I had two days last week were I swear to you, I was being punked. Every time we arrived anywhere BOTH kids were soaked through. Like, I'd change them and we'd leave and they'd drink nothing and 10 minutes later we'd arrive somewhere and it was as though a gallon of water pee had been poured in their laps. How do they do it?? Addie went pant-less on more than one occasion, and Garrett had a diaper change on the ground at October-fest behind one of those wooden-painted-poke-your-face-through-photo-op signs. And the next night we stopped at a store on our way to dinner and he was so wet that he rode to dinner in just his diaper, while I held his clothes out the window to dry while Paul drove. And he went into the restaurant in wet pants that were too short, a jacket zipped all the way up without a shirt on underneath, and no shoes. I should get a metal. Oh, and I failed to mention that on the drive, (in just the diaper) he ate one of those cracker snacks with soft cheese, and decided to use the cheese as body paint. And I sure did put his pee soaked man capris on right over his cheese legs. Baths later are easier than a whole box of wipes now. That's kinda become my motto.
Speaking of Garrett, I saw an ecard on pinterest that said, "I just punished my child for acting EXACTLY LIKE ME." Garrett is a strong-willed, independent free spirit. Just like me. And it drives me crazy. We're going though a bit of a rough patch, he and I, and I've had some moments I'm not proud of. I want to not yell at him. And I swear he knows it, and some days wakes up in the morning, his sole mission being to get me to do just that. A couple of days ago he Melted. Down. because I wouldn't let him have bubble gum and frappuccino for breakfast. Yesterday, while I was in the other room with Addie, (I'd left him in the dining room playing with a fold-out Curious George magnet board thing that I thought he was really in to), he climbed up onto the kitchen counter and ate an entire bowl of caramel popcorn (probably about 2 cups)! And right as I walked in the room to check on him he was licking his hands, and he looked up at me and said, "nom, nom, nom." (I can't get mad at that part, it was really good.)
On Monday we were heading out to go curtain shopping with my sister in law. (Same day as the bubble gum incident, actually.) I was late. Garrett was mad. Our van was in the shop so we loaded in the Explorer that doesn't have a DVD player in it (!), and the gas tank was beyond empty ..like, wow, there was enough gas to actually start it, empty. I drove to the nearest gas station with a screaming toddler, a surprisingly happy Addie, and me saying, "please oh please oh please make it" over and over again. And we made it! Have I told you that some parts of California have broken the 5 dollar a gallon mark the past couple weeks? But the gas station I pulled into was only $4.77, so I guess it was my lucky day! ha...ha... I turned to Garrett and very loudly and diplomatically explained to him that I needed him to BE QUIET for a minute while I got some gas. I was yelling as I dug through my purse...digging...digging...finally dumping everything on the seat.... No wallet. NO BLEEPING WALLET!!! I called Paul and calming said, "Will you please run upstairs and see if you can find my #@&*^$@ wallet?" He found it and I started driving home. Then it happened. (No I didn't run out of gas.) At a stop light I turned to Garrett and yelled at him louder than I've ever yelled at him before. He stopped crying. He looked at my, like I was a crazy mom possessed by satan. I apologized over and over and I think I cried a little. We made it home. We made it to the gas station. We made it to Annie's. Everyone was fine and it was an ok day. That night Garrett gave me a kiss good night and was walking down the hall with Paul to go to bed. I called him back and he came back to me. I sat down on the floor and took his hands. I told him again how sorry I was for losing my temper in the car. I told him that I want to try harder and be better but that I'm still going to make mistakes sometimes. But that I love him so much and that I always will. He gave me a little smile and then he turned and sat on my lap, snuggled in and gave me a hug. He got up and Paul took him to bed and I just sat on the floor and cried for a few minutes.
Then the next day I did what I told Garrett I would do, I tried harder to be better.
I've been overwhelmed with blogging this year. Maybe because I'm crazy enough to have 3 blogs. Although the other two get very little attention. But at the same time, I'm glad I have a desire to keep up on it. I was looking back through for a recipe a couple months ago, (because I still haven't caught up on labeling each post), and even though I didn't read much, it was fun to see pictures and remember little things I'd already forgotten. It was enough motivation to keep me going on this family journal! So every now and then, like right now, when I have a minute to myself, I'm going to post little things to keep up better.
And yes, I'm fully aware that none of you are like, "Hey Andrea, do you have some more pictures of your kids you could post?"
I'll remind you that this blog is much more for me than it is for you, so if you don't like it, stop reading it... But please, keep reading it.
And just because I'm already rambling, I'll keep it up for a minute.
When I call this a 'journal' I start thinking of little things I leave out because it is public, and I wonder if I'll just remember the more personal things that didn't make it to the blog... Then I start to wonder if I should just put it out there, because I've never been one to care much about what people think... But I don't want to hurt feelings... I don't want people to think I'm not careful about things that obviously shouldn't be or really don't need to be shared, like, I'm just telling you to tell you. And who are you? Ya know?
For example, I probably spent 2 months wondering if I should blog about my older brothers second divorce and how hard that was on him. (and me.) She came over for my birthday, and to celebrate my pregnancy I'd just announced (Garrett). Everything about the evening was so fun. We ate, laughed, and we played Wii for hours. And I never saw her again after that. She and I were close, I thought. It just sucked. And later she admitted to my brother that she'd found someone else during their marriage. That sucked worse.
And right now I'm sad and mad because my brother just younger than me came out on Monday with his wife and planned to stay until Sunday, but he and I had an argument, that I guess wasn't worth working through, so they left today. Lame, right? I'm not blaming him, or me. But I remember when I was younger, having friends with older siblings and being so shocked when adults couldn't get along. It seemed impossible! My brother and I have always butted heads, our whole lives. But we always 'figure it out'. I hate that we fall into the category to my parents as adult siblings that don't get along.
...inhale...exhale...
And now, a walk through uptown...
The men went to an Angel's game last night. So me, my mom, and my sis-in-law took the kids on a walk through uptown Whittier. It's a fun little town. Lots of cute little shops and restaurants, outdoor cafes, a theater, coffee shops, a farmers market, street fairs, and lots of people watching.
But the only cute stuff I took pictures of was these two.
We stopped for an Ice Blended Pure Chocolate at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, (try it), and Garrett gave my lid to Addie without me noticing. She was enjoying it so much, I just had to get a couple pictures.
We got home from a 10 day trip to Utah last night. Well, me and the kids 10 days, Paul, less than one day.
He had a trip to Canada with his dad planned and I didn't want to stay in California while he was gone so my mom flew out and drove to Utah with us, then Paul flew in Sunday afternoon and we left yesterday morning.
There's so much to blog about, but right now, I'm just going to tell you about the drive from hell. I mean, the drive home.
Generally speaking the kids do just fine. We have some tired/grumpy/hungry/bored/poopy moments once in a while, but that's to be expected, and so far we've gotten along just fine. We always do the drive in one day. Only once in maybe 25-30 times have we stayed in Vegas, and that was just me, my mom, and Garrett. But that was mostly for me because I was over 8 months pregnant with Addison and couldn't sit any longer.
I won't go over every detail of the drive, although it's riveting. I'll just paint a little picture of the suffering Paul and I endured, bullet point style.
We forgot something and had to go back. (we weren't far, but still)
We had a last minute stop for breakfast with the Elberts (best part of the day), but that breakfast included two drink spills. One by Garrett, all over himself, and one by Addison, she's a grabby little one.
Garrett dropped a crushed cracker and spilled apple juice into my computer bag. (luckily no harm done.)
We started about 5 different movies for Garrett and he was bored out of his mind before 15 minutes into each one. He will only watch Shark Tale. I'm embarrassed to say I bet he's watched it 25 times since we turned him forward facing in his car seat. (at least 5 times yesterday) I hate that movie and I've never seen it. It has a siren sound at one part and I STILL think I'm getting pulled over every.single.time.
Garrett pooped 4 times between Cedar City and Las Vegas. Thankful for wipeable leather seats, because the diaper changers that happened in the car were not pretty.
There were a lot of tears from Bountiful to Vegas (from Garrett, Addie slept great), so we decided a break was in order so we did a little Bass Pro Shop wandering...watched the fish, played in the jeeps and boats, etc. That's when Addie decided it was her turn to poo. And that one poo was equal to the four of Garrett's combined. Which is why she's 'dressed' how she is in this picture.
Garrett would.not.eat. I got a tiny bit of fruit in him, and he finally got interested in some vanilla sandwich cookies, so I gave in. He 'ate' 4 or 5. Then I looked back and saw the stack of cookies...all he'd done was pull them apart, lick out the frosting and pile the cookie pieces on his lap.
The elevation changes were killer. Every time MY ears popped, Addison would SCREAM!!! I didn't want to take a crying picture, but don't let that happy face fool you.
They were both so tired but could not and would not sleep.
Addie got so worked up at one point that she started choking and she threw up so we had to do an emergency pull over.
I plugged my ears for probably 20 minutes at the end.
I almost made Paul pee in a bottle because of course he HAD to go right during the few seconds that both kids were asleep, and they ALWAYS wake up when we stop.
And then, 14 and a half hours later we were home. We each took a kid, changed diapers and put jammies on. They both were asleep within seconds of putting them down, literally, no feedings needed.
I swear I'll never do the drive with both kids in one day again.
We all four fly to Utah in three weeks. We'll see if I'm still singing the same tune after two hours in a plane with two under two.
Maybe I'll blog tomorrow about the trip, if my attitude is better.
I also need to tell you about Levi, the dog that is no more. Some crafty DIY stuff. The play room that right now, only exists in my head. Geez, I hate being behind...not to mention the kid's blogs.
You know that spot in Salt Lake where all the interchanges happen at the same time and when you see it from a sky cam it seems impossible to figure out, but when you're right down in it, its not so bad? I feel like that's my life right now. If I remove myself for a second and look in at my life I wonder how I'm going to figure it all out, but if I just chill and stay in it, it's not so bad. (When I look in at my life...which kind of sounds weird, but I think you get it, I see it with two kids, even though I only have one at the moment.)
I've been really happy lately. But I have had some dark moments that I can't explain. I've been scared for no real reason. I've been excited. I've been overwhelmed. I've felt discouraged, proud, lazy, active, tired, healthy, sick. Although there have been a lot of good emotions, the ups and downs have me worried.
So, this is just going to be a post where I fill you in on the past couple weeks. No order, no sense, no grand solutions. And I'm open to advice or suggestions if you have them.
Garrett's room is either a sauna or an ice box. We don't have heating or AC here, so almost every room has a fan and a space heater. (Not used at the same time, just to be prepared.) We had a fan on in his room all summer and it was still hot. We're now in a season where we never know when we put him to bed if it should be a fan night or a heater night. We never get it right. It's not life or death, it just bugs me.
I've wanted to decorate lately. Right now my house is all cute and Halloweeny, but I'm excited for Tuesday so I can change it all to Fall/Thanksgiving. I think I'm worried that I'm going to be too exhausted to enjoy my favorite time of year this year, so I'm creating, crafting, and planning ahead so my house will be cute. I know none of this should matter, but it matters to me.
I've been sick for 9 months. I think I may have complained about/mentioned that a couple of times. I had a one month run of not throwing up, but it returned a couple weeks ago. I think I threw up a ton between 6 and 20 weeks. Then probably once or twice a week since then, (minus one month). I heard about women and pregnancies like this and it didn't seem possible, but it is. But even with all the sickness, I still haven't hit the, "I need this baby to get here now" phase and I'm almost 38 weeks.
Garrett has been constipated. It comes and goes, but lately mostly comes. We took him off whole milk when he was on the Croup steroid because it got really bad that week. But he never fully got back to normal. We tried a milk/formula mix. We've tried goats milk. We've tried almond milk. We finally went to toddler formula which loosened him right up for a couple days, but it didn't last. I've read a ton about different fruits, vegetables, fiber, whole grain, etc. But Garrett is a picky eater, and although he eats healthy and I'm good at sneaking vegis in things, I feel like getting him to eat prunes and green beans isn't possible. I think the constipation is waking him up during the night. He's been groaning a lot in his sleep and it'll go on for like 30 minutes. He starts tossing and turning and eventually wakes up. Poor little guy. I've asked his pediatrician who tells me it can be 'normal' for this to happen, and just keep trying different things. Great. Thanks.
Speaking of pediatricians, I hate ours. I liked him at first but we're going to break up. Before 2.0 gets here. I got a baby center email that was '7 signs of a bad pediatrician', ours fell into 5 of the 7. (I already planned to dump him, but this email gave me even more confidence.) I've asked some friends and I have a couple good recommendations, so that's what I'm doing next week.
I've gained 10.4 pounds this pregnancy. I'm proud of myself. Sure, its probably partly due to the throw up, but I think its mostly all the water I drink, eating healthy, NOT 'eating for two', (why is that so fun to say during the first pregnancy?), exercise, and being active with Garrett. As dumb as this sounds, I said from the beginning of both pregnancies that I want my wedding ring to fit the whole time. So far, so good. I'm not however, proud of what I weigh. That's a healthy eating and exercise plan that's in the works for after the baby is born.
This morning at 5AM I got up with groaning Garrett. I let him have a warm bottle in our bed and then I took him back to his crib. I couldn't sleep after that. I got stressed about what its going to be like to have two. And how hard it'll be if Garrett has a bad night and he wakes her up, or if she's a bad sleeper and constantly wakes him up. Our 3 bedrooms are about as close to each other as you can get, and because we live in a building that has those faux drop ceiling tile things, its not a super sound proof place.
I got a job. Good timing for a new job, right? Well, it doesn't feel like a job, and I can make my own schedule, and work from home, and it's easy, but I get paid, so it's a job. I'm the White Emerson Cupcake Girl. Paul is the marketing guy and he has between 20 and 30 (and is always trying to add more) contacts that he likes to touch base with monthly. Like hospice groups, assisted living centers, other home care companies, etc. He decided he wants to take them something every month. And for now, it's cupcakes. And I make them. He ordered the fancy professional cupcake boxed and puts a label of their logo on them and takes them by all the places each month. He's planning to do about 6 or 8 a week, so that's how many dozens I'll be making each week. I'll be able to pick the days, and if I have a bad day with the kids, I can do it the next day and its not a big deal. I like the low pressure. Paul turns in a slip to his boss of the places he went, and I get paid by the dozen. I think it'll work out well. I hope.
The nursery is almost done! It just needs the door frame molding put up on one side and the door needs a door knob, and it'll be ready. Garrett's was definitely a bigger, more time consuming project for me. Probably because it was all new, I had more time, and more money back then. But I'm happy it's about done and I think it looks cute.
Garrett is the slowest teether in the history of babies. Sometimes I think the groaning is a combination of the tummy aches and the gums. He has two teeth right now (that aren't even fully in), and he has a couple more trying to break through. I finally bought baby orajel, but who knows if it really works.
I've missed fall in Utah this year. (Even though if you blink, you miss it.) Leaves don't change in California much. There is one little group of trees at Garrett's physical therapy place that has some red and yellow leaves finally changing and falling and I love it. But compared to Utah, its wimpy. I want to take a drive through the mountains in Utah and see real fall! But I'm sure when everyone starts posting on facebook about all the snow and freezing to death, I won't mind the trade off.
My house always feels messy. Just now I thought of 8 different places that we keep toys, and none of them include Garrett's room. He's a mover, and an explorer, and it's easier to have stuff to do everywhere rather than try and get him to play in one place. But its taking over our house! How do you manage toys?? I've started this thing twice a day where I set my kitchen timer for 15 minutes. And I pick up, straighten, fold clothes, wash dishes or whatever for 15 minutes. I work hard and fast and then I stop. It's not the only time I pick up during the day, but I'm amazed at how relieved I feel and how good I can make this place look in 15 minutes. It's also amazing how fast it can all be undone.
Kids are expensive. Pregnancy is expensive. Gas is expensive. Food is expensive. Health insurance is a blessing, and it drives me insane. I don't think this one needs anymore explaining.
My goal was to be done Christmas shopping by November 1st. It's not going to happen, but I'm pretty dang close.
And back to Garrett's room... I told Paul today that we need to get him some sleepers with feet in them. Right now he only has two piece PJ's and his toes get really cold! And the kid REFUSES to wear socks. Ever. During our DOC band days we were strongly encouraged to never put shoes and socks on him because we had the band at the hottest time of the year and shoes/socks would trap in more heat and he needed to stay as cool as possible. And now that we're doc band free and getting cooler, he still won't wear them. Anyway, a package came in the mail today and it was sleeper pj's from Mara and Aron! Yay! He's asleep in them right now and he looks so cute and cozy.
Speaking of packages in the mail, I got one too! My mom sent me another hospital gown that she made. So cute. And a fitted sheet for 2.0's mattress that matches the rest of the stuff in the room. Perfect! I love getting fun stuff in the mail.
I'd upload pictures of all my crafts, packages, decorations, etc. My blogger told me that my computer no longer supports the upload tool or something and I need to switch to Chrome...or something...It kind of makes me crazy when stuff like that happens, because I really don't get it. And I still haven't figured it out.
That's all. I know there's a lot of good stuff here. And the bad stuff isn't so bad. I guess I'm just tired. And I'd love a week where everything was easy and went just how I wanted it too. (ha ha)
1. I'm sick of everything that should be simple and easy to do in one try taking three tries. I can think of several things off the top of my head that took way longer and were more complicated than they should have been and it hasn't stopped since we moved here. DirecTV, Wells Fargo (twice), AAA, DMV, Home Depot, Target electronics, Blackberry, the electrician, IKEA, brakes on our ford. Unfortunately, I could go on.
2. I'm so over doctors, therapists, waiting rooms, pay parking lots, appointment reminder cards, co-pays. I feel like I've had a pretty good attitude for the past year with all of these things, but today, I just want to be DONE. With ALL OF IT. I'm sure at our next appointment Wednesday and our two on friday, I'll be fine. Today, I'm not fine.
3. I hate colds. If Garrett and I didn't share spoons and forks and cups with each other, colds might not be so bad, but I'm pretty sure we've been sharing a cold back and forth for about 3 weeks now. Tomorrow I'm washing everything machine washable (again) that he and/or I have touched this month. And I'm cleaning all his toys. And we're not sharing food, at least for a little while.
4. I hate when the grocery shopping list says: paper towels, diapers, toilet paper, soap, dish soap, light bulbs, tooth paste, envelopes. I'm pretty sure our grocery money for the next two weeks will be gone before we buy any food. Why does everything run out at the same time?
Paul and I had a vent session on saturday and when we were done we both felt like crap, so I made us each say three things we're really thankful for. It was a good way to end the session. We really are blessed. But clearly today I had a relapse. I'm going to bed.
Whenever I think home improvement, I think home depot. Nuts, bolts, screws, appliances, paint, plants, tools, dirt, lumber, Home Depot is the one stop shop, right?
Not so much anymore for us Whites.
We bought a Maytag washer from Home Depot in January. It broke on load #3 for no apparent reason. We called them. They sent a repairman, (about a week later). He said he needed to order a part. He ordered the part and it was sent to us and then it was our job to call the repairman and tell him it had arrived, and then schedule for him to come out again to fix it. The part took a week or so, the repairman took a week or so after that. Wrong part, he orders a new part. New part is on back order for 3 weeks. He encourages us to try and get Home Depot to replace it. Home Depot says no, they have to give maytag 3 tries. We get mad. They don't care. We get madder. They find some local distributor that can have the part to us in a week. 2 weeks pass. Part doesn't come. We call HD. They say they have confirmation it was delivered. We go back and forth calling vendors, them talking to co-workers, never calling us back. Finally we talk to someone who says yes it was delivered 6 days ago to 183..........Salt Lake City, UT..... Huh? They NEVER had that address. Our phone numbers have NEVER been linked to that address. The card we bought it with has NEVER had the bill sent to that address. The washing machine, the first repairman, and the first part, ALL came to our California address. The Utah delivery is still a mystery to us.
We get mad again. They try and order the part again. Days pass..... I get really mad. Paul decides to go to Home Depot. He wouldn't let me go with him, so I told him to act like me when he's there. He did a really good job. Told the manager that we'd dealt with the most that he felt insulted as a customer and that this needed to be resolved right now. He said some other things. The manager told us he would get us a new unit.
It was on back order. Days pass. He calls to tell us he found one. It was to be delivered on a saturday between 11 and 1. We told them, "WE NEED YOU HERE BEFORE 1 BECAUSE WE HAVE TO LEAVE FOR AN APPOINTMENT RIGHT AT 1." They assured us they'd be there at 12:30. We got a couple calls between 11:30 and 12:00 saying they were about 20 minutes away. Great. They showed up at 3:00. We weren't home. So they came back 3 days later. Its in and it works and it took 8 weeks to get to that point.
Next story. We needed a fridge. We went to Lowe's. We found one we wanted a little over our price range. Paul wheels and deals and we get it for right near the price we want AND a free ice maker. They come to deliver RIGHT when they said they would. They forgot the ice maker. Paul calls that night and tells the manager he was promised a free ice maker and it didn't come with the fridge. They apologise and send someone FIRST THING the next morning to install it. Everything is great. The manager calls us to make sure everything is ok, and then asks for the card number we used to purchase it with so she can credit us an ADDITIONAL 10% OFF!!! Thank you Lowe's.
We made the mistake yesterday of going back to Home Depot for an AC unit. The man tells us to be VERY CAREFUL not to ever tip the unit upside down. We get it home. Kept it standing up right the whole time. Open the top of the box and the unit is in the box UPSIDE DOWN. It's clear its been opened before. Nothing wrapped around the pieces. No instruction manual. Paul carefully sets it up, hoping for the best because we REALLY don't want to go back to HD. It runs for a couple of hours, shuts off, never to run again. We looked up everything and anything we could online and we think we must have got the old floor model from last year or something. You know, the one they run for a million hours and thousands of people mess with it and it eventually stops working so HD puts it in a box, doesn't discount it, and then sells it? Yeah, that one.
I told Paul I was gonna handle this one. He told me I wasn't. I told him I was. He had the thing loaded up and was on his way before I even made it to the shower. An hour later he came home with a "new" one. As he carried it up the stairs, I noticed duct tape on the bottom of the box. He said they opened the top of it there and it looked new. The manager assured him it was new. He asked if there was anything they could do as compensation for the inconvenience. She hummed and hawed back and forth with another manager and reluctantly gave us 10% back. Nice. It had plastic around it and an owners manual, so I was hopeful. Paul pulled it out. He took the filter off the back and lightly tapped it. Black dust came out. What the? The little bag of hardware had been opened and duct taped shut. The two pieces that fit into the window were different colors. And one of them had tape on it. I told him to call HD so they knew we were coming. He did. And he told them on the phone we'd be there shortly for a full refund. He didn't let me go this time either. I took Garrett to my in-laws and about an hour later Paul got there. The first thing I said was,"New unit, or refund, or both?" I kinda had a feeling that us calling before hand would give home depot a change to come up with a solution and I wasn't feeling very confident about the refund and my plan to head to Lowe's. Paul's response, "Well, kind of both."
The shift manager was there waiting for him and he'd already spoken with the store manager about our situation. He looked at the 2nd unit we were returning and confirmed that it was in fact used. He went over to the remaining boxes to find us a non-used one and they had all been used. (This is the part that I'm still dissatisfied with.) We were told by more than one employee that they were all brand new units in perfect condition and that they were just trying to clear them out. There was no big sale sign on them or anything indicating "used" or "as-is" etc. They were about $50.00 cheaper than this years model, but we were assured that it was because they wanted to clear them out. I still feel mislead. Paul told him the ball was in his court because he was ready for a refund and he'd go give Lowe's our business. Shift manager called store manager and asked for permission to take care of this problem. Store manager said yes. They gave us this years model, and a unit with more power for the cost of the extra tax. When it was all said and done, we got our AC unit for 40% off. It looked (and I finally believe it is) totally brand knew, wrapped in plastic, that scratch prevention tape on the screen, no duct tape, and I'm sitting right by it and it feels great. Paul shared our frustration with this manager and told him about our washer, and about how impressed we were with our fridge from Lowe's and the way they handled their mistake.
I'm not saying you can't make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Lowe's made a mistake. It's about how you FIX the mistake.
Note: The Washing machine experience and the AC unit experience were at 2 different Home Depots. At first I decided not to go to "that one home depot" ever again. But now I'm done with all HD's.
Second note: I've actually been writing this post throughout the day as all the AC drama has been happening. Now that I'm cool and we saved a couple hundred bucks I'm not so "heated". I wont make Paul sleep on the couch if he ever decided to go to HD again. But as for me, Lowe's has earned my business. (Paul's too I think, I'm just more passionate about it.)
