First Swing Ride

I took the Kid to a local play place where they have swing sets inside! It's where we had his 4th birthday last summer. I need to get him out of the house and running around but the weather is just not cooperating. The Baby got to go on his first ride on a swing! Something I was sure wasn't going to happen until spring. He loved it!

One Millionth Swing Ride

It has been a long long week and just getting longer by the night.

The Baby has taken up a new hobby of ear piercing screaming. In the beginning it was longer than an hour. It was and still is only once at night, somewhere between 8pm-12am. It has since gotten shorter in the screaming and a bit longer in the sleeping. Probably because he tires himself out.

Last night I tried the gripe water that a friend had given me and it worked like a charm. I also tried some white noise. The fan above our stove is perfect for that. I am thinking of bringing the baby's bed into the kitchen.

Here is the Baby at 4 months old.

Thirty-Two

Today I turn 32. I am trying not to think about it. So I think I am going to try to give you 32 things about myself. I will try to give you things that I haven't blogged about yet. Enjoy! :)


1. I was on the track team 4 years in HS, and 2 years in college.

2. I ran the 100M hurdles and the 400M hurdles!

3. I was on the field hockey team 2 years in HS and 1 in college. College was too damn competitive for me.

4. I am a Delta Phi Epsilon.

5. Most of college was a drunken blur.

6. I graduated with a BA in Law & Justice, but never knew what I'd really do with the degree. It took me 4 1/2 years.

7. I went to the police academy in 1999.

8. I was 60 pounds lighter in 1999 than I am now. Did gravity change since then?

9. I met my husband while we were working as special police officers on the boardwalk.


10. I love steak! Especially when my mom makes it on the grill after marinating in her special sauce for 2 days.

11. I love to read fiction. Usually cop dramas. Mostly while nursing these days. But my favorite place to read is the beach...but probably not this summer with the Baby eating sand.

12. I am a TV-aholic. I record at least 2 hours a night, except Thursdays I have 5 HOURS of shows I watch. Plus ABC Soaps.

13. I am tender-hearted - I truly would never intentionally hurt a friend and if it happens accidentally I am sorry and I mean it.

14. I am proud to be a Jersey girl.

15. Outside America, I have been to Mexico (Cancun), Spain (Madrid & Tenerife) and Saint Lucia (honeymoon).

16. Inside America, I have been to NY, PA, New Orleans LA, FL, DC, Ocean City MD, Myrtle Beach SC, WI.

17. I believe our trip to a wedding in WI is where were conceived the Kid.

18. I also believe our trip to a wedding in the Keys in FL is where we conceived the Baby. Hubby doesn't think so.

19. I am told my smile is my best feature.

20. I want to tattoo my boy's names on me but I don't know where, or if I'll ever have the guts or the money.

21. I am a total mutt. I have Irish, English, Swedish, German. My Hubby is 3/4 Irish and 1/4 Russian - that's it! So my boys: mutts like me with some added Russian.

22. I love to ride my bike. Especially when I have a kid on the back.

23. I have one best friend that I have kept since we met in first grade. Our mom's were Girl Scout leaders together and we thought we were hot sh!t. Now our sons will grow up together - they are a year apart. And that makes me very happy.

24. I have played the flute since 5th grade.

25. I can also play the piccolo and I was in the marching band and concert band in HS.

26. I went to a dance school during HS. I did tap & jazz.

27. I am oblivious to local & world events, but I wish I wasn't. I just don't have time to watch the news.

28. I love coffee with French Vanilla flavor milk in it and lots of sugar.

29. I have one brother, 2 girl cousins and 6 boy cousins on both sides of my family. I am the oldest out of all of them. I am sad that my boys have no cousins.

30. I have known my Hubby for 10 years. We've been married for 6 years this April.

31. Obviously, I LOVE THE BEACH!

32. I also love comments and hope I can get more than 32 on this post. :)

My 'Karate' Kid

OK, so it's not Karate. Karate is from Japan. My Kid has started Taekwondo. That is from Korea. According to one of the dittos that we got in the info packet from the school "Saying that Taekwondo is Karate is like saying our football is the same as England's rugby."

My cousin went to this school for years and started when he just older than my Kid. He achieved a black belt and went all over for competitions and won many trophy's. I am not sure that is a goal that the Kid understands right now or if one that he would want to pursue. He is just having so much fun . He has been really enjoying it and looks forward to it much more than he did when he went to the Little Gym. I thought that it was going to be so expensive, but it turns out it's no more per class than the Little Gym, and here he will be working toward real goals (belts) instead of just taking classes.

He was so proud of himself when he got his white belt during his second class. Three months from now, if he practices and does well in class, he will have his yellow belt. It's a Lil' Dragons program for 4-5 year olds. They don't really learn the whole form or get solid belts. They learn respect for themselves and others, discipline, self-confidence and self-esteem. Their belts have a color stripe going through them. They don't begin the solid belts until they are 6.

How cute is he in his uniform?!?!

4AM Freakout

While we are talking about sleeping arrangements. How many of you know the feeling of waking up refreshed and feeling wow, how long did I sleep? Only to realize as you look at the clock that you last looked at it over 7 hours ago? Not many? Me either, until this morning. And it freaked me the hell out!

I haven't been able to put 2 coherent sentences together these last 2 weeks, hence, no posts. The Baby has been up and down, up and down and up and down every 2 hours or so for a while. And oh my lord, why won't he nap?? I get about 15-20 min on my lap after nursing and when I try to put him down...eyeballs wide awake ready to eat again or play. I am assuming he was having a massive growth spurt. I can't wait to see what he weighs on his 4 month visit.

So anyway. picture it. 4AM. I wake up and realize I last looked at the clock at 9PM. Rushed out to the Baby's pack&play to make sure he was still breathing. Yes, that kind of freakout. He was fine and still sound asleep. Took another hour to calm myself down and then I hear the 'I'm hungry' fuss start around 5AM. He eats, goes back down and I don't hear from him again until 7:30. Nice. Cross fingers that we are now in a nice sleeping pattern.

The cats love the Baby. They let him pull their hair. They have always been great with babies. They have never once hissed, scratched (on purpose) or bit the Kid or the Baby.

Yes, that is freaky Bob the Builder PJs that have no head.

Left: Abby, Right: Zoe

And no, I didn't name them after Sesame Street characters. We had them before we had kids.

And just look at those eyes!

Sleeping Arrangements

So the poor Baby has been sleeping in his bassinet for over 3 months. He was starting to get a little bit cramped in there. We are still not moved upstairs and we do not have any room to put his crib yet. Hell, we don't even have room to get my poor 4 1/2 (almost) year old a twin bed and get him out of the tiny toddler bed.

So here are the 'before' pictures. They were taken on exactly 12/23 when he was 3 months old. Because I realized after he was already asleep for the night (I hoped) that I didn't take one picture of him all day when he turned 3 months old.

Not much room to move.

So we pulled out the pack and play. It has that little extra bassinet on top so I don't have to lean all the way down to put him to sleep. And here is the 'after' just a couple nights ago, after we got him back out of the swing at night while he was sick.

All the room in the world!

A Random Wordless Wednesday - almost

Giving me the finger.

It's an odd angle because I was wearing him on our walk when the Kid was riding his new bike for the first time. I guess that's what he thought of the fact that this bike would one day be his. hahaha

Christmas Loot

So Christmas morning has come and went. And I am WAY behind on my posting. Unfortunately the Baby got his first bad cold on Christmas Day. He started coughing and he was all congested. He was barely sleeping and had to go back in the swing to be upright. The Kid had it first and passed it on. Then I got it the weekend after Christmas and was miserable. But, we made it and are all better now.

The only think that the Kid asked for from Santa was the Diego Dino Mountain Play Set. Well, Santa had to come through with that one....even though the Kid already has a big Diego play set that he got last year and is taking up space in the toy area.

And what Diego Dino set would be complete without the Dino Rescue Jeep?

Mommy and Daddy got him a toy jackhammer...which he saw at Target and LOVES, although right now I have no clue where it is. We also got him a bunch of workbooks. He loves doing mazes and letter books, so I have a pile of about 10 books he can pick and work on at any given time. He also asked for treasure chest. I found a box and filled it with some pirate booty. Of, course I missed pictures of all this stuff.

Then it was breakfast time. Bacon and Mickey shaped chocolate pancakes are the favorite around here.


The Baby got this ball in his stocking and loves to hold it and try to bite it. It's so freaking cute.

Then we were off to the in-laws. Hubby's brother & sister got him the Smart Cycle. Grandma got him the Cool School keyboard with extra games. So far he is loving both and I would recommend them. Although, we need to get another game for the Smart Cycle, he is getting bored of the one that comes with it already.

And the Baby got mostly teething rings and savings bonds, and he was happy with that.

Oh, and 'Santa' found a few of the Kid's old toys and wrapped them up and stuck them under our tree.


Then we went to my Dad's side of the family over at my Grandfather's house. The Kid got Diego Crocs for the summer and a Handy Manny truck that turned into a work bench. It was nice the first 2 days when we didn't realize it had noise. hahaha.

So, now we are in a holding pattern until we can move upstairs. There are just a couple doors to hang and some trim to put up. Some paint to paint and we are DONE! When this happens I am cleaning out the toy area. It is horrendous! I want to donate it to some shelters and churches.

Look What The Kid Bought With His Christmas Money

It's his very first 2 wheeler. It's a 16" wheel! He skipped right over the 12" wheels. When we went to the beach path last week on a freak warm day we brought his tricycle to ride and realized he is just MUCH too big for that thing. We talked him into using the money he has saved in his bank and the money he got for Christmas to buy himself a big boy bike. I think he will take care of it more if it was just under the tree. He made sure he and Daddy put it away in the garage, in case it rains.

He is such a big boy, and sometime this month we will be signing him up for KINDERGARTEN! Oh.My.God.

Christmas Eve 2008

I guess now is as good as time as any to catch up on some Christmas cheer.

Every Christmas Eve we go to my mom's house for dinner. It makes it so much easier on Christmas to make one less stop. That was mostly because we used to live in North Jersey and didn't want to drive all over the state and have to mush in all our visits in one day. My best friend since 1st grade always comes over to spend some Christmas cheer with us. Her son is the Kid's buddy. Can you believe my Kid is a year older than hers? Well, 11 months. Seriously, His Buddy is an inch or 2 taller and they both look so grown up sitting there so nice. Yea, that lasted about 30 seconds. They were tearing up the place and wrestling most of the time they are together. They are going to be big trouble together when they are older.

The little devils, er, I mean angels

The Baby was very interested in the toys my mom had that make music, move and ring bells.

I love love love the Baby in his green Christmas diaper!

The Kid got lots of fun stuff at Grandma's house. (Thanks Mom!) She refused to buy him any toys, our house already looks like a toy store threw up after a bad night with Jose. No toys, except for the Hess truck that she gets him every year. That is one of his favorite things. But I missed a picture of that one because he got to open that before his buddy came over...and I neglected to pull the camera out. Anyway...here are a few cool things he got, and my polite little man said thank you after every one and was beyond patient to open them. I was pleasantly surprised.

Here is his new bank. It records all the money that goes in. He got it with a few bucks in it. He has since emptied out his piggy banks in there and has over $34 now!

Here is my world traveler brother. My mom got them both world maps so they could pin point all the places he has been...except, she accidentally got one world map and one US map. We took the US, he has to learn his states eventually anyway. He already can find about 8 states on a map and knows about 4 or 5 capitols. Thank goodness for his USA placemat. We'll get the world map too, eventually.

Just look at that face because grandma and mommy made him try on his new beach towel for a photo. 'just let me play with my Hess truck.'

And here is our tree after Santa visited at 1am. Photos of Christmas morning to come...

Hello 2009

Here is a clean new years baby...out with the dirty and in with the clean! hahahaha

Waiting nekked under that towel until I go get the soap I forgot, please don't pee...

Making sure the baby doesn't fall while mommy gets a picture
He is loving the bath, you wouldn't know it by his face, but he was watching his brother on the counter kicking and didn't cry a bit...this time