Hysterics

Some of you may have witnessed myself, my sister, or my mom going into hysterics. This is when something happens, generally a conversation between Able and I in mom's case, that makes you start laughing hysterically ( hence the name). However, the person is laughing so hard that they can't get control of themselves, so the laughter goes quickly into crying, which they can also not get control of. In some people's cases ( I'm not naming names) this ends with the person peeing their pants. I have not yet reached that point, though I am sure it is coming soon. 

This scene is literally hysterical to an innocent bystander. Watching mom go into hysterics can sometimes throw me into hysterics it is so funny. My siblings and I can easily throw mom into hysterics, or push her over the edge if she when she is trying to recover during the laughing portion. We try not to do it on purpose, but I would say this happens at least once per visit. I have the added strange reaction of laughing hysterically when I am in pain. This usually is followed by tears at some point, but initially, if I am in a lot of pain, I will laugh hysterically. This was very confusing to Zach when we first got married. I would yell in pain, followed by laughter, so he ignored me. Then I got mad at him for not taking me seriously, he got mad because I was laughing, how should he know that I was in pain, tears... you see the viscous circle there. He figured it out quickly and now only takes my pain seriously when I'm laughing. 

I have always been pretty certain that this phenomenon was genetic. I have personally witnessed mom my, my sister, my Aunt Ann, and my Grandma Dotter go into hysterics. I thought that it was a female thing, but today Zane had his first bout of hysteria. It was so..... hysterical :) We were eating dinner, he was eating like a champ, having a ball. Zach was making funny faces, I was singing silly songs and making funny noises. He was giggling per usual, but then things got out of hand. He started laughing to the point that he couldn't catch his breath, and then.... he started crying and I am sure he peed his pants. There it was, hysterics, in such a little boy. So funny!!! 

Ten on Tuesday

1. I am happy to report that Zach, Zane, and I have survived yet another Missouri earthquake. There was a 4.2 magnitude earthquake with the epicenter in Sullivan, MO. It woke us up at 3am and sounded like something was hitting the roof. When I woke up I felt like we were shaking and the numbers on our clock, which is projected onto the ceiling, where shaking so I thought it might be an earthquake. When I woke up this morning and googled it, I was right! There was some damage, one of the birds on my wreath fell off, but we are recovering well. :)

2. Zane is walking more and more each day. Yesterday  he walked across the kitchen to me, Sunday he walked from the coffee table to the office, and today he walked from his room to the living room holding a ball. He walks amazingly well when he isn't thinking about it and if no one is watching. I think he may be going gang busters by his birthday! He does look like a little Frankenstein, walking with his arms out for balance.

3. I am back to food tracking and working out. I hope I can see some progress again. It is truly summer now so it is very hot, which means the working out is going on in the basement. I know I will go off the tracks for Zane's birthday, but it's ok.

4. The basement project continues. This weekend it became clear that we wouldn't be able to reuse the laminate floor that was there before, which meant a day of running from Lowe's to Home Depot and then back to Lowe's trying to figure out which type/color of flooring to buy. All while Zach and I were terrible moods because we were having to spend money we didn't have on something we didn't want to be buying. We ended up picking a darker color flooring and by Sunday night Zach had all the flooring down. The floors looks great, now he just has to put the floor boards back down and fix the carpet before the guests arrive.

5. I am putting the finishing touches on all of the birthday decorations and plans. I am almost completely done with Zane's scrapbook, have finished matting the 12 pictures that are going to be out for the party, and Zane and I picked up his birthday plate this afternoon. Here is the finished project. The orange turned out more of a melon color than I was hoping, but all and all I think it turned out pretty cute.

 6. Zane and I both have  a bit of runny nose/scratchy throat. I am hoping that we are just having an allergy flare up and that I'm not getting sick. I am loading up on vitamin C and water though, just in case. This evening Zane was pretty pathetic and cuddly, hopefully we aren't heading down hill.

7. I want to wish a happy 10 year anniversary, a little early, to my sister Abbey and her husband Brent. Their anniversary is the 9th and sadly I am missing their big party this weekend. I love you guys and will be there in spirit. Here's wishing you many more happy, healthy, years of marriage ahead.

8. Zane has a new favorite word, no. You would think this would be frustrating or possibly him being bratty, but it is actually highly adorable. When I put him on the changing table or take him out of the room he wants to be in he says "no no no no" in the cutest voice, with his little lips sticking out, making a perfect little circle. I know that doesn't sound cute on paper, but if you saw it you would melt.

9. I would like to welcome baby Donovan Zane into the world and congratulate his parents Chrissie and Eric and big sister Serenity. I have to say I love that middle name :)

10. This evening Zach had a softball game so Zane and I had a quiet evening at home together. I scrapbooked some final pages for Zane's book, while he crawled/walked around the house exploring/destroying things. He loves carrying his straw cup around these days, though he rarely drinks from it. We had a great time together, I can't believe how big he is getting. Time is going by too quickly.

Friday: Brought to you by the letter C

This morning started with a call from work putting me on call for the day. This was a great start to the day since the last two days I worked I had to deal with all sorts of angry parents and really needed more than one day off. So we slept in until 7:15 when Zane started muttering and kicking about in his crib. This is my cue to go get him and start one of my favorite activities of the day, morning cuddle time.

Zane has become rather cuddly over the past couple months. When he was about 5-6 months old he started not wanting to be cuddled at all, which I guess was ok because he would put himself to sleep. I am not sure when he started enjoying the cuddle again, but it is the highlight of my day. We cuddle in the morning, singing  songs, talking about the night, we cuddle before his naps for a little bit. He doesn't always fall asleep in the cuddle, but sometimes he does. I know I should probably be putting him his crib and letting him play around in there until he falls asleep, but I know that soon enough he will not want to be held at all, so while it lasts I am happy to rock him to sleep, sing lullabies, and soak up what is left of his babyhood.

After sending daddy off to work Zane and I worked on clapping. He was very concentrated on his clapping, watching me very closely as we sang and clapped. So much fun!! We also worked on kisses ( I know that doesn't start with a C, but still cute). He gives hugs and kisses now. He will put his little arms around your neck, hold on for dear life, and then give you a sloppy kiss on the cheek. This is basically the best thing in the world.

Zane took a great morning nap, well honestly we both took a great morning nap, after a little more cuddling and singing. Then Zane ate cottage cheese and carrots for lunch, which he enjoyed. I crafted, trying to put the finishing touches on Zane's first year scrapbook, while Zane cruised and crawled around the house. We tried to go outside twice, but it was in the nineties and horribly humid, so that didn't last long. After Zane's second nap we had playtime downstairs, where Zane really wanted to work on climbing and I really didn't. So he played with his little cars instead. He crawls around pushing them now, which is very adorable.

Today was also supposed to be the start of Zane's bottle wean since there is only t minus two weeks to no more bottles. The wean did not start out well at all. He threw a complete fit the first two times we tried drinking his milk out of a sippy cup and I had to switch it back over to a bottle to get him to sleep. Before his last nap this afternoon he did drink a little, maybe 3oz, out of his cup but only after great protest.We shall work on it more tomorrow. It was a great Friday with my little man!

Ten on Tuesday

1. We had a very productive and fun Memorial Day weekend. I had to work Saturday, but got to come home at three so was still able to play with the family for a little bit. Sunday it was beautiful outside, so we spent the evening playing outside, eating snow cones, and grilling. What's better than that! Here is Zane enjoying playing with some balls and eating some grass.

2. Yesterday Zach and I went to a Cardinals game with my friend Michelle and her husband Ryan. Zach had won tickets to the Fabick box so we enjoyed all we could eat nachos, hot dogs, chicken fingers, desserts, and soda. We also thoroughly enjoyed the air conditioning of the box since it was blazing hot outside. Sadly the Cardinals lost, but a good time was had by all. Here are some party pics!

3. In exciting basement news Zach has fixed the leaking walls ( hopefully) and everything is ready for the boards to be put down next weekend. My hopes are to get the basement pull back together next week and figure out where everyone is sleeping. I can't wait for all our guest!

4. Zane has mastered a new frightening skill this week, opening doors. I should preface that by saying all of our door knobs upstairs have a handle that you pull down, not an actual knob. He has figured out that he can reach the knob, pull it down, and then he can easily open the door, getting him into the forbidden bathroom with ease. So now we seriously have to get a gate for the top of the stairs because I do not trust us to always have that door locked.

5. I have officially changed all of Zane's clothes over to his summer wardrobe.  Thanks to Aunt Trina and Aunt Abbey who have provided Zane with a lovely summer wardrobe complete with three different swimming suits, they are so cute, I can't wait to use them in his new whale pool.

6. Check out Zane's new sunglasses. I got them in the One Spot at Target and we had tons of fun playing with them last night. He actually left them on for quite a while and thought it was hysterical when I put them on the top of his head. We also bought him a Cardinals hat that he refused to leave on, but really needs to because his hair his white and his skin is even whiter.

7. Sunday Zane and I also went to a paint your own pottery place and made his very own birthday plate. We had a general birthday plate growing up, which we had decorated at some point, and I remember that being a fun tradition for birthdays. We did this while Zach was getting his hair cut, which in hind sight it really should have been an activity I did by myself. I had no idea how long it would take or how hot it would be in that place, but apparently you have to put multiple coats of paint on and then you really don't know what it will look like until it is fired, we shall see. Hopefully it is adorable.

8. I have reorganized the office area in my house and am very excited about it. I love a good organizational system and thanks to Abbey's birthday present for me and me using the rest of the amazon gift card mom got me I now have a great system for organizing my small supply of scrapbooking materials. I think it will motivate me to craft more now that I can get to all my stuff easily. I love it!

9. Have I mentioned how much I love being a mom. At times it is frustrating but 99.9% of the time it is my favorite thing in the world.I love watching him learn new things, master new skills, and develop his own little personality. I miss Zane so much when I am at work and when I get home and am greeted by that perfect, happy, little boy face it is the greatest feeling in the world. I wish I could just be a mommy.

10. And last but in no way least Zach got the result of his Professional Engineering test Thursday and HE PASSED!!!! Hooray!!! This is a huge deal and I am unbelievably proud of him. He worked so hard, studying when I know he would have rather been playing with Zane, and it has all paid off. It was a tense month or so as we waited to get the news, but I am so happy for him. This will open so many doors for him in the future. Love you Zach!

 

Tornado update

So I have tornado updates on several fronts. First of all for my people here in MO, my family and friends in Oklahoma all survived yesterday's multiple tornadoes, though I think they came pretty close to my sister house. Hopefully she is looking into a tornado shelter soon, that is terrifying. Able live tweeted through it all but for some reason twitter wasn't working on my phone so I had to read them all today once I knew everyone was safe and sound. Mom gave me the updates on the damage today on her way home from Oklahoma City. Sounds like a lot of familiar places were hit, but all my loved ones are safe and sound.

Now for my Oklahoma people worried about me today amidst the crazy storms here today. I survived the tornadoes though I have to say being on the 12th floor of a hospital when tornadoes are being reported to be coming your way, is horribly scary. The tornado plan is to close the blinds, open the doors, and pray. I was once again acting as the tornado expert for the floor since I am the only person who has seen multiple tornadoes in real life. I reviewed the proper way to take cover if you don't have a basement and tried reassure people we were going to be fine, though there was a point when I looked out at the completely black sky and had my doubts. Amy and Zane camped out in the basement at home, but Amy did go outside briefly to collect a piece of the huge hail to freeze so she could show Zach and I. I'm scared to look at our roof.

There has been terrible weather pretty much everywhere I have family or friends in Missouri and Oklahoma over the past two days and by the grace of God everyone has come through it alive and without major damage to their homes. Also, Zach flew home from California while all this was going on as well and is home safely. We are so blessed!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Single parenthood continues, but with a reprieve thanks to Grammi's arrival this afternoon. Last night was rough. Zane fought going to sleep, complete with vomit and a poopy diaper in the midst of the battle. Then he woke up three times during the night, which hasn't happened in months. Hopefully tonight goes better because I have to work in the morning.

2. In good news Zach got done with his work in Cali early so he will be back tomorrow night. Hooray!!!

3. This afternoon Amy and I went to a Shiva, basically the Jewish version of a visitation except it happens after the funeral. It was for Zach's Aunt's mom who had had a long battle with several medical issues. I think Amy's brother Kent was happily surprised to see us and as usual Zane brought smiles to the faces of everyone in the room. He is good at that!

4. I am terribly saddened by the footage of the tornado damage in Joplin. Joplin is half way between Norman and Columbia so it was a meeting place for Zach and I when we were dating. Since we have been married it has served as the middle ground between my two homes. It is the perfect place to stop to get gas, beef jerky, caffeine, or chocolate in the middle of the night during a long drive home. Sometimes we even give in, stay the night, and drive the rest of the way the next day. I need to research a way to help, I am sure I could donate to the Red Cross. I will get back to you on that.

5. I am almost done with Zane's birthday banner, which I now thoroughly regret trying to make. It is going to be cute, but in no way was making it cheaper than buying it and it probably won't be as cute as what I could have bought. I like the idea of being crafty, but I think I like things arriving in that amazon box with the smile on it more. Much easier, lesson learned!

6. Yesterday Zane and I headed back to IL to visit my friend Michelle and her new baby boy. He is so little!! It took me back to the early days with Zane. What a horribly stressed filled time. I think I gave her a scary glimpse into her future as Zane crawled around her house destroying things and terrorizing her dog ( who he loved, but he wasn't exactly nice to). It was great catching up with Michelle and little Jamey is too cute!!

7. Look at this cute little bird that was hiding in our honey suckle. Mom what kind of bird is it?

8. Zane has entered a new phase of toddlerdom, climbing. This phase is horribly dangerous and I feel a skull fracture coming on. He climbs into and out of the laundry basket, up stairs, onto bookcases, into the tub, out of the tub,you name it. I wish he had just the slightest bit of fear.

9. I have fallen completely off the weight loss wagon and am highly depressed about it. Between mother's day celebrations, the trip home, my birthday, and Zach being gone I haven't exercised in about three weeks and am terrified to weigh myself. I feel like I have no plan about how to get back on track, though I know I have to. 

10. I am not confident that Zane is ever going to go to sleep tonight. He has been asleep and woken back up three times, vomited 2 times, one poopy diaper, and the epic battle continues. To quote my father "he is talking and he can't shut up." He also can't hold still. I started this post at 7:20 at which time I started trying to get him to go to bed. He currently is having some alone time in his crib, I have no confidence that this will work, but I'm out of ideas. Ok here I go... wish me luck!

SPOILER ALERT: In other exciting news Finn and Rachel got back together in the season finally of Glee, which brightened my day! It's all about the simple joys in my day! Hope you had a great one and hope all my Oklahoma people are safe from all the tornadoes going on there!

28th Birthday

Here is my view on birthdays. It is the one day each year that you should treat yourself to whatever makes you happy, but that you usually can't rationalize, within reason of course. The past two years my ritual has been spa day, Dad ( or mom and Dad last year) come to visit, ice cream cake, and something delicious for dinner. This year a few things changed, but I kept the same general idea. I  didn't really have a spa "day" per say. In an effort to not spend too much money I only got a massage instead of a massage and one or two other fun spa treatments, which is really what makes it a spa day. I went to a different spa because I had forgotten to schedule my day months in advance at the usual spa. The massage was good, but the atmosphere was more girls day out than spa ( if that makes sense).

In the morning, Zach, Zane, and I had gone to buy flowers, finally, after months of rain. This always turns out to be a more expensive trip and every year I vow that next year I will plant more perennials. After my spa trip we planted our  flowers, slightly rushed by the gloomy looking western sky. Zane ate large quantities of dirt while we worked in the garden and in the end it didn't even rain last night. This is because I didn't water in my new plants, had I given them a big drink it would have rained cats and dogs, it's a rule of nature. The flower beds are looking better, they just need a little mulch and possible some big flowery perennials to fill in the empty spaces.

After Zane's fun in the dirt it was time for some water play in the sink. I had originally just planned on washing his hands, but he was loving splashing in the water, and could use a thorough cleaning, so I stripped him down and let him go crazy. It was the cutest thing ever and it sealed the deal on a little kiddy pool for his birthday. We had grilled steak and asparagus for dinner, one of my favorite meals, followed by a miniture ice cream cake I picked up on my way home from the spa. That leads me to my second rule of birthdays, don't be ashamed to buy your own cake. I have called and ordered my own cake, complete with requesting Happy Birthday Audra to be written on it. That way you get exactly what you want, it's your day!

After dinner it was a normal evening, clean up baby, clean up toys, clean up kitchen, sweep the floors. Shower for the parents, play time downstairs ( where we learned the hard way Zane can climb stairs), and then Zach and I watched the documentary about how Paul McCartney actually died in a tragic car crash in the sixties and the huge cover up that followed. At first glance I laughed it off, but by the end I started to think that he might have actually died in a tragic car crash. It was entertaining if nothing else. Then we packed Zach up for his trip to California this week and hit the hay.

All and all not a bad birthday, though of course there was the sadness of dad being gone hovering over the day. I know that will get better, but I am pretty sure that at every big event or special day from now on there will be that sadness of dad missing it.

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, I had a good day! Now I'm onto my week of single parenthood. I am exhausted already and it is only Monday night.