Hurry up and wait

Saturday's recap:

So I was trying to get both Kellen and Tatum, along with myself, ready to leave the house for a road trip yesterday to Fairfield to see my buddy who has decided she and her husband are supposed to now be in Arkansas for him to preach...:) (I'm so excited for them but sad that she's moving that far away!)...My goal was to leave my house between 9-10...and I was doing OK on that goal until...

I got a phone call from the casting agent telling me that Kellen was for sure going to be in the video, she just didn't know if he was going to be a principle or not. She told me that they would determine if he would be a principle based on how he and the kid he was up against did when they got there in the morning. Which, she continued, was going to be at 5:00 AM. YIKES! Seriously? Trying to start a shoot with 2-4 year olds at 5:00 AM? OH man. Needless to say, this phone call changed by plans ever so slightly. She then goes on to say that I'll receive a call no later than 2:00 PM from the wardrobe consultant, who will instruct me on the types of clothes that Kellen will need for his part. Um...ok, but I won't even be at the house at that point in time. So, I decided to pull all of his"cool" t-shirts, shorts (denim, black, cargo, etc.) and pants and pack them just in case. I didn't think I would need solid color t-shirts or what we refer to as his play or sleep shorts (gym shorts), so I didn't bother to pack those.

At this point in time, it's WAY past my "goal" departure time, Matt thinks I'm crazy for trying to still make the over 1 1/2 hour trip to Fairfield and then the over 2 hour trip to Conroe to try and get this ALL done today but hey...when has craziness ever stopped me before?!? :)

At about 11, I finally get them all loaded up, and Matt had put the bags and stuff that we needed in the van. Nursing side-stop in Buffalo aside, we had a very good trip. Matt had burned the music that we were supposed to be practicing onto a CD, so we have travel music and we're practicing our songs (which are really fun, by the way)...and Kellen was getting them pretty well!

As I'm pulling into Fairfield, I get the phone call from the wardrobe person...and Kellen needs solid color t-shirts and gym shorts for the shoot,preferably turquise, if I have any. See above for the listing of clothes that I packed and rationale for an explanation of why my stress level jumped about a million points during and immediately after this phone call.

Anyway, we're in Fairfield, have a great visit, and then we're on the road again (a little later than I had planned to leave, but oh well!!! I hate cutting visits short!) by about 5 PM...got to Conroe a little after 7 (luckily, Tatum decided to adjust her normally rigid 'I must eat by 6:30' thing she does), so we were doing pretty well. By this point in time, I've already called Judy about the clothing issue, so she's been to virtually every store in Conroe trying to find the "right" clothes for Kellen...and ends up finding some things that we think will work at Wal-Mart. Whew!

Now we're at their house, we try on the new clothes, and we think we have something that will work for him. YAY! I made a few lists of things to take, etc...but it's off to a (somewhat) early bedtime for Kellen. As I'm unpacking the van, I discover that I have all of the necessary bags save for one...mine. So I only have the clothes on my back, none of my medicine, no make up, nada. Sigh. After the kids were in bed, Judy and I took a very quick trip to Old Navy. Bless those folks heart...they stayed open a little after their normal closing time so that I could actually purchase a couple of days worth of clothes.

Today's recap:

Down to the Children's Museum of Houston where they're shooting the video before 7:00 AM (did you know that the Conroe Starbuck's doesn't open until 6:00AM??? and the people are really nice when you catch them at opening time and they aren't ready to actually take your order...just a side note) ...go in, put our stuff down, show the wardrobe lady our selection, have an outfit approved, get a pair of their shoes instead of Kellen's tennis shoes. Then it's a lot of hurry up and wait.

At some point in time this morning, I was handed a script with "Simon" written on it for Kellen, which made me think that he was going to be a principle character. I couldn't really get anyone to definitely confirm that until late this afternoon, though. Surprising really, considering the fact that despite practicing the songs and him really liking them, he WOULDN'T SING OLD MACDONALD FOR ANYTHING!!! All he wanted to do was milk the cow. Yes, the Houston Children's Museum has a cow that you can milk...and water does actually come out of it...as the little girl that Kellen squirted in retribution can attest to. I'm sure that there is going to be a LOT of film end up on the cutting room floor because of that milkable cow.

Anyway...did the Old MacDonald song with the cow scene, them moved on to a chicken scene where again, he wouldn't sing. He did; however, decide to "act" in this one and followed their direction...playing with the stuffed chickens and roosters for the camera. Nice. He even pecked it in the mouth.

Again...a lot of hurry up and wait. And despite what I feel is him being uncooperative, he's apparently thrilling the daylights out of them. Whatever! As the day goes on, I come to realize that we're one of the few children (if not the only child there) that doesn't have an agent. And some of these kids have been going to audition after audition to get "extra" slots. Go Kellen!

Then comes lunch…and let me just say that they fed us very nicely. My only “negative” comment might happen to be that I don’t necessarily consider meatloaf, sautéed grilled chicken, stroganoff, salad, assorted steamed vegetables the best choice for a “kid friendly” lunch.

After lunch we move from the museum to Hermann Park…and shoot in the hot sun in the afternoon. We’re told to let the kids play, but then to not let them get dirty. Wha? Kellen, of course, plays on the railroad tracks and immediately gets black all over his hands, face, and yes…his shirt. Come to find out, they’re about to play in dirt and “plant” flowers, so no biggie!! Despite the heat, he did a really good job at the park, too.

When the park shoot was finished up, we went back to the car and then traveled to the studio. We were told that someone had gone to get some wardrobe items and that they really wanted us to stay until they arrived so that we could do a fitting. So, we hung out there for an hour, only to then be told that they weren’t going to be there by 4 PM, so they let us go ahead and go for the day.

Call time at 12:15 PM on Monday…and they’re planning to shoot until about 9 – that’s what we’re told. If that plan changes, they indicated that we would receive a phone call.

Guess what…I just got that phone call. The call time has been moved from 12:15 PM to 8:30 AM…So, I officially have to go now…we have to make lists for snacks that we’ll need for tomorrow and go to the grocery store.

He got it!

Boy, it's an early morning! So glad that the call time got moved back from 5 AM to 7 AM...

Yup...Kellen got it! We just don't know what "it" is yet...he's competing with one other kid for the lead role, so we'll see how he does when we get down there.

Yesterday was quite crazy, but I'll have to recap later, as I need to finish getting ready, get him up and ready, and blah, blah, blah.

Wish him luck today!

Still waiting...

1. Kellen's interview went well on Wednesday afternoon...he didn't want to dance for the camera, but oh well. The interviewer told me that she really liked him for this, but I don't know if she tells that to everyone or not. They're shooting the video (it's a video, not a commercial, if I'm understanding things correctly) on Sunday and Monday, so despite me thinking we would know something definitive by now, we're still unsure. However, we heard back from them today and the lady that interviewed Kellen wanted to be sure that he was available for the shoot and is pitching him to her client...

We shall see...

2. Tatum's teeth still are STILL not in yet. They disappeared last week and are now back...with a vengeance.

So I get a phone call yesterday at 3:30...Tatum is inconsolable...she's running a low grade fever (not bad enough to be sent home, but noteworthy - especially considering that I gave her Tylenol myself when I was there at lunch yesterday); will NOT drink her bottle, and is completely inconsolable. For those of you unfamiliar with my dear sweet Tatum, this is NOT LIKE HER!!!

I KNOW (at least as much as any mom can know) that it's her teeth.

HELP ME, HELP US, HELP HER!!! She's been trying to get these things through for 4 months!!!

What else can I do!?!? I've tried it all (I think):

-Teething tablets
-Tylenol
-Orajel
-Zweiback toast
-Teethers (cold and room temp)
-Cold food (i.e., her fruit that I've made taken from the freezer and thawed just enough to mix with cereal, but still VERY cold)
-Rubbing her gums with my fingers
-Vibrating teethers
-Washcloths frozen for her to chew on
-And today's newest addition, Motrin (since she's now old enough for it)

WHAT AM I MISSING???? By all means, if you think of something, post a comment...

That's all for now! I don't want to discuss the Thursday night debacle otherwise known as the Aggie game, so we won't go there.

Callback / interview

Well, I got a call from Paw Paw this morning and apparently Kellen's been called for a call back / interview. So we're off to Houston later today for this interview / callback to see if he'll make it into this commercial. Fun stuff!

Boogie Man

I was reading Kellen his bedtime story tonight (Veggie Tales Thankful book), and was singing part of a Veggie Tales song to him.

"God is bigger, bigger than the boogie man.
He's bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV, whoooaooo.
God is bigger, bigger than the boogie man.
He's watching, watching, watching....
Watching over you and me!"

Anyway, there was a picture in his book at the back advertising the "God is bigger" book, and it had a picture of Frankenstein in it. So he asks me, "Is that the Boogie Man?"

Me: "No sweetie, that's Frankenstein. He's part of the song, too, remember?"

Kellen: "Oh yeah. What does the boogie man look like?"

Me: "I'm not sure sweetie. I don't know what he looks like."

Kellen: "Oh I do!"

Me: "You do?"

Kellen: "Yes! He looks like me!"

Me: "What? What do you mean 'he looks like you?' "

Kellen: "The boogie man looks like me. Sometimes I pick my nose. When I pick my nose, I'm the boogie man, right?"

I could hardly contain myself...really...

My budding star?

Will Kellen be a star? If left up to Paw Paw, possibly. (Ok, so Mommy and Maw Maw are getting in on the action, too...) Paw Paw has a connection to some casting call folks in Houston, and apparently there is a call for 2-4 year olds for a commercial and they need some pictures ASAP. So we're working on picking out some pictures and should hear something back VERY quickly. I'll post the pictures that we chose and update when we find something out!

ETA:

Tatum's new milestone

Tatum has been trying to pull herself to standing, but today she REALLY did it. *sigh* We're in SO MUCH TROUBLE over here.

Maw Maw, Paw Paw, Tatum and I got back from dinner tonight and I was in the process of putting away her bulk boxes of diapers. So tere were two packages of diapers in the living room, and she decided that she wanted to get a good look at them...from a different vantage point. So she used the box to pull herself to standing up.

And I have witnesses. Both Maw Maw and Paw Paw saw it too...but they may not tell you because I think they're in denial that their little 6 month old granddaughter is already doing these feats of physical strength.

Boys night out...to the Aggie Game!

So Kellen, Daddy, Jason & Braden & Adam all went to the game this afternoon. Kellen was SO excited about this - and more specifically - about Braden coming over!

I'm hopeful that Matt's taking/took lots of pictures, so I'll update with those later.

Final outcome...Ag's Won...54-14
WHOOP!

More numbers

So I'm really getting into this homemade babyfood thing...here are some additional calculations..

Bananas:
...Ok...so let's ignore the fact that of the bananas I bought, I actually ate two (I don't know how much they weighed and the price is per pound, not banana, but still...)

$0.39 per pound, bought 2.21 lbs
Total spent = $0.86
Made 14 oz
Cost per oz (overestimated) = $0.06 per ounce

Stage 2 jar = 3.5 oz, purchase in sets of 2 = Total of 7 oz;
Average cost = $1.00 APPROXIMATE COST PER OZ = $0.14

HUGE SAVINGS HERE...and this is even an overestimate! YAY!!

Pears:
$0.77/lb, bought 1.22 lbs
Total spent = $0.94
This made 11 1 oz cubes...so
Cost per oz = $0.085

I finally did it!

Ok...the paper and matching envelopes were bought when Tatum wasn't even a week old. They were designed when she was about a month old, printed when she was about 9 weeks old, stuffed and addressed when she was about 2 and a half or 3 months old...and they've been waiting since then.



I FINALLY got the stamps I needed on Thursday, affixed them and mailed out her.....................................birth announcements!!!


Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!


Nothing like a little procrastination, right? If you're reading this and think you should have gotten (or should get within the next week or so) a birth announcement but do not, it's very possible that I have your address incorrect in my mailing list. So feel free to make a comment and/or email me with your correct mailing address ('cause the Christmas letter is just a few months away, right!?!?)

And I also finally mailed back Kellen's recalled Sarge today, too...feeling somewhat accomplished since these two things have been sitting on our desk at home just mocking me. *grin*

Good night...

Well, now there's more...I went to pick her up at ~ 5:15 at daycare and she had thrown up again a little before 5. However, she was acting normally BEFORE and AFTER she threw up....one of the teachers said that she didn't get a very good burp out, so maybe that had something to do with it, I don't know.

Like the dr and I discussed yesterday morning...the throwing up symptom is rather vague...how many times, how much volume, at what point in time should you be concerned??? None of these things are quantified or well spelled out. However, the pupil dilation, lethargy, obvious signs of head injury or trauma are ALL things that you should watch especially closely for...none of which she exhibited yesterday.

So...long update short...I continued to watch her closely onceI got home (she ate her dinner and nursed just fine), monitored her throughout the night (it was a light night for me), and reassessed this morning.

AM Reassessment:
Tatum had a good (read = uneventful) night last night and seems to be doing very well this morning!

She's acting like herself, nursed great, is cooing, talking, playing, etc.

Whew!

He's DONE with his class..

I just wanted to update...as of yesterday, Matt is DONE with his Paramedic class. He called me, told me that he had sent me an email (had sent me his verification of course completion email to my work email address), I read it, and just cried right there in my office.

Now he has to take the National Registry Exam. He's looking at the test dates with open spots at a testing center in Houston, comparing those with his work schedule and a trip that we're going on next month, etc. He's going to try and take one of the first ones that he can, so I'm guessing within the next month he'll sit for this test.

YAY!

Pretty eventful morning...before 7 AM!!!

So Matt took Kellen with him this morning and dropped him off at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's on his way to work, and I snuggled with Tatum (Matt brought her to me before he left with the "she's hungry" message) and fed her.

Our day was off to a good start.

A quick (maybe 30 sec) trip to the potty for me, after building a pillow fence around Tatum, didn't fare so well. I heard a thud...ran to the bed to see no Tatum. She had fallen off....on my watch! I rush to pick her up, check her head, snuggle and comfort her...all of those Mommy things. I sit down on the bed with her in my lap, and she proceeds to throw up...LOTS...

So I desperately try to get in touch with Matt for medical advice.....several calls and messages to his voicemail and a couple of texts later, I finally get in touch with him to let him know what's going on. By this time, Tatum has calmed down, she hasn't thrown up again, and she's acting like her normal self...eyes aren't dilated, she's tracking my finger and me with both of her eyes, grabbing for objects, etc. So I give Matt the update...he tells me he's going to make a quick phone call and will call me back.

Calls me back and tells me to go to the ER.

So I'm at the ER before 6:30 with Tatum to get looked at...the doctor and I have a lengthy discussion about CT, hospital admission, how they normally treat head injuries, etc...he and I decide NOT to do a CT scan, but to watch her for the rest of the day to be sure that she's still acting "normal" - no lethargy, no throwing up, etc.

*Sigh* Please pray that she's ok and that she's acting like herself for the rest of the day!

Peaches for you, Peaches for me

Ok...I just made my first batch of homemade peaches for Tatum. I feel so accomplished right now! So, I thought while it was fresh on my mind, I would do some quick calculations and share.

Stage 2 jar = 3.5 oz, purchased in sets of 2 ( Total of 7 oz); Average cost = $1.00
APPROXIMATE COST PER OZ = $0.14

Two peaches (1.79/lb) = $0.936 / ea. = Total spent, $1.87
Ice cube trays, each cube = 1 oz = Total of 12 oz, (This batch filled the ice cube tray, with about 2 oz left over - 14 oz)
APPROXIMATE COST PER OZ = $0.13

And with the Magic Bullet, it really took NO TIME at all to puree the peaches..and they're really smooth too. (Thanks again, Mom...I keep finding ways to use this thing!)

Yay!

Aren't they cute?

Strong Kellen...
Can I pick her up???
Oh, but I can...So now what?? (Don't worry, both Mommy AND Daddy were by the bed just in case...)Kellen the entertainer...

She was giggling...just not for THIS shot...And to top off the day, she tried some of big brothers peaches...her way. In the net! I think I have a fruit lover on my hands here!And last but not least...look out world, here she comes! Little miss Tatum! Ain't no stoppin' her now...might as well not even try, Kellen! Now aren't they just the cutest pair?
I'm off to try my hand at some homemade baby food...Based on how Tatum ate tonight, I think it'll be peaches, I believe...Wish me luck!

Happy Grandparent's Day!!

Happy Grandparent's Day!

Well, after my mom called to give me the phone number to my Pap's hospital room (and subequently reminded me about the holiday), Kellen called his MawMaw and PawPaw to tell them Happy Grandparents Day and then called his Grandma and Grandpa and left them both messages on their cell phones saying the same thing (their house phone was busy...), then I called Grandma Beadle and talked to her for about an hour and a half. I still need to call the hospital and chat with Pap, but I'll try to do that as soon as Kellen is in bed.

Kellen didn't understand why Grandparent's Day didn't = his grandparent's actually coming to see him at his house. "But it's Happy Grandparent's Day, Mommy. That means that my grandparents need to come and see me!" Kinda difficult to explain that it doesn't work like that. Nice logic on his part, though.

How does this holiday always seem to sneak up on me? I knew it was coming up, and even had cute kiddo ideas about some homemade gifts, but no...I always think it's later in September than it actually is!

No Blueberries for my Baby:

Tatum tried blueberries yesterday (the product of my first attempt at homemade baby food), and REALLY liked them. Well, she's been going poo poo today - no big deal, right? - I was even going to post something about how blueberries look EXACLTY the same coming out as they do going in. *grin*

However, she's been unusually fussy this afternoon...not calming down, not napping unless she was latched onto me - NOT like her at all. I've been changing her diaper as normal, and after one of her BM's I noticed that her ENTIRE diaper area was BRIGHT red...everywhere that the poo poo had touched. And it wasn't like she had been sitting in that diaper very long.

Poor baby! No wonder she's been fussy!

I'm guessing this is an actual reaction to the introduction of this food yesterday. Kellen never had any of these, but that's the only thing I can think of that might be causing this.

Man, it must REALLY be hurting her...she was even screaming as I was trying to wipe her off and put cream on her...Poor thing...Hopefully the Aquafor will take care of it quickly. That, plus the bath that I hope helped to soothe her skin...then another dose of Aquafor.

But, I guess blueberries are out for her...at least for a little while!

Today's milestones:

*We had our first "outing" without the infant carrier. Tatum actually had to sit up in the shopping cart. Other than Mommy taking a turn too fast and her falling over and hitting her head - HARD - she did really well! (She's ok, really. She's going to be tough like her big brother.) And she lasted through a Target AND Kroger trip. I was pushing it with the outing and she behaved SO WELL (especially considering that she didn't have much of a nap).

*We found Tatum's lovey at Target!!! So we bought two more. Now we have one for home, one for daycare, and another either for the car or just as a spare. I wish I would have been able to capture Tatum's face when she saw them hanging up in the store. She started reaching for them...and then got SO EXCITED when I pulled two off of the shelf and gave them to her! She was squealing and waving her arms...You could tell that she knows what they are and likes them immensely!

*Tatum drank from a sippy cup with her dinner. Cold breast milk - and LIKED it...


*Kellen "watched" his sister today. I was cooking some pizza pasta casserole, chatting with Grandma, and Kellen watched his sister. He made sure that toys she shouldn't be playing with weren't near her, got some pop tart wrappers out of her hands when she got ahold of them, and even physically moved her when she was near something she didn't need to be...Carefully moved her, I might add. And when she started to get fussy, he got right up next to her and did his darndest to try and make her smile and laugh.

He is SUCH a good big brother!!! And Tatum just thinks that he hung the moon...They took a bath together last night and you would have thought that he was put on the earth just to entertain Tatum...She was watching him so intently and with so much adoration during their bath - and he just does SO WELL with her.

I really couldn't have asked for this sibling thing to have gone any better than it has so far...I don't necessarily think it will stay like this (I'm not THAT out of it), but hey...it's GREAT right now while it lasts.

Milestone moments...

It has been an eventful week for little miss Tatum...here's a quick recap.

1. Tatum's 6-month check up (this past Tuesday):

Well, my little girl isn't so little...

18 lb 2 oz (90%)
26 1/4" long (75%)

So we have officially outgrown the infant carrier and have ordered two new carseats for my van...the old ones will transfer to Matt's Trailblazer when the new ones come in. For now, my vehicle is the only "kid friendly" vehicle, since we have taken out the carrier and installed Kellen's 2nd seat rear facing for Tatum.

2. She said, "Bye bye"

I was leaving daycare Thursday after feeding Tatum and said, "Bye bye" to her. She looked up, mimicked me perfectly and said, "Bye bye."

I'm NOT kidding or stretching this at all. And I have two witnesses...both of the teachers heard it and I think if their heads had whipped to look at her any quicker they would have popped off.

3. She crawled

She's been getting anywhere she wants to go by various methods, including the infamous army crawl, but today..she did the real deal...And to her Aunt Boo...visiting from DC this weekend. This is the first time that Aunt Boo has seen Tatum, so I guess that Tatum wanted her Aunt Boo to feel really special.

Oh my goodness...Do milestones come in threes? We've talked, crawled, now can we get some teeth to FINALLY pop through??? Please???

Just a day with the kids...

Happy Labor Day to everyone!

Although TAMU was open and running, the kids school was closed today, so that meant that Mommy took a day off...at least from "work" anyway. Between yesterday and today, all of the laundry is clean, dry and put away, the floor is vacuumed, the kitchen is cleaned up (well, mostly anyway), Kellen and I changed the sheets on Mommy's bed, and I've sold a few items that I've been trying to get out of the house for a little while. Whew!

Plus, I fixed, at Kellen's request, cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then he and I managed to play play-doh for a while before lunch and nap. Then he took a 3 hour nap...Yes, I typed that correctly...A 3 hour nap.

Wow!

Amazingly enough, Tatum decided to take a nap at the same time...so I was really able to get a few things done while they both slept...although getting a nap for myself in was, unfortunately, not one of those things. Oh well!

Then I wanted to take the kids out of the house, and my idea was to surprise Kellen (and treat myself, of course), to a milkshake from Whataburger. However, after waiting in the drive through line and making it to the ordering station...we found out that they had no chocolate today. So our milkshake was out. No chocolate?!? Seriously?!? So we went across the street to McDonald's and Kellen said that he, "changed my mind" and wanted to get a Happy Meal instead of a milkshake...Sure, no problem!

We come home and play a little more before dinner, and sure enough...Tatum is sitting up by herself. For real. And she's still 2 seconds away from crawling...She's taken a half of a crawl to me...she just can't get both sides coordinated.

All-in-all, we had a GREAT day!

Kellen at Kyle

Yesterday was Kellen's first Aggie game at Kyle Field...other than the Maroon and White games, of course. We hadn't planned to take him to the game, perhaps to the tailgate, but not the game. But he had other ideas.

We got up and got our Aggie gear on, Kellen and I in our jerseys and Tatum in her Aggie outfit (make note Mommy...need more Aggie gear for Tatum in larger sizes for the rest of the season), and were hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa, who had come in Friday night and were staying over to watch the kids while Matt and I went to the game. Matt gets home and Kellen asks, "What time are we going to go and watch the Aggies play, Daddy?" Matt's reply, "Well, we don't have a ticket for you, Kellen. We weren't going to take you to watch the Aggies play today."

Well that didn't sit well with Kellen. He didn't throw a fit, but his bottom lip turned under, and in the most pathetic voice (at least according to Matt), he said, "But I want to go and watch the Aggies play, Daddy!"

I think that settled it.

So we made some arrangements, and got Kellen into the game. He had a really good time - I'm not sure that he's ready to go on a regular basis, but overall...he really did enjoy himself...

So here's our photo journal of his first Aggie home game...

Leaving the house for the game...All geared up..

Tailgating...Let's play some football, folks!!!

Walking to Kyle Field...

Here's my ticket, Ma'am...Thank you! Gotta' love them ballpark hotdogs!"Thank you for bringing me to watch the Aggies, Daddy!"

Kellen and Mommy at the game...

A big WHOOP for an Aggie win...38-7!

Playing on Kyle Field after the game...Down, set, hutt...