Done?

Yes, Christmas is finally over! I know, I'm such a Grinch! Jacob had a lot of fun and now my entire house is covered in trains and tracks and little balls out of his Diego ball pit! We have to go to the local Wal-Mart and buy storage bins. That was the only plans we had for yesterday, but when I woke up I quickly realized that no Wal-Mart trip would be ensuing. I was sick in bed all day. Not sure what I was sick from. No one else is sick, thank God! Perhaps I was just overly exerted from the holidays. Who knows. But, it's over now. So, today is Wal-Mart. Kind of excited to buy storage bins. I am kind of a storage bin junky. They can be used for everything! I have been trying to organize these toys in my head and think of which toys I want to put together and what size bins I will need. But I'm just not sure how to organize these trains! We have three different kinds of sets. Obviously each type goes in different bins, but do I want the trains to be in the same bins as the tracks? Or do I want to get smaller bins and separate the trains from the tracks, six bins total? Ooh, it's kind of exciting! I don't have control over much in my life, but I do get to decide how and when my house is going to be organized! Now I don't completely understand the entire concept of anorexia, but they usually say it has more to do with control than actually eating food. So, we should just buy all these people storage bins and tell them to go to town and see if their eating habits get any better! Hey, it's worth a shot, right?

What's Left?

Today I just want to talk about how great consignment shops are. There is a local consignment shop here in town that I am so in love with! I always liked it well enough, but I went there yesterday and all the winter clothes were 75% off! I got Jacob some snow pants, a shirt, and some Buzz Light year jammies. Emrick got a whole handful of sleepers and two spring outfits and I got myself a pair of black comfy pants all for $18. I'm not even kidding. So now I can't wait to go to some of the other local consignment shops to see what they have for me. Maybe I can find a baby swing and a walker before Emrick is born. If I don't find a swing, we are just going to buy one. But since it's pretty well written in stone that this is it for us, I don't really want to spend the money to buy brand new things that are expensive and will just end up in a consignment shop when I'm done with them! It just doesn't make sense to me. And you know me, Mrs.Realistic. So, if there wasn't crazy ice and snow happening outside, I would totally be scouring around town trying to find new consignment shops that I have yet to find! I looked in the phone book and it says there are quite a few around here! Yay for lightly used second hand children's items! Wish me luck everyone!

Christmas Morning-

Daddy and Jacob playing a game that Santa left at our house last night!

Jacob opening his surprises from Santa Claus!

More opening...

This is what Santa left last night! What a lucky kid we have! He must have been really good this year to get so many surprises for Christmas!

This is what happened on our car ride home from Grandpa Oldenburger's house last night. How cute is that?

A Job In The Making

I have a friend who is a nurse in the ICU at Allen hospital. She has to work on Christmas Day but she doesn't mind. She loves her job. It's what she trained for all those years and to actually be able to work her knowledge is empowering to her. This is a great attitude! I have no aspirations. I used to. I wanted to work with kids. I wanted to teach valuable lessons while having fun. I always figured I would have kids, when I found the right guy. Enter Burger. And a short while later, Jacob. We decided that I would stay home and teach our own kids before entering the world. The problem is, I love this so much I might just stay here forever. The world can teach it's own kids! I know we need nurses and teachers and professional people, and I might join them some day. But for now, I am handing over my 'get-a-job' card and hibernating in my house with my babies.

Weekend Fun

These were our weekend activities. Burger and Jacob painted a wooden airplane together, Jacob strung beads on pipe cleaners, and Jacob played with a medicine dropper in cups of water. Very educational is what we are at this house. Or else just extremely bored. It's your call.

The conversational stylings of a two-year old boy

Jacob: Mom, you buy me a buffalo for Christmas?
Me: No, I'm not buying you a buffalo!
Jacob: Oh, I have an idea! Maybe Grandpa buy me a buffalo!
Me: Well, you'll have to ask him...
Jacob: Santa's bringing me cars for Christmas.
Me: If you're lucky, kiddo.

This conversation was had moments after waking yesterday morning. I'm not sure how he even knows about buffalo or if he even knows what it is. But, he wants one. My son is just like his dad. Totally random and adorable.

Because He's Cute. And He's Mine!

At the Point

There is a point in every woman's pregnancy where she is no longer held accountable for her moods. No matter how easy the pregnancy has been, there comes a time when your 60 year old co-worker asks what you think of her Madonna-esque gold sparkly leg warmers that you just don't care to be nice any more. This point comes especially early for me, I think, since I tend to be a bit judgemental to begin with. Most people who know me at all, know that if they ask my opinion they will receive just that. Most people learn quickly not to ask unless they really care to know. I have issues with people doing things when they are old enough to know better. People who never use their turning signals while driving, people talking on their cell phones during meetings (or movies or family gatherings or anytime really. I don't really like cell phones) people who take their kids to day care on their day off. The list could go on for days. Stupidity seems to be the norm these days and that drives me crazy. I swear people are just getting less and less smart. What kind of world is this going to be when my kids are big enough to have kids? The thought terrifies me. I think the problem is people no longer feel like they have to own their actions. Nothing is ever our own fault, it's always some one else's. The guy on TV, the guy on the radio, the other kids your kid goes to school with, your parents, who ever is close enough to point at really. I am judgemental. This is just one of the many qualities I posses and the one that probably escalates to out-of-control proportions when I am eight months pregnant. Get used to it. Maybe if you weren't so stupid, I wouldn't have to be so judgemental. Also, it runs in my family... My dad is like this all the time.

How Real Could This Be?

So last night I had a dream. In my dream was a baby in an exersaucer and my sweet sweet Jacob playing crayons on the floor. I was doing dishes in the kitchen and Sid the Science Kid was on the TV. Everyone was happy and busy and minding their own business. It was like a flash dream. You know the kind. Where it starts and then you realize with a vengeance that you have to pee so bad that if you don't get up right this second you'll have a really embarrassing explanation to the hubby as to why he needs to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning and help you change the bed sheets. But for that couple of seconds I saw what my life could very well be like with two babies instead of just one. I'm pretty sure that it won't be happy, fluffy pink cotton candy all the time but at least I got to have a nice view of what the 'good' days might look like. No matter how few or far between they might be.

Serious Post Ahead:

We got Jacob's new car seat on Saturday! He was really excited to use it and he loves the cup holder! It's the Graco Nautilus from Target. I just want to take this time (precious blog space, I know!) to talk a little bit about car seats and car seat safety! Jacob is creeping up on 40 pounds which was the weight limit on his old car seat. From there kids usually get a booster seat that uses the cars regular seat belt, but Burger and I felt that he is much too young for a booster seat. So, the search began for a car seat that would hold him in a five-point harness for longer than 40 pounds. There are few out there, but that fact is changing quickly as more and more people are choosing to practice extended rear-facing and five-point harnessing! Most are spendy Britax brand car seats but Graco came out with the Nautilus last spring. Just in time! I have also heard good things about Sunshine Kids brand car seats. But, you should always read the instruction manuals that come with your car seats to see what the safety limits on it are. Generally infant carrier seats hold up to 22 pounds and 29 inches. They are rear facing only. Convertible car seats will go rear facing usually up to 35 pounds and forward facing up to 40 pounds. Remember to keep your child rear facing until they are at least 12 months old AND weigh at least 20 pounds! When the top of your child's ear is parallel with the top of the seat that means the child is too tall to fit in that car seat and it's time to buy a bigger one! The car seat we just bought has an extending headrest that you can move up and down according to your child's height! Very cool! When Jacob reaches 65 pounds (the limit on the five point harness) or when we decide he's ready to ride in a booster instead of a five point harness all we have to do is take the straps out of the seat and we have ourselves a high back booster! The booster part of the seat holds up to 100 pounds so this is the last car seat or booster we should have to buy Jacob! When Emrick grows out of her carrier infant seat we have a The First Years brand True Fit convertible car seat picked out! It will hold her rear facing up to 35 pounds and forward facing in a five point harness until 65 pounds if we choose to keep her in a five point harness that long! Then we will have to buy her a booster seat, but that's so many years away that I'm not really concerned about it right now! Go out and check your child's car seat right now! Also, car seats now have expiration dates on them to ensure their safety. So, be sure to check that also! If you don't use the LATCH system for your seats (LATCH is only rated to hold car seats holding up to 48 pounds) be sure that the seat belt is tight and the seat can't wiggle more than an inch at the base. Remember, a car seat does little good if it's not buckled into the car properly. I know, I am a car seat Nazi but a child's safety is priceless. Sorry this post was long and boring, but hopefully everyone learned a little something!

'Tis the Season

We went and saw Santa last night. Jacob got candy canes and we ate Christmas cookies and looked at all the decorations! The season is really starting to seep into me! It was three years ago on Christmas Day that Burger and I found out we were pregnant with Jacob. I can remember that day so vividly. But the thing that sticks out in my mind the most is how excited we both were and how in love with burger I was. I am so much more in love with him every day as we grow and build our family together. Burger and I work hard together to make sure we are both happy and that our kids are being raised in a safe environment so we can all grow and learn together. It's really easy to pass judgement on others and the way they choose to build their families. It's especially hard for me to remember that these people's decisions and happiness will not directly effect the happiness of my own family. Sometimes I just need to take a step back and remember how lucky I am to be doing this with someone I love. How we both have the same visions and can share and enjoy our lives together. We are truly blessed as a family.

Random

Just a list of totally random things that are today:
1.) We are out of Kleenex Brand Facial Tissues
2.) We are almost out of Kool-Aid packets for my water
3.) We bought lots of milk yesterday
4.) Burger made peanut butter blossoms last night
5.) Jacob colored crayon on his Aquadoodle yesterday and got in trouble
6.) I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast just now
7.) Today is my last day of work before the weekend
8.) I washed dishes and laundry yesterday
9.) We are going to see Santa and Mrs.Claus tonight (that's the plan anyways)
10.) There are only 2 weeks left before Christmas Day

Halfway Done!

This week is half over, and that makes me smile! I work today and tomorrow and then not again until Monday! Yay! The cable guy came yesterday and everything works fine! The doctor never called about my glucose test, so if we can get through the rest of the week without hearing from them, it's good news! I forgot to mention that I start seeing my midwives every two weeks now, which means we are getting to close to being finished! Jacob is well, however, he didn't sleep much last night. Almost every single dish in my kitchen is dirty so that is definitely on the To-Do list today. Actually, that's the whole list. So it shouldn't be too hard to get it done. We'll see. I'm off to work now, have a great day!

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful...

But, I don't have a fire. And, it's going to keep snowing regardless if I give it permission or not, unfortunately... On a different note, I took my glucose test yesterday and am hoping to not hear anything back from them! Jacob's blue and silver hair washed out perfectly fine! Gymnastics was cancelled for today, but I still have to go to work which is a bummer. The cable guy is supposed to be coming today, but I have a feeling that he will be cancelling on account of the weather. Double bummer. Other than that, we are just having a regular day. I might find something to bake when we get home from work, just to keep myself occupied. Hope everyone enjoys the snowy (crappy) weather today!

Hairstyles

This is Jacob's new haircut! They spray color in the kids' hair before they leave and Jacob was really excited! Most of it rubbed off in his hat on the way home, but there's still plenty of blue in there! Hopefully it washes out easily enough!

Productive

Saturday morning has proven to be quite productive today. Jacob woke up and is ready to go, I have done 2 loads of laundry already and got the scalloped potatoes and ham ready and in the crock pot, so dinner is done! I have some stuff to take back to K-Mart today and Jacob needs a haircut. I don't want to go outside because it's COLD and snowy out there, so I am putting off any chores that would include going outside, even if it's just outside to the car. I will eventually have to go outside, I know, but I am just trying to put it off until it's absolutely necessary. Burger made chocolate chip cookies last night and they are amazing! We also made Rice Crispy treats, but those aren't the best! So, today is laundry, dishes, and general picking up of the house. Burger doesn't work tomorrow and the house will be trashed again by this time tomorrow morning, so I'm not sure why I even waste my time...

Almost Done...

I am happy to report that today is Thursday and this week is almost over. Not that next week is anything to look forward to. On Monday I have my glucose test, which could be interesting since I'm not sure I eat anything with any nutritional value anymore. So, wish me luck to not have gestational diabetes. Burger is working all day this Saturday, so it's going to be another long and boring weekend for Jacob and me. I don't have to go to work any more this week, which is exciting. But when I don't go to work, I don't have anything better to do! But, on a different note, Jacob had become very descriptive in his speech. Many things are, "The best in the world" and he will make animal sounds and say "Jacob is a monkey!" or whatever sound he makes! He is very much fun to talk to, but also tiring. I will keep you posted on how my sanity is hanging in there...

Funny Boy

Jacob is eating "Bes cookie a whole world." He makes me smile! We had a nice day today. After work we just came home and have been doing housework. Not a lot has gotten done, but it's been nice to just be home! The cleaning will get done eventually!

Christmas Tree Fun

We put up our Christmas tree this evening! Jacob helped decorate it with candy canes. These are the kind of candy canes that we don't eat. Tomorrow (or sometime this week) we will finish decorating the tree by having Jacob make ornaments and hanging them on the tree. It should be fun. We had a pretty eventful day today. After work we ate lunch then went to the allergist. Grandma Hild came with us, which was really good! Jacob is allergic to cats. Not anything else, just cats. Very allergic to cats. I was surprised to hear this, but I'm not sure why. But I asked about his dairy problems and they said that dairy is probably a trigger for his eczema, but not an actual allergy. Eczema and allergies are two separate things. So, that's kind of fun! Tomorrow should be a simpler day. We have work, then home to do housework!

Updates

All is well on the home front. We had a nice relaxing weekend. Well, Jacob and I had a nice relaxing weekend, Burger worked all day Friday and Saturday. Jacob and I went shopping on Saturday with a friend and had a great time. Almost done with Christmas shopping! Yesterday Burger finally got a day off. We stayed at home and relaxed. We ate donuts and read the newspaper. Then we went to Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma's house. Got lots of leftover turkey and ham and mashed potatoes! Today is Jacob's appointment with the allergist, I will let you know how that goes! Have a great Monday everyone and don't forget to shop your local cyber-Monday deals online!

Black Friday!

I was up at 3 AM this morning to go out and find some good deals! Grandpa Hild stayed the night here so he could watch Jacob and Daddy went to work. Got myself a cheap (crappy) video camera from JC Penny's and then on to Wal-Mart to watch heads roll. My mom fell ill, so Jeremy and I took her home and made our way to Menard's to see the action there. Mostly, we are really bored people. We didn't buy anything from these stores, we just wanted to go and add to the hustle bustle! We had fun. Breakfast at Hy-Vee, then a short Jeep ride for Jacob and home we went. Later I will go out to Target and see if there's anything left to buy. We had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday. I ate peanut butter pie from Perkins! When I figure it out, I might post a video from my new camera! But, don't hold your breath because it might not happen today. There are naps to be had.

Sick...

Today we stayed home sick from work. Jacob's cough has been so terrible! He can hardly catch his breath at night. So, I took him back to the doctor and she said he's fine. He has a cold. She told me to give him Claritin, which would be fine except he can't have it until after his allergy testing (next Monday) and hopefully by then this cough is gone! But, we had a nice relaxing day at home. We watched TV and snuggled on the sofa. We ate junk food (what else is new) and played trains. We went to the bread store and got bread and donuts. Daddy is home now and they are playing trains in the basement. Tomorrow is back to work, but only for tomorrow and Wednesday! I am excited about the short week, and also to eat all the food on Thanksgiving! On Wednesday night we are going to see Sesame Street Live, well that's the plan anyways! Jacob wants to see Elmo, so hopefully he's there! Have a nice day everyone!

200th Post Spectacular

This is what happened at the grocery store. Well, technically, on the way home from the grocery store. Burger and I wanted Starbucks and kid's drinks are $1.10. Jacob always gets mad when we have coffee, so we got him hot chocolate. He thought he was pretty hot stuff! Super cute photo op. Also, when we got home Jacob said he was pooping so I put him on the toilet. He pooped on the toilet for the very first time! That's how you know you're a parent. When you blog about poop and Starbucks on the same post. Oh well, I've gotten used to it! This right here is my 200th post on this blog. Burger is pretty excited, he picked the title.

Saturday Morning

Jacob and I have been up since 4 o'clock this morning. He had the nastiest dry cough and couldn't sleep because of it. We hung out n the sofa and then pancakes for breakfast. It snowed through the night and Jacob was so excited to see the 'snow mans' on the ground this morning! He wanted to put his boots on and check out the snow, so we did. Right now we are on the way to the grocery store. Later Burger and I are planning on taping up Jacob's room so we can paint it tomorrow. I'll try to keep you posted.

This is a totally random picture of a squirrel that Burger found online the other day. I thought it was really cool. I forgot where the squirrel is from and what his story is, but he is still cool to look at! Today I just want to say how happy I am that I have a leather sofa. I never thought that I would like it this much, but I do! Jacob spilled juice on it yesterday and I just wiped it up. I buy leather cleaner wipes that are made for leather in cars, but they are so much easier to use than a sponge and liquid leather cleaner. Anyhow, it takes me like ten minutes to pull the cushions off and wipe the whole sofa down and then vacuum under the cushions. It's amazing! With a regular sofa I would have to rent special equipment to get my sofa this clean and would never be able to do it as often! So, I love my leather sofa and think everyone with kids (or pets) should totally have one! In other news, Jacob is on medicine again for yet another rash. He is going to have allergy testing done on December 1. Hopefully that will be able to help us help him stay healthy and rash-free! The poor boy. I don't think he even knows what it feels like to have regular, non-itchy skin. So, December 1 is a big day for us! Send us good luck vibes! Also, I am feeling Emrick move around like crazy which means that she must be running out of room in there! Burger has yet to feel her because he is not patient enough. Does that surprise anyone? Tonight we are having chicken tacos for dinner, and my mouth is already watering. I am making the chicken in the crock pot and can smell in my entire house! I am so ready to scarf down chicken tacos! So, the moral of the story today is: Buy leather sofas and eat chicken tacos. The end.

This is the swing we have picked out! I think it's beautiful and just wanted to share it with everyone! Today was just a Monday. Work was fine, everything was fine. I'm just a little bored. Tomorrow Jacob has gymnastics in the morning, so we are all looking forward to that. Burger made beef and noodles for dinner with the left over roast from last night. We haven't eaten yet, so I will have to update you later on how the beef and noodles tastes. But Burger made it, so it should be edible, at least! He's a good cook, I'm a pretty lucky lady! Well, we are going to eat dinner now then take tubs and it's off to bed for Jacob. He hasn't been taking naps lately so he's a real peach in the evenings. Hope every one's week got off to a good start!

Burger's Birthday!

Well, today is Burger's birthday. He is 24 now. Old timer... We celebrated yesterday mostly. He made himself a cake and today he made roast in the crock pot for dinner. With potatoes and carrots and all that jazz! We went to the bakery and got donuts for breakfast. We also had to pick up the newspaper because I let our subscription expire and haven't called to renew it yet. Oops. We did a ton of laundry today and bought the paint for kid's bedroom. I think we will be painting next weekend. That's the plan right now. I need to get prices to have the carpet cleaned, but that will have to wait to be done until after Thanksgiving. Then I will work on setting up a dresser and a crib, maybe. Emrick needs a few newborn sized sleepers for when she is born, but other than that we are good to go! We will also be purchasing a new swing because we borrowed the one that we used for Jacob. We have a travel sized pink swing picked out to buy but we are waiting until January or February to actually buy it! No rush... We picked a travel one because our house has no room for a full sized one, and I will be able to move a travel one around to any spot in the house. I think that will be handy! I feel a little guilty because when I was this far along with Jacob, I think the whole nursery was put together and I'm pretty sure we had almost everything we needed! But since they will be sharing a room, we are kind of waiting until the last minute to set anything up! I figure it doesn't really matter since she will sleep in the bassinet in our room for at least a couple weeks, anyhow! I just feel like I'm going to put it off and put it off and then before I know it, Emrick will be born and I won't have anything ready! Then I think to myself, would that really be so terrible? I mean, she'll never know the difference! And we have the stuff, it's just not set up! I go back and forth between the two extremes. I guess that's a sign of pregnancy, huh? Anyhow, we had a nice day. My parents came for dinner and then my mom cleaned my microwave, which is always nice! We had cake and ice cream after we sang Burger his song. Jacob went to bed after he had a huge melt down about Grandma taking his juice. It was a good time. Hopefully tomorrow will start the week off right! Have a good one, every body!

Did we even get anything done?

The answer to that would be, no, not really. But that's OK because we had fun, right? We started by getting breakfast pizza and taking it to my parent's to share! Then my mom and I went to Kohl's while Burger and my dad and Jacob went to the local Farm and Fleet. We met up and then Burger and I ditched the rest of them to go see Zach and Miri Make a Porno. It's the new Kevin Smith movie. It's in regular movie theaters, and it is not an adult film. It is rated R and not for children to watch, but it is not a porno. Just to clear things up. We ate lunch at HuHots, which is always good. We also went grocery shopping without Jacob which proved to be much more efficient! Then we picked Jacob up and came home. We have been sitting here hanging out and now Burger is making himself a birthday cake. We were going to buy one at Cold Stone's but a small one with six pieces is $19.00! So we just decided to be happy with the boxed batter kind. At least we have peppermint stick ice cream to eat with our cake! We have no plans for tomorrow, but to hang out and enjoy Burger's birthday in relaxation.

Friday!!

Our Friday didn't start off the best, but we still enjoyed it! Jacob and I went to story time at the library but only stayed for about five minutes. Jacob was out of control so we had to leave. Then he cried the whole way home because he wanted to read stories with his friends. Sorry, kiddo, but when you don't listen and act like a cave man, we have to leave the library. He came home and read books by himself in his room for about 45 minutes until he got tired of it! I talked on the phone with Megan for most of the day, but managed to get some laundry done. I was thinking about washing the dishes all day, but that never actually happened! When Burger got home we went to the bank and Wal-Mart. We ate dinner at Hardee's. Sunday is Burger's birthday. He will turn 24 this year! He wants to make a birthday cake so while we were at Wal-Mart he chose his box of cake batter and frosting with sprinkles! Pretty exciting! I paid some bills online and now we are getting ready for Jacob to go to bed. Hope everyone enjoyed their Friday. Mine was mediocre.

All on a Wednesday Night

For those of you who know me, you know that I have been a Kid Rock fan since the mid to late 90's. I still love all his albums and was so excited to watch him on the CMA's this evening. That is actually a total overstatement. I completely forgot about the CMA's until the Clifford DVD was over and I told Burger that I wanted to see what was on the TV instead of watching Clifford for the fifth time in a row. Instantly saw the CMA's were on and then I got super excited because that's when I remembered that Kid Rock was going to be on them, live! Jacob also likes Kid Rock. If not the music, then only because he knows I like it and think it's funny when he asks for Kid Rock. When I told Jacob that Kid Rock was going to be on the TV he was excited also and clapped his hands! Yay for Kid Rock! Well, we watched until Kid Rock was over, now we are all getting ready for bed! Hope all of you had a good day and also enjoyed the CMA's! And just so everyone knows, the picture is not from the CMA's. It's from some other time that Kid Rock was in concert.

What was I supposed to do?

Jacob was being very quiet in the living room while I was looking up things online. So quiet that I thought he fell asleep and didn't think anything of it! That was my first mistake. He suddenly came to me, so excited and said, "Lookit, Mommy! Lookit!" while holding out his hand! I saw the pen and got a really sad face. I told him that we don't pen on our hands, we pen on paper. He had paper, why did he pen on his hands? He got tears in his eyes and looked at the floor... He was holding his hand in his other hand like some sort of fabulous and breakable treasure and my heart broke instantly. He had taken all this time to make me the most beautiful picture in the whole world, and I was angry about it. With just a few words, I squashed his whole independence. What kind of a parent does that? Next time I will remember to see things from his point of view before I say words.

Emrick's Doctor

Today we went to the doctor to check up on Emrick. She is healthy, as far as we can tell from out here! My next appointment (in four weeks) I will have to take the glucose test. So, everyone should cross their fingers for that, considering my entire diet is basically sugar. I have been feeling fine, but having terrible headaches the last couple days at work. But, seeing that I work in a room filled with children... Also, when I was pregnant with Jacob, I was especially sensitive to fluorescent lighting. The YMCA is lit with all fluorescent lights, so my headaches could be due to that also! No big deal, just pop some Tylenol and every thing clears itself up usually. Jacob was excited to see Emrick's doctor. He was very well behaved while we were there, which makes my day so much easier! We made some chicken stir-fry for dinner tonight, and that was delicious. Jacob tried some of it, but hasn't been a big fan of dinner the last couple days. Then he wakes up in the morning and wants to eat dinner again. Funny kid. He loves to eat breakfast! We went to McDonald's for breakfast the other day and when we asked him what he wanted to eat he said tacos. It reminded me of the kid on the movie Big Daddy! We ordered him a sausage burrito and he ate it all up, so everything turned out fine! The plan for the rest of the night is to stay nice and cozy in our house. And with our newly plastic covered windows, it should be no problem to stay cozy! Thanks again, Dave!

Working Day!

Me and Jacob snuggling. I took this picture myself, in case you couldn't tell!

Jacob with his hot chocolate.

He is trying to fix things.

Burger and me. I also took this picture.

Today Burger's dad is here helping Burger get some stuff done before winter hits us hard! Things that should have probably been done weeks ago... But still! They put the storm windows up and covered the inside of the windows in plastic. Right now they are working on the roof fixing the shingles that blew off. I am so grateful for Burger's dad to come help with these things because otherwise they may have never gotten done! Thanks Dave, for coming to help us! We really appreciate it so much!

Belly

So these didn't show up in the order that I uploaded them, so now I have to explain! The top one, in the red shirt, is my belly at 18 weeks pregnant. The middle one is from today, and Iam 23 weeks. The bottom one is from 20 weeks. I thought Iwould just post this for my own entertainment, really. Thinking that perhaps someone might enjoy it! Burger is home now and right when he walked in the door Jacob cornered him and bullied him into playing trains. In a few minutes we are headed to the store for baby diapers because Jacob won't use the potty and also an egg timer. You never know when you might need an egg timer, I would like to have one on hand just in case.

It's Snowing!

The first snow is always so exciting! After the first snow, then it's no good anymore. But the first time is so pretty and calming! Jacob and I watched out the porch windows and he was so in love! He called Grandma Hild to tell her about the snow mans (that's what he calls it, could he be any cuter?) and then he was mad because he wanted to go to school with her! What a funny boy! I thought we would go out in the snow, but it stopped snowing and now it doesn't seem like as much fun! So, if it starts up again, we might venture out in it! If we do play in the snow, I will be sure to post pictures! In other news, Burger comes home today! Yay! And we have a play date in a little while with one of Jacob's little friends. Other than that we will just be staying home and veggin' out!

New Pictures!

This is from the other day. Jacob was being silly. He refused to wear a shirt and wanted his sun hat on at all times. He reminded me of Kid Rock in the 90's!


This is from today, Thursday. He just looked cute, so I thought I'd snap a picture.


Again with the hat and no shirt thing. He was jumping on the couch which is super naughty!
But he just looked so darn cute! Today was a good day. Jacob is being a little naughty right now, but I think he's just bored of being home. Oh well... Tomorrow we have a play date in the morning and then Burger comes home! I am looking forward to seeing him so much! It's crazy how much I miss him when he's gone. Like my left arm is missing... Anyhow, he will be home tomorrow! Tonight is TV night, and I am kind of looking forward to that. Perhaps we will visit Barnes and Noble and play with the train set for a while before TV time. Jacob would love that! I cleaned the bathroom, did the dishes, and now I am working on laundry. Jacob needs a tub really bad tonight because at nap time he decided not to sleep, but to slather diaper rash cream all over himself instead. I wiped him off, but a tub is definitely in order. Well, off I go to set some order to this house! Have a nice night, everyone!

Wednesday?

Besides the stormy weather outside, today is a fine day. Obama will be in office by the time #2 is here. Everyone I know was hoping and voting for this change. And all I can think about is how much I wish Burger was here because I really just want to hug him. I miss him! He has already been gone for three nights, and will be back in two nights. But it kills me when we are driving home from work and all Jacob can talk about is how he is going to play trains with Daddy when he gets home. He's big enough to understand that Daddy isn't here, but not quite big enough to understand when Friday is. It probably wouldn't be so bad if I didn't miss Burger so much myself. Emrick is kicking hard enough now to feel and see from the outside, but Burger missed it. I haven't let anyone else feel it or see it because I want that to be his. So for now, you will just have to excuse the sobbing mass of pregnant lady and get on with your day! Try to enjoy the last few months of George Bush and his republicans!

Vote

Today is voting day. If one more person tells me to go vote... My friend Megan is coming to town to make me vote. I don't mind to vote, I just don't think it really makes much of a difference. Don't go all crazy on me and leave millions of political comments on my blog, please! Really, I do care what happens with this country, but the thought of waiting in line for an hour to vote and have it not matter anyhow just doesn't sound like the best way to spend my afternoon. Jacob and I will go vote, but that doesn't mean I think it's fun. Yesterday Jacob and I didn't do a whole lot. We went to work and then hung out at home. I forced him to have a nap and when he woke up we went to my parent's house and had dinner with them. Today he started gymnastics and had a really great time! I think he is going to love it! I might have to sign him up for next session, too! After work we played at the park and came home to have a nap. I had a bit of a nap, but Jacob didn't. I thought he would be tired out from all the running in gymnastics and playing at the park, but apparently not tired enough for a nap. Hopefully he will go to bed early tonight. We'll see.

In Review

Hello friends! We had a really great time celebrating Halloween this year! Jacob was a bit crazy, but you could tell that he totally enjoyed himself! We went to the party at the YMCA on Thursday night then trick or treating on Friday night and on Saturday night we went to Burger's Dad's house and had a fall festival with his family! It was really fun and Jacob didn't want to leave! He got to go on two hay rides and a handful of rides in the wagon behind the lawn mower. Jacob picked out his pumpkin and shared his bouncy thing with the other kids! We also celebrated my birthday and had birthday cake! We stayed pretty late and Jacob slept pretty late this morning, but then it ended up not being late at all because of Daylight's Saving Time. Bummer. Also, last week I wrote about my washing machine being broken. Well, I am happy (and slightly embarrassed) to report that there is, in fact, nothing wrong with my washing machine. When my dad and Burger looked at it, it was fine. They chalked it up to Jacob's costume being in there and maybe throwing things off balance. In any case, we are being very careful with the machine just to be sure. But for now, it works fine! Burger is at school this week (don't worry, he voted at the courthouse last week!) so Jacob and I are working on cleaning up the house. Probably we won't get anything done, but the plan is to try! Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween and the lovely weekend! Tomorrow is back to work! Ready, set, and go...

Halloween!

This is from downtown trick or treating. It was so warm outside (like 70 degrees) that Jacob only wore the bottom half of his costume! I was disappointed, but Jacob didn't care! He got candy!


This is trick or treating in the mall. He wore his costume most of the time inside, but when he started running around he got really hot so we had to take it off again. I think he had his costume on for maybe a grand total of an hour on Halloween! Daddy, Jacob, Grandpa Hild, and Grandma Hild are pictured.


Jacob trick or treating downtown. He was being silly and wouldn't look at the camera!

Broken

My house seems like it is just falling apart. Our To-Do list just keeps growing and growing... We keep procrastinating. We don't know where to start or what money to do it with. Today it's the washing machine. No one has looked at it yet to see if it's fixable, but no one I know really knows anything about washing machines! Hopefully it's fixable, but even to fix it will cost money. If it's not fixable then hopefully washing machines start falling from the sky or something... Because other than that, I'm not sure how we will be getting one! On top of the washing machine thing, we need to put the storm windows back on (don't ask) and I need to get plastic to cover ALL of our windows so we can afford to heat our house this winter. We have a lot of windows in this house. Eleven in the house and then the porch is all windows. A window enclosed porch. But Jacob likes to play out there, so they need to be covered in plastic as well. When it was windy the other day, some shingle blew off the roof. Which seems odd to me since the house was just re shingled in 2007. It wasn't that windy outside... Well, in any case, that also needs to be repaired ASAP. And on top of everything Burger will be gone all next week for school. I am hoping to get all the windows covered while he is gone because by the time he comes back it will probably be cold outside. Too cold for me to be working outside. I'm a cold wimp, I hate being cold! So all the other outside stuff can be his problem, which means it will never get done. There are lists on top of lists of To-Do in this house. I wish we could get all these lists done so we could start new lists. I am starting to feel panicky about these things because winter is just around the corner. Sure, it's 70 degrees outside today... But next week who knows! This is Iowa people, we need to be prepared for these things! Burger doesn't move fast enough, and I don't move at all... So you see where that leaves us! Unprepared and broken...

Measurements

Today was rather boring. We went to work, then out to lunch with some friends and to the park to play. It was beautiful weather outside, a nice day for the park! We had pizza for dinner and now Burger and Jacob are measuring things. Jacob is 35 inches tall, which is entertaining because Jacob weighs 35 pounds. His legs are 12 inches and his arms are 13 3/4 inches. Jacob's feet are 5 1/2 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide at the base of his toes. My feet are 9 inches long and Burger's are 11 inches long. Max is about 21 inches tall from the floor to his back. All of our doorways are 31 inches wide. Entertaining stuff happenin' over here. Any more measurements you need to know? I am also getting ready to do the dishes and I washed Jacob's car seat and need to put it back together. Jacob is in his jumpy thing and having a tub soon and then to bed. His rash is much better, almost gone! We should have done the Desonide lotion first, I think. Hit and miss with these kinds of things, though. Tomorrow is our Halloween party at the YMCA and Friday night is Trick-or-Treating on Main Street and at the mall! I will post pictures, I'm sure! Well, I'm off to wash some dishes and clothes and boys. See you all tomorrow!

A Frog?

I guess he doesn't want to be a frog for Halloween...

Mondays...

Today was fine, I suppose. We went to work, and boy were the kids wild today! Jacob had a doctor's appointment for that stupid rash again so we got to leave work a bit early. The doctor said she thought his medicine took care of the rashy part of the rash and now it's just eczema left. I am supposed to put his Desonide lotion on it twice a day and his Eucerin lotion on it as many times a day as I can. Just keep his skin hydrated. So, on our family Christmas list is a whole house humidifier. They are around $100 at Wal-Mart... Anyhow, I will watch his rash and see what happens. Tonight Burger has a Union meeting so he will be gone for who knows how long! You get them union members together and boy do they get chatty. Like a bunch of old ladies at the hair salon. We had chicken tacos for dinner, but Jacob missed out because he went to Great Grandpa Stanhope's house with Grandma Hild. So I will have to warm up his dinner when he gets home. He hasn't ever had chicken tacos but he loves chicken and he loves tacos, so I have a feeling chicken tacos will be a huge hit with him! I am hoping to make myself some cupcakes for my belated birthday, but we'll see how far I get! Hope everyone enjoyed the Monday. Tomorrow we get to start all over again!

These are all the girly clothes! The shoes I bought are in the middle...


My niece came to visit today and her and Jacob bounced in our blow-up jumpy thing!


Then they had a drink of juice...

And last, they colored some pictures! Jacob had a lot of fun. He loves to play with friends. Burger and I made scotcharoos and after dinner we had them for dessert! They were delicious. Sad news: No one made me a birthday cake. Disappointing...

Happy Birthday, Me!

Yesterday was my birthday. I am now 23 years old. Wow, time goes fast! I had a fun day out with my good friend. We went shopping and just relaxed. Burger had Jacob by himself all day, and they both managed to survive somehow... My friend (Megan) bought Emrick 5 little girly outfits and I bought her some girly shorts and her first pair of shoes! I will post pictures later, they are too cute not to! We had Olive Garden for lunch, it was so fabulous! Then for dinner, my parents took me and my family to Carlos O'Kelly's. My mom got me lots of scrap booking supplies for my present! Now I'm super-excited to get busy scrapping! Jacob was up late last night and slept in a little to make up for it, so that was nice! He still has a rash so we will calling the doctor back tomorrow. Happy Sunday everyone!

Friday Fiesta

Today is a nice lazy Friday at home. Jacob and I have been hangin' out and using the potty every 15 minutes. Yesterday and the day before he stayed dry in his underwear (code name for Lightening McQueen Pull-Ups) until noon. After lunch time, it's all downhill and he usually ends up back in a baby diaper. His choice, not mine... The kids pees ALL THE TIME! I'm not even kidding, I sit him on the toilet every 15-20 minutes and he pees every time. Every single time. Until noon, then he becomes feisty. I think frequent urination is actually a side effect of his rash medicine. Along with the super hyper activity and massive appetite. I am anxiously awaiting Sunday, when I will hopefully get my beautiful, non-medicated Jacob back. The extra hyper activity has been really wearing me thin. I can handle his regular hyper self, but the extra hyper is too much! I call him my Beagle puppy on crack. If you've ever met a Beagle puppy, then you should understand the analogy. Oh well, this too shall pass.

My Punkin~

Is It My Birthday Yet?

No, it's not... But pretty soon! Saturday is the big day. Megan is coming to town and we are going shopping and out for coffee! Yay! As for today... Jacob's rash is the same as yesterday. I am giving him Bendryl to stop the itching and he is still on the medicine from the doctor until Sunday. If the medicine doesn't clear it up I am supposed to take him back to try and figure it out. My boss hired a new worker and she started today. That went pleasant. She is a normal person, so it should be OK. We are all snacking on pumpkin seeds right now and the plan is to warm up meatloaf for dinner. Burger just made french fries in the oven and I think maybe I will warm up some chili to put on them. So meatloaf, french fries, and chili will be the final dinner. Then maybe some pumpkin pie for Burger and me, but none for Jacob because that could possibly be the cause of the rash. No one knows for sure what it is, but the kid is definitely allergic to something. So, we need to watch what he eats for a while! It should be fun.

Jacob

Yesterday I noticed that Jacob had a rash on his belly and back. This morning he woke up scratching and scratching and the rash was covering his entire belly, chest, sides, and back so I called the doctor and made an appointment. Went to the doctor and they think he is allergic to something. Did I change the laundry soap? Did I change his lotion? Did I change his shampoo? Uhm... Don't these doctors even look in his file before they come in to help him? I have the rashiest kid ever. Incredibly sensitive skin since the day he was born. Do they really think I would change something, see a massive rash and wonder what happened? Seriously? I know he is allergic to something. I took him to the doctor so they could help me figure out what it is. I got no where. They gave him meds to calm down the rash and told me to watch what he eats... So helpful!

Anything new?

Not really... Jacob had Captain Crunch for breakfast today because we ran out of oatmeal. We were really super busy at work today and mean co worker is still driving me nuts. My brother came to visit today and that was nice. Jacob wanted to see Chuck E. Cheese and eat donuts and chocolate milk at Grandma's again. Not going to happen today, sorry kiddo! I am starting to think about decorating the kid's room. Funny to say that, kid's... I will paint the walls and get new flooring. I was hoping for wood flooring like we put in the living room, but Burger hates that idea. He wants carpet, and I guess I'm OK with that. But, what color carpet? I was thinking to paint the room a very light sage green and put glowing stars on the top as a border. Grandma Hild, you don't get an opinion on this because I like green. But what kind of carpet goes with sage green walls? Well, none of these ideas are final. We have time to think, I guess. I want to have it done by February because if we're lucky she will make her appearance near the end of February. I was thinking it would be fun to have a Valentine's Day baby, but I don't get to chose these things! So, if anyone has any great decorating ideas, just let me know!

Weekend Update

Today we woke up and had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Read the newspaper. Went to Wal-Mart then to Target. Jacob got some new shoes at Target. They are a little big, but that's much better than having them too small! We had lunch and some rest time then headed off the Pumpkin Town! We just got home and Burger is making meat loaf for dinner and pumpkin pie! Yum! Bummed about going back to work tomorrow, but these things have to be done...

Fun Days

Jacob and Grandpa Hild. We went to Grandma and Grandpa Hild's this morning to have donuts and chocolate milk. Jacob and Grandpa enjoyed themselves immensely.


We went to the mall and shopped for shoes, with no luck. Then Jacob called Grandma Hild and said he wanted to see Chuck E.Cheese. So my parents dropped everything and met us at Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. Because that's what kind of grandparents they are. I think my kids are the luckiest kids in the whole world for this. Then Jacob went to Grandma and Grandpa's house so Burger and I could go grocery shopping. Burger just fixed the toilet, but it still runs unnecessarily. So, if anyone wants to come fix my toilet... Or else we might just replace the entire thing. But we're not actually sure that would work. Tomorrow we are going to Pumpkin town that a local church sets up every Halloween. They have goats there. It should be fun. Dishes haven't gotten done yet, but hopefully soon! Also, I need to get some good shots of Jacob in his Halloween costumes. Yeah, you read that right. Costumes...