New Car and Other Excitingness!

This weekend was a whirlwind! Tim and I attempted to sell his truck by putting it on Auto Trader a few weeks back, and to our surprise fairly soon after we placed the ad a buyer from American Auto Brokers called us to make us an offer. The offer didn't cover the difference of what we owed on the truck, but it was SIGNIFICANTLY more than anyone else has offered us for trade. So I called up the dealership and asked about making a trade in of both of our cars we had notes on (the 2500 truck, and the RAV4) for one vehicle from them.
They got us preapproved, and it was pain free! The whole experience was totally awesome, and I would recommend them to anyone in the market for a used truck/suv/and some cars. They don't have a big car selection, but maybe you could luck out like us and get a car like THIS! Which is the car we got :) Totally wonderfully awesome, yes?
ANYHOW, then I came home and took care of D, went to church & small group on Sunday and started preparing for his party. My little boy is turning two tomorrow! We are having his party this weekend and my father in law is coming - but that is another story entirely.
I made a cupcake cake. I had read about them online and heard about them through friends, and my sister actually had one made for my other sister's birthday not too long ago, so I wanted to attempt to make one myself. Here are my results.

I am going to add some finishing touches - some more frosting and some decorations. I will update you on what it looks like later :D.
My little boy turns 2! Here is a last look at him at 1, because the next time I post pics of him, he will more than likely be 2 - cause his birthday is tomorrow in case you have forgotten during my ramblings (ok, yes I know that explanation was probably not needed, but I cannot help myself! I think I talk to stupid people too often!).

Catching up :)

A lot has happened recently! Maybe not monumental excitingness, but a lot for my family just the same.

We got our new couch - and YES it's purple :)! I got a rug too, thank you Tim for the very nice anniversary present!

I also got very pretty anniversary flowers marking the 2nd year of our marriage! Yay Tim! And we went to a VERY nice restaurant for our anniversary dinner - and it was super yummy and ritzy and fancy.

D taught Tim how to play on his bike - and he went along for a ride for extra measure

We've had some fun at McDonalds - these guys are just too cute together aren't they? <3

D has tried to convince us to join him playing in the mud - but he had a lot of fun in it by himself!

We have had fun playing outside...and BOY has it been HOT! I never thought I'd want to go back to the cold...but I'm ready for some cool at least, and so is D! Just look at those cheeks!

My mother-in-law came for a visit and surprised D by getting him the very thing he has been wanting (if an almost 2 year old can tell you such things). He sure enjoys his early birthday present :).

Our little family has had a lot of fun the past few weeks, and I'm looking forward to a busy weekend schedule ahead! Sooooo nice to be home and be able to call the place I am actually living that. We are going to try to trade in our cars for one (keep your fingers crossed!), and we are going to have D's birthday party in a few weeks, we are going to a McNeese game to see my sister, and I am trying to get more involved in the Women's ministry at church...TRYING. We shall see...in the meantime we are having lots of fun enjoying each other on a day to day basis just doing the regular excitingness stuff :).

So then there was me

My little man is growing up. He is wonderfully exciting and fun to be around, and I love him to pieces. He is excitable and fun loving. He screams and cries and throws random tantrums. I can't seem to wrap my head around the shifts in his moods. Don't get me wrong the shifts always happen for a 'reason'. Like I didn't give him what he wanted to eat, he had to be strapped into the car seat and would much rather roam free, etc. I guess my real problem is trying to find the balance between the Mommy that wants to give him the world and the Mommy that wants him to be a well behaved/balanced little boy instead of a spoiled brat.
I am struggling with this balance....I guess it's because of my father. That sounds like I'm blaming him, doesn't it? Well, I am not. He was a great father, but he always hurt my feelings in his 'discipline.' I was never strong enough, I was overly sensitive, blah blah blah. I don't want to hurt D's feelings, I want him to feel safe and loved, but I want him to have discipline. How do I do that without turning into the very thing I feared in my father for so long?
I pray every day that I am the patient and loving Mommy that D deserves. I want to be kind and loving, and firm and guiding. Sounds easy enough huh? I am so blessed to have been rewarded by having a child, and he's awesome...just trying to find my way to be just as awesome for him :).

The Day My Son Ate My Brownie

So I have had an eventful evening/morning. It all started last night. (cue flash back music and the fade into another scene).
Last night we went to dinner with my mom. She graciously picked up my son from daycare and we met her at the restaurant. Then we went home, and started our nightly rituals...(and I watched the movie 'Lemonade Mouth' on the Disney Channel...LOVED IT but I have a penchant for teeny bopper movies and the Disney Channel in general).
Then I realized I couldn't find my cell phone. This is important for several reasons: 1. This is how I wake up, 2. Anyone who knows me, KNOWS I cannot live without my phone. 3. This is how I wake up.
So, I was frantically running around trying to figure out where my phone was - and calling it incessantly. Finally someone answered. Apparently I left it at the restaurant, and had to get there in 10 min in order to retrieve it. SO...i hightailed it over to the restaurant and got it. I got home, and my son was crying - AND I had to pee, btw my husband was already sleeping at this point. So I peed, and then got my son out of his bed. And apparently pee is the reason he woke up too. Apparently he had somehow gotten his diaper off and proceeded to pee all over the bed and himself, and let's face it laying in pee would make anyone cranky. So, I woke up my husband, sponge bathed and changed my son and calmed him down. Meanwhile, my husband was changing the sheets and making the necessary whatevers to the bed - I don't know I didn't ask. So I finally got him back in bed, and it was about 11:30pm. Not too bad, right?
I thought so too! Then I made our lunches (mine and Tim's) because that is how we eat everyday and then I settled down for the night. And started reading, this is my normal routine.
Then my sister texts me, and it was traumatic, but I don't want to share it here, because it is not my story to tell. But because she was having such spotty reception, I ended up staying up until almost 3 to get a sporadic story via texts from her.
Then this morning, I woke up (late as per usual), and took a shower and did my hair and the normal getting ready things. I got Dylan up and did the same. He was in a pretty good mood, actually which was awesome because I am still so so so so tired. Anyhow, he was in a good mood, until we got in the car. Apparently, he is all about my lunch box. He knows I bring food in it, and today he was hungry. So I had to go through everything in my lunch box and he finally settled on my brownie. So I gave it to him, and before you get all excited it was a Fiber One 90 calorie brownie, and let's face it - doughnuts are SO much worse. Then I promptly proceeded to start sneezing my head off. I do not think this is at all in relation to giving D the brownie, but it is an interesting coincidence! And I have been sneezing my head off ever since! It is now almost noon, and if my sneezing fits subside, maybe I'll have a chance to miss my brownie, but probably not - now more than anything I just want a nap!

Party Theme!

So I have determined what D's party theme will be. With help from friends and family and of course taking into account my little man's own preferences I have come up with theme 'Under Construction'. Dylan loves all things having to do with cars and trucks and dump trucks, so I thought this would be a fun play on the things he likes :).
A reccommendation of party city and a link from a friend showed me there were TONS of stuff I could purchase for the party. I love THIS pinata and think it will be a fun semi organized game maybe even 2 year olds can handle. I was also thinking about filling a plastic pool from Walmart or the like with dirt and getting some trucks like THESE for the kids to play with in the pool/dirt outside whateverness.
As far as food goes, I haven't quite decided yet. I'm debating between pizza, hotdogs or chicken nuggets. What do you think? All three of these are a favorite of D's. Cupcakes are a must, they went over so well last year...but haven't finalized the ideas on those. And of course we will have balls and bubbles, because these are essential for D to play outside. No balloons or streamers or fancy decorations. I will probably get a solid colored plastic table cover that I can tape to an outdoor table, and get some special underconstruction napkins or cups and plates to complete the party decor. What do you think? Not necessarily fantastically creative, but I think it encompasses Dylan and things he likes to do.

6 mths!

Little Dylan is getting big! He is already 6 mths old! Here's some fun things about Dylan so far:
-he loves to bounce! In your arms, on the floor and in his bouncer!
-he has tried almost all of the Gerber first foods and has been eager to eat them all!
-he weighs 15 lbs 1 oz
-he was unable to be properly measured cause of his wiggle worm qualities, but we are guessing between 27 and 28 inches!
-the doctor said he's healthy and a tall and skinny baby. She predicted he's going to be.a beanpole
-he rolls over constantly! He loves it and is really getting good at it!
These first 6 mths have flown, but I've enjoyed everything. I can't wait to see what's in store next!

Back to Work

I'm traveling back to Louisiana tomorrow with Tim and D to go to work on Friday. Sooooo exciting, huh? My thoughts exactly. I really need to start looking for a job that's more stable and permenant. And I'm hoping when Tim finds one ill have an approximate salary to shoot for. My I really hope this is attainable for us! I'm praying it is and it happens just like its supposed to!
My little man has a Dr appt tomorrow. His 6 mth wellness check! I can't believe he's so big already! I thought I'd take the time to update you on some of his progress so far. At his 4 mth check up he was 13 lbs 3oz and 26 and a quarter inches long. Long skinny baby, just like his daddy! He can roll over like a pro and does so back and forth everytime you put him on the floor. He loves to play with toys and LOVES bath time! He's fairly laid back, with bouncing and rolling being his activities of choice. He has eaten everything we have given him with gusto and seems to like it all! I can hardly wait to give him the finger foods to see how he does on his own!

New Beginnings

So it's been about 5 weeks since I published anything. Those 5 weeks have been action packed, and uneventful if that makes any sense. There can now be said there is Life pre db and post db (pre and post Dylan's birth). Life is great, he is great! He is growing so quickly and developing quite a personality it's amazing to get to spend any amount of time with him during the day, and I find that the times he takes long naps I miss holding him. I'm hooked, let me tell ya! And who wouldn't be? Just look at him!

Very soon I will go back to work, and I dread and look forward to it. I look forward to the adult interaction and I dread not being able to see the little things in his life. I want to be there to see everything and be an adult with a job. Maybe one day I'll find a happy medium and be both. I hope Dylan doesn't suffer in the process. I don't think he will, I love him so much I hope to show him that everyday.

Dylan Has Arrived!

Me before the whole thing started :)

I went in for my scheduled induction on Sunday evening, September 27th. They started me on some kind of pill that was supposed to soften my cervix, and start some contractions. They also gave me an ambien for sleeping, which turned out to not be the best idea ever. I was so sleepy, and my blood pressure was a concern so I got confined to the bed which makes labor pains harder to bear I'm told. At about 7am they started the pitossin and at about 9am the doctor broke my water. That's when the real pains of lab or began. I was still having a problem staying awake because of the ambien, and being jolted awake by contractions. I was probably not pleasant, props for Tim for sticking it out and being wonderful.
At about 10am I got an epidural, for a couple of reasons. 1st cause the pains of labor while you are half asleep are just hard to undertake, 2nd I was really afraid of having to have an emergency c-section because of my bloodpressure and have to be put to sleep which scares me more than anything. Anyhow, shortly after that there was a scare cause Dylan's heart rate would drop everytime I contracted, so the doctor came in to float the umbilical cord. She was surprised, as was everyone else, that I was much further dialated than anticipated. I was 7cm at this point, just a few hours after my water was broken. The doctor came back about an hour and a half later, and then there were 3 pushes and Dylan Joseph came into the world! He was 6lbs 13oz, 20 inches long born on Sept 28, 2009 at 12:29pm.
Here he is!

Our beautiful baby boy