Happy Halloween!

So we went trick-or-treating tonight...down what I refer to as sorority row. And the kids had a good time! Here is Kellen all decked out and ready to go.....And Tatum just hanging out...

And several of the houses actually had stations set up where the kids could come in and play games and stuff...too cool!

Kellen had a blast! At one of the houses, they even had a station where the kids could decorate their own cookies. Kellen was all over that one! Anyone surprised? Really? Tatum, on the other hand, just chilled out. I don't know that I expected much more from her for this year anyway. We did go into one of the houses with a "grown-up" Snow White, so we just HAD to get a picture of the big Snow White and the little Snow White...it was so adorable!

Kellen wanted to call it quits this year MUCH earlier than last year...so all we did was sorority row. We ended up not going to the mall or any of the community game places like we did last year, which was OK by me! He still came out of the deal with a bag FULL of candy - more than I'll let him eat in at least 6 months.

I think he was just so excited about going to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's tonight and leaving for his trip tomorrow that he was ready to get on with it. They're flying out tomorrow morning and going to DC and then to Delaware for the pumpkin chunkin' contest. He's going to have so much fun!! (And I think Maw Maw and Paw Paw might need a vacation from their vacation when they get back!)

Oh

"Oh" is Tatum's new word. She started saying it last week at daycare, I guess, and her teachers were telling me all about it. She's getting "bye bye" down pretty well...managing to say it after I've closed the door to daycare on many days - primarily after lunch. She also understands, at least a little bit, that bye bye has something to do with the door at her daycare. After I leave and tell her bye bye, she'll go over to the door, bang on it, appear to look for me, and say, "bye bye" to the door. When her teachers told me that it was almost enough to make me cry. Really.

She's also apparently pretty good at mimicking some sounds (except momma, of course). So, I thought I would try and capture some of her utter cuteness on video (thanks again Maw Maw, for letting me borrow your camera for a brief time). Here are her vocal talents after dinner last night. My goal was to catch her and her new "oh" sounds, which I did, but I also seem to have caught her saying "da da" and Kellen chatting with her as well...Too cute!

She's also figured out that when someone says, "Yay!", that you're supposed to clap. I've been trying to capture that on video as well, but have only been met with marginal success. She does; however, do this quite well and quite often - I'm just not that good at managing to capture it!

I think that she's still working on those teeth (well, she must still be working on them since we don't have any additional teeth), but she doesn't seem to be hurting quite as much. I wonder how long these ones will take to come through? Another 4 month teething process for 2 teeth perhaps? I certainly hope not!

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Grandpa Gerren came to visit today, and hung out with me and the kids. We had a really good time, and it was very helpful to have an extra pair of hands to entertain the kids while I was trying to continue to get things done around the house - nevermind that the kids thoroughly enjoyed playing with their Grandpa! Things are really starting to take shape around here, Tatum now has baby food (bananas, pears & squash at least) and I can say that almost all of the laundry is done. Almost. Which is actually saying quite a bit.

Tatum also had her first taste of meat today...in the form of a meat stick. I think she really liked it! She ate almost an entire stick! And I think that she's trying to cut some more teeth, but not the "normal" next set...it seems like she's skipping the top teeth and going to another set on the bottom. And they really seem to be bothering her. Poor thing! We did the triple threat tonight...ibuprophen, teething tablets and orajel, then I let her chew on a toothbrush just to see if that made her feel any better. It must have, because it gave me enough of a reprieve so that Grandpa could hold her while I scarfed down my dinner. Whew!

We decided to go to the pumpkin patch after Kellen woke up from his nap, and try as I might, I just didn't get that "perfect" shot of the two of them, but I do have a few that turned out rather nicely, I think. Kellen couldn't get past "holding" Tatum during the shots of the two of them. It was really very cute...he just wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her for the pictures. Adorable!!! He's SUCH a good big brother, my goodness!!

And of course, Kellen had to pick out a little pumpkin to bring home, but what's new?

Baltimore trip, part 1

OK...so we had a great trip to Baltimore, with a side trip to DC, and here are some of the pictures from our trip..(part 1)

The first day we were in town (Baltimore), we went to the top of the World Trade Center to the observation deck, and were able to see some great views (which, on an observation deck, should go without saying, right?). Well anyway, we were there for maybe 45 minutes or an hour, then decided to go ahead and leave. So we push the button for the elevator...repeatedly, only to find out that the fire alarm had gone off in the building and all of the elevators had been called back to the first floor. We could leave if we wanted to go down the stairs. Did I mention that we were on the 27th floor? Which was really 30 flights of stairs because of the mezzaine levels? Well, we decided against that, waited for about 15 minutes, then changed our mind and had them folks open up the stairs.

Yes, we had decided to brave the stairs. All 27 (we didn't know about the mezzaine levels yet) flights.

We did it...and FELT it for the next 2-3 days. That started our trip off very well...with a great, entertaining story. What would a trip with Matt and I be without a story like this, huh?

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!