Face Lift

With the new year quickly approaching, I have been making an effort to get organized in EVERY aspect of life.  I feel like the holidays always force me to do so, for various reasons.  I always have to update my address book, in order to send out Christmas cards!  The house gets a good cleaning/decluttering of toys, to prepare for the arrival of Christmas guests and Santa's presents!  Lastly, it forces me to organize our storage as I lug Christmas tubs in and out of the crawlspace!

I really un-plugged the last week or so, for many reasons.  1.) SLEEP- I have missed it so.  Transitioning James to a big boy bed proved a little more tricky then I had originally anticipated.  2.)  Family- I really wanted to soak in each and every moment of family-time this holiday season.  3.) HOLY PICTURES- I have been working on organizing all of James' baby pictures from the last two years of life.  Yes, there were also some wedding pictures in there (come on, that was only THREE years ago)!  I am proud to say that I am ALMOST finished with his baby book (sheesh).  I always have to finish anything I start, so I will not be defeated by the baby book!  I am back now, and with a new look!  I decided the old blog needed a "face lift."  This is partially due to the fact that I just became downright pissed off every time I looked at the age in my "about me" section, and realized that I was indeed older then the stated age!  Time is moving too quickly, in no time at all it will be ME that requires the face lift!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays!  For all of my parent friends out there.....I hope you have been able to get you children back to a state of "normal" after the excitement of Santa and all of his toys, late bed times, doting Grandparents, and enormous quantities of cookies and other various holiday treats!  I know it took us a solid three days, but I am happy to have a "hint" of normalcy back in our day-to-day lives!!!

Weekend (Mis)Adventures

This weekend was not much fun, especially seeing as I felt like a zombie for a majority of it!  I have been dealing with a pint-sized Houdini.  I consulted one of my few girlfriends that has already had the pleasure of dealing with the "milestones" of Toddlerhood, and she told me to just remain consistent with placing James back in bed.  This tactic was a massive failure on Friday night, and resulted in him waking up and climbing out at 1:30 A.M. and then again at 5:30 A.M.  So first thing Saturday, I ventured out to find some "awesome" (James' new favorite expression) bedding for James' big-boy bed!  I had already purchased a very cute dinosaur picture at T.J. Maxx several months back, and had decided that I would build his room around that!  Victory was mine at Kohl's, $129 Dino bedding set on sale for $42!

We spent the entirety of Saturday afternoon converting James' room.  We had to do some re-arranging of his furniture to make the full sized guest bed fit in his room, and we moved his crib and changing table into the spare bedroom.  Ummmm.....wait......Saturday I am supposed to be baking..........seeing as we are traveling back to Onalaska on Sunday for family Christmas and then I have a cookie exchange on Monday.  Well my lack of sleep, resulted in a MAJOR lack of ambition.  I made a batch of caramel corn, and settled for some Trader Joe's boxed Gingerbread Cake Mix.  The aforementioned cookies were going to have to wait........but with Monday morning work tasks looming...........when am I going to bake them?  I decided to worry about that later, and book it to bed once James was asleep.  I was thrilled at how excited he was to sleep in his new "awesome" bed!  I almost felt as though this transition was too easy, but I simply chalked it up to me being an "awesome" mommy.  I heard little footsteps again at 1:00 a.m., so I quickly met him at the stairs and placed him back in bed.  This activity was repeated about 15 times until approximately 4 a.m. when I decided to stand on the other side of James' door and hold the handle shut.  Can we say child abuse?  Try Mommy abuse.........what a horrible feeling...........I felt as though I was going to be sick from guilt.  Luckily James' protests only lasted about 2 minutes, and then I heard him creep back to bed.  We didn't hear another peep from him until 8 a.m.!

We celebrated family Christmas with the in-laws today, and had a great time.  Upon returning home, I was feeling quite deflated. Tonight I made a very UN-Kathryn like decision.  I decided that tomorrow I will venture out to a local bakery to purchase (GASP!) the cookies for the cookie exchange/book club meeting.  This was a hard decision for my Type A being to come to grips with; however, for sanity's sake I felt it to be the necessary decision.  Besides, I need some time to try and finish the book (wink, wink)!

The Day Has Come.....

I have been dreading this day for several weeks now; James has learned the joy of escaping from his crib.  I saw him do it while I was in his room putting away clean laundry about a month ago.  Instead of reacting at all, I simply turned around and decided not to acknowledge the behavior whatsoever (thinking that my lack of reaction may delay this becoming a regular occurrence).  I was right in my assumption, as he did not attempt it again for several weeks.  Today was a whole different story!

I was happy to have met up with some girlfriends late this afternoon for a pedicure, I am sure glad I did as my relaxation helped me keep calm with a very challenging little man tonight.  Upon returning home from my pedicure, Jake informed me that James had a very short nap AND that he decided to let himself out of his crib when he woke up!  I knew that bedtime was going to be UGLY, and I was correct.  My child did not settle into slumber until 9:30 tonight, and this is after I had scooped him up and placed him back in his crib about 20 times.

Looks like my afternoon of baking may be put on the back-burner, I am thinking it is time for the BIG BOY BED!  I really don't feel like purchasing any furniture, especially seeing as we are only renting our current house.  I think I may do some shifting of what we currently have, and worry about replacing the guest bed when we actually have overnight visitors (which is not often, considering our families only live an hour away).

I think it is time for a beer!

Mom's Deserve Vacations, Right?!

Upon reviewing my vacation days for work, I was shocked to find that I had a week remaining.  Use it or loose it, right?  So here comes the kicker...........If I am taking vacation, do I drop James off at school?  Considering I have a few Christmas errands to check off my list, and the fact that we are celebrating Christmas with the in-laws this weekend......school is looking very appealing.  Truly, how much fun is it to run errands all afternoon with Mom?  Another factor to consider, how much child care I have already paid for versus what has actually been used!  We essentially made a 2-week "donation" to James' school.  He was far to sick to go, so I gladly stayed home and nursed him back to health.  The end result of this scenario is a Mommy that is short on sleep, and has had very little time to herself.  I decided the best way to handle the question of to send him or not to send him, was to do both!  Yesterday we spent the entire day, doing everything James loves!  We played with cars, watched Shrek, had our favorite lunch, made a trip to Barnes & Noble, and even went to see Santa!  Today, I just focused on getting caught up on life (errands, laundry, Christmas cards, small home organization projects).  It is truly amazing how much you are able to get accomplished when you don't have a little person to chase through the isles of Target, or a husband walking behind you asking what we are doing for dinner. 

So I did mention this is a vacation, right?  Somehow I am not feeling the relaxing side affects of a vacation; is it possible to enjoy a vacation when you are at home and constantly have people to take care of?  I think I need a vacation from my vacation.  James enjoyed seeing all of his friends today, so much in fact, that he choose to tell me all about it through the entirety of dinner.  I think he can do another half day tomorrow, and I may try to focus on having some "me" time.  I should likely try to finish  our book club read, "The Marriage Plot."  I would feel pretty ashamed if I showed up to Monday's meeting/cookie exchange not having read MY selection.

The Plague

So, I feel as though the Siegert household has been struck with the plague.  Now, I am very much used to the run of the mill cold (it comes standard with any child that attends day care).  However, James has been home sick this week with bronchitis and a double ear-infection.  I must also add that he was sick the WHOLE week of Thanksgiving with an ear infection, and it appears as though he never entirely kicked the bug.  As any mother will tell you, there is nothing worse then not being able to make your munchkin feel better at the snap of your fingers.  I feel as though I have two options this cold/flu season: 1.) Put James in a bubble prior to sending him off to school 2.) Quit my job and stay home so he is not exposed to any germs.

I am lucky enough to be able to manipulate my work schedule; therefore I never have to drop James off at school if he is feeling under the weather.  What about those working mothers who don't have this luxury?  What do you do? Use your own personal/sick days?  I am not sure how many of these one gets, but I can say with all certainty that I would have blown through at least 3 weeks worth since James has started school.

I adopted a "take no prisoners" kind of attitude today, and decided that although my own personal hygiene had been lacking over the course of the past few days (due to only acquiring about 5 hours of sleep in two consecutive nights).  I whipped out my Method and went to town on both bathrooms and all of the major kitchen surfaces, threw out all of our toothbrushes and ordered Jake to bring home new ones, washed all of the bed sheets in hot water, and threw all the pacifiers in the dishwasher to be sanitized!

I actually managed to take a shower myself, and scrub a day and a half worth of James' snot off myself!  Of course, all of this was done while James was napping.  I am exhausted, and my clean sheets have been beckoning to me. Good Night!

Santa's Sleigh

Santa's sleigh just recently had a very expensive visit to the Rochester Ford service department.  I had noticed some slight vibration when driving recently; however nothing was lighting up on my dash board so I just assumed it was the pains of a vehicle with 75,000 miles on the odometer.  Nothing worse then an unexpected vehicle expense, with Christmas just around the corner.

I have a zit on my face that could literally acquire it's own zip code.  I am not sure if it is a result of the changing weather, pre-holiday preparations, the ATTEMPTS at getting a recent family photo for our Christmas card, or unseasonably busy work month.  It is likely a combination of all of the aforementioned items.  I like to think I don't sweat the small stuff, but between a sick child, rearranging my last week's work schedule, and an absentee husband (for the month of November)...I think it may be my body's way of telling me that it is very PISSED off at my late nights, and caffeine overload.

We have a family trip planned for the weekend, so I am looking forward to that.  However traveling is not always the most relaxing activity, when you are doing it with a rambunctious Toddler.  Jake will be participating in a seminar for work, so James and I are on our own. Luckily, we are headed to The Kalahari so there should be plenty of stimulation to wear my "busy" man out!  Saturday we are headed to visit some very good friends who also have kids.  The men have graciously volunteered their services for child care, so the ladies are heading out!

Cheating

I feel so dirty, I have done something AWFUL.  I have cheated on my FAVORITE holiday, Thanksgiving.  I am usually very adamant that the Christmas decorating does not take place until after Thanksgiving, which is arguably my favorite holiday.  I had to make an exception this year.  James had a night away with Grandma this weekend, and Jake was hunting.  I was left with a very empty and quiet house.  So I decided I might as well be productive.  Finished the laundry, paid the bills, made a Target run for groceries and a few Christmas gifts, AND finished a book.  What was I going to to do with the remainder of my day?  Looking ahead to next week, all I could think of was our busy holiday schedule.  Traveling to Onalaska, Thanksgiving, Swimming Lessons, Holiday photos, etc.  Ummm, when am I supposed to put up a tree?  And I will give you a wild guess where Jake will be.............HUNTING!  I had full disclosure of this expensive and time-consuming hobby prior to getting married, so I try to keep the complaining to a minimum.

So, the house is ready for Christmas.  I vowed to keep the tree lights turned off until after Thanksgiving, and I saved the fun task of hanging the ornaments.  So we can come home from stuffing our faces for two solid days, and trim the tree.  I cheated again, and turned the lights on today for James' enjoyment.  He was in awe for all of 1 minute, and then moved on to something else.

James is sick, shocker I know!  I am anxiously awaiting our 6-month mark at day care, which is when he will supposedly be less apt to illness.  Just when we experience the absence of a runny nose, he decides it would be a good idea to stick one of the most popular classroom toys in his mouth (a.k.a. the community petri-dish).  Better that he be sick now, versus when he gets to school and has to make up a days worth of homework without the help of a teacher.  I am truly dreading the day that math problems (that contain anything other then numbers) start being plopped down on my desk.  How do you tell your child that aside from basic addition and subtraction, they are on their own?  Good think my husband is much more capable in the math and science department.  Sleep has been difficult for him the past few nights, so I will likely keep him home with me tomorrow.  Which means I will have some shifting of work priorities, but nothing that cannot be handled or rescheduled.  I would be extremely thankful if we could all be healthy on Thanksgiving.

Tinkle, Tinkle Little Star

James decided to use the potty tonight!  I really have no experience, or idea of what potty training consists of but figured that I would be able to use the standard method of trial and error.  He gets the opportunity to use the potty at school before every diaper change, and I assumed he would start to see some of the older kids and naturally want to follow suit.  So in all fairness, I cannot take all the credit.  I must take a moment to thank all those little munchkins in his class!

I can't believe it is only Tuesday, how can this be?  Part of the problem may be that it has taken me a few days to recover from my weekend of fun.  I guess you couldn't even consider it a weekend, it was really only a DAY!  Jake and I went to the Badger/Gopher game in Minneapolis with some friends this weekend.  I was determined to have a fun night out, since we had a hotel room to venture back to and no alarm clock (aka Hungry Toddler at 5:45 a.m.) to wake up to!  I lasted until 1:30 A.M......not even really sure how since most evenings are wrapped up by 8 p.m., and I am snuggling with my NOOK.  I am going to climb into bed, and hope that a much more rested version of myself rises tomorrow! 

Maybe Next Year...

I decided to pick James up from school a little early today, knowing that he usually is tired and wants some down time before dinner.  I figured he could have some extra time relaxing, and that I would have extra time to get him psyched up to wear his werewolf costume.  I wasn't intending on going trick-or-treating, but I thought he would find it fun to wear his outfit and pass out the candy.  I was right about one part of that equation, he LOVED passing out the candy (he did not inherit his Mother's sweet tooth).  When I went to put on his costume, it was MELTDOWN time.  I have experienced these types of tantrums before.....flinging of the body across the floor, hitting, screaming, and the occasional whacking of the head on the wall.  Usually my lack of a reaction results in the taming of the beast that is James.  This was one of those rare occasions, where my lack of acknowledgement only pushed him further to the edge.  I chalked the costume up to a loss.  No big deal, he didn't even know what he was supposed to be.  He thought it was a Bear, so I played along and had him working on his "ferocious roar" the past few days.  I figured there is always next year.

So since I have no pictures of James the Werewolf.....here is a snapshot of James the Mighty Lion alongside his first friends.....Evan the Monkey and Caroline the Lamb.....Halloween 2011.  We miss you friends!  Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween!

Hunter's Widow

Since Jake will be hunting for the weekend, we celebrated Halloween last night in the Siegert Household.  A great time was had by all.  Jake put his master pumpkin carving skills to work, and created a 3-sided masterpiece.  James decorated his own pumpkin with stickers (Mom just had to help arrange the body parts in the appropriate places on his pumpkin).  We then went over to the neighbors house to see their 300 pound pumpkin, James had fun using it as a slide!  They said last year they grew one that was about 700 lbs.!  It took 4 grown men and a giant wheelbarrow to haul this beast from the backyard to the front porch.  All I kept thinking about was Linus from Charlie Brown, and the Great Pumpkin!  James had a great time playing with Ava in her new Barbie Power Wheels. They did a pretty good job of sharing, one of them pushed the gas while the other would handle the steering wheel; it was quite comical!

Here are a few pictures of our night of fun!

Jake will not be home until Tuesday, so that leaves plenty of one-on-one time to soak up with my other man!  Tomorrow we have swimming lessons, which are intended to be our winter sanity saver (even though the weather is still lovely....I know the white stuff will likely be flying soon).  We will bake a batch of Halloween cookies, and some Pumpkin Bread, and probably make a trip to Target to get some goodies for the Trick or Treater's!  I really doubt that James will understand the concept of Trick or Treating, so we will go to a few of the neighbor's houses but I think he will get a kick out of handing out candy (until someone comes dressed as a monster).  I forgot to have the hubbs clear up space on the DVD recorder before he left, so I will be left to my own devices on Sunday (I am sure it will take a majority of my free-time to figure out how to use our DVD burner).  Yes, I am afraid of technology.  I don't get much more advanced then the Ipod shuffle, and I JUST started to get used to the idea of ebooks since Jake gave me a NOOK for my birthday.  I must admit, as much as I love books...... don't love filling my house with the cheap bookshelves from Target that continue to break ( on the back- where the cheap cardboard is).....every time we move.

Wishing everyone a fun Halloween weekend......I have fond memories of dressing up and partying the night away.  I will now be spending the weekend baking cookies, and putting the final touches on my little man's costume.  May sound boring to some, but there is not much else I would rather be doing!  I still may indulge in some Pumpkin Beer......but what is better then drinking in sweats on your own couch after an exhausting day of chasing a Toddler?!  Just to leave you all with a taste of my days B.J. (before James).  Here is a picture of the Hubbs and I whooping it up (with arguably one of our best couple's costumes)!

The Hamster Wheel

I feel this is the most accurate description of my life, as of late.  I have not really had the time to sit down and blog for awhile, and the few nights that I have had the time......it was the last thing I wanted to do.  I really have felt like a hamster spinning endlessly on a wheel......getting nowhere fast.  Now while this is not entirely the case, it is how I felt.  September and October have been VERY busy months for work; as a majority of my customers are starting to put in their closing orders for the year and there are many commercial projects out to bid (so the phone rings off the hook for price quotes).  With year-end just around the corner, we have the lovely task of working out a sales forecast.  For those of you who have to complete this dreadful task, I know you are groaning out loud as you read this.  My evenings were spent fiddling on the calculator and looking into a crystal ball to predict what next year will bring in terms of $$ to the Midwest Territory.  My evenings (which are normally reserved for watching mindless T.V.....hello Real Housewives......or diving into a good book) were now consumed with price analysis' and forecasts.  In between my forecasting, I had plenty of laundry and miscellaneous household chores to keep on top of.  I felt as though the dreaded "LIST" was always getting longer and never shorter.

Tonight, I have the whole evening ahead of myself.  I am caught-up on work e-mails, the laundry is folded, the kitchen is clean.......BLISS.  I am now heading into the "slow season" for work.  I still have weekly conference calls, meetings, etc.  It is just that the day-to-day demands of customers slows WAY down.  I love that I am able to embrace the little joys of the holiday season, beginning this weekend!  Jake will be hunting, so James and I have a whole weekend to fill with fun activities.  I am thinking some Halloween cookie baking/decorating will take place, we have our first session of swimming lessons on Saturday, and we will likely make a trip to Barnes & Noble so Mom can sip on a Pumpkin Spice Latte and James can play with the trains!

 I know in my last post I talked about the pleasure of being able to be a Mom and have a career.  Well I just returned from my company's annual sales meeting, where I was one of the recipients' of a sales achievement award.  I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment, all of my feelings of inadequacy slowly dissipated.  On the flip side, James is turning into this amazing little man.  I cannot believe how easily he is able to communicate with me, and tell me how he is feeling. He LOVES attending school and playing with his friends, lately it has become hard to tear him away from the sensory table at the end of the day.  He comes home and proudly displays his art work on the fridge.  So in the words of Charlie Sheen.....it appears as though I am "WINNING!" both on the parent front and on the career front.  At this point....I will take what I can get. 

Choices

Life is full of choices, and I am constantly re-evaluating mine.  Namely the choice to continue life as a working mom.  I have a pretty even split among girlfriends that are SAHMs and working Moms.  I had always imagined myself staying home, but that was prior to beginning my sales career.  I think there are no easy choices when you are a mother, sometimes you feel as though you have to sacrifice some of yourself for the sake of others.  My first job out of college would have made it IMPOSSIBLE to have children and actually enjoy the experience.  My days (AND NIGHTS) were filled with endless call reports, paperwork, and tons of other busy work.

I was fortunate enough to have made a career change prior to starting a family, and I am now a manufacturer's rep for a very family-friendly company.  The beauty of my job now is that I work out of my home office, set up my meetings and conference calls to work with my families' schedule, and I HAVE absolutely NO busy work to complete in the evenings or on weekends.  I can honestly say that I have found balance in our day-to-day lives.  I also think that it has made me a much better mother, wife, and sales rep.  I have learned how to effectively allocate my time.  I have felt guilty about my decision for far too long.  I am not entirely sure why?  I am always there to drop/off and pick/up my little guy, and he enjoys going to "school" 3 days/week.  I always manage to assemble some form of a meal for dinner, some nights it may be more elaborate then others.  I also manage to keep the house in a fairly tidy state (my definition of "tidy" has changed post-toddler).

Luckily I have just the right amount of TYPE A blood running through my veins, I am obsessive with my "To Do" lists (but no longer loose sleep if I am unable to check everything off).  I have also learned that sometimes our weekly planners are thrown a curve-ball or two.  If James is sick, I of course re-arrange the entire week so I am able to work from home and take care of him.  Perhaps I have to do some overnight travel (which happens VERY rarely), but we are always able to tag-team and luckily James has wonderful Grandparents that love to help out!

I want to solemnly vow to no longer feel guilty about my decision to work, I am sure I will have guilty pangs here and there.  As I always say, "I am a Mom and Wife first, Sales Rep second."  The moment that equation were to change, I would have no problem walking away from my position.  Until then, I will continue to enjoy my family AND my career.

Keeping it all in Perspective

This weekend was most certainly not a good one.  We had a wedding to attend in Wisconsin Rapids, and James was going to stay with my in-laws in Onalaska.  Earlier in the week, I noticed the onset of a runny nose which has become a normal occurrence over the last two months (since he started daycare).  We get two weeks of a healthy little man, and then booger face strikes (which translates to me being a walking Kleenex- with snot all over my shoulders)!  Dealing with a little runny nose is child's play compared to what went down this weekend.  So late Friday afternoon, we head out to Onaslaska.  Prior to our departure, I noticed that James had been a little warm (just waking up from a nap- I thought it was no need to panic).  By the time we made it to Onalaska, he was definitely feverish.  I broke out the Tylenol and decided that we would take it easy to try and draw the fever down.  Jake decided to play a round of golf, so James and I decided to visit Aunt Winnie's new apartment.  As we were on our way to Winnie's, it hit me.  I FORGOT my dress for the wedding.  It was hanging up on the coat hook upstairs, and I didn't check to ensure my husband had loaded it in the truck.  Luckily, we were on our way to Winnie's so I could try and dig something out of her closet (I found a dress that would work- it was a little shorter then I would prefer but it would do). It was while we were there that James' fever spiked, and I noticed a little rash on his lower back and on his bottom.  This was new territory for me, James had suffered from the common cold here and there but NEVER a fever and rash at the same time.  So it was off to Urgent Care, the last place I wanted to be at 5:00 on a Friday evening.  I was worried sick, as his breathing was very shallow and labored.  My poor boy had a fever of 103, he was miserable.  They gave him another dose of Tylenol at the Clinic; and they diagnosed him with Roseola Virus (a.k.a. Sixth Disease).  Essentially it is a souped up virus, with high fever that tends to last about 72 hours.

Friday night was adventurous; we were staying at my in-laws and James went down very easily but was up with fever round 2 at 11 p.m.  So I woke up with him, stripped him down, gave him water, and headed to the basement (where it was much cooler) to try and sleep in the recliner.  That worked for a bit, but he was up and WIRED at 3 a.m.  He started to run around the house pushing a doll stroller.  So, I decided we would take a little field trip to Walgreen's (we were in need of some Ibuprofen anyway).  I thought all Walgreen's stores were open 24 hours; I thought wrong.  Knowing that Festival Foods Grocery Store would be open, we headed there.  I had  just intended to run in and grab the medicine, so of course James did not have any shoes on (as I was certain he would want to be carried).  Again, my thinking was WAY off that night.  Festival has shopping carts for kids, so of course he would want to get down and push one through the store.  The floors had just been cleaned, so I didn't feel quite so guilty letting him stroll the isles BAREFOOT.  It was the happiest he had been all day.  I decided to kill to birds with one stone, and began making a mental list of items we needed at home.  I felt the need to explain myself to the woman at the checkout lane; I felt like the world's worst parent.  She said she had been there and done that, she also noted that James looked to be pretty happy.  On the ride home, I saw eyelids fluttering in the backseat!  Success!  We made it home and into bed by 4 a.m.  FINALLY SLEEP!  James was up at 6 a.m. and ready for breakfast.

We headed back to Rochester late Saturday afternoon, after no napping all day James was exhausted.  He crashed early after his bath at 5:45 p.m.  I knew that the chances of us getting a good night's sleep were not very good.  I was correct.  I decided to sleep in the guest bedroom (across the hall from James' room).  Jake later joined me, to help with a little tag team action.  We were up several times throughout the night.  Another nasty round of fevers, stripping him down, water, and trying ANYTHING to make him comfortable.  Once his fever broke around 4 a.m. he was comfortable enough to go back in his own bed.  We all slept until 8 a.m........BLISS.

Today I think we turned the corner, although James' appetite is still not back up to par.  He has had a lot of milk, so that helps with his caloric intake.  I will keep him home from school tomorrow, so he is able to catch up on sleep and work up a better appetite.  I did some of my work items tonight, in preparation for the unknown that tomorrow will bring.

So in the end, we missed the wedding, hardly got any sleep the whole weekend, and had a minor panic attack due to the forgetting of the dress.  However, as I sit here tonight and think back to the terror attacks that occurred 10 years ago on this day.........I feel lucky to have experienced such a chaotic weekend.  I feel lucky to have my husband by my side, helping take care of our sick child.  I feel blessed that I am here (no matter how tired) to see my son explore the world everyday.  God Bless Our Beautiful Country, and all of the brave men and women that serve it!  I hope everyone else was able to count their blessings this weekend.

Change Is In the Air!

The air is getting cool, there is no denying that the changing of seasons is upon us.  I LOVE summer, but I am a big fan of Fall as well.  No AC, Football, Chili, Reading in front of a roaring fire, Comfy Sweaters and Sweatshirts, and who could forget Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

In addition to the changes in the weather, we are experiencing HUGE changes with our little boy!  I can hardly call him little anymore, seeing as he is weighing in at over 30 lbs.  Who needs a gym, when you have a jumbo Toddler to haul around?!  I have been reading a lot about children and their vocabulary, and understand that 18 months is supposedly the "magical" age when it comes to stepping up the language game.  I was also shocked to read that the average 18 month old girl is usually saying about 100 words; while the average 18 month boy has about 30 words in his vocabulary.  Chalk one up for the ladies!

James has (almost) mastered the following:
Mom
Dada
Ball (Football- Big Surprise, and Basketball)
"All Done" (which is famously stated at the BEGINNING of every meal, and sporadically throughout the entire period of dinner....the real clue to James being done....is food flying off his plate and onto the floor!)
Bicycle (which can sometimes be hard to decipher- sounds exactly like basketball- so I have to rely on those chubby little fingers to show me what he wants)!
Bird
Eggs
Milk
Bus
Motorcycle
Bye
Hi
Fish
Elmo
Ouch
Uh-Oh
Cereal
More
Dog
Moo
Cow
Bug
Apple

So I guess that list puts us at about 20 or so, I will round up to 30 knowing that there are probably a few I have missed and of course my kid is brilliant!  Not to mention, I will give him some additional credit for the fact that some of his words are multiple syllables!  Good to know that the all the hours of reading, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" are paying off.


 

Feeling Like a Fraud

So today I paid a visit to Dr. Siegert, it was my first visit to the dentist in TWO years.  My dental hygiene has never been a major area of concern, no cavities for this girl over the last 26 years of life.  That all changed today, I was delivered the blow by my husband, which makes it even worse.  After reviewing my x-rays, Jake came in to the exam room to tell me that there were "a few areas of concern."  Mind you, this was my first experience seeing Jake in his professional setting, so I couldn't be sure if he had a note of sarcasm in his voice or not.  He found.....not 1......not 2......but 3 cavities in my mouth.  I was pretty certain that I had one, but was utterly shocked to hear that I had THREE.

 This comes after years of Jake giving me crap about my lack of flossing.  My clean record always served as a good defense for taking the lazy road; a good old fashioned tooth brush and Listerine!  So needless to say I had to "eat crow," as the saying goes.

I was so distraught by the news, I found myself needing a late afternoon pick-me-up and headed to T.J. Maxx.  I spent 15 to 20 minutes browsing purses and ended up taking a lap around the store with two different bags in my hands.  I like to take things for a test drive before purchasing, and I decided that a new bag for fall would be just the ticket to lift my spirits.  I ended up leaving the store empty-handed, there was not much to pull me from my despair!

I know I sound a bit mellow dramatic, but I took an extreme amount of pleasure in announcing to people that I had never had a cavity. My level of satisfaction was multiplied when my husband became a dentist; however now I feel like a big fraud!  Unfortunately I will be walking around with the three holes in my mouth until next Tuesday, when I am scheduled to get things straightened out with the Doc.

In fact, teeth have been causing a lot of distress in the Siegert Household.  I was up with James MULTIPLE times last night.  I finally caved and gave him a dose of Tylenol at 3 a.m., praying that it would buy me just a few hours of sleep.  No such luck, he was up at 5 a.m., but the miracle of all miracles did occur......Jake got up with him and I stayed in bed.......at least until 6 a..m. when we tag-teamed it and Jake decided to hit the snooze button a little longer and I woke up to brew a big pot of coffee.....knowing that I would need several doses of it throughout the day! 

Playing Catch-Up

I spent the beginning of the work week traveling in Chicago with our company's CEO from Germany.  We had two days full of architect calls, meetings with current customers, and field visits to some of our builder's new communities.  At the end of the day Tuesday, I started my long journey home to Rochester.  I ended up pulling into the driveway at 11:30 p.m.  Utterly exhausted, I made a bee-line to my bed where I immediately passed out cold.

Waking up the next morning, I found my head spinning.  It was only 8 a.m. and I was already working on "the list."  Usually I complete the list every night before bed.  Our laundry hampers were overflowing, toys were strewn about the living room, and we had NO milk in the fridge.  I had to get things in order, or there was no way the remainder of my week would have been productive.

The past few days have been filled with cleaning, errand running, nose-wiping, diaper changing, cooking, washing and folding laundry, e-mail responding, and gift buying (both wedding and birthday); all this was done in-between my work obligations.

I am happy that Friday is finally here!  I am only slightly irritated with the fact that the upstairs of our split-level is hovering at the 85 degree mark.  Of course our air stops working the moment the weather starts to warm up, and the air feels like a wet blanket!  James is sleeping soundly in his pack'n'play in the walk-in closet in our room (which is downstairs).  We have a professional coming to look at in the morning, only because I had to call and make threats to our landlord (which has been an on-going theme in my relationship with her).  Tomorrow I will be having a pedicure with my Mother and Sister In-Law, followed by an afternoon of lunch and shopping!

On the more exciting front.......Jake told me I could start planning a warm weather vacation for February!  He suggested Tahiti, Bora Bora, or Costa Rica..........so I will probably spend the rest of the night looking at resorts!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Sunday.....The Day of UNrest!

So Jake and I had a wedding to attend in our hometown of Onalaska last night, congrats Matt and Heidi!  It was a beautiful ceremony, and I was so happy we were able to be there on your big day!  Jake's Mom offered to come to Rochester, and stay with James while we attended the wedding.  I had a very uneasy feeling leaving him, especially since he wasn't feeling 100%.  I decided that we would drive home after the reception.  So with coffee and hand and a snoring husband in the passenger seat, we were on our way home by 11:30.  We rolled into the driveway by 12:45 a.m., but I was able to sleep knowing my pumpkin head was snoozing away in his crib.

James slept well, and woke up bright and early at 6 a.m.  We began our normal morning routine, breakfast, coffee, and discussing James' night with Grandma.  He started eating his breakfast and immediately started coughing, I of course went into action mode immediately (as I thought he was choking).  I scooped the waffle out of his mouth, and threw him over my knee to ensure he coughed up anything that was blocking his airway.  Turns out he was not choking, but coughing so hard that he was unable to breathe.  His lips started turning purple, and I SCREAMED for Jake to call 911 (as he was still in deep slumber).  I have never been more scared in my life.  I tried to keep James' calm, and he eventually was able to catch his breathe.  I decided that a trip to the Urgent Care center was in order, as I was afraid that his cold may have become a respiratory issue.

We were greeted by a nurse that was about as friendly as a pit bull, she took James' vitals and griped about how squirmy he was the whole time.  If I hadn't been so exhausted she would have experienced the "wrath of Kathryn."  The doctor came in and listened to his lungs, and proceeded to ask me if James was teething.  Yes, he is teething; No, that is not the cause of his discomfort.  I was getting very irritated at this point.  After a quick listen to his lungs, he ordered a blood draw and an x-ray.  The blood draw was horrible, as Jake had to practically lay on James to keep him from squirming off the table.  I was shocked that they had to use a syringe to draw the blood.  I was expecting a finger prick (similar to when they test for lead).  James was screaming, I was crying, and Jake felt like the worlds worst Dad.  Then on to X-Rays, which were much easier then the blood draw.  The doctor came in to report that....................James HAS...................the common cold.  He went on to say that he exhibited all the symptoms of a nasty cold..........thank you captain obvious.  I left the hospital feeling as though the nurses and doctors (with the exception of our X-Ray tech) were looking at me as the paranoid mother that should have known my child was just sick with a cold.

This Sunday was not restful...........it was stressful.  I am exhausted, and don't even want to think about everything that needs to be accomplished this week.  Just going to take it one day at a time, priority #1 is getting my pumpkin head healthy!

Date Night Dilemma

Thursdays are usually James' day with Grandma, he is so blessed to have all of his grandparents within a 60 minute car ride!  Grandma Sheri (AKA "Cha Cha") comes every Thursday in lieu of James going to school while I work.  Some Thursdays she offers to stay the night, enabling Jake and I to sneak out for the occasional date night.  However, we realize that we cannot expect our families to travel 60 miles just so we get a night on the town.  This is when the search for a sitter began, and I turned to the ever reliable care.com!

While Jake was finishing school, date night came about but once a month.  At the time, it was all we could afford (both time-wise and monetarily).  Now that we are both working and raising a very busy and spirited Toddler, we realized how very important that alone time is for us.  Even if it just means sneaking out to hit a bucket of golf balls for an hour, hitting an early movie, or book browsing at Barnes (only adding to the list that is growing at a pace that I cannot keep up with....due to my lack of energy at the end of the day).  We don't need to go for a fancy 4-course meal, just something simple that allows us good conversation OR some peace and quiet.  I have a very hard time relaxing at home, for the exact same reason I have a hard time working out at home.  There is ALWAYS something that needs to be done.  I HAVE to go to the gym to get a good workout in; otherwise the distractions are endless (laundry to be folded, dishes to be loaded/unloaded, e-mails to be answered.  So Jake and I decided that we need to be better about picking a date night every week. 

I interviewed a few different girls, and we found some OUTSTANDING sitters.  All of them came with excellent references, and a tremendous amount of experience.  So we now have a great network of caregivers; 2 teachers. a dental hygienist student, and a NICU nurse.  We plan to have our first date night over labor day weekend, when we will meet some new friends out for dinner.

I am hoping this is one thing we follow through on, at least until hunting season commences.

The Hitter

Today I received some startling news.  As I headed outside to the playground to pick up James, I was approached by his aide.  My first instinct was that she was going to say he was crabby and not himself, since he is at the tail end of this horrible cold (that I am now experiencing).  Instead, she lowered the "boom" and said James has been hitting.  This is NOT like him at all, he can be a stinker (to get attention from Jake or I) but he does NOT hit other children.  Just yesterday, I witnessed him sharing his Teddy Grahams with a fellow tot at church.  And believe me when I say, for James to share his FOOD......BIG DEAL!  I now have to except the fact that I am the mother of the class bully.  When I asked if it was an isolated incident, she told me he had done it throughout the day and for no reason.

So instead of spending my evening watching mindless T.V., I have been online trying to research Toddlers and Hitting.  Help ME, John Rosemond!   This has NOT helped my headache.

I am hoping that this was a result of him not feeling well, and that he was simply trying to get some extra attention.  I will go in early tomorrow to discuss the hitting with his teacher.  If it continues, I will have to spend some time in his classroom to observe the behavior myself.

I am now going to see if I can find a tablet or two of NyQuil, so I can knock myself into a night of peaceful slumber.

There's a Pounding in My Head

Straight from the lines of Katy Perry's new song; however my pounding is not from a night filled with fun!  I woke up with a horrible headache and terrible sore throat.  I had just planned on working in the office today, THANK GOODNESS!

I contracted this horrible cold from James, I am still baffled as to how he was so chipper this morning?  I debated taking him to school today, but he appeared to be in good spirits and didn't put up a fuss when I dropped him off.

I came home, completed all of my office work, and have been horizontal on the couch all afternoon.  Every time I try to sit up, my head pounds even more.  The timing could not be worse, I have to prepare for an upcoming ride-along with my company's CEO (straight from Germany).  Not to mention, we have a wedding to attend this weekend and I am putting on a small graduation celebration for Jake next weekend.

Now, it is time to think about what I am going to put together for dinner (AH!- this makes my head hurt even worse).  I hope there is some mindless T.V.to be watched tonight, I don't think this headache would enable me to read even a page of my novel.

Changes

I have taken a much needed hiatus from blogging.  We have had a CRAZY summer thus far, and it doesn't look as though that will be changing anytime in the coming weeks. Our weekends have been consumed with weddings, bachelor or bachelorette parties, camping trips, visits from friends and family, and our anniversary celebration!
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July brought about numerous changes in our families lives.  Jake started his new job in July, and James started going to day care (I refer to it as school, seeing as it is much more of a classroom atmosphere).  Jake is truly enjoying his work, which is such a blessing as he worked so hard to get to this point.  The first few weeks for James were somewhat difficult. After the second week, I truly thought I was going to quite my job.  James was overly tired, not napping well at school which in turn meant that his nightly sleep was extremely poor.  I was up with him several times throughout the night (it felt as though I was living the newborn days all over), and just getting him to bed at night was a struggle Inevitably, he caught a HORRIBLE summer cold.  I was exhausted and barely able to make it through the day without full pot of coffee.  Jake and I both agreed that if we didn't see an improvement after a month, that I would quit my job.  We did not want all of our family time to be plagued with terrible fits from a crabby and overly tired toddler. Luckily, things turned around quickly as his naps gradually got longer.  It is such a blessing to have him get excited when I say it is time to go to school!  No more feelings of "mommy guilt."

Now there is such a tremendous level of balance in our household, that Jake and I have actually discussed the idea of Baby # 2!  I don't think I am ready quite yet, but I can see it being a possibility in the not-to-distant future.

We are continuing to settle-in to our new home, and meet new people in the community.  Just this morning, we attended mass at a new church and I think this one felt like a good fit!  I continue to miss all of my friends in Milwaukee, but I can slowly see our new lives taking form in Rochester.  It feels good to put down some "roots." 

Welcome June

I cannot believe that it is June!  I remember thinking to myself a mere month ago, "I can't wait until we are all moved to Rochester and completely settled into our new house."  Well it is finally a reality, and quite frankly could not have come at a better time.  I have felt as though we have lived out of our vehicle the last few weeks, and I am sure to experience that feeling again in the coming weeks.

Memorial Day weekend was just what the doctor ordered.  No plans, no agendas, nowhere to go!  It was so great to be able to work on projects around the house.  I don't intend to put too much TLC into our current home (since we are on the 2-year plan with this place), BUT I do want it to feel like home.  This past weekend we painted the deck, planted flowers, Jake started a garden, and we purchased new patio furniture.  Things are slowly but surely coming together.  We also had our first playdate with A&A from across the street.  James is loving the new house, especially the large deck that enables him to venture outside first thing in the morning.  It is usually a fight to get shoes on his feet!

We also managed to find a daycare center for James!  I wasn't sure about the whole daycare idea, as James had two WONDERFUL nannies that cared for him in our home during his first 14 months of life.  As we were touring the multiple facilities throughout Rochester, we realized that he is very ready for this step.  He loved being with the other children and in the classroom setting.  As long as I am able to keep a healthy balance on the work front, I think everyone will settle into the new routine nicely.  He won't start until July 5th (same day Jake starts work), in the meantime he is having a blast at DDS Daddy Daycare!  The best part about his new school is that it is about a block away from Jake's office.  It will be comforting for all of us to know that Daddy is very close; Mommy won't be too far in the home office either (about 2.5 miles).  I know I will be very sad when his first day rolls around, but I am sure he will be anything but!

Jake and I will be heading back to Milwaukee this weekend for the Nitka wedding festivities!  Immediately upon our return, I will be re-packing my suitcase as I depart for my sales meeting in Clearwater, Florida on Monday.  As I always say.....better to be busy then bored!

The Missing Shoe

James has outgrown his tennis shoes, so I decided it was time to purchase a new pair.  Especially since we are finally experiencing "outside" weather.  I can barely pry his chubby fingers off of the bubble mower and get him inside for bath time at the end of the day!

So off we ventured to the Apache Mall, oh how I miss Mayfair Mall.  While there is an abundant selection of children's stores (Gymboree, Baby Gap, The Children's Place), it is completely lacking in stores of my taste (Banana, LOFT, The Limited).  Thank goodness for The Gap, it is my only salvation (along with Super Target- which is superb)!!!  James and I stopped in The Children's Place, to look for a tie for the upcoming graduation weekend festivities.  Then onwards to look for tennis shoes, we went into Champ's and it was there that I realized he was missing a shoe!  I immediately went into panic mode, only because Jake purchased these shoes for James (they were Keene's nonetheless) and the first thing he said to me was "don't loose these."  We circled our route in the mall about 10 times, stopped into the mall management office, talked to several janitorial staff.........and no shoe.  This very SMALL incident ignited a lot of emotions, I started crying because I missed the familiarity of Milwaukee.  I had no idea where I was going to find a pair of baby Keene's.  If this had happened in Milwaukee, it would have been a quick drive over to REI and the shoes would be replaced without even having to utter a word about the debacle to Jake. Not to mention that James was now the proud owner of 1 pair of tennis shoes that didn't fit and 1 Keene sandal.  Well I wanted to get this whole mess sorted out, but I decided to drive home and make sure it wasn't in the garage or mud room.......no and no.......just as I had feared.  I told Jake what had happened, and he was much more level-headed then I (I absolutely HATE it when that happens).

Jake suggested we head out in search of a children's shoe store, I had mentioned seeing a Stride Rite store in a local strip mall.  Off we went, with the one-shoed' toddler in tow.  I had this nagging feeling that I should stop out to the mall one more time, we did and I re-traced our steps with Jake.  We stopped into The Children's Place and asked again, and they had found it!!!!  I was in a much better mood, and did not feel guilty about purchasing a new pair of Nike tennis shoes for James.

Jake went golfing tonight, so James and I had a spaghetti dinner and then played outside on our new patio.  It is easily his favorite place in the house.  We saw our next door neighbors outside, and they invited us over to play for a bit.  It was lovely, Joe showed James all of his trucks and dinosaurs.  James was in his glory,and was not ready to leave at 7:45 but it was already 15 minutes past bed time and he still needed his bath!  He was out like a light at 8:10.

Starting tomorrow, Jake will be the stay-at-home daddy for the next few weeks.  He doesn't start work until July, so this gave us some time to figure out how we wanted to handle child care!  This should result in some good blogging material in the coming days!

Greetings From Minnesota!

Never thought I would be a "Minnesotan," but the day has come.  It has been quite some time since I have had the chance to sit down and relax, especially since I am a tad OCD when it comes to being in an organized and clutter free house.

I am so happy the move is complete, and I am in the "home stretch" with all of my finishing touches (hanging frames, arranging lamps and furniture, etc.).  We do have to get some new furniture for our living room, and purchase some new curtains and a bed spread for our room.  I can't wait to go shopping, but the hubbs has ordered me to wait until July when he starts working.  It is a good thing he is so rational when it comes to those things; he reminded me that we have graduation weekend in Milwaukee quickly approaching, 3 weddings, AND an anniversary trip to Park City, Utah (and this is all before the end of June).

James and I have already made several new friends in the neighborhood, there is a little girl named Ava that lives right across the street (and she is only 9 days older then James)!  Ava's Mom is very sweet and VERY outgoing (maybe even more so then myself).

The forecast for the coming days is sunny and lovely......so I think we will see if Ava and Andrea want to come over to play outside with James' new sand and water table!

Onward with life's newest chapter......it is looking to be a good one!

Sinking In

Today was a very emotional day for me.  I had an appointment with my "lady doctor" this morning.  I can't speak highly enough of Dr. B., and you truly develop a special relationship with the person that cares for you throughout your pregnancy.  So I can't forget to mention my wonderful nurse, Sherri.  We talked about the upcoming move, and Dr. B asked about babies in the future.  I said that we would cross that bridge once we were settled in our new home.  As I was getting ready to leave, Dr. B and Sherri both insisted that I drop in with James when we come to Milwaukee for a visit.  They also said they would like to continue receiving our annual Christmas Card, because they want to see our expanding family.  I could feel the tears welling up as I was getting ready to leave, and they started flowing as soon as I walked out the door.  Many people looked at me with grave concern as I exited towards the parking ramp, but when they saw where I was coming from they probably assumed I was just another hormonal pregnant girl.

It hit me, this was my first "official" goodbye to people that have played a significant role in our lives.  We have only been in Milwaukee for four short years, but a lot has happened over that period in our lives.  We became engaged, got married, bought a dog (who is now happily living with Winnie- so James is still able to visit), started our family, and met numerous people who have become so special to us.  It will be very sad to say goodbye to Ashley and Dana, who have taken such wonderful care of my most precious possession- James!  He loves both of them very much, and it is evident by the big hugs they get when they walk in the front door.  I can't even imagine being able to find sitters that will live up to the standards they have set.  They were a small part of what helped me maintain any level of sanity.

I know that we will stay connected with many of the people that we have met in Milwaukee.  We have already discussed annual summer trips to come down and watch the Twins take on the Brewers at Miller Park.  There is just something about the idea of "starting over" that is so overwhelming to me.

So to keep myself distracted from all of these sad feelings.....I think I will just focus on packing.

Getting Started

We ended up having a fairly busy weekend, James was our living proof of just how busy it actually was.  He was the incredible sleeping boy the past two days!  We had a pizza and PJ party at our friends' Ana and Caroline's house on Friday, and he was much too pleased with Caroline's company and her toys to want to leave!  He didn't end up going to sleep until 9:30 p.m., which resulted in him sleeping until 9 a.m. the next morning and taking two naps (totaling 3 1/2 hours) later in the afternoon.  As soon as he was up from the second nap, we slapped on his shoes and coat and headed off to his friend Nina's 1-year Birthday party!  This was also so much fun that he willed his little body to keep moving, but he hit a wall shortly after 8 p.m..  He slept in until 9 a.m. again, and was then ready for a nap shortly after 10 a.m..  Needless to say, we did not make it to church.

I finally started the dreaded task of packing today.  I just kept telling myself that if I do a little bit each day, the week before the move will be much less overwhelming.  There is not much that I hate more then moving.  The only good thing that comes out of it, is my ability to sort through items that we have no need for.  I am thinking that a few trips to Goodwill may be in the works........unless my sister decided she wants them!

I feel as though I consumed a massive amount of calories this weekend (hello birthday cookies, veggie delight pizza, and Paul M's famous grilling).  I think I will need to make the gym a priority this week.

The coming weekends are filled with "last dinners."  We have a lot of friends that we will be leaving behind (tear), and we are trying to get some QT in with all of them!  I am still adjusting to the idea that I will be a Minnesotan in roughly 1-month, but I am DREADING the thought of having to meet a whole new group of wonderful ladies and other married couples.

I think I may start crying if I keep thinking about this.....so I am going to get another box started.

Fluctuation.....

There has been a lot of this over the course of the past year and a half.  For some of you, this post will be TMI (SO STOP READING).  I have always promised my girlfriends that I will provide full disclosure for some of the hot talking points of motherhood!  I am not about sugar coating anything!

Most of this fluctuation has happened in the chest area, for a greater portion of my pregnancy and then the few months proceeding I felt like a walking Victoria's Secret model (minus the huge baby bump and extremely large butt)!  Oprah is always talking about how finding the right size bra will change your life, well how do I do that Ms. O when I am CONSTANTLY fluctuating?  I would like to invest in a really great bra, but I want to make sure that I will be able to use it for longer then a few months.  I have a girlfriend that is an expert at this, and she has a great boutique in Madison.  I would love to pay her a visit and get something EXTRA fab.  After all, the twins could use a little perk-up because they certainly don't sit where they used to!

This fluctuation has happened everywhere, I am in the process of weeding out the items that don't fit.  I will definitely say that last year at this time, I felt as though it would be a small miracle if I EVER fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.  Well, I don't fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes because I am the smallest I have ever been in my life.  I know this is a good thing, but it is also a HUGE pain.  I am in the process of trying to look tailored with some items that fit and some that don't!  I like to get rid of things, because clutter drives me nuts.  Jake insists that I keep EVERYTHING because what if I have another baby and don't "bounce back."  Thanks honey, way to rain on my parade.  For all of you Sex & The City fans out there.....it reminds me of the episode where Miranda is able to fit back into her "skinny jeans."  The ladies ask her what her secret is, and her reply is "I became a single, working Mom and stopped having time to eat."  Not entirely what I am dealing with here, as I am not single BUT I definitely don't have the leisure time to sit and snack on chips and salsa while sipping a Margarita!

Motherhood = No More Dieting!   

Headbutting.....

So I have noticed James participating in a very strange activity over the past few days, banging his head on the wall/cabinets/floor/ and namely any hard surface he is able to find.  I must admit that as a mother, this is a very disturbing sight.  I try not to laugh at him (which usually encourages the behavior further), but sometimes it is impossible not to (he makes the craziest faces).  I am hoping this is just one of those strange "stages" and that it shall pass quickly (for the sake of his healthy brain cells).  I cannot imagine how mortifying it would be if he started doing this out in public.  The only saving grace is that Jake also did this as a child, according to his Mother.  I guess he turned out fine, I mean he managed to complete Dental School in tact!

On an entirely different subject matter, I feel as though the house has been taken over by toys.  It is truly getting out of hand, and I would have been out finding some cute cubbies (or some other form of organization) yesterday.....but what is the point when we are moving to an entirely new space?!?!?!  I am not the best at living with "messiness" but I fear that is going to be my life....at least for the next month while I continue to pack us up for the big move!

I had a lot of good activity with work today.  Two nice orders as well.......I can tell nice weather is on the way....because the Blackberry starts to chirp quite regularly!  I have a new customer in Minneapolis, which is very convenient considering I will get to spend a lot more time working with them in the coming weeks!  I am very excited about the potential that the market (up there) has to offer.  I have laid a nice amount of groundwork and established a lot of very good working relationships in Chicago, and have every confidence that I will be able to manage the Chicago market remotely once we move.

Ahhh....all I smell is potential.......I just want to start smelling spring flowers....hurry up mother nature! 

The Very Busy Week

This week was absolute insanity.  In fact is is a small miracle that I was able to keep my sanity in tact.  I had a husband that was out of town, TWO trips into Chicago for work, a tradeshow, a bachelorette party, and a sick child to boot.  These are the weeks that I think it would be great to not have to worry about anything work related, and just shut down the Blackberry.

The bachelorette party was last night, actually I should say it was yesterDAY.  I continue to be amazed at how people are able to participate in the all-day celebrating of bachelor/bachelorette parties.  It definitely made me realize that I am no spring chicken anymore!  It began at the Lakefront Brewery at 3 p.m., and continued on into the night and wee hours of this morning.  I was definitely a little tipsy, and realized that it was time to hail a cab and get home to bed (I wanna say that this was around midnight......but it felt like 4 a.m.).

Jake and I had already agreed that he would get up with James so I could sleep this morning.  That was a lovely idea, but turns out James received another birthday gift last night and it was a GIANT DRUM filled with all sorts of musical instruments!  Turns out this Momma is going to need a lot of Aspirin for this hangover!

One Year Ago....

I can hardly believe that one year ago, my little James made his grand entrance into the world!  The past year has flown by in the blink of an eye.  There has been a lot of sleepless nights, laughter, tears, and a few hormonal hissy fits but every minute has been exceptionally wonderful in it's own unique way!

I feel like motherhood has changed me for the better.  I have left some of my crazy Type A habits in the dust. I have learned that the house does not have to be SPOTLESS all the time, it is a constant battle and one that is not worth fighting when it gets in the way of spending time with your little one (which is exceptionally precious when you are working).  I have learned that it is O.K. if you don't get through every single item on your To Do list, there is always tomorrow.  I have learned to love my body for all of the things it is capable of (i.e. carrying a baby for 9 months, child birth, and giving me stamina to chase my toddler all over the house) and not just focusing on the numbers on a scale.  There are a few additional changes (for the better) since becoming a Mom: no more cursing like a sailor for me (I know there is always a little set of ears listening), my shoe rack now consists of comfortable flats versus kill your feet heels (they will always hold a special place in my heart, and still will make appearances for girls nights out), there is absolutely no need for dieting or watching what you eat (you simply don't have time to snack so your waistline ends up thanking you for it)!

James had his 12 month physical today, I felt like such a cruel parent for subjecting him to shots and a blood draw on his birthday.  I just knew that there was not going to be much time for it in the coming days, with his birthday party and Jake's spring break around the corner.  He weighed in at 24 lbs. and 33 inches long; I cannot believe how big he is getting.  We survived the appointment, and I let him play with the trains in the waiting room afterwards to help calm his frazzled little nerves.

We came home and had his favorite meal for dinner (Turkey and Mushroom Lasagna), opened presents, and ate marble fudge cake!  I would say it was a very successful first birthday!  I took my time rocking James to sleep tonight, I can't even imagine the day that he no longer wants me to tuck him in.

Since I baked a cake, wrapped presents, and did laundry last night..........I think I will clean the kitchen and do absolutely NOTHING tonight (well other then sip on a cocktail)! 

Fat Sunday

I feel as though all I have done this weekend is eat!  Yesterday I attempted a new recipe at Berry Strata for our afternoon play date, I was really hoping for a successful review because I would like to make it for our company next weekend!  It passed the reviews, so it is officially on the brunch menu for next Sunday!  Today we celebrated Fat Tuesday a few days early at Maxie's Southern Comfort....yum!  It was really more to celebrate Jake completing his boards, and thank his aunt who came into town to assist him for the day!  It was Jake's choice of restaurant, which is odd because I was just talking about it yesterday with my girlfriends!  I ordered the shrimp and grits........and tried my first Whiskey Old Fashioned............both were delicious!

James and I braved church together today, to say a few prayers for Jake!  He did not sit still for one SECOND of the mass, he was everywhere.  I even pulled out his Tupperware of Goldfish.....none of my tricks were proving to be successful.  So I eventually just took him to the back of church and let him walk around.   During the intercessions I prayed for more patience.....it was starting to wear thin towards the middle of mass.  Immediately upon our arrival home from church he crashed for 2 1/2 hours, so he was obviously exhausted.  This could have accounted for some of his restlessness during mass, he gets really wound up if he is tired and not in his element at home.

I sat down to make my lengthy To-Do list this week.  I have: lots of work, a pediatrician visit, a birthday dinner to prepare on Tuesday (for James' actual B-Day), and all sorts of party prep (cleaning, food, decorations) for James' ParTay on Saturday!  Oh yeah....Jake will be out of town on a rotation.....perfect!  Ahhh.....nothing a little SkinnyGirl Marg can't help with.  Lord grant me serenity.........

Please Don't Text While Walking

After a very long and significant relationship of three years with my Crackberry........it has crossed over to the other side.  It was bound to happen at some time or another; however it was very inconvenient that it happened during the work week.  That phone serves as my lifeline to my corporate office.  To make matters worse, the replacement process has been far from smooth.  We have approved models through our company, and Verizon carries neither model.  I am in NO hurry to rush out and sign-up with AT&T, I have yet to hear anything positive about their service.  I will continue my phone quest on Monday!

Looking at the bright side of a bad situation.  My old phone is officially James' favorite toy (and probably most expensive....even though it no longer works).  He has yearned for that phone the past 4 months of his life.  He was very excited to get it in his chubby little hands.  We had to run and grab a few items at Target, and it was the smoothest shopping trip we have had together thus far!  Now if I could only get him to watch where he is walking.  He reminds me of the crazy teenagers that cruise through the mall texting while walking.  It is really more dangerous then people realize.  Jake told me a girl in his class walked right into a street sign while texting and broke her nose.....ouch!

We have a play date with some friends tomorrow, so we will try and get an early morning trip to the gym in and a solid nap before they arrive.  Jake has his big test Sunday.....4 years of dental school skills......being put to the test in one afternoon.  This will probably not go down as one of the most relaxing weekends, but we have the big birthday bash to look forward to next weekend!

Stroll down memory lane.........

Last night I took a stroll down memory lane....I watched every single home video we have shot in the last year!  It starts with me looking extremely swollen and puffy at Columbia St. Mary's hospital, having a conversation with Katy Pauluk after I received my epidural!  It ended with the video I shot of James yesterday, dancing in his highchair at snack time to his new Barenaked Ladies kid's CD!  Oh, how times have changed in the past year!  I cannot believe how fast time is passing me by!

I must admit that the video footage made me ache slightly for the days of brand new baby, when they relied on your constant care and attention.  As wonderful as those times were, they were just as equally exhausting.  Jake shot a video of me sleeping on the couch, mouth gaping wide open and snoring!  I wanted to erase it because I look extremely grotesque, but that is truly part of the experience of bringing a new life into your family!

I think we will take some time to enjoy sleeping through the night, no more bottles, and a child that is eager to explore the outside world and participate in new experiences!  It is such an amazing gift to watch your child grow and change, it truly is one of God's greatest miracles!  We are so thankful for our sweet Baby James, he has added so much joy to our lives! 

Vacation Succcess and First Haircuts

The vacay was a success (for the most part).  We only had one minor issue over the course of the week, our bay window started leaking profusely.  Being (somewhat) of a moisture management expert when it comes to building envelopes, I was able to diagnose the problem but sadly could not fix it myself.  Called a local roofing contractor to come take a look and they were able offer no solutions (until the weather gets a little warmer).

Aside from that, Ashley came to sit with James on Friday and I was able to escape for a little girls time!  It was evident to me how important that time would be to a woman that is a stay-at-home Mom.  Since I had vacation for the week, we didn't need any childcare.  I got to experience the life of a stay-at-home Mom that is on call at ALL TIMES of the day.  It makes me appreciate all of the work our sitters put in during the course of a day, they definitely earn their paychecks!  I LOVED every minute with James, and we even got to experience the children's museum together.  I just realized how much extra effort and energy it takes to complete daily without having any help.  I think the reason I was so taken aback was the fact that it was a whole week.  I essentially went cold turkey!

James had his first haircut this weekend.  He did very well, since I kept a steady supply of food in front of him!  Here are some pics. of the before and after!

Since my Mom was visiting this weekend, she offered to babysit so Jake and I were able to escape for a Saturday night date!  Jake had just returned from the Midwinter Dental Conference in Chicago, and I had been up several times the night prior with James (teething woes) so we were both very tired.  We decided on dinner at P.F. Chang's and a move, the new Liam Neeson thriller!  We arrived at Chang's shortly after 5 p.m. to find out we would be looking at a 40 minute wait for a table.  I was really craving some good Chinese, so I tried to give Jake my best pleading eyes.  FAIL!  We ended up eating at Panera, which was also very good but I would have enjoyed some lettuce wraps.  After dinner we spent a little time in Barnes & Noble, I wanted to purchase a few books for James and look for his B-Day gift from Jake and I.  I decided a coffee was needed if I was going to keep my eyes open during the movie, not always the best idea at 6 p.m.  The movie was very good, there was  a nice little twist at the end.  My Mom was shocked that we strolled in just past 9 p.m.  Oh how things have changed............but definitely for the better!

This morning we had very good intentions of getting to church.  I HATE being late for church but decided a child is one of the best excuses.  Jake dropped us off, and James and I crept quietly into the back of church only to find the cry room was PACKED.  We really didn't have any options, James sitting in a pew was definitely not one!  Last time we tried that he ended up yanking the little girl's hair that sat in front of us.  We crept back out very quietly and decided to say our prayers in the car on the way to breakfast at the Pancake House.  I know God was happy that we spent some good quality time as a family!

Back to work tomorrow.......now........the Oscars and a glass of Champagne is in order!  I cannot believe last year I went into labor as I was watching Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host the Oscars!
   

Vacay....

I am so excited for the next four days of vacation that lay ahead of me!  February has been an extremely brutal month....with too many tasks to check off my "To Do" list.  Work, taxes, house hunting in Rochester, hosting a baby shower, and planning James' 1st birthday party!  These items on top of the daily "tasks" that keep the house running have proven to zap every ounce of energy from my body. 

I originally took these days off to do our house hunting in Rochester; however I had some luck in working with a realator earlier in the month so I decided that I might as well use the time off to recharge the old battery.  I am looking forward to a few lazy mornings in my PJs, some swimming at the club with James, working out, napping, reading, and spending an afternoon at the Children's Museum with James (We MUST visit before we leave Milwaukee).  I also intend to cook for the hubbs this week.

James has been cruising all over the house, he definately prefers walking to crawling these days.  He has another tooth coming in on the top which disturbed his sleeping last night (which in turn disturbs my sleeping).  I completed the daunting task of fingernail cutting today, you would think I am torturing the poor child.  I would get one or two fingers done and then we would have to play for 10-15 minutes until he was distracted enough for me to do another finger or two!  Needless to say, it is a loooooong process.  The child cannot simply sit still, I almost have to put him in a headlock just to change his diaper.

Time to get this vacay started.........I am thinking a mindless T.V. show like the Bachelor is the perfect way to kickoff my relaxation!

Oh Sh*t!

This is what I was saying at 6 p.m. this evening when James decided to poop in the bathtub.  I have had my mother tell me stories of it happening, and even girlfriends.  Everytime I heard one of these stories, I just chuckled to myself and thought,"that will never happen to me!"  I immediately scooped James out of the tub and drained the tub, while he proceeded to play nakedly in the bathroom as I cleaned up after him.  Then we did the whole bath thing again!  We managed to make it out without any other bodily functions taking place in the tub!

I finally feel like I have kicked this bug, thank goodness because I desperately miss the gym and having a clean house.  I think one more day of taking it easy should be all I need.  I have worked in the office this week, becuase my lack of voice would not make sales calls or presentations any easier.  I had a lunch scheduled with customers tomorrow afternoon, and that had to be pushed out to next week.  I am certain this comes as a result of being run down, too many things for one lady to handle!  Now that taxes and house hunting are crossed off my list of To Dos, I feel like I am able to breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a LITTLE free time.

James is 11 months old today, I cannot believe that in ONE short month he will be turning ONE!  I scheduled his 12-month physical today, and ordered his party invitations.  I have to admit, it made me a little sad.  I am happy to witness him grow into a thriving little human being, but I am sad that he will no longer be my "baby" and will become a "toddler."

I think a Skinny Cow and Nyquil will be the perfect segway to bedtime!

Super Bowl Champs and Baby Kisses

Well, I am happy to report that this weekend was not a total bust.  James and I both spent the weekend sleeping, and consuming large quantities of fluid.  We were not going to let head colds get in the way of cheering on the Pack in the Super Bowl!

We were feeling much better by Sunday afternoon (and past our contagious stage), so we ventured over to our friends house for a kid-friendly gathering.  It was such a great game to watch, I don't know that Jake would necessarily agree.  He was in a very bad mood after Woodson left the game with a collarbone injury.  It was entirely too close for comfort, but it made for a great game to watch from beginning to end!  James is so lucky to have witnessed a Packer Super Bowl win in his first year of life (well sort of, he was in bed by the end of the 3rd quarter). 

James had his first baby kiss yesterday, I of course was the ill-prepared mother that did not have a camera on hand.  It was really more like a kiss on the nose, but still too cute for words.  He was digging on little Nina, she just stared at him with her big blue eyes (and I guess that did it).

Go Pack Go!

Sickness....

This snowstorm really threw me off kilter this week.  I had two meetings scheduled in Rochester, MN. on Wednesday.  The first was with a potential new customer, the second was with an existing customer that has recently been acquired by a Florida supply company.  In addition to my scheduled meetings, I had arranged to look at a house for our upcoming move.  The snowstorm delayed my trip one day, and did not enable me the ability to make it a 2-day trip.  Thus, I spent eight hours in the car yesterday and returned home with almost no voice at all (James has passed on his head cold to me).  Luckily the trip was well worth it, I obtained an order from my customers AND found a house for us!

I woke up this morning feeling even worse then when I went to bed, I was hoping a good nights sleep and some fluids would get me back to normal.  Not the case, I took NyQuil (haven't taken the stuff in years.....obviously for a reason) and it made me feel drugged and foggy.  It didn't help matters that I was up with James at 2 a.m. and again at 4:45 a.m.  I didn't have any luck getting him back to sleep at 4:45 a.m. so my day began VERY early.

It is amazing how one sick day can throw you into a state of chaos.  I have plenty of things to do, but don't think I have the stamina to do them.  I am hoping James will have a better night of sleeping tonight, I know that is wishful thinking considering he has already been up once.  I will be happy when Mr. Head Cold decides to end his visit to the Siegert household.  In the meantime, I think we will make our weekly Target run tomorrow but will remain hermits for the remainder of the day.  I want to be comfy in PJ's and work on my projects at a leisurely pace!

Off to bed........sans NyQuil!

Snow Day

Well a greater portion of Southeastern Wiscconsin was shut down for business today.  If I physcially had to drive to an office to work, it would not have panned out.  We had 5-6 foot snow drifts covering our garage!   Marquette was closed today, so Jake was home.  This was lucky for me, because there was no way our sitter was going to be able to get to our house today.  I was able to follow-up on some trade show leads in my office, and work on getting appointments set up for the remainder of the month.

Late afternoon rolled around and I was starting to feel very closed-in.  James has been a crabby bear lately, as he is starting to cut his two top teeth.  He is definitely having a harder time with the top teeth then what he had with the bottom two.  I didn't get to the gym last night, and I knew the chances of the gym even being open today were slim to none.  I spent my evening hours making sloppy Joe's for dinner, and baking banana bread with James.  After we finished eating, James was ready for bed by 6 p.m.  I am a little scared that he is going to bed so early, but I don't think his quality of sleep was very good last night.  I kept hearing him on the monitor while we were watching T.V.  He just kept moaning, and sounded like he was miserable (even after I snuck him a little Tylenol).  Hopefully tonight he will sleep better, and I may try to climb into bed early since there is a very good possibility that he will be up early.

It took Jake a solid hour and a half to two hours to shovel out the driveway, he left the sidewalk in front of the house for me.  I was happy to have something to do after James went to bed, and all of my guilt about not getting to the gym disappeared!  I also finished all of our tax prep tonight, so that is a HUGE item to check off my month's To-Do list!

It was a very productive snow day indeed!

The Walker

The title of my post is referring to James, and not the device that helps the elderly get around.  Even though, at the rate James is growing, I feel as though it could be any day before I need one.  I have come very close to throwing my back out, picking up all 27 lbs. of him!

The walking really started yesterday afternoon; he walked right up to his Music teacher Gwen.  He absolutely loves this woman, he took about 7 steps right up to her and gave her a big hug as she was singing.  The whole group of Moms marveled at that being his first "real walk" and it took all my power not to start jumping up and down in celebration.  He then proceeded to walk around the entire circle and hug all of the other Moms.  I guess he was just loving all the female attention, as he was the only boy in class.

Today we are experiencing the Blizzard of 2011, they are expecting 2 feet of snow between tonight and tomorrow afternoon.  Needless to say, the whole city of Milwaukee is going to be closed tomorrow.  Jake had school cancelled as well.  I am lucky to have the ability to work in the office at home.  I also intend to wrap-up a few little projects that have been sitting on my to-do list for WAY to long.

I am thrilled that it is only 8:30 and the kitchen is cleaned, toys are picked up, and I don't feel as though I am ready to keel over from exhaustion.  I am going to work at getting into my Pat Conroy book, "My Loosing Season."  I only decided to read it because it was one of the free advanced copy books I received in my high school days, when I worked at Barnes & Noble. It has been sitting on my book shelf for years.  Obviously with the blizzard, I don't have the opportunity to head on out to Barnes tonight.  This is where a Nook would come in handy, I just really hate the idea of not having a physical book (even though I am running out of room for them).  I am hoping that one day Jake will build me a nice reading room, with built in bookshelves and over sized reading chairs that sit next to a HUGE wood burning fireplace (a girl can dream, right)?!   I have read a few other Conroy novels, and they were pretty good.  So, I am looking forward to this one as it is his autobiography and I find him to be an interesting character.