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Tagged by Julee
5 Things
TEN YEARS AGO...
Jason and I had just moved into our first apartment in Cockeysville, MD. He was still attending college full-time and doing Home Health Physical Therapy part time. I was doing an internship with Channel 13 news in Baltimore and working at The Nature Company part time.
FIVE YEARS AGO...
Jason had just started medical school. We had just moved to beautiful, sunny Plantation, FL. Most likely at this exact moment five years ago he was practicing OMM on me or practicing taking a history on me. Or...we could have been out drinking with his medical school buddies.
ONE YEAR AGO...
We had just moved into this house at Andrews AFB. Connor was 1 and had just gotten his swanky crib instead of sleeping in his pack-n-play. Eeyore was his favorite thing in the world. Connor had just gotten surgery to put in new ear tubes and get his tear ducts roto-routered.
YESTERDAY...
I got up at 5:15 AM to go to a Power Pump class at the gym! Yea strength training! Yea me for going to the gym! Yesterday was also my first time going to the commissary with both kids, Alanna in the front carrier and Connor in the cart.
5 SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO...
Hot Potato, The Wiggles
Alphbet Song
Twinkle Twinkle
Winnie The Pooh Theme
Kiss Me Son of God, They Might Be Giants
5 SNACKS ...
Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls
DORITOS
Krispy Kreme
Cookie Crisp Cereal
Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
5 THINGS I'D DO WITH $100 MILLION...
Pay off all our debts
Pay off most of the debts for our families
Take an awesome vacation with TJ and Nicole
Take care of our retirement and college for kids
Donate A LOT to animal charities
5 PLACES I'D RUN AWAY TO...
Key West
Ft. Lauderdale
Tampa
Hawaii
TJ's and Nicole's house (where ever that may be soon, could be a large cardboad box)
5 THINGS I'D NEVER WEAR...
thong underwear
an itsy-bitsy bikini
stiletto heels
a fur coat
a normal bra size
5 BOOKS/TV SHOWS I LOVE
In The Hand of the Goddess, Tamora Pierce
Kushiels's Dart, Jacqueline Carey
All Harry Potter Books
Daughter of the Forest, Juliet Marillier
The Monkees
5 GREATEST JOYS...
My children
My husband
My pets
Going on fun day trips with my family
Good ice cream
5 FAVORITE TOYS...
My pink bunny
Computer
digital camera
Video monitoing system to watch Connor
Satellite radio
5 PEOPLE I'M TAGGING TO PLAY...
Nicole, TJ, Cassandra,Amber, Wil Wheaton Jason was so depressed when we got to Andrews AFB because he really wanted to concentrate on Osteopathic Manual Manipulation (fixing backs, necks, feet, heads...you name it similar to a chiropractor but much better) but found few ways to do it in his family practice residency. He has to be what the Air Force wants him to be. One of his professors in medical school told him that the OMM practice would come to him if he really wanted it. It seems to be coming out of the woodwork.
My darling hubby has gotten a reputation around the base as THE man to turn to when you have pulled something out of whack. A neighbor complained to her M.D. husband about her back pain and he suggested that she see Jason. He fixed her on his fold-out table right in our living room. She raved about him to me the next day when she brought us a Yankee candle and some warm apple pie. My buddy Tracy was having back spasms that her regular doctor gave her vallium for, but Jason fixed her last night and now she is pain free without the serious pain meds. My next door neighbor is probably coming over tonight.
Jason is going to get more practice than he ever dreamed soon! It makes me so happy to see him doing what he loves. Our dream is to open a primarily OMM practice in Key West, FL. We could buy an old Victorian house and put his practice on the first floor while we live on the second. The kids and I can go swim with dolphins, sharks and turtles after school. Hmmmmm. Only five and a half more years of Air Force life. Who is crazy enough to pack a 10 week-old baby, a crazy two year-old, two large dogs and two adults into a minivan and head four hours south to the beach? We are. But packing us into the hotel room was even more fun.
Alanna looked adorable in her end-of-year clearance beach items.
Connor had trouble sleeping in a regular bed the first night, but he loved the beach. Spending time with his Daddy was the best though.
Virginia Beach was our chosen vacation destination because they allow dogs all along the beach right now, but I really enjoyed the dolphins EVERYWHERE! Every time we went to the beach they were just right there in front of us. Several times I saw them jump completely out of the water. It made breastfeeding Alanna in a beach chair much more entertaining!
Our Alaskan Malamute, Sasha was such a good girl, she stayed right by our side the while time and loved to sit under the umbrella with her baby sister Alanna.
Connor was a little hesitant about the waves at first, but by the third trip to the beach, we were having to pull him out of the waves because he was going in too deep.
All in all it was a good trip. A LOT of family togetherness in the hotel room, woohoo let me tell you. Northern Virginia/DC traffic made for a killer tie-up both ways, but we made the most of Jason's vacation time. Playing catch up now...
Last weekend I had a "girls night out" with the female doctors in Jason's resident class and the wives of the male doctors in his class. All we knew in advance is that we were supposed to dress up, the rest was a surprise. I got to spend more time than normal getting ready, so I straightened my hair! Woohoo I felt like a girl for once.
We had wine, cheese and chocolate till everyone arrived. Then we were told that our surprise was a night out in a limo!
We went to the Capital to get pictures taken.
I took this really cool picture:
We had to return some of the girls to our starting point since they had to get up early in the morning. The rest of us went to a club. Our hostess, Danielle (in the red dress) got very drunk and hugged all over me telling me I was really funny. The funny thing about this is that I have not been able to drink for over a year and still had a better tolerance than these girls. Guess the extra 1,000 pounds on my body comes in handy, or not depending on how you look at it. I had to pump and dump the next day, but at least I got a night out of it. I am tackling potty train head-on. When the expensive cloth diaper and special inserts fail to hold the pee-pee, it is time to move on. I hate buying disposable diapers. I figured I would buy some Buzz Lightyear training pants with the "special wetness liner" and see if Connor would like it. I also bought some Disney Princess "do it yourself" wipes (for me actually).
Connor loved the wipes and I told him if he goes pee-pee on the potty he got a Princess wipey. No problem, he can pee at will, then hold and pee again for another wipey. He likes the Buzz Lightyear toys we bought him a while ago, but has *gasp* never seen A Toy Story. I bought that too. I also ordered a Potty Time Bear DVD.
We started the morning watching Bear in the Big Blue House Potty Time, then opened the Buzz pants. He loved pulling them on and off. (Pretty funny to be tied down breastfeeding when he figured out how to pull the pants off and run around naked holding himself.) Then we watched A Toy Story to heighten the experience of the Buzz pants. I saw that he wanted to go potty, but didn't want to leave the movie (who would?) so I brought the potty in the living room next to him. That worked well.
After lunch he TOLD me he wanted to go poopy on the potty! I sat him down and distracted him with a photo album. Next thing you know that cutest little turd was in his potty! I am so proud! I think I'll take a picture of it. He got to put on some brand-new Buzz pants and got many hugs a kisses from me.
Imagine how warped you are when you are a parent. I worked so hard for that little turd that I am thinking about taking a picture of it. Yea, life is so weird, but wonderful. Thanks to my new MobiCam video monitor, I caught my toddler in the act of escaping from his crib. Granted, I knew he was capable of it, I just had no proof that he does do it till today. He spent the first hour of his nap time playing with some new spider slippers I got him at Old Navy today, so I took them away from him, threw them on the floor and closed the door again. A minute later he has them on again and was in his crib. This time I took them away and walked out with them. I watched him climb out of his crib lickity split to search for them. I punished him and plopped him back in his crib warning him to "never do that again".
So is it time for a toddler bed? Does that then send a message that it is ok to get out of bed if we give him a bed that is easy to get out of? Is the priority to make it safer for him to get out since he will do it anyway? Should I buy one of those mesh toddler trap coverings to keep him in the crib? He is 2 years and 4 months and has loved his crib so far, but the baby will need it in a few months. Right now Alanna actually sleeps in her car seat on top of the co-sleeper but buy the time she is 6 months or so she will need to sleep in a crib (or pack-N-play).
When is the right time to move him out of this crib...or should I just put the toddler bed rail on it? "Here son, escape easier now!"
What should I do? I was watching CNN today and saw Air Force One land for the President's tour. I said to myself "that's the plane I see on the flight line every time I go to the Commissary to buy groceries!" Yea, the President of the United States of America keeps his plane a few blocks from my house. My neighbor oversees the accomodations when Clinton and Bush Sr. stay here overnight before a flight. Yea. Cool.
The President must be a few blocks away from me pretty often as he takes off and lands. Cool. At least that means they won't close my base any time soon.
Random thoughts. When Connor screams for Peee Paaaw, I don't flinch, it's nothing new. So I told Connor "No Peeee Paaaw" as he screamed for it this morning. Did that deter him? No, I left the cabinet lock off of the entertainment center so he just helped himself. We use a portable DVD player attached to our regular TV and somehow he figured out how to turn it on and press play at the root menu.
Imagine my shock when I came out of the bathroom and saw Star Wars playing. Of course I gave in. I even pulled his comfy chair up to the TV for him.
He is so smart. Last night he sang "Twinkle Twinkle" all by himself...ALL THE WORDS! Jason and I stared at each other with our jaws hanging open. It is these little moments that make being a parent fun, which you need to balance out "naughty seat" moments.
I am fish-sitting again this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed. I so hope this new fish does not try to kill himself on my watch. At least I have neutralized this time.
5 Things
TEN YEARS AGO...
Jason and I had just moved into our first apartment in Cockeysville, MD. He was still attending college full-time and doing Home Health Physical Therapy part time. I was doing an internship with Channel 13 news in Baltimore and working at The Nature Company part time.
FIVE YEARS AGO...
Jason had just started medical school. We had just moved to beautiful, sunny Plantation, FL. Most likely at this exact moment five years ago he was practicing OMM on me or practicing taking a history on me. Or...we could have been out drinking with his medical school buddies.
ONE YEAR AGO...
We had just moved into this house at Andrews AFB. Connor was 1 and had just gotten his swanky crib instead of sleeping in his pack-n-play. Eeyore was his favorite thing in the world. Connor had just gotten surgery to put in new ear tubes and get his tear ducts roto-routered.
YESTERDAY...
I got up at 5:15 AM to go to a Power Pump class at the gym! Yea strength training! Yea me for going to the gym! Yesterday was also my first time going to the commissary with both kids, Alanna in the front carrier and Connor in the cart.
5 SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO...
Hot Potato, The Wiggles
Alphbet Song
Twinkle Twinkle
Winnie The Pooh Theme
Kiss Me Son of God, They Might Be Giants
5 SNACKS ...
Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls
DORITOS
Krispy Kreme
Cookie Crisp Cereal
Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
5 THINGS I'D DO WITH $100 MILLION...
Pay off all our debts
Pay off most of the debts for our families
Take an awesome vacation with TJ and Nicole
Take care of our retirement and college for kids
Donate A LOT to animal charities
5 PLACES I'D RUN AWAY TO...
Key West
Ft. Lauderdale
Tampa
Hawaii
TJ's and Nicole's house (where ever that may be soon, could be a large cardboad box)
5 THINGS I'D NEVER WEAR...
thong underwear
an itsy-bitsy bikini
stiletto heels
a fur coat
a normal bra size
5 BOOKS/TV SHOWS I LOVE
In The Hand of the Goddess, Tamora Pierce
Kushiels's Dart, Jacqueline Carey
All Harry Potter Books
Daughter of the Forest, Juliet Marillier
The Monkees
5 GREATEST JOYS...
My children
My husband
My pets
Going on fun day trips with my family
Good ice cream
5 FAVORITE TOYS...
My pink bunny
Computer
digital camera
Video monitoing system to watch Connor
Satellite radio
5 PEOPLE I'M TAGGING TO PLAY...
Nicole, TJ, Cassandra,Amber, Wil Wheaton Jason was so depressed when we got to Andrews AFB because he really wanted to concentrate on Osteopathic Manual Manipulation (fixing backs, necks, feet, heads...you name it similar to a chiropractor but much better) but found few ways to do it in his family practice residency. He has to be what the Air Force wants him to be. One of his professors in medical school told him that the OMM practice would come to him if he really wanted it. It seems to be coming out of the woodwork.
My darling hubby has gotten a reputation around the base as THE man to turn to when you have pulled something out of whack. A neighbor complained to her M.D. husband about her back pain and he suggested that she see Jason. He fixed her on his fold-out table right in our living room. She raved about him to me the next day when she brought us a Yankee candle and some warm apple pie. My buddy Tracy was having back spasms that her regular doctor gave her vallium for, but Jason fixed her last night and now she is pain free without the serious pain meds. My next door neighbor is probably coming over tonight.
Jason is going to get more practice than he ever dreamed soon! It makes me so happy to see him doing what he loves. Our dream is to open a primarily OMM practice in Key West, FL. We could buy an old Victorian house and put his practice on the first floor while we live on the second. The kids and I can go swim with dolphins, sharks and turtles after school. Hmmmmm. Only five and a half more years of Air Force life. Who is crazy enough to pack a 10 week-old baby, a crazy two year-old, two large dogs and two adults into a minivan and head four hours south to the beach? We are. But packing us into the hotel room was even more fun.
Alanna looked adorable in her end-of-year clearance beach items.
Connor had trouble sleeping in a regular bed the first night, but he loved the beach. Spending time with his Daddy was the best though.
Virginia Beach was our chosen vacation destination because they allow dogs all along the beach right now, but I really enjoyed the dolphins EVERYWHERE! Every time we went to the beach they were just right there in front of us. Several times I saw them jump completely out of the water. It made breastfeeding Alanna in a beach chair much more entertaining!
Our Alaskan Malamute, Sasha was such a good girl, she stayed right by our side the while time and loved to sit under the umbrella with her baby sister Alanna.
Connor was a little hesitant about the waves at first, but by the third trip to the beach, we were having to pull him out of the waves because he was going in too deep.
All in all it was a good trip. A LOT of family togetherness in the hotel room, woohoo let me tell you. Northern Virginia/DC traffic made for a killer tie-up both ways, but we made the most of Jason's vacation time. Playing catch up now...
Last weekend I had a "girls night out" with the female doctors in Jason's resident class and the wives of the male doctors in his class. All we knew in advance is that we were supposed to dress up, the rest was a surprise. I got to spend more time than normal getting ready, so I straightened my hair! Woohoo I felt like a girl for once.
We had wine, cheese and chocolate till everyone arrived. Then we were told that our surprise was a night out in a limo!
We went to the Capital to get pictures taken.
I took this really cool picture:
We had to return some of the girls to our starting point since they had to get up early in the morning. The rest of us went to a club. Our hostess, Danielle (in the red dress) got very drunk and hugged all over me telling me I was really funny. The funny thing about this is that I have not been able to drink for over a year and still had a better tolerance than these girls. Guess the extra 1,000 pounds on my body comes in handy, or not depending on how you look at it. I had to pump and dump the next day, but at least I got a night out of it. I am tackling potty train head-on. When the expensive cloth diaper and special inserts fail to hold the pee-pee, it is time to move on. I hate buying disposable diapers. I figured I would buy some Buzz Lightyear training pants with the "special wetness liner" and see if Connor would like it. I also bought some Disney Princess "do it yourself" wipes (for me actually).
Connor loved the wipes and I told him if he goes pee-pee on the potty he got a Princess wipey. No problem, he can pee at will, then hold and pee again for another wipey. He likes the Buzz Lightyear toys we bought him a while ago, but has *gasp* never seen A Toy Story. I bought that too. I also ordered a Potty Time Bear DVD.
We started the morning watching Bear in the Big Blue House Potty Time, then opened the Buzz pants. He loved pulling them on and off. (Pretty funny to be tied down breastfeeding when he figured out how to pull the pants off and run around naked holding himself.) Then we watched A Toy Story to heighten the experience of the Buzz pants. I saw that he wanted to go potty, but didn't want to leave the movie (who would?) so I brought the potty in the living room next to him. That worked well.
After lunch he TOLD me he wanted to go poopy on the potty! I sat him down and distracted him with a photo album. Next thing you know that cutest little turd was in his potty! I am so proud! I think I'll take a picture of it. He got to put on some brand-new Buzz pants and got many hugs a kisses from me.
Imagine how warped you are when you are a parent. I worked so hard for that little turd that I am thinking about taking a picture of it. Yea, life is so weird, but wonderful. Thanks to my new MobiCam video monitor, I caught my toddler in the act of escaping from his crib. Granted, I knew he was capable of it, I just had no proof that he does do it till today. He spent the first hour of his nap time playing with some new spider slippers I got him at Old Navy today, so I took them away from him, threw them on the floor and closed the door again. A minute later he has them on again and was in his crib. This time I took them away and walked out with them. I watched him climb out of his crib lickity split to search for them. I punished him and plopped him back in his crib warning him to "never do that again".
So is it time for a toddler bed? Does that then send a message that it is ok to get out of bed if we give him a bed that is easy to get out of? Is the priority to make it safer for him to get out since he will do it anyway? Should I buy one of those mesh toddler trap coverings to keep him in the crib? He is 2 years and 4 months and has loved his crib so far, but the baby will need it in a few months. Right now Alanna actually sleeps in her car seat on top of the co-sleeper but buy the time she is 6 months or so she will need to sleep in a crib (or pack-N-play).
When is the right time to move him out of this crib...or should I just put the toddler bed rail on it? "Here son, escape easier now!"
What should I do? I was watching CNN today and saw Air Force One land for the President's tour. I said to myself "that's the plane I see on the flight line every time I go to the Commissary to buy groceries!" Yea, the President of the United States of America keeps his plane a few blocks from my house. My neighbor oversees the accomodations when Clinton and Bush Sr. stay here overnight before a flight. Yea. Cool.
The President must be a few blocks away from me pretty often as he takes off and lands. Cool. At least that means they won't close my base any time soon.
Random thoughts. When Connor screams for Peee Paaaw, I don't flinch, it's nothing new. So I told Connor "No Peeee Paaaw" as he screamed for it this morning. Did that deter him? No, I left the cabinet lock off of the entertainment center so he just helped himself. We use a portable DVD player attached to our regular TV and somehow he figured out how to turn it on and press play at the root menu.
Imagine my shock when I came out of the bathroom and saw Star Wars playing. Of course I gave in. I even pulled his comfy chair up to the TV for him.
He is so smart. Last night he sang "Twinkle Twinkle" all by himself...ALL THE WORDS! Jason and I stared at each other with our jaws hanging open. It is these little moments that make being a parent fun, which you need to balance out "naughty seat" moments.
I am fish-sitting again this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed. I so hope this new fish does not try to kill himself on my watch. At least I have neutralized this time.