It

Seriously, what is it about this table?  I LOVE it!!!  It was in the "fair game" pile during our move at work.  No on wanted it.  I can't believe that!  I saw it, and I knew it was coming home with me.  So my faithful husband brought his truck and loaded it up.  There is just something about it that I love!  Jeremy thinks it is ugly, but I can't stop thinking about it.  

So it is coffee table height, just right for short stubby hands belonging to my son.  

I'm trying to figure out what to do with it.  I have great visions of it being a car/train table (complete with a little border so the cars don't roll off, roads, street signs, maybe a lake).  So I painted the legs white.  I didn't waste paint on the top (yet) since I plan to cover it up.

I just don't know how to go about it.  Jeremy will do the trim.  Here are some ideas I have come up with:

1.  Cover the top in green artificial turf, cut out roads and paint roads and maybe some water.  

2.  Buy a "road rug" lay it on top.  

3.  Paint all of the roads, grass and water. 

4.  Toss the whole table and buy N a train table for Christmas.

Sometimes I think I'm leaning towards the artificial turf because I can't find a road rug in the weird dimensions of this table (31 x 45).   But I did find a decent Cars 2 rug, but it is not a perfect fit ( 1/2 inch too big), and I'm not crazy about it.  But it would save me a lot of work, and it is only $18 shipped, including 2 cars.

So my questions:

1.  What do you think about this table?  Does it have the "it" factor?
2.  What/how do you suggest I do with it?

Also, note the Bite-O-Meter, which has gone up this week.

Random Happenings

1.  My boy is a walker.  Well, "walking" is really pushing it.  Really he is more of a walk-fall-crier.  But he is getting the hang of it.  And he loves it.  Loves being up on two.  Instead of four.  And I really like it too.  It is just so amazing that such a short little being is now a WALKER.  :)

2. We are really into the Olympic trials this year.  Diving, swimming and decathlon.  I have always liked the Olympics, but I'm really into it this year for some reason.  So many very talented people!!!  Speaking of talented, we are also really into America's Got Talent.  :)  We stumbled across it by accident a few weeks ago, and now we are regulars.  Unfortunately it is on for two hours several nights a week...so being a "regular" is very time consuming.  :)

3.  My office at work is moving.  Currently, we are in a small satellite building.  It is old and run down.  It is getting blown up, so on Friday, our extreme makeover is coming to life.  We are moving to a WHOLE NEW facility!  Our new clinic is now in the hospital.  It is smaller, but much nicer.  We got all new equipment, mats, furniture.  This week has been pretty crazy with moving and still trying to treat patients at the same time, but I can't even tell you how excited I am.  I have MY OWN office!  With an adult and a pediatric  table, nice desk, cabinets for all of my toys and tests, a WONDERFUL rolling chair, and my own computer and phone!!!  Wow.  Who could ask for more?

4. We are counting down till our big trip to Phoenix in a few weeks.  I am so excited to get to meet Elijah, my 7 month old nephew who has been living in Brazil since he was born.  All three of my sisters (and their children) will be there, as well as my brother.  Christa got engaged a few weeks ago, so I'm looking forward to hearing wedding plans and looking at her ring in person!  It is going to be CRAZY at my mom's house, but I'm sure fun as always.  Jeremy will also be able to be there for part of the trip, so we are excited to hang out with the Schuld family too!  Nothing like 5 (hopefully 6 by that time) boys together at once!

5.  You might notice that the bite-o-meter at the bottom of my blog is holding strong at 5.  :)  Yup, no more bites since I installed the bite-o-meter, so hopefully it will stay that way for a while (except for the almost-nibble that happened in the church nursery, but since I caught it before it happened, I am not counting it).

6.  I'm back to doing the 30 day shred.  It is SO hard, but it feels good (not at the time) and I know that it makes me a lot stronger.  And I can eat more.  Which is the real motive.

7. Our Beagle is now UTI free.  He was re-tested for bacteria after the second UTI (we don't know if it never went away, or came back).  This is a huge relief, because the reoccurrence of bacteria could have meant something serious like a kidney problem.  But alas, he is bacteria free (well, he still has some bacteria in his ears, but he is finally on the right medication for that, and they stink a lot less now).

8. Lastly and finally, we got big news on our Charleston house.  A month or so ago WE GOT AN OFFER on our house.  And we accepted it!  The sale is pending our acceptance into the HAP (housing assistance program), which helps military members who have taken a significant hit financially because of the housing market crash.  So our big news...we seem to have qualified for the program.  The program is also dependent on the availability of funding, and we should hear about that in the next 10 days.  We can't wait to sell that house!

And that is all for tonight!  Happy Wednesday.

Before I had a kid...

Things I said before I had a kid:

1.  "I'm so tired".  And that was after sleeping in till 11.  Or setting my alarm in order to wake up for church.  How annoying is that?

2.  "There is no reason to have a messy car just because I have kids".  Ha.  How hard is it to carry in groceries, let alone an empty coffee cup with a 22 pound sack of potatoes on my hip?

3.  "I won't chase around a baby while trying to put on his diaper (pjs/clothes/etc)".  lol.  Why is it just easier sometimes to chase him around?

4.  "I will not use my hands wipe snot off".  "On my leg".  yup.  totally did that.  multiple times.

Wasn't I such an awesome mom then?  :)

Walking

This boy is learning how to walk!  We are so proud of him!  He is so reckless, that we are certain that there will be lots of bumps and bruises along the way, but it is so fun to see him up on two legs!

More weekend news to come.  :)

Biter

Well, sadly, I have added a new "widget" to my blog.  It is entitled "Daycare Bites".  You can find the blog ticker on the bottom right, just below "my blog list".  :)

Currently, the Daycare Bites counter is at 5 (and in non-ironic fashion, counted off by a shark).  Worse yet, Noah is the Biter, not the Bitee.  Yeah, I have one of those kids at daycare.  Steer clear.  He has bit 5 different kids.  (Four of them being in the last 48 hours).

So in order to make light of this impossible situation, I have added a ticker to my blog.  There is no limit on the ticker.  Unfortunately.

One Grand Ear

Here is the story:

Dog had yeast infection in his ears.
Dog shook head and burst a blood vessel.
Dog developed aural hematoma.
Owner drove 1 hour each way to vet.
Dog had surgery.
$350
Dog had port hanging out of his ear for 1 week.
Owner drove 1 hour each way to vet.
Port not ready to come out.
Owner drove 1 hour each way to vet.  1 more week.
Port comes out on Tuesday.
Hematoma comes back on Wednesday.
Owner drove 1 hour each way to vet.
Surgery on Monday.
$200
Owner drove 1 hour each way to vet.
Dog had ear plastered to the top of his head for 5 days.
Owner drove 1 hour each way to vet.
Stitches out.
Dog now has bacteria infection in both ears.
Ear swab, send it off to the lab, medication, ear drops.
$300.
Owner totally over it.
If dog shakes his head again and develops a new hematoma,
Owner will drive 1 hour each way to vet.
But leave dog and his one-grand-ear there.

Chattanooga Photos

Here are some promised photos from Jeremy's trip to Chattanooga.  I actually only saw some of these till tonight, and I was just amazed at some of the formation pictures.  They took 4 planes (8 pilots) out for the weekend to celebrate Cl. Holbert's (back middle) final flight in the T6.  

What a weekend they had!!  :)

 (this one looks like trouble)  :)

Too Late

I couldn't resist.  

I pulled out some stitches.

Technically, we were supposed to go back for stitch removal today anyway.

And a few came out on their own.

And I cut a few out.

The one on his nose, in particular.

I'm an OT.   That makes me qualified to remove stitches, right?

Too late.  :)  

And he looks so handsome.

It didn't hurt a bit.

What We Are Doing

Where, or where has this week gone?  I can't believe that it is Wednesday already!!!

What we have been up to:

Jeremy

just got back from a weekend in Chattanooga

white water rafting, hiking, eating...

pictures to come

getting ready to celebrate his 2nd official father's day

finished his wing kit and is unpacking the fuselage

working earlies this week...yuck

Jamie

forever trying to balance work, house, mommy-hood

looking forward to my FIRST official sleep in on Saturday

like not-even-get-out-of-bed-at-all sleep in

can't wait

picking green beans and tomatoes galore

Noah

tearing up the house

learning how to walk

and loving it

sniffling and coughing

able to stack toys and rings

What He Is Doing

Holy cow where do I start?

This one year old is ON THE MOVE!  Seriously, in the last week, I really feel like he has just taken off!

We went to his 12 month well visit.  22 pounds, 8 oz.  29 inches long.  Which in my opinion (and the growth chart calculators) is not THAT big.  But everywhere we go, multiple times a day people make comments about his size.  "What are you feeding him" "my, you are a big boy" "what a juicy baby" "wow- look at that big baby" "can I feel his arms?" (I guess to see if the rolls are as solid as they look).  I don't mind though, I love the rolls too.

He is crawling up a storm, pulling up, cruising, climbing (he can go up an entire flight of stairs), walking with one hand held, and his newest accomplishment- taking 2-3 steps at a time.  I really wouldn't call them "steps", more like suicidal lunges toward what he wants.  Boy is that child brave.  He has NO concept of fear.  He is SO proud of himself.  I love to watch his face when he tries to walk...pure joy!

In the last week, he has learned how to steer his walking toy!  That is so nice for me, cause now he can walk in circles around the house (instead of taking 5 steps, running into a wall, and then standing there yelling).  He is non-stop.

Next week, we are having a speech therapy evaluation.  The doctor was a little concerned about his social and communication skills.  He is not doing some of the things he should be doing at this age (waving, pointing, mimicking), so she recommended we get a jump on things early.  I'm looking forward to learning some new techniques/tricks that I can reinforce at home.  Besides, my good friend Anna is doing the evaluation, so I know he is in good hands!

The last month or so has been somewhat challenging.  I know his little body is frustrated with not being able to move, as well as having low communication skills.  Day by day as he learns to move and communicate more he seems to be less cranky.

On a more positive note, I've been trying to show Noah how to hold a phone up to his ear and "talk" for a LONG time now, and yesterday...he did it!!!  I was jumping and screaming, so excited.  I have also been showing him how to sign "please" for a long time too (even using blue bell as a bribe).  No luck so far, but any day I'm sure.

He is a GREAT sleeper.  7-7 every day!  He takes 2 -1 1/2 hour naps.  I've noticed as he starts moving around more, he goes to bed closer to 6:30 now.

He is the "creeper" class.   I'm so happy having him there.  He is with his peer group totally now, so he can watch and learn some new skills.  They feed him breakfast and lunch (so he get to try all sorts of things, especially things that I don't normally cook).  He sleeps well and plays hard there, but he he SO happy when he sees me at the door.  Last week he bit another girl (hard- on the face), but I am hoping that is an isolated event.  :)  So much to learn in life...

He eats 100% table food...which is good and bad.  Good because it is cheeper and easier than baby food, but bad because that means I have to cook regularly.  :)   He loves to eat all kinds of food (especially meats, southern food, carbs).

So many new things are happening these days.  I can hardly keep up.  Literally.  Thank goodness for nap time.  :)  I love that little squirt so much!  Can't wait to see what the next few months have in store for us.

Ear Update

Well, I was really nervous, but it went much better than I expected.  I was nervous, I wan nervous, but we did it.  He was taped up pretty good.  I felt bad, cause some of it stuck to his hair.  

But he did well...it wasn't as nasty as I expected.  His left ear is a little bloody (I think the tape irritated it over the last 4 days).  The right ear has A LOT of stitches.  

But he is in GREAT spirits.  Our Schmeagle is back.  He tried to go for a swim in the creek in front of our house (but I stopped him because of bacteria).  He is back to his little begging self. 

And so far no cone!  

Couldn't ask for better (except no return of the hematoma!)

De-Coning

I'm SOOOOO nervous.  Tomorrow Beagle's cone of shame and the bandage come off.  And I have to do it ALONE!

This experience has not been fun.  That poor beagle has been up at night scratching and scratching.  I know he has to hurt and itch.  I can tell it is bloody, crusty and nasty under there.  That is why I'm nervous.  Also, since he has stitches under there, one good scratch and the blood will be flying.  Right now he is allowed out of the cone when he is supervised, but I'm thinking after the bandage comes off, he will be full time coned.

I feel bad for him.  He hides from me so he can do better scratching.  He is not as person-like and more dog-like these days, which is so unlike him and kind of sad.  He is also pretty drugged up (with pain medication and benedryl), so I'm really looking forward to some more healing and hopefully a little tail wagging soon!

Cone

Just saying.  We understand this WAY TOO WELL in our house right now.  Poor beagle.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

And this picture might be worth more.  :) 

Gotta love that poor beagle.  

Hope it is a fast recovery.

More to come. 

Weekend Visit

My parents arrived on Thursday.  THANK GOODNESS!!!  We needed a break so bad.  Our little man has been working us over good, and having my parents here for a few days gave us some much needed relief.  

Jeremy and I went out on a little date on Thursday night.  A cookie at the mall, and a trip to the jewelry store to make an exchange.  It was so nice to have time alone. 

Friday morning we both had to work, so mom kept Noah.  He must have wore her out too, cause she signed up for a quick nap when we got home!  More on this later, but Beagle's hematoma is back, so I took him for another trip to the vet (another surgery tomorrow).  It was so nice to know that Noah was happy playing at home while I ran all around with Beagle. 

 Saturday, Noah's birthday, started out WONDERFUL!  Noah slept in till 8:15, really for the first time ever.  He is a very consistent 6:45 waker, so that was a nice treat (although I had to check on him several times since it was so unlike him).  Mom and dad took the little man out to breakfast, and Jeremy and I relaxed all morning in a quiet house!  We had cake and singing in the afternoon, and a nice Italian dinner out together.  Tickling, playing and then to bed...what a great birthday.

 This morning, we sadly said goodbye to G-ma and Popi.  We wish they could have stayed longer, and we are counting down till our visit with them in just a few weeks!!!  Thank you so much for giving a weary mom and dad a break!   We appreciate it so much!