All packed and Ready to go!!!

Mickey Mouse and the Gang, here we come!! I hope you are ready for The J Man!!!

I think I'll have some lemonade....

Well, like they say, when life throws you lemons, make lemonade!! My surgery went well this morning and I'm home resting now, although in some pain which I'm fully aware will get worse once the anesthesia completely wears off. That will make for an interesting car ride tomorrow :( I'm hopeful (prayerful) that the pain will get better by morning and I'll be fine, but I know I need to prepare for the worse. Or truck has two rows in the backseat. Traveling with us will be my parents, my niece and one of my nephews, and Daddy, J, and I. We are going to try and install J's carseat in the backrow and I'll have half of that seat to stretch out on. And if all else fails, my pain pills are my new BFFs!!

J woke up really early this morning, almost like he knew I wasn't there. My friend was here with him and fed him his breakfast. She said after breakfast he played a bit but she could tell he was looking for me. He kept saying "Mom?" "Mom?". And then he satrted to get tired and had a meltdown and was crying out "Mommaaaa!!" My poor baby missed me!!! My friend fed him his lunch and the he fell asleep. He was asleep when I got home from the hospital and I can't wait for him to get up so we can cuddle. The best part about being the mom of a momma's boy!! I love it. He will help me to heal faster I'm sure! I love my boy!!
"

Wicked!!

J has his own broom and dust pan b/c he LOVES to help me clean the house. Today I walked in the living room and caught him doing this!!!




Well tomorrow morning I have to have an outpatient surgery for a bulging blood clot. Yep. The day before our trip to Disney. The surgeon said it is not safe for me to travel such a long distance with the blood clot b/c it could rupture. So say a prayer for us!

Yogurt!!

All the parenting books say that your baby's palate will change almost daily. They may love something one day, and hate it the next. And Vice versa. They were right. We got the okay from J's pediatrician to intorduce him to soy milk products (he has a history of MSPI). We successfully made the switch from Rice milk to Soy milk (my pockets are forever grateful!) and then tried to introduce him to some yogurt. When I say he did not like it, that's an UNDERSTATEMENT!! He HATED yogurt. He gagged, grimaced, cried and all. Just didn't want anything to do with it at all. So we left it alone for a while. Well I don't think Daddy knew just how much J hated yogurt and one day last week, he offered J some. He dug in and ate it all and said "Mmmmmm!" the entire time! Now he has daily yogurt and he looks forward to it. Today while he was enjoying it, he grabbed the container off the counter. I figured he was going to play in it and I'd just clean the mess later...boy was I wrong. J held that cup in one hand and dug his spoon in with the other! And he never missed a bite. And when it was all gone he sat in his chair signing "more". Everytime I went to take him out the chair he'd slap my hand away and sign more!!

Yummy!!


Want some??


Happy for Yogurt!


Digging in


Look at those feet! He's in heaven!

Heat Wave!!

Summertime heat + active toddler= NO FUN!!!

The temps are up to 100 degrees. Same as last year. Only this time it's harder b/c J is very mobile and active. Last year he was only crawling and cruising, so it was easy to keep him occupied inside. Not this year. Now he stands at the french doors yelling "Out Out Out!" I try to wait until later in the afternoon hoping it won't be as hot then, but that time never comes until 8pm when he's in bed. So today I decided to let him go out and see how he does in the heat. I moved all of his toys that were too hot to play with. While I was moving the toys, he found one of Daddy's set of pliers that he left out from the weekend. The pliers were sitting in the sun. The pliers were hot. Very hot. J picked them up and immediately started crying, but didn't put them down. He was chasing me to give them to me!! So I ran to him to get them and boy were those pliers HOT!! I checked his hands for burns and ran some cool water on them. He kept saying "Hot, Mom, hot." Poor babe...welcome to the south.

Flashback Friday!!!

HA!! What a face!!

Sick Day

I woke up this morning in severe pain. Nauseating pain. I got J out of his crib and had to put him in bed with me for a few minutes, hoping the pain would go away. It didn't. I called my mom while I fixed J's breakfast and she told me I needed to go to the Dr TODAY! Well I usually don't go to the Dr much, and the primary Dr I have on my tricare insurance is AWFUL, yet I never got around to switching. The way Tricare works, they won't let you change your PCM immediately, unless the Dr moved or we moved. Otherwise, it takes 30 days to change the Dr. So I bit the bullet and called the Dr's office for an appt. Here's how the call went:

Me: Good morning. I am calling to see if Dr. C has any available appt's for today.
Receptionist: Dr.C's father died so he's out and we don't know when he'll be back.
Me: Okay, is anyone seeing his patients while he's out?
Receptionist: No.
Me: So what are his patients to do if they need to see a Dr ASAP or have an emergency?
Receptionist: Emergency?
Me: Yes ma'am. He is a Dr correct?
Receptionist: He's a clinic Dr.
Me: But clinic patients have emergencies.
Receptionist: Go to the ER.

I had to hang up on her b/c there was so much that I could have told her but it wasn't worth it. That clinic does not care about it's patients. I am so angry and I will probably take this a step further and report them. I called Tricare and explained the problem. Tricare called and they actually were able to give Tricare a date on when he'd be back, but she told me that they had no idea when he'd be back. He wouldn't be back until the middle of August so Tricare allowed me to switch Drs. I saw a Dr and I have an ulcer. Ouch.

Where did the day go?!?!

Whoa...I have had no time for anything today. We got up this morning and had breakfast and then I did my niece's hair for her. Soon as I was done with her hair and J went down for his nap, my friend came over with her baby. Once J got up from his nap, I took advantage of the cool breeze from a storm that's expected to come through and went to the park. It felt really good today compared to the 100 degree days we were having. J was bashfull at first but then had a ball running around! I love to watch him run. His feet go in and it's so cute, but the Dr is keeping a close eye on them b/c if they don't start to turn out, he'll get a correctional brace. We also saw a family of ducks and they were VERY friendly! J loved it. I even handed my camera over to my niece to do a "photo shoot" of the duck family! Yeah, I was a brave woman! I wish I had my other camera to catch her in action. It was really cute. Maybe we will do it again tomorrow. Only 8 more days until Disney!!

My neice is in town

And she is wearing me out already!! She thrives for constant attention, which is hard for me b/c J is VERY independent. I play with him when he ALLOWS me to and I take an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to teach him things, but other than that, he wants to play alone. I like that about him b/c I can see him using his imagination (putting his bears to sleep, making his puppy ride his truck, cleaning the house, etc.) But my neice is a different story. She's 11 and needs to be in your face 24/7. She woke up yesterday morning and the first thing she said was "Where are we going today". I had to tell her, please don't expect to go somewhere everyday that you are here b/c that won't happen. Well, she did the same thing this morning! I don't plan to keep her locked in the house for 2 weeks, but I don't want her to expect to go somewhere everyday. She's also been a smart alec to her uncle. He kept the kids yesterday while I went to do a photo shoot. He needed to go to the electronics store to see about getting a new TV put in the truck for our trip to Orlando, so he took the kids with him. He told me J was an angel, but my neice was very testy. Daddy said, while he was talking to the saleman, my neice kept interrupting "Is that for the truck?" "Are we getting that for the trip?" "Will you put a screen in the backseat?!" Very annoying, but Daddy is so passive and didn't tell her anything, so she kept going. That's disrespectful and she should know better by 11 yrs old, so we will be working on that. I know she would never do that with me so she needs to learn to respect her uncle as well.

I'm taking them to the park now and then coming back home to do her hair for her. Then later on this afternoon, if she wants to make some friends I told her she can go to the house down the street and introduce herself to the 3 kids that are always outside. I only have her for 2 weeks and then we will head to Oralndo, but I can tell this will be a long two weeks! I have no idea how I will get any work done with her around!!

Reunion weekend

It was AWESOME!! We got in town at about 5pm Friday and got dressed at my mom's house. She was keeping J for us that night but she had a patient to see first. I wasn't surprised when she was late getting home so that we could leave. The formal started at 8 and she got home at 8:30. We had an hour drive so I didn't get there until a little after 9:30. When we got out of the car and started walked to the hall, I got butterflies in my stomach! I was so nervous and I told my hubby, what if no one remembers me?!?! He assured me that I look exactly the same and people would remember me. Well when we walked in, all of my classmates were lined up taking the group picture. As soon as I walked in we hear a bunch of people screaming my name! Hubby nudged me and said "See?!" and I made a run to get in the picture!



This was the best picture Hubby could get with my little camera b/c so many of the classmates showed up, which was great! I did purchase the 8x10 from the photographer though. After the picture, I mingled and caught up with so many old friends. No one really changed much at all (maybe a 20 yr reunion needs to be planned!) and it was funny to see the small changes made by some. Hubby mingled with people and enjoyed himself. That made me have so much more fun. I even saw our old principal. He was really happy to see me!



After the formal, a group of us got together and hung out at a local bar/dance club in the french quarters. It was a really nice atmosphere and Hubby loved the DJ! He was dancing and just really enjoying himself. We danced together and even flirted with each other!! LOL! It was so much fun, and I believe that having Hubby there with me made it just that much more fun. It was seriously the highlight of my weekend! My friends were asking "How long have you two been married?" "You guys are so cute together!" Well, he's my best friend, what can I say!

The next day we had our class picnic. It rained that morning so of course that made for some muddy grounds and hot, humid weather. But we still had a really nice turnout and everyone enjoyed themselves. Hubby took pictures of me with some of my friends and J was J, flirting with everyone and showing off his toddler skills!





The next day we got up and went to good ole Franklin Ave Baptist Church. Hubby laughed when I parked in the same parking spot I always parked in before Katrina. He even took a picture of J and I in front of the street sign!





J enjoyed church during the worship and praise. He even danced and clapped his hands.





Please don't ask me what happened during the sermon!! I would much rather forget that experience! LOL!

All in all, Class of 98 Reunion weekend was incredible. I had the most fun I've had in while and can't wait to see my friends again, or to hang out with HUbby like that again! Tonight I have a newborn session, which are my favorite, so wish me luck!

No Coincidence

I planned to come home today and blog about my class reunion (which was awesome BTW!!) but after hearing this morning's sermon by Pastor Luter at my hometown church, the reunion update will have to wait until tomorrow!

First of all, I was SO HAPPY to be back in the old sanctuary! I hadn't been there since Hurricane Katrina. It reopened it's doors about 3 months ago and the seats are already filled every Sunday! Praise God! But imagine my surprise when Pastor Luter told us what the sermon would be about...True Friends. How ironic that I just blogged about this very topic a few days ago. I recently lost one of what I thought was a true friend and was bothered by it. It's been bothering me all week so I prayed to God about it. Well the Pastor used the scripture Proverbs 18:24

"A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

"Friends can destroy one another, but a loving friend can stick closer than family."

So he went on to ask "Who's in your Fave 5?" and that you need to be sure to pick carefully. It was amazing b/c he asked the sanctuary to raise their hands if they have over 10 people they consider a friend. Almost the entire church raised their hands. So then he asked, how many of you believe that all 10 of those friends are TRUE FRIENDS. Honestly, hardly no one raised their hands. He talked about 3 kinds of friends: A friend for a Reason, a friend for a Season, and a friend for a Lifetime. We all know that God puts certain people in our lives for a reason, and some for a season, and some of us are lucky enough to have TRUE lifetime friends! He said that we need to be careful who we put in our "fave 5" and be sure that God is NUMBER 1!!!

I felt so blessed this morning. I feel that not only does God put people in our lives for a reason, he also puts us in certain places for a reason. I am so glad I was able to hear the sermon this morning and I know that God was hearing my prayers this week. Hope your weekend was as great as mine was!!

Flashback Friday!

A few days ago, I posted pics of J at the park, so what better picture to use for this week's flashback Friday than the picture of J's first time on the VERY SAME swing!!



Notice the cloth diaper...they were our only sanity during those days b/c J barfed every 30 minutes at least!!

Speaking of Flashbacks, my high school class reunion is this weekend! Tonight is the semi formal (and I've been nominated for something!) and tomorrow is the family picnic. I can't wait to see all of my old friend's and their families! Right now we are headed to the park for a picnic with Daddy's job. This is going to be a fun filled weekend for us! Have a great weekend everyone.

Busy day today!

We got a ridiculously high Entergy bill this month b/c our ac unit has not been cooling the house properly. It runs all day on hot days b/c it cannot get one side of the house to cool off. I've had the AC people come out to check it twice and each time he came he told me he adjusted the air flow and then would tell me to keep doors open, get black out shades, and ceiling fans. We got a ceiling fan for J's room (the hottest room in the house) and we've been keeping the doors open but it hasn't helped one bit. I'm not accepting the fact that they think blackout shades will solve our problem b/c number one, We bought this house b/c we both like lots of windows and sunlight. Blackout shades will defeat the entire purpose b/c the house gets hot during the day when I like to use sunlight in the house. Two, I really don't think the blackout shades will solve our problem, just like the ceiling fan and open doors didn't. Daddy called the builder who came over today and said that he will get someone out here to diagnose the problem. I asked him if maybe we need a bigger unit and he wasn't sure, but will ask the AC company. I really didn't think our house was all that big. Also, we have a crack going straight across our ceramic floors in our bathroom (3 tiles sharing the same straight crack). The builder looked at that and it baffled him. It could possibly be from the house shaking during the tornado we had a few months ago. So someone is coming out tomorrow to look at that also. As the builder walked out, he noticed two unpainted spots on our walls from when the painter came in to repair two cracks in our walls LAST MONTH! He told me he would be back in 3 days to sand the areas and paint them. Well...he never came back. The builder was so upset and said the painter will be here bright and early tomorrow and if he isn't we have to give him a call. So we will have alot going on at our house tomorrow. Thank goodness Daddy is off!!

We are headed to take J for his haircut! Have a great day :D

Weeeeeeeee!!!

J and I spent the morning at the park today. It was a hot one, but not as bad as usual. There was a nice breeze blowing. Thank God for that b/c J wanted to stay on the swings ALL.DAY.LONG. and the swingset is really the only spot in the park that is no where near any shade. I tried to get him to get on the slides, but he would look over to the swings and say "Weeeeeeeeeee!" so back to the swings we'd go. And he loves to swing HIGH!! Some older kids were at the park for a field trip and one little boy was pushing J for me and J loved it! He was squealing with delight! We'll definitely have to do this again (weather permitting!)





We're throwing some meat on the grill tonight for dinner, so we may just pull out his pool this afternoon while we're grilling! What a fun day for the J man!!

A True Friend

What is a True Friend?

A true friend is someone who is ALWAYS there for you.
A true friend will drop everything when you say that you just need to talk.
A true friend will always lend a shoulder to cry on.
A true friend will be there to wipe away the tears.
A true friend will never walk in front of you or behind, but will walk right beside you.
A true friend will tell you what you need to hear, even if it may hurt your feelings.
A true friend will tell you when you've done something wrong, and will not judge you for it.
A true friend will not be jealous of where you are in life, but will thank God for getting you there.
A true friend will help you to become successful, not wish that you stay on the bottom.
A true friend will never leave you behind without warning.
A true friend will always be your friend.

I've come to find out that TRUE friends are rare. If you have any true friends in your life, contact them today and tell them how much they mean to you!!

Mom

Wow. I didn't think little boys start calling their Mommy's "Mom" until they were AT LEAST in kindergarten!! Well, J is only 19 months and already is too cool to call me mommy anymore! He calls me "Mum" and says it with such love.... "Mmmmmmuuuuuuum!" He said this Friday night in a restaurant as he was reaching for me and the people sitting across from us couldn't believe their ears. They said they couldn't believe he said it so well, but honestly, I think what they couldn't believe was the English accent! It cracks us up! Sometimes I get lucky and he calls me "Mom Mom" which is as close to Mommy as I'll get anymore, but I'm getting used to this Mum business also. It's pretty cool, and my boy is pretty cool also, don't you think??



He battling some pretty bad diarrhea right now. Poor guy. One thing after the other. I hope this passes soon.

Bringing back the 80's!!!

In honor of Mommy's Class reunion next weekend, J decided to represent 80's style, by sporting this oh so classy fanny pack!!





Oh, and in case you're wondering why we have a fanny pack in the house, they are AWESOME to have at Disney and the other theme parks....TRUST ME!! Less than 2 weeks before J see's Mickey and friends!!!

Found

We went on our 2 mile walk this evening and saw this little kitty chasing a bird! LOL! J saw the kitty and said "Ooooooo!" so we stopped to pet him (her?). The cat was SO friendly and let us pet him and it purred and rubbed all over me. We continued on our walk (a mile left) and this kitty followed us the entire way home. There were people outside on the block so I asked them if they knew who the cat belonged to b/c this is obviously a house cat. No one knew who the cat belonged to. I thought he would turn around after so long, but he happily followed us the entire way home. He even walked RIGHT into our house, but the dogs scared him half to death!He appears to be VERY VERY thin, but his face is shaped like a siamese cat so I am assuming that he's just skinny in nature. He's now asleep on our porch and we will put up a sign tomorrow to find the owners.

Flashback Friday!!!

What's that?? In an attempt to make sure I update my blog AT LEAST once a week (although I'll try to do so daily!) I decided to try something called Flashback Friday. I'll post a picture from the past, mainly baby pictures of J, or old pictures of Daddy and I before J. Be sure to check back each week b/c you are sure to either a)have your heart melted, b)bust a gut laughing, or c)both a and c!!

So what better way to start off flashback Friday than with a picture of our very first moment meeting our precious son, J!!

Jayden and his puppy

It's a fact. J is spoiled and has TONS of toys all over our house. So many, that we plan to sell some at a garage sale this weekend. I'm betting Daddy that we will use some (if not all) of the money to get something else for J!! How pitiful is that?? But truth be told, J would be happy if we got rid of every single toy except for "Pup", his puppy dog. My aunt gave him this little pull along puppy for his 1st birthday and demanded to see pictures of him playing with it. Well he showed ZERO interest in this thing for months. Then one night I was cooking dinner and he came in the kitchen dragging the poor puppy on it's side. I bent down and picked the puppy up and placed it on all fours and told J to walk his puppy. J pulled his puppy and the dog started "barking" as he walked behind J. Since then, he has been IN LOVE with this puppy. The puppy goes to every room in the house with J. But the cutest thing EVER is when J sees me going out the front door and he tosses whatever it is that he has in his hand and RUNS for his puppy's leash, all the while turning around to be sure that I haven't left him yet. But he HAS to have his puppy outside with him to take Pup for a walk.

First he stands Pup upright, by grabbing his ears of course!!

Then they start their walk. This is serious business to J!

Pup always stays right at J's feet

But J likes to give Pup a lift from time to time!

Pup, exhausted after a long walk with his best buddy!

Cheeeeeeeze!!!

Many (read ALL) of my photographer mom friends complain about their kids not wanting to be in front of the camera...EVER! I could relate b/c J would run as soon as I pointed my camera at him. You would think that was literally about to shoot him! LOL! I never expected J to have a change of heart. Most children of photographers always run from the camera, even through their teenage years! Well lately, J has taken a liking to cameras. He knows how to use the camera on my cell phone. Just today he opened my phone, turned it around (so that the camera would face him to take his own picture) and said "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!!!" So I took the camera and he started posing! Great opportunity to send some pics to Daddy while he's in St.Louis. Today I took him outside to play while I played around with my new camera, trying to learn the ins and outs of it. Well he could hardly focus on playing b/c he wanted to pose for my camera! He would slide down his slide and then pose and say Cheeeeeeeeze!! then come in for a close up! Trust me, I'm loving this!! We came inside b/c it was about to rain and I sat my camera on the table and he went over to it and stood in front of the lens and said "Cheeeze please!!" I love it! So I do have some pictures taken with my professional camera that I will share soon, but I vow not to touch his pictures taken with that camera if I have other sessions to proof. I am almost done with my last one and then I will get to those, but until then, here are some from my point and shoot taken on 4th of July night! Most were taken by Daddy, so excuse the faces chopped off. Also, J has the sillies sometimes in front of the camera and he makes faces, just like his little cousin!

Teething after an infection...

must hurt really bad :( Mr. J has been grabbing at that mouth and whining alot lately. His iron levels are finally back up and his gums are slowly reaching the normal pink color again (as opposed to a red crayola!)and he had lab work done at the Dr that showed that his infection has cleared. The Dr was concerned, however, with the pain that J would go through with these new teeth coming through since his gums were still tender. So he put J back on his pain meds. What an awesome Dr. I only give him the meds before meals so that he can chew without crying if needed. I've heard so many reasons for why J developed stomatitis. The old pediatrician, who admitted J, told me that it was from his iron levels being low. Then a nurse told me it was from contact (meaning J touched another kid's mouth who had the infection). Then another nurse told me that J was put in isolation b/c it's airborne....UM, WHAT?!?! So, finally Tricare got their stuff together and we were able to see J's new pediatrician for his check up. The Dr was so concerned about J. He asked about everything they did in the hospital to make sure that he was properly treated. Then he vowed to never send us to THAT hospital again should J need to be hospitalized, b/c the staff was simply ridiculous. And that's putting it nicely. The Dr told me that he believes J's low iron was a result of the infection. He also checked J's hands and feet b/c he said stomatitis could have been a result of the hand, foot, and mouth syndrome. He also said that stomatitis is similar to chicken pox, only it's contained in and around the mouth. He said he doesn't think J will get it again, but some kids do get it more than once. But he was impressed with how well J was doing so soon after being discharged. As am I :D It's the worst feeling in the world to see your child sick. It's like a lost an entire week in my life, including my birthday. But I'd give up many more weeks just to be sure my baby feels good!

Our holiday was pretty laid back. It was also J's 19 month b day so we took him to watch the fireworks. He was a little scared at first of the loud bangs but he tried his hardest to keep those eyes open to see the colorful fireworks! And of course we heard "Ooooooo Wow!!!!" several times that night. He posed for the camera, pointed to the sky, ran from lap to lap, and just had a good ole time.

19 months is pretty fun. He's becoming more independent each day. He loves to count to 10 (with a little help that is!). He can say 1, 2, 3, then we say 4, 5, 6, 7, and he shouts 8!!! then we say 9 and he shouts 10, YAY!!!! Love it!!

3 weeks until Disney!!!