Update on Life & Come on Ags!

I'm currently watching the Aggies play Kansas...and we're in the 3rd quarter with zero scores. Unbelievable! It's been ages since I've been able to update, so I have much to say...however, since it's the middle of the game, I'll try to update in spurts. With pictures if I can...

Update on household makeover...
Well, the living room has been rearranged several times. During my last post, I indicated that I had moved the living room furniture and hoped that Matt had liked it. Um. Nope! So we moved it again, and again, and again, and ...well, you get the picture. I *think* that we now have it the way that it will stay...and I really like it. I think Matt needs to "live" with it just a little more before he gets used to it, but I think it's be best arrangement for the furniture we have to work with. The computer is now in the living room - on a different computer desk - so it's really nice to actually have it out in the living room rather than in our bedroom.

Kellen's "new" room is all set up...we just have to figure out what to do with a few pieces of his clothes, but he absolutely LOVES it! We should have video taped his reaction when he saw it...it was great! He has so much more room to play, and it looks like a little boy's room...not an infant room, or even a toddler room - but a little BOY's room. *sigh* He's growing up.

*stinker...Kansas finally scored with a fieldgoal - score is 3-0*

Tatum's room is set up...with her bookshelf in as well (that was the last piece of furniture that had to make its way BACK to our house from storage). The room is just adorable - and childproof (why wouldn't it be?) - but she loves just playing in there. And she LOVES pulling her clothes bin from underneath her bed and throwing out her pants and shirts all over the room...and getting into her shoes. She's obsessed with shoes - truly a girl, I guess...although she seems to be quite the tom-boy...beating Kellen's record of boo boo's by about 3 months already.

As for her, she's crawling - crawling FAST, and using anything and everything to stand up, and is able to balance herself while standing up for longer and longer...today was actually the longest that I've ever seen her do it...maybe 10-12 seconds. Oh boy. We're in so much trouble. Kellen wasn't doing that until he was about 10 months old. Yikes! As for her beating Kellen's record for boo boo's...well, there is this certain toy at daycare that she just loves...perhaps it's because it's immediately in front of the mirror? Who knows? Anyway, it's a cute little toy that she loves playing with, and lends itself easily to her using it to stand up, which she does quite frequently. And she also falls down onto this particular toy...landing on her face on the corners of this toy quite often. I had actually thought that she would have already had a black eye already...several of her boo boos have looked like they should have been bad enough to actually be black eyes, but they just haven't lasted that long or turned into a black eye yet. I emphasize yet. It's bound to happen. She's fearless...just like her brother was at that age.

*Crud...Kansas just scored...10-0* Come on Ags!!!!

Ok, so Matt and I went to Baltimore last week for a work conference for me...we flew out of Houston on Thursday and got back on Monday night. I had three presentations to give at the conference, one group and two individual - and in my opinion, they all went very well. We left the kids - yes, both of them - with Maw Maw and Paw Paw and they all had a good time. I'll post more about that trip in another post...with pictures.

Anyway, I got back in the office on Tuesday, and then Wednesday took the kids to the MSC Hospitality Halloween party...they had such a good time! Here they are going into the MSC at the beginning of the program...and then Kellen playing one of the games and Tatum Elizabeth Snow White (as Kellen is now calling her) just being cute!

Household makeover

We're in the process of a household makeover...say a quick prayer that we can get it done in a reasonable amount of time!

What we've decided to do:

*Rearrange the furniture in the living room and bring the computer desk and computer from our bedroom into the living room, take the glider & ottoman into Tatum's room and the game cabinet into Kellen's room

*Switch Tatum and Kellen's rooms - (Which requires disassembling and reassembling both Kellen's bed and Tatum's crib - nice, huh?)

Right now, Tatum is in the "old" office/guestroom...which is the larger room because it had the BIG desk, futon, etc. So, since we aren't sure how long we'll be in this particular domicile, we decided to switch the kids rooms and give Kellen the larger room.

I already feel like I've gotten a TON of stuff done tonight (nevermind that the kitchen is a wreck - why is it that when you clean up one room you inevitable dirty another?). Anyway, after everyone except Tatum and I left for the game, I moved the glider/ottoman into what will be Tatum's room and the game cabinet into what will be Kellen's room and have COMPLETELY rearranged the living room. Let's hope that Matt likes it. If not, we'll just keep moving it around until we find something that works. I didn't take the computer and computer desk out into the living room...he'll have to do that and wire it up, but I DID leave a spot (and measured to make sure that it will fit) for it.

Did I mention that I've almost gotten about two weeks of laundry done too? And not just washed and dried, but actually folded and put away!!

As we're doing this, we're BOTH actually willing to GET RID of stuff...which is GREAT, too..I've decided that unless I really love it, it makes me smile, or I use it LOTS, I don't need to keep it...

Not quite sure what's gotten into me (both of us, actually)...but I hope it stays around until we get this project DONE!!

She's not supposed to be doing that...

"Mom, Tatum's got __________!" is a common phrase spoken by Kellen nowadays.

Tatum is mobile. Very mobile. And she's getting into everything it seems.

Kellen is so sweet...and tries so hard to make sure that she doesn't have anything that might hurt her. He watches to make sure that she doesn't grab "his" toys (because they have small parts and could choke her when she puts them in her mouth - we've discussed this), shoes (because my daughter is a shoe fiend), plastic pieces, and random other items that Kellen feels are inappropriate for his darling sister to play with. If she wanders (excuse me...race crawls) to any of the above items (or even farther away than Kellen wants her to) he goes to try and pick her up and move her back to where they were playing.

Did I mention that Tatum is now weighing in at almost 20 pounds?

So the sight of Kellen trying to (and successfully, I might add) picking up and moving Tatum to where HE thinks she needs to be is quite funny (at least most of the time). It's a good thing that infants are resilient. Tatum sometime resembles a puppy or kitten being carried around during these moments.

*sigh*

We're working on getting Kellen to actually STOP picking up his sister, but I think he's just so excited now that he can PLAY with her and hold her without the "real" fear of hurting her that it's overwhelming for him.

Did I mention that he just ADORES her? And that the feeling is completely mutual? Tatum thinks her brother hung the moon! When she is fussy, he just has to look at her and make a face and he'll have her laughing the most adorable belly laugh that you've ever heard.

It just makes my heart melt. I have to preserve these memories, because while I am hopeful that they will continue this oh-so-sweet relationship, I am also realistic....and a product of a big brother-little sister relationship myself. I KNOW that they won't always feel this way about each other...sibling rivalry is bound to happen...even if for a short time...but I trust that they will come around to this loving each other place again when they're older.

At any rate, I want to capture the essence of this relationship now...so I'll have something to look back on when they're telling me and their dad that they don't like each other - or worse.

Teeth!!!

It finally happened! Tatum got her first tooth through last Thursday, and I confirmed that she got her second one through this weekend (I'll write it in the book as yesterday, 'cause I SURE thought I felt it, but she wasn't letting me confirm it). That might explain why she was so incredibly fussy on Saturday...so much so that I wanted run away, huh? *grin*

Anyway...we had another incredibly busy weekend...Astros game (yes, the ENTIRE family, including Aunt Boo, Maw Maw and Paw Paw), then the Baylor game on Saturday (I stayed in Conroe and watched the kids - see above for the running away impulse), then Matt and Aunt Boo went back down for the Astros game on Sunday afternoon.

The kids has LOTS of fun at the game...Tatum was in awe of the fireworks and of course, Kellen has his ears covered the entire time because, "they're REALLY loud!" and he sometimes shies away from super-loud noises. For being a 7:05 start time, and ending up being such a late night, BOTH kids did REMARKABLY well at the game. Tatum just got hot and overtired, but I sweet-talked a worker into letting me into the "cush" boxes to cool down...finally got her to sleep (note to self: wearing a 20 lb almost 7 month old in a Snuglie NO LONGER WORKS on Mommy's back)...then went back to my seat to watch the rest of the game...Even the cheering and yelling didn't faze her too much (ok...so she would open her eyes, move her head, and then plop it back into my chest each time, but hey...she stayed asleep until the fireworks!).

Biggio, Biggio, Biggio...

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...

Squash and Size 9's

My kiddos are growing. They're growing up. Right before my very eyes. And there's nothing I can do about it.

Through a series of wierd circumstances, we found ourselves this morning without shoes for Kellen. His crocs (or alternative crocs, if you will), had been broken on the playground and were without straps; his tennis shoes had been inadvertently left at Uncle Eddie and Aunt Glenda's last weekend when I was too sick to pack things up and Grandma and Grandpa got the kids, me, and all of the stuff packed up and back to College Station - minus Kellen's tennis shoes, 1 pacifier, and a burp rag; and when Daddy had, again inadvertently, left the bag with the boots which Kellen had been wearing for the last week because of the lack of tennis shoes and broken crocs at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's yesterday when we left there. So anyway, we're trying to walk out of the door this morning and realized that we had to revert to the broken crocs.

We had to go shoe shopping today. Today- of all days. The first day of school.

So after work, I pick up the kids and it's off to Target we go to get Kellen some new shoes, because wearing broken crocs for two days in a row at school just won't work. They fall off of his feet when he's walking - I can't imagine what it was like for him to try and play on the playground in those today! We try tennis shoes on his feet. His previous tennis shoes were size 8 1/2 - but these....these are a size 9. And he says that they're comfortable. And his toes are in the correct spot.

Size 9. Yup. Size 9.

While at Target, I decide to put my ambitious goal for making homemade baby food on the shelf, at least for the time being, and buy baby food for my poor starving child who doesn't look like she's had a meal in ages.

****Ok, I'm picking myself back up off of the floor and I'll stop laughing now. ****

She's done very well on the sweet potatoes (both her and Kellen's first "real" food), so I get some squash, green beans, carrots, applesauce, and a butternut squash and corn mixture. Then she decides that she's had enough of this relatively short shopping trip. Seriously enough. And she's letting EVERYONE in screaming range know about it. And there's nothing Mommy can do.

Why did I decide to go shopping again on the first day of school when everyone was out? Oh yeah...Kellen didn't have any shoes to wear to school.

I digress.

We check out and walk outside, and to prove that she was telling me she was done with the shopping trip, she immediately stops screaming when we get outside. Yes, dear. I get your point.

Back home and time for dinner...and she loves the squash - at least until her teeth - or the places that there should be teeth on the bottom of her gums - start bothering her. Then she just wants me. But she ate almost the entire jar of squash and really did like it. When are these teeth going to come through so that they can stop hurting her?

And there is a note on her chart from school letting me know just how close she is to crawling. Yes, thank you. My not even 6 month old child is 2 seconds away from crawling. Somebody get me a baby yard. And quickly.

I'm in trouble over here.

Learning

We just got DVR a week or so ago, and I'm loving it (I knew that I would). Matt surprised me with it, since prior to this we had no way to record anything .

Well, Kellen is capable of using many of the various remotes that we have, he's familiar with the basic, most-used bottons; on/off, volume, & channels on the TV remote; play, stop and pause on the DVD remote, but we hadn't worked with him on the DVR stuff yet. It was just too new and we haven't had a chance.

Well, amidst the many episodes of Scrubs, House, and some random other movies that we've caught, I DVR'ed Hercules for him. Today as he was watching it, I showed him how to fast forward through commercials and then play when the commercials were over. He caught the hang of it really quickly, but then got upset when he didn't push play fast enough and didn't know how to rewind. So I talked him through that and then simply exclaimed,

"Now you know how to fast forward and if you go too far, you know how to go backwards and rewind!"

"Yup. I'm learning." was his reply.

I don't quite know why that struck me as funny, but I almost fell off of the couch laughing at the way he said that!

Milestone moments...

AHHHH!!!

Tatum's coming up on all 4's!! And is managing to "scoot" herself backwards!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!

She's too young to be getting ready to crawl...I'm not ready for this...seriously...I mean...It's good and all...but still...

And she found her feet and toes yesterday...it's too cute!!!

The first of many...little friends

So when Daddy was outside working yesterday, he came across a caterpillar and brought him inside for Kellen. We put a habitat together for him and put him inside Kellen's bug catcher...we've been watching him crawl around inside there and eat on the leaves, etc. We come back from church this morning and no caterpillar...come to find out, Kellen had left the door open for a WHILE, and "Hermie" had escaped.

Oh boy.

Surprisingly enough, Daddy found him while Kellen was taking a nap. Hermie was near the TV, so Daddy put him back in his home...and here we are...observing this really beautiful green caterpillar with some small orange spots on the sides.

Interesting to see how this will turn out! Kellen's excited to see if he'll turn into a butterfly.

How sweet...

Cuddle time with the kids...(Tatum was really enjoying this more that it appears...honest!)

House help with Daddy...Kellen's such a good helper!!!
So Kellen takes his screwdriver outside and tells Matt that he needs something to use it on. Matt tells him that they really aren't going to be screwing anything. Kellen's response,

"Well can I get my hammer and bam something then?"

I'm guessing that's a statement that would have made any Daddy proud.

Swimming scare...MawMaw to the rescue

What is it with us and scares lately?

We were out of town this weekend (Matt was at work on Sat) and went swimming at a pool of one of Matt's relatives...Maw Maw was watching Kellen and I had Tatum in the pool...Kellen was in the hot tub portion of the pool, which had a circle seating area around it and Tatum and I were on the other side of the pool in the shallower portion playing...Well, he was walking around the hot tub playing (like any kid would be in the pool, right?) and walked right off of the edge, into the actual tub part, which was unfortunately right about the height of the top of his head.

Maw Maw grabbed for him (she wasn't in the pool, but was on the edge close to him) but missed, and saw him trying to get back up to the surface - unsuccessfully, I might add - and at the time that I screamed "HELP HIM!" - she jumped in fully clothed to grab him. There were 3 other kids in the pool with him playing (all older and VERY good swimmers), but they were behind him and didn't realize that he was having trouble and couldn't get back up...

*sigh*

Luckily, he had done the things he had learned in swim lessons and didn't come back up with lungs full of water...grabbed onto Maw Maw, and then was ok...Not too scared or anything. (And we're talking he was only under for seconds really...it just felt so much longer to me!). I had Maw Maw take Tatum and then he and I played so that his lasting memory wouldn't be a scary one...by the end of the day he was begging not to leave the pool, so I don't think this experience has left any permanent "scars" on him...But boy it sure did scare me!

That's what I get for bringing the swim clothes and forgetting ALL of the floaties...I would be ok with no more scares for a little while over here...

But, Maw Maw to the rescue!

Baby kisses

Tatum started giving kisses this weekend...and it was GREAT! She actually started off with her Maw Maw, then her dad, and I finally was able to get in on the action on Sunday. It's so sweet! When I leaned in to kiss on her cheek, she grabbed my head with her hands, turned her head to me with her mouth wide open, and did this wierd mouth motion on my cheek.

Gotta love those baby kisses!!

My goodness...does it ever end?

Saturday:

Matt and Kellen went to the used furniture shop today and Kellen tripped over a couch and landed with his upper cheek (immediately below his eye) on the corner of a coffee table. So....Matt calls and tells me that he's taking him to the ER...took him to there to get it looked at - the doctor decided to glue it instead of getting stitches. Matt said the doc told him that either way (stitches or glue) it was going to scar. All-in-all, Kellen was quite the trooper!

Let me just say, when Matt called to tell me about this, my brain went ALL KINDS OF CRAZY because he mentioned that it was right below his eye. WHEW! It was SO MUCH worse in my head than what it really is! Not that it looks wonderful or anything, but my brain went to worst-case scenario there...

Afterwards we went to McD's for a post-ER treat...(Gotta' go and get me some of that Mederma for kids to work on that scar!!)

Sunday/Monday:
Kellen went with Daddy and daddy dropped him off at MawMaw and PawPaw's...He spent the night with them, and came back today with daddy after he got off of work. Straight to school...and to the start of a new classroom - kind of. He napped (rested is more like it) in his old classroom and then spend the rest of the day in his new classroom. He's officially a jellyfish now...no more seal.

Now Tatum is sick.

I got the call from daycare this afternoon and picked her up...she's alternating between her sweet and smiley self and just miserably coughing. Poor girl! She doesn't have much of an appetite and is running a low grade fever as well. When I listen to her chest, I can hear her rasping when she's breathing.

*sigh*

We're going in tomorrow morning to the dr...not our regular doctor because we couldn't get in to see him until late in the afternoon tomorrow, but another one at UPA...

Does it ever end?

Sunscreen Spray Scare

So last night, I sent Kellen to brush his teeth (he brushes them first, then I brush them) while I was putting some laundry in to wash. In the midst of doing that, I heard a bloodcurdling scream come from the direction of the bathroom - how it didn't wake Tatum in the next room is still a mystery to me. Anyway, I run to the bathroom to discover Kellen holding his eyes and screaming, and see the sunscreen spray laying out. After I ask what's wrong and what happened - yell really, to be heard above his screaming - Kellen tells me that he's sprayed sunscreen in his eyes.

Unfortunately, what I suspected, but OH MY!

I pick him up and carry him to our bathroom, put a towel down on the sink, flip him upside down and hold his head under the faucet in an attempt to rinse his eyes out. As I'm washing his face off, I can feel the sunscreen all over his face. I'm trying to calm him down, but what he's screaming most is that he wants a hug. (Insert breaking heart here...because I CANNOT stop trying to wash his eyes out). I'm talking him through this, "Sweetie, your eyes are burning because of the sunscreen and I have to put the water on your face and in your eyes to get the yucky sunscreen OUT of your eyes. Help Mommy and open your eyes for me under the water so we can get them rinsed out." I finally started making a dam-like contraption with one of my hands so that the water would pool around his eyes and then had him blink (as best he could and would).

After about 5 minutes of this, he begs me to get in the shower. At this point in time, I texted Matt with "Call home asap."

So we strip and hop into the shower...same kind of thing...head under the spray, blink lots and lots. Except that he wasn't really blinking much because the water and his eyes were hurting. Poor baby!

Matt calls a few minutes later, asking what's wrong. I give him the Cliff Note version. So, talking Kellen through it even more, I told him that I was going to open his eyes under the water - did he want me to do both at one time or one at a time? He opted for one at a time...I had him "hug" me with his arms and legs and then used my right hand to open up his left eye - got that under the water, and we did that for a few minutes, but it was getting painfully obvious that Kellen was so very DONE with this whole thing. He just kept begging to go to bed.

Then the door to the shower opened up. Matt had decided that enough was enough and he was so much more needed at home...and had come home from his workshop/class and went into EMT-mode. He took Kellen and had Kellen talk him through what had happened...did an informal eye exam to make sure that Kellen had full use of his vision, including peripheral, talked about whether or not Daddy looked fuzzy, etc. Then he took him into the other bathroom and had Kellen re-enact the spray (pointing down to the ground) so that we could actually see how much sunscreen Kellen had sprayed (not that much).

All told, I had been washing his eyes out for about 20 minutes by the time Matt had gotten home...Kellen told Matt that he only got it into 1 eye, and he told me that he got it into both. By looking at his eyes, I would say that he got some into both eyes - they were both red and bloodshot, but definitely the bulk was in his left eye...which was pretty swollen when we were all through.

Lots of cuddles, hugs, kisses, etc later, he went to bed.

This morning, he runs into my room, excited to tell me that his eye doesn't hurt or burn him. And that he's NOT going to do that again!

The kicker of this whole thing...it's totally OUR FAULT that this happened because the sunscreen was someplace that he was able to get it. Locked cabinets don't work, because he knows how to open them.

*Sigh*

The volcano erupted

So this morning as I was feeding Tatum, I noticed that she was doing her business. I stopped feeding her, sat her up, and started burping her...thinking that I would let her finish, change her diaper, then proceed with her breakfast.

Well, a minute or so passed when I felt something seeping through my jeans onto my leg...let me indicate now that I was already fully dressed for work at this point in time. I looked down, and see a volcano of poop seeping out of her clothes. Yes ladies and gentlemen, her poop was defying gravity -- going up her diaper back, halfway up her back, over the top of her cute little shorts, and then running over the top, and down onto my leg and onto our recliner, looking remarkably similar in consistency and texture to the oatmeal mixture that she has decided she loves and has been eating.

Oh my, oh my. How DOES poop defy gravity?

Weekend madness!!

My goodness!!!!

So.........

Matt went on Thursday and picked up our new (not brand new, but new to us) TV...a 55" one...According to Kellen, it's, "A big FAT TV!" It stayed in the back of my van for a few days until he and I were able to get it out and into the house yesterday (ok, mostly him...but I DID help some). TV is now a completely new experience over here!!

We traded in Matt's truck for an '03 Chevy Trailblazer on Saturday, then get back to Conroe to find out that Tatum had finally mastered rolling over from her back to her belly. She hasn't finished cutting the two teeth that she's working on, but I think she's getting pretty close!

Weighed her on Maw Maw and Paw Paw's scales this weekend and she's a whopping 16 pounds. We'll see what her "official" weight is tomorrow morning when I take her in for her 4 month check-up. Wow! She blew past Kellen's growth curve already...I think she's almost gained a full 2 pounds JUST in the month of JUNE!!! Amazing! Someone asked me what she was eating, and when I replied, "Nothing, she's just nursing," asked me what I was eating! LOL - My reply, "Anything I want!"

Kellen's asking for more swim lessons, and for a turtle (he got that from HigglyTown Heroes...but he's not letting it go). Swim lessons we can do...not to sure about the turtle.

16 weeks old...and quite a few accomplishments

Tatum is officially 16 weeks old today (not 4 months - that milestone occurs on July 3rd, but 16 weeks). And to celebrate this momentous occasion, she actually had quite a few accomplishments today....

*We got a jumperoo from a friend and she discovered that she REALLY likes it

*We discovered that she could sit up, assisted by the boppy - and that includes balancing herself when she was almost falling backwards to catch herself and picking herself back up to a sitting position...And that she does it quite well for quite a long period of time...and LOVES it!!!
















*She tried cereal today...just a little, and actually ate some!















It was a REALLY busy day...

I spy, with my eye...

Well, on his way home today, Matt taught Kellen how to play "I spy" and so Kellen taught me while we were driving home from school today. He was just so much fun!

I spy with my eye...
Mommy, is it my turn?...
Mommy, you can't give up...try to guess again...

He was just precious!!

Can she already be cutting a tooth??

So Tatum has been a little fussy at night, like she's hurting...she'll suck on her paci, then her hand (not fingers - her entire hand), just about anything she can get in her mouth...and HARD (nuff said, right?) - but so far I haven't been able to feel any nubs or see anything on her gums. However, today I thought I saw the beginning of a tooth nub on her lower gums...(you know, the white line underneath the gum area..)

Is that possible? I mean, she's a little wiggle-worm, so I can't really be sure (it's not like she's sitting still so that I can peek in her mouth or anything). Kellen didn't get his first tooth until ~ 6 months or so...
I gave her some Tylenol about 20 minutes ago and she's calmed down quite a bit...

*sigh*

I guess I need to add teething tablets to my grocery list?

Cleaning spree

Well, since Matt is at work and Kellen is at MawMaw and PawPaw's (story time is tomorrow), I decided (what a wild hair - LOL) to take a half day off, leave Tatum in the very capable hands of her daycare teachers, and come home to clean my house (something that I don't seem capable of juggling with work, the kids, and Matt's crazy schedule right now, despite my "routines" and best intentions). I'm tired of cleaning up only to have it get all messed up again as soon as someone (ok, so I can leave Tatum out of it...for now) walks through a room! I have spent half of the day cleaning and I'm still not done! *sigh* I have gotten quite a bit accomplished, though...so that's good...

Ahhh! I feel like signing up for clean sweep or something!

I like the quote that I've seen in a few places...I think I want it to be my new motto:

"Cleaning up while you still have children in the home is like shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing!"

That sounds about right, doesn't it?

ER Trip...and not for the kids

Matt was being a sweetie today. I didn't end up rolling out of bed until ~ 10:30 or so...he just brought Tatum in to me when she got hungry and then would take her when she was through. I CANNOT remember the last time I slept in that late. We're keeping the laundry going and are both in cleaning-spree mode (which works out really well, actually) and he was working on laundry and asked me not to put anything else in the washing machine because he knew what he wanted to wash next. I'm still not sure exactly how he managed to do it, but, he managed to cut his head on the metal thing holding up the shelf above the washing machine as he was loading or changing clothes over from the washing machine to the dryer. He ended up with a pretty good little cut there on his head. Using the mirrors, we positioned it so that he could try and see how bad it was, and we ended up deciding that he should go ahead and go into the ER to have them take a look and either steri-strip it or suture it up. I'm just glad it didn't knock him out and that we aren't dealing with a concussion, too. On the first trip to the ER, they decided to steri-strip it to see if that would be ok. They wanted him to come back in an hour or so for them to check on it to see if it needed stitches. So on the 2nd trip, (The benefits of working at the ER, right? *grin*) they decided that the steri-strip would be fine. The dr said that based on where it is, the stiches might actually make the scarring worse. And, he doesn't need antibiotics, he's just supposed to try and keep it dry. Another plus...his tetanus shot is up-to-date, so he doesn't have to worry about getting another one of those, either.

*sigh* and *whew*

What a day!

What a weekend!

Wow! Matt remarked to me on the way home this afternoon that it felt like we had been gone for 5 days. I have to agree.

We left on Friday to go to his high school reunion. And Friday afternoon was pretty crazy! I took the afternoon off so that he and I could go and find something for me to wear to the reunion...we managed to find something for both Friday night and a semi-formal dress for Saturday night in a relatively painless manner, which was great as far as I was concerned. I also managed to get my hair cut, he picked up both of the kids, then we took Kellen to swim lessons after eating dinner at the mall, and when he was finished with swim lessons, we headed out of town by 8 PM. *whew* I think I was tired by the time we left, actually.

Anyway, we went to the social and hung out there until late (at least in my book) - we left around midnight or a little after. Luckily, Maw Maw and Paw Paw were on kid duty, so we were really able to have a good time this weekend. Unfortunately, Tatum started running a fever on Saturday...not too high - 101.5 was the highest it got, and she did respond to Tylenol, so we continued with our plan to go to the formal portion of the reunion on Saturday night. She was a little fussy when the tylenol wore off, but once it was in her system again, she was acting almost like normal, just sleeping a little more than usual.

We got all ready to go, and made it to The Woodlands around 7:45 or so...then Maw Maw called and told me that Tatum's fever had broken and had really come down (so much so, it turns out, that they didn't even have to give her any more medicine before she went to bed - yay!). So, we're all dressed up - Matt in his suit and me in a new red dress and into the reunion we go. We ended up having a really good time, for a really long time. The reunion was supposed to last until midnight, but shortly before then, they announced that they had the room for another hour. So we stayed around until 1 AM, then decided to continue to hang out with some of Matt's friends even after that. At 3 AM, I think Matt finally decided it would be easier to leave while I was still somewhat awake then to have to carry me out, so we ended up leaving.

Today Tatums fever hasn't been that bad...it's been elevated, but just low-grade, not too bad. Kellen, on the other hand, apparently had a really bad night last night and is seeming to get progressively worse. He was awake off and on all night long, and was complaining of his head hurting him...not sure what that's about. Today he started running a fever..and it's now progressed to 102.9 - WITH Tylenol in his system for an hour. Hmm...we'll be alternating tylenol and ibuprofen, I believe, to get this under control tonight. He isn't acting like he feels bad, but he is complaining that his head hurts some. Not much else other than that.

So I guess we'll see how tomorrow goes with both of them. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

It's been a while...

Quick update...

Kellen still loves HIS Tatum...

Tatum is smiling, laughing, rolling over (lots) from tummy to back and almost making it from back to front, and it batting at and grabbing objects now.

Kellen started his swimming lessons on Tuesday, and is doing great so far...he didn't want to go under the water on the first day, but did it right off the bat yesterday (yay!) - he's so excited about these lessons!

Grandma and Grandpa Gerren came in for the day this past weekend for an early birthday celebration for Grandma Gerren...Kellen just LOVED helping to plan for her birthday party...he really got into it. We went and watched Shrek the Third (again...we saw it opening weekend, too) and Kellen had just as much fun the 2nd time around...Only this time he was cracking up the theatre with his comments.

We also got to visit with Jen & James Westling this weekend while they were visiting from New York...and it really seemed like Kellen and James remembered each other. We determined that GattiTown is just TOO much for the kiddos...so McDonald's playground was the alternative playdate area.

This upcoming weekend is a big one for us...Matt's 20 year high school reunion...(ok, pick yourselves off the ground now and stop laughing). There are activities Friday night, Saturday during the day, and then a semi-formal event Saturday night...MawMaw and Paw Paw get to watch the kids while we go to the various activities, so it should be a lot of fun. Matt's really excited about it.

That's all for now!

Bumbo seat

Ok, so apparently there is this *relatively* new thing called a bumbo seat for kiddos...I got one for Tatum today and she just LOVES it...and so do I! It's WONDERFUL! I can actually have her sitting up next to us...and don't have to worry about her rubbing a bald spot on her head (which I am trying so terribly hard to avoid)...

She had a good time in this seat this evening...She talked to us, smiled, and even squealed! It was her loudest non-crying sound yet (other than her loud burbs...but I won't count those)...And she officially found her hand today. Wow!!

Monday:

Kellen had a playdate with his friend Jake, who is 3 days older than him. They are two of a kind! If you didn't know better, you would think they were related...they have the same coloring, hair color, complexion, etc..and both LOVE the same things...Cars, Buzz Lightyear...you know, the normal stuff. This is both good and bad...as you can well imagine. During this playdate, we had several "issues" about sharing, but all-in-all, they had a great time. We stayed for dinner and he actually ate his dinner for a popcicle treat, which I knew that he would end up not wanting, but that's ok because it got him to eat his dinner. It ended up being a really late night. We got over to their house at a little before 3:15 and left shortly before 9...yes, 9 PM. He was exhausted! I actually had to go into his room the next morning and wake him up to get him ready for school. But he just had so much fun!

And today Julie came to visit Tatum and I...It was SO good to catch up with her! I feel like I haven't talked with her in ages...We'll have to schedule some trips to visit her this summer when Joshua makes his appearance...

He wanted to share

Kellen went to a birthday party yesterday with a Curious George theme. In the party favor bag was, among other things, a small, stuffed-animal monkey. For obvious reasons, Kellen named him George, and has been trying to take his shirt of him ever since - unsuccessfully, I might add. Anyway, he did already have a monkey that he called George, but it was a bright pink monkey with velcro hands...so he decided that he wanted to be a really good big brother and share his toy with his little sister.

This is the sight that I see when I walk into the living room to check on Tatum. Mind you...I didn't tell him to do this nor did I know that he actually had done this until afterwards.

When I asked him if he had done this, his reply to me was, "I wanted to share my monkey with Tatum, Mommy."

Now how can you argue with that?

Oh and by the way...the swing was actually moving when he managed to do this...

Well, I didn't get everything on my to-do list done, but then again, there was entirely too many things on that list...I did; however, take both of the kids with me grocery shopping...then back out to get the correct size of aluminum pans for freezing, then cooked a double back of a penne casserole; a double batch of a pizza pasta casserole; a double bactch (and then some) of lasagna; and a double batch (which actually makes at least 5 dinners with leftovers) of cheesy chicken spaghetti. I have completely rearranged my freezer, and officially have no room left for anything of any size...expressed milk I can still manage to fit in there, but not much else (and I've somehow got to find space for that extra pot roast...hmmm). I emptied the dishwasher, and have re-loaded it...will run it right before I go to bed. Both kids have been fed, put to bed, and are asleep...and I've even managed to keep some laundry going during the day. Now..if only I can get it folded and put away... Maybe I'll get the rest of the to-do list done after lunch tomorrow...

This may not be much to some of you...but I just feel like I've really gotten some things done today!

Such a big girl!

Well...she is certainly thriving!...


Tatum had her 2 month well check-up today and she's weighing in at 11 lbs 13 oz (75%). She's already 22 3/4 inches long (75%) and had a 39 cm head circumference (50%). I actually thought that she would hit the 12 lb mark on this one, so I wasn't off by much! No wonder my back is bothering me when I lug her around for too long!



Just look at all of those rolls!!!

Sleeping through the night

Ok..

*Sunday night she slept from ~ 9:45 until 2:30, then went back to sleep and I had to wake her up to eat

*Monday night she slept from ~ 9:45 until 4:20, then went back to sleep and I had to wake her up to eat

*Last night she slept from ~ 9:45 until ~ 5:30...which, in my book, and for all intents and purposes, is ALL NIGHT LONG!

Whoo hoo!

Now, the real question is will she keep this up? Kellen was doing this at her age...so I'm hopeful...

And here she is...2 months old..