Luau Party!

As Alex's birthday approached, I tried to come up with a theme for his party.  He's not really into anything specific right now, so I tentatively planned to just do bright colors.  Then I had an interesting idea...  A lot of people (especially those with December birthdays) have told me to make sure not to combine his birthday & Christmas.  Not that I planned on doing that anyway, but I know what they're saying.  So I thought to myself - what's the opposite of Christmas/winter/cold?  Then I had it - a luau!!  I bought Photoshop Elements earlier this year & decided to try my hand at making an invitation.

Definitely the work of an amateur, but I liked how it turned out.  (I took out our personal info for any crazy internet stalkers - ha).  And with a little help from Oriental Trading for decorations, we were set!

I hung up a monthly photo banner on our fireplace (got the idea from a fellow creative blogger).  Everyone really liked it. 

We also put pictures of Alex's first year on our TV (as seen in the background of this picture).

Here are a few more pictures from the big party.

Showing off his Hawaiian shirt

Starting to dig into the cake

I don't think he's enjoying it at all...

He looks concerned that we're going to take it away - ha!

He learned how to do "1" with his finger!

Aunt Amanda (my sister) got him a slide - he wasn't excited about it or anything...

There was a little drama with his cake (that's a post for another time) but all in all, it was a great party.  He loved all the commotion & didn't mind being surrounded by almost thirty people.  I hope every future birthday is as enjoyable!!

Throwback Thursday

Yet another peek at my pregnancy days from last year...

November 5^th

Michael paid to have my car windows tinted for my birthday – yay!  I loved my tinted windows on my Altima.  I think this will make the Pilot look a little cooler & less mom-like.  J  Plus, it will protect the little guy from the sun’s rays & hopefully we won’t have to put up those window shade things.

November 7^th – 35 weeks

Had my other baby shower today!  It was mostly my mom’s friends & family.  My grandma & aunt Janice came in town.  Michael came with me so he could play golf with my dad.  I hung out at my parents' house with my mom, grandma & Janice.  My mom covered a lampshade I bought in the striped fabric we used for the bedding.  I brought it so we could do it together, but then I pretty much just let her do it all.  How thoughtful of me – ha.  I’m lucky to have such a giving mother – I hope I can be as great as her with my kids!  The lamp turned out super cute.  Amanda got into town & we headed to the shower.  The hostesses did a great job & we got a ton of stuff.  Hurray!  Then we went back to the house, ordered pizza & celebrated my birthday a day early.  It was a long day, but fun!

November 8^th

Took the day off work (it may be one of the last days I ever have just to myself!!)  I slept in & didn’t feel very good when I woke up.  I was light-headed & kind of dizzy.  I tried to organize the baby’s room for awhile but I started to feel worse.  I was nauseous & just wanted to lay down.  I had a massage appointment & I didn’t want to cancel it, so I showered & headed that way.  By the time I got there, I really felt awful.  I took a Tylenol before I left home & I don’t know if it was that or the massage but I felt much better afterward.  The massage was wonderful – I wished I had booked a 90 minute one instead of 60 minutes!  I felt ok to eat & stopped at Panera.  Then I went & got a manicure & pedicure.  I still felt a little crappy but the pampering was nice.  I went home & basically laid around the rest of the day.  I was feeling really bad again by the time Michael came home from work.  We had plans to go to dinner.  I didn’t really want to go out since I felt bad but I didn’t want to miss my birthday dinner either!  I took another Tylenol & we went to Charlestons.  I felt better by the time the food arrived.  I went to bed early in hopes I would feel better tomorrow.

November 9^th

Felt as bad or worse than I did on Monday.  Definitely felt like a stomach bug.  I never threw up but got VERY close.  Yuck.  I hate being sick.  I got up to get ready for work & had my clothes & makeup on when I finally decided to stay home.  I felt worse the more I moved around & just didn’t think I’d make it through the day.  I was annoyed to use another PTO day but oh well.  I slept a lot & went to bed early.

November 10^th

Felt a little better & went to work.  I went home a little early & took it easy.

November 11^th

Had another doctor’s appointment.  I have to start going weekly after this one.  Everything looks good – not much to report!

Being sick on your birthday is no fun!  Actually, being sick on any day is no fun but especially not on your birthday.  Blah.

My thoughts on the tinted windows: I highly recommend this to everyone.  Get your windows tinted to the legal limit.  It makes your car look sleeker, keeps it cooler in the summer, shields your baby from the sun & hides backseat activities from people walking by.  Get your mind out of the gutter, people!  I was referring to the times I nursed Alex in the backseat.  J It's really hard to see into the backseat unless you basically put your face up to the glass.  I always kept myself covered just in case but I felt pretty comfortable back there.

Ok, time to head to a Christmas party.  I still have every intention to post soon on Alex's big party - hopefully this weekend!  Happy Thursday!

One Year Old!

Oh my, my little baby is not really a baby anymore - he's ONE YEAR OLD.  I don't even have the words for the love & amazement I have for this little guy.  Michael & I have been so blessed with a healthy, happy boy. 

We had some "one year" pictures taken of Alex.  Here are some of my faves!

His birthday party is later today.  I'm going to TRY to not be such a slacker & actually get a post with pictures up sooner rather than later.  Fingers crossed!

Eleven Months

This post is late but since it's still a few days before the big ONE YEAR date, I'll just pretend it's ok.  Ha!

Yes, Alex is eleven months old!  He got to experience his first Thanksgiving this year - two yummy turkey meals in one day!  Unfortunately, Michael didn't get to enjoy either meal since he was sick all day (poor guy).  Alex ate anything I put in front of him - turkey, potatoes, stuffing, a taste of pumpkin pie.  He was one happy baby with a full stomach!

He continues to grow & amaze us with the littlest things.  The cliche that kids are sponges is true - he soaks up everything around him.  He'll surprise me over & over again by showing me he actually understands what I'm saying.  The other day he pulled off his socks when he was playing.  I saw them & said, why did you take off your socks?  He looked at me, went over & picked up his socks.  The boy hasn't even been wearing socks that long!  (When it was warmer outside, I usually just dressed him in a onesie).  Now I can tell him, let's put on your socks, and he will bring them to me.  He also will bring me a book if I ask him.  I don't know why this is such a phenomenon to me.  Maybe because he's not talking yet, I assume he doesn't understand words either?  I love seeing the development right before my eyes, though!

I taught him to clap recently.  I sang patty cake (well, I don't know if that's the correct term since it's not really a song...)  I recited patty cake...  That sounds odd, too.  ANYWAY, I was doing patty cake for him & took his hands & clapped them together.  Then I said patty cake again & he clapped his hands himself.  One try, people!  I'm telling you, it's Genius School for this boy.  Now any time we say patty cake (not the whole thing - just "patty cake"), he'll clap his hands.  I love it!

Here are some of his monthly pictures.  Yes, the boy needed a haircut.  We took care of that shortly after these pictures were taken.  For those of you counting, that's his third haircut (second "professional" haircut).  The boy is set in the hair department!

I'll leave you with the most adorable picture I think I've ever seen.  Michael's parents babysat Alex while Michael & I went to the OSU vs OU game (BEST GAME EVER!!) and they were able to catch Alex on camera doing "TOUCHDOWN"!  A month or so ago, I noticed Alex would lift his arms up in the air.  It reminded me of a ref signaling "touchdown", so I started saying it whenever he lifted his arms.  Then he started doing it after I said "touchdown".  It's so cute!  But this picture is the best because he's A) in his OSU PJs, B) watching the OSU game, and C) so happy to be watching OSU beat OU (ha!)  I don't care which team you cheer for, you have to admit this picture is adorable!

Love that little boy so much!!

Yes, yes, I'm a slacker.  I haven't posted in weeks.  We've been busy, but really I've just been enjoying my family & I haven't wanted to sit down at the computer when I'm home.  Some people might call that laziness but I prefer to think of it as a zest for life.  J

Anyway, here's another look back at my pregnancy days...  I can't believe it's almost been a year since Alex was born!  It feels like it's been forever since I was pregnant (but in a good way). 

October 29^th

We had our costume contest at work today.  I wore my costume (doll legs & arms coming out of my belly) & won 2^nd place in the contest!!  I hung a little Halloween bag from one of the arms & told people the baby really wanted to trick-o-treat.  Michael & I rode to work together & while he was driving, the nugget moved, which moved the doll arm!  I yelled – he’s moving the arm!  Michael looked over & then the nugget moved the doll leg.  Michael said – I bet you didn’t plan on that.  Nope – so weird!  We went to the Rocky Horror Picture Show with Bryan.  After we watched Glee earlier that week (the show was Rocky Horror themed), we got the bug & decided to buy tickets.  I wore my costume & people seemed to get a kick out of it.  When we were going in, a security lady checked my purse & then asked if I had anything in there.  I thought she was talking about the Halloween bag the doll arm was holding & told her no.  Then she pointed to my stomach & asked if I had anything in there.  I didn’t even know how to respond.  I sputtered a little & Michael said – the REAL baby.  She still looked confused but let us go on.  We totally cracked up.  The show was good but not the best we’ve seen.  It was fun, though.  

October 30^th

Today was my Halloween themed baby shower!!  Michael went to play golf with his dad & my dad.  I walked the dog & then got ready for the shower (while watching pieces of the OSU vs. Kansas State game).  My mom picked me up & we went to the shower.  I wore my costume & it was a big hit.  Everyone made comments about how little I was & how I didn’t look pregnant except for my belly.  The hostesses did an amazing job!  The decorations were awesome, the food was delicious & even the game was fun (we played Catch Phrase with baby related words).  They had spiked punch (labeled Trick) & regular punch (labeled Treat) in cauldrons.  So cute!  I found out that the spiked punch had champagne – boo!  I miss champagne…  Who am I kidding?  I miss champagne, wine, beer – pretty much everything!  It was a good turnout & a lot of people dressed up.  The guests decorated onesies for the nugget – they turned out really cute.  We got a ton of stuff – now we just have to figure out where to put it all!  I may be a little biased but it was the best baby shower I’ve ever been to!  It went by really fast, though.  Michael & the dads came toward the end to say hi to everyone.  Michael & I went to eat with my parents & then just took it easy the rest of the night.  The girls sent the cake home with me & I ate way too much of it.  I finally made Michael throw it away on Monday to keep me from eating any more!

October 31^st – 34 weeks

Halloween!  I spent most of the day starting to organize all the stuff from the shower & washed all the baby clothes, blankets, etc.  I worked my butt off but the room was still a mess.  Oh well, one thing at a time.  I hung up all the clothes & the closet is almost full!  Between the stuff people bought & hand me downs from friends, this baby is pretty much set!  We had a lot of kids come by to trick or treat.  We even ran out of candy at the end.  I didn’t wear my costume because I was worried I’d freak out the younger kids.  Amanda came over to watch Dexter.  Michael made chili & we had Frito chili pie.  Yum. 

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so it was very fitting that I had a Halloween themed baby shower.  So.much.fun.  Here are some pics of my costume & the festivities.

Some may think it's a little morbid, but I thought it was hilarious!

 Cute diaper cake

  

"Ant" Amanda, Witchy Grandma-to-be & me

Awesome hostesses!

 

RIP Your Life dirt cake - ha!

And because I'm a slacker & never got around to writing a Halloween post this year, here's a picture of our little pumpkin.  Better late than never!  Sorry the quality isn't great...  My phone doesn't take very good pictures & the camera battery was dead.  Doh!

He wasn't a big fan of the costume in the house but forgot all about it when we went trick or treating because there was so much to look at.  Fun! 

Happy Thursday!

Throwback Thursday

Yet another look back at my pregnancy days... 

October 23^rd

Our friends came into town from Houston, so planned a big tailgate for the OSU vs. Nebraska game.  We picked up BBQ (we decided this would be much easier than Michael cooking since his finger was still recovering).  We had fun but most of the tailgaters forgot to bring a side, so we had a bunch of meat & dessert.  Oops!  It was VERY windy, cloudy & rained a little but at least it wasn’t really hot.  OSU lost, which sucked but we made the best of it.  Then we went to Thai Café – YUM!  And Michael & I had leftovers for the next day.  We went back to our house & hung out for the rest of the evening.

October 24^th – 33 weeks

We went to brunch with our friends & their family.  It was a fun crowd.  Michael & I took it easy after that.  I went to yoga & Amanda came over for Dexter.  Michael decided to cook for us (I have to admit I was a little nervous from last week’s knife incident) but everything turned out fine.  J

October 25^th

Got my flu shot today.  One more thing I can cross off the list!  I also got my thyroid checked.  I guess I’m getting better with needles – I got stuck twice in one day without too much anxiety.  Good practice for labor, right??  Michael called when I was leaving the lab & said we had a message on the answering machine that our glider recliner was in at Babies R Us!  It was going to take up to 12 weeks (which would be sometime in December) but it came early – whoo hoo!  I picked it up & Michael put it together in the room.  I also got the baby bedding today, so we made a lot of progress on the room in one day!  I was really happy with the bedding & the chair.  It’s all slowly coming together!

October 27^th
Had another appointment with my doctor today.  My mom came with me so she could see the ultrasound.  I looked forward to the appointment all day.  It was quick – my mom was surprised how quickly they got me in & out.  My mom said later she teared up a little when she heard the heart beat.  She was a little discouraged because she couldn’t really see what was what in the ultrasound but I assured her that was normal & I only knew because I’m used to getting them by now!  Everything looks good.  The doc said the baby weighed about 5 pounds, 10 ounces.  I thought that was big but she said it was normal & she wasn’t worried.  I still think either the machine is wrong & he’s not that big or my due date is off & he’s going to come early.  We’ll see!  My mom finished the crib bumper & gave it to me.  It looks great!!

Several years ago, I found out I had an under active thyroid.  Since then, I've had to give blood samples on a regular basis to check my levels.  Ever since I can remember, I've hated needles.  If I got sick when I was younger, I was scared to go to the doctor in case he'd give me a shot.  I got a tetanus shot once while I was in college.  Apparently I didn't handle the anticipation very well because the nurse paused & said, "Honey, calm down.  It's a shot, you're not having a baby.  You're going to hyperventilate."  Embarrassing!  I didn't even realize I had been breathing differently!  Anyway, I will say the thyroid issue has helped with my fear.  I'm still not a big fan of needles, but I don't get as worked up.  Thank goodness because during pregnancy, it seems like someone's always wanting a blood sample! 

By the way, I think I forgot to post a picture of my belly this month in previous posts, so here ya go.

Getting bigger for sure!  At this point, I was still mainly wearing regular tops with maternity pants.  Most of the maternity tops I had were too big in general & made me look bigger than I really was.  When you already feel as huge as a house, you really don't want anything that makes you look bigger!

Happy Thursday!

Five Reasons I Should Not Be a Football Coach

1) I love the fake or going for it on 4th down. I would do one of these about 90% of the time. The other team would probably figure this out & it would not be very successful.

2) I hate 3, go for 7. If 10 yards or less from the end zone, always go for 7. Nothing annoys me more than getting 3 points when you're that close. You should get 7. If you can't get a measly 10 yards, you deserve 0. A field goal is ok when you're further out. Yes, sometimes the game can be won by an extra 3 points but I want 7, dang it! Go big or go home.

3) Uniforms are VERY important. Much time should be spent on picking colors & coordinating the entire look.

4) I have a temper. I would throw chairs or anything nearby when things didn't go my way. I would call the ref "son of a motherless goat" & other choice words if they made an objectionable call. And I don't know all the rules so pretty much every call against my team would be objectionable.

5) I'm not a man & I'm not 40. (Love you, Gundy!)

Actually after further review, these aren't THAT bad. Oklahoma State, feel free to call me if any coaching positions open up!

Throwback Thursday

This is not my favorite memory from my pregnancy days, but I'm going to share it anyway.

October 17^th – 32 weeks

Tried to get motivated to clean the house since our friends are coming next weekend.  Wasn’t as successful as I hoped.  I just didn’t want to clean (but I was really bothered by the mess).  I think my nesting instincts may be kicking in – all I see is dirt everywhere!  But it just overwhelms me & I wish it would just be clean.  I don’t have the energy.  I did mop the kitchen & bathroom floors (a task I hate).  The mop sponge started to tear & it wouldn’t wring out properly.  This resulted in standing water all over the floor (and me being very frustrated).  I didn’t have time to get a new mop sponge before yoga.  Michael came home from golf & I was in a very bad mood.  He went to Wal-Mart to get stuff for dinner & brought home a new mop (I really just needed the mop sponge but it was a really nice thought & now I have a backup).  I went to yoga & felt much better afterward.  When I got home, Michael was cooking & realized he was running behind.  I told him I had to take a shower anyway before my sister came over for Dexter.  I had JUST stepped out of the shower when I heard Michael yell & cuss.  I knew something bad had happened – I just hoped he had dropped dinner on the floor or something.  Then he yelled – I need some help here.  I barely got my towel wrapped around me & ran into the kitchen.  He had cut his finger on a knife.  I got the story a little later.  He had put the knife on the cutting board & it started to fall.  He was going to let it fall to the ground but then he realized Sadie was right under the knife eating her food.  So, he grabbed for the knife & it sliced his finger in a V shape.  He sacrificed his finger for our dog.  Aww…  He realized later she probably would have been fine since she has fur but he just reacted.  Anyway, when I came into the kitchen, he had his finger wrapped in a paper towel.  I ran & grabbed a washcloth & turned off the stove.  He told me I needed to get his insurance card to find out where he should go because he thought it was deep enough for stitches.  He took off the washcloth to clean the wound under the sink & it was a little too much for him.  He staggered across the kitchen & went to his knees on the carpet.  I told him to lay down & breathe (while trying to keep Sadie from trying to lick his face).  He told me later he started to black out & doesn’t even remember me being right there.  I frantically put on some clothes since my sister was due to show up any minute.  Then I got on the computer & the phone & tried to find out if there was an urgent care center still open.  By the way, Blue Cross Blue Shield’s website sucks!  So does their provider number.  The lady told me about an urgent care center (which I don’t think even existed) but said I’d have to call customer service to verify Michael’s coverage would apply.  Customer service was closed!  Ugh.  Amanda came over while I was on the phone & put a bandaid on the wound (the bleeding had slowed down).  She didn’t think it looked that bad.  His insurance card actually had a 24/7 nurseline, so Michael called that to see if they recommended that he go in for treatment.  She said to wash the wound out, apply pressure & hold it above his heart for 20 minutes, then put a bandaid on it.  Amanda went outside to grill the fish while I washed the wound.  As soon as Michael put his finger under the water, he was in major pain.  He handles pain pretty well (better than me – I’m much more vocal) & he was cussing & shaking – I knew it was hurting him bad.  It really bothered me.  I hated seeing him in so much pain.  We got it washed out as quickly as possible, then he laid down.  20 minutes later, it was still bleeding.  I found an urgent care center that was open until 10:00 on Sundays & called & confirmed they accepted his insurance.  Michael said we could watch Dexter & deal with it later but there was no way I could enjoy the show!  We got there about 8:45 & actually were in & out in about an hour.  The intern thought it may need stitches but may be ok with skin glue or butterfly bandaids.  The next lady said they could stitch it but it wasn’t necessary.  Michael opted not to get stitches – he hates needles like me!  They just cleaned it out & put a bandaid on it (and gave him a tetanus shot).  They also gave him a splint to keep from bending the finger & re-opening the wound.  It was all pretty stressful but thank goodness it wasn’t worse.  The whole situation gave me a lot of anxiety about having a kid, though.  I was pretty much sick to my stomach the whole evening & hated seeing him go through that.  I can’t imagine what it will be like with my child.  Plus, I know now that Michael seriously can’t handle blood.  What have we done??  I don’t know how I’m going to handle seeing my child in pain & help calm them down.  It’s too hard!  But I know I’ll just have to deal with it.  Such is life.  I just really don’t look forward to it…

Blech, that was a yucky night.  I'm not a big fan of blood (I could never be a doctor or nurse) & I knew Michael wasn't either, but I don't think I realized how it affected him.  Seeing blood or a wound grosses me out but I don't have a physical reaction to it.  Michael almost passed out, so it's not just a dislike thing for him.  Maybe Alex will never have an injury worse than a simple scrape (hey, I can always hope!)  This incident stayed with me for days.  It really gave me anxiety about dealing with an emergency.  How will I comfort Alex when he gets hurt & I can't make it immediately better?  I hate the thought.

A positive thing that came out of this was I felt more sympathy for Michael with the whole childbirth stuff.  He had admitted to me that he had a lot of anxiety about it because of his aversion to blood, etc.  It annoyed me a little because all he has to do is stand by my side & maybe hold a leg.  I mean, it's not like HE has to birth a child!  But the knife ordeal showed me two things.  1) He's not just being a wimp - he has a physical reaction to medical stuff.  And 2) It really, really sucks to watch someone you love be in pain & not be able to do much about it.  In fact, it's almost easier to be the one in pain than the one watching someone in pain.  I realized that it must be hard for guys to watch their women go through so much without being able to take some of the burden.

But if Michael found a way to carry & deliver our next child, I wouldn't object...   J

Ten Months

Let's just overlook the fact that this post is over two weeks late, ok?  Good.

Our little guy is less than two months away from his first birthday - how can that be??  Every month I think Alex gets more & more fun.  Will this eventually stop & I'll realize there's a certain age that's my favorite?  I guess we'll see...

Alex is busy as usual.  He's pretty much done with crawling - he walks everywhere these days.  He babbles a lot but nothing specific.  One recent change I love is he now enjoys books!  He's never had much patience for sitting around reading books, but he's very into board books lately (especially the touch & feel kind or the ones with extra tabs).  He likes to turn the pages & feel different textures.  He'll even bring the book to you to read!  It makes me happy.  Now he'll mimic us with an action like putting a ball down a ramp or through a hoop.  He also loves to chase the dog around (Sadie is not a big fan, though).  She tolerates it well, but looks at us like - help!

The monthly pictures get trickier & trickier (and I even had Michael there to help me this time!)  Here are a few of the "good" ones.

 I know I've said it before but boy, do I love that munchkin!