Austin is so smart

Well we think so anyways!!
Here is where he is at.
Words he can say and know: Hi, Mama, Dada, Ball(fav), Catch, Dog, Balloon, and Hot. We are pretty sure he said Cat but not going to count it yet.
Words he can read on his flashcards: Dog (he actually says) and Ear (he points to it when he sees card) This is amazing to me because we don't really go over the flashcards much from his Your Baby Can Read pack.. so we know it isn't a memorization thing..
Body parts he knows and will point to when asked: ears, eyes, mouth, teeth, tongue, nose (he puts his finger up it all the time), toes, feet, hair, head and his first - Bellybutton! Working on knees and shoulders as well but not there yet.
He can only sign one word and it is sporadic: More
He loves to clap and dance around now as well. And he is becoming quite the thrower.. a Nebraska Cornhusker Quarterback possibly?? mmm??? I think so! He actually sits and watches football with mommy and daddy on Sat (Huskers) and Sunday (all NFL).
We are having fun watching our little man really grow up!

Halloween is in the air!

If you know me, you know how Halloween is my FAV holiday mostly due to the costumes. Yes, I am a theater lover and love to dress up. I also love how the weather turns colder and the leaves on the trees (yes we do have some trees here in AZ) turn that orange burnt color this time of year. Along with the smell of spice and pumkin pie I love the fun decorations of this event.
This year we are having a Halloween Party!! WHOHOO!! We had one 2 years ago when I was newly pregnant with Austin. Funny how things work out and I am now pg with Austin's new sibling.. pregnant again for a party. UGH!
We are making this a family friendly party because we have so many friends with little ones that it is just easier to go that route this time around. I really hope everyone can make it as I am planning fun games for all and yummy eats and goolish treats. I got this great book on how to make fun creative cupcakes and have 3 different types planned for the occasion. I even bought prizes for the games and costume contest. SO EXCITED!!
Justin, Austin and myself area all going to be Vampires... not the Twilight version because, well, they just look like everyone else. No fun in that. I have my costume and A's all done.. but still looking for one more peice to finish Justin's.
I will let you know how it all turns out! Can't freaking Wait!!! WHOHOO

So many emotions, so little time

I am super duper moody lately, but feel just in most of my fits. I think that should be okay. I am 13 weeks and 1 day preggers now and still super duper sick. I literally get sick 1-4 times everyday now even when I take a special little pill to help ease the nausea. I mean seriously, why do I even bother trying to eat sometimes. I have actually lost a pound or two, which is fine because I gained like 10 since finding out I was pregnant. But it sucks.

I was craving a glazed donut while in bed one morning.. so I told the hubby and he of coarse told me to go get some. Yeah, he doesn't go get me things.. he isn't that kind of hubby. So I go and end up getting a dozen.. I mean why not! Had one before I left the parking lot! SO GOOD! I ate 3 total and than they all came up. I mean, I can't even enjoy my cravings anymore. Don't worry I had a couple more that stuck until after 9pm.

Than yesterday I noticed that my eye was like red in this one spot. How did this happen? What is this?? It doesn't hurt or itch?? weird! Well at my fun play group today the girls noticed it right away and said I popped a blood vessel in my eye most likely from getting sick. REALLY?? REALLY, Puking can cause that? GREAT! (note sarcasm)

Otherwise feeling great.. hehe No I don't, I am super tired and I feel super fat and ugly and have a hard time getting out of bed every day. I choose to take naps when Austin lays down for his instead of exercise, get on the computer or clean. Our house isn't very pretty and I just can't seem to care. Justin has been telling me I need to vacuum the house for over a month. I remind him how sick I have been and that he can sure go do it if he really wants to. Well he finally did! WE both did some cleaning the other day, which was good.. I puked after of coarse.. but at least some stuff got done. :)

Cravings: I seems to want glazed donuts (had some holes today, mmm), soup and pizza. Funny because I am not a big fan of pizza but lately it is like all I want. Things that repel me: Fish and steak. I feel bad, J made steaks and I couldn't even look at it. I told him I was feeling really nauseous and he was mad at me.. than 30 min later I got sick (the bagel I had 2 hours earlier and my salad for lunch - because I know you want to know the details) than he wasn't mad at me anymore.. it is like he believed me. CRAZY! So I have this huge yummy steak in the fridge that just makes me nauseous when I think about trying to eat it. So annoying.

In other news.. Going to COLORADO on Tuesday to visit my sister and her family, my good friend and her fam and my friend is getting married!! I am so happy and excited for her, they totally belong together so this is super great! I even bought a cute dress at Kohls for it bc my go to black maternity dress is too big and my non mat clothes are too small. So this is super flattering.. My tummy is popping but mostly due to fat not the kid inside who is only 3 inches tall.. Can't wait to go to CO!! WHOHOO!!!!!!

It's super official... we are Pregnant!

That is right friends and family that are not yet aware, we are 12 weeks pregnant today. I know the time to hold off on telling everyone is like 14 weeks bc of possible miscarriage but I feel okay in this decision.

So if you don't know, my last pregnancy was horrible. I disliked almost all of it. Yeah, obviously the outcome is worth it but why can't I just have a slightly more friendly pregnancy. I was super optimistic (okay I wasn't) that this time around I would not be as sick, but so far, not so good. I have gotten sick 6 out of 7 days a week including the days I take a nice little prescribed pill to help me not puke. It is horrible. It is acid and the water I drank through the night in the mornings and my dinner at nights. Really?? Oh and the heartburn is crazy bad early this time around too.. and I get up at least 2 times per night to go to the bathroom.. and the tiredness..

Enough venting.. we are super excited to welcome Baby Bjoin #2 to the world and our family!! Man I hope it is a girl!! We are undecided about having 2 or 3 children... so we will see what the cards hold. I should know the gender in like 6-8 weeks. I will share at that time..
Until than - feel free to send happy healthy vibes our way!

Trips-Vaca's

We just got back from a short but fun trip to San Diego. My hubby is from there so we went to visit some friends we have been wanting to go see for the 3 1/2 years we have lived here. We left after waking up on Sunday and just chatted outside in the beautifully mild CA weather. Than had some great pizza for dinner at a local place. I always like to eat somewhere unique to the area when traveling.. I can have Pizza Hut here.. you know what I mean?
Monday after Austin's morning nap we headed to the zoo for about 4 hours. LOTS OF WALKING. I was struggling a bit because I have this pain that shoots in my belly every time I take a step.. but it is sporadic. So sometimes I feel it all day and other days, nothing. It is in the place where I got an infection after my c-section.. I asked the nurse about it at my last appt but she said it is most likely a pinched nerve or something. LAME. But the zoo was great! Austin seemed more interested in the people than the animals but still a good experience for all of us and a good little work out for mama-bear.
Than we went over to J's family friends the Williams. We were staying with their oldest son who was also a groomsman in our wedding.. so really good fam friends of J and his family. LOVE THEM!! They are the nicest most hospitable people on the planet. We had some great grilled food and conversation.
Tuesday.. after Austins morning nap we went to the beach for just over an hour. It was so nice out but J was getting annoyed that A was trying to eat the sand. But A did really well over all and loved playing in the sand.. trying to put it in his buckets. Than dinner with more friends of J's at a Mexican place. Normally I have a hard time eating this stuff but it was all safe for me (spice is the devil) so I ate a lot.. too much.. I got sick after because I over ate.. Oh well..
Went to bed early bc I didn't feel good and we got up and left by 8am on Wednesday Morning.. So a great trip..

Next up - Montana to see J's parents and Grandma Fran!!

Play Gyms for Babies

Now you all know about those play gyms for babies and little children right? Well we got our fill this weekend!

Yesterday my friend signed us up for a FREE class in Chandler. Super nice of her! It was really cool. They kept moving around the different pads and slides etc.. every like 5 minutes into a new space for the little ones to roam and play. We did some circle time with songs and play, along with swing and jump on a little trampoline.
Today my friend's daughter turned the big 1 year old and her party was at a different play gym in Gilbert. Similar in the concept but not nearly as much stuff going on.

Okay - so you would think my adventurous outgoing son would be all over this.. and he was but only with the balls! He LOVES balls. I mean, we could be anywhere and if there is a ball there, than we won't need any other form of entertainment. Every time we were to get in a circle with our little ones.. he wanted nothing to do with me or the circle, just hunting down that ball, throwing it and chasing it of coarse.

Now I could go to one of these fun interactive play gyms and pay $75 for 4 weeks (1 50 min class per week). that is almost $20 a class.. Well Austin, sorry, but Mama bear doesn't feel it is quite yet worth it for you to go to a class for that much money where all you want to do is push around a ball. Mama has LOTS OF BALLs at the house.. gifts from friends and others we have collected.. so I think we will stick with the play gym that is your home!

First Step

That is right folks! My little man has finally done something I NEVER thought he would attempt (at least this month), he took a step without holding onto anything! It was quite shocking as he has not really been interested in walking or standing up on his own. Now he can push a toy and walk all day long, but remove the toy and he sits right now. Its been like that for months!
In his horoscope it said the little Cancer that he is, tends to need to feel secure and not to expect him to walk for some time after his first b-day.. So we will see... So far this seems to be holding true. He is just really into holding something, anything, to the point of annoyance. But now I can see the light!
So this is how it went down.
He was holding onto the couch - where I was sitting - and he threw his toy a few feet to his left towards the elliptical. He turned, facing toy(and elliptical) and let go of the couch. So he is standing on his own for a couple seconds - this too is an accomplishment and rarity. Than he takes a conscious step towards his toy, turns back at me smiles and sits down. REALLY!! Freaking Awesome. He has done it 2 more times since.. similar scenario. This all happened on Wednesday of this week. He did it one more time that day and my friend Karla and Eli were over and saw it.. so I have a witness. Than he did it again at Eli's 1st birthday party. I tried for a picture but was unsuccessful.

It is only a matter of time now - Let the games begin!

Poopfest 2010

Oh yes, if you are a parent than you know that babies can poop so much and so violently that it comes shooting out of their pants. Or maybe you are not a parent and have had this happen to you after too many margs and bean dip one night. Whatever the reason, whether it is something they eat or drink, this shit happens!

This has NEVER happened to us in 1 whole year of life until this past Tuesday morning. It was my turn to get some extra ZZZ's - I did get up for his 2am feeding - so Justin took over at 5:30am when the man woke up ready to start his day. I hear some crying as I normally do when A is in Justin's care but continue to sleep. At around 7:30am, J yells "Tracie, I really need your help right now!" Well this is rare, so I jump up and come out of our bedroom. Austin is in his ducky themed bathroom tub with poop ALL OVER. All over him, his clothes and now the tub. J is a bit squeamish about pooh and I was like, get over it J you need to help me.

I take off his clothes and put in the sink. Next I grab a plastic trash bag and put the extremely full diaper in it, hand it to J to set down. He looks nauseous. I turn the water on and hose my baby boy off and than hold him up while J wipes down the tub to get all the feces down the drain so we can properly bath our son. I continue to take the lead and completely scrub him down with 3 times the amount of soap I normally use. Good thing I went and recently bought some cheaper stuff! It was all over his back, arms, legs, hands.. so freaking gross. He is all clean and we dry off and put on a new and ready to catch it all diaper. J dresses him while I rinse out his clothes. Suddenly I get nauseous myself due to the stench, but being the women I am, I shake it off and finish the job.
Next up, the downstairs. Oh yes, it wasn't over yet. The little man got poop all over the carpet/rug, some toys, his book (one of my favs), the tv remotes and the tile floor. I move all toys to the kitchen sink and throw the book away. That wouldn't come off the paper ends of the pages. Tear. J starts to wash/wipe down the remotes and I clean the tile several times and begin on the carpet. OMG - it was so think as if he wasn't wearing a diaper. I mean, holy shit kid! - no pun intended - what a lot of poop! I get out most of it using hot water (in a bucket), an old sponge and paper towels. Than we whip out the carpet cleaner machine. Since we borrowed this out to a couple of my dog owning friends, it was full of dog hair and wasn't working. So we unscrew it, take it apart and wash out the best we can. Still it isn't working and I get a lecture on how I shouldn't borrow my friends our stuff. Okay Justin.. lame-o! Than I was like, lets try the attachment piece to see if that still works. The waters wasn't coming out. So I keep trying and put it up to my face and push the button - GUESS WHAT?? It works NOW!! Soapy Water right into the eyes. J has to guide my blind butt to the sink to rinse it out. So he gets to work to make sure it is all gone. Than we try the main piece again and to our delight it begins to work again like it used to.. So we clean it some more. I clean up the toys and all is done and clean.

We placed Austin in his high chair during this process.. but it became his nap time so he was down while we finished the job and the carpet dried.
So much poop. Now what is even more interesting.. He pooped 2 times the day before and normally he only goes once. AND - he had 2, yes TWO more Big Ole poops that same day for a total of 3 poops - but really we should count the first one as like 5. So 5plus 2 is like 7 poops that day!! SERIOUSLY??
Good times at the Bjoin household. I am just Thankful that this explosion did not occur the day before as we were staying in a hotel. That could have been tragic.

We have a Toddler!

Yep, its true, Austin is officially a Toddler now!!
Austin turned 1 whopping year old on June 23rd. We do anything but play a LOT that day. We had his yellow and blue rubber ducky themed party on the following Sunday. I worked my butt off leading up to the event to do a couple things to prep for the event in the days leading up to Sunday.
J's mom was going to fly to Vegas and pick up Marcy and Lindsey (A's aunt and new cousin) but due to some terrible news - Grandma Fran had a stroke and fell the night before the flight- she was not able to make it out to visit us. That made me sad for several obvious reasons. 1. Grandma Fran - hope she recovers soon 2. I was so looking forward to seeing my in-laws and that beautiful baby girl!!
But I took on a project and decided to make all the treats from scratch. I made little yellow ducky chocolate molds (thanks Karla who borrowed me the molds), I made 2 batches of sugar cookies in which I dyed sugar yellow orange and blue (for the bubble cookies) and than dyed home made frosting and decorated them all on top of the sugar used. I also made these cupcakes that looked like actual rubber duckies! I bought this great book that showed me how to do it. It was great and they turned out really well. I even carved out a ducky shaped cake just for Austin to dig into.
Go Me!! Pics of event are on facebook.
We had his 1 year appt and shots on Friday and that afternoon the fever started. My poor baby was so out of it all Saturday and just wanted me to hold him. I was nervous but the next morning he slept in and the fever was gone! WHOHOO!! that would have sucked for his party.
Now - we had to get blood work and it came back irregular!! I know, scary. So we had to get more blood work and the doc told us we should get a blood allergy test at the same time since we were already there. Well the girl drawing blood couldn't find his vein and just kept poking and re-poking him and had to try both arms. He still has little bruises from that.. THAT SUCKED!
Than on Thursday this past week we had his ENT appt that we waited 7 weeks for.. I know.. super long. The doc thinks that the problem causing his continuous sinus and ear infections may be enlarged adenoids. We went to get an X-ray and since A is 1 and unruly now, we had to put him in this plastic tube thing that wasn't the right size for him and it was like watching my child suffer in a torture device. I almost cried as I held his arms which were awkwardly poking through a small space. I just told her that she needed to hurry up and the 1st pic worked so we got my screaming Austin out of the device. SERIOUSLY? Is there nothing else out there that is for these type of pics and for 1 yr olds?? I mean technology is amazing.. lets work on this smart people!
On Friday I got a call back from my pedi and the results were in on his allergy and blood test. Okay so the original irregular red blood cells were now regular so no anemia. YAY!! But he is allergic to Milk (which we pretty much knew), and also .. Egg Whites, Soy Beans and Wheat. WHAT?? but he drinks soy formula!! Allergies are scaled 0-5, 5 being the worse. He is a 5 for milk and eggs and a 3 for soy and wheat. She thinks that is why he has been able to handle that formula.. but now knowing it is bad for him, what am I supposed to give him? Now we must make yet another doc appt for a new doctor - Pediatric Allergist. So I will have to call now and get that appt scheduled. UGH! my poor baby.

But we are lucky to have such a happy adventurous baby/toddler boy!! He just figured out how to open cupboards and take stuff out. But he organized it by size or color and than puts it back most of the time. So funny!! He has been clapping and for like 2 weeks straight he just said "HI" to everyone, pointed and waved.. but that has seemed to pass. He can also say ball now. The worse toddler-ness we are now experiencing is his tantrums and separation anxiety. It is sort of funny how upset he gets and how quickly it happens.. But dealing with it. He isn't walking yet but sometimes he will have a toy in each hand and be standing up without holding on... than realize it and sit down or hold on again. He is hilarious. He can walk great, while holding a toy. So who knows when he will want to actually learn to walk on his own. He is also a big climber now and can climb up onto our upstairs couch without any help. So FUNNY!

That is my baby!! Sorry, my Toddler!!

good trip

Hello,

Long time no talk. Hehehe
Well, we went on a week trip to Bend, Oregon where we went for my mom's 60th birthday celebration. My mom flew here first on Wed. We had fun shoppoing all day Thursday and my mom came to watch me play dodgeball where I got hit pretty hard aquiring 3 huge bruises on my legs. I also got hit in the face and even my mom got hit by a ball. UGH!

My brother bought a house in Bend so we were able to finally see it. It is such a nice house.. good job bro. My sis and her family drove there from CO so it was a lot of fun all being together and not during Christmas. hehe

We did LOTS of outdoor stuff, to the point where Justin was very annoyed. It was good though.. we did some minor hiking (I can't really hike well - due to my asthma) and went for a bike ride, checked out a great waterfall and some really yummy restaurants. Good times!!

My mom said it was her best birthday ever. Success!

My growing boy

Well Austin has learned how to clap. Last night he just started doing it all on his own.. amazing! Now he loves to clap. :)
He also just figured out how to really chew his food. Yesterday I gave him all kinds of new "grown up" foods. I am super happy to report that he did not break out into hives however my Benedryl was close by. He is just doing so well. I love watching him grow and develop

We had a fun play date today with his friend Aric who is 14months and walking all over. They played so well alongside each other..I am so happy to see how well he acts and behaves around other babies. Just proud of my baby. Oh and Aric climbed the stairs for the first time. So Great!!

My growing boy

Austin has been a very hungry little boy. He has been taking an extra bottle for several weeks now, with only a 4 day break in between. What this means is that instead of four 7-8ounce bottles a day he is taking 5, with the 5th one at night. IT IS KILLING ME!
I so badly would like my child to sleep through the night again. However he has gained 2 pounds in that time frame, so that is good. He is around 21 pounds now with his 11 months approaching this Sunday. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!

Here is A going through his downstairs changing table. Pulling all the clothes out AGAIN!


Here he is climbing up onto the dishwasher for the first time. So hard to put dishes aways sometimes.


Here he is, first time in the water/pool!! It was lots of fun!



Here he is with his new little cousin Lindsey. :)

Pre-Baby Weight!!

If you have had children, you know that hitting your pre-baby weight is a HUGE accomplishment. Now some mommies are super lucky and lose it right away with breastfeeding or the luck of God and genetics... I am not one of those people.
After A came out I only lost like 3 lbs - well he was 8lbs so how did that happen??
Because I had a C-section they were pumping me full of salt water therefore I was retaining a ton of it for quite some time. I had so much water in me that most all my fingers were numb because of it. I wasn't even able to feel my baby with my fingers but used the backs of my hands to feel his skin. It made me cry.
After 2 weeks being home, I lost 30 of my 63lb weight gain. I was pumped but still "big". I started to work out more, joined dodgeball again, joined a softball team near our new house. I would get on the elliptical more, started going to a bootcamp once a week and tried to watch what I was eating more. Than after I stopped breastfeeding at 4 months (Austin was reacting very badly to my milk) I started back up on Jenny Craig and lost another 10lbs over the coarse of 8 weeks or so.
After losing my job I quit Jenny Craig bc the location was by my work but no where near my house.
Recently I got onto Medifast (sister company of JC) in which my step-mom recommended. I dropped 10 pounds in a week!! Than bc of a few trips I gained back a couple pounds but am now back on it and officially at my pre-baby weight!! I can't freaking believe it!! I am so happy!!
NEW GOAL - 10 more pounds or 170lb which is my wedding weight.
My belly is still bigger than before because most of my clothes still don't fit, but I am so freaking close I can taste it! I just need to stick with this and keep my workouts up, I know it helps. I am so happy and can't wait to wear all my clothes again, well for a month at least, since we are going to try and get pg again in a few months! hehe

1st Official Mother's Day

Well, I am officially a mother and therefore I get to have another day all about me (and other mothers)!! WHOHOO to holidays!!
Last year I got NOTHING from my hubby even though I was weeks from bringing his child into the world and all my attempts to tell him I wanted him to do something, anything. He did not.
This year - we celebrated his birthday the night before (sat) with some poker, grilling and friends.. lots of fun. I got sick before going to bed so you know I had fun.
Justin got up with Austin at 6am when he woke up and fed him, so I could sleep, which I love to do. Than I wake up and J is in the door. All of a sudden I see a balloon slowly moving into the room, it was attached to my crawling baby's bum. He crawled all the way to me in bed where he was super happy hugging and loving me. It was great. I also got a great card (from my baby) with his hand and sort of foot prints on it. How cute it that!! I also got a plant of my fav flowers, yellow daisies. It was very nice! We didn't do anything that day and I just grilled lunch and dinner. We didn't really want to go out and deal with all the people. So we never changed out of our PJ's and just hung out all day.
ALSO - AUSTIN CRAWLED UP THE STAIRS!!
He did it all by himself on the first try! J was in front of him with his hands by his bum in case he fell back but the never did, he went up all 8 stairs with no problem. HOW AMAZING is that??!!?

So it was a great Mothers Day!

Insurance Companies

OMG - I am so angry at you Insurance Companies. I pay you, I accept you, but all you do is try to screw me. I am not even apart of one of you anymore and you are still screwing me. When you get a bill sent to you for a service performed in which you are REQUIRED to pay under our contract, you should look at the bill, write a check and send it to the address listed and by the time allotted. I do not think this is really asking too much of you, but I am wrong.
When you send this small amount of money - $381.27 - you don't send it to the right place. Well they cashed it and the people due money never got it. They bill me, I call them and we call You, Insurance Company, and you claim you are going to re-issue to the correct address.
Fast forward 8 months from the time of service and 3 conversations later, YOU still have NOT sent the money to the right place.
PLEASE send them the money they are due and get me out of the collections I am now in due to you. I did my job, I paid you. NOW DO YOURS!
Thank you,
Angry Ex-Customer

NE trip

Well Austin and I went to Nebraska to visit my mommy this past week. Overall it was great. But we had some interesting experiences and some traumatic ones.
Wed we flew in the morning. I bought a new carry-on bag and my sis convinced me to get a hard case one, yeah, my concerns were validated because IT DOESN'T FIT INTO THE OVERHEAD COMPARTMENT!! I was pissed!! So they checked it for free, thanks Allegiant, love you guys! My aunt picked me up, my mom got home from work and we went to Applebees for a late lunch/early dinner. I barely ate anything but was so full, since I have been dieting it was hard to eat food again. We went to bed early.
Thursday, A and I went for a walk and got some balloons for my dad - as it was his 60th birthday that day. Than we went to his office at lunch time to say hello and give his balloons and card. Than to their house to visit with Bobbi for an hour. My home and cousin Casie drove in from Omaha to hang out. Than we went to dinner at this new BBQ place by my house. My friend and her 2 small girls joined us. HORRIBLE Experience. So we finally get seated after the people who came in after us got seated first - and I said something to the hostesses. We are chatting finally get our order in at 20 till 8pm. Forty minutes go by and still no food. We have 3 children under 4 yrs old getting very upset along with 5 adults! Our server doesn't know why are food isn't at our table as the kitchen claims they made it already. SO we ask for the manager. She doesn't want to talk to us. Than she bluntly avoids our table so we go to her and have a little conversation. She was a total BITCH and is blaming our server. I am like, regardless what are we going to do about it. My friend, her hubby and 2 girls leave without any food. They finally give us food all boxed up and some gift certificates, at 9:00pm! We than completely rip the Manager a New A-Hole because she was handling this situation so badly. She never apologized and just kept blaming the server who is totally crying to us. So the next morning we called the General Manager and told him the hole story. THIS MANAGER was really BAD!
Than we went out with my friend Tom and had a Great time.
Friday - Austin fell off my mom's bed! I was sitting right next to him and had my arm there but I was looking at the computer and he dropped his toy, than leaped over my arm. He wasn't hurt but we both cried!! It sucked! Mom got off at noon and we ate at Godfathers than did some running around including stopping at a couple garage sales. It was so fun, I miss my mama so much sometimes. That night I went out to karaoke with my friends Tom, Jen and her sis, their boyfriends and her parents and their friends. Several other friends weren't able to come, so I was super disapointed and didn't know if I was even going out anymore, but it all worked out.
Saturday - up, packed and off to airport. After going through security I set Austin in his stroller and didn't strap him in. I grabbed my bags adn pushed the stroller foward about 3 feet and he slipped out the bottom onto the floor! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!! How did that happen that fast!! I didn't even go anywhere!! And totally in front of everyone, I felt like such a horrible parent!

Still Sick

Yep, Austin is still sick. We determined (the pedi and I) that it was the antibiotics he was on for his sinus and ear infection. So last night I gave him a dose of it and within minutes came up all the food he had still in his belly from that day. He got sick again at 10:45pm (he woke up). He woke up again at 2:45am and it appeared he was ready to eat. So he had most of a bottle than drifted back to sleep. I sat up with him for 20 min to make sure he wouldn't puke it up. He coughed several times and seemed okay so I put him back down at 3:15am or so. He woke up at 5:45am and when I picked him up, he was covered in formula vomit. I don't know how I missed this but thank goodness he didn't choke on it, he does sleep on his side and belly a lot.
Today he is very upset in general. He wants me to hold him more than normal and continues to whine and moan in pain, and it KILLS me because I can't give him anything to help. He still has the infections and his teeth are still pushing through but the pedi doesn't want me to give him anything, not even teething tablets. SO we have an appt on Monday to see how he is doing. SUCKS! I just want him to be happy and better.

Vomitting Baby

OMG - Austin was so sick today. He has never been sick like this, not ever! He started the day well by sleeping good last night. Than he didn't want to eat all of his bottle. So that was odd. Than he played but not with the same happiness he normally does. We went outside and I put our new patio table together as he sat and watched on the turf with some toys. Than I fed him some solids but he wasn't interested in those much either but ate some.
He took his normal nap at 8:30am and I got my workout in. He woke and just seemed like he wanted me to hold him all the time. This is not normal - he likes his independence even when I want to hold him, he wants to roam. I had him up in the loft play area - gated off - and did some laundry upstairs. Than the new exercise equipment was here and getting delivered. He seemed like he was in pain so I gave him some Baby Tylenol and teething tablets. I tried to feed him but he only ate an ounce. I put in the fridge and tried 30 min later. He ate a little bit more, cried and began the MAJOR VOMITING! All over him and me but I caught all of it because I had the recliner up on the couch chair. So I soaked it all up and took him upstairs. I gave him a little bath, put on new clothes and changed myself. He than fell asleep on me almost instantly. He usually doesn't nap for another 2 hours. So it was rough on me to see him like this.
I thought it was over but I was wrong. He started puking just as I was making him another bottle. And it just kept happening from that point on. IT SUCKED.
We went to the doc and she said he has so much mucus in his throat from the drainage of the sinus infection that it is causing the vomiting. She also thought it could be from his antibiotics or possibly a virus going around. So no more attempts at formula today or solids, no meds of any kind. He can have Pedylite and that is it.
We got home and I tried an ounce and a half and he downed it, wanted more. So I gave him some more than some more - and in like 30 seconds after he finished the last go at it, he just puked that all up too! So we changed again!
He took another nap and was very cuddly until we put him to bed at an incline at 7:20pm. So that was my day!

Traumatic Week

Austin hasn't had the best week, nor has his mama.

1. Austin ate dirt. I was watering our shrubs/trees and watching him but he all of a sudden was chewing on something. So I run over and he has a clump of dirt in his hand and I use my finger to swab his mouth to find more little clumps! He didn't even seem to dislike it. Now if only peas could taste like dirt....
2. Austin fell in the tub. He was trying to stand up to get close to me as I was going through his flashcards and he slipped. I dropped the cards and tried to grab him, but he was so slippery and moving because, yeah, he was drowning. I got him as he was completely under water splashing all around and he coughed up some water and his eyes were all red. But he was fine and the whole thing was like a total of 2-3 seconds.. but still - HOW TRAUMATIC FOR HIS MAMA!!! Here is a pic in his little ducky rob after the ordeal - see, he recovers very quickly.


3. Bad sleep! He has been waking up for like 2-3 hours at a time at night because his new teeth are bothering him so much. Tired baby and tired mama and papa.
He was so tired that he fell asleep coming home from dodgeball and just never woke up! Sleepy little man.

4. TWO NEW TEETH! He has one of his top teeth has broken through and the other is oh so close - I can see the white under the gums, so I know we are close. But this has been causing a lot of pain for Austin during the days and nights. Thank Goodness for teething tablets!
5. Austin is sick with Sinusitis and an ear infection. He hasn't been as happy and his nose has been running non-stop for a very long time now. He started to cough really really bad the last few nights. I waited a couple days to make sure it wasn't a one time thing than took him to see the Pedi yesterday. She said that it was perfect timing because he has a chronic sinus infection and an ear infection. She said that if I would have brought him in the day before she probably wouldn't have seen the ear infection and not treated it properly. If I had waited another day it could have meant a VERY ANGRY BABY! So Go Mama! But he is waking up in pain a couple time a night from the teething and the ear infection I assume. Now after only 1 dose of antibiotics (which he will be taking twice a day for 14 days) he did not cough at all last night! THANK THE LORD! I would have to go in and sit him up so the coughing would subside temporarily.. so no coughing makes for a happier baby and mama.

That is our week! Poor little man! But he still smiles all the time, Lucky Mama!

Dirty Thirties! Thank you!

OMG - I am now 30 freaking years old. But I couldn't have celebrated it any better!
It started with my sister flying in from CO for the occasion on Thursday. We did a little shopping at IKEA (I got new curtains for 1 guest bedroom) and Buy Buy Baby (got a couple things for A). Her luggage didn't make it with her so we needed to kill a few hours and we were finally able to pick it up 5 hours or so later.
Friday - we cleaned, prepped and make lots of food, got groceries and some other items. Those items - a new guest suite mattress (great deal - and your welcome upcoming guests), a sewing machine (I am from NE, we all know how to sew), a TV stand for the new upstairs tv and lots of stuff for the party. LOTS OF MONEY SPENT ON FRIDAY - SORRY HONEY!
That night we went to karaoke. Even though there were only like 5 of us, we have a freaking blast and apparently I should be on American Idol according to the bar hoppers - too bad I aged out! UGH! hehe I got to sing 5 times and even see my step brother and his fiance -thanks for making the drive after work!


Saturday -Bed at 1am. Austin up at 2am, 4am, 4:40am and yeah, we just stayed up at that point.
We went garage sale shopping (got some GREAT DEALS), than to a farmers market, walmart again for stuff we missed on Friday and home right at 10am for our massages. If you need a massage - my girl will come to your house and she is way cheaper than anywhere else you can go, plus she is AMAZING! LOVE HER! oh and she is from NEBRASKA!
We busted our butts and cleaned, moved furniture, set it all outside and upstairs in the play loft area, made the rest of the food and got it all out, I made my own cake, cupcakes and brownies - so had to frosting those. It was ridiculous! But it all got done around 5pm - party started at 4:30pm.

LOTS of friends came who I haven't seen in like 6-12 months and we had a really good time. Justin grilled, my sister kept all the wonderful food (we had many compliments) filled and clean, everyone that tried it loved my special "tracie" drink now called Shooting Star, we had a sitter come and help watch all the little ones which really helped me out and hopefully my mommy friends and than around 8pm, just after I got Austin to bed - EVERYONE LEFT!!
I know!! Just as I was finally able to really have a drink and start talking to all my friends, everyone left!! I was a little bummed about that because I wasn't able to hang out and catch up with anyone really. So now I need to have another BBQ! hehe Joking!

But it was fun - and even though everyone left, my hubby's friends/co-workers came later and we all got to sit down and play poker together. We taught my sister how to play and got super drunk together. It was so fun! I passed out on the couch around 12:15am. I woke up to like 1 person still here than up to bed. My sister totally cleaned and put almost everything away for me last night too and she was tipsy. THANK YOU BRANDI! LOVE YOU!

It was wonderful and I thank all of my friends and family for giving me such a wonderful birthday. - OH and people brought me gifts!! I was actually really really shocked and grateful. Thank you EVERYONE!! Now we seriously need another party to use up all the new bottles of alcohol I was given! hehe

It is 9am on Easter - the morning after. Austin stayed asleep all night for the first time in 3 weeks! Happy Birthday Mommy! But he did wake up at 5am (that is fine) and I thought for sure my hubby would get him and feed him. Unfortunately, I am in way better shape than him and he got very sick shortly after that time. I actually felt fine - just tired so I fed my baby and we played. Everyone is still sleeping, including Austin (nap, it is 9:15am and we missed the first mass so we will go later. I am making a turkey (I don't know why I thought I would take that on after this party??) for dinner and will just relax most all day today. Easter pics to come in the next blog.
THANK YOU AGAIN - HELLO 30!