October

I've been doing so well updating my BiblioBags Blog (say that 3 times fast), and I've been totally abandoning this one. I'll try to do better . . .

Recently, one of my dreams came true. Even though I never looked forward to being a mom (for awhile I didn't even want kids!), I did have a soft spot for one thing . . . superhero pajamas. Maybe it's because I grew up between two brothers, maybe it's because I'm a nerd, I don't know. I've just always thought toddler pajamas with capes were the cutest thing ever. I've wanted to get Charlie some for a long time. John, my mom and I looked all over for some Batman PJs with a cape to no avail. So, his b-day went by and no PJs. Then, a couple of weeks later, I was in Target and TA-DA! I found one pair in his size. He loves these so much, I often have to throw a sweatshirt over the shirt so it looks like he's wearing clothes when we're in public! He refuses to take them off once he has them one. One downside is the cape thing freaks me out as a mom. I've heard all kinds of scary strangulation stories so he's not allowed to wear the cape to bed. Ah, all the insane ways moms imagine their kids getting hurt . . . it's a wonder we're not all institutionalized!

I forgot to mention earlier about Charlie's 3 year old checkup. Our old "Dr. Paul" had moved away so I was pretty bummed because I liked him a lot. This time we got to see Dr. Jones and wow, I love her! Charlie does to . . . as soon as she walked in the room he was talking her ear off. I think some people just have a great spirit about them and they are meant to work with kids--she's definitely one of those people. Charlie can be shy sometimes with new people but he liked her right away.

We found out he is in the 25th percentile for weight and height. I was surprised he was in the 25th for weight since he is so "skeeny." I thought he would've been much lower. I worry about him since he's a 3T in height but still probably 18M in the waist! The doctor said not to worry, he'll catch up. For what Charlie Man lacks in weight in height (WARNING: obnoxious proud parent alert . . . this is about to get annoying!) he makes up in smarts. Dr. Jones said that she had never heard a 3 year old speak so clearly.

"What did you do to get him to enunciate so well?" she asked.

My eloquent response? "Uhhhh . . . I don't know." (John says he thinks it's all the TV he watches. He's probably right but I'm not going to tell the doc that!)

She continued to say he's far beyond his milestones and added that "he's got an I.Q. of a million." Can you tell why I like this doctor? : )

On October 18th, John and I celebrated our 9th anniversary this year! And as such, we are old and lazy and just went to a movie. John was a good sport and went to see "The Social Network" with me. He didn't want to see it but ended up liking it. I loved it and was super impressed with it. It's a good one! And yes, Justin Timberlake can act! : ) I want to see it again . . .

My mom made a couple of cakes for Haley Blackburn and Seth Wolfe's wedding. I really wanted to help (even though I have no cake decorating skillz whatsoever) and my mom let me cut out black fondant flowers. It was a lot of fun . . . and Charlie appreciated them. As you probably know, fondant tastes disgusting. It's corn syrup and powdered sugar. Ew. For whatever reason, Charlie thinks it's delicious. We had to hide the flowers from him because he kept eating them . . . as evidenced by his black teeth. (I'll post the pictures of the cakes on my crafty blog soon . . . )

I'm obsessed with all those cake shows on TV. I don't really have an interest in making cakes . . . just making them pretty. Baking and cutting and kneading is too much work . . . . I just want to do the fun part! My mom said that she and I could learn to make sugar paste flowers together for her next cake in November. Yay!

One final breakthrough for Charlie this month . . . he's an artist! John and I have been a little disappointed because he's never shown much of an interest in drawing, painting or coloring. One day, I was in the bathroom and I hear Charlie yell, "Mom! I made you a temple!" I got out and came downstairs to find a box of my sharpest tools spread out on the table. Just as I was about to freak out, Charlie smiled and pointed at this creation. "See? It's a temple!" he said proudly. I was impressed! The tweezers positioned at an angle really did it for me. I shooed him away, far away, from all my sharp stuff (luckily he didn't cut himself) and had to take a picture.

Charlie's Birthday, Part Deux

The Sunday after Charlie's birthday, we had a little party with my side of the family. Charlie is obsessed with Batman, so we had a Batman party. He is more spoiled than ever, getting tons of clothes, toys and books from his family members.

No birthday would be complete without one of my mom's cakes. Charlie had been asking for months for a Batman cake . . . he was so excited when he saw it!

The balloons looked a little too cheerful for a Batman party so I cut out a bat that hung from the light fixture.

We had to wear our Batman shirts for a Batman birthday!

Charlie opening his Batmobile. He got tons of these GeoTrax Batman toys and they are amazing. They're made for littler kids so the toys are chunkier and easier to use. A lot of times he gets frustrated with toys for older kids, so these toys were perfect. He got a Batmobile (that drives itself), a Bat Jet, Robin on a motorcycle and several other villains. Uncle Paul and Nathan (who only have daughters) were eager to help take the toys out of the boxes for Charlie . . . well, not so much for Charlie. They just really wanted to play with them!

John and I got him this train set. Again, the magic of Ross . . . this set was twice as big as a set at Target we almost bought for $45. This set was only $13! It was just as nice . . . and messy. What was I thinking buying him something that said "60 pieces" on the box?!

Charlie and his cousin Caroline playing with his Batmobile.

My personal favorite present he got came from his Uncle Ethan (who is even more obsessed with Batman than Charlie). He got Charlie a Batman costume! If you think this is cute, wait until Halloween to see him all decked out. So adorable!

Last week, I had a booth for my purses at Hodgepodge. It was fun but also tons and tons of work. Check out my "crafty" blog for pictures of my booth. Health-wise, I've been having a crazy couple of months. But it could be so much worse so I can't complain. Nothing really new to report--my levels are still off so my thyroid meds were upped yet again. Hopefully we can finally get the dosage right so I can feel like a human being again!

Charlie's Birthday

Guess who just turned three? Well, it was actually over a month ago but I've been so busy I haven't gotten a chance to update this blog. I know, I'm horrible. But, better late than never. Charlie's birthday was on a Saturday so we took him to the zoo. Why did we pick his 3rd birthday to do this?! As soon as they turn 3 you have to buy them a ticket. Oh, well.

Charlie watching the jaguar. The new South American part of the zoo is actually really amazing and nice.

Charlie's monkey face.

Watching the train. Yes, the petting zoo is literally right under a train track. Depressing, I know. Charlie was more excited about the train than most of the animals!

To tell the truth, it wasn't the most fun trip ever. It was extremely hot that day and Charlie was really whiny. For whatever reason, the automatic sliding doors at one of the exhibits filled him with existential terror. Despite his bad attitude, we were nice parents and got him this little green monkey (of course he picks the only stuffed animal in that shop that's not a natural color!) at the gift shop and a little lunch at Burger King.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Despite a nasty cold, I had a good birthday weekend. It started with flowers from John:

 

Then we went to eat at "Rib and Loin" which has really REALLY good BBQ. I had a craving for a BBQ pork sandwich, so it was fun to out to eat . . . for once! My tummy paid for it later, but I think it was worth it . . .

Saturday I went shopping and got some great new clothes. Sunday I was sick but still had a good birthday dinner with my family. I decided to forgo the usual Halloween decor for my b-day and went with black and white. My mom picked out the plates and the pretty Japanese lanterns (I get so sick of balloons with Charlie around!). She made me my favorite dinner: grilled teriyaki chicken with pineapple (she makes the BEST teriyaki glaze . . mmmm!). She also made me 28 cupcakes for me to blow out . . . thanks to Charlie and my niece Caroline for the help! Half were devil's food with vanilla frosting (strange combo, but so good!) and yellow with milk chocolate frosting. And yes, my tummy suffered again but I promised it I will be good until Christmas when I can binge again!

 

I love the paper John picked out for my presents! He got me all the seasons of "LOST" on DVD that I didn't already have. I'm so happy to have them all now! I got some gift cards and shopping money from some other people so I'm a happy 28 year old camper!

 

 

B Boy Charlie

This post is mostly funny Charlie pictures so I'll do a quick rundown of what's going on. Last week I was having horrible cramping and I almost went to the ER. I was able to hold out and went to the doctor the next morning. He gave me some medicine which helped some. I'm still having some cramping but hopefully it'll all work out.

Great news on the Etsy front! I sold 2 purses in one day! That was crazy. I've sold a total of 6. I'm working hard to make new purses for Hodgepodge and I'm excited but nervous about it. Wish me luck!

Last time I posted a picture of Charlie doing his "Joker face." Now, I finally got a picture of his "Batman face":



The Batman face is always mad yet slightly confused at the same time. When he's Batman, he always has to have a cape . . . and that cape must be his monkey blanket. No other blanket will do. The straw hat is a recent addition to his costume. He found it in a closet, put it on then did his favorite thing to do right now: he looked at himself in the mirror. When he saw himself in the hat, he said, "Look! I'm Joseph Smif!" (That's "Joseph Smith" in Charlie speak)

Here's another picture of his "Joker face" (complete with dark lipstick . . . a side effect from a grape popsicle):



If that wasn't scary enough, check out this face:



The one doesn't have a name, so I'll just call it his "Emo Face."

Charlie loves dancing. He loves to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" and imitate the dancers on that show. Right now he is very much into breakdancing. He is great at doing "flips" (somersaults). Here are some pictures of him attempting a "freeze":

Not bad for a 2 year old! He's been practicing this so long that he does get a little hang time in the air. Problem is, he has a bad habit of doing his tricks face first. Right now he has a scabby rug burn on his forehead from all the flips and freezes he does. I have a feeling we'll see him starring in "Step Up 14."

Primary Talent Night

Last Friday, the Primary at church hosted a Primary Talent Night. I'm in the presidency and we had been planning this for awhile. We were in shock at how many people showed up. We got about three times as many people as we planned for. It was great. The kids had such unique talents. We expected five versions of "Chopsticks" on the piano but got anything from a Spiderman gymnastics routine to a Shakespeare monologue.


John and Charlie watching Anna Ward and Kierstyn Meredith doing a gymnastics routine.


Miles Dexter burning it up on the guitar. He is so good! I bet all the little girls have a crush on him now . . . heck, I think I have a crush on him! He's so darn cute.

Charlie can't wait for his birthday next month. He asks every day for a "Batman" cake. We have the old "Batman" cartoons (well, the ones from the 90s) on DVD and he watches them and acts them out constantly. He wears his monkey blanket over his head for a cape and talks in a raspy voice when he's Batman. Occasionally, I get to be Robin or Catwoman. I need to get a video of his different "routines." The one he loves to do the most right now is to say (in his raspy Batman voice) is, "I am vengeance. I am the night. I . . . AM . . . BATMAN!"

He also has a "Joker Face":



I'm frustrated because potty training didn't go over so well. I don't think he's ready so I'll try again in a month or two. Hopefully I'll have a little more energy by then to deal with it! Charlie is a pretty independent kid and has always been good about playing by himself. Lately, though, not so much. He wants to play all . . . the . . . time. It's kind of annoying. I know that sounds mean but sometimes it's overwhelming when I've got things to do. Hopefully he'll get over it soon!


Charlie holding Tiger on his shoulders just like his dad does to him.



Great news in Etsy Land! I've sold 4 purses! I sold one this week literally hours after I posted it, which was super exciting. I'm having a good time making these purses and having a shop on Etsy. I've had a couple of blogs talk about my shop and that was nice too. One did an interview with me and the other was a nice little review from an old friend (her blog rocks . . . check out her other posts, too!). I'm planning on getting a booth at Hodgepodge (a craft fair here in town) in October. I'm going forward with it, even though my health isn't the greatest. Someone might have to prop me up, but I'm determined to make it--LOL!

I'm also working on a screenplay I'm planning to enter in the Nicholl Fellowship competition in May. It's hard to balance it all but I love it. Each of these things satisfies a different part of me. I'm grateful to have found these interests that fill my life and distract me from being sick.

'Roid Rages

Well, I've been totally neglecting this blog. This month has been kind of crazy. My mom got pneumonia so I've been trying to hold down the fort. She's still pretty sick and will go to a lung specialist this week.

As far as my health goes, I have good news and bad news that's actually the same news. Follow that? Last week I was scheduled to have my blood tested as I do every 6 weeks. It's usually to measure my TSH. At the beginning of the year when I was feeling horrible, one of my doctors found that it was low and put me on thyroid medication. Ever since then, my TSH has been "normal." This has been super frustrating because I've felt anything but normal. Not to mention, my endo said that my thyroid antibodies are super high and my thyroid itself is swollen. Those symptoms would point to thyroid disease, except for the fact that my TSH was normal. This has been so frustrating since I don't feel normal. Especially lately, I've had an increase of the symptoms, especially extreme fatigue. This time around, FINALLY, my TSH levels were low, even while on my medication. Of course, that's bad because it shows there is a thyroid problem. To me, it's good because we're getting closer to finding out exactly what's wrong. So, they upped my thyroid meds and hopefully, I'll start feeling better. It can take up to 6 months to feel the effects, so I'll try to be patient. It could take even years to get me on exactly the right amount. At least we're getting somewhere!

This past month I made two sales in my Etsy shop! One of them was one of my friends, but she paid so it still counts, right? LOL. I'm still trying to learn the ins and outs of Etsy. I'm grateful to have this random hobby to keep my busy when I'm not feeling so good. It's something that doesn't require a lot of concentration but does take a lot of time. Very good when you need to occupy yourself to try to forget how miserable you feel! I would like to have a booth at HodgePodge this year (a craft fair in town), but I'm hesitant because of my health. Keeping my fingers crossed I'll feel well enough to participate. I'm also working on a script, hoping that I'll have it ready on time for next year's Nicholl Fellowship Competition.

John is doing well at work as usual. He's started playing basketball at the church on Wednesday nights. It's a fun "boy" activity that he and even my brother Ethan have started to frequent. John also (gulp) got his first set of golf clubs with his birthday money. He got to play with his brother the other week and he said he needs to practice. We all know what that means . . . speaking of absentee husbands, doesn't football season start in a month? Oy, vey. Nice knowing you, John . . .

Charlie is cute as ever. I'm really enjoying him at this age. I hug him and kiss him all the time . . . he's very good about giving kisses on the cheek so I ask for them all day. I'm going to get them while I still can! I'm totally backwards . . . as a baby he drove me nuts and now as a toddler, I can't get enough of him! He always has something funny to say. He is so darn expressive. He loves to act out scenes from his favorite movies like "Wall-E" "Toy Story", "Up" and "Finding Nemo" . . . not to mention his current favorite, Batman. This week, he asked me to be Robin which made me feel pretty good! He's getting very good at using a "big boy" cup. We're creeping into potty training very slowly. John took him to pick out a special seat (Lightning McQueen, of course) and everything. Only thing was, he refused to sit on it for the first two weeks! I had one afternoon this week where I literally locked the two of us in the bathroom and proceeded to demand, bribe and eventually beg him to just SIT on it. Didn't work. Finally, I have gotten him to sit on it twice. Let's hope he warms up to it . . . I'm afraid he won't be able to serve a mission because he won't be potty trained.

Sorry for the lack of pictures . . . hopefully I'll do better this time!