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It has been just about a year since I've even viewed my blog, let alone write anything. We've had a pretty tough go of it since October, 2009. Our family is still in tact, we have our home, and we are all generally happy and healthy... we are very blessed.
My husband got a job, left it, and got another job... LOL He loves the company he's working for now. He is the CFO (I think that's his title... he's not much into titles) for Clean Crawls in Marysville. I'm happy to see him in a job where he's so appreciated.
Kendra met Kevin, and now they are married. I believe they were married on June 3, 2010 in the Grand Caymans. They moved to Sacramento, CA and they both are figuring out what they want to do for careers. Kendra is very happy living in California. We did have a visit with them recently, when we finally gave them their Christmas gifts from last year!
Andrew joined the Army and is stationed in Hawaii. He is happier than I've ever seen him since I've known him. Andy is currently stationed in Iraq where he is taking beautiful pictures and sharing them on Facebook. He calls to check in periodically.
Hannah graduated in 2009 from high school and is now attending Pacific Lutheran University. She's in their pre-med program and loves it there! She spent her entire summer working to save money for school. She is still dating John from Canada... I think they're going on about 1 1/2 years now.
Joshua is still living in Grand Cayman with his mother. We had an awesome visit with him this last summer. I can't believe how fast he's growing, and how smart he is. Josh has a dog, hamster, and now maybe a cat. Unfortunately, he's bored and lonely there.
Madelyn is your typical 3 year old, driving her mom crazy. She is in dance class for tap & ballet... she loves the tap best because of the "noisy" shoes. I'm hoping to get her into preschool January 2011.
I'm closing my daycare this month to focus on the family again. Maddi needs to be able to attend classes and preschool. Dale is tired of additional cleaning when he gets home from work. We both want our house and yard back. My intention is to get back to writing my blog again, studying (although I don't know what, since I'm not sure Early Childhood Education is right for me anymore), and meeting more people.
My baby, well not so much baby, is 2 years old today! I can't believe how fast time goes by... it seems like she was just born yesterday! Madelyn Rae Gjerness was born at 8:20pm on September 16, 2007.
Maddi is sitting on the potty, but has yet to actually go peepee in it yet. She likes to help bring dishes to the counter after a meal. It makes me smile when she says "please" and "thank you", especially "bless you". She loves to dance, particularly when High School Musical is on! She is already a shoe diva, which makes me wonder what the teen years will bring... ugh! Maddi got her first tooth on her First Birthday and is still getting them in today (this is obvious by her whineyness).
I'm in aw of Maddi every single day... she makes me smile on regular basis. This little girl is really mine? I am completely and utterly in love with my daughter!
I've been trying to figure out if it's time to put Maddi into her big girl bed for the last couple of months. We've had the twin size bed in her room since day one... made it easier to lay down with her without waking up the other spouse in the middle of the night. Lately, she's been waking up several times a night and extra early, making for rough days.It seems as though, you're either for the big girl bed as soon as possible or you're for keeping her in the crib as long as possible. A quick poll on Facebook showed a pretty even split. So, during this past weekend, I rearranged Maddi's room. (The big girl bed was right next to the window and I didn't like that much). I put her crib right outside her bedroom, just in case. After I was done, I had her come up stairs to check it out. Here's her reaction..."Wow!" "Wow!" "Wow!", in an almost whisper voice, with her arms out and her hands open.Once I finished laughing at her response... she climbed into her big girl bed. But the real test had not happened yet...She took her nap there on Sunday... I was not home, so it was all dad. I happened to call him during her nap... he says "I'm laying down with Maddi to get her to sleep". To which I yelled... yes, I yelled, "Don't you dare do that! Do you have any idea what kind of monster you'll create?" Yes, I know, a little over dramatic, but I'm the one usually at home with her and I WILL NOT lay down with her every time she goes down! So, anyway... he had to put her back in her bed 12 times... LOL!That night, I put her down, thinking that it would be Round 1 of 10 or so. Nope, she snuggled right in and went to sleep! And she slept all night until 7:30am! Ah, success!Today, she snuggled right in for nap again! Dale just put her down about 10 minutes ago... cross your fingers!So far, mommy is LOVING the big girl bed! The sad part is that she's not so much a baby anymore.
This is one of those weeks that I wish I had just planned to do absolutely nothing. I have had to cancel just about everything scheduled... Maddi is teething, and I mean TEETHING! She is 20 months and has 6 teeth... the dentist says this is a good thing. She is getting several right now <- Why do they need to come all at once? To top it off, she also has what appears to be a cold... I know low grade fevers and runny noses are part of teething... accept her boogers are greenish this morning. If you have never had a migraine, I envy you! I get them on a monthly basis, if you know what I mean. Stress is also a trigger, and I get plenty of that! So, this week, I've had 2... and crossing my fingers that my headache this morning is just that, a headache, NOT another migraine. I've been on medications to help prevent them, but they really don't work. I'm left with taking Maxalt when I do get a migraine, which usually works. I'm thinking, um, I dunno, learning that my hubby's job is in jeopardy, didn't help! I have considered trying acupuncture... you get to a point when you'll just try anything! Drinking does not help... LOL, I've tried it!We both just need to feel better by the end of the day... no, ifs, ands or buts! We have plans this weekend that I am just not willing to cancel! So there!Meanwhile, I want to just curl up like a cat and sleep... for now.
Maddi had me laughing out loud this morning (AGAIN)... I found a spider in the bathroom and showed it to her. She thought it was pretty cool and wanted to touch it... she did... and turned around with a poor, little spider stuck to her finger tip, and said "uh-oh". LOLI think it's almost time to move Maddi to a big girl bed... when I've gotten her out of her crib this week, she's been trying to get out. So far, it's been unsuccessful. I'm worried that I'm going to hear a thud and it's going to be her falling. Everyone says to keep her in the crib as long as possible... ugh!I finally got the DVD player installed in my car... I've been talking about doing this for about a year! Yeah, I know, procrastinate much? While I was at it, I found 2 sippy cups with a little bit of milk in them... straight to the garbage <- I'm not even going to try to clean that up! Gross! I think I threw out about 5 empty Starbucks cups, several used baby wipes (not for poopy or anything like that), and a bunch of goldfish crackers.
Not getting much sleep last night, really made for a crummy day. I don't even want my usual Captain-n-Diet Coke, cuz I'm sure I will fall right to sleep. <- That sounded way worse than I meant... I swear, I don't have a problem (well, that problem, anyway). Of course, Maddi is teething... she's little Miss. Grumpy-Pants! And this does not make my mood any better. To top it all off, it's THAT time too! It really sucks to be a woman! Grrr... I wanna bite every body's head off... GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!I had to return to Walmart today to make some exchanges... while I was there, I got quite a chuckle. While I was looking at hair products, I noticed 2 very bald men looking at Rogaine. I actually laughed out loud... when they looked my directions, I pretended to be laughing at Maddi. Do they really think it's going to help at this point? Seriously? My hubby and I got a call tonight from Andrew, our oldest son, who is in AIT training for the Army. He is very happy in Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX. He was bored in basic training, but he's much more challenged here. So far, it looks like he will still be able to come home for 4th of July weekend... as long as he stays at the top of his class! He will!
Early this morning, I read another mom's blog... I can't remember who it was... today is the day before her baby's 1 year anniversary of his passing. I cried while reading it, then hugged Maddi very tight. To that mommy, you're in my prayers right now!My good friend Teddy flew home to Indiana today. I will miss you so much... next time, you must bring the girls! Hugs & kisses!Maddi and I went to Walmart this morning... I finally got some blackout curtains for her room to help her sleep in a little more (past 6:30am), hopefully. She loves to look at the fishies, so we got her 2 female beta fish and a cool kids aquarium... but the aquarium was missing pieces, so I have to return it! Grrr! We also got our Mother's Day cards for both grandmas and Maddi's godmother. While we were there, we played with a bouncy ball in the isles... so cute... she was giggling and screaming, and probably annoying everyone else! Shopping with a toddler is one of the most difficult things to do ever. Everyone is on my last nerve... I swear, I am attracting all the rude and ignorant people! My biggest pet peeve are the impatient people waiting for a parking space while I'm loading or unloading my daughter in her car seat! Seriously, what would they like me to do? Then, when you're shopping and someone is coming toward you, shouldn't you move your cart over to make room, or is that just me? Really? I want to just walk around and flick everyone else on the forehead today!Yesterday, Maddi wore my red, patent leather shoes around the house. I'll post pictures soon... she is so adorable. I've created a shoe fetish, monster!
After 8 loads of laundry, you would think I'd be done... Alas, I am not... 2 more to go. Tomorrow, I have all of this to put away, which is the very worst part of doing laundry! I am about to summit Mt. Washmore! Now, I need to make sure to stay on top of the never-ending build up.
Over the past few weeks, I've noticed that Maddi's hair clips keep disappearing. For the life of me, I had no idea where to look! Today, I found one in her toy box... she saw it and wanted it. I handed it to her, expecting that she would try to put it in her hair. NO... she walked over to the heater vent, and spent her time getting it in just the right spot... IN THE HEATER VENT! And wouldn't you know it... that's where they all are!
A very good friend, Teddy, is visiting this weekend and she will be staying at our house. I have so much to do to prepare for company! My husband and I worked all weekend to paint the bonus room, but it still needs some touching up to complete it. The house cleaners will be here on Thursday morning... thank goodness, I don't have to do that part.
Our house is getting de-cluttered and looks great! Part of my coming out of my funk, I think. My hubs finished getting the bark down over the weekend too. I must say that our yard is now one of the best looking in the neighborhood! Now very long ago... not so much!
Today, I was that frantic first time mom who rushed her child into the dentist office only to find out that the “injury” is very common. Maddi and I were at our play date… she fell and hit her mouth on the corner of a table… blood every where! She wouldn’t let me look to see where the blood was coming from… not that I could, there was so much of it! We got into the car and headed to our WONDERFUL dentist who took a quick look and told me it was okay. Whew! It’s pretty swollen, but she’s going to be fine. I think I was still shaking at the time… breath in, breath out.
However, I am grateful that I’ve dealt with other kids with bloody mouths when I was a toddler teacher… so, no real panicking on my part.
Now she’s napping. I’m afraid to look at her lip when she wakes up… so sad. My husband reminded me that this is just the FIRST time something like this will happen. This is the part of motherhood that totally freaks me out. When I was a toddler, I split my lip open several times… getting stitches 3 of those times… you can still see scars.
What a strange day! I have felt completely off tilt all day… I need my V-8! Probably because I forgot to take my medicine yesterday while I was battling a migraine. Ugh… this feeling sucks! Dizzy, tingly and light-headed… ick!
I brought Maddi to Kats to get her out of the house after being stuck inside all day yesterday. I got some studying in and Maddi got to play… win/win! Nothing has been accomplished… dishwasher still needs to be emptied, laundry is still piled on the floor, but Maddi is fed and changed <- THAT’S what’s important, right? Stephanie Meyer needs to write more for the Twilight saga… I just completed Breaking Dawn last night and I’m disappointed that I now have to read other books before bed. Before my Twilight addiction, my favorite read was J.D. Robb… now, I’m sure it will pale in comparison. Although, I’ve recently been introduced to Jodi Picoult too and I have enjoyed all of her books I’ve read so far.
We have spent this past week sick, me and Maddi. It really sucks when it’s both of us who are sick… I just want to veg out and rest… with a toddler, that just doesn’t happen.
This morning, we did laundry together… she likes to take the clothes out of the dryer and throw them on the floor for me to pick up and fold. Then I’ll hand her the wet clothes to put into the dryer. What a big girl!
Later in the day, Maddi showed up in front of me with a candle in a glass holder… it took me a minute to realize where she got it from. I didn’t hear a crash… how did she? OH! She pulled the runner so that she could see the candle and proceeded to reach for it… and show mommy! I immediately forbid her from growing up anymore! Why don’t kids listen now days?
After the hubby got home, he decided to give Diesel cookies… Maddi always has to get in on the action, so she usually gives him some too. As she’s giving him the cookies, she says “sit” (well, not so clearly, but both my hubs and I looked at each other and knew what she was saying)… she did this several times in a row! OMG… my baby isn’t so much a baby anymore.
My poor little munchkin is still very sick and I am ready for her to feel better. Unfortunately, I think she as passed it on to mommy. Grrr! We are almost out of Kleenex… her sad little nose. We were supposed to go to a play date today, but I had to cancel last minute. If you have ever had to wipe or aspirate the nose of a toddler, you know that it’s near impossible…
While she’s laying on her back, not willingly, mind you…
Mommy “sits” on her to hold her arms to her sides…
With one hand, Mommy holds her head from twisting (not an easy task)…
And with the other hand, Mommy gets to suck her boogers out with the lovely aspirator!
I’ve done this 4 times today… I’m ready for a nap or a glass of wine! It’s only noon, so I guess the wine is out! When is she going to blow into the Kleenex? I’m looking forward to that day!
OMG… I just realized that I’m still watching the Disney Channel and Maddi went for her nap about 10 minutes ago… Shakable You - Imagination Movers! I’m not sure where the remote is, and God forbid, I actually get up to find it.
Yesterday, I was somewhat excited that Maddi didn’t want her binky. As a matter of fact, she refused it. She has a really bad cold, so she can’t breath while sucking on it. Then, my hubby came home… he gets her to take her binky. There goes my hopeful thinking… today, she’s back to the binky. Now, mind you, she’s not one of those toddlers that constantly needs a binky anyway, but still, it would be nice without.
But because of the dreadful binky, she, once again, made me smile.
As I approach her with her grape flavored medicine that she so, obviously, loves… she takes her binky out with one hand, as if to get ready for the medicine. She says “no, no” and holds up her other hand, as if saying “talk to the hand”. It is so cute, I just couldn’t help but laugh.
Over the past few days, my Maddi has been sick… she very rarely is this sick. While pondering where the joy of motherhood is hiding… underneath all of the vomit, diarrhea, boogers and crying… it must be there somewhere! My baby girl, with her excellent timing, walks up to me and says “hello” and blew mommy a kiss… THERE IT IS! That made the last few sleepless nights all worth it.
Long time, no see...
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