Project 857- December 21

Well here we are again, another Saturday come and gone.

I am already really glad I started this little project.. So many moments and pictures I wouldn't normally take or record, but these are the moments of our family that I'm so glad I now have documented memories of.

Ok, enough of the sappy stuff... onto our Saturday!

It didn't feel like Saturday because we were up with our alarm at 5:30 am (ugh) to get out the door and head up to my brother's to drop off my niece's Christmas present before we had to take our car in to be serviced at the dealership at 8am.

Playing with our new car and waiting for Daddy to deal with the dealership... thankfully the thing we went in about (our Forrester's temperature gauge has been saying its 122 degrees outside for the last several months, apparently we live in the Middle East... and it has made the heat in the car be a bit messed up. You crank it to 80 degrees in the car and it turns on the A/C...) wasn't something that needed to be fixed right away, and the car does put out plenty of heat, if we crank it above 80 degrees. So long story short, we will get the car fixed later when its not the holidays and we feel like spending the $100 deductible.

Anyways, that was boring.. sorry.

So we got home and played for a bit and got Austin (a bit unwillingly) down for a nap and I crashed on the couch.

I NEVER nap. I'm just not a napper... but getting up early, not sleeping well the night before and the house was warm and cozy... and I must say, it was glorious.

Henry couldn't resist me and the blanket either!

Austin slept a bit late and didn't get up until 4pm again... seems to be a trend on weekends that I don't know how to break. His naps at school are always at 12:00, and he sleeps until 2:30 or 3:00. Even on weekends if we wake up early, he just won't go down for a nap until around 1:00 or 1:30 ish.. talking and bouncing in his bed, and then sleeps late.

Thankfully we didn't have anything to do that evening, but on days where we do.. these late naps aren't working so well..

But, on this Saturday we just watched some Christmas movies on TV and Austin has been very cuddly lately with me, which I kinda love.. he wanted to snuggle a bit on the couch!

I must say.. I am thrilled because my former carbs-only toddler has become quite the fruit lover and it makes me so happy! I'm glad I don't have to fret and worry about his diet as much anymore.. he willingly asks for pineapple and oranges all the time now!

We still struggle with dinner a bit, and he's still picky... but at least he doesn't recoil at the touch of fruit anymore!

All that fruit got Austin feeling festive and ready to party! And at Christmas time, that means wearing a Santa hat.

Perfecting his "HO HO HO!!!"

I was so thrilled when he insisted it was my turn to wear it.

You can just sense my excitement, right?

Keeping up with our very lazy Saturday afternoon/evening, we had a little photo shoot to enliven the evening a bit...

Work it, Austy!!

All in all, it was an awesome lazy Saturday for us!!!

First Signs

I am not sure if I will ever post this…

December 13, 2013.

Just got the positive pregnancy test… so here we go again!

I took the test the day before my missed period because I was so sure it was going to be negative that I just wanted it done, and my mind cleared of those “what if?” thoughts I had had for the last 2 weeks and I could just move on and stop obsessing.

I learned very quickly how obsessive your mind can get when you are officially and consciously “trying” to get pregnant. You start tracking days, counting days, watching your body for changes, calculating.. thinking every twinge in your body is “something”… you Google ‘super early pregnancy symptoms’ and basically drive yourself nuts.

Looking back, there were a few signs very early on that I was pregnant.. all of which (subtle as they were) lead me to take two pregnancy tests in a week.

The first one, 5 days before my expected period.. was negative.

It was sitting on the counter and Neal said “so what does that mean?” I told him it meant it was either too early to test or it was a no-go. That was on a Tuesday. I Googled and read hundreds of comments from women who said they knew they were pregnant the very next day.. or  just a few days later, or some even claimed to know HOURS later. I kinda call bullsh** on some of that.. I mean.. you conceive and then 6 hours later you have morning sickness already and you are throwing up? That just doesn’t seem right.

But, I was still a little dejected and then very much decided that I was not pregnant because I had no symptoms. At least none of those… no tender breasts, no nausea, no massive headaches…

I tested again on Friday and got our positive response.

Looking back, there were a few signs very early on that I was pregnant.. all which if they happened and I wasn’t “trying” I would have thought nothing of:

-I gagged when I opened a package of hamburger. The SMELL WAS SO STRONG. I almost couldn’t make dinner that night and that never happens with raw meat.

-I had slight headaches for a week and I don’t usually get headaches.

-My skin cleared up. For the last year I’ve been a ProActive commercial (thanks hormones!) and suddenly my skin was much, much nicer and I had 1 new zit as opposed to my usual 12 new a day.

-I was dizzy. Not to the point where I’d pass out, but when I stood up the world moved around a bit.

-sweets didn’t sound good. Not to the point where they made me ill to think of.. but I didn’t crave sweets or chocolate. Very unlike me.

-my digestion slowed down a bit.

All very subtle things, but now I see they were all signs that something was happening.

Project 857- December 14

This is a post in bullet points...

mainly because I don't really have any pictures (whoops) and I thought bullet points would jazz things up a bit....

• A few times a year one of our DVD/Entertainment vendors organizes a private screening for a movie for us Kroger employees... Saturday we got free tickets and concession snacks for the newest Hobbit movie! I took Lori and Richard with me and we all loved the movie. 
• Neal stayed with Austin and had a Daddy playdate with a few other guy friends and their kids. They made a big breakfast and Bloody Mary's and the toddlers got to get wild and play together. 
• I braved the mall after the movie to finish up some shopping. 
• I bought my Grandma a sweater for Cmas. 
• I talked to my Mom immediately after buying the sweater and had to return the sweater because my Mom didn't think my Grandma would like it. 
• I survived the trip to the mall. 
• I went home and ate lunch and Austin was napping. 
• Neal and I braved the crowds again after Austin's nap and went out to do even more shopping that evening. 
• I might have gotten myself a few things.... 
• We went home and played with Austin and watching Christmas Vacation. 
• Austin went to bed. 
• Neal and I followed soon after. 
• The End. 

Did the bullet points help at all???? Pretty unexciting weekend, other than the Hobbit movie... which in opinion, was better than the first installment. I can't wait for the next!! 

An Ode to Man Hair

Ok, that title sounded weird....

Sorry 'bout that.

Anyways... as most of you know, November is actually "Mo'Vember" and its that time of year when men are supposed to grow out their beards in support of prostate cancer awareness.

Neal isn't a huge fan of growing his beard out fully, but several other guys we knew were doing it, so I was all like "yeah yeah yeah!!! Do it do it do it!!!" because I personally like men on the scruffy side.

Ok, so he surpassed scruffy and fell into the "wooly-mountain man-kinda-need-to-start-braiding-that-thing" by the end of November.

I mean, you couldn't see his mouth!

Being the fun guy that he is.. he graciously accepted a "trim the beard" plan formulated by his students. They even drew out how he was to shave it every day:

I mean.. SO excited for Tuesday... right???

So he began:

Monday... shave just the chin, leaving everything else...

Tuesday... shave the sides and rock the Fu-Man-Chu (is that how you spell it??)

Wednesday... shave off everything except the 70's style sideburns and mustache.. he needed some bell bottoms with this look..

I didn't get a pic of Thursday, which was just the mustache.. so use your imagination and take off the sideburns and there you go.

Friday, he got to completely shave and yeah! I could see my husband's face again!

And he could eat food without half of it lodging itself in the beard.

It was a fun and hairy November.

Enter the Power Struggles

As I have said before.. just when you think you know toddlers.. you realize you know NOTHING and have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new strategy as a parent.

We have entered the realm of Power Struggles and its kicked our ass a few times already.

Backstory- Austin started walking at 10 months old.. so since then he’s been a “toddler” more than a “baby” and for these last 13 months.. he’s been an easy-going toddler 90% of the time. We’ve had some rough situations, and some tantrums… but those were mostly about him getting frustrated, or learning right from wrong (like no hitting).. things like that. He was easy going because he was happy. Quick to smile. Quick to laugh. Loved new people. Loved new places. Loved adventures. Went to bed everynight with no struggle and slept until morning. In many aspects, he was a breeze.

So that was the last 13 months.. now.. just within the last 5-6 weeks or so.. he’s changed.

He has stopped being so easy-going, and is more.. well, for lack of better word.. moody.

If he’s having an off day, you better not try and touch him, play with him, tickle him, look at him, sing to him, talk to him or basically be around him.

He started saying “no” to everything and simple things have turned into the biggest challenges: getting him to wear clothes. Getting him to wear a coat. Getting him to wear shoes. Getting him to sit down for dinner. Getting him to take a bath. Getting him to go to bed.

All things that we breezed through for over a year.

Between discussions with Neal last night and texts with friends, I realized that Austin is becoming more deep. More into his own; more into a non-baby/toddler personality.

We have a PERSON now in the house that we have to learn about, get used to, figure out how to live with and work around.. kind of like moving in with a new roommate.. no longer is he just happily toddling around the house playing and once and awhile getting mad because he can’t put his shoe on.. he now realizes he is his own person, he’s aware that he feels certain ways and has an opinion, and has decided to set up boundaries and his own bubble of self.

It was a fast transition.. and one Neal and I weren’t totally prepared for.

For example.. coming home.. we used to come home from work/school and he was excited to play! Wrestling with Daddy!!! Now, we get home and he needs awhile to be quiet. Decompress. Get used to being at home. He gets upset if we try and engage or play with him before he is ready.

Or take dinnertime… we used to plunk him in his highchair, give him food and he would eat or not eat. If he didn’t eat, we’d put him down and he’d toddle off. Now, if he doesn’t eat he doesn’t want to be put down to play. He realizes that Mommy and Daddy are still at the table and he’s not and he’s not sure how to handle that. He doesn’t want it to be dinnertime. He wants it to be playtime and he suddenly is aware that he feels like this.

For months, whatever you need your toddler to do, you just did it…. Time for a bath? PLUNK. Put them in the tub. Time to get dressed? DONE. Put clothes on them. Time to eat? PLOP. Into their highchair they go.

Then toddlers become AWARE and that’s when the Power Struggles start. They are aware that there is a state of undressed and dressed, and they are aware of which they prefer. They are aware that they enjoy playtime and don’t want to stop to eat, to change a diaper, take a bath or go to bed.

The proverbial lightbulb for them goes off and damn it blinds the parents!!

So now it feels like we are back to Square 1 with him. Everything that worked, everything we thought we knew about our kid seems to be not that true anymore. We had talks like “how can ease the transition to dinnertime better?” Obviously there is something about it that Austin is struggling with because we are in another “he won’t eat a single bite” mode, and the minute we set him in his chair, he wants out and is “all done” and starts crying and fussy and being unhappy.

We also had to talk about how to recognize when he needs to be left alone to chill, and when he is ready for playing. How to navigate his different moods and emotions. How we can encourage him to be a good member of our family but not create power struggles by always saying “no” or setting up too-strict of rules, or forcing him.

Its tricky business I tell ya.. tricky. And delicate.

To be truthful.. he is becoming more like me. Neal is super laid back, nothing ever bothers him or effects his moods, etc.. he’s happy-go-lucky 99.9% of the time. Me.. I’m mercurial. I need my space, I have a bubble, I have days where I just ‘can’t deal’ and get cranky.  I have trouble with transitions sometimes and I like routine. It seems like Austin is really starting to become like that too. His looks are all Daddy and his temperament is all Mommy.

I am groaning and my Mom is out there going “haha! Enjoy the taste of THAT medicine!”

Wish us luck as we navigate these new toddler waters!!!

The Very Merry Weekend continued...

As I said yesterday, we had a full-fledged Christmas weekend...

Sunday started out by putting up decorations. Neal braved the 20 degree weather and put up lights outside our house (our first time ever!) and I handled the inside.. with Austin getting into stuff, dragging bows all over, playing with the nutcracker, pulling ornaments off the tree and finally getting his butt set down with some milk and an episode of Umi Zoomi so he would just CHILL for 20 mins.

**Sidenote- think what you want about how toddlers probably "shouldn't" watch TV... then raise one and you will be singing the praises of toddler cartoons to the high heavens! Trust me.**

After picking up things and putting them back in Austin's wake, the house managed to come together pretty nicely!

an ornament tree, scented pine cones and a squirrel.. oh wait, that's Henry you say? oh my bad. 

our child decorated the tree... please note the clusters of ornaments all on the same branches!

a dozen ornaments all in about 1 foot of space. Ha. 

always my favorite.. the mantle! 

We got Austin down for a nap and Neal and I just picked up around the house and ate lunch. Super exciting.

Then we got the kiddo up early from his nap (normally a huge no-no... cranky much???) but we had to get on the road to go get on the Polar Express! It was an hour drive from us, out in Hood River. Austin must have known we were going to something fun because he was in a good mood.

A little unsure of the snow when we got there though... he walked a few steps and then wanted to be held.

We got our tickets, found our car and boarded the Polar Express!

wearing Christmas jammies for the trip! 

"I'm on a train!!!!! CHOO CHOO!!!!"

Austin was NOT pleased he couldn't run up and down the train and had to sit in his seat. Neal was NOT pleased that he had to try and keep Austin in his seat. 

It was a winter wonderland outside!

"is that Santa?"

Characters from the movie were in each carriage, and everyone got hot cocoa and cookies!

"Santa??" Ok, so I don't know how my kid knows who Santa is.. we haven't really talked about it because I didn't think he would get it. Somehow he knows who "Seeta Cause" is and that he says "Ho Ho Ho." ??? 

So anxious to see the "North Pole!"

Lights at the "North Pole"

Official looking, no?

The Conductor came and punched our tickets!

Santa! It's Santa!!! After all that anticipation.. Austin decided he was a bit freaked out by the man. Naturally. He wouldn't sit on his lap. 

He did go for an awkward hug though. Not uncomfortable in the slightest. 

"Santa gave me a BELL!!!!!!!!!!!!"

We had fun on the Polar Express! 

Project 857- December 7

It's December already!!

Crazy...  just crazy...

Well, hold on to your seats for today's and tomorrow's posts, which will recap the Glynn's Very Merry Christmas weekend!

We just went full force into Christmas this last weekend...

-put up lights

-got our tree

-decorated the tree

-decorated the house

-watched Cmas movies

-went to my work holiday party

-went on the Polar Express

-wore Christmas jammies

There is no going back now.. we are in too deep.... it's CHRISTMAS TIME EVERYONE!!!!

Saturday morning Austin was a very big helper and tried to run off with and squirrel away from Neal all the light clips in addition to trying to take the clips off the lights. Toddlers. They are SO HELPFUL I tell ya.

Toddlers also get bored quickly, so after playing with the light clips lost it's luster, the pants came off and it was time for Couch Olympics!

My kid actually says "watch this!!" now before he does some daredevil stunt. As you can see below, his skills at sliding down head first from the couch are so superior that they cannot adequately be caught on camera:

The ballerina in me is thrilled to see his toe pointed!!! Look at that lovely leg extension!!

So after I went grocery shopping (ugh... that dreaded weekend activity).. we headed off to find our Christmas tree!

IT. WAS. SO. FREAKING. COLD.

Our faces hurt, our hands hurt, our noses were running.. Henry's pee probably froze right to this tree (note to all tree hunters- don't pick this tree!)

We found the perfect little tree for us though! Austin got a little upset when Neal started to cut it down.. I don't know if he was worried about the tree, or that Daddy was kneeling on the ground, but I told him that the tree was our friend and was going to come live at our house! That seemed to cheer him up.

After we got home Austin went down for his nap (after a bunch of bouncing in his bed and jabbering and squealing.. I get that way when Christmas is close too, to be honest) and Neal got the tree up and lit!

Austin was DELIGHTED when he came down from his nap!

I texted these pictures to my Mom and her response was "doesn't Austin ever wear pants??"

Well.... it's just "pants off, dance off" time at our house a lot. That's all.

Henry woke up from a nap and learned that cold, dry weather creates static. And static is a bitch.

Austin got to help put up a few ornaments.. we didn't have a lot of time because he napped really late and it was after 4pm before he woke up. Neal and I had to get ready to go to my work holiday party and Auntie Lori and Uncle Ricky were heading over to watch Austin, so just a few key ornaments went up.

After quickly making myself look presentable, Neal and I were off to the Old Spaghetti Factory for my holiday party!

We had a good dinner, the bread was awesome, and did a White Elephant exchange. Almost every single gift people brought included alcohol. Our jobs aren't stressful and cause us to drink or anything. :-)

my lovely assistant Julie!

my lovely date!

Meanwhile, back at home.. Auntie Lori brought over cookies for Austin to decorate for us!

Could he be any cuter? I think not.. but I'm his Mom...so there may be some bias in that statement.

Hope everyone had a sweet Saturday as well!