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...

Is is really hard to take a picture of myself so you all can see the pregnant belly. I will keep trying, and if I can't succeed I will stoop to asking Burger to take it for me. Also, there will be no bare pregnant belly shots this pregnancy. They estimated Emrick's weight at 10 ounces and according to her growth we are 19weeks and 4 days preggo. So, she is slightly small. About a week behind in growth. Nothing to be concerned about!

Busy much?

Today is my day off work, and I have so much to do! Burger works this weekend, so what doesn't get done today will get done over the weekend. I went through all of Jacob's baby clothes last night and found a ton that I just can't bear to part with! Also a lot that I am getting rid of so I guess it evens out! We also looked up the car seat online to see that it hasn't been recalled for anything. It hasn't. So the baby car seat is all systems go. We started kind of looking at what car seat we will buy her after she outgrows the carrier seat. I know we have plenty of time to decide, but I want to be absolutely sure I make the best educated decision to ensure her safety. I am a car seat freak. So sue me. Well, here is my list of things that absolutely need to be done by Monday:
-Dishes
-Massive amounts of laundry
-Story time is at 10:30 this morning
-grocery shopping
-Jacob needs new tennis shoes (size 10, OMG!)

Meet Emrick Jane Oldenburger:

This is the profile, obviously.




This is the picture everyone was waiting for! My mom thought it would be a boy, but I felt strongly that it was a girl! Dad was siding with my mom and Burger was siding with me. Burger was the one who first said it was a girl, right after we found out I was preggo! What an intuitive husband I have! The ultrasound tech said they couldn't tell anyone 100% what gender baby would be, but that baby was so active she was positive it was a girl otherwise we would have seen boy parts flying around, and we definitely didn't. So that said, and my intuition, I am positive it is a girl baby growing in my uterus.

We have this exact same ultrasound picture of Jacob so I have a feeling they will look alike! We have already chosen a name. Meet Emrick Jane Oldenburger. Emrick after my dad, Rick, and Jane because it sounds really nice together! Our boy name was Calvin Lee, so if this happens to be a surprise boy...

Pictures

I took these yesterday. He was wearing the new outfit Grandma Hild bought him, super cute! He was being very cooperative and was especially smiley!


Jacob and Daddy taking the garbage out. This is something they do together every Tuesday night! It's the highlight of Jacob's day! I thought Jacob looked funny in his footie pajamas, Thomas Crocs, and stocking hat!


Burger made chili for dinner last night and so Jacob wouldn't ruin any of his clothes, I put one of my T-shirts on him! We have a gate closing off the kitchen from the dining room and Burger left it open so Jacob went into the kitchen and locked himself in. He whined, "Daddy, I want out..." So Burger opened it and Jacob giggled and shut himself in the kitchen again.... As you can guess, this game went on for a while.

Unsolicited Advice:

Yep, that's right, it turns out that regular, old, everyday germs are good for kids. So is regular, old dirt, disappointment, boredom, frustration, conflict, and the occasional playground accident. All of these help children to develop their own coping skills, creative and spiritual core, and sense of self.
So here's my unsolicited advice to parents: take a step back. Relax. Enjoy. Your baby will sleep without an expert consultant coming to your house. Your toddler will eventually leave diapers behind. I promise. The Graco stroller won't mark your child — or you — as a loser.
Let your preschooler play in the dirt, and your kindergartener deal with the classmate who pinches her.
And for God's sake, let the baby figure the spoon out for herself.


Excerpted from the article The Over-Parenting Crisis written by Katie Allison Granju

Is It Time Yet?

We have been crazy busy with appointments this week, and it's only Tuesday! Yesterday I went to work then to the doctor and then back to work in the evening. My appointment went well, and my ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday at 3:30, so be ready for baby pics on Friday! We are hoping to find out what gender baby is, wish us luck! My mom came and played with Jacob when I went back to work last night because Jacob was sleeping. Today we went to work and are getting ready to take Max to the vet for his booster shots. We had to go to the store and buy yet another dog leash because Jacob keeps misplacing ours... I am making corn dogs for lunch, super healthy! Well, off I go to get things done! Have a good one, people.

Really?

Just a mid-morning update for everyone. Today is Monday and the universe ruined my day. It started out so well, too. I walk in to work and first thing, someone calls and asks me to work tonight. I agreed without thinking and now I regret it. I go to the doctor at 1 PM and they will undoubtedly weigh me, making all those cupcakes and doughnuts seem like a really bad idea. Jacob is going to the doctor with me, so we'll all see how that works out. Mean co-worker was picking on my kid again today so we left early. I was warming up leftovers for lunch, and they exploded in the microwave, leaving me with yet another fun clean-up job today. Seriously, and it's only 11:30 in the morning. I need someone to bring me a latte (after I get weighed at the doctor's!) and some hugs...

10 Things that Make Me A Good Mom

1.) Burger
2.) I always give Jacob a good hearty breakfast
3.) I give my kids space and time to acquire age appropriate skills by themselves
4.) I let him play outside
5.) I try my best to feed him appropriate meals
6.) I let him make his own mistakes
7.) I tell him no when he needs to hear it
8.) We have nice family conversations everyday
9.) We got him a piggy bank to save spare change in
10.) I encourage his interests, even when I think they're boring (Hello, Thomas!)

I believe that you have to have positive thoughts to get positive results. I definitely want positive results from parenting! For an update on the weekend: I did get the porch cleaned, but only after battling a giant spider, giving up, and waiting for Burger to come home and do it for me. We went to the mall on Sunday and I yelled at a lady in the toddler's play area because her way-too-old-to-be-in-there-to-begin-with boys trampled my son, twice. They first time I told the boys (who were about 10 years old, by the way) that they needed to slow down because this was a place for little children to play. They didn't listen and while I cursed their parents for leaving them alone in there, the boys got into a huge kicking match. Somehow Jacob got in the middle of it and ended up screaming. I glared at the boys while holding my screaming child and a lady came up from sitting on the bench (2 feet from me the whole time) telling her boys to apologize. I told her it was too late. They had tackled my son twice and how dare she just sit there and watch her kids behave that way the whole time they've been here?!? She apologized and I refused to accept. They left, score one for the bitchy pregnant lady! Poor Burger, we still have a lot of pregnancy to go...

Saturday?

It's an early morning today. Burger is at work until noon and Jacob is up and ready to go! Plans for the day include:
-Grocery shopping
-cleaning out the porch
-fixing the toilet

This is not a full list of today's plans, just the most important ones. Doesn't this sound like a fun Saturday? At least we have doughnuts for breakfast...

Thursday is Yummy

Reasons why today is yummy:
1.) I don't work again until Monday
2.) We are planning to go swimming this evening
3.)Burger King for lunch
4.) Tacos for dinner
5.) Got my tooth fixed yesterday and now it feels great
6.) I made cupcakes the other day and now I get to eat them
7.)Jacob slept in this morning, meaning I got to sleep in this morning
8.) Beautiful weather outside
9.) Story time at the library tomorrow morning
10.) I rearranged Jacob's room the other day and it's still clean
11.) A new episode of ER is on tonight
12.) A new episode of The Office is on tonight
13.) Hoping to get some pictures of Jacob in his Halloween costume this afternoon
14.) I have orange juice to drink
15.) Jacob peed in the potty 3 times today

Discipline?

Alright, people, this is a serious post. Get yourself ready. I'm sure you are all aware that I have a very spirited child. I love that the most about him. He drives me crazy most of the time, but all of the time I love his spunk. He has personality. He knows what he wants and he usually knows exactly how to get it. These are the things about him that I never want him to lose. I want him to grow into an adult and still have all these qualities. His spunk, quirky personality, and enthusiasm for life are the things I love best. He can be naughty and it's sad to me that those are the moments that every body else notices. With all children, about 90% of the bad behavior should be just ignored. If they push someone, grab the victim and give them hugs and kisses and all the attention. Kids know that pushing friends is not acceptable. Usually they are just trying to get attention. And that is usually what they get. Why should the shover get the attention when the shoved is the one that really needs it? Today at work, my lovely co-worker was blaming my son for every single incident that happened in the room. If someone was crying, she was asking them, "What did Jacob do to you?" A lot of the time, my Jacob did have something to do with it, but I don't think it's fair to assume that it was his fault. Jacob gets pushed too, ya know. It makes me so sad to think that this is the way his life is going to be always. People are always going to notice and remember the bad days and just let all the fabulous things slip by. What about the fact that Jacob shares all the toys like a pro? What about the great pictures he colors? What about all the times he sits quietly in the corner reading books? Am I the only one that is ever going to notice these things? I hate that society is going to push and prod until my baby is trained (forced) to act like society thinks he should. I know that raising kids is mostly about teaching them how to function in the outside world, but does it have to be this heartbreaking?

This is Today... A Happy Day

This is the new baby belly. I bought new maternity jeans on Saturday, and you can see them in the picture! Cute baby belly, cute jeans...




Jacob colored his pumpkin today with permanent markers. He did very well and didn't even get any marker on him! We are having a good day! Relaxing and fun...

Relaxed

I really have nothing to post here today. Burger and I went shopping yesterday and my mom stayed here to play with Jacob. Pure torture of both of them, I'm sure. I got some nice maternity jeans, that was fun. Jacob is starting to get a cold. Grandma brought him a Thomas the Train humidifier for his room, to help clear up the cold faster. He isn't allowed to touch it or play with it, and so far he has done really well! We went to the bakery and got donuts for breakfast. Jacob ate 3. We had lunch at 10:30 A.M. today. Jacob ate almost a whole can of broccoli cheddar soup. Burger and I had hash browns. Jacob and Burger are playing trains together right now. Nothing too mind blowing or thought provoking to chat about today. Sorry guys!

This is the Story...

I am a very lazy person. I will not try to hide this. It's a fact that anyone near me knows without a doubt. Just how lazy I am might surprise you! We use paper plates in this house. Along with paper bowls and cups and forks and spoons. One reason is I absolutely despise washing dishes and the second reason being that my kitchen is the size of a public restroom toilet stall. Seriously, it's small. We have a half-sized oven. Burger cooks and I wash pans when absolutely necessary. Which is apparently not enough. Today I was washing dishes and Jacob left Sesame Street to visit the kitchen. He saw me and, flabbergasted, asked, "What are you DOING?" When I explained that I was washing dishes, he eyed me suspiciously for a few seconds then slowly walked away. Probably worried that crazy is contagious.

Patience

Patience is definitely a virtue. One that I am lacking. It seems to get worse with time, but especially when I'm pregnant. Any patience that I can possibly muster up flies right out the window when I'm pregnant. I was never a patient person, but certainly after having Jacob (and the older he gets) I am losing more and more. Patience is something that would be really really useful at my job. I am usually pretty good with Jacob. He is also very impatient so we seem to get along fairly well. He likes to do things fast and we usually don't have any problems getting from one place to another, such as when it's time to leave the playground. He usually gets tired of the playground before I do, which is nice! The pool is usually the only place I have to drag him out of. Anyways, the point of this particular blog is that I am starting to get worried about baby #2. Obviously not going to have the same personality as Jacob. What if it's a dawdler? What if it's the kind of baby that likes to eat an ounce every 15 minutes or so? What if it's not as easy as Jacob was and still is? I don't think I have enough patience to deal with a finicky baby and a two year old. No matter how nice Jacob is, he is still 2 years old and does typical 2 year old things. Am I ever going to be able to leave my house again, during daylight hours, after I have this second baby? I have until at least February to worry about these things. Hopefully I will get lucky again and have yet another perfect child, but what are the odds? Aside from being impatient, I am also not a lucky person. So I need everyone to be wishing me luck until the second one arrives. If praying is your thing, I'll take that also.

Today is...

I am feeling everything all at once today. I think I can thank the pregnancy hormones. But today is just overwhelming. I was at motherhooduncensored.net and her post today was very touching and exactly what I needed to read today. Our kids grow older and in the midst of things we just go with the flow. But then you stand back a minute and think, "Wow, this is so different than raising a baby. So incredibly difficult but rewarding." I don't have words to describe Jacob's tantrums and general craziness. I am so busy all the time trying to keep him occupied and doing the right thing. It's definitely a full time job. Something I think Burger doesn't (can't) fully understand. My mom made it look so easy when we were growing up. I sometimes feel like I must be doing something wrong. All the other parents seem to have their game on track while I'm just chasing... But then something happens. Maybe nothing... He eats a green bean with out being chastised for ten minutes first, or he keeps his foot still so I can tie his shoelace properly the first time around. Whatever it is, you notice it. The extreme love you have for this child all the time. Overwhelming and empowering. It helps you get through the rest of the day.