10 Facts about Me and My Hubby

The wonderful Hallie over at Betty Beguiles has yet another fun idea! Here is a list of 10 facts about my husband and myself.

1.

We met during our 8:00 a.m. speech class in college. Ryan said he almost dropped the class since it was "too early for him" but when he saw me sitting there he decided to stay. :-)

2.

We were best friends before we started dating.

3.

I knew I wanted to marry him before we even started dating. It was the summer before we started dating and we had an impromptu "friend" date at Hooters. (Yeah, I know..) Afterwards we went and looked at puppies and drove around discussing that we both HAVE to have big front porches on our future homes. After he dropped me off I had the biggest gut feeling that "Oh my goodness... I want to marry him someday!" I was really freaked out!

4.

He is a city boy and I'm a small town girl. Now we live in a town that is even smaller than my rinky dink hometown!

5.

Ryan told me before we dated that he didn't think he'd ever get married.

6.

We are both VERY competitive. That makes playing video games and board games and any sport veeeeeery interesting! We scream and yell and call each other names, but end up laughing hysterically in the end!

7.

He has turned me into a comic book and sports nerd. I've turned him into a good Catholic boy.

8.

Our favorite date is simply going out to eat (McDonalds, Applebees.. nothing fancy) and out to a movie.

9.

Ryan was really nervous about me having a c-section. He doesn't handle blood and scalpels very well. But when they lifted Joe out of me and they told Ryan to stand up and look at his son he did without hesitation. He was so brave and strong!

10.

In April we will be married 2 years. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us. We've already been blessed with one child born to heaven and another who turns 7 months on Saturday. I can't wait to expand our family and watch our love grow!

Head over to Betty Beguiles to tell her your own 10 facts!

The Girly-Girl vs. The Slob

Timeless beauty,

classic elegance,

stunning,

exquisite,

... and then there's me.

This is my daily attire. My husband's old t-shirt and old sweatpants. (I promise the undies are my own.) It has taken me awhile to come to terms that I dress and appear as a slob. I've never been much of a girly-girl. I burp, fart, and have been known to make the statement, "P.U. I should have put on deodorant today!" I rarely shave (not because I want to embrace my natural woman, but because I am lazy.) I hardly ever put make-up on or do my hair. Sometimes I don't even brush my hair. I don't mind getting dirty. I've never cared a lot about fashion. I'd much rather have a nice cold beer than a glass of wine or a margarita.

However, there was a time that I used to take care of my appearance. I never went overboard for that look of perfection, but I looked presentable. I wasn't afraid to run to Wal-Mart in my sweatpants or without makeup, but for the most part, I wore nice clothes and at least brushed my hair. I do embrace the domestic side of my femininity. I want to learn how to sew and cook. I enjoy cleaning and making house. I take enormous pride and find unbelievable joy in my vocation as a wife and stay at home mother.

I have a lot of excuses for the way I appear now. Stay-at-home-motherhood is NOT one. I looked like this long before I got pregnant. The only difference now is I have spit-up on my shirt and mashed banana in my hair. Some of my excuses go like this:

My body is still all sorts of wacky since I had Joe. I can't find clothes that fit and look good.

I can't afford new clothes. Besides, I want to lose some weight, so if I do spend the money on clothes I want them to fit.

I crave comfort. Sweat pants and old t-shirts are the staple of comfort, at least for me.

I don't see anyone throughout the day besides my husband and son. Why do I have to look nice? I don't need to impress them because they love me unconditionally.

If I do get out it is usually to Wal-Mart, and I usually do put on a bra and jeans for that. I might brush my hair. I'll put on a "nice hoodie" over my ratty old t-shirt.

I don't want to do my hair because it's still falling out since I had Joe and I don't want to further the process by blow drying or coloring.

I can't put makeup on right. It looks good when I first put it on, but later it looks like crap. Plus, why put it if just Ryan will see it? That clogs pores, ya know, and leads to pimples and stuff.....

I'm not saying it's time for me to dress to the nines and spend hours on my make-up and hair. But at least maybe I could wear t-shirts and sweat pants that are supposed to go on a woman, rather than a man. I don't care about having mashed banana in my hair, but maybe I could brush my hair every once in awhile. Maybe put on a touch of makeup. Paint my fingernails. Wear a skirt. Own a pair of shoes other than sneakers and flip flops. Wear something other than jeans.

When I told my husband about my concerns about being a slob and not being feminine enough he assured me that I was feminine. "I didn't marry a dude," he said to me. No, he didn't, but I could embrace my girly-girlness a bit more. I don't want to look nice just for my husband, but also for Joe. I don't want him to look back at pictures of him and me and think, "This is how a woman is supposed to look?" Of course I don't want him to marry a prissy-priss woman who is obsessed with her looks, but still, he should know what a hard-working, balanced woman looks like. And when I have daughters I want them to be able to look up to me and think their mother is truly beautiful.

I complain and make excuses about dressing up, but in reality, I do like the way I look (most of the time) when I do try and look presentable. Even though I tend to avoid posts about femininity, modesty and style, I desire to look good.

So my goals are to start taking better care of myself with exercise and with my appearance. I know I will never be a size 2 again. I know I will never wear the latest fashion. I know my make-up won't look like a pro put it on.

I don't think I'll ever fully embrace my inner girly-girl. Fart jokes are a part of my family and yes, I DO think they are hilarious. I'd still rather watch Star Wars than a chick flick. But there can be balance, right?

Do I sound really vain right now? How do you dress up or make yourself "presentable"?

P.S. Please don't think I am a total slob. I do shower, brush my teeth, and change my undies. I'm not a complete barbarian!

7 Quick Takes Friday Vol. 20: TV Shows

My dear blogging friend Sarah had a great idea today for her 7 Quick Takes by showcasing some of her favorite TV shows. Since I am also a big TV fan, I thought I would follow her lead and feature some of my faves. I am a TV junkie (not as bad as I used to be)... so it was hard to narrow down this list!

Now, in no particular order (except I saved the best for last) I present my favorite TV shows.

1. Wheel of Fortune

My mom has pictures of me watching this long-running game show in my high chair. I am convinced that is how I learned my ABC's so quickly and how I was able to read at such a young age. I didn't need Sesame Street! Just give me some Vanna and Pat and I was golden! My mom also has pictures of me as a toddler pretending to be Vanna White. I thought I had them saved to my computer to show y'all, but, alas, I do not.

I still hope to maybe someday be a contestant on this show. The only problem is when I watch at home I am LOUD. When I "solve" the puzzle I scream it out. I do mean SCREAM. Also, if I happen to miss a letter or something I tend to curse. I don't think I would be an acceptable contestant.

2. The Middle

This show always cracks me up because it reminds me a lot of my family. It shows that no family is perfect and that's OK. Plus, it's supposed to take place in the Midwest (Indiana) and so I can relate more to it than other shows. It seems that most shows take place in California or New York City/East Coast, so it's nice to see a show where the dad wears a Colts jersey.

3. The Office

I remember when my mom told me I should watch this show because it was funny. It kind of confused me because it is shot like a documentary, so I was wondering if it was supposed to be real, funny or serious. But after the first episode I was hooked. I would LOVE to work in an office like this. I think it's cool how the writers of the show are also the actors. Too bad the show will probably be ending soon since Steve Carell who plays Michael Scott is leaving the show after this season. I mean he makes that show hilarious!

I have to share my favorite Dwight K. Schrute quote:

"Before I do anything, I think, 'Would an idiot do this thing?' And if the answer is, 'Yes,' then I do not do that thing."


4. Full House

Sigh... this is one of my favorite all time shows. It makes me all nostalgic-like. I own all the episodes on DVD. I love the witty commentary, the goofy antics, the serious plinky-planky music when they have a serious talk at the end of show.

I had the Michelle talking doll, a Full House picture book and a poster of Uncle Jesse and Michelle. That opened the door to loving Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson... which... that love has now disappeared.

I love this show so much that I picked the Beach Boys song "Forever" that Jesse sang to Rebecca at their wedding for Ryan's and my first dance at our wedding. It really is a pretty song!

The only thing that disheartens me is Bob Sagat's current comedy routine. Danny Tanner has turned into a pervert!!!


5. Everybody Loves Raymond

Another Patricia Heaton show. I love her. Do you know she's an honorary chair for Feminists for Life?

I love shows about family. I especially love funny shows about family. This is one of my mom's favorites as well and I enjoy watching it with her.

6. Friends

Another series where I own every single episode. I had to replace one season because I wore out the discs. I have seen every single episode multiple times. My best friend and I can quote this show pretty much verbatim. This show has gotten me through many a bad day. I just cuddle up on the couch, snuggle with a blanket, eat loads of chocolate, watch Friends and soon I am in a better mood.

I was so sad when they decided to stop filming but I think they ended the series perfectly. Yeah, it was the typical make everybody happy ending, but those are my favorite kinds of endings!

7. LOST

I was just thinking the other day how much I miss this show. I miss the confusion and frustration each week after it would end. I just cannot explain the awesomeness of this show. I can't really explain anything in it because it's just too confusing! Only fellow LOSTIES would know what I am talking about!

Have a great weekend everyone!

7 Quick Takes Friday Vol. 19

I haven't done one of these in quite a long time! I never felt I had anything note-worthy to write about. This week, however, I think I've dug up enough to come up with 7 Quick Takes!

1. I received a nice surprise yesterday! To understand it you need to know a little back story. The painting below of Jesus on the road to Emmaus used to belong to my Grandma and Grandpa. It hung above my Grandma's organ in their living room. It is one of my favorite paintings and I always told my dad and grandparents how much I admired it. They all told me that someday I would get it. Well after my grandfather passed away and my grandmother was put in a nursing home, my dad and uncles had a big estate sale. I didn't figure they would put the painting in the sale, so I never asked about it. It turns out they did NOT put it in the sale, but they donated it to the local Methodist Church. My dad had forgotten about my wishes to have the painting. He was really upset that he had forgotten, but I wasn't mad. I thought it was a slight bummer, but knowing it was in a church made me feel really good.

Well you can imagine my surprise when my dad came to visit yesterday and he had the painting with him!!! It turns out after all this time the church had not put the painting up and wasn't sure if they would be able to due to lack of space. My dad explained the situation and they happily gave it back to him!


As you can see it is a very large painting, so it will be a challenge to find a place to hang it up, but I WILL find a place for it! I'm so very happy!

2. Joe had his 6 month well-child check on Tuesday. He weighs 20 lbs. 5 oz and is in the 75-90th percentile. His length... well he's 25 inches (but Ryan and I are convinced the nurse measured wrong.) That puts him in the 5th percentile. The doctor said not to worry, that he should shoot up a couple inches in the upcoming months. A worry-wart like me should NOT be told percentiles!

3. Ryan spent part of yesterday pretending to be St. Patrick. We have TONS of garter snakes in our backyard and he ran around with a shovel trying to kill them. Even our elderly neighbor lady hollered across the alley and asked what in the world he was up to. He did end up decapitating one and decided on "leaving it in the yard as a warning to the rest of the snakes." They don't bother me, because they are itty bitty and harmless. Plus they might keep the mice and other gross bugs away. As long as they don't come in the house, they are fine to be slithering around in the yard!

4. You might be wondering how my Lenten sacrifice of giving up Facebook is going. It's actually going pretty well! Yeah, there are sometimes when I have a bit of downtime that I want to get on there to see what's going on in the world, but I have found other things to do in my spare time (like research cloth diapers and organize wedding photos for an actual wedding album!)

5. You might also be wondering how my exercise routine with Jillian is going. It's not. I have a list of excuses, of course, but my main one is that I just find it really hard to exercise to a DVD. It's so repetitive and boring. By day 4 I have Jillian's witty banter with her exercise buddies memorized. It's boring and not fun. Thankfully the weather is getting nicer so I might start walking or jogging more.

6. This weekend Joe gets to meet his great-grandpa Ed for the first time (One of Joe's middle names is Edward- after Ryan's grandpa!) I'm excited too because Ryan's aunts are coming as well and we haven't seen them since our wedding almost 2 years ago. They all live up in Minnesota so we don't get to see them very often. It should be a fun weekend!

7. I have spent the last couple of months organizing and putting into photo albums my pictures from junior high to college (that's years 1998-2007) They had all been dumped into 2 large totes for the past couple of years so it took a long time to organize and put into chronological order. Now I am working on getting my digital photos that are saved on my computer printed out through Walmart.com. Those started in Spring of 2007. So far I have printed off up until Fall of 2007... I still have a lot to go, especially with my wedding and birth of my son thrown in there! I wish I had enough motivation/time/money to do fancy scrapbooks, but regular photo albums will have to do for now! It is so much fun going through these photos and remembering all the good times I have had!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Joe wants to say, "Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

This is St. Patrick's Breastplate... these words are so beautiful!

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.
I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

OK.. so this isn't St. Patty's Day related... but I have to share. It says "Bald is Beautiful"

Hehehehe!

Thinking

There is something that I thought I was finally ready to write about, but I can’t bring myself to write about it just yet. I’ve been wanting to write a 3-part post reflecting on some things about pregnancy/child birth/becoming a mother that I never really got the chance to write about soon after Joe was born. All that was on my mind back then was nursing, my blood pressure and wondering if I’d ever get a full-night’s sleep again. I wanted to write about how difficult it was dealing with excessive swelling and pre-eclampsia. I wanted to write about how I am still “mourning the loss” of not giving birth naturally. I wanted to write about how scary it was/is becoming a new mother.

I feel it has taken me these past 6 months since Joe came into this world to be able to take a step back and find the right words for these posts. I was getting ready to write this past weekend when I realized that this coming week we would have celebrated Gus’ first birthday, if I had not miscarried him (or her.) Complaining about how I didn’t get MY way in my pregnancy and childbirth just doesn’t seem appropriate. I remember when we had our miscarriage scare with Joe. I begged God that I would do anything, let anything happen to me if this baby came out healthy. I know God doesn’t bargain. I did get a wonderfully healthy baby. But I’m just so selfish and self-centered sometimes that I choose to focus on how I didn’t get the dream birth I wanted and dreamed of.

Miscarriage and infertility has been heavy on my heart this month. Reflecting on Gus and what could have been and receiving my Family Foundations magazine in the mail that features infertility has really got me thinking. Some women would gladly welcome a c-section if it meant holding their own baby in her arms and here I am beepin’ and moanin’. My gosh, I lost a baby and I’m still complaining about the way I delivered my very special blessing. My pride is thinking I’m a fertile Myrtle and I just “know” I’m going to get pregnant again really soon. Who am I to assume that if we don’t follow the rules “just once” or if we’re ready to try to conceive I’ll get pregnant right away? I keep thinking that secondary infertility won’t happen to me or I won’t miscarry again. Fertility is such a gift and I keep assuming God will just shower me with these gifts. Not good, Maggie, not good.

Anyways, this post is already dragging and disjointed so I apologize. I just had to get my feelings out on the screen. I’m still debating on whether or not to do this 3 part post. Perhaps it will have to wait a little bit longer.

Joe's First Ash Wednesday

Joe celebrated his first Ash Wednesday yesterday! A couple days ago I asked on my facebook wall if babies could get ashes and many people said yes! I guess I've just never seen a baby with ashes on their forehead. I held Joe's hands down because I was afraid he'd do one of his spazz-out-hands-in-the-air moves, but he just looked up at Father and stared all wide-eyed and curious! Isn't he adorable?!

Hooray for Lent!

Mommy and Joe with our matching ashes!

OK, so this has nothing to do with Ash Wednesday or Lent, but by golly, it's too darn cute not to share!

Facebook: Pros and Cons

For the past couple of years I've considered giving up facebook for Lent. But I always made excuses- one was that Lent was right before my wedding and I needed this social network to keep in touch with family, friends, the wedding party and I needed a way to vent at times. Another excuse was that I was pregnant. I wanted to update my loved ones on the excitement of pregnancy.

This year I really have no excuses. I will admit that I am very much addicted to facebook so this will be a big sacrifice. Since I live in a town that is 25 miles from civilization, I use facebook to connect to the outside world. We have a very close-knit family with busy lives, so we use facebook as a way to connect. I love keeping in touch with my old high school and college buddies. I love how I can get to know my blogging friends a bit better. I use facebook to get advice. I enjoy reading people's statuses (most of the time) and sometimes people post very interesting articles or notes that I would not otherwise see. Facebook was a healing tool for me during my miscarriage. I hesitated posting the news that I had lost our baby, but I felt his life was worth celebrating and acknowledging and so I did. I got an outpouring of support and personal messages from other women (some who I barely knew) telling me of their own heartbreak. It was a huge help in knowing I wasn't alone.

Yes, giving up facebook will be hard, but in a tiny way I'm actually kind of excited. Imagine all the things I can get done without the temptation of looking at my friends' photos or playing just one more game of Wheel of Fortune! It's almost second nature for me- I need to clean up the kitchen, but I'm going to sit down for a second and check facebook "just for a second".... Well that second turns into 15 minutes of mindless facebook browsing and lost motivation to go clean.

Sometimes I look at my large list of "friends" and realize that there is only a small percentage that I actually communicate with. I know some people do massive facebook friend clear-outs and I have often thought about doing that as well. I have deleted some people, but they are usually people that never ever get online. But me being the very sensitive person I am doesn't want to delete a lot of people because sometimes my pride gets stung when I see that a "friend" has deleted me. I don't want to hurt any one's feelings. Besides, they might post an interesting article or video once in awhile, so I don't delete them, even though their statuses about getting crazy drunk all the time, and the self-portraits looking all hoochie-mama-ish annoy the crap out of me.

I have seen facebook used as a way to make fun of others and start drama. I have on more than one occasion been infuriated at a facebook status that was snarky and ambiguously aimed at me or one of my loved ones. I get so annoyed at immaturity and rudeness that people throw around on facebook. Just because you can't see the person you are hurting doesn't make it right to insult and abuse.

Facebook can annoy me because everyone thinks that they are a political or social justice genius. When election time rolls around I sometimes dread logging in to my facebook.

Do I need this time waster? This drama fueler? Yes. I love being able to be in contact with my loved ones. I enjoy the friendships I have made with people I have never even met. I love the sense of community when someone gets married, has a baby, or suffers a loss. Even Pope Benedict says that social networking can be a good tool if used wisely.

Hopefully this Lent will be a little more spiritually uplifting since I won't have the distraction of facebook. I will still be blogging, so I will still have updates on what's going on in our lives and cute Baby Joe pictures. I can't unplug completely!!!

What are you giving up for Lent?

When They Come A Knockin'

When I was in high school a classmate of mine listed of names of girls she wouldn't want to mess with. My cousin, my best friend and I were on that list. Now, please don't think we were bullies- pushing down small people, smoking in the bathroom, giving wedgies or spreading false gossip. We were good girls, goodie two-shoes and honor roll students. I guess we just exuded confidence and acted all tough.

Well that classmate of mine probably wouldn't put me on that list now, because I am a pansy.

I saw a strange car pull up in front of my house and two women got out. They had backpacks and were wearing long black skirts. "Oh noooooooo!!! They are either Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons!" I thought. I didn't have time to think. I have always heard of missionaries going door-to-door, but I have never ever had to deal with a situation like this!

They knocked on the door and I couldn't hide because they had seen me through our front window. I opened the door to two very young, pretty girls- probably college age.

They asked me if I had ever heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I said yes. They asked me if I knew about Jesus Christ and his Gospel. I pointed to the large crucifix in our living room and said yes. They giggled in surprise. Then I said, "We're devout Catholics, so I'm not really interested in hearing what you have to say." As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted them. They sounded so mean. Yeah, they are the truth, but I could have said it in a more charitable way. I mean these people walk door to door in the cold, probably get cursed at, made fun of, doors slammed in their face, and they are all doing it because they truly believe they are doing the right thing. They believe what they are doing is good. They do it for Jesus. I immediately apologized. I told them I didn't mean to sound rude. They smiled and said I wasn't and then asked if there was anything they could do for our family. Then they left. Thankfully Joe was in my arms so he broke up the awkwardness.

I know some people invite missionaries in and debate theology. Some people agree to take a pamphlet if they can give the missionaries a pamphlet of their own denomination. Some people hide or say, "No thanks," and slam the door.

How do you deal with missionaries of different denominations when they come knocking at your door? Are you rude? How do you treat them with kindness? Do you take this opportunity to share your own denomination's beliefs?


In closing I would like to share a joke with you that my Uncle Alan has recently told my family:

There was a knock on the door this morning, I opened it and there was a young man standing there who said: "I'm a Jehovah's Witness".

I said, "Come in and sit down."

When he sat down I asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

He said, "Darned if I know, I've never got this far before!"

Benedictine College

My alma mater, Benedictine College, came out with a new video. Watching it is somewhat bittersweet. I am so proud to be called a Raven; I love my college so very much, but I'm also sad that I never really got involved on campus. I have written why I didn't get involved and how much I miss my college days. You can read those reasons and my memories here.

Ryan and I miss Atchison, Kansas very much. We never thought in a million years that we would say that because we complained about it for so long, but this tiny boring town we live in now makes Atchison look like Paris, France. We might have a chance to visit in May and we are happily looking forward to that trip!

Anyway, here is the video. Any of you with high school-aged kids who are looking into colleges should definitely check out Benedictine!

6 Months!

Joe is 6 months old today. I'm going to say it again- he's growing up way too fast!

Some updates on my little boy:

I've been a major slacker when it comes to giving Joe baby food and cereal. The couple times I did he just wasn't interested, so I didn't push it and figured I'd wait until he is 6 months. Plus since he's been sick with an ear infection I didn't want to risk introducing anything new and him getting an allergic reaction to that.

Joe LOVES Chandler. He'll just stare at the dog and laugh and smile. Chandler will get close to him and let Joe reach out and touch his furry face (even poke him in the eye!) and he's great! I'm so thankful Chandler has adjusted so well to Joe!

Speaking of poking in the eye, Joe loves to reach out and touch faces. He grabs my nose, puts his finger in my nose, poke my eyes, and put his fingers in my mouth. It's a fun way to wake up in the morning!

No teeth yet! Ryan started teething at 5 1/2 months and I started at 6 months, so I'm guessing it might be pretty soon!

He has found a way to get out of tummy time- he promptly rolls over to his back when he is placed on his stomach! He's rolling over so much now! I think we're going to be in trouble soon...

He thinks it's hilarious when I eat Oreo cookies because I go, "Yummy, yummy, yum!" He also laughs whenever I read him his bedtime story- no matter what book it is!

It's been half a year since I've given birth. These past 6 months have been crazy hard, but also crazy beautiful!

My own little cherub!

My cousin's little boy dressed as Spider-Man holding Joe... this picture always makes me smile!

One of the attemps to feed him cereal.

Just like his daddy- watching ESPN!

One of his favorite toys- the remote control!

One of our favorite times of the day- nap time!

I see so much of his Daddy in this picture. I love it!

First-time Mommy Lessons...

Wow, what an exhausting couple of weeks it has been! A couple weeks ago Joe was diagnosed with an ear infection. Getting to that conclusion was tiring in itself. Joe was showing signs of an ear infection, but when I looked up the symptoms they were practically identical to symptoms of teething. I fretted for a couple of days. Do I take Joe to his pediatrician that would probably make me feel like a dope if he was just teething? (Remember, he is the one who reminds me of Freddie Krueger.) Finally I decided to put my pride in my back pocket and go to the doctor. He did have an ear infection, but just a small one. All those days of fretting- over, right? Nope.

He was prescribed the antiobiotic amoxicillin for 10 days. It was a struggle to have him take it, but I was expecting that. A few days later I noticed he started getting a diaper rash. Joe never gets diaper rashes. If he starts to get a little red, which is rare, just one dab if Desitin will clear it up in no time. So you can imagine my surprise when the diaper rash didn't immediately disappear. Since I'm not used to aggressively treating a diaper rash I just kind of treated in now and then. It would go away soon.

Oh my... his diaper rash started rearing its ugly head. It looked so horrible and painful. Joe would even cry in pain when I would change his diaper. I hated seeing him in pain. I practically used a whole tube of Desitin and it seemed to be getting a little better.

After the amoxicillin dosage was over came the thrush in Joe's mouth. He was laughing one day and I saw the white patchy spots on the inside of his cheeks. I had read about this. He spent the whole day refusing to eat. I was getting engorged and soon Joe was screaming because he was so hungry but too much in pain to eat. I was sick with worry. I felt like a failure as a mom. Aren't breastfeeding babies supposed to be more immune from ear infections and such? Is my milk low-quality or something? Is he sick because I let him sit in a grocery cart seat or take him out and about too much? (Of course I'm exaggerating a little bit on these worries. Maybe...)

I have complained about the internet before, but this time it came in handy. It seems that a horrible diaper rash (a yeast infection diaper rash to be exact) and thrush are fairly common reactions to amoxicillin. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT! Thanks Dr. Freddie Krueger for warning me that this could happen! I would have treated the diaper rash more aggressively.

Dr. Sears recommends clotimazole which is a non-prescription cream to combat this pesky yeast infection diaper rash. When I asked the pharmacist where I can find this cream (it's Lotrimin) she said, "Just make sure it isn't staph infection." Oh hooray. Another thing to worry about. (But my gut says it's not staph. I've looked at enough pictures of diaper rashes to sort of tell the difference.)

We've had a fun time putting Joe butt naked on a towel. They say letting them be bare bottomed helps with diaper rash. This boy loooooooves to be naked and it's so cute seeing all his fat rolls and him grabbing his feet flashing the world with his dazzling smile!

Lesson learned: maybe next time Joe gets an ear infection take a different antibiotic OR start in with the diaper rash cream right away!

Because of his diaper rash I wanted to get a little bit bigger diapers just to let a little more air circulate. He is currently in size 3 diapers (fits 16-28 lbs.) Size 4 diapers starts at 22 lbs, and even though he's still a couple pounds away from that I know size 4 fits him fairly well. We went to Wal-Mart and saw diapers were on sale! I saw a size 4 with 108 diapers in a box. But size 3 had 128 diapers. Why the difference? Hmmm.. maybe this was a special "bonus" pack... 20 extra diapers- woo hooo!!! We needed to find this special bonus pack for size 4. I had Ryan dig around. A Wal-Mart associate came and asked if we needed help. I asked where we could find the box of 128 diapers for size 4. She informed us that the bigger the diaper sizes get, the less there are in the boxes. She pointed out that size 5 diapers only have 92.

I thanked her and said, "Can't you tell we are first-time parents," with a laugh. She laughed too and said, "We've all been there." After she left I made my typical frowny face and said to Ryan, "That's crap! Just because the diapers are bigger doesn't mean they need to skimp on quantity!" Ryan just smiled, grabbed the box of 108 diapers and off we went. I still made multiple comments of the unfairness of diaper packing. Ryan and I have been blessed to have generous parents that have supplied us with diapers after our 3 month supply of diapers we got at our baby showers ran out. Oh well. Such is life.

Lesson learned: Diaper companies are evil. Or maybe I'm just not that observant!