Winner! Lamaze Stroll and Go Toy

Congratulations to number 16, Shari from Keenan! Shari I have sent you an email and you have 48 hours to respond with your address! Thanks everyone for entering and keep your eyes peeled for more fun giveaways!

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Win It! 250 Free Custom Stickers from UPrinting.com!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you are having a great day and looking forward to a fun weekend. I'm super excited because I get to do another giveaway!
The nice folks over at Uprinting.com have offered to give one lucky reader 250 FREE custom stickers!!! They are also giving me a set so it's a double win! There are endless possibilities here. You could do a family label, your business logo, fun pictures for the kids...you name it! You can check out reviews about Uprinting here. I can't wait to get mine :-)

Giveaway Prize Details
250 Stickers/Labels for One (1) lucky winner
Sizes: 2” x 3.5”, 2” x 4”, or 3” x 3”
Paper: 70 lb Label Matte
Specifications: Full color front, blank back; 4 Business Day printing
FREE Shipping for US Residents (Winners in Canada will have to pay shipping)

So how can you win?

***Just leave me a comment with an idea for a cool sticker. ***

How about some extra entries?

• Follow this blog
• Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this contest - sample: RT @Lilkidthings: @Uprinting is giving away 250 Custom stickers on Lilkidthings.com! Check it out!
• Follow me on Facebook

Just be sure to leave another comment for each thing you do so it gets counted! And as always, if your post is anonymous, make sure I have an email address to reach you in case you win!

Contest ends on November 2, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. All comments after that time will not count as entries. Winner will be drawn from the comments, using random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to notification with their mailing address. If no response is received, a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to residents of U.S. and Canada only.

Good Luck!

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Raleigh Wide Open: Recap

Saturday marked the 4th Annual Raleigh Wide Open in this Capital City and we decided to take the whole family to check it out! RWO this year celebrated the opening of the new City Plaza at the end of Fayetteville Street, which for those of you who aren't here is a sort of main street in downtown. I'm particularly excited about it because for the first time, we'll have an outdoor ice skating rink for a couple months this winter! Yay!

But back to Saturday. We were waffling on whether or not to go because the weather was iffy. But we found out my parents would be there and since we skipped the fair, we thought this would be just the right size for us to get our crowd on. So we went.

Jerry had to rip the hat to get it to fit. Sorry Oscar ;-)

Jerry meeting his favorite News Anchor Ken Smith - highlight!

It was great! Oscar had a lot of fun and we enjoyed listening to a marching band and a few other musicians while browsing the local vendor tents and signing up for raffles. I had a great time also and am just so happy that our little city is doing so much to encourage community!

We even brought Krusty and Jerry got lots of compliments on what a good (and good looking) dog he is. I can't imagine it having gone better! This ALMOST makes me forgive the lack of a kid friendly coffee shops in Raleigh. Almost.

Oscar trying on daddy's hat

Oscar loves Grampa (seriously who doesn't?)

Boy did we have a tired baby on our hands...

And now, a nap!

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9 Month Update....Update :-)

OK so this morning was our 9 month appointment! Man am I exhausted. It seemed like we were there for.... evvvvv.... errrrr....but we made it through. We didn't get to see Dr. Bo this time because today was a reschedule and he wasn't available. Sad. We love Dr. Bo! Instead we saw Dr. Brad who was ok but not awesome. Must be the name. *cough*

ANYWAY. So Oscar is doing great! He is HUGE but anyone who has seen him in person knows that hehe. As promised, here are the stats:

Weight: 23lbs 4oz (75th%)
Height: 30 inches (93rd%)
Head: 19 inches (97th%)

Ok so the head measurement makes me giggle. We always joke in our family that we have big heads. And we do! None of us can wear a normal sized hat. Must be adjustable or stretchy! Oscar has clearly not escaped this lovely family trait (both sides) so I am sorry buddy, you are doomed to share our hat-fate. This Dr. however, seemed to think it would be necessary to make sure his head isn't growing TOO fast so he wants us to get a "head ultrasound". I swear I think they make this crap up, but whatever. As long as it's not invasive, we'll go with it. Anyone else feel like all these tests are getting OUT OF CONTROL? I mean really. The kid has a big head. Let's move on.

All else went great and Oscar was extremely well behaved even despite skipping his morning nap. I was so proud of him! We decided to get him the regular flu shot today. It's not the live virus so I felt ok about that. Also, they do have H1N1 shots available in the dead-virus version which is what we want. However, they were out today so when they get more, we will probably get it. We decided that as long as it wasn't the live-virus version, we would do it.

Curious about my unofficial poll results? Well out of 23 voters we had a pretty even split. I find this kind of thing very interesting! Would you like to see more polls like this on my blog? Just let me know!

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9 Month Update!

Well it's true! Oscar is 9 months old as of yesterday. This year is flying by and before you know it, I'll be planning a birthday party. This month has been both great and frustrating. Oscar is learning SO much and SO fast that it's really entertaining to see, but at the same time it's really messing with his sleep and on (many) more than one occasion we have had to rescue him in the crib because he woke up on his hands and knees and didn't know why, or he crawled around in circles, thus knocking every paci on the floor. The HORROR! Jerry and I have kinda slacked off in the sleep area because Oscar has been really good about getting himself to sleep. But, everything has a downside. Because we "went soft" during the [first] teething stage, he has come to rely on our little nighttime visits and now he requires them. It's not a huge deal. Usually it's just 30 seconds to cover him up, pat him on the tummy and pop in the paci. But, because he has been waking up earlier and earlier in the mornings, the 30 second thing doesn't really work due to the fact that he is more rested by then and has a harder time going back to sleep. Overall though, he sleeps great so I don't really want to complain. We'll just have to figure things out as they come. Today, though he woke at 6am, I was able to get him to go back to sleep until 8 and that was a HUGE victory (thank you Hylands).

We have his 9 month appt tomorrow so I will update his stats then. I am looking forward to it because I really think he has grown a lot in length. We try to measure him here but it never really works and it's different every time! The boy eats like a man though, so it has to be going somewhere! Speaking of eating, I have no idea where Oscar is on the range of normal, but if I had to guess I would say he's on the high end. He is still a texture eater (like me) and won't self feed anything wet or mushy (like a banana). He LOVES cheerios and bread and potatoes. He will devour an entire banana and a bowl of Oatmeal for breakfast AFTER nursing and still cries if I don't give him a few cheerios. He nurses at least 3 times during the day and gets 2 bottles in the evening, one before dinner and one right before bed. If I had to guess I would say he gets at least 32oz of breastmilk/formula each day. On top of that he will have 3 or 4oz of baby food twice plus a banana and oatmeal. And of course cheerios.

He is SO over purees now so we are using the 'sorta chunky' Happy Baby frozen baby cubes. He LOVES it. Seriously. And I think they are pretty good too! They are a little pricey but I don't think we'll be using it for very long. Last night I made him a Sweet potato that we got from the Farmer's Market because he loves them and ALWAYS eats off our plate when we have them. But he flat.out.refused. it last night. Oh I was so sad. 1) Because I actually cooked it specifically FOR him. and 2) because he was still hungry so I had to find something else in my kitchen which is pretty empty at the moment. SO he had another banana. And water. And cheerios. That is one of the very few times he has ever refused food. He eats almost anything and acts as if he is starving! I guess that is the magic of raising a boy. I doubt it will stop anytime soon! This month he tried some new things like juice, toast, salmon, and spices (cinnamon and nutmeg)!

Sadly, he is still spitting up several times a day. I have tried to pinpoint it to a specific food but there is no rhyme or reason to it. I think the issue is threefold.

• One - most babies have the automatic "off switch" when they are done eating. They will close their mouth and turn their heads away. Oscar does not have this. I don't think he ever has. I remember MARATHON nursing sessions when he would just go to town for AN HOUR and I was going bonkers. Now it's the same way with eating. If I can manage to distract him with something more fun, I can get him to stop without crying some of the time and he seems to spit up less in those cases.
• Secondly - He crawls a LOT, but with his belly on the floor. He hasn't quite mastered the hands and knees thing yet so he is army crawling all over the place. He's fast so I think things get jostled up with all that movement. If I can get him to tolerate the exersaucer for a few minutes after eating that seems to help.
  
• Finally - Reflux. I think he is still coming off his reflux issues that he had in earlier months. We stopped the medicine because it stopped making a difference. But I think he is still dealing with some of those issues as well. Again, I think being off his tummy will help a lot.
  

Oscar had a rough patch in the nursery at church there for a while but I think he is finally coming out of it. I think we had a visit from Mr. Separation Anxiety for a few weeks that made it hard for him to be away from me. However, we have a new system that seems to be working well. Instead of handing him off to one of the nursery workers, I take him into the room and sit him on the floor with a toy. Then I hang out for one or two minutes and hit the road. I think the pass-off would set him off initially and he wouldn't recover. This seems to be working well....for now!

And of course his knowledge is growing leaps and bounds! He can point to my nose and mouth and with some accuracy my hair and eyes. He LOVES animal sounds and gets a huge grin when I say, "what does the __________ say?" He doesn't do the sounds or anything, but there is definitely a connection there. He loves to play with balls, string, and books. I set him up his own bookshelf under the coffee table and he loves to take the books off one by one. This also keeps him away from our regular bookshelf. WIN WIN!

We are just having the best time as a family and it just keeps getting better. I can't wait to see what next month will bring!

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Can we talk about the Flu?

Ok folks, it's survey time! I am trying to filter through all this flu shot information and I am SO torn this year! I have only had the flu shot once and it was fine. I have also had the Flu once and it was HORRIBLE. Also, with Oscar and I am trying to decide about the flu shot with him.

I am generally not prone to getting it, but with all the hype about H1N1 this year I am definitely paying closer attention. Now, Oscar is too young for flumist, but he COULD get the regular shot. I could get both, but I just don't know how I feel about such a new vaccination.

I know this can be a sensitive subject so I have created a poll! Please vote and tell me what you plan to do. Feel free to leave a comment as well! I am not asking you to decide for me, just interested in what you are thinking. Thanks!

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On Mothering and Fear...

Another post that I'm sure has been expressed 1 billion times before in one form or another. Let me add my pennies. I can't watch the news anymore. I just can't do it. I don't know what it is about having a child of your very own that makes terror so real, but if you let it, fear can pour into every part of you like a sponge that soaks up water.

The funny thing is, I don't consider myself to be much of a hoverer with Oscar. But lately, I am just stricken with grief for lost or dying children (or parents) and my imagination goes CRAZY with the tiniest bit of information. I spent a lot of years looking for love and family. And now that I have it, I have to really guard myself against fear of losing it all.

This is the part where I bring up Balloon Boy. Look, I am not going to link to anything because I am SO sick of the press these demented parents are getting that I don't want to add to it. So if you don't know what I am referring to, Google it and then come back. I'll wait.

OK so now that we're all caught up, I just have to tell you that when this story broke last week I was almost in TEARS for this poor boy. It was right as Oscar was waking up from his nap and I couldn't wait to go in and rock and nurse him and hold on to him forever. I prayed hard for the child in the balloon. I replayed all the what-ifs in my mind of where he could be, if he was possibly alive after such an ordeal. It wasn't until that evening that I started noticing tweets from people calling foul and whispering 'hoax' here and there. I couldn't have imagined that. And now the truth is out. These parents instructed THEIR CHILDREN to LIE to THE POLICE for publicity. And I am aghast.

I feel so manipulated and angry that I got so caught up in a story. Which brings me to my second story. Last night, I was watching Grey's Anatomy as I often do, and it was actually an amazing episode - dare I say one of the best. However, it was an incredibly intense show about a mother and son relationship that just broke my heart. I almost couldn't finish. It was just too much. Way too much of me inserting me into the part of the mother and Oscar as the son and fake blurred into real and then FEAR FEAR FEAR.

So, I decided to do my daily bible reading before bed so I could snap out of it. Only right now we are in JOB which is categorically the most depressing book in the entire Bible. And all I could do was just sit there and wonder what on earth I would do if everything were taken from me. I can't imagine. I can't...I couldn't.

I know there is a point where you just have to 'let go and let God' so to speak. But if I am honest, I've never really been good at that. I just sat there thinking I would be completely lost. Gone forever. Somehow I managed to finish the reading and then switched over to my devotional for the day. You know where this is going right? It's just too easy! The still small voice in all of my dramatizing said, hey mama, chill out and read this:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

Yes it has happened again. At THE very moment I was surrounded by fear and doubt and questions that were ultimately pointing to myself and MY capabilities, God reminded me that HE is the One to handle it. He gives and He takes and He makes all things right. And I don't have to know what if. I just have to know Him. And then somehow I was able to let go and go to sleep.

I realize now that as a wife and a mother, I must seriously guard my thoughts. I know that I am truly blessed, but having so much is a huge responsibility. I don't want to take my family for granted. I know that I have been given this husband and this son as precious gifts. I would lay my life down for them if I had to. But fearing that I might have to, or that something might happen is just not something I can allow myself to do. I must remain thankful and humble and celebrate the love that is just exploding within me. I'm becoming Mom. Little bit by little bit, my new self is emerging and I am so grateful for the privilege. It's truly amazing.

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Linda and Harriett: Just Because Campaign

A few days ago I requested a free card from a letterpress company called Linda and Harriett. They are doing a lovely little campaign to honor the owner's mother who was famous for her "just because" gestures.

Honestly, I forgot I had done this until I received the card in the mail today. The deal is, they will send you a free card if you agree to write a "just because" note and mail it out.

I have to say that this idea just warms my heart! I have ALWAYS loved getting snail mail, and even with the advent of the internet and blogging and texting, I still love seeing a personal note in my mailbox. The card they sent me is beautiful and I can't wait to mail it out! I am always looking for great blank cards so they are going right into my bookmarks.

Just another example of something simple we can all do to put a smile on someone's face. Just like that!

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Lamaze Stroll and Go Fun Giveaway!

Happy Thursday everyone! I'm very excited today because it's really like Friday for us (as Jerry is taking tomorrow off). Hooray for a 3 day weekend! And since I am in such a great mood, I wanted to share the love!

You may remember a while back that I won a bunch of toys in a Twitter contest. Well, as I was going through them I realized that one of them just won't work for us. It's a stroller toy and the type of stroller we have is not compatible. Therefore, our loss is YOUR gain!

This week I am giving away one Lamaze Stroll and Go Fun stroller toy!

It is still in the box and in perfect condition! And just a little plug from mama, I LOVE Lamaze toys! Oscar's favorite toy to this day is Buzz the Bug and it is currently the go-to car seat toy. I hope to incorporate more giveaways in the future, so if this one is not for you, keep checking back! And now for the nitty gritty....

There are several ways you can win!

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite toy was as a child.
2. Follow this blog (leave a comment telling me you did)
3. Become a fan of Lilkidthings on Facebook (leave a comment telling me you did)
4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this contest (leave a comment telling me you did)

***If your account is anonymous, please be sure to leave an email address in case you win***

Contest ends on October 30, 2009 at 11:59pm. All comments after that time will not count as entries. Winner will be drawn from the comments, using random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to notification with their mailing address. If no response is received, a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S. Residents only.

Good Luck!

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Running and Running and Running

***photo via Library of Congress

There's a chill in the air and that means I am itching to do something new. Or at least something I haven't done in a long time, or seriously. Yesterday I talked about finding my "thing" and I think I have! For now at least. We all know that I have been trying to get more exercise in my life and despite my love for the elliptical trainer (which I no longer have access to), I've decided to take up running. And THIS time, I mean it.

So far it's been a very slow process and I don't even know if it qualifies as a process, but it's about to! I've "run" one 5k in my life which you can read about here, and let's just say I have something to prove. SO, I have decided to run the Raleigh Old Reliable Run on November 15th! This time I am going to train for it with a goal of actually running the whole thing. HEY what a concept!

I'm going to use the schedule laid out on Marathon Rookie and no, the word Marathon is not anything I see in my near future. Maybe in a few years. Or never. I WOULD however like to run a 10k before the end of the year but I haven't found one yet. We'll see.

Basically, I have always admired runners. My dad was a runner, and more recently my brother-in-law Dean (who has a kick-A running blog that you must visit) completed his goal of running the Boston Marathon. I decided that it's time to stop admiring and join the ranks, even if as a lesser-slower-mom-runner. The bottom line is, I want to succeed at this and I am going to take it slow. I think goals are a much better way for me to attack something than say, declaring that I am going to run more. More than what? Anything would be running more than I currently do, so a goal I must have.

Anyone want to do the Old Reliable with me? Let me know!

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But what about the Fun?

Isn't it interesting how the definition of "fun" changes over time? I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. Everyone needs downtime and we all have different ideas of the best way to spend whatever free moments we have each day.

For me, downtime when I was single included going to concerts, out to eat, the movies, shopping. Basically anything to get out of the house and around other people. While I still enjoy those things, most days I am trying to figure out how to get the most out of being at home with my family. Case in point, last Saturday.

Jerry was home and I could have done whatever I wanted to do, but I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do more than stay home and play with Oscar AND Jerry. I did end up leaving for a couple hours to get my hair cut, and that was very relaxing (I love the shampoo!) but in all honesty, I was excited to come home to my family. I think that is wonderful, but I also know that even happy mamas need a break.

It brought up the idea of fun. In all things balance, so I need to find things that I enjoy that are my own hobbies, like this blog. Now that the cooler weather is here, I am loving being outside so I hope to do more things like hiking and going to parks with Oscar. I know that many of you are super talented (cough*Paige*cough) and do a lot of crafting in your down time. So, what ARE your hobbies? What do you do to relax and get that "me" time that we all crave? I need some ideas!

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What was that about writing and projects?

errrr....well I just can't seem to get it together! The past week or so, I have been focusing on just keeping things clean and hanging with Oscar who is very much into keeping things NOT clean. So I am learning the balancing act of being the mommy of a mover. All else is taking a back seat.

Today we flat out left the house because Mr. Fussypants had a 30 minute nap and I knew there was no way we would survive 3 hours at home. So we went looking for adventure at the mall. While there I learned a few things.

1)Upon arrival to the play area, child will poop. But not until after parking the stroller and removing it's contents.

2) As soon as you change child's diaper and get back to playing, it will be time for lunch. In this case, repack and head to the food court.

3) Child likes cheerios more than green beans. If you didn't know this, you'll find out once you are wearing the green beans.

4) Barnes and Noble has a train table!!!

5) Before leaving mall, child will poop again. It's up to you to change him at the mall or hold your breath all the way home....

Note to self: Next time, go directly to train table.

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Don't forget to bundle up!

It's COLD outside :-)

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Creating Home - 1950s Here I come!

blissfullydomestic

Today has been one of those wonderfully successful housewife days. And I couldn't be happier! It started off pretty early (just shy of 7am) but I find that I have the most energy in the mornings, despite my love of sleep. It's 10am and I have already cleaned the kitchen, done 2 loads of laundry, had breakfast, fed Oscar and made the bed. It's mornings like this that remind me of why I wanted to stay home with our kids.

Some days I just feel like I am getting through, or getting by. I don't feel motivated to do much of anything and it all just seems so hard and monotonous. But then I have a day like this and I am so right smack.dab. in the middle of my element that I just have to smile. I am not just cleaning the kitchen again, or changing the baby again. I am creating memories. I am creating HOME.

I want to be here and I want to serve my family. It's honestly WHAT I WANT. I don't mind being called domestic, or 1950s or 'just a mom', because it's the one thing I have always wanted more than anything else. I want our children to have certain smells remind them of home or of a favorite season. I want them to remember reading together and how the house was always decorated a certain way at Christmas. That stuff doesn't just happen. We make it happen! And I guess that's what I am saying. If I ever had a calling, this is it. Sometimes even when we are doing the thing we love most, we can get bored or dissatisfied. In those times, I think it's important to take it easy and ride it out. Turn on some music while you get things done and make those memories! I have a feeling, you'll be glad you did.

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What is Your Favorite Reading Memory?

When I was a child I loved to read books. My mom has pictures of me having fallen asleep reading and in first grade, I was placed in the advanced readers circle which I was VERY proud of. I must have been if I still remember it! I really want Oscar to have the same love of books that I have so recently, I purchased a few board books with Sesame Street characters on them. One of the books features Grover. While flipping through it, I had a flashback to my favorite childhood book of all time! Somehow it had buried itself deep in my subconscious because I haven't thought of this book in years, if not decades. It was called The Monster at The End of This Book and I LOVED reading it over and over, and over again. I can physically recall the anticipation of the end, as if maybe THIS time it will be different. I can't believe I forgot about it and I have been smiling just thinking about reading it to Oscar.

With Where the Wild Things Are coming out in theatres, and various other children's books being made into movies, I think these kinds of memories are likely to pop up. So what was your favorite book? What made it so special to you?

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No, I haven't read the whole Bible...thanks for asking!

Last night was my turn to leave Jerry at home with Oscar and go to Community Group. We used to go together, and then as a family. But as Oscar would have it, he sets and rises with the sun and so we improvise. We take turns going every other week and while it's not ideal, we have managed to make it work. And last night did not disappoint. It helps of course that Tyler's message Sunday was excellent and provided a lot of information about the historic nature of the Bible for us to mull over. Paige recapped it so beautifully that I will just say, "yeah what she said!" and let you read for yourself. Since I respond so well to history (favorite subject in school, Political Science degree) I really enjoyed the message from Sunday and was looking forward to discussing it as a group. And then something interesting happened.

Toward the beginning of our discussion, it occurred to me that I have never read the entire Bible. Being the daughter of a Pastor, you would think it to be a pre-requisite to moving out or getting your first car, but my parents always wanted me to WANT to learn about God and were pretty awesome about not "shoving it down my throat" (thanks for that). As a result, I did choose to follow Jesus and while I am sure I have probably read a LOT, if not most of the Bible, I know I haven't read the whole thing. I say all that to say that during our talk, I almost mentioned it and for whatever reason, pride, embarrassment, laziness, etc, I didn't. I then proceeded to forget I had even thought about it until RIGHT before we were wrapping it up. Jonathan out of no where said, "hey, has anyone ever read the WHOLE Bible?" And out of 9 of us, one person said yes. ONE! And I knew that it was time. We all did.

So, we started talking about this seemingly massive undertaking and devised a plan. We'll be reading through the Bible in a Year in Chronological order. My history-loving self is latching right on to this awesomeness because I think having things laid out in order of events will really help me fill in the gaps. Not to say it will make me understand God - not at ALL. But I get really confused about details. What details? Oh I don't know, how about the fact that I honestly thought Paul was one of the ORIGINAL 12 disciples - instead of the post-resurrection convert that he was...I could go on. So yeah, definitely excited about this endeavor!

We have also decided to blog about it as a group, so if anyone out there is interested in following along with us, the "plan" is posted over there! We are starting tomorrow!

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Gotta Grow Up Sometime...

Oscar is getting more and more mobile each day. The rate at which he is growing is astounding. I can hardly keep up !! It feels like just yesterday we raised the excersaucer from the 1st to the 2nd setting and now I just had to raise it to the 3rd (and final!) setting! We don't have another Dr. appointment until the week of Thanksgiving but I KNOW he has gotten a lot taller. And it's his torso. Jerry and are both long in the torso so it's no surprise. In pants and shirts, Oscar is still in 9-12 month clothing, but almost all of his one-piece clothing has to be 18 months. It's mind boggling!

His personality is downright infectious. I am absolutely loving the little games we play. Being able to see his wheels turning and how he contemplates what to do next is awesome. A few of the games we do right now are 'touch your nose' where he actually will touch MY nose with his tiny little pointer finger. He knows the command too! It's so cute, as soon as I say it, he gets a HUGE smile on his face (you know the one) and reaches up to touch my nose. He also has the same recognition of "what does the dog (or Krusty) say"? In that case, he obviously doesn't say woof, woof, but he smiles and waits for us to say it. He's also starting to experiment with boundaries. I don't know if I would consider it disobedience just yet, but he definitely knows he isn't supposed to touch the TV cabinet. He will crawl over to it, turn around and look at me and THEN reach up to touch it. Almost as if to say, how about now? Is this allowed today?

The not so awesome part of all this growth is the fact that his naps have become short again. (It is at this very moment that I remembered The Wonder Weeks and had to go check the chart - YEP Week 37 is "The World of Categories") So now I know what the deal is. His brain is working O-VER-TIME. Basically what that means is we get two 45min-1hour naps if we're lucky. This makes for very long and hard days for mama but we're getting through. Today was a two-walk day. Yesterday, it rained and we weren't so lucky.

Just tonight, Jerry was saying how he was looking back at older pictures of Oscar and how he doesn't even remember him then. What he felt like or sounded like or how he liked to be fed. All he knows is Oscar today. And I agreed that it all has happened so fast and this is exactly why I blog! I want to remember these times because they will be gone too quickly.

Lately, I have been sitting on the floor with Oscar instead of on the couch. He never used to care, but in the past few days it's as if he can feel the separation of height even though I am in the same room. Especially at the end of the day. So I sit leaning on the couch and he crawls over to me and climbs on me and tries to pull my hair. We play and we giggle until daddy gets home.

And I love it.

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Teeth!

This post has been a long time coming, but I wanted to wait until I had photographic evidence. You might recall that I have been convinced that Oscar has been teething for the past 5 straight months. I remain convinced because teeth have this funny way of moving a little, wreaking havoc and then DOING NOTHING for weeks. Such is life for an infant. Meanwhile, the parents are going crazy because they were just SURE he would have a tooth by now. Or now. DEFINITELY by now!!! Yet, nothing.

Well, ladies and gentlemen without further adieu and at the ripe old age of 8.5 months, I give you Oscar's first teeth! I guess twins run in the family after all!

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Who do you write for?

***photo by lowjumpingfrog

I was reading my friend (and neighbor) Bob's blog recently and found myself quoting the old "who do you write for?" question. Meaning that when you do something creative, you should not do it for the praise or the money or any other reason than your own personal growth and enjoyment. It got me thinking about my own blog and how I love to do it but lately have found myself in a bit of a rut. I've WANTED to write plenty of times, sure. But here I sit at a blank window, until my time runs out and I haven't written a thing. Better luck next time, I say.

Then I think, well, why am I writing anyway? I think there is a lot of value in writing every day just to keep your brain going (for me at least), yet I find that I don't seem to have that much material a lot of the time. I'd like to think that I would have SOMETHING worth saying on a somewhat daily basis, but that isn't always the case. And then there are the posts that lie unwritten in my head all jumbled up. I want to write them but I am just in a stagnant haze for some reason. It will pass. I know this because it has before. But I find it interesting nonetheless.

And to answer my own question, I write for me. I write for my family and friends across the country who like to keep up with our lives, I write for the passerby who happened to find this blog by accident. And I write for Oscar so that he will one day know how much he means to us. I write to get better at writing and because it's something that is mine. I write to stay connected and share my life. And I think those are pretty good reasons.

By the way, if you haven't stopped by Bob's Blog lately, you should. You won't be sorry!

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Fun at the Farmer's Market!

Yesterday, Oscar and I finally made it out to the Farmer's Market. I say finally for two reasons. One is that I've been wanting to go for weeks and just never got around to it. Secondly, despite my impeccable inner GPS, I ALWAYS get lost on the way to the Farmer's Market.

ALWAYS!

I live less than 7 miles away and I get lost each and every time. It's like a space-time continuum where I say I am going to to do it differently this time, only to forget that the way I am doing it, is actually the EXACT SAME THING I do every time. I always turn left when I should have turned right, thinking that last time I turned right and this time I will beat the system! Then when I have to backtrack I ALWAYS turn one street too early and get stuck in the downtown maze of one-way streets. Ahh!

It's really REALLY easy to get there. I promise! That's what makes it so insanely frustrating that I continue to do it. Who knows, maybe if I got it right Jack, Kate and the others could finally get off the island! I digress.

So we finally made it to the market and got to shopping. Now that I know how wonderful it is on a weekday morning, you will never see me there on a Saturday again! Huge difference. HUGE. We were able to leisurely walk around and pick our veggies with out being pushed and prodded by the hungry mob. We even got a pumpkin! This is Oscar's first Fall so I decided he needed a pumpkin. He loves it. See?

We got lots of delicious produce including some of the best peaches I have ever had. I've eaten two already so I foresee another trip in a few days to re-stock. We also grabbed some free-range eggs. So delicious. I love the Farmer's Market. It just makes me happy. I feel connected somehow. And it didn't hurt that it was a beautiful day. This weather just begs us to be outside. I'm sure we'll be going a lot this season!

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I won I won!

Hooray for free toys! One morning last week, Oscar decided he would get up 30 minutes early. I went with it because he had slept all night long and really, what more could I ask of an 8 month old? So I nursed him and plopped him in bed for some daddy time. I came into the office to check my email and noticed that there was a live twitter contest going on at that very moment from LETOYS. Apparently, it's a new online toy store (opening this month) and they were doing a giveaway. Well I got there just in time to answer a question correctly and win $50 of FREE toys! I didn't get to pick them or anything, but I was able to provide Oscar's age so they would be appropriate.

Well, I didn't know what to expect because I don't know that I have ever actually spent $50 on toys. BOY did we hit the jackpot! Seriously! We had already planned to save them for Christmas and I will do that for most of them. But he'll probably get one or two before then :-) I mean they were SO generous to us! Even though they are for him, I was waiting like a kid at Christmas for UPS to get here. And they did not disappoint. I think he will love them!

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Kitchen Itchin....

Fine I'll admit it. I am a compulsive fixer-upper. If you've been to my house more than once, it was probably different than the last time you were here. I can't go more than a couple of months without changing SOMETHING. Even if it's just rearranging furniture or moving a picture from one wall to another. I guess it's sort of artistic(?) My canvas is my home and I keep adjusting it until it feels just right. Which it does for a few weeks, and then I have to do it again.

However, my kitchen hasn't seen TOO much change as of late. I did FINALLY get the living room curtains re-sewn and hung in the dining area and I love it so much that I now feel the need to paint the whole kitchen and maybe the cabinets! UGH. Painting cabinets. I am not ready to commit to that. But, I am definitely going for the walls.

Right now they are a beige-y gold color and I am going to paint them a serene aqua-ish color. Yes that is how I talk. This color combo is something I NEVER get sick of no matter what room it's in. Currently we have it going on in the guest room and I. LOVE. IT. For a while I wondered if it would be too much to have it in the kitchen too, but then I was all, UMM...MY house. So it's on. Now I just need to find the right color.

Oh yeah and I am going to move a couple shelves from one wall to the other and create a real space for Oscar's high chair. It's sort of been crammed next to the window and it just bothers me. I'm not gonna lie. I love a project.

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New!

Now that Oscar has 2 teeth, he's decided it's time to go ahead and knock out about 100 more of those pesky milestones. I think we've created a monster! A lot of NEW going on around here and conveniently located in one picture!

New Face - a combination of excitement at whatever toy he is going for (in this case a rubber ducky) and the realization that when you wrinkle your face up and sniffle it makes a funny sound!

All fours - this was taken right before he lunged for the ducky. Once he lunges, he is back to the belly crawl. But he is up on his hands and knees quite a bit as of late, so the belly's days are numbered.

Teeth! - Ok this one is a stretch, but as Oscar's mother, I can promise you there are teeth in this picture. I am still trying to get a good shot of them but I have to be careful. Those suckers are sharp!

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Meal Planning Monday Is Back!

With a twist! Hopefully you haven't forgotten about Love Handle 911 and have been using it to inspire and motivate you to keep on keepin on if you are trying to lose weight like me. I've added more physical activity to my life, so now it's time to focus on the food. OH the food.

I am an emotional eater. I've talked about it before and it's no secret. I love food, I love thinking about food and talking about food and eating food. It's a full on event. SO, I decided. Why feel guilty about that? I am all for turning weaknesses into strengths, so instead of feeling bad that I have such an ongoing love affair with mealtime, I have decided to harness that power for good.

Since I am still nursing, I have to make sure I don't cut too many calories but believe me, I have a LOT of room for cutting calories. Just wanted to get that right out of the way. I am not putting my milk supply in jeopardy. That said, I am counting calories. I'm keeping a food journal and entering what I eat and drink into Sparkpeople. I have used this site in the past to trim up before our wedding and I am hoping it will be just as helpful this time around.

But even counting calories can seem daunting so I am going to utilize some tried and true strategies to keep me honest. Here are some time-honored "tricks" that totally work on my wee little brain:

Small Plates

I have started using bread plates to eat on instead of the HUGE dinner plates that we have. I fill up my plate and can still be part of the 'clean plate club' guilt free! And I don't have to run the dishwasher as often ;-)

Open Face Meals

This one is new to me but I have a feeling it is really going to help. The meal in the above picture is a simple chicken fajita. In weeks past, I would roll up all that goodness into 2 or even 3 small tortillas (a whopping 120 calories EACH!). This time I laid one on the plate and loaded up on the "insides". This is really helpful for many reasons. Two of which are, I am obviously taking in less useless calories from the tortilla but also I now have to eat it with a fork which takes longer and gives my stomach a chance to feel full. This morning I had an egg over one slice of toast instead of an egg sandwich and I feel very satisfied! Which brings me to the next tip.

Use a fork!

Fast food isn't just fast to make. It's fast to eat. I've found that I can down an entire double cheeseburger and fries in less than the amount of time it takes me to get home from the drive through. Not cool! Even though I just probably consumed in excess of 1000 calories, I still FEEL hungry. So I am going to employ my trusty fork (or spoon) as much as possible and slow down. So simple!

Water Water Everywhere

This one is almost too easy. I have always been what I consider lucky in that I honestly ENJOY water. I've never had to add anything to make it bearable. In fact, I am a compulsive water drinker if it is in front of me. However, even I can get busy and forget to fill my glass. I am much less likely to drink water if I have to say, get off my butt and walk ALL THE WAY to the kitchen to get it. SO, I am reintroducing the water bottle to my life. Done.

No Diet Food!

I have absolutely no intention of eating diet food. That never works for me. I am much better at portion control with real ingredients so I am sticking to it. The one exception to this rule is for my morning coffee. I am using artificial sweetener and low-fat half and half because that stuff will add up fast. Otherwise, I am just trying to be smart. The above meal totals at 592 calories, which was the big meal of the day for me. Even that seemed high until I remembered what I WOULD have consumed had I not been thinking about it. I cringe at the thought.

And now, since it is Meal Planning Monday, I'll post the recipe for yesterday's lunch. I know there are ways to make this even MORE health-conscious, but I need to use up my groceries!

Chicken Fajita Lunch:

1 8inch Flour Tortilla

4oz cooked chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

2 servings fajita mix (I used an Ortega seasoning packet for the whole batch)

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Green Onions

1/2 oz cheddar cheese

2 tbsp sour cream

5 multi-grain tortilla chips

1 individual applesauce

1 TALL glass of water

Total Calories= 592

These tips just scratch the surface of helpful hints. I know there are tons more. Have you tried anything like this to help keep you in line? Please share them in the comments!

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Relax. Breathe. Repeat.

caught!

So we are coming off an insanely busy couple of weeks where either I have been out of town, Jerry was out of town or working, or on call, or one of us is at a meeting or other scheduled event. It's been CRAZY! And honestly exhausting. You know how when you are in the middle of something, you just power through and get to the other side? Sort of like exercise. There are times when I would work out really hard and finish with a 'sprint' so to speak only to almost (or actually) throw up from exhaustion. I know I have seen it happen on the Biggest Loser, but I am not entirely sure that it's healthy.

So it goes with humanity. After having endured more than 2 weeks of craziness, Jerry and I were either going to throw up or finally have a day to unwind and relax. We chose to relax! It's hard to make that transition, but we did it. And, yesterday was wonderful!

Oscar decided that Saturday would be a good day to get up at 6:45 so we went with that. I nursed him and then Jerry got up and fed him breakfast. The boy loves to eat. Then Jerry and I just sat on the couch drinking coffee while watching Oscar crawl around and explore. Right now he goes between 4 "no zones".

1) Dog Water

2) TV area

3) Curtains

4) Electrical Sockets

Mind you he is crawling AROUND and over all of his toys to get to these zones, which are actually at almost opposite sides of the room from each other. Ah the life of a boy. We're still practicing how to convey that it isn't safe for him to touch certain things without turning it into a game, scaring him, saying NO NO NO NO NO, or punishing him. At this point we pretty much just say, no that isn't Oscar's toy and move him back to the middle of the room. Again and again. And again.

Oscar went down for a nap and I went to the grocery store. All by myself! It was great. I love shopping in the morning and alone. When I got back we decided to try the flea market out for the second time. We went a while back but didn't realize it was a week day because Jerry was off. OOPS. So this time we didn't even CONSIDER the fact that they would be closed due to preparations for the State Fair. Strike two! We ended up dropping some items off at Goodwill and made our way home. All told we were in the car for about an hour and really had some fun conversation while we were driving around. WIN.

In the afternoon, I napped while Oscar napped. Yes, I did! And Jerry relaxed with sports and online poker. I mean really, what could be better? We played together after Oscar woke up and then he and Jerry went to run some errands which freed me up to vacuum the house. Oscar is still pretty freaked out by the vacuum so we try to accommodate the little prince. We had a delicious dinner and spent the evening relaxing some more! Oscar finally seems to be past this bout of teething so we all got some great sleep last night. Just what the Dr. ordered!

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It's October, do you know what that means?

Time to start thinking about Christmas!

What?? NO seriously. Imagine a holiday full of cheer instead of panic. Check out Simple Mom's tips to spread the Christmas cheer over the next 12 weeks to minimize stress. I bet some of us could even skip a couple of those steps and save even MORE time. Besides, if you're like me and can't WAIT for Christmas each year, stretching it out is not going to be a problem!

Of course there is still Halloween and Thanksgiving and lots of other things going on. I am NOT trying to skip fall. Just think of how much fun it can be!

This year my house will be operating a Grinch-free zone. It's our year to travel to the Mountains of Tennessee for the holiday, Oscar's first Christmas and the first time I will be able to really enjoy my home during the season! I might even get crazy and MAIL the Christmas cards this year instead of starting them and letting them sit on the kitchen table until Valentine's Day. So, enjoy the holidays and save the stress for the gym come January 1st.

Now then, let's talk FALL! I've had the windows open alot this week and have been completely loving the refreshing, cooler air. I'll be breaking out the cinnamon, apple and pumpkin candles and putting the fall wreath on the door. I am much more prone to fall cleaning than spring cleaning. I am not sure why, but I'll take it. Something about the cooler weather makes me want a clean house. Or maybe it's the constant breeze that makes the hairy tumbleweeds more visible? Either way, I just actually enjoy cleaning in cooler weather.

In other news, I won $50 in FREE toys from LeToys yesterday for Oscar! Since this was totally unexpected, I am going to save them for Christmas. At the end of summer I got a few things for my nieces and nephews and plan on just grabbing 1 or 2 items here and there to spread out the cost. Looky there, I already have a head start! Happy Holidays!

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