A Camping We Will Go

Last weekend, we packed up the car and headed north to Deception Pass for Mikey's first ever and Katie's third ever camping trip.

We had two tents - a four person and a two person.

Mikey and I stayed in the four person. He did pretty good overnight. He woke up just about every two hours, but all I had to do get him to fall back to sleep was to pick him up.

He spent half the night next to me with about six blankets (and my sweatshirt) on him, and the other half of the night on my chest or cuddled in my arms.

Huzbend and Katie were right next door in the two person tent.

We did some hiking, sat on a beach and ate our fair share of marshmallows.

Besides having to go to sleep at, like, 9 pm the only other not-so-good thing that happened was that Huzbend dropped our camera at the beach. Sand and cameras do not mix. Our camera broke, so we only got pics going up till dinner. Oh well.

Here are some pre-camera death photos....

Daddy is good at setting up tents.

I'll just sit here and make sure the rain fly doesn't wander off.

Check it, dudes. Wildlife!

The Awesome Family @ the beach

Hmmmmm. These things sure look yummy.....

Katie & Deception Pass

I love our state.

It's dinner time!

Munchin' and sippin'.

Mmmmmmm. Me likey da pasta.

The Suckiest Suck Day

I feel compelled to tell you all about today. It's like I have to get this weight off of my chest. I just need to get it out and be done with it.

And by it, I mean today.

Today was a shitty day.

It started shitty, the middle was full of shit and it ended pretty shitty too.

Let me begin by saying this all started WITH shit.

Katie has been having off and on diarrhea for about a week now. I finally took her to the doctors on Monday. We weren't sure it was a virus as it kept going away and coming back and thought that it might be another food allergy sneaking up on us.

We thought that that allergy might be milk. So, the doc said no milk for the week. If she got the trots again then we would know it ain't milk. If she didn't get diarrhea, then we could slowly reintroduce milk.

Dammit all. The only thing, ONLY thing that Katie really eats or drinks are dairy products.

It has been a bitch and a half finding things for her to eat this week.

Which brings me to today.

So, we started off the day with an argument about breakfast. We are SO over the no milk thing. There is nothing for her to eat. She eats bread products all day with a little fruit thrown in to mix it up. She complains that she is hungry all day. Okay, not just complains, but whines about it. All day. I feel so guilty and so bad that she can't eat anything. I just want to give in and let her have a piece of cheese so she can just be happy. Do you know what she ate for dinner tonight? A piece of bread with one slice of turkey deli meat and water. Ugh.

But, something happened today that makes me think that the whole milk thing might be completely wrong.

Mikey had diarrhea in the middle of lunch. It was a major blow out. One of the ones where you have to immediately dunk him into a bath. Poop was everywhere.

Then, guess what happened? I got diarrhea. Yeah. Whoooppeee. I've been running to the bathroom just about twice an hour.

Combine hungry, whiny, grumpy kid with poop-master Mike and sick Mommy and you've got yourself one hell of a day.

The kids were fighting, like, all day. You wouldn't think that an almost 4 year old and an almost 1 year old could argue, but they do! Man, they were driving me insane today. Lots of, 'NO MIKEY!!!! YOU'RE HURTING ME!!!" and "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!".

There were lots of "I'm frustrated" and "I'm losing patience" comments today - from both parties, kids and mom. Lots of threats about counting to 10, too.

And here, my friends, is the whip cream on the cow pie.

After dinner, while doing dishes, I had to GO. Katie was eating applesauce. Okay. Mikey was crawling around finding stray Cheerios on the floor. Okay. Everything was good. Off I ran to the toilet.

The whole trip took me maybe less than five minutes.

I came back and Katie is still eating applesauce. Okay. I look over at Mikey.

He's got this great big smile on his face. He's sitting there kicking his feet and rubbing his hands over the floor as if he is painting something.

OH YES, FOLKS!!! He had another huge diaper blow out and since he was wearing shorts, well, it ran out onto the floor.

What would you do if you were 11 months old and you saw this slimy brown stuff all over the ground? Well, you would mush it around and wipe it all over everything! Of course!

It was freakin' disgusting. Bath number two for Mikey; the last shred of patience for Mommy.

When we were done with the bath, we had to go back downstairs to wipe the diarrhea off the kitchen floor. Katie had left her mostly eaten applesauce bowl and spoon on a chair. While I was cleaning, Mikey proceeded to pull up to standing and grab the bowl spilling the remaining applesauce on himself and the floor.

After that, the kids fought their way through the bedtime routine. Mikey was trying to steal Cheerios from Katie. Then he bit me on the leg. I yelled in surprise and scared him. He started crying and then Katie started to yell at him and cry herself because she couldn't hear her bedtime book.

Both kids are asleep...for now.

I am exhausted. Physically and mentally exhausted. Today there were lots of not-so-good-Mommy moments. Things that I should've done differently and the like. I guess tomorrow is another day. I can start over and try to work on the things that bothered me about today.

But, for now, I am going to drink a tall glass of milk (because Katie is asleep and I won't feel guilty about drinking it in front of her) and then I am probably going get the runs.

Shit.

One More For Ya

Watch Him Go!

Here's a vid from about month back of one of Mikey's first knee shuffles.

We called this the "Froggie Crawl".

R.I.P. Flip Flop

The day started at 4am.

I thought I heard a kid making noise, but it must have been my imagination. They were both sound asleep.

Now, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I REALLY wake up. So, I decided to hit the potty and get myself a snack.

While munching my cheese stick, I glanced over at the fish tank to check on Flip Flop. He hadn't been himself all that day. I had tested his water that morning and the ammonia levels were high. I needed to do a water change, but I ran out of time. I figured he could wait until tomorrow.

Um, I guess he couldn't.

He was dead.

A wave a guilt hit me immediately and I began to cry. If I had only changed the f-ing water. Next came a wave of deep sadness upon realizing that I would have to tell Katie that her first ever pet had died while she slept. A pet she ate breakfast with. A pet that she was teaching how to sing. A pet that she loved. A lot.

And so, I was still crying. A lot.

I couldn't sleep. I spent time doing internet searches about explaining death to children and I tried to lighten my mood by watching the finale of 'Glee'.

After discussing how we should handle this with the Huzbend, I took Flip Flop out of his tank and laid him in some plastic wrap inside an old jewelry box.

When Katie woke up, I explained what happened. She cried hard and told me she wanted a new fish.

After the initial cry, we went down to take a look at Flip Flop in his box. She told me that he was, "so small and so cute." She even touched him through the plastic and told me he was "squishy". We talked about what happens when something dies.

The rest of the day was spent normally playing but was interspersed with questions about death ("Will you die?""Will Granma & Granpa die?" "Why were you sad when you're Granpa died?") and hourly viewings of Flip Flop in his box.

Every picture Katie drew during the day had Flip Flop in it. She even came up with an imaginary pet that, "when the water is dirty and he should get sick he doesn't and he lives in it. You just feed him lots of food and he doesn't die."

After dinner, we had a little funeral for Flip Flop. We picked a nice backyard tree and dug a little hole underneath it for him. Katie gave the box he was in a hug and a kiss and told him, "I love you, little fishy." Then we took Flip Flop out of the box (and plastic wrap) and put him in the hole. Katie put a few pebbles from his tank gravel in the hole with him as well as a special rock she picked out of the yard.

As Huzbend buried him, I told Katie that she could say anything she wanted to say to Flip Flop. It could be a good bye or maybe a nice memory that she had of him.

In a sad voice she said, "Thank you for eating your food."

The GIANT May Post

May?

It was more like Mayhem.

Damn. It was a busy month. Like, for everybody.

First, we start with Play Dough Katie.

The creativity bug has stopped at our house and I think he is here to stay. The artistic juices are a-flowin'! Not only have we got Play Dough and Legos, but we have crazy drawing too. You name it, Katie will try to draw it. Here is Katie sketching out a princess with a bow on her head.....

Mikey decided that he needed to start working a little harder at the crawling thing and managed to figure out how to do a nice push-up. Daddy was very proud.

The beginning of May brought with it some awesome summer-like weather. (Sigh. Where or where did you go, Mr. Sun?)

We took advantage and took a hike to the beach.

Katie wanted to bring an umbrella she had found in the car on the hike with us.

We acquiesced, knowing full well that it might mean drama later in the day ("I'm SOOOOO tired of carrying this umbrellllllaa"). As much as we fretted about the damn umbrella, when we got to the beach it gave us great shade and some guy even commented, "They were smart bringing that umbrella."

Mikey enjoyed his first trip to the beach. He had a great time trying to eat rocks, seaweed and driftwood.

Then there was this jem on Mother's Day.

Mikey and Katie's Splash-O-Rama a.k.a. Bathtime Gigglefest.

Loved it. Really I did. It makes my heart smile looking at this picture.

It was around this time that Mikey became emboldened by his spectacular hike (ride on Mommy's back) to the beach and his new found push-up proficiency because he began to go CURRRRR-AAAAA-ZEEEEEE.

He clapped his hands together. He started to wave. He began to inch worm his way around and managed to pull the mobile in his crib down onto his head. He pushed his way up to a sitting position. And, hold on to something ladies and gents! He slept through the night! Okay, so it was just that one night. But, that was something, I tell ya. He was on a roll, man.

Next up, Preschool Outdoor Movie Night.

Mikey had a good time, even though he was not allowed to eat any popcorn or any balloons.

Katie, on the other hand, ate about three bags of popcorn and managed to bogart all the pink balloons at the party.

The movie was played on a giant inflatable movie screen in someone's backyard.

It was a pretty awesome set up. The only problem was that we had to wait for it to get dark. And, well, here on the West Coast at this time of year that's not until about 9ish. We didn't get to stay for the whole movie, as it was a bit too intense for a tired Katie. Oh well. She did get to watch a few Mickey Mouse cartoons.

Did you know that Cinderella frequents our backyard and serves tea on our deck? Dudes, check it....

Here's Katie with an "Apple Smile". It was a recipe in her High Five Magazine. Apples slices, cream cheese and mini-marshmallows. She ate everything except the cream cheese and the apples.

Next on the agenda was a visit from GmaF, Auntie Kelly and Cuzzin' Joey.

It was just too cute for words watching Katie and Joey pal around. They held hands just about everywhere they went.

I know it doesn't look like it, but in the picture underneath are the Prince and Princess in their magical flying car jetting to Mexico to get some flowers. They ran into some crazy bumblebees on the way there but the Prince threw a stick at them and scared them away. They blew a tire sometime after that and flew to the tire store to get some new tires.

Our visitors were also able to join us for a night of preschool bowling. I didn't get many pictures since we had to corral the kids from jumping in other peoples lanes or getting their fingers smooshed in the ball return.

We also took a visit to Northwest Trek and rode on a tram to see Northwest native animals. We saw lots of deer, lots of elk, lots of bison and even baby bison. And, finally, I got to see real live honest-to-goodness moose.

And then, just like that, it was time for GmaF, Auntie and Joey to go. It was too fast. Sigh.

Next stop, the last day of preschool.

Katie has such a good time there. Can't you tell?

It was a great preschool year. Katie met a new friend and had a great time playing and learning with all her preschool buddies. We can't wait to start Pre-K next year!

While Katie was saying goodbye to another year of preschool, Mikey was saying hello to mobility! He finally began to crawl. At first, it looked a little wonky and disjointed, but he quickly figured it out. Now, he can move himself around the living room with ease. We're happy that he can get himself around, but not so happy that he seems to be most interested in the things that he shouldn't have. He thinks everything is food. Legos, paper, underwear....Sigh.

I think we also figured out what Mikey's first word is/was: "VRRRROOOOMMMM" - the sound you make while pushing a toy car. His sounds more like, "MMMMMMMM", but he only does it while pushing a toy dump truck. I think he also has four more words. "Mmm" for Moo, as in cow. "MaMa" and "DaDa" and "Boo", as in peek-a-boo.

Mikey wants you all to know that he is okay after getting an "owwee" at the doctor. It happened right here.

Had to check his iron level again. Not quite up to par on that one, so we gotta keep taking the supplement.

And last, but not least, it was Bye Bye Binky Day this past Thursday. Katie didn't want to just throw them away, she wanted to send them to someone who needed them. So, she packed them up in envelopes and sent one to Cuzzin' Joey and one to Cuzzin' Matty.

The day went good. I took Katie and Mikey to lunch at Red Robin - a kid friendly burger joint. Katie then got to go to the toy store and pick out one stuffed animal to cuddle with when it came time for sleep (she picked an orca whale and named it Splashy). We had also promised her a while back that she could get a goldfish if she gave up the binky (yes, we tried to bribe her). We went to the pet store and got an aquarium. We couldn't get a fish because we had to make sure the water was de-chlorinated for him.

We kept her busy all day so that at night she would be really tired. Falling asleep that first night was hard for her. She cried and told us she wanted her binky. After about a half dozen visits to our room, she finally laid down and fell asleep. It took a few nights, but now she seems to be able to put herself to sleep with not too many problems. We're so proud of her.

Coming soon to a concert venue near you......

Sigh. Pulling up to his knees already.

That didn't take long. He also conquered climbing up the one step from our living room. There is no slowing him down now.

24 hours after we filled the aquarium and treated the water we went back and Katie picked out her fish.

Meet Flip Flop the Fish.

Katie has spent most of this weekend giving Flip Flop her version of "love". Which means lots of talking to him about all sorts of stuff in a loud voice and lots of accidental bumps into the tank. The poor fish is scared witless. He hides behind the fake plant or the volcano most of the time.

Here are Katie and Flip Flop eating breakfast together.

And so, that was May.

There's only one day left. Huzbend will be riding a 100 mile bike ride tomorrow. We'll be doing some grocery shopping. Other than that, maybe Flip Flop will come out of hiding or maybe Mikey will learn to walk.

Hey, you never know. It could happen.

Lost Without LOST

Sigh.

And so comes "The End".

You'll get no spoilers here. So, don't you fret.

I've been thinking about it all night and all day and I'm really not sure what to make of it.

I have to credit the writers. They did an awfully good job of leaving the series off with a completely interpretive ending. The meaning and even what actually happened really depended on how YOU the viewer approached your own life. Impressive.

So, I would say it was a good ending if you focused entirely on the emotional aspect of the show. Everything was tied up nicely and you got to go through a big box of tissues at the same time.

And, on the other hand, I would say it was not so good an ending if you were all into the sci-fi/mystery/mythology part. They kinda pulled a fast one when it came to that by leaving all sorts of open questions.

But, then again, that was what the show did best - lots of character depth and crazy-ass unexplainable sci-fi shenanigans.

I'll miss it. A lot.

I guess it's just like coming to the end of a great book.

You're happy to get to the end, but sad to say goodbye to the universe that you've invested all this time and thought into.

Oh well. Just a bit melancholy, I guess.

I'm gonna miss Jack and Company just as much as I miss Harry and his Army and Frodo and his Fellowship.

It's all fun and games until......

....someone pukes in your hat.

Niner, Niner

Hi. Mikey here.

What?

I know, I know. It's a late post. I turned 9 months, like, a week ago.

I got things going on you know.

Important things.

Well, yeah. Chewing the animal ball is important. Especially when you have FIVE teeth.

Yep. A whole five. I got three teeth in the past month. Three on the top.

Man, do I LOVE to bite things. Toys, food, books, Mommy's shoulders, Mommy's.....

Yeah. She doesn't like that. I mean, NOT AT ALL.

Did you know that you can also grind your teeth together to make this totally awesome sound? It's pretty cool. I did it constantly for about two days. Then it got old.

I've got a lot to say now-a-days. DA DA DA DA. MA MA MA MA. BUH BUH BUH BUH. All that jazz.

I've finally figured out how to roll from my back to my belly. Then I push up with my arms and look around kinda like a seal.

But, alas, I have not figured out this crawling thing. I just can't get the hang of it. I try. I really do. But, most of the time I just end up inching myself backwards. Then I get frustrated and once I get frustrated, it's just game over, man.

So, here are the 9 month stats.

Height - 27 1/4 inches

Weight - 18lbs and 7 oz.

Head Circumference - 19 inches. I am now officially off the chart. Rock on.

Life around the house has gotten more interesting. Since I'm a bit older and cooler now, Katie likes to include me in her games.

Here we are fishing together.

And here we are dressed as one of Katie's favorite super heroes - Baby Batman.

She cracks me up.

The only other thing I've been working on is eating. I eat all sorts of stuff now. Yesterday, I tried broccoli. I didn't really like the taste, but it sure was fun squishing it in my fists. Daddy did not think it was much fun cleaning me up.

Mommy finally caught a picture of my "yucky face". Since I'm so good at chewing now, Mommy gives me all sorts of crazy stuff to try.

Here I am trying non-pureed pear for the first time.

But, you know what I absolutely love? Toast.

Gimme some toast and sweet potatoes with a side of puffs and then some pureed prunes for dessert and I am one happy man.

OOOOOOOOO-WEEEEEE, that is some good chow!

Catch you all next month.

Who knows, I might (and that is a big MIGHT) be crawling by then.

Wish me luck.

Ahhhhh, who am I kiddin'?

I don't need luck.

I just need more toast.

As The Egg Rolls

W.W.M.

Just a quick note to tell you all that I am the World's Worst Mom.

Again.

Last night, Mikey kept waking up every hour or so.

He was just fussing all night long. He wasn't really interested in nursing. All I really had to do to get him to fall back to sleep was to pick him up, rock him and gently lay him back down. Pretty easy.

This morning he ate like a champ - a whole package of Apple Cinnamon oatmeal. Wow.

We were at a friends house and he got cranky again. He looked tired so I had him put his head on my chest to fall asleep and....

HELLO!

He was burning up. We came home and I took his temp. 101.

Yikes. How long he's had the temp, I don't know.

Guess that's why he didn't sleep well last night.

Dammit. The same thing would happen with Katie when she was a baby. You would think that I would have learned to check for fever?

Nooooooo. Not me.

Fudgecicles.