Where's the start over button?

Have you ever experienced a day where everything went wrong and you repeatedly wished you could take it back and start all over again? Either that or hurry and get to bed before something else bad happened? That was our day today.

It started out with Ru and I at odds with one another. Never fun. Getting to church on time is an issue. It's become a bigger issue with me having to get two people ready. I have to start the process a good hour before I need to just to account for a feeding, diaper change, spit up disaster, etc. Getting up an hour earlier than you need to is never fun when you've been up two to three times already throughout the night to nurse. You've also got to add in the fact that everything takes longer when you have to haul the boy with you wherever you go. Showers, for example, can drag on when you're constantly having to open the door and remind the guy you're still there, sing a few bars of his latest favorite tune, and make silly faces. It never fails... I can have K's diaper bag all ready, clothes out, breakfast all but cooked and just when I think I've got it all together and am ready to walk out the door, Kyle will decide to be either hungry or go poo. So mornings with a specific departure time can be rough.

We had one of those mornings and got to church over halfway through the service. It was questionable if we should have even gone. Then, after running an errand that took at least twice as long simply because we ran into friends, we ended up having to go back to church to pick up something we had forgotten to get while we were there. On our way home, I was calculating how much time I had to feed Kyle again, make a meal for 10 people and get back to Irvine for a 5pm dinner. It was going to be tight. Thankfully, I had set out everything I needed on the stove and counter top the night before (see how it is?). Sure enough, right when we got home Kyle was ready to eat and as soon as he was done, I was racing around the kitchen trying to catch up for lost time. Just as I'm starting to work up a sweat, Rudy reads an email from someone in the group saying that the dinner had been canceled and oh, has Mindy started cooking? Hope not. Can she just make the meal later this week? Well, not really. I can't re-freeze meat and can't really afford to buy all the products again. You know, when money's tight you can't just pop out a huge meal every week. (I'm already signed up for another main course for 20+ people at a Christmas dinner party.) With lack of sleep, shot nerves and now all my planning and preparation gone to waste, I feel like crying. I hold it together though and start plan B.

I call some friends and leave a message, inviting them over for dinner. They don't call back for a while, so I decide to freeze the dinner for the postponed date and make another meal for us. I realize I don't have two key ingredients and rush to the store (Kyle's sleeping and I'm rushing to maximize my time). When I get back home, the friends have called and yes, they will come. Now I'm making the new meal that takes another hour all the while stopping to feed Kyle and trying to keep him entertained. The meal makes for 16 people, so as I'm scaling things backs and improvising where needed, I mistakenly put the pasta in the pot 45 minutes too soon. Now, I'm picking out the pasta one by one while Kyle decides to have a massive, up the back blow out. I feel badly because I had put him in his jumper (thus squishing things) after a quick diaper change when I should have waited for the second round and not rushed the little guy. So now Rudy is washing Kyle in the tub, the meal is not yet ready, no table set, etc. and the friends arrive. I leave the food on the stove for the 3rd or 4th time in a row to clean poo off of clothes, the jumper and changing table. Just when I return to the stove, our friend's daughter decides to join in the spirit of things and poos in her pants and purposefully drops the log on our living room carpet. Thankfully, we notice her contribution before stepping in it and add that to our clean up list.

At this point, I decide to laugh and relax. What else can you do? Good thing these friends are laid back and fun to be around. We eat a good meal, for being repeatedly forgotten, and play a few games before they leave. Kyle goes to bed pretty easily and we enjoy peace. Now, I'm off to bed and thankful that tomorrow is a new day.

Traditions

One of our favorite traditions is setting up for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. We will hold off on getting our tree for another week or so, but we started looking through our boxes and setting up the little bit of red and green we have. Ru had given me a tiny, artificial tree when we were just dating and since getting married (and buying real trees together) I've used it every year in my classroom. Each year, kids have added little decorations, a tree skirt and fake presents to go under it. It was cute to watch it become such a focal point for them. The kids would even fight for who got to turn on the lights each morning before class.

Well, Ru's always wanted that little "Shmoop" tree in our house, but I've always been able to convince him the kids would miss not having a bit of Christmas in the classroom. I guess if we're trying to make lemonade out of lemons, Ru would say he's excited to have his little tree up in our house this year. At first we put it in Shmu's room, but the thing is way too bright so it landed itself in our living room for now. Here's some snapshots of Ru and Shmu decorating baby's first tree!! :) Ru got a little carried away and started decorating Shmu in the process. I deleted those pictures knowing Kyle would some day object to his mother showing them to the internet world. However, there is a picture of Ru just getting started. Poor Shmu!

Ru and I have started our share of traditions over the years, but this year is extra special as we think about which traditions are most memorable and which ones Kyle will look forward to as he grows up. If you can, try creating a google account and sharing a favorite of yours in the comment section. You can create an account using your same regular email address and password. Email me if you're interested and need more help. I'd love to hear your ideas!! :)

Kyle's 1st Thanksgiving!

Yesterday, we drove out to the desert (2hrs in the car with Shmu harnessed to his seat!!) to be with my aunt and uncle and cousins for Thanksgiving. Kyle slept most of the way there and did pretty well the rest of the way as long as we sang to him. So we had a fun sing-a-thon for 20 minutes! He had a really good day exploring new sights in and around the house with Gramps and Grammie while mom and dad both got some time to just sit! Ah! Luxury!! He went from person to person really well and took 3 mini naps. Kyle even let us enjoy our Thanksgiving meal by sleeping the whole time. We enjoyed an entire meal together without rushing or holding the little guy. Thanks, Shmu! He was a really good boy the whole day and night. During games later in the evening we noticed we'd better pack up and get Shmu in the car and put to "bed." The ride home started out a little rough, just because he was beyond tired, but after snuggling him with my hands and arms, and stopping to feed him, he decided he'd had enough for the day.

Surprisingly, after preparing for every possible disaster and loading the diaper bag to its maximum capacity with 3 complete sets of clothing, tons of bibs, burp cloths, and diapers, books and rattles, Kyle surprised us by staying in his original outfit, using one burp cloth, no bibs and only 3 diapers! Wow!

The best part about the day, other than actually being with family (having grown up without any family around locally besides my Grandpa and Grandma), was skyping 3 groups of families in Nebraska and Illinois. Kyle got to meet/see my grandparents, aunt and uncle and cousins in Central City and another set of cousins in Omaha. Then we got to skype GG and GSal in Illinois. It was fun to join two big groups of family together through a little camera and computer screen. It made me miss my grandparents so much. Kyle's great-grandpa will be turning 90 next month and I really wish there weren't so many miles between us. Either that, or flying with a baby wouldn't be so hard! :)

And since GG and GSal were disappointed yesterday's post didn't come with a picture!!! (no pressure, Mindy :) .... here are a few random ones.

Cousin Jeff and his wife, Ashley - Thanks for the adorable socks!!

Snuggling mommy after a long, busy day with lots of people.

Watching football with Grandpa when Mommy wasn't looking!!

Not the best quality of a picture but Kyle gave me a huge smile right when he saw me !

Game time!! Ru and I got to play, we're just not in the picture.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Starting with this holiday, I'll look back and think about what our life was like just one year ago. It's amazing how slow time can crawl by when you're battling morning sickness all day and yet here we are, one year later in no time at all. These past 4 months have definitely gone quickly and I can only imagine it will continue this way as we get busier and busier with our rapidly growing boy.

A year ago, tomorrow, I was gulping coffee down (x4 cups) to try and stay awake. I can't believe I completely missed such a huge "sign" I was pregnant. However, when you're not expecting it, you can come up with a dozen other reasons for such a thing. I remember sitting around the dinner table feeling so exhausted and not knowing what on earth was wrong with me. I had been to the gym prior to Thanksgiving and had almost passed out twice while in a spinning class. My energy level was at an all time low, but I had no idea.

I remember feeling SO thankful for Rudy and our marriage, yet really wanting a child. We had decided we would hold off until Rudy was closer to being done with school and the waiting time seemed like an eternity. Little did I know, there was a small life being formed within me that was just about a week old. I'm thankful I was able to enjoy the meal that day, because very soon after I would begin a 3 month sickness fest in which NOTHING helped, NOTHING worked and I was MISERABLE!!! (Good thing Shmu is soooo worth it!!!)

So this Thanksgiving is the one year anniversary of life as we knew it: before there was knowledge of a Shmu, before sickness, sleep-deprivation, and the "joys" of pregnancy/birth began. In about a week from now, we'll celebrate the one year anniversary marking the beginning of true, immense joy that has brought this little family of 3 together in ways we can't even describe.

We are thankful for you, our family and friends, and wish you a wonderful day tomorrow.

Happy 4 Months, Kyle!!

Kyle's latest new toy - his jumper!!
We love this big boy outfit.

This has been a really fun month. We have loved watching Kyle become more and more interactive with us and all the things around him. We adore his smile and making him laugh. We've really enjoyed listening to his "talking." He's growing more and more vocal and will let you know when he has something pretty immportant to say. The first time he "spoke" I remember watching Rudy's face wheel around in pleasant surprise. It was like all of a sudden there was another person in the room.

Thanks to Ru's watchful PT eye, we are noticing lots of fun things about the growth of Kyle's motor skills. It's fun to see the progression of things happen right before our very eyes. For example, Kyle's feet are now scrunched up by his chest when placed on his back. Very soon, those feet will be pulled into Kyle's mouth. I'm getting quite the vocabulary education around here as we notice all the bones and muscle groups of Kyle's little body and how they work to create movement. Watching the little man grow and develop is pretty fun, I will admit.

Kyle has his 4 month pediatrician's appointment in a week, so I don't know his weight and height and all, but here are some things about him that sum up the past month of change...

• Kyle now reads books with Mommy by helping her turn the pages (more often closing the book prematurely) and likes to touch the pages with his palms out. It's been so fun to read to him now that he really seems to be interested in what's in front of him. His favorite, besides his black and white book would have to be his shapes/colors book. It has textured surfaces, bright colors and a red rocket!! Ooh!!


• Kyle has perfected the art of rolling from front to back and back to front.


• He grabs things he wants and can exchange the toy/rattle from hand to hand. He can put Mr. Binks in his mouth and take it out, over and over again.


• Kyle is letting us know what he thinks is funny and we love to get smiles and laughs out of him.
  
• He's a slow riser and takes his time waking up. When awake, he needs about 20 more minutes to be ready to play. (That's a nice surprise!)


• Kyle prefers to stand and enjoys his doorway jumper. (A friend let us borrow one!) Actually, if he's fussy the best way to calm him down is to put him on his feet.
• The little guy has a 7:00 o'clock bedtime! Yeah for evenings with Ru again! :)
• Being outdoors is his favorite. He likes the red roses on our walks and likes to be placed facing outward when I wear him close to me.
  
• One of my favorites - He notices me and follows me with his eyes wherever I go! So cute!!

Happy 4 Months, Kyle!!

Just for fun

This one brings a smile to our face. Sorry, Kyle, for being our guinea pig. You take it all quite well. :)

Kyle's 1st trip to the farm!

Believe it or not, there's a working farm not 3 minutes from our house! It's open to the public on a daily basis and it's free! Kyle and I went with our play date buddies on a "field trip." Most of the kids in our group were able to run around and really get into all the animals (oxen, goats, poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs, llamas, rabbits, etc.). I look forward to taking Kyle again when he's a bit older. Hopefully, too, we'll soon have the chance to visit our relatives' farm in Nebraska and some friends' farms and ranches in South Dakota. This place today felt like something between a zoo and the real thing and I'd like him to get a real experience including tractor rides and cattle drives! In the meantime, this is a super fun place to look forward to taking him whenever we feel like it.

We saw quite a few scarecrows and sang, "If I Only Had a Brain!" I think he's a fan.

There were tons of different produce to point out. I tried to stay positive about all of them, but couldn't help an "eew" when we saw brussel sprouts! :) We got to take some organic onions and lettuce home for dinner tonight!

Kyle is still smaller than the smallest tire on this John Deere.

He wasn't sure what to think about the hay. It felt funny and poked through his clothing!

Momma survived...

...sending Kyle to the church nursery for the 1st time!! I'm not gonna lie, it was traumatic for me. I'd been delaying the inevitable for so long but finally came to the conclusion that at almost 4 months old, the boy was ready and I was as ready as I'd ever be! Of course when it came down to it, he did just fine. He didn't know what was going on. The only one with issues was me. Surprisingly, I was able to enjoy our Sunday school class but as soon as we said "Amen," I was bolting for the door. Ru jokingly tried to stop me and hold me back, but I could tell he was as eager as I to go pick up our Shmu. Here I am passing the little man off to a very trusted friend. All the ladies in the nursery were smiling and laughing at me, saying I'd better make such a fuss over baby #2, etc. I don't know what that will be like, but these "firsts" I'm experiencing are something else. Don't even talk to me about Kyle's first day of kindergarten.

Daddy's back!!

And so are the magic carpet rides, human forts and all other such games. Even the ones that result in giving daddy a little present...

Anything for Shmu.

Next month, I will have been married to Rudy for 6 years! In those 6 years, I have been allowed to turn on the heater about once a year. We have this thing where I'm always cold during winter nights and he's always too warm. As a matter of fact, I saw Rudy in pants for the first time this year while we were in Chicago. So, it's not uncommon to find me curled up in a blanket, sweater, warm socks and maybe even a beanie while Ru wears shorts and a t-shirt. Sometimes I try and sneak the heater, but the darn thing makes a clicking noise when it starts up and Rudy always hears it and promplty tells me to turn it off and put more clothes on or wear a jacket. A jacket, he tells me! It's a running joke around here, because every once in a while, Ru'll be distracted with something and won't notice the heat for a minute or two. But before long, he feels the heat and I'm back to square one.

To be fair, "cold" around here, to me, means in the upper 50's to lower 60's. It's not like he's letting me freeze or anything. But still, for those few nights of "winter," I enjoy my heater.

Now, this morning, Ru went to go see Shmu and told me Shmu's hands were cold. Oh, no! His hands are cold! What did Rudy do? Did he put more clothes on him? Wrap him in a blanket? No. He ran for the heater! Rudy turned the heater on??? That's like Santa actually coming down our non-existent chimney. When I looked at him as if he was crazy, he repeated, "Shmu's hands are cold!" As if that explained everything.

Shmu, your daddy will do anything for you! I think it might be a different winter around here. :)

Still no dad...

It's been 7 days. SEVEN days without a family for Rudy, a husband for Mindy and a dad for Kyle. Thankfully Rudy is almost completely better and will be around us later today. We've missed him. For "fun," we're going to run errands together later this afternoon. Woohoo! Sadly, doing anything together sounds like fun at this point and the idea of having help at the grocery store is exciting to me. At the risk of sounding like I'm complaining... I'm more than ready to have Rudy back in our lives. It's been pretty challenging on the emotions and nerves to be the only person taking care of Kyle day and night for the past week. Even being the good baby he is, the constancy of his needs has been draining. He hasn't been napping too long and when he does, I need to do a host of things around the house, so the days are busy ones and the nights are a hit and miss. I've been sleeping in Kyle's room on the futon and therefore hear every noise he makes. I've learned that if I don't take the time to get a good burp out of him, I'll be listening to him squirm and grunt until the next feeding. So, I could always use just a little more sleep! Ah, I remember the days...

It's tough. I know I've said it before, but I think of all the single parents out there and my admiration grows. Maybe I'm given this "opportunity" to gain more empathy for someone I can be a friend to in the future. I don't know. But I do know that it wears on me and I could use a break! So thankfully, God promises to not give us any more than we can handle and when I've just about had it, Rudy's almost back!! Yeah!!!

And just in case you've forgotten (in a matter of days) what Kyle looks like ... more pictures! :) Here's Shmu listening to dad's voice on the phone. He stared at the phone trying to make sense of how and why the voice was coming out of the thing.


We are still amazed at how transfixed Kyle is with his face friend. When will he outgrow this thing? He shifted his gaze from Mr. Giraffe to Mr. Friend back and forth, back and forth.

Yesterday, we got out of the house to go help a friend. While mommy was busy cleaning, Shmu enjoyed this jumper thingy for quite a while. Since he prefers to stand, it's no wonder he loved it! I'm on the hunt for someone to loan us one. When I first saw him in it, I almost cried. He looks like such a big boy. Not at all my little newborn. :)

Oh, Shmu. I love you. Daddy's almost here...

"I miss my dad!"

If he were able to talk, I think Kyle would say, "I miss my dad!" We've gone 3 days without really seeing Rudy. Once in a great while, he'll sneak out with a mask on to look up something online, but we normally speak using the baby monitor and I've sent Shmu pictures via cell phone. Ru says he hates not being able to hold his boy and the pictures help tie him over. It's pretty sad!

While Ru's been in quarantine, Shmu and I have been left to entertain ourselves. The last two days have held some more change and I'm amazed how just one day can make a difference in Kyle's growth. He is trying to sit up when placed in my lap by grabbing at my pant legs or anything around him to hold him up. He's also rolled from back to front and then front to back all in a row.

Then, he laughed! HE LAUGHED!!! It was the most adorable sound ever! After getting two or three big laughs, I grabbed my camera and got a few more recorded. Unfortunately, Kyle finally noticed the camera and was more interested in it than in my oh so funny antics. It's humbling to make such a fool of myself for you all to see, but well worth the reward of getting a laugh. Please excuse my annoying, repetitive voice and enjoy the subject ...

Health Update

I didn't want to post anything yesterday and jinx ourselves, but we (Kyle and I) had a great night TWO nights in a row. Great means that Kyle nursed and went right back to sleep and therefore let me sleep! Rudy's fever broke with meds, so who knows what's going on without them, but he's been sleeping most of the day and night with little breaks studying on the card table he has in the bedroom. It's kind of funny, we have a system now that reminds us of an inmate and jailer. I drop off food, he opens the door and accepts the food, then leaves empty dishes when done. We speak to each other via baby monitor and disinfect door nobs, light switches, etc. after he has gone to the bathroom. It's weird, but I really haven't seen my husband in a few days!

So far, Kyle and I are doing well. I have been feeling like I'm starting to get sick now for a day or so, but I still don't have a symptom to name. I just feel a little something in the back of my throat and some pressure in my head along with a little nausea. However, I am VERY happy to report that Shmu is not yet sick and I pray that continues to be the case.

I think Kyle just had a reaction to a vaccine he got on Thursday. He was fine the following day and enjoyed being swaddled, amongst other things "normal." Speaking of vaccines, Ru and I never did get that flu shot we talked about. We researched a little more and decided against it. Now we're wondering if that was wise. Who knows?

A gloomy forecast

I don't want to make grandmas worried, but we could use your prayers... Rudy came home sick with a fever, cough and body aches. He's been quarantined all day long in the bedroom but I think Shmu is already fighting it. I've been running from the bedroom to the nursery all afternoon and evening taking care of the two and I don't feel too well myself. Thankfully (for me), my sister is here and has helped me a great deal. I feel so badly that she seems to always see Kyle at his worst! :(

Rudy's closest friend at school was sick this week and now half of Ru's PT class has it. Isn't it wonderful that we were there on Monday for Kyle's show and tell? The good news is that it went away for his friend within a week. The bad news is that now my second half is out of commission and I've got to deal with a really unhappy baby all by myself. Kyle is so not his usual self. His cries are completely different and say DISCOMFORT loud and clear. Everything he usually loves isn't working and I'm bracing myself for a very long, frustrating night. He's finally asleep in his swing with Mr. Vacuum friend going full blast. The full "arsenal" as Rudy calls it, of tricks we use to get him down, just aren't working right now, so I could use your prayers for patience, especially as I go at it alone for who knows how long.

It's one thing to be sick and miserable yourself. I've just learned that having a baby and being sick is something to (attempt to) avoid at all cost!!

CHICAGO!!

Thanks to Gina's job as a flight attendant for Southwest, we were able to fly back to visit Rudy's family and see my brother and sister-in-law. We had been looking forward to introducing Kyle to all the family for a long time and we were so excited to take Kyle on his first ever plane ride!!

We were amazed at how "easy" the trip was with Kyle considering we did quite a bit of traveling and were in either an airplane or a car for hours every day until we got to Rudy's hometown where we stayed for two nights. As I planned and organized for this trip with an infant in mind, I had been prepared for the worst (according to Murphy) and was pleasantly surprised to find that Kyle seemed to tolerate the travel quite well. He only fussed when he was hungry or tired and other than missing our swing at home, he seemed to adapt quite well. Thanks to Aunt Donna, we had some of the comforts of home as well as some warm clothing.

There's quite a bit I could write, but for the sake of brevity I'll try to summarize our trip. We left Orange County early Thursday morning and Kyle did all his bathroom business before we got on the plane (yeah!!) and nursed exactly as we were taking off. Couldn't have timed it better! He played most of the 1.5 hour flight to San Fransisco and sucked on Mr. Binks during the descent. He did so well that when it was announced over the loud speaker that it was Kyle's first flight, the passengers all cheered for him and congratulated us on what a good baby we have. Kyle got his first set of wings and a certificate. It was really cute.

When we landed, we immediately changed planes and were off on a 4hr 10min ride to Chicago. Kyle slept from take off to over 2 hours and was content to "read" his black and white book or stare at his face friend for the remaining time. Those 4 hours did seem a little long, but thankfully Kyle made them more than manageable! Still, it was different to fly without bringing anything to read or do. Both Rudy and I just took care of Kyle and each other and that was more than enough to occupy us.

We were picked up by my brother Mike, and spent the night at his place with his wife, Allison. Then, we drove in to the city to see Rudy's best friend from growing up, Doug and his wife Claudiana. They were so sweet to dote on Kyle and give him lots of love. We had some of the best pizza ever at a local pizza spot and then we were off to Ben and Rachel's house (Rudy's sister and brother-in-law) and spent the night with them.

The following day, after a cold walk to a yummy breakfast spot, we headed out for Rudy's hometown to see more of the family. Shmu was introduced to quite a handful of family members and had plenty to look in his new surroundings. Kyle celebrated his first halloween as a dragon and went trick or treating around G Sal's house. It was pretty cold, but Shmu didn't seem to mind and daddy had fun eating Shmu's candy.

The trip back home was equally pleasant. Kyle slept during the duration of both flights and again, did his bathroom business at the airport in Denver. When we arrived back home, Kyle looked at everything including his beloved room for a long time. He gradually seemed to remember it all and was fascinated by his home.

We want to thank everyone we visited during the trip. We had such a great time and appreciate all the meals, comfy beds, and time together. Rudy and I both agreed that it was a REALLY fun trip and we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Here's an album of our trip.

Chicago '09

Shmu goes to college!!

Today, not 24 hours after we landed from our trip to Chicago, Shmu was off to college!! Rudy had been waiting for this day to come and it was fun to see how proud he was to show off his son to his classmates. Kyle was invited as a guest to Rudy's Child Development Class. This class is studying all about the anatomy, reflexology, growth, and development of infants right now and Shmu was to demonstrate what a baby can do at 3 months. He performed very well, didn't fuss at all and got a lot of positive feedback from Rudy's professor as well as fellow classmates. Shmu was doing some things (we didn't get pictures of them) that babies do between 5 to 8 months old. Go Shmu!

Here are some pictures of our morning at CSU Long Beach.

Daddy's Physical Therapy Department buildings.

Getting ready for K's performance! He loves to stand. Actually, he prefers it to anything else.

Studying reflexes.

Being pulled up by his arms into a sitting position. Students were watching head movements.

Kyle's currently working on his core strengthening.

"Great head control," says Rudy's professor.

Superman!!

What a fun day for R & M & Little Shmu. It was good to see where Rudy spends most of his days, peek in at classrooms and meet professors. I also got to see stairways Rudy has bombed on his skateboard, trees he's attempted to climb, and the like. Most of Rudy's classmates worry about what kinds of dangerous adventures Ru and Kyle will have and if I'll be able to stand the worry. So far, Rudy's careful and might be even more protective of the little man than I am. Time will tell. :)