Eggs Aplenty

I don't know if it's because the weather is so nice or what, but they are serious about their Easter egg hunts down here.  Why have one when you can have one every day of the week?  When not in an official hunt, Boy and Baby O take turns hiding them around the house.  Baby O of course hides them all in the same place each time, so Boy O gets slightly frustrated after the first go-around.  Last year Baby O didn't really grasp what was going on around him, but after this egg hunt number one at toddler time, he got the idea pretty quick.

He was elated to discover there were trinkets and candy inside each egg!

Egg hunt number two: Of course Kindergarten couldn't end the week without their own version! Even Baby O was allowed to join in the fun.

Egg hunt number three:  The annual neighborhood extravaganza with donuts, coffee, live music and a bouncy house.  Boy O was intent on finding one of the golden eggs but made due with at least 30 normal ones and a few trips to the bouncy house.



A good way to get extra eggs is go out about three seconds before everyone else.  There were so many eggs that Baby O would get distracted, pick one up, see another one and throw the egg down before putting it in his basket.  People were chuckling so much about it that other parents would toss eggs into his basket so he would have a few by the end.



When we arrived home we made our second annual bunny cake.  This was the first time Baby O was able to fully participate.  He went a little heavy on the fur (shredded coconut) and preferred eating the jelly beans as opposed to decorating the bow tie.  

We almost forgot to dye eggs until the very last minute and once again Baby O was able to take an active role in decorating all of his eggs.  The decision to dye them outside was a good one.

This morning started fairly early at 6 o'clock on the dot.  I wasn't quite with it enough to get many pictures of our personal egg hunt and the goodies that the large altruistic rabbit delivered after the kids went to bed, but I'm certain that I have posted plenty already.  Hoping your Easter was as colorful as ours....

The Week

I promised I wouldn't do this again.  I promised I would update more often.  Life just seems to be getting in the way.  I know, excuses, excuses....but in all honesty, it wasn't just a week, it was the week.  The week that will go down in Family O history.  The week of extreme highs, lows, excitement, and stress.  There was no gray area, just either or.  I'm glad it's over and I'm beginning to feel somewhat normal again.  Thank goodness for that.

I did know in advance that it was going to be one of those weeks.  We were scheduled to close on our house that Thursday and the large home loan entity we had chosen to go with (although a great deal as far as our pocketbook, not so much well known for customer service) was not holding up their end of the bargain by communicating with our realtor or the title company.   I knew each day was going to be filled with frantic phone calls between everyone involved, but I really thought that if I could stay on top of everyone and gave it my all, it would happen on time.  And in my mind, it had to happen on time, because Baby O had a doctors appointment the same day, I had an appointment the next day and was also trying to coordinate another Kindergarten event that was to take place that Friday afternoon. 

NERD AT HEART

Anticipating the stress, I started off early Sunday morning with a long solo run.  It was pretty fantastic and everything was going my way.  On the way back home, I happened to spot a somewhat flattened coral snake on the side of the road. Having only ever seen this elusive species in pictures, I ran home with an extra skip to my stride, excited beyond belief to share this with the boys.  This is where it's pretty awesome to be married to a fellow biologist-because as soon as I entered the house yelling, "You won't believe what I just saw on the side of the road-A CORAL SNAKE!", my husband didn't blink an eye, didn't try to dissuade me, he responded by saying, "Cool, where are the keys to the car? Let's go check that sucker out."

And here they are, still in their pajamas, checking that sucker out.  Even though it had clearly kicked the bucket, coral snakes are venomous so we kept our distance and used it as an opportunity to educate both boys on why it's smart to keep your distance and maintain a healthy respect for all things wild.  Then we went home and ate some pancakes. 

Monday started off great.  No stress, nothing too scheduled, just house related phone calls.  Not even getting the e-mail that soccer practice would start the following day threw me off.  I was on top of it and proud of it.

Tuesday was also right on target.  More crazy back and forth phone calls about closing, but again, not unexpected and still in control.  We got good news that someone was coming to look at our rental the next day and the first soccer practice went great. As always it was fun to watch Boy O enjoy himself and in his element.

THE UNRAVELING
Then came Wednesday.  In my mind, I was still on top of it...and then I remembered someone was coming to look at the house.  I had time, they were coming around 11am, so I dropped Boy O off at school, put a 'Thomas' DVD in for Baby O and began to clean house.  I skipped breakfast, treated myself to a coca cola and cleaned until I could do no more.  Baby O and I even reorganized each closet by color (yes, I have been told that I'm nuts, but it just looks better), re stacked the pantry to give the illusion of order, placed all the extra toys into the garage and swept the front and back porch. 

We were exhausted by the time they came to check out the house and as I lay down for a nap after they left, I received the call from our agent saying the title company still hadn't received any paperwork from the bank. 

Well, poop. 

Then I had to call the bank, who insisted the paperwork had been sent.  Then I had to call the title company who said they still hadn't received it.  Then I called the bank who blamed it on the underwriters.  Then I called the agent.  Then I called the title company again who gave me the deadline of 4 pm or no closing the next day.  Then I called the bank....

This went on until about 5 pm, everyone insisting they had either sent the paperwork at the eleventh hour or not received it.  I finally called our agent in tears and said I had done everything possible and that we should just reschedule for the following Monday.  I was done.

Almost magically about an hour later, our agent called and said everyone had gotten what they needed, was staying late and closing would occur at 10 am as scheduled. Sighs of relief all around and I sat down.  I was still feeling a bit stressed and had some lower back pain from running around like a crazy lady all day, but things were going as planned and it would all be over soon anyway.  Distractions came easy that evening-Boy O lost one of his front teeth after dinner-he was so excited and mighty cute with the large gap in his smile.  Baby O was excited too and was also sure the tooth fairy was going to pay him a visit as well.

UNRAVELED
It had been a long day and we called it a night.  I tossed and turned for a few hours and at midnight knew something was wrong.  I had a lot of back pain.  I have a history of kidney trouble and have become very adept at identifying infections before medical intervention is needed, but this time the symptoms were different and I didn't recognize it was too late. Or maybe I had just been to busy.   Long story short, I drove myself to the hospital (I didn't want to make everyone come to the ER in the middle of the night) and thought that worse case scenario, I would be back in a few hours with a dose of antibiotics and in need of  a few hours sleep.  Apparently, kidney infections are much more serious when the person is pregnant, and by three o'clock in the morning I was informed that I would be staying for a minimum of 48 hours.  We were lucky-the infection had not spread to any other organs and Newbie O and I were just fine.  It scared me though.  I had no idea that a kidney infection could spread to my lungs and cause preterm labor.

Unraveled complete.  I was alone, had at least six needles stuck into my body by that point, an IV, a catheter and hadn't slept in almost 24 hours.  I had taken the car with the car seats, forgotten whether I had remembered to play tooth fairy, knew that closing on our house wasn't possible, doctor appointments and play dates would need to be rescheduled and someone else would have to take over trying to organize volunteers for Kindergarten.  On top of that, Daddy O (deep sleeper that he is) had fallen back asleep and was not stirred in the least by the phone ringing beside him.  Certainly not one of my best moments-sniffling to anyone who came into my room and leaving increasingly desperate/not so nice messages on Daddy O's cellphone. 

All was forgiven when Daddy O did wake up and since I had taken the car seats with me, we thought it best to go on as normal as possible, drop Boy O off at school and a wonderful friend down the street offered to drive Daddy O and Baby O to the hospital.  Both of us were just so tired.  We let our real estate agent know that closing would not be possible and took care of everything else in a matter of minutes.  What a relief to just let it all go.

It's a funny thing when you let things go like that-in our case, we needn't have worried, our agent (who is amazing) took over and arranged it so the closing came to us.  By 11 am everyone marched on into the hospital and Daddy O and I closed on our new home right there on the tray over my hospital bed.  Done and done.

Daddy O took over from there, taking off work, making sure the boys were doing well and of course visiting me several times a day.  I was worried about the boys and their reaction to such a sudden change, but they didn't miss a beat, they enjoyed my new digs-especially the cable television and adjustable bed. By Friday, Daddy O was a well-oiled machine and took care of getting the boys ready for Texas Day (yes, another Kindergarten celebration....it never ends).  I think he did one heckuvva job.

He called me that afternoon during the boot races, lassoing contests, saddle and hay rides to tell me that he was exhausted from all the Kinder chaos. Needless to say, the boys had a blast and I got to hear all about it later that afternoon.

   

By Saturday I was feeling much better and was released after my last dose of antibiotics.  I made it just in time to see Boy O's first soccer game of the season.  As always, he was amazing and took control of that ball from the moment he stepped onto the field.  I stopped counting after four goals.  The other team didn't know what had hit them.

 IT'S ALL GOOD
And finally after all the stress and strange events of the week, we made it out to the new house, sat on the porch, took a deep breath and enjoyed our view.  They say Texas is a state of feast or famine and I
can say for sure that we were full after the events that passed so quickly during the week.  In time we can hopefully catch our breath and prepare for the big move into our new home.  I'm looking forward to it.

Milestones

Large strides have been made this week.  It hasn't just been the general progress and growth, it seems as if every member of the family has reached a major milestone.


AMPHIBIANS O

Starting with the youngest and newest members of the household: Larry, Dr. Jean, and Buddy-our tadpoles.  Larry sprouted his two forelegs on Friday/Saturday, Dr. Jean almost has two hind legs and Buddy, well, not much is new with Buddy-but he seems to be surviving and that's got to count for something.

Observing the life of a tadpole has been great entertainment during mealtimes.


 

NEWBIE O -  HALF WAY THERE

Just had our 20 week check up on Thursday and once again, everything seems to be going great.  We were happy to learn that she has all her limbs, 10 fingers and toes and her head measurements are normal.  She is now the size of a 12 ounce soda can.

Here she is, fully cooperating and waving to everyone.

Here's me and Newbie O at exactly 20 weeks (this one is for you, Mom).  According to other people, I look great, but I know that's just what you are supposed to tell a pregnant lady.  If you told me I was on my way to looking like Bea Arthur-which is how I feel-I'd probably clobber you.  I would also like to add that I haven't completely given up on my platform shoes.  If you know me well, you know that I never leave home without them.  We'll see how long it lasts....

BABY O

Baby no longer.  For a child who climbed over baby gates before he could even walk, Baby O has never attempted to climb out of his crib.  Until last weekend.  We were under a bit of a time crunch, considering he needed to transition to a bed (without bars) by midsummer and this was just the push we needed.  For now we have just taken one wall off and will put him in a real bed in a couple of months.  He felt like he had won the lottery and the picture below shows him 'practicing' sleeping before the first night. 

We were anticipating at least a week of no sleep, but it went off without a hitch.  He wakes up every morning, gets out of his bed, slams his door shut, runs down the hall to our bedroom and proclaims (for all the world to hear), I got up all by myself!

Potty training is going better after a weekend of potty boot camp.  We switched to underwear during the day and are making more of an effort to get the ball rolling.  There have been a few accidents and mop-ups, but he has asked to go to the bathroom a couple of times.  Sometimes I wonder who is potty training who though...

BOY O AND THE MARBLE JAR

The marble jar has been going on since late October.  It has been a fantastic method to encourage good, responsible behavior and discourage other bad habits at the same time.  Daddy O and I got really tired of reminding Boy O time and time again to brush his teeth, put on lotion, make his bed, turn off his nightlight etc...

So, if he remembers to do these things without being told before school, he gets a marble for each chore in the Spiderman jar.  If we have to remind him-there is no punishment (no marble in the villain jar), but there is also no reward.  Sometimes good deeds that go above and beyond the call of duty are also cause for a Spiderman marble.

Behavior that warrants a marble in the Mysterio jar are lying, arguing, talking back, not being nice...you get the picture.  As you can see from the photo below, we are very lucky parents-we don' have too much trouble.  We told him that when he filled up the Spiderman jar he could choose a fun activity to do (within reason).

It took a few months but he finally filled it up!  And after much thought and debate, he decided he wanted to see a movie at the theater.  We went this past weekend to see the movie of his choice (3D of course) and we made sure to record our fun in the photo booth after the movie got out.

MOMMY AND DADDY O

We kind of bought a house.   I say 'kind of' because we still have about a week until we officially close, but it looks good.  Inspections went as expected, minor repairs are underway and we are incredibly excited to move in after Boy O finishes out the school year in this neighborhood.   I feel like we have been living in and out of boxes for the last eight months-I can't wait to have space for all of our things and find my bleeping bowls and cookbooks again.

To recover from such a big week, we are relaxing at home on Spring Break for the time being.  Not much to do except soak up the sunshine and walk to the park.  Not a bad way to spend the time... 

Runs in the Family

I am one proud Mom today.  Boy O finished his first 5k (3.1 miles) race!  Not only did he finish, but he didn't stop once and finished first in his age group of 6 other kids, not to mention that he passed quite a few kids older than himself (including adults) as well. 

Signing him up was no big deal, the flyer came home about seven weeks ago and I thought it would be neat if we could all participate and run as a family.  We were all fired up and made a plan to train 3 days a week until race day.  It sounds ideal right? 

It was harder than I thought.  There was no doubt in my mind that my son could do this, after all-he had run 2 miles with me just one year ago and has been known to bike ahead of me for up to 10 miles while I run.  He's no slouch. The thing that I failed to account for was the attention span of a six year old versus the attention span of two competitive adults (aka his parents).  Some days were frustrating and some days we managed to remember that he is only just 6 years old, doesn't care about a steady pace and would much rather spend his energy and thoughts hopping from from rock to rock, high-fiving the branches above him and racing down the hills at break neck speed. 

In seven weeks of training Boy O managed to log in 25 miles in preparation for this morning.  He kept track by adding 1 bead per mile to a necklace he kept for himself.   Not too shabby.

Race day packets are like goodie bags in this family...who doesn't love endless brochures, magnets, key rings and other junk?

Just before we left for the starting line.

Boy O, all smiles after the race and one proud, tired mom.  It's hard to keep up now...

A few hours later at the awards ceremony and a typical response to, Hey everyone, look at the camera!

The Drink Pouch Debacle And Other Observations

ON PREGNANCY

Other than having emotional oubursts from time to time (the drink pouch debacle-see below), I'm feeling pretty good. 

I still run most days and although I've reduced my weekly mileage by a lot, I'm still proud to say that I can run eight miles on any given Sunday.  'Runs' have been reduced to something akin to a slow crawl and my routes are planned carefully around restroom stops, but as long as the doctor says it's okay, I have resolved to pull the belly band over my spandex, put on a baggy shirt and be that weird pregnant lady that runs/waddles around the neighborhood every afternoon.

Cravings?  I eat Ramen noodle soup like it's going out of style and at least a pint of strawberries every day.  Sometimes I like to change it up with pear flavored gourmet jelly beans and something doused in soy sauce, but Ramen noodles seem to do me just fine.  Cheap too.

Having enjoyed my morning coffee and my evening aloholic beverages, I have been pleasantly surprised that abstaining has not been at all painful.  I can no longer stand the smell of coffee or alcohol.  All alcohol smells like rubbing alcohol to me now-whether it's wine, beer, liquor, or mouthwash.  The smell of peppermint is pretty bad too.  I now brush my teeth with baking soda.


EMOTIONALLY CHARGED

I'm sure everyone has had their own version of the the drink pouch debacle.  I've heard different stories from a couple of friends-the tater tot incident, the which-way-the-toilet-paper-roll-should-be-installed (over or under?) argument-in other words, an overreaction to something that looks insignificant to almost everyone else.  But criminy, when the 'lunch helper' informs Boy O that his capri-sun is too hard to open and to please tell his mother not to pack them in his lunch anymore, it irked me.  Yes, I understand that the organic brand is harder to open, but isn't the lunch helper supposed to...ahem...help?  Infuriated, I quickly scribbled a scathing note to the so-called helper (attached to his drink pouch) and stomped around the house until it was time to leave for school.  Daddy O attempted to gently express that I might be overreacting a tad  as well as remove the note from Boy O's lunch box.  This of course only made me more resolute in my mission to march on over to the school and make sure lunch helpers everywhere were set straight on their duties.  Luckily for everyone involved, the intensity of emotion subsided by the time I dropped Boy O off and I just casually mentioned it to the teacher.  Then I went home, cried and ate some ramen noodles.

WHY AM I STILL CALLING IT, IT?

Newbie O is doing just fine.  Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary and every appointment has gone well so far.  I do spend a lot of time worrying about whether the baby is still there or not.  My first request upon entering the doctor's office is to make sure the little heart is still beating.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm afraid they are going to say that it was never there in the first place.  And why am I still calling it, it?  I honestly don't know...last week we found out that Newbie O is not an it, but a she.  And I'm excited.  She doesn't have a name yet, but I have to admit that it is just so fun to look at all the dresses and accessories for little girls.  And on that note, I'll end with one of her first pictures...

Super Valentines

These valentines were so cute they deserved their own post. Who wouldn't appreciate a homemade message-especially if they come with a lollipop in the middle?  If you are looking for a unique idea that doesn't include the whole superhero theme, pop on over to Pinterest.  I'm kind of an addict.  I spend way too much time browsing that site finding all sorts of DIY crafting fun. 

While Boy O cut out the capes, I made the hearts and printed out a message that he also glued on himself.  I would also like to add that I did not ask him to wear his superman pajamas last night.  That was all pure coincidence.

I cut out the masks a few days before and have to admit that I felt as if I was constructing small bikini tops for a Barbie doll.

Signing them took the longest.

Voila!  Finished product ready to deliver on Tuesday.

Valentine Party Number One

Valentine's Day starts today as far as we are concerned-party number one was for all the toddlers in the Mom's group that we are a part of.  Baby O and  I had a great time making our own valentines for the event and even Daddy O got into the swing of it by taping all the miniature masks onto the superhero blow pops (Boy O will be making his this weekend, so there will be a separate post on these homemade valentines).  Here he is in full craftiness mode trying out new techniques:

Besides the obvious benefits of being part of such a great group of Mom's is that we usually do all the messy stuff at the community center.  We do have to clean up the aftermath, but it is so nice not to worry about my table or furniture.  As you can imagine with 27 toddlers present-add in water colors, paints and frosting-the mess can be quite large.

What do you get when you turn your back to reach for your camera?  Lots and lots of sprinkles.

Exchanging valentines was lucrative!  At the moment Baby O is napping, but I have a very good feeling he won't be down for long...