James' Mommy

2009-11-07T21:05:00.001-06:00

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2009-10-25T17:22:00.000-05:00

ABC's of Me

2009-10-23T19:39:00.003-05:00

A - Age: Not a day over 25. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

B - Bed size: California King

C - Chore you hate: Dusting

D - Dog's name: Jackson, Lucy, Daisy

E - Essential start your day item: James

F - Favorite color: Autumn colors

G - Gold or Silver: White Gold

H - Height: 5'8

I - I am: always exhausted

J - Job: Domestic Engineer

K - Kids: 1 boy and 1 on the way

L - Living arrangements: William and James

M - Mom's name: Cheryl

N - Nicknames: Depends on who you ask!

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Only when giving birth

P - Pet Peeve: Liars

Q - Quote from a movie: Can't think of one... that's sad, I used to be a movie freak. I guess I haven't had time lately.

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: Yep. Got them. 3 Sisters and 4 brothers.

T - Time you wake up: 5am tuesday through saturday

U- Underwear: Yep. Wear them.

V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussel Sprouts

W - Ways you run late: William ALWAYS is running late.

X - X-rays you've had: Ultrasounds and my face

Y - Yummy food you make: I am told I make good Banana bread, Chocolate chip cookies, and Double chocolate cake.

Z - Zoo favorite: Giraffe's

Surprise!

2009-08-09T13:06:00.002-05:00

You must wait.

2009-08-05T20:06:00.001-05:00

Big News coming on Monday!

Ouch!

2009-07-21T18:48:00.001-05:00

Tonsils and Adenoids taken out today.

Will be out of commission for at least a week :(

Venting..

2009-06-24T10:54:00.001-05:00

William has had to work 16 hour days for the past 6 days.

We miss him.

Stupid thunderstorms and heat wave.

Smoothies!

2009-06-20T14:29:00.011-05:00

Fruit Smoothie Recipe (2 servings, 112.5 calories each serving)

1/2 cup skim milk
1 individual container yogurt
1 cup frozen fruit

Put one cup of frozen fruit in the food processor. Chop until in small pieces. I used a mixture of Raspberries, Blueberries, and Blackberries.

Add a half cup of skim milk and chop again until smooth.

This is what it will look like so far. You could stop here, but I like it creamier.

Next, put in a container of yogurt and mix it again until smooth. I used a 6oz. of Yoplait Light Strawberry.

This is what it looks like when it is done! (2 servings in one glass because we like to share)

(Excuse the mess! Daddy's not home this weekend so we are having a toy party in the living room!)

YUMMY!

Young and Silly

2009-06-11T12:57:00.007-05:00

I have had a pretty rough week. Lots of craziness going on. So I thought I would post some funny pictures I found of my husband and I when we were dating. He was in the National Guard and had to keep a clean face whenever he had duty. I loved his beard though so he would grow it out for me when he didn't. I don't know why we thought it would be funny to document it, but we did...

Full Beard. How I still like it best.

Goatee. Man, we look young!

Mustache. I wouldn't take a picture with him like this. I thought he looked creepy! His mom was on the phone with him, so I let her be in the picture.

No facial hair! Darn military rules!
I forgot that I had blonde highlights. I used to experiment with my hair alot.
Ah to be young again!

First Birthday Week in Review...

2009-06-04T08:40:00.014-05:00

I went swimming for the first time.

Mom made me a HUGE chocolate cake!

It was good!

We went to Missouri for a week the day after my birthday. Uncle Carl was graduating High School.

We went to the Memorial Day Parade. There were alot of bands, many men and women in uniform, different kinds of cars, and even a clown.

Look Uncle Carl was in the Parade too! He plays the drums.

Then we had another birthday party at Grandmas. I got to eat another cake!

I got to play with my cousins....

and open presents.

When I got home I sure was tired!

I had alot of fun.

So you think you can dance?

2009-06-02T18:44:00.004-05:00

James just started doing something that I think is so neat.

Whenever we are in the car... He constantly dances and sings along!

It is so cute! The bad part is, he stops when he figures out you are watching him.

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-05-23T20:56:00.001-05:00

I can't believe you are 1. Where did the time go!

Test Kitchen

2009-05-19T03:16:00.013-05:00

Yes, we are those paranoid first time parents that you read about. To make sure James isn't allergic to chocolate I made a smaller version of his birthday cake. I am really bad at halving recipes. They never seem to turn out right for me. So, I made a whole cake and a pan of cupcakes....just so that James could try 1 cupcake! Someday I will become successful in halving a recipe, today was just not that day. Don't worry it won't go to waste. William is taking it into work. Those guys will devour it in no time. Here are the results. (anyone want to teach me how to put pictures next to each other?)

I know you can barely see it, but the cutting board in this picture... William made it! He actually made 5 and we gave them for Christmas presents one year.

Yes, we were watching 101 Dalmations..

One more kid who likes chocolate... who would have known!

It's been a Journey, Man..

2009-05-11T14:59:00.008-05:00

Did you know that I don't like my husbands job? It scares the crap out of me!

I can guarantee that if there is a snowstorm, or a rainstorm, or a windstorm.. I won't see him for several days.

It makes me feel bad now that we have James. Over the winter he was only home from 11pm to 7am for 3 weeks straight. Seven days a week. That only gives him time to come home and sleep. He missed his little boy alot.

Next month he is going to be training for an entire month. It will be nice to know he will only be gone 8 hours a day. The downside is after that he will have to work alot more. He will be gone even more than he was before.

The nice part is that he LOVES his job. It makes him happy to be working outside. He finds it exciting. While he is out having fun, I worry that he might never come home.

I am glad that he has found a career with something that he loves. And we are lucky enough that it provides well enough that I can stay home with our baby.

Good luck in training baby! We love you!

Frustrations of a Birthday Cake

2009-05-08T19:16:00.002-05:00

Did you know that this cake pan is impossible to find. I mistakenly bought one of these years ago at Kohl's.

A 9" round silicone Kitchenaid cake pan.

Now I am trying to make my son a 2-layer cake for his first birthday and I cannot find a second one!

I found one on eBay for $25 plus shipping, I just don't know if it is worth it to save me a little bit of trouble.

Maybe I should just bake them separately and use the same pan.

Do you really want to know this stuff?

2009-05-04T08:00:00.013-05:00

So here's more than you ever wanted to know about me:

Current obsession: I think I am finally getting over my Twilight obsession, until the next movie comes out anyway!

Favorite comfort food: Pasta… I love pasta. Any kind will do

Listening to right now: James playing with his toys. I love those sounds.

Favorite weather: mid 70’s, clear skies, flowers in full bloom.

Most challenging goal now: losing those last 30 lbs.

Anywhere to live:

Favorite beauty product: I have recently discovered mascara. It really works!

Like to get rid of: My love handles.

Anywhere for an hour: I always think I would love a spa day. Massage, Facial, the works. I would probably fall asleep there though….

Language to learn: Either Spanish or ASL

Look for in a good friend: Honesty and a good sense of humor

Favorite clothing owned: Comfy t-shirts and jeans

Favorite type of music: anything but polka. I don’t like polka.

Dream job: I would love to own a bakery!

$100 to spend on: I am not a spender… I would just pay bills.

Pet peeve: Someone saying, “ I know something, but I can’t tell you”. Errr I hate that!

Who do you admire: My sister in law. She has 4 kids, a full time job, and always looks great. She is a great mom.

Personal style: Comfy casual

Last thing you bought: A cross necklace for my cousins First Communion.

Wearing today: This is embarrassing… but it is only 7:30 in the morning. I am wearing an old army PT shirt with old PT shorts. They are super comfy and made out of soft cotton.. It is house cleaning day :(

What would make today special: Having a secret house cleaning fairy to come and clean my house for me!

You’d like to learn to: I would love to take cooking classes. I think it would be so much fun. Maybe I would enjoy making dinner more too.

Summary of Vegas Trip

2009-04-28T12:19:00.020-05:00

Our beautiful room, which also had a gorgeous marble shower and a jet tub!

The pool at our hotel.

We had a great view of the Bellagio Fountains and the Eiffel Tower.

We saw Darius Rucker. He put on a great show. It was a mixture of his country hits and even a couple of Hootie songs!

We saw the very last showing of Elton John's Red Piano concert. We even saw Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne in the audience!

We went to the Hoover Dam....

...and went on the Dam Tour.

We went to Grand Canyon West....

....and saw the Hualapai Indian Reservation.

We took walks along the strip.

We saw the Effiel Tower at Paris.

We saw the Volcano at the Mirage.

We saw the Flamingos at the Flamingo

We saw the Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio.

We saw the Aquariums at the Silverton.

We saw the Statue of Liberty at New York.

After all of our sight seeing, I couldn't wait until we got home....

Because I missed this kid so much!

Vacation!

2009-04-17T20:41:00.002-05:00

Christina is away from her computer right now. Please leave a message after the beep.

BEEEEEPPP!!!!

Be back in a week!

My baby is about to turn 1 year old. Only a month and 9 days away.

2009-04-14T09:19:00.002-05:00

This is his birthday invitation. It has his pictures that I take each month showing how he is changing in chronological order. From in the womb to 10 months! On the back it has the date, time, RVSP, etc. I just can't believe what a big boy he is becoming!

Vegas Baby

2009-04-08T09:32:00.006-05:00

In just 9 days we are going here!

We are going to see...

and...

and...

We are trying to decide if we want to see...

I am so excited!

Happy April Fools!

2009-04-01T15:40:00.003-05:00

Weight Loss Update.
It has been about a month since I recieved my eliptical. Working out everyday. Seriously cutting back on food intake. Have lost 3 lbs! This is seriously not acceptable! I only have 16 days until we leave!

It's a sad sad day.

2009-03-29T16:18:00.003-05:00

I have been trying to get caught up with things. I have been seriously slacking lately. Last week I uploaded all 2000 pictures I had of James onto my computer and deleted them from my camera. I then neatly organized them in folders according to month and age. All I had left to do was to burn them onto CD's.

My computer crashed today. I lost everything. I went from having an obsessive amount of pictures of my kid, to having none. I do still have the pictures of him from the hospital, but that is it.

I am so sad I think I could actually cry.

On the bright side... At least I have these.

10 Months!

2009-03-25T10:11:00.003-05:00

My baby is getting so close to becoming 1 year old. It is really sad. It is amamazing how much he is learning and all of the things he can do now. Except eat food that is. Yes, I have a 10 month old child that refused to eat. Everytime we try he spits it out or throws it up. It is super fun. We still try though, twice a day everyday, to incorporate food into his diet. He still resists though. Any tricks that you guys know would really be appriciated. We try vegtables, fruits, cheese, crackers... he equally hates all of them!

Anyways.. Happy 10 Months to my little man!

Cool Mom

2009-03-17T14:17:00.005-05:00

I see all these kids growing up, graduating high school, and leaving the nest. They can't wait to leave their parents homes and move into the dorm or their own apartments.

Some people see these as happy times..... Me, I get sad. I think of my baby leaving me someday. Then I realize my son will never leave me. I am a cool mom. He will want to live at home forever. When he wants to go have fun, his mom is the first person he will ask.
By the way... Is cool mom spelled L-O-S-E-R???

James and Emily

2009-03-16T20:47:00.003-05:00

Just thought I would post some fun pictures from Valentine's weekend.

James' first time at the park.

2009-03-13T13:57:00.005-05:00

It was so warm and gorgeous the other day I just had to take him out to play. He absolutely loved it! He was laughing the entire time we were at the park. I hope we have alot more nice days so that we can go again!

I am not too fond of doctors.

2009-03-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

James had been seeing a family doctor since birth. I thouught she was a fine doctor for me, but when it came to the care of James I never thought she did a good job. She seemed against me breastfeeding, James would occasionally shrink a few inches a month, she would constantly not show up, and she would mis-dose his medicine. For example, around thanksgiving time James broke out in a horrible rash because of his very sensitive skin ( he gets that from his mommy:( ). So she wanted me to give him what equated out to 7 tsp. of benedryl a day. For a 6 month old! I said absolutely not. She called back later and told me she miscalculated and it was supposed to be 1/2 a tsp. a day. Because of all of this I decided to find him a pediatrician, which I should have done in the first place. I took him to the new doctor yesterday because I suspected an ear infection ( which the old doctor said was not an ear infection, he was just teething). Turns out he does have an ear infection and she prescribed 2tsp twice a day of amoxicilian. Again I thought this was excessive. 4tsp a day !! I talked to my brother -in - law today and he confirmed that with James age, weight, height that he should only be given 2 tsp a day.

I was just wondering. How often do doctors mis-dose patients?? Is this normal? Or just the price I pay for living in a tiny town? Do other parents double check dosage? Do they always take the doctors word for it? Am I just a paranoid first time mom? That last one might just be it.

Family Life

2009-02-26T10:45:00.003-06:00

James is our first child. Of course as a first time parent I have every right and obligation to say that he is perfect in every way ;) I will start this by telling a little about us. William and I met while working at Lowe's in college. He a lumber associate, me a lumber cashier. Worked out well huh? As of December 8th we have been married for five years. Almost immediately after getting married we moved from Dekalb, IL to Colorado Springs, CO. William was in the National Guard and was called up to active duty. Thankfully he was stationed in Colorado, and not overseas. We spent almost 2 years there. We then found our first house in Rockford, IL where we both got jobs at Home Depot, William going to New Orleans for Katrina and me starting a new job and a new home by myself... ahh the life. We knew these were temporary jobs as we were both STILL in college. William for elementary education and myself for accounting. Then it all changed when my husband found a great job with the electrical company. We sold our house and moved to a tiny town. While in the transition stage we found out we were pregnant! Now we have a beautiful 9 month old son and are getting ready for our next move as William is almost done with his training and will be permently placed in June.

Mommy's have the most fun!

2009-02-26T10:37:00.003-06:00

James has been cutting his first tooth for a few days now.... which is so much fun. I have not gotten any sleep, because he hasn't gotten any sleep. As soon as I put him in his crib he screams like the boogey man is standing in front of him. I know what you are going to say... let him cry, he will go to sleep. I have tried this, many times. He does not go to sleep. Finally last night I decided to try putting him down in his play pen. He immediately fell asleep and stayed asleep for the whole night! Now the question is... why didn't I think of this earlier?