I used to be funny...

It's come to my attention that when I became a mom, I apparently lost some of my sense of humor.

Don't get me wrong -- so many things about my daily life are hilarious. Like the conversation Todd and I had the other night about Darius Rucker and how he must feel disappointment at his concerts when he realizes the audience is only made up of white people. (Todd's take on it was that Darius clearly knew what he was getting into long before he became a country singer, when he sang "Hold my Hand" with Hooty & the Blowfish in the 90's).

Or the story about how Todd forgot to buy me a card on my 28th birthday, and instead just bought me a Broadway PlayBill poster - which, who puts posters on their walls after the age of 19? Don't worry -- I totally got him back by getting pregnant, having a baby, developing post-partum depression, and completely forgetting to even acknowledge his 32nd birthday because I was too busy crying hysterically about a life insurance commercial that got me choked up.

Or the hilariousness of how despite the fact that he is now a non-smoker (oh, I'd never mentioned that on the blog before?), Todd still wants to one day be a pipe-smoking old dude. But he has his priorities straight. After all, we saw a 60-something guy driving a minivan yesterday hot-boxing himself with a huge pipe, and I said to Todd "is that what you envision yourself as one day?" to which he replied "totally...just not in the summer time when it's 90+ degrees...something about a pipe on a hot day makes me want to vomit"...which made me picture us in our 80s on our future front porch, sitting in our matching rockers, reflecting on the greatness that was our lives, only it's the dead of winter because Todd won't smoke his pipe in summer, and won't sit on the porch without his pipe, and now we're getting frostbite because we're old, and the whole thing just cracks me up.

And the anecdotes about the sweet little Vietnamese ladies at my nail place that always want to know when I'm having the baby, and still don't seem to understand when I say "I.ALREADY.HAD.HIM." in very loud, clear, English, and instead of responding with a congratulations, they just say "want me do lip?" while waxing my eyebrows.

And there's always plenty of stories about Whinnie's gas...and Nick's gas...and Todd's gas...and sometimes even my gas...but as soon as someone farts in our house, the fingers all start pointing, someone else is blamed (even though 90% of the time it's Todd who did the farting), and by the time we finish gagging over the smell, I've forgotten the fart story altogether and never wrote it down.

But along with mommy-hood comes mommy-brain, and usually by the time I sit down to type out a grand story of a day in the life of the K family, it ends up coming out as gushy lovey-dovey stuff about my new boyfriend Nick, or a great regaling of his recent change over from squishy poop to solid poop.

So I guess this is just a public service announcement to all my loyal (16) blog followers, that I apologize for the lack of hilarity that has been my blog lately, but gosh darnit if I didn't give birth to the cutest little nugget this side of the globe, and I just can't help myself when it comes to sharing every detail of his little life...even if that means boring baby food posts. So thanks for sticking with us! And I hope you'll all continue to read...because at least my mom thinks I'm funny!

Pool success!

Nick's first dip in the pool proved to be a good time had by all. Probably more so by mommy, daddy, Aunt Marissa, and Tio Mateo...but good none the less!

We dressed Nick in his adorable fourth of July swim trunks and swim shirt that Gramma got him a few weeks ago. Thinking ahead to our vacation, she bought him a 6 month sized suit, as he will turn 6 months old that week. Naturally, because he's becoming a little chunk (and I thought he'd never grow), the 6 month size is already fitting just right, and will probably be too small come August. Regardless he looked the part...all the way up to his little iPlay sun hat, which my brother appropriately deemed his Elmer Fudd hat.

I wore my brand new suck-me-in, black-hides-everything, one piece suit. As I took off my cover up, I said to Matt & Marissa, "don't make fun of my mom suit", to which my brother replied "don't make fun of my dad physique". But then when he saw my bathing suit, he said "actually, it looks like you just went in mom's closet and borrowed one of hers". Awesome! Todd couldn't get over the fact that my suit was $51, marked down from $80, but he said if it made me feel comfortable enough to go out in public, he was fine with the cost. Men always know just what to say to really make a woman feel good.

Anywho, we all took turns floating Nick around the pool. He pretty much kept his eyes on the water the whole time, not sure what to make of it. He had a very "studious" look on his face the entire time, and only cracked a couple of smiles when Aunt Marissa and Tio Mateo started blowing bubbles in the water. He also only cried once, when Tio Mateo slipped and Nick's face hit the water -- even though it was less than a second of water-to-face time, it scared him and he stuck out his bottom lip and did a little fake cry that was not very convincing. Aunt Marissa came prepared and brought a couple of pool toys that also kept Nick's attention...especially when he grabbed one of the dive sticks and stuck it in his mouth...yes, I worried all night if he was going to have diarrhea from the pool water he ingested.

Naturally though, I should win mother of the year, because I forgot to bring any sort of sunblock and waited until we were IN the pool to think of it. So we didn't stay at the pool long for fear of my sweet pale baby becoming a lobster.

**I do have to give a shout out to the huggies swimmy diapers though -- they totally work! Not that I've ever taken a baby in a regular diaper in the pool before...or hell, any baby in the pool before, but the swim diapers totally didn't swell up, and they seemed to keep his butt pretty dry.

After about 30-40 mins in the pool, we all jumped out and stripped Nick down to his birthday suit right there on the pool deck. Then we all dried off and headed back to Matt & Marissa's for delicious burgers and pasta salad.

Nick also had his very first applesauce (made by chef moi) last night, and seemed to love it more than anything else he has had so far. He didn't lose a drop of it on his bib, and swallowed every spoonful he was given!

As soon as he finished his apples, he passed out, we all ate dinner, and then we headed out so that Tio Mateo could get ready for his soccer game. Nick slept all the way home, and I was certain the swimming was going to knock him out for the rest of the night. But as soon as we got in the front door, he woke up. So I took him upstairs, dressed him in his new pj's (which are so cute I contemplated having him wear them to daycare today), and gave him his nightly bottle.

Well...he sucked down the bottle, and then started babbling and looking around. So I held him and rocked him and shhhhh'd in his ear for about 45-60 minutes, when he finally closed his eyes. I put him down in the crib, thinking that he was out for the night...wrong.

He woke up just about every 2 hours from 9:00pm - 4:30am. Not like the crying/screaming/I'm unhappy wake-up...but more like the talking/fussing/will-someone-come-in-here-and-find-my-pacifier sort of wake-up. By 4:30am, I was exhausted and I knew he was exhausted, so I picked him up out of the crib, grabbed a blanket, went in my office, and we snuggled on the couch until about 7:00am. He was totally fine with sleeping in my arms. Which is strange because he has been a great sleeper in his crib since he was about 2 months old. I told Todd I think Nick was having bad dreams about being in the pool.

That, or he was sunburned. Way to go, mother of the year!

Exciting times ahead!

Typically around this time of year I complain that I'm sick of the heat and long for the sweet cool days of fall where I can cuddle up in a big cozy sweater and some flannel pj pants and not have to display my dimpled thighs in a pair of too-tight/too-short shorts or watch my once buff biceps flap in the hot summer breeze.

BUT! This summer, there are so many exciting things to look forward to that I can deal with the lack of clothing that comes with warmer weather and instead focus on the fun that is to be had! Such as:

-Today, Nick will take his very FIRST dip in the pool! We are taking him to Aunt Marissa and Tio Mateo's pool. I'm hoping he loves the pool as much as he loves the bathtub.

-On Friday, we are packing up the baby and all 9,000 items that come with the baby, and driving up to Scranton, PA to see our dear friends Jay & Larissa! It will be Nick's second long road trip, and while he did great when we went to Nashville, he was also much smaller and slept much more back then. We're hoping to pick him up from daycare just before nap time on Friday so that he'll sleep most of the way up.

-The following weekend we will get to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary with them! How lucky are we to have such a great example of commitment in our family? Both of my sets of grandparents (my mom's and my dad's parents) have been married for so long -- I feel blessed to have them all in my life!

-In about 26 days, Todd and I will be celebrating our two year wedding anniversary! It sounds like he is making some surprise plans for us, so I'm super excited to see what he comes up with. We certainly have a lot to celebrate this year :)

-In exactly one month, on July 29th, mom and I are having our Red Door Spa day!! I already had a gift certificate that my sweet husband gave me for Valentine's Day (I know, I know...why haven't I used it yet?!), and mom received a very nice sized certificate from her teacher friends for her retirement...so we're putting them to good use and getting all massaged, painted, etc. for our vacation...

-Which we leave for the very next day on July 30th! We're doing the week in Myrtle Beach, SC again this year with my parents. Staying at the Hampton Inn (same place we stayed last year) which was absolutely beautiful...only this year, Matt & Marissa are joining us!! It's going to be a fantastic week...AND my mom's very best friend from high school and her husband (who happens to be our insurance agent...small town America still exists) will be in Myrtle at the same time visiting their daughter and her husband and new baby girl, who is one month older than Nick! So Nick and their sweet Izzy will get to meet and play and basically just be adorable together. I cannot wait to get to the beach!

-We're also going to see Jimmy Buffett and O.A.R. (separate concerts) in August!

-And we'll close out the summer with my last birthday still in my 20's, as I turn 29 in September.

Such an exciting and full summer of fun! I'm hoping that Nick's first pool trip today is a success and turns in to a frequent afternoon activity :)

Happy Summer!!

All I Really Need to Know, I Learned From my Mom

This is the speech I wrote and read at my mom's retirement party:

I have always admired my Mom – and I’ve always wanted to be like my mom. When I was a little girl, I remember setting up my cabbage patch dolls for “school”, and teaching them lessons. I wanted to be a teacher because my Mom was a teacher. I wanted to have two kids one day (one boy and one girl) because my Mom had two kids. I wanted to curl my hair and wear high heels, because my Mom curled her hair and wore high heels. And although I didn’t grow up to be a carbon copy of my mom, I came pretty close…and I learned everything I needed to know about life and motherhood from her.

Motherhood is scary because no matter what age you are, or how desperately you wanted this baby, you’re never fully trained and prepared for the responsibility that comes with a child. Bringing Nicholas home from the hospital, I had constant visions in my head of my Mom and Dad bringing Matt home from the hospital for the first time. We’re they terrified like I was? Did they want to turn around and go back to the hospital like I did? Were they prepared for the poops, attitudes, bad choices, and teenagers that all children one day become?

I’m sure my Mom had these same fears while raising us. I’m sure she had the same insecurities that I have and I’m sure she questioned some of her parenting decisions too. But she always made it look so easy and as a child I only saw perfection. I don’t ever remember the house being dirty (though she swears it often was) or her ever seeming frazzled trying to get two kids from school to soccer practice, baseball practice, cheerleading practice, and gymnastics. I don’t remember her ever struggling to balance the demands of lesson planning for school, raising two kids, and being a loving wife. But I do remember her singing me Righteous Brother’s and old sorority songs to lull me to sleep. I remember her pouring her blood, sweat, and tears in to my school projects, so that my teachers would say “her mother must be a teacher”. And I remember her teaching Matt and I that the most important thing we can do with our lives is to be educated -- a valuable lesson that she has instilled in the hundreds of thousands of students (and parents!) who’s lives she has touched in the past 30 years.

Among the life lessons that Mom taught me, here a few that really stick out, that I believe have translated in to her classroom as well:

1.) If a job is worth doing at all, it’s worth doing well – Mom taught me that whether I was using an entire can of Pledge to dust the dining room table, or if I was consistently landing on my head doing back-handsprings – I was to give it my all,and I would eventually succeed. Judging by her consistent “no fail” SOL test scores over the years, clearly she has taught her students this as well. She refuses to let anyone fall or fail.

2.)Beauty is on the inside – Mom taught me that wearing the latest Abercrombie fashions, or the newest Skechers, wouldn’t make me prettier. My frizzed out bangs, glasses and braces only made me more beautiful (ahem, no comment Matthew) – so long as I shone from the inside out. Mom has taught the most wide-reaching variety of students…every race, religion, disability, and demeanor imaginable. But she has never seen one student as a certain “type”. To her, they are all muffins. And she loves them as if they were her own.

3.)Family is the most important thing – Mom spent every waking (and sometimes sleeping) moment making sure Matt, Dad, and I were taken care of. If we were going to do something, we were going to do it as a family. It made us grow close, and stay close. To this day, we all try to see each other at least once a week. In her classroom, Mom encourages her student’s parents to be involved. She gives them weekly updates and makes sure they know just how special their child is – and how important learning as a family can be.

4.)Attitudes ARE Contagious – If you’re in a foul mood, it’s going to bring everyone around you down. Smile, and the whole world smiles with you. I know for a fact that she says this phrase to her students all the time. Heck, she still says it to us whenever any of us are cranky.

5.)Watch your Tone -- Mom taught me that “tone of voice” can make a big difference in how what you say is interpreted by another person. (Trust me – she still uses this one on my Dad.) In the 8th grade, sarcasm is a whole new world. And despite the newly developing attitudes that come with adolescence…Mom has always said she “loves the kids whose parents don’t quite like them at that age”.

6.)The Journey is Life – Mom consistently reminded me to make the most of every day. Each moment is a memory in the making. And once that moment has passed, you can’t get it back. Your journey through each chapter in your life, molds who you ultimately turn out to be. You create your own path in life…make sure it’s one you can be proud of.

Mom has touched so many lives and hearts through her teaching -- in and out of the classroom. Have you ever met another middle school teacher who’s students come back to visit them EVERY morning and EVERY afternoon…even as Juniors and Seniors? Perhaps it’s because she is so fun, loving, and all around makes you feel like the best person in the world…or perhaps it’s because they know that even though she may not be their teacher in the classroom anymore, they can still learn so much from her about life and living.

I know I do. I continue to learn from her every day. And I couldn’t be more blessed to have her as a mother, a friend, and my own personal teacher.

Thank you, Mom! Congratulations! I love you!

So what if...

• I don't put nick down in his crib as soon as he falls asleep in my arms each night? I love the cuddle time and am never quite ready to put him to bed. Plus I can't risk missing something on whatever highly intelligent and informative show I may be watching (i.e. The Bachelorette, Master Chef, 16 and Pregnant reruns, etc.)


• My daily wardrobe consists of yoga capris/pants, a sports bra, t-shirt, socks and tennis shoes, a ponytail and a quick swipe of mascara...and I haven't been to the gym in weeks. I'm hoping that someone at Einstein Bagels will look at me purchasing my 900 calorie breakfast and think "well at least she went to the gym first to try and lose some of that baby weight". I wouldn't want to burst their bubble by letting them think I'm just fat AND enjoying extra cream cheese.


• I didn't wash my hair today...or since Saturday. The only people I'm seeing today are the babysitter, the receptionist at my office, and Nick. And none of them care when my last shampoo was.


• I'm wearing a maternity top today. Per bullet number two, my bagel prowess's have kept me from shedding this baby weight. Well that, and a lack of trying. Maternity tops, while making me look questionably pregnant and giving the UPS guy an awkward feeling as he stares at my stomach and tries to figure out whether or not to congratulate me on the bun in my oven, hide my muffin top very well.


• I intend to wear a one piece bathing suit for the rest of my life. With possibly a tankini sprinkled in here and there. Stretch marks, rolls, and the all-around torture my body experience from pregnancy do not make an attractive outlet for displaying a bikini.


• 90% of what I'm saying "so what" to revolves around me feeling fat.

Solid foods = solid poop

Nick started solid foods last Tuesday (June 21st) about 1.5 weeks shy of his 5 month birthday (holy hell-o where does the time go?!). According to our pediatricians office, we should wait until he's 6 months to feed him solids. But he seemed ready, and I was anxious to try - considering he was eating us out of house and home in formula alone (32oz of formula per day, and probably could have eaten more if we'd let him!).

So Nick has officially tried three solid foods: rice cereal, pureed bananas, and strained carrots.

He seems sort of indifferent to eating solids.

The rice cereal makes him cry, but he stops crying as soon as the spoon goes back in his mouth. I think it's because the rice cereal has little to no taste (I can't vouch for this as I refuse to taste it) but is mixed with so much formula that he just gets pissed that he has to eat his formula from a spoon as opposed to the bottle he is so used to.

The bananas are sweet, so naturally he seems to enjoy those. Opens his mouth and swallows them just as fast as they get in there. But again, cries between bites.

The carrots mostly just make an orange mess. And he opens his mouth for them, but then makes a face and sometimes shudders a little as he squeezes most of the carrots back out of his mouth.

Looks like he won't be taking after mommy and enjoying the vegetables over the fruits. He must have daddy's sweet tooth.

Regardless, the poops have been fun. He seems to push for a long time, only to produce one little solid turd. It's certainly an interesting change from the stinky play-doh mess that used to fill his diapers.

And now I'm talking poop...so I'll just end there.

I'm still getting the hang of feeding him solids, and trying to figure out a useful schedule so that I don't overload him too fast. So far we've been giving him a solid at breakfast (bananas mixed with a little rice cereal and formula) along with a bottle. Then his regular lunch bottle around 11:30ish. Then a solid (carrots this past weekend) with a regular bottle around 3:30ish. And we end the day with his regular night time bottle around 7:30ish. Everyone keeps telling me "you can't do it wrong" but I consistently doubt myself. I wonder if we should give him a bottle first, and then the solid, or if the solid should be first, or if we should give him a few bites of solid, then a little bottle, followed by more solids? And should he eat solids for breakfast and dinner, or breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner, or all three meals?? It's all so maddening and I don't want to fail him. I think I need a support group for new mommies feeding their babies solid foods.

Regardless I'm still enjoying making his food (it's SO incredibly easy). I think tonight we're going to try another new food...possibly apples! Unless of course I panic as per usual.

It's a BIG day!

Today' marks my mom's very last day of doing what she loves the most -- teaching. It's a very bittersweet day for her, as she's looking forward to the next phase of her life in retirement, but is going to miss her school, her students, her teacher friends, and the career she has been passionate about for nearly 35 years. I'm so proud of her and thankful for the teaching she has done -- for many of my friends, tons of my school peers, and most of all my brother and me. She is an incredible teacher in and out of the classroom. She has touched so many lives, and every life she has touched is the better for knowing her. Congratulations, Mom!!
Today also marks my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary! Talk about a triumph! I can only hope that one day Todd and I will be celebrating our 60th anniversary...surrounded by our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It fills my heart to see my grandparents still so in love and caring for each other as if no time has passed at all. And after 60 years of marriage, they still look damn good! Congratulations, Gramma & Grampa!!

**And seriously...can I be blessed with these genes? Mom doesn't look nearly old enough to be retired, and my grandparents don't look nearly old enough to have been married 60 years!**

Milestone Moment!

Yesterday Nick had his very first solid food! He ate rice cereal...THREE times!

I'm still learning this whole "parenting" thing, so I have no idea if I'm over-feeding him or not. Hopefully it's the latter, and he doesn't suddenly become obese.

He ate rice cereal for breakfast with me...and cried every time the spoon was taken out of his mouth, because he was starving.

Then he ate more rice cereal at lunch at daycare. Apparently he did a bit better at daycare, but I think it's because he wasn't starving at that time (he'd already had his 8 ounce bottle of the morning, so he was a bit more full).

And then he had a little more rice cereal for dinner -- which -- mommy mistake -- I gave him way too late, so he was starving again and didn't want to deal with the slowness of a spoon. AND because I gave it to him so late, he passed out as soon as I gave him his night time bottle (after the cereal), and I put him down before he'd had a chance to digest a lot of it, so he woke up twice between 8:30pm - 11:00pm with big burps, accompanied by a little bit of chunky spit up. Poor guy. BUT, I'm pretty sure he was half asleep for the spit-up/burps b/c both times when I picked him up, he went back to sleep just as fast. AND he slept until 7:15am.

I'm curious to see how late he sleeps in this weekend, because I had to wake him up this morning to get him to daycare. I think the rice cereal made him a little more full, and kept him sleeping later.

We're going to continue with just rice cereal until the weekend I think, at which time I will probably start him on a fruit. I'm thinking applesauce first.

I really hope we're not rushing him on the solid foods. He seemed to like the cereal, just didn't like the fact that the spoon didn't stay in his mouth the whole time. Clearly he's like his mother and appreciates instant gratification, the likes of which he was getting with the bottle.

I'm hoping to get him on a more consistent schedule with the solids and bottles...I'm just not entirely sure how it should work. Do I give him a cereal and fruit in the morning, followed by a bottle, then solids at lunch, followed by a bottle, then more solids for dinner followed by his nightly bottle?? That sounds like so much food! I think I'm making this much more complicated than it needs to be, I'm just so panicked about doing it correctly. Oy vey, I'm on overload. This is probably why my dog is so untrained...because I just have no clue what I'm doing!

Regardless, this is a big milestone and I'm excited that Nick will be eating solid foods when we go to the beach in August. Such a big boy! :)

To my very first love...

**yes I know this post is three days late...i've been working on it since the day before Father's Day**

Daddy,

They always say that when a little girl is born, she instantly wraps her daddy around her little finger. I'm pretty sure we fit that saying to a T.

As far back as I can remember, memories of my time spent with you all blur in to one word: "awe". I was in complete awe of you. You could make me smile with one word, make me instantly feel better with a big hug, and make me lose my breath in a fit of hysterics with one tickle of my ribs.

I remember holding your hand as a little girl, and thinking "geez, Daddy's hands are so big!" My tiny hand would wrap around just one of your fingers...and I'd feel so secure. With you by my side, I had no fear in the world.

I remember the first time I saw you cry. Gran-Gran passed away. Up to that point, I had never seen you cry. It ripped a hole in my heart, that to this day tears a little more every time I see you cry.

On my wedding day, I watched you stifle your tears as you handed me to Todd, and turned to sit with mom, clutching her hand, as you gave away your little girl. I cried through the ceremony. Partly because I was so happy and overjoyed at starting a journey with my new husband...but partly because my heart was aching. My heart was aching for those sweet innocent days of childhood, when all I needed to make me feel better was a hug from Daddy. My heart was aching, because yours was aching.

Now that I am a parent myself, I look at my sweet baby boy and have flashbacks of my own childhood. And I often lose myself in thoughts of recreating the same memories with Nicholas, that were created with you and mom. I watch you hold your grandson, and a new sense of pride glows around you. I realize how quickly time passes, and how fast Matt and I grew up. And my heart aches a bit more, because I realize I'm no longer a little girl.

But then my heart smiles, because I remember that no matter how old I get...I'll always be YOUR little girl.

Thank you for being the best Dad imaginable. Thank you for being one of my best friends. Thank you for the life lessons you have shared with us, and the love that you have encircled your family with. Our road may have been a bit rockier than some, but you taught us to plow through. I love you more than I can ever tell you, but I hope that you'll see my ever-growing love for my children, and know that I love them the way I love you, and the way you love us...and that...is immeasurable.

Happy 31st Father's Day, Daddy.

I love you always - forever - and after,
Your baby girl

So in love

You know how when you start a new relationship, and you go on a date with that person and then part ways at the end of the evening, and go home and sit around grinning from ear to ear, not able to think about anything other than that person? And the little butterflies in your tummy flutter every time you think about them? And all you want to do while you sit at work all day is watch the minutes tick by until you can sprint home to see that special someone?

Yeah...that's pretty much what being a mom feels like.

Multiplied by a billion.

Whoever said having a baby was like wearing your heart outside of your body, really wasn't lying.

In case there was any doubt...

...about just how much my sweet boy has grown in four short months...

Nick at 4 weeks old

Nick at 4 months old

(Good to see the lampshade hasn't been straightened out, and the mess on the corner end table has only grown.)

And a little shout out to Whinnie -- such a good (read: tolerant) puppy :)

It's the little moments in life...

...that make you smile towards Heaven and thank God for all you have been given.

Like yesterday afternoon, when Nick and I pulled up in front of our house, and Todd rushed outside, like he does every day, to greet me with a kiss, and beat me to the back seat passenger door so he could carry Nick inside the house.

Todd always stops for a second before taking Nick's car seat out of the base, and flashes Nick a smile and says "what's up, buddy!" Naturally this makes Nick crack up, because, obviously, Daddies are hilarious.

But yesterday, Nick was especially talkative. He had so much to say that he started "talking" the minute we pulled up to the house, and continued all the way in the house, while being unbuckled from his car seat, walking up the stairs, and having his diaper and clothes changed.

Once he was all changed, Todd took Nick in to our room and we all laid down on the bed. For some reason I had "he's got the whole world in his hands" stuck in my head (truth be told, it's because ConAir was on TV the night before, and while a totally creepy scene in the movie, it still remains a great song), so I began singing it to Nick. He cracked up and started talking and singing and kicking his legs along with me.

Todd thought it was disturbing that I was singing that song after having just watched ConAir, so instead he put Sugarland's "Stuck Like Glue" on his iPod and the three of us sat there singing and cracking up as Nick ate up every second of it.

And while at the time it seemed like a silly normal moment for our little family of three, I can't help but smile at how that will always be a treasured memory in my heart.

At one point Todd said "I should probably get the video camera for this"...but it was such a spontaneous, impromptu sing-along, that it would've taken something away from the moment. And I know my heart will always be able to play that memory back in my head better than any video camera ever could.

Yard Sale Haul!

On Saturday, Mom and I had a girls day, while Todd and Nick had a Father-Son day.

The original plan was for mom and I to just go get manicures and pedicures, but before arriving at her house that morning, she found an ad online for a yard sale one neighborhood over from her house. The ad promised tons of baby items. We figured it would be worth it to check it out on our way to the nail salon.

A full Jeep Grand Cherokee and $34.75 later, we came home with the biggest yard sale haul, for the lowest price, I'd ever seen!

All of our "treasures"

Evenflo Car Seat = $5.00

We bought this Evenflo car seat with the grand idea of putting it in the Mitsubishi for a couple of months so that Todd could pick up Nick from daycare every now and then. Unfortunately when we got it home and pulled the top from the base, we noticed in HUGE letters the words "DO NOT USE AFTER DECEMBER 2009". Mom asked a police officer about it, and sure enough, he said if we were to use the car seat and get in an accident, insurance would not cover the baby b/c the seat is expired. So now it's going in the trash. But hey, it was only $5.6 bibs = $0.50

3 onesie extensions = $0.25

"What to Expect: The Toddler Years" = $2.00 (retails $16.95 in stores!)

New Halo Sleep Sack = $1.00

Changing Pad + 3 Changing Pad covers (I have a changing pad, but I wanted extra covers and they wouldn't sell separately) = $3.00 (retails for $15 per cover in stores!)

Babies R Us sun shade for car window = free with car seat

Graco swing -- brand new, never been used - 6 speeds, 15 music tunes, up to 40 minute timer, perfectly clean and brand new condition = $5.00 (don't even know how much it retails for in store, but it's WAY more than 5 bucks)

VT onesie = free

"My first Christmas" sleeper = $1.00 (it's 9 months...Nick will be 10 months in December and at the rate he's growing, he probably won't fit in it, but perhaps I can take pics of him in it in September...)

Training Potty = $2.00 (Granted we won't be potty training for a long time...but it'll be nice to have this on hand...and I couldn't pass up the price!)

Jeep Umbrella Stroller with awning and cup holder = $5.00 (it's fairly beat up...you can tell this was a family favorite - even still had a DCA airport tag hanging from it - but it was in Todd's beloved Michigan colors and I knew he'd be ok pushing Nick around in this sweet ride...and again, for 5 bucks, couldn't pass it up)

After the first yard sale, Mom and I went to get our nails done. I didn't take any pics of our nails, but we settled on the same color for our toes (which I also got on my nails, and am loving despite my husbands aversion to brightly painted fingernails).

On our way home, we decided on a whim, to swing in to a Church rummage sale, and found a set of golf clubs. I called Todd and he said "for that price, I could sell them for double...get them!"

Our car was packed full from yard sale #1, so I had to ride with the clubs on my lap...

Ping Zing irons, a Ping putter, 2 Callaway Big Bertha drivers, Several OLD Wilson woods, 3 Callaway head covers, and a really beat up golf bag = $10.00 (Todd is going to restore the clubs and then decide what to do with them...i.e. cut them down for Nick, or sell them back to Golf Galaxy for a much bigger price than we bought them for)

All of that for under $35.00!

After that we were out of cash, out of car space, and starving...so we headed back to mom's where she made us tomato/basil/mozzarella salads with balsamic & olive oil for lunch. SO delicious. I could eat this every day!

After lunch, I helped mom pick out an outfit to wear to the 8th Grade Grad dance that night, as well as approved her outfit for her upcoming retirement party. Then we loaded up the Mitsubishi and I headed home.

I couldn't wait to get home to my sweet boy :)

A little tummy time (looking like mommy here, I think!)

Tummy time doesn't often last long as Nick typically starts screaming or barfs...poor guy.

The Graco swing didn't fit in the Mitsubishi, so on Sunday we headed back to mom & dad's to pick it up...and when we brought it home later, Nick showed us just how happy he was to have a new swing...

So proud of our big yard sale day!!

iHate you iPhone

Last night, for no apparent reason, my iPhone froze. I did the auto reset by holding the top power button with the home button. The phone turned off. I pressed the top button to turn it back on, and the little silver apple popped up on the screen. And then? Nothing. At least for about 25 minutes...when finally the little usb icon showed up with an arrow pointing to the iTunes icon.

So Todd plugged my phone into my iTunes, and we found out that the phone was in "recovery mode" whatever that means. Todd said he could do a reboot, which would temporarily wipe out all of my files, and then reload any of them. But APPARENTLY, it will only reload those that I have synced with my iTunes/computer recently.

And this girl? Doesn't back up. I've never synced my phone. I am sick. SICK. I am going to lose all of my pictures...all of the sweet pictures I've taken of Whinnie and Nick. And all of my videos. Waaaahhh :(.

I want to cry. Could be hormones. Or it could be the fact that I'm a dummy for not syncing my phone.

Either way, I'm refusing to take the blame. If the iPhone 4 is SO advanced, why can't it fix itself, while saving all of my stuff? I'm off to the Apple store to find out the answers to these and other frivolous questions...

In the meantime, I'm cell-phone-less. And I feel like a cave woman. What did people do before they were able to take calls, check messages, read emails, and post facebook statuses every five minutes?!

The best part of my day...

...is when I get to see this sweet face.

Proud Mommy Moment!

Nick officially rolled over for the first time yesterday (Sunday, June 5th), just three days after his four month birthday!

After visiting the doctor on Wednesday night, and having her tell me "it's fine that he hasn't rolled over yet, but you should encourage more tummy time", I had been a bit nervous about him being behind in his motor skills (I know, I know, I'm neurotic).

We stopped by my parents house yesterday afternoon and tried putting Nick on his tummy several times to see if he could flip over. But each time we put him on his belly, he immediately barfed (well, just spit up, but the really stinky came-from-the-bottom-of-his-stomach kind of spit up), and cried and yelled like we were poking him with a stick.

When we got home from my parents in the late afternoon/early evening, I put Nick on his back on his play mat, and let him kick and play with his toys for a while, as I put away some laundry and Todd started dinner. I went in to help Todd with dinner, but quickly got distracted as Nick started babbling to his toys. I went over to see what Nick was babbling about and thought "hmm...maybe I'll try putting him on his tummy again...". So I flipped him on to his tummy, and as soon as I did it, without a single sound, he pushed himself over right to his back! I yelled out to Todd "HE DID IT!! HE FLIPPED OVER!!!" Todd came in to the living room to see, so I flipped Nick back on to his belly, and again, without fuss, just like the first time, he rolled himself over on to his back.

I was SO proud I started cheering and clapping and picked him up so fast that I scared him and he started crying. Whoops! After that Todd went back to start dinner, and I threw Nick a mini ticker-tape parade...that's just how proud I was. And of course I had to immediately call Gramma and Elvis to tell them the proud news! My dad answered the phone and I said "HE ROLLED OVER!!!" and my dad, bless his heart, panicked and said "what?!?!" Poor guy thought I meant Todd had rolled over something with his car. I reassured him that it was not bad news I was calling with...and then he and my mom celebrated with me over the phone.

Mom asked for video, so I attempted to lay Nick back on his belly and video tape him, but all I got was a lot of grunting, crying, and screaming -- and no rolling over. So I gave him a break and decided I will just try again tonight.

I suppose it's very possible that he has been rolling over for several days or weeks now at daycare, but my daycare provider has never said a word (perhaps she wanted me to see it first hand?) I meant to tell her about it this morning, but completely forgot as Nick was giggling and full mouth smiling at me as I kept kissing his nose.

Hopefully at this time tomorrow I'll be posting actual video footage of my big boy rolling over! I am so ridiculously proud!

My Gramma -- The Survivor

Below is my entry to the Komen Race For the Cure "Survivor of the Year" nomination. They never contacted me regarding Gramma's story, but in my eyes, she is so much more than just survivor of the year. She is the epitome of strength and survival.

To call her “survivor of the year” would not be enough. How about survivor of the decade? Or better yet – survivor of the past 5 decades. Because that’s how long she has been battling, and surviving, this disease.

Gramma & Melissa - 1983

‘She’ would be my grandmother – Ardith Kramer. A breast cancer survivor for 46 years! Chances are, if you have attended the DC Komen Race For the Cure in the past 12 years, you’re familiar with her. The barely 5 foot tall, 82 year old little lady, proudly displaying the number of years she has survived embroidered across her pink survivor t-shirt and hat. She doesn’t say much, and never asks for recognition. But she is always there to support the millions of women that she shares a special bond with. And she never takes the smile off of her face – or the hope out of her heart.

Growing up in the 1930’s, Ardith recalls that the word ‘breast’ was never spoken – let alone the word ‘cancer’! A woman diagnosed with breast cancer in those days was considered to be contagious…and was given less than a year to live. By 1965, when she found the lump in her breast, very little had changed about the way people viewed breast cancer. Ardith went in for a biopsy of the lump, and came out of surgery minus one whole breast. She had had a radical mastectomy. It was official – she had the “C” word. But not only did she have cancer…she had two little girls (Lynn age 11; Lauri age 9) and a loving husband (her co-survivor, Abe) at home.

Gramma and her amazing co-survivor, her husband, My Grampa, Abe

Laying in her hospital bed, healing from the harsh surgery she had endured, Ardith recalled the women from her childhood who had only been given a year or less to live. It was in that moment that Ardith made a bargain with God. “God, if you allow me to see my daughters graduate from high school, I will ask for nothing more, and be eternally grateful.” Ardith knew that was only 9 more short years, but to her it would mean the world.

After undergoing cobalt radiation, the adventures of learning how to wear a prosthetic ‘boob’, enduring the whispers of the neighborhood women, and shedding many private tears worrying about leaving behind her young family, Ardith persevered…and she SURVIVED!

Fast forward nearly 40 years from diagnosis. In 2004, Ardith was walking hand-in-hand with her husband Abe, when she tripped and broke her hip. In surgery, the doctors found one lonely breast cancer cell in her femur. The cancer had metastasized to her bones. It was back.

Their love is inspiring, deep, and true.

Now 7 years later, she continues to fight breast cancer throughout her body. She has closed her eyes and pushed through the pain of chemotherapy. She has smiled as it coursed through her body, taking a toll on her taste buds, her balance, and left her bald. Last year, for the first time in public with support from friends and family at the Race for the Cure, she removed her wig and head scarf, and proudly displayed her perfectly smooth, round head in public – a battle scar she shared with so many other women that were present that day.

Ardith has given hope to so many people. After not having an outlet with which to discuss her story, she started a club called the ABC’s (for After Breast Cancer) at her retirement community, so that women who had fought the same battle, could share their stories, and give each other comfort. She inspires on a daily basis, talking openly about the treatments she received, and spreading the word about the subject that when it happened to her was so taboo, yet now sadly, is so common.

This year Ardith was blessed with her first great-grandchild. Here she was, 46 years ago, bargaining with God to give her 9 more years to see her young daughters graduate high school. And she has since been able to see both of them graduate high school and college, watch them both get married, see her grandchildren be born, graduate high school, college, and then each get married themselves and was able to dance at their weddings with her supportive husband of 60 years. Now she holds her great-grandson…an impossible dream 46 years ago…now a reality.

Holding her great-grandson. An impossible reality -- a dream come true.
She has beaten the “one year of survival” statistic from her childhood, 46 times. And she WILL CONTINUE to SURVIVE.

Happy 4 months Baby Boy!

How Old is Nick: Nick is 4 months (as of Thursday, June 2nd)

Stats: We had Nick's 4 month well baby check up last night and he weighed in at 14lbs, 7.2oz, 24inches long, 16inch head circumference. MEANING: he's in the 36th percentile for height, and 42nd percentile for weight and head size. He's still a bit of a little guy, but according to the doctor, as long as he stays on his own personal curve, he's doing great -- and he's very healthy.

Clothes: Nick is right on schedule with what the baby clothing manufacturers claim he should be wearing at this age - 3-6 month clothing. Most of his 0-3 month clothing is too small now. It's so sad to pack up the stuff he has outgrown and know that he'll never be able to wear them again. Then again, he and I are having a similar problem...not fitting in to any of our old clothes. Yes...I'm still wearing the same few pairs of pants (albeit NOT maternity!) and alternating the same slew of over sized tops to hide my rolls. People love fat rolls on babies...not so much on their mommies...

Sleep: He is still a champ when it comes to sleeping. Most nights he'll sleep about 10-11 hours. I recently tried putting him to bed in his regular footie pajamas, instead of the nightgowns with the hand covers. And without his little hands covered, he would yank his pacifier out of his mouth, and then spend 20 minutes trying to get his thumb or fingers into his mouth, and scratching his face or poking himself in the eyes in the process. This results in a scream, which means Todd or I have to get up and go replace his pacifier. I put an end to that though by putting him back in his nightgowns with the hand covers...if it ain't broke...don't fix it.

Nick sleeping on the morning of his four month birthday...yes his little arm is between the crib slats. He manages to do this every night...sometimes it bothers him, sometimes it doesn't. Such a goofball :)

Milestones: He has figured out that his hands work! He tries so hard to grab things, and occasionally makes contact! He also loves to put his hands together, or in his mouth. They are his favorite chew toy. He's also following things with his eyes, and really focusing on objects more. And in hair news -- his red hair is slowly disappearing as his blond hair grows in. It's pretty obvious he's going to be a blondie just like his daddy.

Movement: He's still not rolling over, but he's getting close by rocking back and forth on to his side. The doctor said it's not something to worry about, but to encourage more tummy time during the day to get him moving. Otherwise, his arms and legs are always kicking and moving. The doctor even commented that he was a wiggle worm -- which is a good thing. She did say that typically heavier babies tend to take a little longer to roll over because they are a bit weighed down. Not that Nick is fat by any means, but because he's heavier than he is long, it might be making it a bit tougher for him to roll all the way over.

Food/Appetite: Nick still loves his bottle. He's on track with four 8oz bottles a day -- eating around 7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm. Granted that schedule is approximate and mostly depends on what time we get up in the morning and he has his first bottle. Sometimes he'll be so exhausted at the end of the day, that he'll only eat 5 or 6 ounces of his last bottle...but somehow it still fills him up enough that he won't wake up hungry in the night. Bless this sweet little guy -- he has certainly given his mommy and daddy the gift of sleep! I asked the doctor about starting rice cereal and solid foods. She said they like to push closer to 6 months for solids, so that he'll be able to sit up a bit better. This was fine with me...for some reason I have this weird fear of giving him baby food. I have no idea why, because I am sure it's fairly easy. Maybe it's just that moving to more foods than just the bottle means he's growing up -- and I'm just not ready for that yet!

Adventures: Gramma & Elvis went to a yard sale over Memorial Day weekend and found a bouncer and walker/play table for $20 each. Such a steal! Nick hasn't gotten in the walker yet, as he's still a bit little, but he has been in the bouncer a few times and seems mesmerized by all of the toys, bright colors, and general excitement.




Another exciting happening this month is that Nick is attending his very first Race For the Cure tomorrow! He and the rest of our family, will honor and celebrate with my Gramma (Nick's GREAT Gramma!) in her 46th year of surviving her battle with breast cancer. We are all so blessed to have Gramma in our lives, and I am so filled with gratitude to God for giving Nick the opportunity to get to know his Great Gramma. Tomorrow will be an emotional day for sure!

Nick in his baby gym

He's really givin' it to those toys. I like to call this his "tarzan yell".

(Sorry for the squeaking in the background...Whinnie wanted to join in the playtime fun. Such a jealous big sister.)

Four months old tomorrow?

No big deal, Ma.

Four month post coming tomorrow....