Tanner is 11!

Eleven years ago, I became a Mom. Tanner was the first, the practice model, the child I would learn how to become a parent to. Bobby and I were young, 23 and 25, and I'm sure we didn't completely know what we were getting into. I know we've made mistakes along the way, and I hope Tanner will eventually forgive us for those. Probably not when he's a teen, but someday. Tanner Jacob came into the world at 6:52 am, February 16, 1997, weighing all of 6 pounds 11 ounces. He was a petite little guy.
But quickly grew into a fat little critter. Check out the rolls. He gets the butt honestly, from both parents.

He's always been a fun kid.....
a little moody,
a little curious, a little obsessive, (he wore the "Steve" shirt for days on end)
a little sweet,

a little cantankerous,
and a wee bit zany.
Through the years........
Age 1
Age 2

Age 3
Age 4
Age 6
Age 7
Age 10

We took him out to dinner for his birthday, where he put away a steak, potato, salad, and dessert. I don't know how we'll keep him fed as a teenager. He loves food, and is thankfully, one of my less picky kids. Still not too fond of fruit, but at least he eats a variety.

Tanner is my techno kid. He's all into video games, CD players, MP3's. His latest obsession is Guiter Hero III. And if he's not responding to you, there's a good chance, he's in his room playing it. He'd much rather do that than homework or chores.

He's a smart, funny, stubborn, loveable, annoying preteen. And I gotta admit, I love the ornery booger.

Happy Birthday, little man.

Little bean update

I had another appt today with my CNM. No real concerns. The nausea is still here and has gotten progressively worse. Which is weird for me. With my other kids, I had morning sickness that started right at 6 weeks, but was gone by the second trimester. This time, it started at 6 weeks, and worsened at week 10. I'm into the second trimester now and just wondering when in the heck it is going to end. I did learn that I cannot nonchalantly nosh on handfulls of jelly beans unless I want to be nauseated for hours. The last two nights at work were bad. I had to stop myself from gagging several times before walking into patient's rooms.

Anyway, enough vomit talk. All appears well with the little bean. She was able to find the heartbeat right off, which was reassuring. I tried to listen at work with the aid of a couple other L&D nurses. We just determined that our Doppler sucks. I only gained 1 pound since my last visit. Yay! I'm sure the nausea helps with that, but I'm also trying to cut out alot of the junk I used to eat. I am starting out way above where I should be, so I'd like to keep the weight gain to a minimum this time. Especially considering that all the other kids have kindly left me with an additional 10 pounds (at least) once they exited my body. I am still fitting into my jeans, although sucking in the belly just isn't feasible anymore. There's definitely a little bump growing down there.

Our next appt will be in March, when we'll be having the US. And no, no one is invited.

Happy Birthday Krista!!!

Today is my big sis's birthday! She's uh, older than me. I know what the best gift would be, and I wish I could give it to you. But until then, know that if Mia was home now, she'd say: Sheng Ri Kuai Le, Ma Ma. Now, where's the cake?

Being a SAHM

Okay, let me just preface this by saying, I am technically, not a stay at home Mom. I do work full time as a L&D nurse, but, my schedule works out so that every third week, I have a 7 day stretch when I get to play at being a SAHM.
I noticed, after the past week, that it is possible to get more accomplished when you are home all day long versus working 12 hour night shifts which require you to sleep during the day when you are home. I have cleaned, done more laundry, and cooked more in the past week, than I have in a long time. Of course, part of that might be because the pregnancy fatigue is letting up. I haven't left the house in two days, but I DIDN'T HAVE TO!!!!
You can also have days as a SAHM when you celebrate your SAHMedness by staying in your pj's until 3 pm!!! No offense to any SAHM's who like to dress before 8 am, and have a full schedule planned for every day. But this is my blog! I enjoy the freedom and spontaneity of doing whatever I want or nothing at all.

To recap our week:

Saturday was resale shopping day, where I caved and bought maternity clothes. I can still squeeze into my jeans, especially since I keep the spare "fat" pair around for emergencies. But with maternity tops, I can disguise the fact that if I want to wear clothes and eat all in the same day, I must unbutton, uh, and sometimes unzip my regular jeans.

Sunday: Cleaning, Super Bowl, and early to bed. Actually, during the Super Bowl. Bobby said it was a good game in the last couple minutes. I can't recall. The last thing I remember is Tom Petty.

Monday: We took a trip down to Centerville to see Uncle Travis, who was feeling like crap but still managed to cut Teagan's unruly hair. (I still need to hold him still long enough to snap a pic) We dropped by City Barbeque for a Pig Up and Go pack for dinner. Yum, yum, yummy. Bobby, being the Texan that he is, loves brisket, and I hate to cook it. Ergo.....
We also stopped by McD's which we are prone to do whenever we leave the house. What is up with that place? I am convinced they slip drugs into their McNuggets because I swear my kids are addicts. But, hey, all white meat chicken, 1% milk, and apples! It's healthy, right?

Tuesday: More laundry, and hanging out in pj's. We did bake chocolate chip cookies, which I had to stash before the little people ate them all. I'm still not sure whether the older boys got any or not.

Wednesday: More laundry. (Does it ever end?) I also managed to rearrange and clean Tatum's room. I'm sure it won't stay clean for long. And, I made meatloaf for dinner! I love meatloaf! Why does it seem like it should be so hard to make? It's really not, but that is why I avoid making it.

Thursday: On the agenda for today, more laundry. A trip to the library to return and pick up more. And a stop by the grocery for more milk ( I should have stock in the dairy market!), and to pick up stuff for King Ranch Chicken. I found my recipe the other day while I was lazing around in my pj's. I used to make this all the time, but have't made it in years. Seriously............. Y E A R S. (Does it bother anyone that I say grocery, and not grocery store? That so irks my husband. Why, I ask, why??? Damn Texan.)

Things I have learned this week:

There is a reason the directions tell you to leave Pizza Rolls in the microwave for 2 minutes. It is not a suggestion. If you bite into one, inevitably, the boiling ingredients will drip onto your chin causing a first degree burn. It's much better to pop the whole thing into your mouth. Of course, then you will have to walk around with your mouth hanging open in an attempt to suck in enough cool air to keep your tongue from melting. Or you could wait for them to cool, but what kind of pansy ass does that? Better yet, leave them to the kids. I'm sure the reason they are classified as kid food, is because they have absolutely no nutritional value anyway.

As many times as you are willing to pick up puzzle pieces off the floor, your 2 1/2, almost 3 yr old will be willing to dump them one more time.

Wearing jammies all day is comfy!

If you tell your 2 1/2- 3 yr old child that this is the last pack of diapers we are buying because he will use the big boy potty, he won't.

My 5 yr old girl must be the most obstinate human on earth. That's what she calls people, by the way. It's always "Mommy, look at that human." "That human is sleeping". "Those humans are funny". I guess because, in her world, you are human, or animated.

You must repeatedly remind 10 yr old boys if you want them to accomplish anything.

Even if you avoid organized religion, your almost 8 yr old will find a way. He has always gone down to the church youth center half a block up from us. I never thought anything of it, because they have games in the evenings and they feed him. I thought he just liked to hang out. But, apparently, he is paying attention. He told me last night that you can't go to church if you're mean. So when I ask if Mommy or Daddy would be allowed to go, he said no, because we're mean. Little brat. But, ahahahahaha, I can use this to my advantage. Just 5 minutes later he was pinching his sister. I said, hmmm, you can't go to church if you're mean, right? That seems mean. His response, I didn't pinch her hard.

If you think your 5 yr old and almost 3 yr old are playing too quietly in the playroom, they are probably in your room, shredding styrofoam.

It is possible to drown in children's clothing, especially if you have 4 of them, and you are buying for one who isn't even here yet. The problem is that I am frugal. So I buy things on sale, or used, when they are available. Like, I bought garbage bags full of boys 14-16 clothes during the summer thinking that Tanner would fit in them eventually. Well, eventually, came sooner than expected. So, now the boys have 7's, 8's, 10's, 12's and 14's in their closet.

If you tell your almost 8 yr old boy to go comb his hair before school, he may come out of the bathroom like this.
And he will ignore you and continue to eat his cereal while you snap his pic.
If your 5 yr old asks, "Mommy, where is your ring?" What she really means is, I was playing with your expensive diamond ring and now I can't find it, so where do you think I might have put it?
Yellow Labs really appreciate rain and mud.
The smell of wet Yellow Lab will trigger morning sickness.
If you let your 2 1/2-3 yr old help make meatloaf, there will be big chunks of Saltines mixed in.
Bacon is gooooood! Microwave bacon, without the popping grease, is even better.
If you ask your 5 yr old if she spilled cereal in the playroom, she will lie, even though she knows you saw her take it up the stairs.
If your 2 1/2-3 yr old tells your 5 yr old that she is NOT the boss of her dolls, he is WRONG!
My 2 1/2- 3 yr old has got to be the most hilarious human on earth, without even trying.

Pictures

Okay, I finally got a little energy. Not only did I upload some pics, but I actually cleaned my house! I did some laundry and cleaned the downstairs bath, living room, dining room, foyer, and family room. (Bobby and the boys did the kitchen, it was not left a mess). I think I wore myself out though, because it took me nearly all day, and I crashed sometime during Tom Petty. I think there were two teams playing in the Super Bowl, but to be honest, I don't remember, since I kept drifting off. I was ready for bed at 7:30, and headed upstairs about 8:30. AND!!!!! I managed to only get up once to pee and slept until almost 7 am!!! I know. You are as excited as me. I can tell. Anyway, this is Teagan last Sunday before he headed out to get his stitches removed.
And, here he is a week later. Luckily, I never get his haircut so it's even less noticeable. LOL
Tatum, of course, had to pose since the camera was out.
And this is what she does when she's alone with the camera.

Bobby let the rabbit out to play in the kitchen last night. Teagan thought he might be a little lonely playing all by himself, so he brought him a playmate.
He doesn't seem too impressed, does he?
I think the stuffed rabbit was telling him secrets.
And Tatum, alone with the camera again. The girl is such a ham.

A little of this and that

Please visit Krista's blog for info on the devastating snowstorms in China and to learn how you may be able to help. Although we don't think Mia is even born yet, it is where she will begin. And there are thousands of little potential Mias who are suffering right now. If you can help, please do.


On a lighter note, the morning sickness, fatigue, and strange dreams are all still here. Or is that a lighter note? Feels a little heavy to me. Come on second trimester!!!! Woohoo!!! I'm a waiting for you! What is up with the weird dreams anyway? And why can't they ever be good dreams? Now, granted, alot of the time I don't remember all of my dreams. I imagine those must be the good ones. But the other night, I dreamed about crocodiles for gosh's sake. Yeah, crocodiles! People falling into huge tanks filled with crocodiles! Ugh! Not only that, but unless I completely wake myself up after one of these spooky dreams, I will fall right back to sleep in the middle of it. Only then it's worse because I've incorporated myself or the kids into it. Freaky. Maybe I just watch too much TV. The crocodile dream did come a few days after watching Animal Planet, and the serial killer dream that appeared to be set in the 60's was after I watched the Zodiac. Oh crap, I watched Employee of the Month last night. Now, I'm going to have nightmares about Jessica Simpson. I guess I should stick with PBS and Nickolodeon.

I went shopping yesterday at Once Upon a Child. They were having their 75% clearance, plus a $10 bag special. Whatever clearance you could fit in a bag was $10. I bought none of it. Not only was it annoying because none of the clearance items were arranged by size, but what was available was not worthy of my $10. If you can imagine OUAC selling it for 75% off, it's probably not something you would have bought in the first place. I did find some maternity pants and tops. Yes, I can still squeeze into my jeans. It's just that my uterus is pushing my guts up enough that I can't suck in my stomach, and after I've eaten, it looks like there is a baby under my ribs, not in my uterus. So, it's either hit the maternity clothes so I have an excuse for my stomach, or walk around looking fat and frumpy. They always have those damn full length mirrors, which makes it darn near impossible to delude myself into believing that I do not have a fat roll around my lower abdomen, and that my butt is not as big as New York. That's the joy of only having bathroom mirrors in your house.

I did pick up a few onesies and sleepers. I know, I don't really need them now, but until this little person is moving around, I need something to make it feel real. Well, besides the fat rolls, morning sickness, fatigue, and weird dreams. I meant something good. And yes, they are yellow and mint! I can fight it! I will not peek, I will not peek, I will not peek.

I sqeezed into the bathtub yesterday with the little people. Tatum asked where my baby is. She thought it was funny when I pulled up my fat roll to show her the spot under my belly button where my uterus is creeping up. She then had to ask which way is the baby laying. Uh, I don't know, it's very small right now. Is it a boy or a girl? Don't know that either. She put in her vote for a girl. She said she wants a little sister. Teagan said he wants another Tatum. Ack, no! Please, not another diva. She then kept telling him to stay off my baby (belly), which was hard with 3 people in a standard bathtub, even if two of them still don't equal the mass of the third. He responded with belly kisses and "baby okay".

And yes, it is 5 am. Insomnia. Another of the many joys of pregnancy. Besides, after getting up to pee...... again...... the Fruity Pebbles were calling me.

*UPDATE*: Just for Krista, frequent urination is a symptom of pregnancy in the first trimester, and a side effect in the third trimester. Got it?

A quick note

And no pics to share. Teagan got his stitches out Sunday afternoon. Bobby took him, since I had to run to the grocery. He said they wrapped him up on the papoose board just like last time, and he was just as quiet. He did flinch a couple times, as it had scabbed over and they pulled it off with the stitches. But Bobby said he didn't cry and as soon as he was up off the papoose board, he was smiling. I'll have to add some pics. It still looked pretty fresh when they came home, since the scab was off, but it's not nearly the gash that it was.

And on a pregnancy note, ever had those weird pregnancy dreams? Well, I mean, if you've ever been pregnant. I've been having some weird ones, almost always nightmares. But last night, I had a dream we are having a baby girl. Well, actually, we didn't know what we're having, but we were painting the nursery pink and green anyway. Which is funny, because we don't really have a nursery, and Tatum's room is already pink and green. So maybe I was just dreaming about Tatum's room. :op

I'm almost 11 weeks and really ready for this morning sickness to be gone. I thought it was almost over but today was a doozy. I hadn't eaten in several hours, so I got really nauseated and took off running for the toilet. As I was heaving my guts up, or rather, the air that was filling my stomach, Teagan sat on the floor next to me. He asked, "Whatcha doin?" Between retches, I said, "My belly doesn't feel good". When I thought I was finally done with the dry heaves, Teagan looks at me and says "Do again, Mommy". Uh, no thanks, hun.

And then, of course, I ate something, and was ............. nauseated. Ugh!


*Update: Just for Lisa, it's basically all day sickness. I never know when it will be bad. Sometimes, it is first thing in the morning, after I get off work, but not necessarily first thing in the morning if I've slept all night. If I take a nap in the afternoon, it will be evening sickness. If I wait too long between meals, it's there. If I smell something horrid, it's there. Sometimes, if I just say the word nausea, I gag. Weird, I know.

Head trauma

So, last night, Teagan had his first visit to Urgent Care. He was having a good time, jumping over Tatum's legs, trying to annoy her, I think. It stopped being fun when he tripped and fell right into the corner of the boys' shelf. He had a huge gash that bled like crazy. Bobby came running into our bedroom with him, yelling about having to go to the hospital. Keep in mind, I work nights, and I was asleep. Quite a rude awakening. By the time we left, the bleeding had stopped but you see how big of a gash it was. He passed out after the crying fit because he hadn't napped yet. The trauma doc at Children's Urgent Care repaired it, and I have to say, he did a great job. They gave Teagan some Lidocaine ointment to numb it up, then wrapped him up on a papoose board. I don't think they really needed to, because he just laid there quietly the whole time. Kind of like he does for haircuts, quiet but frowning. The cut is about 31 mm, with a total of 30 stitches!
You can see, this morning, it is pretty swollen and purple. He says it hurts if you ask, but it hasn't slowed him down one bit. He really did a great job and was smiling and laughing as soon as they were finished. Other nurses kept coming in and commenting how quiet things were. Apparently, there's usually alot of screaming and crying. Not my big boy. He'll have to go back next weekend to have the stitches removed. Hopefully, he'll do just fine with that too.
On another note, today is my birthday! Yep, 34 years ago, all 9 pounds of me came into the world. Ouch. Happy BIRTH day, Mom.

And Houston, we have a heartbeat! I am 10 weeks along today, and had an appt on Friday. I was surprised but relieved when the midwife was able to find the heartbeat so early. Now, if I could just get past the morning sickness and fatigue stage.

Coming August 2008.......

There's a bun in the oven.

Welcome 2008

The holidays were a busy time at our house, with cookie baking, decorating, wrapping gifts, Christmas dinner, destroying wrapping paper, Christmas brunch, and testing out all the new toys.

Our attempts at getting decent Christmas pics with 4 kids were futile. These are the best of the best, which means, you don't want to see the worst. Notice the matching jammies, care of Aunt Krista . If you want to see the adventure of cookie baking, you'll have to check out her blog. My computer caught a virus and ate all the pics I had uploaded. Aunt Krista and Griffey spent the night on Christmas Eve. She enjoyed Polar Express with the kids while I got to finish, er, start the wrapping of the gifts. I mean, the ones Santa didn't send, of course.
See the love?
Christmas morning was full of chaos and excitement. Everyone got a little something they wanted. This year, I would say the dollhouse, Tonka trucks, Legos, and Guitar Hero were the faves.

And on to the new year......