The Newest Addition

Though we are to expect our largest new addition in November, today we embark on yet another new animal adventure. Living outside of the country has made our animal options quite limited. If it were up to me, my next addition would be a pygmy goat or a horse. But alas! It's not in the cards at this present time. It all started with two sibling cats seven years ago after my beloved ferret, Mace, died. A year later, when I was pregnant and super-hormonal, I took pity on a litter of three incredibly sick and pathetic looking tabby kittens whose mama died soon after they were born. Then our pack of cats inevitably became five (much to my mom's dismay who thought the kittens should be kicked back outside.) Have you ever bottle-raised a kitten? Yeah. Pretty much can't let go after that. We then got a bunny, which turned into two (sisters of course). Then, back in April, Mandy got Miss Abby a Hamster for her birthday who has been welcomed with open arms. Today, we venture out of the mammal kingdom. Today, Alex got his birthday present from mom and dad and it's none other than a leopard gecko.

After much research and deliberation on what kind of pet would be acceptable for a six-year old boy, it was decided that something from the lizard family would be best. Luckily, there is a nice reptile/creepy crawly things pet shop near by and one of the owners was awesome enough to give me the 411 on all things scaly and slimy. He led me to the decision that leopard geckos make awesome pets and that if we are fresh to the reptile world, then they are totally the way to start. I next took Alex into the store to show him what his options were because he so desperately wanted a pet of his own since Abby's hamster. He got to pick up the geckos and let them crawl all over him and next thing I knew, it was love. That was three months ago and I told him he could have one for his birthday so we could save up to get it. He's been pumped for it ever since.

Venturing into the reptile kingdom brings new things we aren't familiar with. So instead of shedding fur, it's shedding skin. Instead of dry food, it's live food (mmmm...meal-worms and crickets!). Cute and snuggly becomes cool and scaly. What a change! So without further ado, let me introduce you to the newest addition to our pets. Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Jet, Alex's leopard gecko.

He's really pretty, but the flash of the camera makes it look like he's all white. He's got almost a rainbow look to him with lots of green.

Alex chose green sand which will eventually change his belly and feet green. It's harmless but kids think it's pretty cool according to the gecko guy.

He's super cool and we are glad to have him as a part of the family. Welcome home Jet! I hope you don't bite the crap out of me like Strawberry does frequently. If so, it could be a very long 10+ years. And P.S. No...this will not, under any circumstances, open up the option of snakes to our pet possibilities. Josh would divorce me for even mentioning it. :-)

Past Week News

Wow. Does anyone else feel like last week was just crazy? I'll tell you what. This whole school thing has changed my life entirely. Monday morning starts off crazy from the second I step out of bed. And then once my feet hit the floor, they hit the ground running. I am officially understanding the reason why Monday is notorious for being so dreaded. After a weekend of the kids doing whatever they fancy and sleeping until they wake of their own accord, Monday morning is just plain horrible. Getting the kids out of bed and to school on time is like pulling teeth. Which leads me to my next point.

This past week was filled with all sorts of new developments. The kids had their 6 month dental appointment. Since Alex's horrible dental drama of the past with his 13 or so cavities and sedation dentistry (thank you medication), I dread these appointments far, far worse than the kids do. In fact, the kids actually enjoy them. We got a pediatric dentist as a result of the sedation dentistry and never went back to my dentist for them. They have nifty overhead TV screens and their dentist is absolutely the nicest guy you could ask for. They look forward to it. So while both kids are lying in their chairs, I am mentally biting my nails with a smile forced onto my face. So it was time for Abby's first x-rays and that alone had me worried. Upon Alex's first x-rays, things just went downhill for the little dude. Alex needed new x-rays too so off they both went to get their teeth photographed. I'm happy to say that Alex came back with zero cavities. He's brushing his own teeth most of the time these days, so I'm proud that he's doing so well. Abby, on the other hand, did not walk away with such luck. Miss Abby has her first cavity. Granted, they said they never would have caught it without the x-rays because it is so tiny and in between the teeth. But they think she'll do fine getting it fixed in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, my kids are blessed with their mama's teeth. And I've always had issues with my teeth. Their teeth are squeezed so close together that even the dentist has trouble fitting floss between them without a struggle. Close teeth are notorious for getting cavities. Oh well, maybe I'll luck out and they won't inherit my horrific vision as well.

There is also huge news! I am proud as punch to say that miss Abby finally had two days at school that did not start with crocodile tears. I dropped her off and, though she had slight moments of hesitation, she did fantastic! No tears! Yay! Granted, the recipe that makes a tear-less Abby is complicated at best. First, I made her a really nice necklace that has a heart "locket" on it with a picture on one side of me and her and a picture of her and Alex on the other (her choices). Second, you can't forget to put on her new pink, digital lady-bug watch and remind her that pick-up time is at 2:55. Or as I have to say to her, "Remember. I'll be back to pick you up at two five five." This suggestion was from her teacher to use as a coping technique. Third ingredient: Before leaving, I must give her two hugs, two kisses, one verbal promise of my return and one pinky promise that I won't forget to pick her up at two five five. But the most important ingredient is number four. I'm an early leaver. Meaning I like to arrive wherever I'm going early rather than right on time or late. It's just how my brain works. With Abby, I must adjust my neurosis slightly. There are only two other girls in her class and they arrive after we do generally. But I discovered that if all the kids are already there before we are, she does much better. So I now leave quite a bit later so we can arrive last. It's odd and slightly discomforting for my neurosis, but Abby's mind is the one I'm trying to keep at peace here. It's a crazy recipe, but so far so good. I'll run with it. No tears makes me feel much better too.

Lastly, let me just say that I signed up to be the Room Mom for Alex's class. I'm not sure I've mentioned this before. So I am the one responsible for getting class parties together and such. I signed up so that I could make the parties safe for his food allergies. Turns out that it adds quite a bit more to my ever-growing mental list. I am glad that I did it though. I feel like it's helped my nerves a bit for his safety at school. I've already done a popcorn party (which was a hit) and my next party that I'm in the process of planning is for Halloween. It's added a bit more crazy to my life, but it's all part of the job!

Avenger's Movie Night

The Avengers! Best Movie Night Ever!

One thing we've done with the kiddos for quite a long time now, is have something we have lovingly deemed "Movie Night". We absolutely love Movie Night. It's probably my personal favorite day of the week. Almost each Friday or Saturday (whichever night the kids are less tired from school and such), we all curl up on the couch and watch a movie together. Sometimes it's a new movie that we've never seen (or at least is new to the kids) and sometimes it's just a good ol' movie we all enjoy to watch. We sometimes have other snacks for special occasions but mostly it's just one main ingredient. Popcorn. I pop a big pan of popcorn on the stove. It's the best popcorn you'll ever eat if you were wondering. Oil in a pan, popcorn kernels on the oil, popped on medium heat and lightly salted. Yum! We can't eat bagged microwave popcorn because of the milk content and thank goodness for that! I tried some awhile back and realized how fake it tastes. Can we all say preservatives galore? Yuck. I've strayed from the subject at hand though.

So movie night has become tradition in our home and I hope it stays that way well into the future. I hope that when the kids are grown in high school, that they will still enjoy our family night together once a week. It's a great night to just spend together and enjoy being a family. Movie night will also morph as the years go by. It might become board game night or bowling night. Who knows. But it's a blast and we look forward to it every week. This week, though, was super extra special. The greatest super hero movie ever came out on DVD. The Avengers was released and we couldn't wait to watch it from the moment Josh brought it home on Tuesday. Every day the kids were counting down until Avengers Movie Night. We took the kids to see it in the theater this summer (only two scenes required a 'close your eyes kids' warning). Since then, we've all been eager to watch it again.

Abby, bless her heart, was dead tired by the time it was over but she kept her eyes open not wanting to miss a single thing. She loves super heroes. That's my girl! Alex, on the other hand, went nutty on his bed pretending to be each of the Avenger's in turn. He is still currently riding the Avenger's high and was Hulk all day yesterday. It's great. I love it! It was a fantastic night and we all had a great time. Even our reclusive princess cat, Leia, came out and joined us by sitting with her only true love, Josh. She's mostly Josh's cat and hates the kids. I'm not sure this week's Movie Night will be quite as memorable in comparison, but I look forward to it nonetheless. Movie Night - Best night of the week. 

Who doesn't love snacks during a movie?

Tonight we had special snacks. Not just popcorn, but Avengers candy, cookies, and pop. Yum!

Time Change

Since as far as I can remember, I've been a night owl. Tried and true night owl. staying up until 1:00 a.m. was my norm and I was quite good with the sleep schedule. Oh, I got up with the kids every day once they came along and it was early. Perhaps not 6:00 in the morning type of early, but 7:30 was still early in my books. Not to mention that my kids are not the best sleepers. On average, there is still a kid up in the middle of the night with bad dreams or something of that sort  at least twice a night. (Controller steroids and night terrors can come hand in hand.) Honestly, I've not slept through the night in six years. But nevertheless, a night owl I was through and through.

Everything was peachy with me for as far as that schedule went. I do my best art and writing after the kids are tucked away in their beds. 1:00 a.m. was my bedtime and it was good for me. Then something happened. Kindergarten. Ugh. I had to start setting an alarm. I know. Insane, right? An alarm! Tragic. Truly tragic. I mean, 6:30 in the morning is currently pre-sunrise. I can actually watch the sun spread it's good morning rays across the sky now. Night owl time, so it seemed, was no longer something I could accept as my routine. And not just kindergarten was the dirty little culprit for coming out of nowhere and destroying my norm. A diabetic cat is there to slap me in the face each morning. Literally. He slaps me with his paw right across the face if I don't wake up at 5:00 on the nose to feed him and give him his shot. Every. Single. Morning. Never fail. Cats. What can you do?

So here I am, sitting at my computer actually capable of writing a morning blog because that, my friends, is what it has come to. A time change. Believe me when I say that I am no early bird. A far cry from it actually. I'd just as soon return to my happy place on the couch and watch movies whilst working merrily on something hobby-like. But alas! Tis not in the cards. I will say that the diabetic cat getting me up so harshly every morning is a bit on the agitating side. But it's all for the cause. The vet said with getting insulin twice a day when he eats will help him live to be well into his late teens. He's six now, so you do the math. That's a whole lotta early wake up calls. (I'm happy to help the big guy out. I really am.) The worst part is that I have to wake up to a cat yelling in my ear. If I don't get up, it's a slap from his paw on the face. Then when that doesn't do the trick it's the dreaded cat butt in the face. *shiver* I try not to let it get that far. Of course, all four other cats are happy to add to the wake up call by scratching at the door and screaming in my ear. How Josh sleeps through this when he is still in bed is beyond my comprehension. Is there a legal way to train a cat to stick it's butt in someone else's face on command? If you find a way, let me know. I'd wake up early just to see Josh's reaction. That would be worth waking up for.

The Shoe Tying Club

With kindergarten comes learning. One of the things that is sent home with Alex from school is a list of goals that should be accomplished by the end of a month. The first month was met with a list of four goals that Alex had mastered well before preschool for the most part. This month, the goals were slightly more complicated in the fact that I hadn't really worked too much with him on most of them in the past.

1. Count from 0-20. Check! (that was checked off a couple of years ago.)
2. Know your birthday. Check!
3. Know your left from your right. Check!
4. Tie your shoes. Check!

Now, keep in mind that numbers 3 and 4 were not checked off for the mid-month report. So after practicing every night for a week after bringing the report home, he mastered all four goals. I was so proud of the kid when after three tries, he successfully tied a shoe. I asked him if he practiced at school much and he said no. Apparently home schooling is still necessary in some way, shape, or form.

Here's the most awesome part. When they learn how to tie their shoes, then they show their teacher. If they can do it, then they join something called the Shoe Tying Club. He came home after the third day and said, "Mom! I joined the Shoe Tying Club today!" Talk about milestones. I remember the exact moment I figured out how to tie mine back in Kindergarten. But the club itself isn't the most awesome part. Since I'm a giant, over-sized beast of unnatural belly proportions, bending over to tie my own shoes has been a bit more difficult than I'd like to admit. I was struggling with it one morning and Alex came over and said, "Hey! I can tie them for you mom!" And voila! Problem solved! Every morning I put my shoes on, he offers to tie them for me. What a great kid! I love, love, love the shoe tying club. Way to go Alex!

32 Weeks

I officially only have two more months to go until D-day (Delivery day). Thus far it's been a different pregnancy in many ways. Right now I'm feeling okay for what it's worth. I have all of the typical issues that most women have with a few added on the side. Last week I got a bit of a scare. I was minding my own business when the phone rang and it was a recorded message from Dillon's grocery store. It was a warning about recalled bagged spinach that I may have purchased. I ran to the fridge and sure enough, that bag of spinach I had sitting idly in my crisper drawer was the same they called about. It had been recalled because of one bag testing positive for Listeria. Now if you don't know, that's precisely one of those thing you do not want to get when you're preggo. It can cause some pretty nasty stuff for the baby including death before or right after birth. I freaked out and did a whole lot of calling to Dillon's and the doc to find out if I should be sitting up worrying about this nonstop for the next two months. Turned out that the batch being recalled was not quite mine. Whew! It was all recalled based on 'sell by' dates and my bag was not in that batch. I did have a bit of scare for a while, but all's well now and I've been cleared. Needless to say, the bag was chucked in the trash regardless and I will not be purchasing spinach until after the baby is born.

Oddly enough, the reason that I've been buying bagged spinach more so than usual is to keep this pregnancy weight thing in check by eating better this third time around. So far, I'm happy to report that my weight gain has been much more in check this time around. If I continue to gain at this good rate then maybe I won't top the scales above 200 pounds. Actually, at this point, it would be pretty hard to get that high. I'm still well below that. I've only gained 20 pounds thus far. Yay for me! Perhaps luck is with me and I won't have a 12 pound baby. Because that would hurt, ya know?

Of course the only other thing to report is that this baby may or may not be the love child of Chuck Norris. I'm fairly certain that it currently has a black belt in karate already due to the bruising I'm experiencing from being kicked in precisely the same spot over and over and over again. I actually had a stretch mark split right where the bruising is taking the place so perhaps this little one's goal is to escape via it's own self-made c-section which is how I hear Chuck Norris came to be in this world when he delivered himself. If the baby slaps the doctor back, I guess we'll know I was right. Until next report...here's my 28 and 32 week pictures. I think I forgot to upload my 28 week picture, but I can't remember.

28 weeks

32 weeks and counting. Ugh.

A Few Pictures for Good Measure

Since school started, me and my camera just don't really get much time together. Not that I was a crazy picture taking lady before hand. I mean, some people like to take a picture of their kid then a picture of their kid holding a rock two seconds later only to take a picture of their kid holding a blade of grass five more seconds later. Sometimes I miss the days when you had a roll of 24 count film, click the pictures sparingly, take it to the store for development and get surprised a week later. Technology has it's ups and downs I suppose. But I grabbed the few pictures I found and figured I'd share if not only to have documentation that I did take pictures once in a blue moon when I or my kids read this blog far into the future.

Alex's school had Family Fun Night. The kids loved it. This is the barrel trail.

Barrel train fun.

At least three times a week, Abby has 'tea parties' with all of her stuffed animals. This girl is a stuffed animal lover to the max!

Alex being 'cool' and far too serious. But he wanted me to take this picture. I found a 99 cents Jets windbreaker for him and he loves it.

One of the "rides" at the Fun Night was to buckle up and then get dropped at 5 MPH to see why we wear seatbelts. Alex was way too excited about this. What I found highly interesting was how so many children that did this had no clue how buckle a seatbelt. Alex buckled himself in like they were supposed to but there were 5th graders on this thing that couldn't figure out how to properly buckle themselves. That doesn't speak highly of their parents. Scary.

In an desperate attempt to calm Abby's nerves at school, we took this picture of us and made a keychain/necklace of it that she can keep with her at school. It seemed to help a small bit...for the time being.

Abby is quite the little artist. This is a picture of me that she drew. Four years old and she's pretty darn good at drawing. She even tries to draw things in 'still life' form by setting up objects and drawing them as she sees them. Fascinating.