Color Dotz Rock

So our neighbors totally surprised me and got Joe a little Easter basket. Joe loved everything in it. There was a plastic two inch tall Elmo doll, and a two inch tall Ernie doll, which he loves, loves. Now he can carry Elmo around in the palm of his hand. With Elmo, who is Bunny? Just kidding Bunny is still around and a staple toy. But in the basket they also gave him bathtub crayons, and these color dotz that turn your bathwater colors. Now maybe these dotz are old news but I think they are the coolest thing. And I plan to keep us stocked up in the house. They're made by Crayola.

After playing outside, I gave Joe a much needed bath before his nap. Pretty bright blue color right. Well it doesn't stain your skin or the tub. I love these things.

Outside Pics

I said I would post some outside pics of Joe, so here they are. Nothing too amazing. It wasn't the warm, sunny 60 degree day that I had hoped for. These pics are of Joseph and David preparing the garden soil. This year I am telling David to keep it simple and just plant a ton of tomatoes. I love summer garden tomatoes.

Not only does Joe repeat every word out of our mouths, but he followed Dave around and mimicked everything that Dave did. If Dave was shoveling dirt then Joe would pick up a spade and start flinging dirt. If Dave was hammering something into the ground then Joe grabbed a big stick and started banging another stick into the ground. At times he even had the same posture has Dave.

I just love little boys and red wagons. Yes, we have a large yard that needs lots of raking. Just another reason to keep having kids. So we can put them to work. Just kidding. I am scared to death to have two kids running around.

Flushed

Well, I didn't want to be obvious or generic and call this entry pink, so I called it "Flushed". I am starting to get excited about having a girl, although quite nervous, because I have always heard that boys are easier. And everyone knows that for the most part Joe has been a pretty easy going kid. So now I am expecting a big payback, and a hellion little girl. She has already given me kidney stones, ha!ha! It wasn't so "ha,ha" at the time. Today I made my first pink purchases: light pink and yellow receiving blankets and light pink short sleeve onesies for those first few hot weeks that she is here. But I am pretty adamant about not doing a lot of pink. I don't want to get into the whole pink, I am a princess mentality, it just isn't my style. So I have decided to do her crib in ladybugs, and eventually when the kids share a room maybe we can do a nature-like theme. I ordered Joe a big boy bed on Friday and am anxiously awaiting it. Sorry no pics for a while I worked this weekend, and David didn't take any easter pics. Hopefully Spring is upon us andI can get some pics of Joe outside.

Worthwhile

Well it has been over a week since my last post. And as of today not much else has gone on. I have been trying to pick up one extra shift a week. That extra twelve hour shift makes a huge difference when you are only used to working two shifts. The extra money is nice, but I will eventually go back to working only my weekends, so I can have my five days at home. And something else that has surfaced in the last few weeks, is Joe's refusal to go to bed at night. When I put him to bed he cries and screams "mommy's bed, mommy's bed". Sometimes it is only for a few minutes, sometimes it is for hours. But then at some point through the night, usually around 4-5 in the morning, he wakes up crying and screaming again. I am not sure why this is such an issue now, when he has been such a great sleeper in the past (which I prided myself on). Whenever I am at work he is either at home with David, or with another family member for no more than five hours. On my days off, I am with Joe almost constantly except for naps and bedtime which are times that I need to be alone, to either get things done, or just relax (usually it is just to relax). So I feel like he gets lots of love, attention, stimulation, and socialization. I am not sure how to fix this problem. And with the new baby becoming ever more a reality, I want to nip this in the bud now, and not when the new one arrives. Speaking of the new one, we had our anatomical sono today, and from what she could see everything looks normal, but I am to have another sono in four weeks to get a better look at the heart. The baby kept its face hidden so the pictures aren't very babylike, just a profile of head, neck and spine, - it definitely looks human. But, baby did make it quite obvious that its a girl. Come on, I wasn't going to announce it at the beginning, then no one would have read the rest of the entry.
Enjoy this gorgeous first day of Spring!

Kickin' It

Tonight I felt baby #2 moving!

It's Party Time...

Well, what I meant to say was it's potty time, but however you want to look at it. Let's start with fact that Joe didn't take a nap today. He slept for about 45 minutes in the car, and when we got home we put him straight to bed for his nap. But oh no, that wasn't going to fly. He screamed for 20 minutes, and I wasn't looking for a fight, but mom sure did want to take a nap. So I turned on a movie and tried to get Joe to nap on the couch with me. Again, no way. Surprisingly, without his nap Joe remained in a decent mood , but even so mom needed a break. I am convinced, and really have always been convinced that naps are not only good for a child's health and brain development, but naps are a necessity for a mother's sanity. No napping aside, I needed to go buy diapers, because we were almost out. I decided to head out to Babies r Us to also buy a potty chair. Joe was great at the store, and I guess for the most part good at Fazoli's, except when he repeatedly screamed (a high pitched girl scream) for the salt. At that time I knew it was time to leave. Once we got home I put the potty chair in the bathroom and prepared to give Joe a bath, which is something he has recently begun to rebel against. He sat on his chair once or twice with his clothes on, but not bare butted. What he really wanted to do was take the basin of the potty chair and play with it in the bathtub. I guess because it is like a big cup to pour water in and out of. Wrestling the basin from Joe turned out to be a lengthy battle. When I finally get Joe in the tub, and after about ten minutes of diligent playing, he sits up on his knees and starts whining "all done, all done". I am sitting on the floor at the other end of the bathroom reading a magazine, and I'm thinking: OH NO YOU ARE NOT- we still need to actually bathe you, why are you being so fickle? Well I get off my kiester only to find a nice little turd in the tub. So we get out of the tub, clean up the mess, scrub the tub and start all over again. What a night. Right now he is quiet in bed, which is good, because for the last week he screams"mommy's bed, mommy's bed". I suppose he wants to sleep in our bed. But oh no, we are not starting that.

Joe's new potty chair. Wish me luck.

Me struggling with Joe while he tries to put the potty chair basin in the bathtub. I tried to get him to turn around so you could see him screaming. I wanted everyone to expereince my joy. I know this is all part of raising kids, and it is really nothing to gripe about. I just needed to vent. Plus he is still quiet in bed, so I am feeling pretty good. Enjoy the next two days. I know we will.

It's Alive

Guess who was hiding under our bed? Anyone, anyone? It was freaking "Bunny", that I was absolutely certain that we had lost at US Toys. I know we entered US Toys with Bunny, and in the car on the way home couldn't find him. I am not sure how Bunny flew under the radar, but I am a little freaked out that he has resurfaced. Below is the famous Bunny.

Nothing New

Well, I had planned to blog a bigger entry, but my stubborn son refuses to go to bed, and is sitting next to me right now as I'm lying in bed. As charming, beautiful, charismatic, sincere, loving, smart and sweet as Joseph usually is, he has been quite trying this week. I will work the weekend, and hope that Joe and dad get some outside playtime. Again, let's hope for warmer weather.

My Little Beaner

Nothing to exciting. Today we went to Joe's two year well child check up. Before Joe, I always thought of toddlers as terrible, but he is freaking hilarious. I love when Joe talks with people, and especially other adults. He makes direct eye contact, babbles on and on, and best of all he uses his eyebrows to express himself. It's one of my favorite things about him. After our doctor's appointment we went to Target, and then Margarita's, because mom wanted Mexican food all weekend. Again, how funny can a two year old be? Well, pretty damn funny. First off, he loved his chips and salsa. When I wasn't looking he ate a spoonful of salsa, and if I tried to break up his chips into smaller pieces, he threw a fit, because he wanted them big enough to dip in the salsa. I ordered Joe a bowl of pinto beans and spanish rice. Towards the end when he couldn't scoop out the beans anymore, he lifted up the bowl and tipped them back into his mouth. I am not sure I have ever seen or heard of such an overzealous (child age) eater. What a character. Beans were everywhere. I tried to display this with the pics below, but we only had Dave's camera phone.

Wonderful Weekend

Since the weekend was going to be so nice, I convinced David to take Joe down to my dad's farm. My dad owns about 80 acres, about a good hour and half long drive from KC. He has horses, two cows and plenty of open fields for a boy to play. Even though I work every weekend, David is off, and I have been looking forward to the fact that Joe can go to the farm this spring and summer and run around like a little boy should. I think this pic was from Sunday in the afternoon, before the ran came. Joe loves tractors, but only when they are turned off. Once my dad started the tractor Joe freaked and wouldn't stop crying until it was shut down. I also have to mention that Joseph came back with a little bit of attitude. Sunday night and this morning I have received copious amounts of rebellious "tude" that he doesn't typically display. It makes me wonder who ran the show at the farm this weekend. Ha, ha!