knock knock. who's there?

me! us! (fyi: buz doesn't care for knock knock jokes, so i decided to use one to see if he was still reading.) where have i been, you, my mother-in-law and the other person who reads this, ask?

couldn't tell ya. trying to go to bed before freaking TWELVE O'CLOCK! that's for sure. geez. what is my freaking problem? it's that second wind, i tell you. the freaking second wind. (i just keep saying freaking. it's fun. say it. freaking, freaking, freaking.)

hmmm...one theme for tonight? nope. as always, lots of things on my mind.

1. big h no longer calls himself "ah-nee." he says, "hen-uh-ree." we're mourning the loss of one of the last "baby words" of big h. the last to go will be noh-nee (milk). he doesn't even call the goo "gree-ya" anymore. it's "guh-retta." (and it is spoken with a beautiful Spanish accent.)

2. big h has his last day of MDO on tuesday. another loss to mourn. i don't know who will be more sad -- mommy or big h.

3. had the school carnival today, and mommies got to come. i got a sitter for the goo. i really thought he would be so touched by my selfless act. you know, the one where i communicated my love for him by making this "our" day. and his response was, "why couldn't baby come? i missssssss her, mama." so much for my selfless act. speaking of carnival day. big h helped create a beautiful memory for me to cling to and record in the baby book. or right here on the internet. when i went to pick him this afternoon, i noticed a VERY uncoordinated outfit on little man. i'll be honest, i do my best to dress big h pretty snazzy when he goes to school. i mean, there are girls there, people. so he was in a lovely turquoise ocean-themed t-shirt that was ENTIRELY too small with some khaki shorts that i believe we were either a 5 (with no T at the end) or a size sold in the juniors' department. definitely no T at the end of the size of these shorts. or coolotts (i can't believe i don't know how to spell them), as i believe my mom would have referred to them. they informed me that at potty time (when all the children get a chance to go potty or at least make sure they have clean pants on right before the mommies come), they noticed a smell. a poop smell. they figured out it was coming from his direction. and lo and behold, there was the smell -- and the object -- on the floor. big h had already gone poop before time, didn't tell anyone, and was ready to take his pull up off. only, like a diaper. nice. so they had to move the entire class into the empty classroom next to theirs because they had the church janitor "professionally" clean the carpet. you know, because they were afraid the other kids were going to step in and make an even bigger mess. that's my boy.

anyway, the carnival.


yes, he's getting his face painted


ringing the bell, of course


the infamous "my best friend called CJ"


i despise the "say cheese" smile

4. the goo has started pulling up to things. and standing. not crawling, mind you. just pulling up and standing. and then falling and bonking her head. and crying. poor goo.

5. we had a really cute picture taken of the goo and big h. henry thought it was a piece of paper. and highlighted it. thank you, dear.



6. we dedicated sweet goo this past weekend. yes, mother's day. it was a wonderful day.


yes, there's really a bow in her hair

7. big h is really showing his intelligent side. he was trying to find something. diego-related. buz brought something to him that he thought was the missing object. "nope, that's the sloth." wait, what? so he brought something else. "no, dad. that's the tapir." right. we're idiots around here.

8. i'm sure you've been wondering if i'm ever going to show you my snazzy senior pictures. well, today is your day. i have been SO PUMPED about them. i think the mom likes them. but she has family in town and hasn't had time to really look at them. but they are photos from my first "real" session. weentrab was so proud. or so she said. i mean, don't you want to take him to your prom? or hire him for your modeling agency? (assuming you, the reader, have a modeling agency?)





9. next week is the week. going to visit my house for the last time. this is the house i grew up in. moved when i was in first grade. had sleepovers in. (actually, that's a lie. i was the dorky girl who didn't really like having sleepovers at her own house because it would get too loud. i know, i know -- bless my heart. someone from elementary school -- PLEASE post a comment here. confirming that i wasn't a total social outcast.) where i took tap, jazz, softball, and baton. yes, baton swirling. i was a vision of loveliness in my white long-sleeve yet very, very short dress, cuffed with silver sparkles, white boots, and white gloves. christmas parade and all. where casey frenchbraided my hair really, really tight before we would go catch the school bus. where i met kelly, my best friend, my equivalent to gulley. where i recovered from back surgery as an elementary school kid. twice. where i accepted the Lord. where i got ready for my junior prom with matt. what a dream of a boyfriend he was. now he is a husband and father to a very lucky girl. where i introduced buz to my father. where buz decided that i was the one. where i slept the night before i got married. anyway, you get it. this house has a lot of memories. so i am taking biscuit and her son, and we are making a road trip. one with kids. but it should be fun. having a playdate with two of my friends growing up and their children. surreal. and will probably take a lot of pictures of the house. because i'm like that.

10. big h is in his room right now asking for one of us. knocking on the door. needing assistance. and his two requests? one for more energy. he's just running out of energy and needs more. maybe he can have something from the kitchen to give him more energy? two for the opportunity to watch the movie where he could get his head in the game. (i.e. high school musical) he's only watched that part of the movie over at his cousin's. but he LOVES that song. i think the kid has rhythm. and i love it. but i don't believe we will be able to oblige either request. sorry, little man. but A+ for creativity.

11. i'm very, very sorry to those of you out there who were/are sad about melinda going home last night. i've been pro-jordin this entire journey. and buz is VERY pro-blake. in fact, i received my very own voicemail from blake on my cell. beat-boxing his love to me. it was great. so boomama, my condolences.

12. c'mon tessa, the social worker. buz and i are pulling for you next week. even though, we realize that statistically you two won't stay together anyway. speaking of, anyone know the current status on charlie and sarah b? you know, sarah b and i worked at the same hospital. i'm cool like that.

13. thank you to the producers of the office. the last 5 minutes had me all giddy. notice the word had.

14. until i watched grey's anatomy. for those of you who watch it but have not watched it yet, please do not read ahead.

I AM SO ANGRY AT MY TELEVISION!

there. that's all i had to say about that.

so i think that's it. oh, i forgot. to tell you what i'm listening to on the ipod right now. shape of my heart by the backstreet boys. and in case you're wondering, kevin is my favorite. buz gets jealous of my teenage girl crush. but to let you in on how much this guy loves me. he took me to a backstreet boys concert when we were "just friends." (the "just friends" saga could be a post in itself.)




sometimes i just want to eat them both up...

i've put it off long enough

well, way to go, buz. you've managed to stop me in my tracks. at this point, i am completely unsuccessful at composing anything. no witty response. nothing tender. nothing at all. nice.

to all you new buz fans -- yes, he is like this all the time. but don't think i didn't prompt him to write some of those. he was coming home from a business trip in late march. he was stuck in the airport for what seemed like forever. he had read most of his man reads (entertainment weekly; football, football, and more football; playstation hints for all games sports-related; and NFL today), eaten all the snacks he could stomach, and played enough solitaire on his blackberry to know the hidden secret behind the game. so when he was talking to me on the phone one of 24 times, he said, "honestly, i don't know what else to do. i have literally done everything i can think of." and i thought that the most obvious choice would be to write me a love letter.

because that is, after all, my love language.

so he did.

and yes, i printed it out, and it is now in my diaper bag. the most logical place for it. the one item i carry everywhere, right?

my first thought was to write something back to him. but that is not his thing. because i'm such a good wife, i know his love language. and his love language is NOT cute little notes of encouragement left in cute little hidden places to find only at cute little unexpected times.

i wish it was. but it's not.

it's acts of service. darn you, buz. couldn't you have picked another one? acts of service. we're talking cooking dinner, having a clean house, those june cleaver things. that's what makes his toes tingle. *big sigh*

oh, and those things, by the way, are very hard to publicize. buz can secretly get into my blog and profess his love for me throughout the internet, and i get 53 freaking comments (thank you, boomama). you know what would happen if i decided to do the same?

so today, i cooked a mean mexican casserole for buz. and i vacuumed and swept. i had candles lit when he walked in the door. both children were playing quietly in the living room, while reciting the bible verses they learned at church this morning. the sheets were folded down with a mint on his pillow. i cleaned his car, inside and out, while he was sleeping. there was not a single dish out of place in the kitchen. no streaks on the mirrors or windows. oh, and no hint of a poop smell anywhere in the house.

i know what are you thinking? that i have an ego problem. RIGHT!

and buz secretly posts and everyone, including me, of course, swoons.

so why did i get the love language of words of encouragement and he got acts of service???

ok, so i'm a little dramatic. i realize this.

anyhoo...the neat part about all of this is that my sweet buz got nationally recognized. buz is one of those guys who will forever fly under the radar. and that is what attracted me to him.

now, i could comment on some of the things he loves about me, but my face would just turn red, and i would get embarrassed. so i won't. but rest assured -- almost all of them have stories associated with them. perhaps stories that i will post later.

you did it, buz. you finally got some credit for who you are. and i love that.

in other news...

• my parents are home from italy. and word is my mom purchased a handbag. for me. praise be to the Lord.
• while we're on the subject of my parents...um, yeah. their house sold while they were in italy. let me say this in a different way. the only house that i have memory of was sold.
• and what that means. my parents are moving here!!! about 45 minutes away! and it's going to be a lot sooner than i thought.
• got to see miss georgia again. is there a more beautiful combination than babies and handbags?


• sunday night was belated birthday celebration for weentrab. and to inform you just how fun she is. we had dinner and headed out for a shopping spree. yeah, i know how to live it up. the condition for the spree was that she had $30 that she had to spend that night, while we were there. and it could not be spent on practical stuff. (i.e. no tweezers, batteries, toilet paper, etc.) so we (i say we because c'mon, would it really be fun to spend $$ by yourself?) each bought 2 pairs of shoes. now that is how to spend a sunday night. thanks, weentrab. have i mentioned that i love being pals with you?

and well, that's all i have. oh! and soon to be posted. some samples of my first "real" photography session? can't post until he and his parents see them. but just know -- i wouldn't doubt that this high school senior will be a force to be reckoned with in the ladies' department. stay tuned. (weentrab, you're so impressed, huh?)

What I love about my wife

(written in Minneapolis airport terminal)

I love the smell of her hair when she takes a shower at night

I love that she has three pairs of red shoes

I love that her car is a complete mess and she denies it

I love when she makes a late night run to Sonic for a 44 oz.

I love that she has a jeep key chain

I love that she knows who she is

I love that she never reacts out of spite towards another

I love that she hates when I use her deodorant

I love that she forgives those who hurt her feelings

I love that she tears out pages and pages of her Real Simple

I love that she dresses our daughter in pink

I love that she doesn’t wear pink herself

I love that Henry challenges her to be a better Mom

I love that her bible has a matching carrying case

I love that she leaves her bracelets on her gear shift or on the kitchen counter

I love that she never wants to run out of gas

I love her little toe socks

I love her champagne taste

I love when she can’t make a decision about big purchases

I love that she still has BIC pens from college in baggies

I love that her signature pose is to smile with all of her teeth showing and her jaw shut

I love that her real smile is completely different

I love that she is a picker

I love that there are no short stories

I love that no question is ever answered with a yes or no

I love her secret moo moo

I love that she puts peanut butter on her pancakes

I love that I’ve never seen her drink a glass of milk

I love that has blog friends called big momma and boo momma

I love that I now need an emery board when I clip my own nails

I love that she only cleans the house when Sarah is coming over

I love that I have more than three pairs of shoes

I love that she is into Pepperidge farms logs

I love that there is no such thing as a quick errand

I love that she introduced me to Fernando and Third Day

I love that she understands my connection to Bebo

I love that somehow Nordstroms is the only shoe store that has her size

I love that she didn’t want to buy a white car

I love that she took Pat diet coke with lemon and white popcorn every day

I love that I can laugh with her every night

I love that she always calls somebody on both their cell and home phone

I love that she tells them she is going to do that

I love that she does Henry’s puzzles

I love that she helped me with the last 10 pieces of my puzzle

I love that she has never had poison ivy

I love that most of my bachelor possessions are gone

I love that we keep the house at 73 degrees all year

I love that she thinks puffy coats are “in” for anybody over 25

I love that she picks Planters sunflower seeds over Davids

I love that Buz has no origin or reference

I love that most of my gifts get returned for something cheaper

I love her rebel earring

I love that she can’t have a baby without becoming constipated

I love her yellow delivery robe

I love that she will smile when she reads PAT BOOKER

I love how quickly she can enter a voicemail box

I love that she types faster than me

I love that Goo is not Henry for her

I love when she crawls in bed after I’ve already fallen asleep

I love when that wakes me up

I love that she wore scarves

I love that she knows about Kuby’s

I love that she and Henry go and see if Stanley (the mailman) came

I love that our weekends never go the way I think they will

I love that I’ve never seen her drunk

I love that each of her friends would want her as a pall bearer

I love that all her recipes require lots of melted cheese

I love that somehow we’re never out of shredded cheese

I love that she vacuums the tile/laminate rather than sweep

I love that she will second guess a lot of these things that make her so unique

I love that she is my wife and my lover

I love that she knows the Lord

love, Buz

just a regular 'ol wednesday around here

we go to bible study at our church on wednesday mornings. fun is had by all every week. the goo gets fed, loved on, and put to sleep for some beauty rest.big h has been described as "a ham" in the chapel time of the morning. and his teachers talk lightning mcqueen (yighteen ah-keen) and mater mater with him, so they have been invited into his core inner circle. and mommy. well, she gets TWO uninterrupted hours with women. i sip on a beverage of my choice, enjoying a morning treat of my choice. and marvel at the intelligent adult interaction that is occurring around me.

not today.

buz and i had other plans for the day. or i should say God had different plans for us. because we definitely did NOT plan this one.

i woke from a deep sleep at 4:00 this morning. before i go any further, let the record state that i am ONE DEEP sleeper. buz used to get very frustrated with me when both big h and the goo were infants and i was nursing because he had to wake me when they started crying in the middle of the night. sign of a bad parent? i don't think so. i just value my sleep. i love. to. sleep. anyway, woke up needing to use the restroom with quite a bit of urgency. after galloping to the restroom, i came to the realization that i did NOT feel too well. note the understatement. buz woke up asking if i was ok. to play the martyr, "oh yeah, i am fine." and then i was doubled over. now, i am confident in my pain tolerance. buz gave me the nickname "hoss" (so ladylike) during our labor with big h because i labored without ever having an epidural. (weentrab, don't even start. i know, i know. you went natural. you are and will remain my hero.) anyway, to see me on my knees facing the porcelain throne at 4:30 a.m. was a big deal. buz made the executive decision to call his brother and his wife (who live all of 5 minutes away) to have one of them come over. buz felt like we needed to go to the ER. lucky for both of us, neither of us are afraid of hospitals. buz has always worked in a hospital, and i worked in one prior to having big h. so my sister-in-law got to our house within 10 minutes, literally. and we headed over to the local (in-network) ER. gowned up and got ready for my urine sample, catheterization, IV, and CT scan. nice. kidney stones, people. this is NOT enjoyable. i repeat. NOT fun at all. so after 2 hours and an encounter with a VERY WEIRD ER doc, we received my Rx and we were out the door with orders to go home to rest. any stay at home moms out there? go home and rest? is that a joke? yeah, maybe with a overpriced babysitter and a hotel room. but reality. nope. so buz took big h to run some errands, and i napped while the goo napped. and life is back to normal now. i am just armed with some potent pain meds if and when the need arises.

just a regular 'ol wednesday around here.

drawing a blank

i mean, for the life of me, i cannot think of anything to say these days. i have had access to the internet. my husband is in town. i am not sick. the goo is better. i've gone through my list of excuses. creativity is gone. gone. i wish i had a story. or a beginning of one that i could slightly embellish.

so, as sad as it is, here is a list of things on my mind right now -- as my spouse has drifted off to sleep, and it isn't even 10:00 yet.

• if i had an anger management counselor, i would have called him/her today. so as to not HARM my son. please don't leave here ready to call CPS. just one of those days. however, we have had a lot of those these days. (big sigh)
• big h is currently fascinated with flatulence. "mama, i just went tooted. it's because i have so much gas. toots make my bottom feel so much better. do they make your bottom feel better too?"
• big h sleeps with a life size doll at night right now. people, this thing is not to be reckoned with. to say it is big would be an understatement. a couple of weeks ago, he started acting scared at night when we would say good night. he would continually ask us if we would sleep with him. big h is one of those kids where if you start something, you better prepared for it to become set in stone. and i am not ready to start sleeping on a bottom bunk. so we always tell him that Jesus says "don't be afraid." but one night, he said, "but i can't lay on Jesus." couldn't argue with him there. so i asked if he would like to buy a big pillow. i thought it was a perfect idea. and i had a body pillow from when i was pregnant, who was named big bill, after a very random dream. don't ask. big h did NOT want big bill to sleep with him. so we went to look at big pillows, and he found "big diego." i know the website has the dimensions, but i promise you he almost doesn't fit in the bed. not to mention scaring me every morning after big h is already up and about, and i walk by his room and see this massive creature under the covers. in all honesty, it's pretty cute. he wants diego to be tucked in at night. he wants to pray for ah-nee, gree-ya, mommy, daddy, and big tee-ay-go. he's like a part of our family.
• would like to thank the manager of our local grocery store. after picking big h from school, we headed to the store to pick up bananas and bread and yellow cheese and do-der-munt for daddy "because his arms smell." when we were preparing to check out, i glanced out the window only to see the darkest clouds i have ever seen, and more rain than i could comprehend. oh. my. i asked the manager woman at the store if they had any umbrellas i could borrow. i know this is going to sound dorky, but i felt this weird peace about her. she was so sincere. and her suggestion was for me to run to my car that was parked in the 2nd parking space and back up to the fire lane to load my groceries and children. and she would stay with them right under the over hang. i know what you are thinking. "are you freaking NUTS?" probably. but i just felt good about the whole thing. the best was when i was getting big h out of the race car cart, he said, "bye linda. see you later. tanks for watching my mom get rained on." who knows -- linda may become one of our favorite new people. thanks, linda.
• what i'm listening to on the ipod: you light up my life by debby boone. (aren't you starting to figure out just how cool i really am?)
• my bff had her baby this weekend. georgia, the goo is ready to be insta-friends with you.

• this weekend, i am going on a hot date. not with buz. with a smaller version of buz. we're going to see thomas live at a local theater. theater, you ask? yes. and no, i have no idea what it's actually going to be. but it's thomas. pretty sure it will not disappoint. and don't mind me -- i will be the only girl going. we are going with the pattison boys. we went to the wiggles concert together too. no, it's not weird. i just YEARN for some solo big h time. i love the goo so much, but i have some MAJOR guilt issues these days about not getting to spend the time with big h that i want to.
• big h, the goo, and i didn't have anything to do yesterday. so big h and i played while the goo took her nap. when she woke up, i promised big h anything he wanted for lunch. without any hesitation, "chips and cheese, please, from the tortilla fackory." so we made a run for the border. any of you weight watcher folks out there? i'm pretty sure that if you eat at taco bell, you can't anything for the next 3 days. but wow, it was a little slice of heaven right here on earth. and apparently, everyone else in the metroplex had the same idea. because big h proceeded to say at the TOP of his lungs, "EVERYONE MUST LOVE CHIPS AND CHEESE AND CIMMONUN CRUNCHIES TOO, MAMA!!!! YOOK HOW MANY PEOPLE LOVE CHIPS AND CHEESE AND CIMMONUN CRUNCHIES, MAMA!!!"
• the goo fell today. and got herself a LOVELY goose egg. we went to her 9-month check up this morning and got to see dr. g. sidenote: we LOVE dr. g. he walked in today and immediately sat down and began telling us (you know...the goo and me) about how he's feeling better and that he's had the upper respiratory stuff going on. is it strange to want to invite your pediatrician and his family over for dinner? probably. i digress. anyway, this afternoon, i was in the middle of reading big h the riot act, when the goo just fell over and scraped her forehead on one of big h's elmo cars. kind of a big scratch. and a BIG noggin. i mean, the poor girl. she's been doomed lately.
• the goo and big h may get to see uncle bob on thursday. he has a layover here, and we are going to try to spend the whopping 3 hours with him. hey, 3 hours to us is more than nothing. i won't tell big h until i know it will happen. crushing a little boy's spirit is almost too much for me to handle.
• got an email from one of my roommates in college. jill...let it be known that your email made my whole day. and that's saying a LOT!

so, i have successfully taken up a LOT of your time. really sorry. sometimes it just feels good to get things "out." now, go on about your merry way. thanks for stopping by.

two words

praise. Jesus.

buz called this evening on his way home and asked me what i was doing. to which i replied, "taking pictures of the goo."

"doing what?"

"smiling."

let me state for the record how much i love that she has enough hair to have bed head.

my baby is back.

she has had THREE bottles of formula. pedialyte-diluted lactose-free formula. but "milk" nonetheless. she took a FOUR HOUR NAP. big h took a 2 1/2 hour nap. guess what mom did?

napped with him. i couldn't pass up the opportunity. i just couldn't. so while my baby rested from her tough 5 days and began the recuperation process in nighty-night land, i snuggled with the boy who doesn't want me within 10 feet most days lately. bliss.

tomorrow is a new day. and because the goo is finally on the road to recovery, i believe i am going to shower. and finally shed my ski breckenridge hand-me-down t-shirt from my brother circa 1989 and my brown yoga pants. and clean this nasty head of hair.

tomorrow is a new day.

and franklin...for your viewing pleasure. the monstrosity that has become our living room. (yes, big h is wearing his lovely and HOT elmo costume. never ceases to amaze me.)

2 comments. what magazine is my son posing for? and why on God's green earth does it look like he's wearing a shade of mauve on those lips?

well, i'm not to going to post anymore until the goo is well. we are so sad for her. i took big h to get sicken nuggets today (again). on the way there, i said, "you know what, big h? i am really sad for the goo. she is still so sick, huh?"

"yeah, we need to pray por her."

and so we did. i love that kid. he had some meltdowns today. but honestly, i have had some meltdowns in the past couple of days too, so i cut him a little slack.

somehow dad had enough steam to blow up the spider man bed. pictures to come at a later date. fun was had by big h.

today was, by far, the goo's worst day. she threw up this morning, and buz and i had had it. so i took her in on saturday hours (8-12) to see dr. g, who just happened to be on this morning. halle-loo-yuh!!!!!

no fever. still just feels like it's a virus that is taking its sweet, precious time. she has been miserable all day. honestly, buz and i felt like we were just wasting time until either the next teaspoon of pedialyte or her next nap. and her naps were awful because she just couldn't ever get comfortable. we literally didn't find a THING that made her happy or content. until right before bath time, and the God above bestowed His love upon me in a sweet, sweet moment. buz and big h had run an errand, and i had all of the goo's clothes off, ready to put her in the bath. all of the sudden, she buried her head into the pocket of my armpit and was just quiet. her first time all day to be truly quiet. and she rested there for about 5 minutes. and i just cried and cried. i love this kid so much it hurt today.

so, you can see why i'm not going to post again until she is well. or better. because you will hold it against me that your kleenex box is empty.

pray for my sweet goo.

must. get. better.

first of all, bff, let the record state that i am the world's best friend for cancelling on you today. trust me -- you do NOT want what the goo has.

and biscuit, same goes for you.

again...nothing interesting or entertaining. just informing those who have been praying for my sweet baby. as well as blowing off some "couped up in a house for 2 days" steam.

the goo. she is still not well. i do have to be honest, i don't know which call back nurse to listen to. no offense to those nurses out there. i've gotten everything from "don't give her any formula for at least 2 days" to "go ahead and give her a little food if she's tolerating so much pedialyte" to "try just a little formula if she's tolerating enough pedialyte in a bottle" to "don't do anything for 16 days." (ok, that last one was made up by me and certainly NOT true.)

she's only thrown up once today. but has taken 2 INSANELY LONG naps. you may be thinking i should be so grateful. not when fun goo doesn't have her A-game on. it is so pitiful. she has no energy. she didn't even want to be in her "walking seat." (that's what big h calls her exersaucer.) she also had diar----several times as well.

let's just say that the washer and dryer are going to sleep well tonight. they have had a long day.
and my little man. seriously. he has been a little MAN today. so incredibly helpful, i cannot even begin to describe. finally, after the goo's LONG morning nap, i/we HAD to get out. so we drove through wendy's for sickin nuggets and brown no-nee. and as a surprise to him, i dropped by blockbuster to get him a movie or six. ok, really just two. you wouldn't believe how much television my 3 1/2-year-old watched today. and yet, it was totally mom-initiated. and i had no reservations about it whatsoever.

we decided to make it like a daytime sleepover. we opened up the spiderman blow up bed (which did not get used because it was going to take about 116 hours to blow up, even with the handy pump). we did puzzles. lots and lots of puzzles. we played a LOT with things that have wheels. we made up stories. we had snacks. we listened to music. it was so much fun.

i just wish the goo was in on it.

if only i looked this good while sick and with no clothes on. (this was taken yesterday. i couldn't bear to take any today. she was so sad ALL DAY.)


and i refuse to end on such a bad note, i will leave you with some easter pictures.



you probably can't see that my husband -- ultra conservative dresser that he is -- has on seersucker pants.




of course, we had to bring our props outside.








couldn't get enough of the fact that my kid who has very bazaar issues with clothes and shoes has on a BELT. a plaid one, nonetheless.



going through the loot.



see...this is what she looks like happy.




our sad attempt at a family easter picture. the tripod can't make the goo look in its direction. such is life. (and to my mom: no, i did NOT wear jeans to church on easter sunday.)

been a while, huh?

this is more for the grandparents. this is probably one post you can skip through because there is nothing funny or slightly entertaining. just the hard facts, people.

(big sigh)

this will only take a second.

the goo. well, she's just still not herself. last wednesday, she had two ear infections. last night, she threw up. now, i realize that people who read this little piece of the internet are not all mommies, so i will refrain from going into full detail. oh, but i SO want to.

she threw up 4 times around six last night and was just about as pitiful as they come. we had to put her down last night without anything. no bottle. just a teaspoon of pedialyte. wouldn't surprise me if she was thinking, "yeah, um, just knock me out. i can't handle this no warm beverage at night thing." it was so incredibly sad. and somehow i was the one who got the honor? never sure how that works. but in buz's defense, i was done in a matter of minutes, and he had a LONG way to go before he got to relax.

anyhoo. after talking to the on-call nurse several times, we came to the conclusion that we could give her milk after at least 8 hours of no vomiting. she seemed to think that the goo would sleep pretty well. and she was right. woke up at 6. fed her about 4 ounces of a bottle. then, she was doing ok, so i gave her a tsp of pedialyte. and after receiving my medical degree from Internet U, i declared it ok to give her ONE cheerio. this was NOT my finest act of motherhood. definitely would've had my license revoked.

rats! i had to start the whole thing over again. the one tsp of pedialyte every 5-10 minutes. for those of you who have experienced this, it makes for THE LONGEST day. and she never really got satisfied. we went on a walk, and she slept. she took three naps. poor goo. finally around 4:30, the nurse had called back to tell me that it would be ok to give her some pedialyte in a bottle. 2 ounces or so. we did. she loved it. she also said we could give her a little formula. she did NOT, however, love that so much.

idiot.

so again...back to square one. big h proceeded to tell every living soul at school that "baby greeya was not feeling well and she kept pitting up all of her orange carrots." and i was nervous about sharing too much information.

she is asleep. we were told not to give her any more milk products until at LEAST tomorrow night. :( so it's pedialyte for now.

poor goo.

oh, and it's sad enough that i can't think of a single funny big h story, other than him being adamant about me "not eating my toes, mama. toes are NOT! FOR! EATING!"

taken hostage

by the potty training demons, that is.

i really and truly thought i would be writing a beautifully uplifting story about how my child LOVES underwear and wants to embrace his new manhood by saying, "out with the old and in with the new."

or not.

people have failed to mention the potty training devil that is unleashed.

seriously. what happened to my big h?

tuesday was a good afternoon. but wednesday. heaven help us. headed to church for a little bible study. left church wanting to swear. the irony is too much. he had an "accident" in the nursery. funny because big h doesn't really get what the whole "accident" word means yet. he pooped in his go diego go underwear, and one of the church nursery rules is that they don't change poopy underwear accidents. don't blame 'em. so for the first time in three and a half years, i was paged to the nursery. i thought that he would have a hard time with me in his class in the middle of the class. nope. "hey mommy, i went poo poo in my pants." done. back to bible study. get big h and head to the infant class, where the teachers inform that the goo is "just not herself today." funny, i had been thinking the same thing for 2 or 3 days. made an appt for that same afternoon.

oh right. back to potty training. get home from bible study to have a 30-minute lunch. get back in the car and head to dr. g's. get back to the exam room before having the goo weighed and sniff, sniff. please, please let that be the goo. nope again. "big h, did you go poo poo in your pants?" "yes."

so the goo gets put back in her stroller so that i can survey the scene. oh people. without going into detail (which i desperately want to do to accurately describe my selfless act of motherhood, but i won't), poop was literally everywhere. so after using an entire box of wipes, which i randomly had in my diaper bag, dr. g walks in only to find the goo with not one, but TWO ear infections. guess that's why she hasn't been herself lately. homegirl is such a trooper.

we headed home, and the whining began. oh. the whining. i found myself wanting to say things to him that i never would have thought i would want to say. but rest assured, i didn't.

but believe you me, by the time buz got home, i had my bags packed, and i handed both kids over to him and grabbed my keys. i couldn't take it anymore.

took him to school yesterday morning in some nemo underwear. his choice. poop accident at school. if he has one more poop accident in his underwear he will have to wear diapers to school until the end of the year. no pressure.

i just thought i was against pull ups.

yesterday was actually worse than wednesday. even buz was frustrated. that is big.

so we decided to put both of them down early by about an hour. or six.

today, i said, is going to be a new day. we get to the mall to play with bff and wes. and i was secretly crossing my fingers and having constant conversation with God to please, please keep the potty training demons away this morning.

sometimes God answers our prayers in ways we don't understand. this morning was one of those times.

oh poor bff. she was giving me that "i am so sad for you but SOOOOOOOO thankful it's your kid and not mine" look. i lost count of the times she asked "what can i do for you?" i wanted to tell her in all seriousness, "just find a stick." but i thought that might be inappropriate. i just let big h know that there would be conversation in the car and it wouldn't be fun conversation. there would probably also be conversation at home, at dinner, at bathtime, at bedtime, at storytime, and at talk to jesus time. definitely at talk to jesus time.

little man and the goo both did great at the good friday service this afternoon. and i was so moved by our service that for that hour, i was able to focus on what i wanted to set my mind on today.

so all is *better* around here. we have a new approach. a more laid back approach. a don't stress out big h approach. a we'll be fine if you get your learner's permit in your pampers approach. whatever floats your boat, big man.

just a few pictures to share.

imagine the crash after this.

i've told of big h's interest in dressing up. work it, big h. own it.

this is his idea of "parking the cars" at night. (they are hanging in his bed rail.)

i'm thinking he needs just one more toy.

sweet goo, preparing for spring.

an easter miracle for winter janet. high for tomorrow: 43. easter high: 52.

we shall see

so tonight we began a journey of sorts. or so we've heard.

we started this journey some time ago, but it lost its lustre. so we're at it again. in full force.

pray for us.

potty training with a vengeance.

i had a talk with my brother and sister-in-law last night. just to get some encouragement. and my brother's comment was, "dude, your kid's three and a half and he's still in a diaper?" ahhh...nothing like a little sibling love. my sweet sister-in-law proceeded to apologize on his behalf and offer more helpful suggestions and potential solutions. but that comment haunted me the rest of the night. buz and i talked about it and decided we would start on friday. good friday. fitting, right?

however, we headed to wal-mart for some milk and "gree-ya no-nee" (translation: formula). i told him repeatedly that we were not going to buy anything. sad when you have to reiterate that comment so many times. he asked if we could look at trains. "sure. but we are NOT going to buy any trains." he is not into games, but he found the game aisle appealing today. chutes and ladders, which we have but he doesn't understand how to play yet. hungry hungry hippos, but really he just liked the name of that. i was trying to explain all the things you learn by playing these certain games. "that game teaches how to count to 10. that game teaches us how to spell with our letters from a to z." (i know. i'm a barrel of monkeys. everyone wants to play with me.) we were so interested in what these games would teach us. until...

we saw a go diego go "game." mind you, this "game" was packaged in a "rescue pack." (if you do not have a toddler who has ever watched noggin, you can go to someone else's blog or some other website because none of this will be of interest to you.) basically, it is an orange glorified backpack that contained about 10 different games. card games, bingo, dominoes, etc. i will be honest, if i thought he would really be interested in the games, i would be thrilled about this pack. however, the guy really only cares about the fact that he can wear it and look like diego and save the pygmy marmosets and red eyed tree frogs. after i said no several times, he started to be really, really sad and said to me, "but mama, this game will teach me lots of things." genius. pure genius.

i was kind of frustrated. but even more so, i wanted to get the goo home for a nap. she was starting to fade on me. so out of my mouth comes, "that's fine. you can get that game. but we go home and put on underwear. and other than nighttime, we aren't going to wear diapers anymore, ok?" he said ok, and i thought to myself, "what the heck did i just do? i LIKE my kid wearing diapers. it's easy." but i had said it. and there was nothing i could do about it.

so we talked on the way home about why he got the rescue pack. i wanted him to make sure he knew that this was big. HUGE.

so we got home and put the potty in the living room. for convenience. and we had bought diego underwear. i know this will be fleeting, but i'm not sure there is anything cuter than the tush of big h in big boy underwear. i LOVE it. so he went. he had one accident. and he told buz about it. it was right before bath time, and he had just finished his breathing treatment. and dad forgot to ask before he started the treatment. so technically, i think i can say that he did a great job today. poor church workers tomorrow. poor preschool teachers on thursday. we'll see. he may just surprise the heck out of us.

but there's no turning back. underwear is here to stay.

not quite the hollywood reunion i was imagining

the final update. it is 11:21 on thursday night, and buz is on his way home. and i am writing about it which means i am not with him. neither is big h.

when you have small children, your television never gets turned on to the local news. really for any reason. i am so far removed from current events, other than the really important issues. like what sanjaya's hair looked like 2 nights ago. like how izzy and george are going to keep their little secret from callie. like what family member of jack bauer's will turn up evil next.

so apparently, my city was having MAJOR thunderstorms. i promise, it was not raining here. clouds. no rain.

but buz insisted that there was a tornado warning. "have you looked outside? seriously, they are saying that you guys are getting so much rain and that you might need to seek shelter." clouds. but no rain.

flight supposed to leave between 4:30 and 5. sitter coming at 6. big h and i leaving at 6 in our jammies to get dinner and daddy. arriving at 8. home by 8:30 or 8:45.

he calls me around noon. flights being cancelled left and right. due to this tornado warning that i was oblivious to.

continues to call me the majority of the day. "i think we're coming. i don't think we'll get cancelled."

sitter gets here promptly at 6. i basically do everything with the goo since i'm here and all. big h totally shows off for "mommy's friend."

i feed the goo and put her to sleep while big h proceeds to tell babysitter that she can't play with his toys. nice.

after multiple conversations with buz, i decide that i will take big h out to dinner and bring him back home, put him to bed, and i will head to the airport by myself. not quite how i envisioned it. but i still get to run a long distance into my sweetie's arms and be twirled off my feet. just like the movies.

so big h and i get ready for our date. he gets dressed up in his finest jammies. and we head for the nicest restaurant in town. honestly, we had the best time. we were the only ones there. because you know, there was a tornado watch in effect. we danced to the music. we had hot dogs and french fries and dr pepper. well, i had the dr pepper. he went with water. then, we split some vanilla ice cream. we had a ball together.

came home and he wanted babysitter to read him stories. put him to sleep, and i headed immediately to the car to pick up my handsome prince.

hmmm...it's raining. go figure.

i check the automated gate arrival phone line the entire way there. flight #1629 is estimated to arrive at 10:17 at gate C11, baggage claim C12. i sit there patiently reading my magazine. and then, for some reason, i had this feeling that i needed to check the gate one more time, just to make sure. "flight #1629 is estimated to arrive at TEN FORTY-THREE at gate C11, baggage claim C12."

wait, what?

here is where i had to draw the line. i had to respect my sweet sitter. she has the "can't drive past midnight" curfew on her license. and really...would i want my daughter out past midnight? especially a school night?

so i got in the car and headed home. i was halfway home when i got buz's call saying they had just landed. i was halfway home but halfway to the airport, depending on how you looked at it.

i just couldn't do it. i had to get home to get babysitter home.

so all that, just to have him take a cab home tonight.

buz, i can't wait to hug you.



HARK, i think i hear foot steps.

a pit in my stomach

say it isn't so.

buz just called (12 noon) and said that flights to our city are being canceled. ok, so i just head on over to weather.com, and i don't see anything. i mean, it's sprinkling, and there is a chance of rain. but are you kidding me?

so...i have a dilemma. i am really pumped about our babysitter. i have never used her, and she is the stepdaughter of a close friend of mine. she sounds like an absolute dream.

if buz doesn't come home tonight (for the love of all that's good), can i go ahead and use her tonight for the goo and take big h to a movie or out for something fun for dinner?

and then put him to sleep and wallow in my self-pity (of course, with a really big dr. pepper and perhaps some buffalo wing flavored pretzels)? (those with more than 2 children or whose husbands regularly travel, please disregard previous comment.)

day 3 of single parenthood

well, i am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

(this post has the potential for being really boring. so feel free to skim. consider it a cliffnotes version of our day.)

all i want to do is inform one certain party (who happens to be in a northern state right now), eat the rest of my dinner (yes, it's 9:45), and lay in bed and watch and rewatch american idol from last night. and just marvel at what was done to that boy's hair.

and why in the FREE WORLD he did not go home?

anyway. the recap of the day is going to be speedy quick.

first of all, the goo did NOT sleep last night. every time i turned on the monitor, there she was -- awake like it was 9:30 in the morning. translation: mommy didn't sleep.

somehow managed to get both of my kids to (different) sitters this morning by 9:30 so that i could go *help* weentrab with a photo shoot. help? please. social companion is more like it. she is so big time. (she does not pay me to give her a big head.) i will wait until she reveals her project before i go blabbing about it. bottom line, i hold a mean reflector. and i can straighten clothing with the best of them. and i didn't even have to get her starbucks. i could have and would have, had i gotten there any earlier. in fact, she bought me lunch. what?

went to get big h who let me know that he "meesed" me. love the guy.

got the goo. the report from master sitter, davis, was that "she just doesn't feel well." so sad. she didn't get to have super fun goo goo. breathing treatment, bulb syringe, you name it. that is true friendship, people.

came home, and it was just a tough afternoon for everyone involved. i did NOT want to leave the house, but i realized that i hadn't been to the store to get groceries in a while. so i did what any perfect susie homemaker would do. i called pizza hut. it was a hit with the whole family. even the goo gnawed on the crust.

got her bathed and to bed. got big h bathed, HAIR WASHED, and to bed. and he wanted to "mama, make sure you sank zesus for daddy. he's coming home soon, huh?" oh, little man, you have no idea what you're in for tomorrow night.

speaking of tomorrow night, i decided that i would surprise big h with a trip to the airport to pick up daddy. i realize that now you can basically pull to a slow crawl at the entrance of the airport and hope that your waiting party is ready to jump in your car without it ever stopping. but don't think we're not going to take advantage of the "daddy business trip." they rarely happen, so we're making the most of it. i got a sitter to put the goo down. and big h and i are going to get on our jammies, head out towards the airport, eat somewhere fun on the way, and then pick up daddy. buz knows about it, but big h doesn't. airplanes and his best friend. he might pass out. i'll take a paper bag, just in case.

and that's it. tomorrow, the goo and i have big h's parent/teacher conference. is he old enough for one of these? :) last year, it was so much fun to have someone talk about my little man and all of the things he has accomplished and all that they were looking forward to seeing him work on and tackle.

more medicine for the goo. so send your prayers this way. she is a mess.

we love you, buz, and we cannot wait to see you and hug you and love on you tomorrow!

day 2 of single parenthood

we're surviving, folks.

the goo woke up in the middle of the night last night. nothing a little air conditioning fan noise couldn't help. she woke up still not feeling well. big h woke up in a FABULOUS mood.

let me hear an AMEN!

we all got up and did our morning routine. i.e. set baby on the floor and let her play with the same toys she plays with every morning, get big h some "no-nee" (aka milk) and 2 "dings" (aka eggos) and get mama a bowl of life cereal.

i'm reading that feeling sorry for the goo. she's the second born. bless her heart.

called the doc right when they opened. 9:50 appointment. perfect.

big h did great getting in the car. was actually excited about the whole prospect of going to school today. sweet jesus. thank you, thank you.

dropped him off and headed for the doc's. remember -- appointment at 950. we got called back at 1040. unfortunate for us.

let me digress. so there was this lady/mom there. she wasn't sitting with her son, who was maybe 9 or 10. she looked like she was digging in her purse when she would start to fall toward her purse. i thought, "poor her. rough night." but clearly no infant with her to have caused a sleepless night. so i did what any concerned fellow citizen would do. i gossiped about it to the mom next to me. ok, not really gossiped. just asked if she thought anything of the lady's apparent narcolepsy. well, apparently my genuine concern and interest in her well-being became the talk of the office. i had at least 2 staff members ask if she was ok. i mean, people, i was really worried for this little kid. he appeared to be totally fine with this, as though this is not out of the ordinary for his mama. she started putting on mascara (already had on mascara, but that's neither here or there). and she kept closing her eye and falling forward and getting mascara on her forehead. now, i am no makeup wearer, but i'm almost positive mascara only goes on your eyelashes. correct me if i'm wrong.

anyway, sleepless lady, if you're out there, i hope you're ok.

anyhoo. we got to see dr. g, who asked about big h. we LOVE this man. after a full exam, we were told "she's got a cold." nice. i love paying insurance money only to hear that we can use some over the counter medicine to cure her ails. such is life. took her home and got her a nap and me some quiet time.

in medical news, this is what is going on around the wisner house:

the kid is such a hoss! he holds his own nebulizer mask.

i know what you're thinking. i am a beacon of hope to other women who just hope that one day they will look this good in a white t-shirt and black sweat pants and no shower.

anyway, picked up big h, who was thrilled about how much fun he had at school. i told him we needed to go to the store to get the goo some diapers. and he reminded me that we were out of "bo-nanas" and that we needed to get some "so fast, mama."

super target, here we come. oh, some days, i wish i could walk around that place by myself. it's a beautiful place. so serene. full of so many extravagant purchases that could be made.

only spent an hour there and headed home for goo's 2nd nap.

we had our buddy A over tonight. we babysit him every other tuesday night, so his parents can be together. then, they return the favor on the other weeks.

let me tell you -- i can only imagine what this 2 1/2-year-old must have said on the way home. i don't know what happened to me right before he got here, but this mama turned into a full on OGRE! i kid you not. i think the "i miss my hubby" set in in full force, and i had no patience. the poor kid somehow picked up every "no" toy we own. bless his heart. i think even big h was looking at me like, "mom, are you ok?"

got the goo down. got big h bathed. he's down now. and now i am breathing a sigh of relief that i have only one more night of daddy not here at bedtime.

speaking of daddy. this is how much my husband loves me. he called me when his conference was finished for the day, letting me know that he was heading back to the mall to look around some more as well as eat dinner somewhere fun. and this is what he says. "um, i'm on the shuttle over to the mall, and i overheard some people talking about how the nordstrom at this mall has the biggest shoe section of any nordstrom in the US and minnesota doesn't have sales tax. wanna get online and look for some shoes you want me to get for you?"

tears. tears of joy and gratitude. and he's mine.

so to daddy...

day 1 of single parenthood

is going ok, i guess.

this morning began with the daily question of "mama, when you all done feeding baby gree-ya, where we going?"

hmmm...i'm not sure there is a fun, creative way to say "well, YAY! WE ARE GOING TO THE ENT FOR A TUBE FOLLOW-UP! SO MUCH FUN FOR US/YOU!"

seeing as how every time we have ever been to the ENT, we, meaning big h, have pitched the mother of all tantrums for some reason or another.

so, after lots of prayer and the crossing of my fingers, i responded with, "well, we have some things to do today. mama needs to go get a new bible. (which i do, by the way. my new, smaller one to cart in the diaper bag came out of the binding after a whopping 2 months of use.) then, we may go to the mall that has the trains that you like to ride. and then i think before we do any of those things, we will go see the lady who will look in your ears to make sure there is no water in them."

side note: big h had tubes put in back in november 2005 and has been wearing lovely red, custom made ear plugs in the bath ever since. these ear plugs have become a source of poor hygiene in our family. he hates having them in SO MUCH that we don't wash his hair every night. he's a 3-year-old boy who sweats and gets dirty. and i STILL don't wash his hair every night. too much trauma for one mama (or daddy) to handle. in fact, buz doesn't ever wash his hair. he lets me do it. thanks, dear.

we went to the swimming pool birthday party on saturday, which was a HUGE success until we had to get out of the swimming pool to go to the party room. dad accidentally told big h that we were going upstairs to get pizza and cake. to make a REALLY long story not quite as long, big h only heard the cake part. and proceeded to cry like a maniac and let EVERYONE know that he was not pleased that we were not having cake right when we got to the party room. oh sweet mother of all that's good.

however, at the swimming pool, big h tripped and went under water. no drowning or drowning experiences. but he did go under water. BIG no no in the world of ear tubes.

so i have been paranoid ever since.

back to the ENT. when we walk in, my son was in an extremely good mood. rare. we played with the goo. read some books. talked about the plans for our day. i always have to remind him that when she calls us back, we need to stop what we're doing and go back. the reminder is always helpful. when i don't remind, we pay for it the ENTIRE visit. when she called his name, he asked, "hey, yady. are you going to look into my ears and see if there is water in them?"

i just told the lady to nod.

he marched down the hall to our exam room, and he got to sit in the big exam chair. he was pumped about it, saying it resembled a rocket ship. "oh mama, i so uh-sited!" i gave the lady a little history, which was weird since we've been going to this doc since september '05. anyway. she told him that she was going to look in his ears but that to get to them, she had to raise him up. at first, i thought it was going to scare him. and then, i see a look of complete GLEE, and he starts saying over and over again, "mama, yook at me. i'm in a real rocket ship. i am so higher than you and so higher than little baby. gree-ya, yook. i am higher than you and mama. see? i'm higher!" he tilted his head perfectly for her to look in each ear. then she looked in his nose, and he started telling her, "there is a lot of yuckies in there, huh?" (we call boogers "yuckies.") then, she wanted him to open his mouth, and he asked her if she wanted him to roar like a lion. what i would give to know what her dinner table conversation was like tonight.

then, we were off to the tympanogram room for them to test for fluid in his ears and to take some pictures of the insides of his ears. when she said she was getting ready to take some pictures of the insides of his ears, he started saying very loudly, "CHEESE!"

we came back in the exam room and talked about everything. and the one thing i hoped she wouldn't say, she did. he has to wear plugs at the pool all summer because the holes aren't closed all the way yet.

big sigh.

i asked if she could tell him that. he does really well with authority figures telling him important information. she told him he would have to wear his ear plugs in the swimming pool all summer. "oh, ok. my mama forgot them at CJ's birthday party." thanks, big h.

as we were leaving, he was thanking everyone for looking in his ears to see if there was water in them.

we headed to the mall for a little happy meal and some train riding. came home. the goo napped from 2:30-5! and big h took a nap on me from 3:45-5! bliss.

but then, sunday night blues times 1000 set in. it's 5, and daddy's not coming home.

the goo doesn't feel well, so tomorrow she and i will head to see dr. g while big h heads to school.

meanwhile, daddy is living it up at the mall of america right now. but, he's going to be working tomorrow through thursday night. plus, for him to be gone this long, he better have fun. i miss the tar out of him.

again...i know some of you have husbands who travel or work nights or just work late. and wow -- i am so sorry for you.

sweet buz, i miss you so much! we take you for granted, and we/i are/am sorry. i love you!

wish i had a funny story

so, i haven't written anything in a week or so, and i thought i would sit down tonight and jot down a couple of things on my mind. but you would be so sad to learn the things going on in my head right now, due to their "mundaneness." (the fact that i just made "mundaneness" a word should say something.)

1. it's a friday night, and i could be listening to anything i want on my ipod, but i am listening to the CARS soundtrack. i am the mama of a boy. all boy.
2. sweet big h is WAY INTO playing dress up. buz and i are not concerned. yet. he does go into my closet frequently these days coming out with various "outfits," if you will call them such. given his "issues" with shoes, we find it interesting that he has been trying all of my shoes as well as dad's. yesterday, i experienced such a proud moment of a mommy. i wanted to run an errand down in the "city." i went to have one of the goo's dresses monogrammed. mind you, this is a very, very swanky childrens' clothing store. when we were finished, we were going to pick up dad at the train station, as a little fun surprise for both big h and daddy. when he found out that we were going to get daddy after we "runned some ay-yuns," he decided to get in the car wearing this...then, the same day, i was going to get the goo out of her carseat, and i come back into the kitchen to him wearing this...
3. last night, i got to celebrate my bff's pregnancy. she has one month to go. bff, i can't wait to meet baby #2. thanks for letting us love on you last night. you are one chic chick!!!
4. yesterday was the birthday of my very best friend. kelly, thank you for coming into my life in 4th grade. i long for the day when we get to see each other again. "you dumbo nuhd."
5. tomorrow we have a birthday swim party to go to. no offense to the mom of big h's best friend, but who wants to get into a swimsuit in the middle of march after just recently having a baby? hmmm...isn't having a SEVEN MONTH OLD still considered "just recent?" where is my swimsuit? can i wear a t-shirt and running shorts over my swimsuit or is that just for 7th grade girls?
6. on the same note, i find it disheartening that everywhere i have gone to get the goo a swimsuit -- oh yes, we are getting homegirl in the water -- all they have are bikinis. now, i realize that i will not be getting into a bikini, well, ever. but a 7-month-old? seriously, what is wrong with that picture? goo...i will NOT be putting you into a 2-piece tomorrow. sorry. you'll have plenty of years left for that.
7. begin the mourning process. buz is going out of town for FOUR DAYS. he leaves on monday and does not come back until thursday night after both kiddos go to bed. now, before you get on my case...all of you whose husbands travel on a regular basis...this is new to me. i am not used to sweet buz going out of town. i am not even used to him being home late at night. so, like i said, pour on the sympathy.
8. sad news around the wisner house. we are officially finished with the infant carseat. (weeping out loud) we haven't installed it yet, but it has been purchased. no more carseat carriers for the wisners. ever.
9. my heart melts for my little man. as big h and i were "resting" today (resting used in the loosest form possible), he began to list all of my facial features by touching them one by one. "mama's 1 eye. mama's utter eye. mama's nose." then, out of nowhere, he says, "hey mama, i (pointing at his eye) have hid your word in my heart (pointing at his heart)." tears. lots of them.
10. yesterday, i got to talk to my sweet friend, marino. what a hoot. we have one of those friendships where we can just pick back up where we left off. every time. and to learn what a hoot she is, you can read about her here. just thinking about her makes me smile. really, really big.
11. have i mentioned how much i LOVE the goo? i haven't? i LOVE the goo.

i think that's about it. see what i mean? i'm thinking that not that many people care about who i've been talking to on the phone this week or what kind of safety devices we are installing in our cars these days. but thanks for dropping by anyway.

we went to eat dinner with buz's brother and sister-in-law tonight. they have an almost 7-year-old boy (who big h idolizes) and an almost 4-year-old daughter. and a little boy, brandon michael, coming to meet us in july.

we had a talk with big h on the way about being sweet and sharing. sometimes when we go to their house, things get ugly with his girl cousin. they are roughly the same age, and sometimes they butt heads. anyway, we were rehearsing some potential scenes (something i've started doing that has worked). and he was saying all the right things. which was good.

we got there. and he really was being sweet. i was so proud of him. anyway, when my nephew gets *into* something, he really gets *into* it. right now, he is into this movie. he, my niece, and big h played so well tonight. i was so proud of big h.

we get home and are getting ready for bed. as we're reading stories and getting ready to talk to jesus, he says, "mama, you sing that, ok?" "sing what?" "you know...the UNGH song."

right. of course.

i told him to sing it to me. he gets out of his bed, as though he was preparing for a broadway show and proceeds to sing, "unh. get your head in the game. chick chick. get your head in the game. oh yeah, get your head in the game. yeah, yeah."

mama, you do it.

i couldn't. i just couldn't.

the dancing that this boy was coming up with. where did he get those hips? papa?

not to mention that the goo had her first CACKLE watching my nephew sing the "get your head in the game" song. cackling, people. it was so stinking hysterical. guess we need to get the soundtrack. oh, to have something new to listen to in the car, other than the wiggles sailing around the world or veggie tales.

changing the subject.

i was NOT wife of the year last night. long story. actually, it's not a long story at all, but i would prefer not to embarrass myself to that extent for all to read. let's just put it this way -- i was NOT nice and sweet to my spouse and was ashamed of my actions.

so i went to pick big h up from school and decided we needed to go get daddy an "i'm sorry" goody of sorts. and nothing says i'm sorry like chocolate chips. so we headed to the big cookie place to get a cookie cake as a present for daddy.

big h is VERY big into making phone calls. this is the conversation i heard from the backseat.

big h: hi. present guy. it's me. ah-nee. we are doing great. tank you for asking. my mommy needs to know if you have a big present for my daddy. oh? you do? that is you-ti-ful. we are on our way. we need it soon because mommy was really mean to my daddy, and she needs to say she's sorry really really past. thanks. i'll talk to you later.

hey mommy, present guy has a big cookie. then you can give daddy his present and say sorry lots. and daddy will say, "oh that's ok. it was just an accident."

God love this kid.

one more thing. i can't NOT comment on this. even though she did and she always does.

american idol.

buz and i have actually watched this season from the very beginning. and for those of you who are watching, i have one question.

why?

why this?

actually, i thought i would have more to say. nope. i'm speechless. period.

shoes

(warning: i got link crazy tonight.)

well, hallelujah. the Lord is on my side. not only did He bless me with a cool pair of shoes to ring in the new season (which i despise so much.) He chose to do the same for my sweet big h.

now, for those of you who are new to big h's character, he has some quirky tendencies. the main one is that he has only worn one pair of shoes (different sizes, of course, but he doesn't know that) since july of 2005. refuses anything else.

up until february. and he got these. and just so you know, i would have pasted a picture of them, but i cannot find them online ANYWHERE. that's how scared buz and i were about these shoes. we were going to need them in a bigger size at some point.

plus, summer is coming. and he can't wear these boots without socks. they give him blisters. we've already figured out that. and don't ask how many "bang gaids" we went through during that trauma. so buz and i were literally praying that those exact boots in one size bigger would miraculously show up on our doorstep, and we could teach big h about how God works miracles. teaching moments, people. that's what i'm always looking for.

so today happens. we play at the mall with my buddies weentrab and franklin. and another girl who i don't know. nice girl. but when you play at the mall, you don't get into deep conversations, other than who's kid has to go potty and who can't find their kid, and what kind of pizza your kid wants vs. what kind other kids want. we're getting ready to leave, and i wanted to run "just a quick errand." we are in a kids' clothing store, and see some very cute shoes. i thought to myself, "i wish my kid was *normal* and would just wear shoes because i tell him to." (yes, i really did think that to myself.) he sees them and immediately starts crying saying, "i don't want those shoes. i don't want laces." what? so for a year and a half, you wore tennis shoes with laces, and now your new thing is no laces? ok, ok, appease the little guy. "buddy, we don't have to get them. i just thought i'd show them to you."

"but i wwwaaaaannnnntttt new shoes, mama."

pause.

you want what?

don't think i didn't run out of that store as fast as my feet could carry me and head to my favorite shoe store. i don't mind admitting. i'm a shoe snob. you know why? because if my kid is going to have ONE pair for 2 years, i sure as heck don't want something i am not going to like looking at for those 2 years. go ahead...say what you will.

we walk in, and i walk toward the shoes with NO laces, since that is what we are now into. i see some and say, "hmmm...these are pretty cool." fully expecting to have him start crying for some reason or another.

"yeah, mama, those are sooooo coooooollllll."

when i told the sales clerk what size, she said those shoes didn't come in small sizes. i immediately asked her what size the display was. honestly, i don't even remember if she answered. i just took it off the display and put it on big h. he LOVED them and continued to say, "mama, these are the coolest shoes i have ever weared. gree-ya, you like these shoes? you want some?"

i will have you know -- the goo did not get herself a pair of these miracles.

he did not take them off until bath time. and i'll have you know. he is wearing him under the covers with his jammies as i write this. at first, he wanted them to be tucked in with him. but he decided it was a better idea to just wear them. "them are so comfy, mama. thank you for the coooooollll shoes." you may be thinking to yourself, "i would no more let my kid go to bed in his new shoes." and i say back to you, "yes you would. if big h was your son."

here they are.


do you notice a strong resemblance to my new shoes? :) apple doesn't fall far from the tree, i guess.

(yes, i have dedicated an entire post to my kid's new shoes. talk as you wish.)