It was also important for me to have a simple and in expensive design that would be OK to change in two years time.

I don't feel like these pictures do the room any justice and I also realize there is so much more I can do, but with being on a limited budget I think I did an OK job!

Decisions

2010-02-13T15:46:00.001-08:00

There are times when I want to be brutally honest and completely raw. I want to bare my soul and impact others. I want to contribute to this thing we called life.
But I can't figure out where to start. I love blogging and I love getting lost in the blogosphere. I have come across the most amazing blogs written that have spanned family, faith, decorating, frugality and everything in between. I want to find a niche in the blogosphere. I think I have something to say and I want to find the way to say it. I have been searching within myself trying to find a creative outlet and I hope I find it soon.

It's Elementary my dear!

2010-02-09T22:49:00.000-08:00

As a child my brother, sister and I were fortunate enough to live right down the street from our Elementary School- Chambers Primary. We could go down our cul-de-sac and through the short path to play on the most awesome playground castle (Well when we were young it was pretty hard core). I have many fond memories of that playground including Mr. Holmes, our dear recess Duty, who used to push us on the swings, extreme games of hide and seek which included hiding underneath the structures and up in the pitches, and hanging off of the tire swing and coming home with nasty knee wounds only to try to explain to my Mom that I didn't get it by dangling off the tire swing while it was in fast motion. I even remember when the community came together to rebuild the playground when a fire, during Fourth of July, burned it to the ground.

Since I enjoyed it so much as a child and lately I have been going over to my parents house almost every other day I started taking Joey to the playground. He loves it so much and his eyes get big every time we go. When we get out of the car to go to Grandma and Grandpa's he attempts to make a big dash down the street to the park, but of course this Mom is always quicker. =)

Going to Chambers the other day and walking around the outside of the school with my Mom and Joey brought back a lot of memories. I remembered where each one of my classrooms were and even with fondness remember the dreaded portables that are still there. On this particular trip I captured some great pictures of Joey having the time of his life. At one point I tried to show him how awesome the teeter totter was but he wanted nothing to do with it, so of course my mom and I tried it out. It's way easier when you are younger...let me tell you! =)

See that blue house in the background? One of my best childhood friends lived in that house and I spent many a days over there having all sorts of fun!

I took this one while on the swings, Joey ran right up to me while I was up in the air and I almost barreled him over.

Crawling out of one of the many hiding places

Birthday Plans

2010-02-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

Can you believe Joey is almost 3?!?!?!

The plans are to have a low key celebration.
I've rented out the Grand Residence Center at my Apartment for....
April 11 starting at 1PM.
Add Joey's birthday on to your calendars and invitations will follow!

I am thinking Mickey Mouse Themed!

Seriously?

2010-02-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am even posting this story!
To preempt it, have you ever heard of failblog.org? My friend Shelley wrote about it on facebook the other day I have been hooked ever since? It's basically a blog with lots of pictures and videos of things that are ironic and are an absolutely hilarious epic fail of a mess. My story is neither ironic or an epic fail but it could have turned into one very easily.
On Saturday I noticed a charge for $40.47 on my account from Fred Meyer for the previous day. I remembered going there to pick up Josh's $10 prescription which was right there in the transaction history. What I couldn't figure out was the random $40.47 charge. I waited until today to call my bank to talk with them about the charge. They transferred me to the fraud department and told me that basically it would be a $50 fee to investigate the charge b/c it was a pin based transaction which means someone got my card and pin. I told them it was ridiculous to charge me a fee for something I didn't do. I then said I would call Fred Meyer myself. I called the store and was told to call corporate b/c they could look up the transaction. While waiting on hold through this whole ordeal I quickly hang up the phone.
I suddenly remembered that I had just filled up my gas tank on Friday at none other place but..........Fred Meyer.

What a failure! Although not an epic fail,that would have occurred had I actually gotten through to corporate only to have them tell me it was a gas charge. Boy did I feel stupid. =)

Now go check out failblog.org and maybe it will make you forget how much of a dork I actually am!

Things Joey sleeps with.

2010-02-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

Let's be honest Joey is cute, adorable, mischievous and loud...at times. But this kid (in my opinion) is funny ALL the TIME and I think others can even vouch for that as well. Recently I created a facebook album entitled "Things Joey sleeps with." Because this blog should endure years and years of use and I may grow up and grow out of facebook I decided my best bet was to post pictures here as well.
Joey is notorious for sleeping with toys or anything that interest him. When we put him to bed at night our policy is that he is allowed to keep the light on and play with toys in his bed. When we first started doing this the kid would stay up 2-3 hours past his bedtime rallying along, but now he stays up for maybe 30 minutes until he falls asleep. After a few hours pass I always go in to check on him and start the removal process. Joey is an active mover in his sleep. He thrashes around his bed so I have a nightly chore of removing all the toys or anything else he drags into bed him. After a couple of nights doing this in our new apartment I started to notice that it wasn't just a couple of things he would sleep with, but a lot of things, like the entire bed would be filled with toys. So naturally I broke out the camera and began track the trends. Do enjoy!

This next one has to be my favorite as I literally freaked out when I went in to his room and didn't see him initially. Can you see the little feet poking out?

March for Life

2010-02-08T17:23:00.001-08:00

In January Joey, my MIL and I went down the the Olympia Capitol Grounds and participated in the March for Life. This was my first time attending such an event and one of my first times being "Politically Active." I have a pretty strong political stance but choose not to share it as much b/c politics and relationships seldom work well. =) However I find no problem in standing up for the right of life. As a mom to a young one I find life is precious and purposeful. I believe that the most basic right in any human being is life and life begins at conception.

The Rally felt incredibly awesome and inspiring for me. Over 6000 people were in attendance!

Yikes!

2010-02-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I last blogged. Time sure seems to sneak up on me!
Things are going well here. We seem to have resolved Josh's heart business. He has to be on pills (beta blockers) for the rest of his life and has other meds to lower his heart rate when he feels it starting to pick up. Work is going well for Josh. He is still a workaholic, but I couldn't be happier with a husband who works extremely hard for our family.
We've started to really concentrate on savings and are making quarterly savings goals so that we can save up enough for a down payment on another home. I've even really tightened down on couponing and our food budget. I keep a detailed excel spread sheet of my out of pocket expense and my savings percentage. This month so far I average a 76% savings rate. Last month (January) my savings rate was 50% and I hardly couponed at all.
But even with savings comes a bit of fun. Josh and I have a 5 day Vegas trip planned for May. My sister is flying in from Tennessee for 3 weeks and will be trading off with my Mom watching Joey. We considered taking Joey to Disney Land this year but b/c he will only be 3 we felt that waiting one year would be our best bet.
Joey doesn't know it yet that Holly is coming but he will be so excited. He misses her so much and today while we were pulling into Costco he started hysterically crying for Holly. I don't know why Costco triggered his memory of her but it took a bit to calm him down. At least for the meantime we can Skype with Holly from across the country.
Joey continues to keep me on my toes. He can be so naughty and yet, 5 minutes later, be so polite and kindhearted. The mood swings are hard to deal with at times but I guess that comes with having an almost 3 year old. The terrible twos do end when they turn three right? =)
It's hard to believe that I am already starting to research preschool! Being a stay at home mom means Joey doesn't get to be around a lot of kids therefore social interaction with other children is limited. (hint hint to my friends: start having babies asap!) We tend to visit a lot of parks, McDonald's play lands, and the Fred Meyer Play Lands for other kids for Joey to play with, but even then the kids more parallel play, which is completely normal for almost 3 year olds. My hope with Preschool is that Joey will develop more social skills in a preschool setting so that he can be fully prepared for kindergarten.
As for me I am constantly wishing for more time! I find myself always always cleaning the apartment. You would think a smaller space would be easier to maintain, but I find it more difficult. It seems like most of my days are running errands, cleaning and playing with Joey. I haven't found (or made) any time to do scrapbooking or sewing, and I need to get on that asap! I have, however, started playing more volleyball. I was invited to play on a competitive club team in addition to the Wednesday night league I play on. We are undefeated for our Wed. League and we finished 2nd in our first Power League Series tournament, which is a great start. The end goal is to make it to Nationals in Arizona in May, which would be be totally awesome. The cool thing about this adult league is that there are ladies in their mid thirties still playing competitive volleyball and let me tell you they can get down and play! I never realized there were these types of leagues to participate in and I can only hope that 10 years from now when I am in my mid-thirties that I can still play like that!

Silly Joey!

2010-01-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

Once again, I've gotten some awesome pictures of Joey. This kid cracks me up!

After leaving Playland at Fred Meyer Joey received a lot of stickers. In the car he decided that instead of saving them he would put them all over his mouth.

Joey is notorious for sleeping with his toys. I discovered this at naptime today. The kid seriously has a thing for transportation.

The other night I put Joey to bed around 7:30. I could hear him playing around in his room and around 9 could hear him playing with his guitar. After awhile it got quiet so I snuck in to discover him cuddling his guitar.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

Come on Now!!!

2010-01-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday the 30th Josh woke up feeling very odd again. His heart was pounding and flubbing weirdly like last time. To be on the safe side we went to the ER where it was confirmed he was in AFib again.
While AFib is not generally considered a serious condition at first, it can lead to cardiac arrest or stroke if not treated. Because Josh had been shocked not less then two weeks prior, the doctors did not feel that cardioverting him again would be of any help, especially if he would probably go right back into it.
After several hours of waiting to hear from Josh's cardiologist it was decided to put him on meds to slow down the heartbeat and to meet with the cardiologist next week.
Understandably so Josh is very frustrated as am I! He says being in AFib is a constant unpleasant feeling of a fish flopping in your chest and it leaves you short of breath and constantly tired. We really want to be able to figure out why this is happening to Josh. It seems that because he has no signs of heart damage the cardiologist will meet with him next Thursday.

In doing some research of my own I have found that AFib can be caused by stress, caffeine, sleep apnea, etc. Depending on what the doctor says next week my guess is that they will want Josh to go in for a sleep study since he does have sleep apnea. As of today, Josh is mostly out of AFib (it can go away on its own), but it can also come back just like that. With AFib, it happening once is not a bad thing, but going in and out of Afib can shorten life expectancy and can cause stroke or heart attack.

Please pray for us that Josh going into AFib is treatable and curable.

A Callon Christmas

2010-01-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas flew right past this us this year.

With our move and storage snafu, plus Josh's health scare Christmas did not really feel like Christmas at all. =(

If you know us Christmas is kind of a big deal. In years past Josh has been a junior Clark Griswold and I always make a huge attempt to decorate like Martha Stewart indoors. But to say the least, we still had a wonderful Christmas even if it wasn't our typical holiday style. There is always next year to make it even bigger and better.

We spent time with our both of our families this Christmas. The Holiday's this year seemed to be bittersweet for me. After Josh ending up in the ER with Afib, I counted my blessings over and over. I am grateful to have such loving and wonderful family to lean on in these trying times.

As tradition goes we spent Christmas Eve with all the Callon's and feasted on delicious appetizers and drinks and even broke out in Christmas song Karaoke, microphone and all. Joey entertained us with singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which someday I need to catch him doing it on camera.

Christmas Day was spent going to mass in the morning. We even braved bringing our hyper 2 year old to the mass, but of course it was to the "crying room" for us. Joey did well though. After mass we headed over to my parent's house, but not before a quick run the the only open Starbucks I could find in the Safeway to bring over some delicious coffee treats to the family. We enjoyed a delicious brunch courtesy of my dad and opened presents. We headed home to prepare our place for Christmas Dinner with my parents and my brother and his girlfriend. Cody made the best Chicken Parmesan and built and installed the neatest craft table and shelf for me in our Apartment.

All in all we had a good time spending the most wonderful time of year with our families.

Next year I have some goals to have an even better Christmas. Included in these goals are...
teaching Joey about the nativity scene and of Christ birth.
getting more into the holiday spirit and not be a buhumbug!
attending all masses in the advent season
to all of us being healthy and healed from a crazy 2009.

What a Sunday!

2009-12-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

This morning started out like any other Sunday. We were all getting ready for Church when Josh mentioned that his heart felt funny. After taking an aspirin, a shower and getting dressed Josh said that he didn't think he could make it to church and that he felt light headed and his heart was beating weird. After a quick call to our health insurances nurse line we were told to go to the ER.

Luckily Tacoma General is 2 blocks away from us. After an EKG we were told that Josh's heart was in "AFib" (atrial fibrillation) which means irregular heart beat. AFib is when the top of the heart begins to pump irregularly and in Josh's case was beating too fast every couple of beats and not really helping the heart to beat correctly. Josh described it as a fish flopping around on his chest. If left untreated AFib can lead to strokes, heart failure, etc.

If that wasn't enough the initial plan right away was to perform Electric Cardioversion which means they shock him with pads to get his heartbeat back to normal. But after a consultation with the ER doctor and taking into consideration his recently installed Medtronic Back unit and the possibilities of a blood clot he was given an ultrasound of his heart. After hours of sitting around and waiting for the cardiologist to read the results and approval from the manufacturers of the back unit Josh was cleared to receive the shock treatment.

The craziest part about it for me was that I got to see him get shocked. He was put under brief sedation (which required a lot of meds) Josh's heart was shocked back to a normal beat. It is everything you would imagine it to be. The doctor yelled "clear" and Josh's entire body jolted. Within 3 seconds he was awake and was no longer in AFib.

By 6:30pm tonight Josh is back home and resting well. We realize that things could have been a lot worse today and we are grateful that it wasn't. The biggest concern was the possibility of a blood clot. If there was one Josh could have had a stroke, but the cardiologist seemed confident that he did not have one. The doctors are not sure why Josh's heart would go into AFib as it is very rare for someone so young to develop that. Possibly causes are stress or blood clots or toxins.
We go back in about 2 weeks to see the cardiologist and Josh for the meantime is on a daily regiment of aspirin and betablockers.

We want to thank all of our friends and family who prayed for us today and kept Josh and our family in their thoughts. Things could have easily gone bad today but not ignoring the symptoms and getting quick medical treatment really did wonders.
Thank you all again.

Sweet Joey goodness

2009-12-14T22:45:00.001-08:00

Joey makes me smile...and laugh...and feel so extraordinary blessed!

Here are a couple of pics I've taken of him recently. The kid has pizazz and personality!

Joey has a thing for other people's shoes. I figured since he was wearing my boots he needed to at least have all the other winter stuff on as well.

Showing Jonah what my boots are all about.

Apparently Joey and Grandma wore each other out.

Joey in rare form.

Joey loves his Daddy.

We are officially Tacoma Residents!

2009-12-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

As of last week we have officially moved into our new apartment in downtown Tacoma. We are super excited for the change of pace and while we will miss our old house, we are very excited to downsize and live city life.

Our apartment is pretty cool and Joey loves his new room. His new theme is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The adjustment for Joey has been a little difficult and I feel bad for our neighbors right next to us and underneath us (he has been so loud!), but hopefully Joey will adjust soon. Luckily our apartment is nice and quiet and offers a lot of amenities that we would not otherwise have (gym, indoor/outdoor pool, residence center with billiards, movie theater, etc.) During the summer there is also barbecues we can use either on the rooftop or outside on street level. Every weekend the complex offers movie showings and some sort of other event. There is also yoga and kickboxing which I am kind of excited for.

Pictures to come soon as soon as I put the place together!

It's in God's hands now....

2009-11-21T23:22:00.000-08:00

Understandably so, I am hesitant to share such a personal piece of information in a public blog, but I feel this might clear the air and stop people from asking when we will have more children.

After almost 2 years of trying for another baby Josh and I underwent several rounds of fertility testing to find out why it was taking so long to conceive. After several months we have found our answer. At first I developed several polyps on my uterus (possibly from scar tissue from my c-section) and had those surgically removed but come to find out with a mix of ovulation problems it looks to be that at this point we are unable to have kids on our own.

Josh and I are both mutually saddened by this news. I can't begin to describe the hurt and pain I have felt month after month of trying and no positive result, but we remain strong. In hindsight Joey is our miracle baby. I am unsure of my own infertility causes, but realize now that I am so blessed to have my baby Joey, even if he isn't a baby anymore. I never envisioned myself only having one child and realize now that without any sort of fertility help that we may only end up with one child of our own. Of course we can always do in-vitro or adopt but perhaps one child is what is only meant for us.

I have to be honest in saying that Josh is more optimistic then me. He believes that we will get pregnant in God's time, but I have trouble with waiting for what's to come. My biggest flaw is needing to have a plan for everything, but I am learning to accept that it is God's plan and not mine. Still I continue to pray for that miracle.

I feel extremely blessed to be a mother to Joey. He is my heart and my world and if he is my only child then I will continue to thank God everyday for his blessing. Josh has been such a supportive husband and father. I feel so thankful and so blessed to have such a wonderful family already. While part of me feels that I need to expand my family, I am so thankful for the loving family I already have.

Please just pray for us for God's will on our family, whatever that may be.

I am becoming quite the crafty lady

2009-11-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

I made a diaper cake for Traci's Baby Shower a month or so back and it turned out pretty well for my first go around at making a cake.
My Mother-in-law's neighbor heard about my cake and ordered one right up for her grandson's baby shower.

I had a lot of fun making this one b/c the colors were really neat.
I had to improvise a little bit b/c I ran out of diapers, but all in all the design turned out well and Myrna loved it!

If you like what you see and are ever interested in giving a diaper cake as a baby shower gift let me know and I can whip one right up for you.

Chatty Cathy

2009-11-16T21:46:00.000-08:00

Joey has become quite the chatty cathy lately.

The other day we literally had the same converation 50 times. I joke you not! It went something like this.

Saturday 11/14

Joey: "We go to Church?"
Mommy: "Yes Joey, tomorrow."
Joey: "We go bye bye, see Grandpa?"
Mommy: "Yes, after Church we will go to Grandma and Grandpa's."
Joey: "We see Grandpa Airplane?"
Mommy: "You sure can."
Joey: "I see tractor?" Makes tractor noise.
Mommy: "If you want to, I am sure Grandpa will show it to you."
Joey: "We see Bots?" (Spots is Grandma and Grandpa's dog).
Mommy: "Definitely, you can even give him treats."
Joey: "Where Jonah?"
Mommy: "He's at home."
Joey: "We see Jonah?"
Mommy: "On Wednesday, we will."
Joey: "JONAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
Joey: " We go to Church?"

Try having that conversation with a two year old numerous times.
It was seriously so cute though!