Monday, August 31, 2009

Nothing but a Manic Monday

Hello world! I had a busy weekend. It was my grandma's 70th birthday. It was pretty fun. Ian flirted it up with all of the ladies. He also sucked on marble floor...

I wish I had pictures. But, sadly, they're on my mom's camera. Hopefully I will remember to get them and share them with you.

As far as weddings go, I have made some progress. We have officially chose the location for the rehearsal dinner. We wanted something laid back and that gave a "Texas" feel for all of our out-of-town guests. I think we made the perfect decision. After I finish this blog, I will be working on my "Allow Myself to Introduce Myself." What's that?! It's a little questionairre/survey that I made for all of my bridesmaids. They are to fill it out 4 times and snail mail them to each other and myself. I'm pretty excited about it. I decided to do it because they don't really know each other. If they're going to be in my wedding and throwing parties, etc etc, they should get to know each other. We're not all in the same city either, so I just thought this would be a good idea. I'll share the questions, etc after I recieve them all. I don't want them to know why/how I came up with the questions until then! But, hopefully they like it and think it's fun.

I'm still trying to find the perfect wedding shoes. I think I've narrowed it down to 2 pairs.

Moving on... Ian. He is taking steps on his own more and more now. It's amazing to watch. He's such an amazing little boy. I feel like he's growing up way to fast. I know that people say these things all the time, but I mean seriously. He's almost 10 months old. That's old! I am pretty sure that he understands people for the most part when they talk to him. When grandma says "want some whipped cream," he jumps to her. When I say "no," he gives me the lip. It's really cute to watch his reactions to things too. Oh, my little angel. I know, I know. Where is my weekly dosage of Ian!? Here's a picture from the other morning. I bought Ian a toothbrush so that he could be a big boy and brush his teeth when mommy did!

Cute huh? I know. He thinks he's an adult. It's ridiculous.

I must go now. I have to mail out these things for the bridesmaids and get ready for my second day of the internship!! (Which is majorly fun, by the way)!

Blog out.


Friday, August 28, 2009

Seriously?!

UT needs to give people a common-sense or I'm-not-a-complete-moron entrance exam. Let me start off by saying, I am absolutely thrilled that I will be in only one building this semester that just happens to be on the very edge of campus (there is no sarcasm in that statement). The part I dread most about the school year are the bikers and walkers that are too dumb to read signs and thus throw themselves into traffic. Here are a few incidences from today:

1) I am on 24th street, almost to campus and a student on a bicycle decides it's a good idea to ride in the middle of the street. I mean the absolute middle, yellow line middle. Not only this, but they then proceed to run the red light (they are perpendicular to me) and I almost slam right into them. If I had a crying baby in the car, I probably would have! Listen up stupid bikers, RED MEANS STOP! How you got into UT is beyond me. You're obviously not very smart.

2) I was turning because I had a turn signal and a student stepped into the road. This is that Guadeloupe and 24th intersection. Of course I honk at this person. They look at me like I'm insane. It took everything in my body not to shout out at this person about their sheer ignorance. Come on! These people deserve to get hit if they're going to waltz right out in the middle of the road.

3) I'm walking back to the garage from the FAC. There is construction all over campus. There are 2 construction workers directing traffic because they are backing out an 18-wheeler. A guy is holding a stop sign and another dumb ass student proceeds to walk right by the 18-wheeler almost getting run over. Hey, stop sign dude, the next time a student walks when you're holding the sign, beat the living sh*t out of them with the sign until they stop. Student, I promise that the guy isn't holding the sign up because he thinks it's a good work out for his arm. He's doing it for your safety. And frankly, if you're too stupid to understand this, I hope that you get hit next time. Pay attention people. Oh, if you're simply not smart enough to read the sign, in general, red means stop. Try it out.

These occurrences are extremely common and yet people are still baffled to read headlines like "Biker Got Hit." Come on. Follow the rules. Not only do you people think you are superior and obviously invincible, you're dumb. I'm no rocket scientist, but I know that car vs. pedestrian, the pedestrian will most likely lose.

I no longer feel like graduating from UT will be an honor. It has been brought to my attention, that any person can into to this school.

On a happier note, I was very pleased today when I was on the east side at the family business. When I was leaving there were cops escorting people to a funeral, everyone stopped and pulled over on both sides of the road. I thought this only happened in the country. I'm delighted to see that it also happens in Austin.

Sorry for the downer of a post. But, I am just taken back by people's stupidity.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Last First Day

Hey all! Short post today. It's my last first day of school. Hopefully by December, I will be a UT graduate! So, here is a hello from me and Ian (about a month ago).


Now I have to prepare Ian to go to grandma's place. They get to bake today with M. As we speak, the cutest baby in the world is empty the tuberware cabinet. :)

Have a wonderful day.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Excuse Me, Who's Driving?

(Disclaimer: I could write a book on the following events, I will try and make it as short and sweet as possible, hang in there)

I remember when I was 15, I got my learner's permit and I was so excited and determined to be driving. I didn't have to take one of those stupid driver's ed classes either. My mom taught me. At the time, it wasn't too thrilling. In hinde sight, I'm really glad my mom taught me. 1) I had to drive everywhere. Oh what, you forgot to get something at the store. Ugh. She made me drive there. I was driving all the time. 2) Yes, she may have been a little more frieghtened than the driver's ed teachers, but this is probably a good thing. I remember the first turn I ever took, I thought it was a good idea to step on the gas. Needless to say, we almost ended up in the ditch.

Then, I turned 16. At this point, I feel like my mom was comfortable handing me the keys. I got a job. I drove to school, work, and soccer practice, oh and softball. (Other places too). Point being, I'm sure my mother was relieved to not have to drive to these places all the time. I was ridiculously busy. To my knowledge, the first time out by myself, my parents handed me the keys and probably sat down to a great movie, no worry in their hearts. This is either true, or I'm way nieve and wrong. I go with number two. Yesterday I learned my lesson. As a side note here, as a teenager, you do not understand the stress and worry that your parents go through. It is ridiculous. My dad gave me a really good analogy once, but still, nothing close.

Moving on. Yesterday was Tuesday, so I went over to my parent's house with Ian and I made dinner. Yes, I cook sometimes. I made meatballs, gravy, rice, rolls, and my absolute fave, green bean cassarole. Let me set the following scene for you, my dad was putting up Ian's baby gate on the staircase (in a bit, he will also be taking down his tv because it's broken). My mother is holding a very sleepy Ian talking on the phone to my older brother, Aaron. (Stephen has already gone home). And finally, I am putting all of my things together to leave with the baby. Suddenly, my phone rings, "Michael calling." Our hearts stop. My mom proceeds to hang up on Aaron, my dad drops his tools, and I take a huge gulp and answer...

Let me give you a little bit of background before I continue on. Michael is 17 years old. He has his driver's license. He does not drive alone. I don't know if it's because he's the baby, but everyone is terrified about Michael driving. On this very evening, my mom looked at me and said these words, "I am thinking about letting Michael drive to Aaron's by himself." Was she kidding? I think not. This next part I found hilarious. We call Michael into the room and the conversation goes as follows:

Moms: Hey, I'm going to let you drive to Aaron's.
Michael: Oh, you don't want to drive?
Me: No, she means by yourself.
Michael: Oh! (Imagine a deer-caught-in-headlights look)

Another thing that should be mentioned here. My parent's aren't making him drive a piece of crap car, he drives a car that is 100 times nicer than mine (though, oddly enough, I would not trade it with mine). Anyways, we lecture him, I'm sure he loved hearing it. And we sent him on his way. Were I left off, my mom is on the phone with Aaron telling him what's going on and to make sure she gets a phone call when he gets there, etc. etc. You can imagine our surprise when not even 5 minutes later I see Michael calling my phone.

Our hearts stopped because we are 105% sure that if Michael were ever in an accident, he would call me, not my parents. I hear Michael on the other line, Hey Amanda.

Oh. My. Gosh I'm thinking. Hey Michael, what's up?! Are you okay?

Yeah. Um... is mom low on gas? The light is on.

Oh! Moms, are you low on gas? No Michael, it's broken. Pay attention to the mileage. What's the mileage?!

I got to go now, I can't look. **He hangs up on me.**

Everyone gets their adrinaline back down and my mom calls Aaron back. He thinks we are ridiculous. I feel as if I'm about to get an ulcer, so I leave and try to get it out of my head. On my drive home, I have a few thoughts. 1) Were they like this with me? All of this anxiety is ridiculous. 2) No, they couldn't have been, I was (and still am) awesome. It must be because he is the baby. 3) Oh my goodness! Michael isn't even my own kid and I just about had a heart attack. Ian is going to push me over the edge.

Did you hang in there? I know, I'm sorry for the super long post. But, yesterday was a big day. For your information, Michael made it there. I'm still alive. And, I'm anxious about Ian driving (even though he's 9 months old).

Blog out.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Check This Out...

This is adorable. I could never afford this nor do I have a dog. But isn't it the most adorable/awesome thing?
Brought to you by: Sky Mall.

I really need to pick a day for my "check this out" section. I feel like it is 100% completely random. Possibly because it is.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Check this out!

Martha Stewart continues to amaze me. Look at this wall chalkboard calendar. I want one.

MGM

Ian never drank from a bottle. He did from my mom a few times a week while I was at school, but he never held it. He knew that bottle meant nap time, so he didn't really enjoy it. With me and Stephen, he drinks out of big boy cups or cups with a straw. But, a while ago I bought 2 sippy cups that you'd have to turn upside down to drink out of... like a bottle. Ian doesn't get this! Yesterday I went to the grocery store and got Ian some of that drinkable yogurt. I know, I know, it's not for "babies" persay. But he really likes it. And he doesn't eat food very much, so this is my only option at the moment.

I have been searching high and low for his sippy cup with a straw. I cannot find it anywhere! So, I had to bust out the other cups that he'd have to turn upside down to drink. He was holding it just sucking on it with nothing coming out. I keep holding it up for him to drink, but when I let go, his arms go back down. This morning I just tumpt him over onto his back and he began drinking. He stopoped and starred at the cup. He was surprised. I laughed out loud. Then, he continued to drink lying on the ground. He's basically a toddler now.

Hilariously, he understands that "no" means "make a sad pouty face and do it anyways." I can't be serious with him. He's too cute. I find that this will be a problem later him life. But for now, I adore it.

Yesterday was a big day for the boys. I guess taking them to the grocery store is exhausting (Stephen also went to PetsMart in attempt to save the fish, but that will be saved for another post). I put Ian down for a nap and apparently Stephen was tired too. I walked into the room to this:
Come on... Could that be any cuter? I don't think so. It is perhaps the cutest thing that I have ever seen. I love the men in my life. They are incredible.

I updated my 101 in 1001. I am 1 person away from introducing it to 5 people! OH! Ian loves to play with wires. Stephen refuses to put his nicer computer on the ground, does anyone know of a case that you can buy just for the computer part? We don't need a whole desk or anything. Then, I also need an awesome way to hide the wires from the little booger. Right now, I just have to watch him like a hawk.

Now, if you'd excuse me. I have to finish my coffee and play with Ian in anticipation of Amy's arrival.

Blog out.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Circa Noon

Hola! I hope that everyone had a wonderful week, soon to be followed by an inspiring weekend. One of our fish has ich, so I sent Ian and Stephen off to the store so that we can cure the little buger. We also added a school of fish and a snail. I think we might get a bottom feeder today. I still want the glo fish, we don't have them yet. :(

Wedding planning is blooming beautifully! Amy is picking out my rehearsal dinner place. Or at least she's doing all the research, then running it by me. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I feel so at ease now. Stress-free nearly. Amy is wonderful. Have I said this before? I have finished the Save the Dates, I just have to finish compiling e-mail addresses so that I can send them out, I'll do that today. Along with:
  • Update 101 in 1001
  • Clean out kitchen
  • Go get groceries
  • Shop with Jackie (registry)
I know what you're thinking. You're going to register with Jackie?! Yes. Yes I am. Things change when you have a kid.

The blogs have been slacking. I've been exhausted! I came home from work on Thursday with a sleeping baby. I walk into a sauna. I put Ian down on my bed and put 2 fans on him. It's 90 degrees in our apartment and our AC had been running all day! (Yay for high bills!) I called maintenance, stressed to them that I had an infant (Stephen was more concerned about our fish). They came out, but I was gone by then. Ian woke up crying because he was hot. We scrambled to the condo. My parents are out of town, but they don't mind when I do something if it's for Ian. They later confirmed this when their plane landed. Poor guy. He fell asleep again in the car. I hated moving him so much during his nap time.

Back to the fish for a second, Stephen was very concerned. He made me get ice in a bag and put it in the tank to cool it off. I shut the blinds, turned on the fan, shut all the doors. This was a very stressful time for Stephen.... it was adorable. Don't tell him I said he was adorable. All in all, we lost one fish... my baby fish that I had rescued. Poor little guy. I was (and still am) sad.

Onto the A/C. It's fixed now. We have wonderful air condition back in our apartment. Now, I can get back to wedding planning, blogging, and cleaning! Glorious! Our night at the condo was wonderful. Though, Ian doesn't sleep when he's at grandma and t-bone's house. He didn't go to bed until really late. I'm sure he was hoping that they would come play with him at any moment... they didn't. He gets to see them tomorrow though!

School starts next week. I'm excited but bummed at the same time. I am really have troubles leaving Ian lately... toddlers are so much fun! Yes, my 9 month old is a toddler, more on that later. I have got to get going now! So much to do, so little time.

Blog out.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Dear Blog Readers

I have no air conditioning so I am sitting in my parent's bedroom at 5 am. I still have not done Save the Dates. Sorry. They will get done when I have air conditioning.

Sorry for the ridiculously short post. More later.

Blog out.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Tell of the Cursed Apartments

I love my apartments. I don't think this is a secret. I don't know if I've mentioned it before or not, but it is love. We have had 3 different apartments in this complex. I loved them all. The first one, was because they accidentally gave us a 2 bedroom when we wanted a 1 bedroom. They moved us for free into our second apartment. That one was wonderful too. Stephen recently saw the people who live in our second apartment, he says that they look cooler than us. They have musical instruments. I think this makes them way less cooler. That would drive me mad. I am aware they can play instruments all day long. I am also aware that I have a baby who needs to nap. I would like to go to their place when they have kids and play instruments while their child tries to nap. Enough of that. I'm sure they're cool. That isn't the point of this post.

Our complex was turning our office into an awesome, cool place. Right when their plans happened, the first catastrophe happened. Here's how it went down: I was at school all day. Stephen was somewhere... I can't remember where, I'm sure he knows. Stephen comes home and asks if I heard anything. Then, I come home. There are firetrucks everywhere. I counted 10. (Did you even know there were that many trucks in all of Austin?) I forget about them, go to sleep, wake up. There are still 2 firetrucks there. I'm watching the news later and I see our apartments. Apparently, they were on fire. That's not the best of it. It was the building right next to me and Stephen and we didn't notice it was on fire. Don't judge us, we weren't home all day long. In my defense, I was pregnant. That makes this acceptable.

I found the good in the burnt down apartments. For months, we had a security guard drive around at all hours. But, he was only driving around the burned down apartments, which we were next to. Rad. Then the office continued to be built.

Move on a few months (about a year now, come to think of it). Two incidents have occurred. One wasn't at the apartments, but it is still noteworthy. Stephen went for his nightly walk and there was a helicopter and policemen everywhere. After a while he asked a cop what was going on. "Oh, a guy stole a car and led us on a chase. He then crashed into the median. He's wearing dark shorts and a dark shirt" etc etc. Funny, because he described Stephen's clothes. I then made Stephen come home and protect me and Ian. Lol. So, not directly related to the apartment, but close enough.

Finally, last week. I haven't been watching the news so I don't know if it was on there or not. Stephen again is going on a walk (I really need to do these walks, apparently interesting things always happen). He comes back and says there are cop cars driving all through our complex and on the main street and that there is an ambulance, etc in our complex. He said it looked as if they were looking for someone. Bah! I never see any of this! I went outside to check it out, he wasn't making it up. I still have no idea what happened. I do know that when Ian and I were leaving the next day, there was a guy in a forensic vehicle driving around asking people questions. I then saw him put his gloves on when he was talking to one guy... I wonder what happened.

My apartments are a very interesting place. I love them. I know what you guys are thinking, I don't even live in the ghetto. I actually live in a nice place. When I lived in the supplemental student housing on the East side, I constantly came home to cops. But, I don't live there anymore, so it's weird when it happens now.

End of story.

Side Notes:
  • Ian took real steps on his own the other day, but he didn't even notice. I know he can do it now, he's just lazy.
  • Jackie is a bridesmaid.
  • I am really tired today.
  • I need to send out the save the dates... the wedding is less than 6 months away. Why am I such a slacker?
  • School starts soon.
  • Ian is the cutest baby in the entire world.
  • I cannot wait to be a wife.
  • Ian is currently pretending to read a book. He's even flipping the pages. He is so funny.
  • I added a followers link to the right. FOLLOW ME! Jackie complained, so I fixed it.
Blog out.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Mini-Vacation: Beach

Good morning! We went to the beach this past weekend, and it was awesome. I have so many amazing pictures, but I'll try and resist the urge to post them all. Ian is a water baby. We've known this, I've posted about it before. However, I didn't know he was this much of a water baby. I was scared at points. He was crawling into the waves. He was letting the waves hit in him the face and he crawled and crawled further and further into the ocean. AH! I only had about 10 heart attacks, don't worry. Here is Ian playing in the sand:


At one point, Ian reached into the water and pulled out a thing of sand. He then proceeded to put it in his mouth. I was horrified, Amy was horrified, Stephen was laughing.
Here is my crawling water baby:

He's crawling towards Amy. This time, I wouldn't let him go as deep. I am too young for a heart attack.

I brought like 3 of Ian's swimsuits and didn't use one. Ian also has about 5 hats, I didn't bring one. Have you seen how white my baby is? He needed one. Granny Janny and Grandpa met up with us and they bought him a hat (and a surfer outfit and a shirt):

He looks sad. It's because he was throwing a tantrum and trying to throw his hat off. Don't ask me how I got this picture, I have no idea. I think it's because we're looking in a mirror. But come on, isn't this the cutest hat in the entire world? I think so.

Ian really enjoys hitting people in the face:

Poor Granny Janny. Look at that contact. It's a good silloutte picture of them. One step closer to being the smallest water polo player in the world.

Okay, okay. I know that this is pic-heavy. Only two more pictures! Here is a good one of Ian that Granny Janny took. It just makes me smile:

You're smiling too now aren't you? I know you are, I am too. You can even see his upper teeth. What a cutey.

And last, but certainly not least:

Ian can read. At two months, he read a magazine with T-Bone. Now, he can read books. He literally turns pages and stares at them like this. It is completely awesome. We have a genius on our hands!

Our mini-vacation was awesome. We stayed with one of my bridesmaids' family. It was nice. Our room was pitch black at night, we slept wonderfully. Ian slept 12 hours a night, not all at once, but 8-8 basically. We had a really good time. We even got amazing brisket to bring home with us. Delicious!

Side Notes:
  • Grandpa D retired!
  • Soon, I will have 5 bridesmaids.
  • Jackie started a blog!
  • Ian is the most amazing baby in the world.
  • We got rid of one fish.
  • We bought one more fish.
  • We have 4 surviving baby fish.
  • We are about to buy 6 schooling fish.
  • Ian just almost fell asleep while playing on the floor. Has hell froze over?
  • I really need to post a wedding blog entry.
I must be off to get ready for work now! I hope everyone has a fabulous day!

Blog out.

Friday, August 14, 2009

It's Friday!!

Good afternoon! It is already Friday! In 2 weeks(ish), school begins. Before that, we have a busy weekend ahead of ourselves. I'll get to that in a minute, first of all, let me tell you about my day thus far.

I was awoken by a smiling baby this morning. We got up, changed the diaper, then went to make coffee. This is when I realized that I forgot to buy myself more coffee. What am I to do? I pull up Facebook and see my little brother online. He has no plans for the day. So, I offer him some Starbuck's in exchange for his company and help. It worked. Ian and I go get some Starbucks and Michael. Ian got banana bread for breakfast (I picked around the nuts). I'm guessing at this point, he's not allergic to nuts. I let D carry around Ian now because it's adorable. Don't believe me? I'll prove it soon. I have pictures. I just need to get them on here.

This next event I am very proud of. I am very uptight about Ian. I will not leave him with anyone else than my parents and Stephen. Ian was napping when I had to pick up M from camp. So... I left Ian with his Uncle Michael. And the worst happened, Ian woke up when I was gone!! And, Michael just picked him up. Ian didn't cry. Nobody died, nobody was injured. Really?? That's what I was so scared of. I need to take a chill pill. Michael is getting his dose of birth control. My favorite image today: Amanda on the phone with her mom. Michael has Ian on his hip and is filling up the Brita filter as he makes a glass of water for D. Priceless. Michael can handle. It's good to know. Now I can leave Ian with his uncle whenever necessary and not be worried. **Big sigh of relief.**

Onward! This weekends events include taking Ian to Galveston to see the beach! We are super excited. We may even go to the Houston Zoo!! I will update on Tuesday... maybe Monday. We have a busy weekend ahead of ourselves and might not get back until Tuesday. I will keep you people updated.

Blog out.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hello Blog World. I am updating from my phone to see if it works. However, I am also throwing out some major kudos to my grandma. My mom's mom drove in today to give me an adjustment. She is a chiropractor. I had a major headache that is now nonexistent. I can now function without my back hurting too. She is a godsend! :)

Huge, Bulging Gash

Ian got his first big boy bobo that involved a bandage today. Here is some background information about myself: I over-react, I am a worry-wart, despite my first-aid certification, I know nothing about first-aid.

This morning Ian and I went to Starbucks (I ran out of coffee yesterday and forgot to buy more, I really need to go to the grocery store). We came home and I made me some eggs and I made Ian some waffles with mandarin oranges. I sat us down together in hopes that he would eat for longer (this did not work). As usual, I cleaned us up (for the most part) and then filled our CD player with a few CDs. We began listening to Blue's Traveler and playing on the floor. Ian crawled away from me to go get his soccer ball... and I could not believe my eyes. I will most likely exaggerate this next statement: I was horrified because I saw a huge red gash on the back on Ian's leg. I panic, but only for a few seconds. 1. Ian is not crying, so it obviously doesn't hurt too bad. 2. It isn't spewing blood, so we are okay.

Now what? I didn't know what to do. I call up to D&A Wire Rope (what? Can't I give a shout out to the family company?!) to get ahold of Stephen. It took too long for him to come to the phone. So, I hang up and call my mom. Of course, she's not answering her phones. At this point, I'm about 2 seconds away from sending my Aunt Ana a facebook message (I don't have her number) and asking her what to do because she's nurse. Then, I have an epiphany. Amanda, you are 22 years old. You should be capable of handling a cut on your own child. I was right. I got out the peroxide, I got a cotton swab, and I got 2 bandaids (it's a big cut, remember?).

I let Ian stand at the coffee table throwing the bandaids as far as he could, while I fixed him up. He didn't even fuss. I did have to move his diaper some. But, it did take 2 whole bandaids. After, I'm done cleaning up, I get the call back from my mom. Thanks. Then, I call Stephen to tell him about my ordeal. I NEVER call him at work and he didn't even call me back. They must have been busy.

Moral: I am a big girl who can handle a semi-stressful situation. This was a huge accomplishment. Maybe next time I won't get so much anxiety.

Blog out.

P.S. I have even more Excellent Finds that I will post next week. Oh, I love them.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Desk

Goodness Gracious! This is what Stephen and I need for our computers!!
Photo from Storage and Glee


Except we need a third spot. Lol. And we need a place to keep our computer bases (the part that's not the monitor). This thing is adorable though. It's neat and organized and small and everything that I love.

Ian's Firsts

Yesterday, Stephen and I were holding Ian's hands and letting him walk back and forth between us. Ian took a few steps on his own without our help once! It was wonderful! Therefore, I have decided to begin this segment of my blog. Of course, it will only be updated when something new happens. Here is a list that I wrote a while ago. I won't always update in this post, but I'll put a link in the top right corner that will take you to all the posts about Ian's Firsts.

2008
November
  • 07: First Day! Obviously! After 34 hours of labor and a c-section, Ian was born!
  • 13: Restaurant. Ian ate at Kirby Lane with his grandma, me, Gloria, and Tiffany. This was his very first restaurant. He was an angel.
  • 27: Thanksgiving. Ian got to go to the farm and have an egg hunt.
December
  • 20: Houston. This was Ian's very first time to go to Houston. We saw his Granny Janny and grandpa.
  • 25: Christmas and night-away-from-home. This was Ian's first night away from home. I was told that T-bone and grandma did not sleep one bit. They laid Ian on their bed and watched him all night long. Any time he moved, my mom ran, warmed the bottle, and fed him. He never cried.
2009
January
  • 18: Ian found his feet. He stared at them all day long. He would kick one, then the other. It was adorable.
  • 31: Park. Ian visited Riverside park with his mommy and daddy.
February
  • 03: Found tongue. This is the day where Ian began to grab his tongue and constantly play with it. He has an infamous picture of this!
March
  • 18: Belly laugh. He was on the trampoline with D and M and he started to belly laugh. First ever. I have a video.
  • 30: Swing. Ian went to Ramsey park with his cousins E and K. He loved the swing, then he promptly hated the swing.
April
  • 06: Food. This is pretty self explanatory.
  • 12: Sits up on his own with no help.
  • 13: Hike. Ian went on a hike with his mommy and daddy.
May
  • 07: IAN'S HALF BIRTHDAY!
  • 29: Ian began is crawling adventures. IT was an army crawl, which he did for a long, long time.
June
  • 09: Real crawling. Ian finally began to take real crawling steps... he still army crawled most of the time.
  • 23: Teeth! Ian grew his first tooth!
  • 29: Dada. Ian started to say dada... and he wouldn't stop.
July
  • 25: Mama. Ian finally said mama.
August
  • 10: Steps. Ian took some steps, but barely. He might have been falling with style.
ETA:
I just realized that I have a picture or video for almost all of these. I will be adding those shortly. But for now, it's breakfast time for Ian.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Excellent Finds

This weekend, I found some awesome sites that I cannot get over. I love them so much. I will be sharing those with you in a bit. But first... familial updates!! (I will also update later today because it's Ian's 9 month checkup).
  • Noche had 23 fish. 2 died and I think they ate 1. Thus, we have about 20 babies. We went back to the pet store. After some long deliberation, we decided to release the babies in the tank, buy 2 more fish, and let them eat the babies. So far, this has not worked. The fish are not eating the babies!! What?! Who does this? Regardless, we got 2 new fish. One is orange/black and the other is yellow/black. Their names are Juice and Starburst respectively.
  • Stephen's parents came to visit this weekend. We ate at a potential rehearsal dinner place. It was delicious. Stephen and I also hosted a game of Phase 10 with our parents over. It was lots of fun. Ian stayed up really late!
  • Season 2 Episode 10 of 30 Rock is hilarious.
I will go by bullets and try not to miss out on any awesome that I found this weekend. Prepare yourself, I don't know if one person can handle this much awesome in one post.
  • Design Mom - Her blog is incredible. I was going way back to see what other ideas she had. I am in love. She has super cute ideas. She is extremely creative. Her blog has been up since 2006. Dedication. I highly suggest that people follow her blog, even if you don't have kids. You will one day.
  • Mabel's Labels - Yes, I have seen these before. Design Mom had a link on her page. I long for the day when I need to make labels for Ian. You can customize them too which I love. They have labels for everything! Clothes, stationary, household items, etc. You can even order combos.
  • Toddler Bed - I LOVE this too! This is also from Design Mom. See? She's crafty. This is so adorable! It looks easy enough too. I'm thinking with my Uncle David's help, we could even add drawers to the bottom of the bed for some extra storage. I am thinking that this is a great idea for Ian. He never sleeps in his crib (yes, we have a family bed). This toddler bed would be perfect for naps and eventually sleep. It takes up no space. I adore this bed!
  • Organize, organize, organize!! - My mother gave me her Real Simple Family magazine. This is one of my favorite things in the magazine. There is a wall organizer on this site. It looks extremely handy and fun. I'm a nut for organization. I would buy nearly everything on this site if I could. Go browse it, I know that you want to, I did.
  • Schoolfolio - Yes, it is a bit expensive. But, you can store your kids artwork all through school. You are also buying it from a nonprofit. They promote art in schools. Art is important!! Once Ian starts going to school of some kind, I think that I will make this purchase. (This is also from Real Simple).
  • Freckle Box - Another from Real Simple Family. This is neato. I love the storybooks. It inputs your kids name into the book and personalizes it for them. They also have personalized puzzles, lunchboxes, stickers, place mats, favors etc etc. These are great gifts for kids (seriously, the site even says so).
  • Bakerella - Go check out this delicious blog! Look at this Father's Day idea... Um, one word: wonderful. Stephen would probably like this for any occasion, like his birthday. I thought it was adorable.
That is all the awesomeness I have for now. I actually have more, but the blog has got to end some time! Oh, Michael's was having a 50% off frames this weekend. I hope it's still going on so I can go back and buy more. I bought and uber awesome frame with a matte that fits my favorite 8x10 of Ian in his supermodel pose for $5. Steal!

I must finish my coffee, check on the fish, put together Ian's thing for the doctor, etc. I will update later on how Ian's check up goes. Have a great day! Enjoy exploring the wonderful sites.

Blog out.

ETA:
Ian and I just got back from his well baby check! He is ahead of the game developmentally. So that is awesome. He was 17 pounds 1 ounce (with his diaper) and 26 inches long (stretched to his fullest). His head circumference was over 18 inches... so he's still got a huge head. His height and weight are low apparently. The doctor didn't give me a percentile, she just said "the bottom of the charts." I know he's less than the 5th percentile. He has to go back in 6 weeks for a weight check. Shall be interesting.
He got his first polio vaccine today. He didn't even cry. He's such a big boy!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Continuation of Expansion

I am updating a little late in the day. You might be asking me why... well, Noche had babies. Who is Noche?! Oh, that is one of our beautiful molly fish we got to expand our family. As you all know, we got an aquarium. We decided that we would slowly fill the tank up and get all different kinds of fish so that we can name them all. This was the perfect plan.

We went to the pet store and we got 2 mollys. They are pretty easy to maintain. We got a black one named Dia:
We think that Dia might be sick. She's hiding a lot. We will see...

Here is the orange one, Noche:
This picture doesn't do her justice, she was fat. I knew she was fat. I even made the joke at the pet store that she was pregnant. I was right! If I were to take a picture of her now, she's skinny like Dia.

Anyways, this morning I woke up and I went to check on the fish, just as Ian and I have been doing every morning. He loves fish! I saw a little baby fish! I freaked, I called Stephen at work. I never call him at work. He just laughs. My older brother told me to just let them eat the little boogers. I can't do that. Stephen told me to go to the pet store and buy a little thing that goes inside the tank. Our favorite fish guy (who we are pretty sure has a crush on Stephen. My Gaydar sucks, but Stephen's pretty sure about this. We might send him in on his own and see if he can get his number) wasn't there. So, I had to settle for the random dude. He was nice enough. I bought this fish net thing. I caught most of the fish.

Before I went to the store, I counted 5 babies. When I came back and was catching them, there were 10. When I went to feed them, there were 11. There was one in the big part of the tank. I decided to leave it there. I'm not evil. But I read online that you can leave them if there are plants and rocks for them to hide. It was close to the rocks too, and it blended in. I think it'll survive. Or, I'll just have Stephen move it when he gets home.

This weekend, Stephen's parents are coming to visit. Our initial plan was to have them accompany us to the pet store so that they could help us pick out another fish for Ian's tank. They don't know it yet, though they might now after they read this. Now that we have nearly 15 fish, I don't know what we're going to do. Maybe we can give the babies to someone... I don't know. I hope we'll pick out another fish. We really want this Hatchet fish. It's adorable. I also want those neon glowing fish.

Ian needs play now. I will update more on our new fishies later!

Blog out.




Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Sweat Pants Day

I hereby declare today Sweat Pants Day! It is what I'll be wearing for the remainder of the day, and maybe week, or longer? But who's keeping track? For those of you who don't know this about me, I wear sweat pants when I don't feel well. I usually refer to them as "sick pants." Somehow, they just live my spirits.

(*Off story** As I'm writing this, Ian is crawling back and forth from his toy box in the living room to the front door, over and over again. I have no idea what he's doing, but now I can't stop laughing. He's hawling booty too and babbling... oh Ian).

Does anyone ever get their nails done? I do not. Yesterday at dinner, my Aunt Lisa was explaining how my cousin M's nails ALWAYS get messed up afterward... I guess I must be like a 4-year-old. There is a reason for it, and my experience yesterday just proves it. My nails never last for longer than 2 hours (even when a professional does them). I spent a while yesterday doing my nails. As a trick, before I had Ian, I would put on a movie or a long show, and I would start doing my nails. That way, by the time the movie was over, it would have been an hour and my nails should be dry... right? Wrong. Nothing ever works me.

I can literally not touch anything with my nails for an hour and then I somehow mess my nails up! It doesn't matter what I do. I've tried just one coat, base coat, top coat, base and top coat, instant nail dry spray, etc. I don't know what it is. Even when I pay to get them done, I instantly mess it up, so I don't waste my money. Is there some sort of trick that I'm missing out on? Share it with me! I'm willing to listen. On a positive note, my toe nails are almost never messed up. I must walk with grace and my toe nails never touch anything.

So yes, at least while I'm wearing my sick pants, my nails are done. There are only slight mishaps, but nothing huge.

Good morning readers! Have a wonderful day.

Blog out.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Mommy Goggles Monday

Good morning! Sort of, it is kind of late. Ian woke up super early this morning, cried and cried, then went back to sleep. Now he's awake for good. We've already done a few things this morning. I have a very important announcement to make, we bought Stephen's wedding band!! It is gorgeous. I love it. Stephen does too. This is VERY exciting. We'll be married before long.

How is Ian? He is great. He has 5 teeth now. We are breaking ground. Here is a picture from this morning. Please excuse the dirty kitchen dishes and the open drawer. I'm working on those after this post:


Adorable right? You can sort of see his teeth in this picture. I believe he now understands "Smile!" Because he smiles every time I say it... or maybe it's because I pull the camera out and he's a ham.

Another awesome development: Ian now walks when you hold one of his hands. He'd still rather crawl. He doesn't seem to have much interest in walking. He does stand alone for pretty long periods of time now though. Isn't weird how much he changes week by week? I think so. He's such a big boy now. On Friday, he will be 9 months old. That is ridiculous. So old!

Here is one of Ian looking at his aquarium with no fishies:


He's probably thinking "Can someone please help me get in here?!" He really wants to play in it. I'm glad he likes it before we even bought the fish. Easily entertained baby. Adorable.

I'll end this with a side note: On our wedding website, I'm adding some things to do around Austin. If you have any ideas, send them my way! We have lots of out-of-town guests. The only family of Stephen's that live in Texas are his parents, EVERYONE else is coming in from another state.

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and that you enjoy your Monday.

Blog out.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Expanding the Family

It's not what you think. We aren't having another baby just yet. We are expanding through fish!! Yesterday, while Stephen was getting his hair cut, Ian and I went to Pet's Mart. We were looking at the fish and Ian was giggling like crazy. It was adorable. I don't know what it was about them, but he seemed to love them. It was uncanny.

Later on in the day, we took Ian to my parent's place so that we could go shopping for fish. We ended up getting a tank and what not. We decided to get a pretty large tank (29 gallons). It is in Ian's room. We got plant seeds so we are waiting for those to bloom a little bit. We got back for some fish at the end of the week. I'm pretty excited. Ian just looks at the tank for now. He got mad at me because I wouldn't let him get into it.

So yes, we are expanding the family. We are adding about 10 fish to our family. It's pretty exciting. We don't know exactly which ones yet, but it will be fascinating. I've already decided that all of the fish will look different (whether it be color, size, type, etc). I want to name all of them. Stephen thinks this is insane, but all family members must have names.

Here is a picture of the new aquarium:


Like it? There are no plants yet... they are still trying to grow.

**Side Notes**
Do you like the new layout? Up on the top right corner are links. One link is to the main page, the other to my 101 in 1001. I will be adding more links (i.e. my cooking section, my wedding webpage, etc). On the immediate right, there are links to other blogs that I follow. And finally, on the far right, is my archive.

Tell me what you think!! I like it because of the coffee-desk. It makes me think of how I am in the mornings when I sit in front of my computer to write glorious stories for you people.

Blog out.