Promised Pictures

Here are a few of the pictures I promised myself I would get on here before Thursday (when Granny checks the blog!):

This is Brianna feeding herself yogurt:

Can't miss a drop:

Do I have something right here?

Brianna laying on Hunter laying on Daddy!

Her new favorite activity:

It's exhausting being a baby:

Going to the park!

Hunter's not impressed:

Watching Jeopardy with daddy:

Weekend

Last night during one of Hunter's feedings, I spent 45 minutes writing a blog about last week's happenings. When I hit "Publish" an error message popped up and my whole blog was deleted. I guess it didn't autosave for some reason that whole time. That is SO frustrating! And now I have no clue what I wrote about exactly so you will get an extremely condensed version as a rewrite. Sorry about that.

Tuesday morning, Brianna, Hunter and I ventured to CFA for the first time to meet up with Jenn and Claire. As soon as we walked in, the girls behind the counter ran over to see Hunter. The first thing most of them said was, "Has your sister had hers yet??" Nope. It turned out to be the most civilized date we've ever had there, in my opinion. Neither girl stood up in her seat, neither girl screamed bloody murder, Hunter slept the whole time, Jenn and I actually got to eat, it was all good! After about an hour we headed off to the play area. Claire immediately toddled off to play with the other kids while Brianna was content to sit in Jenn's lap and "bask in the warm glow" from the sun shining in the window.

Wednesday we went to mom's for lunch as usual. Dad was in Georgia visiting family, so Hunter and Kitty Cat were the men of the house. In other words it was a good thing we didn't end up needing a man for anything! Mom was going to watch Bri so I could go to work but Stephen thought she had an ear infection. I didn't think she did but all I could think was I didn't want to be the mom who refused to take her to the doctor only to find out weeks later she had a terrible infection. (She ended up being perfectly healthy by the way.) Better safe than sorry.

Friday, Leila, Lauren and Josh came into town. Stephen took a couple of hours off work and took Josh hunting. Lauren told me that she wanted to take Brianna to the park. I had planned on working on stuff for Fed By Faith but I had also been telling Stephen for weeks before Hunter was born that I wanted to take Bri to the park. Every day we had a chance to go was either too hot, too cold or too rainy. Then after Hunter was born it just became too difficult because it's a 20 minute drive to a nice park, 20 minute drive home, so after about 20 minutes of play time Hunter is ready to eat. I don't think it's smart to try to feed him and let Brianna run around a playground unattended, so it just hadn't happened. I really wanted to be there when she went to the park so I decided to put off the FBF stuff for another day and go with them. I got lots of pictures and she had a very nice time!

Saturday everyone else was going to play softball with our church so I took the opportunity to go to the church to finish packing for FBF for this month. Within about three hours I had finished up and done some shopping for FBF too. I love getting things done and not having to worry about them anymore. We ate out at Hickory Tavern that evening and also went to Belk to get Brianna a winter jacket.

In the middle of the night I came down with mastitis. I had it with Bri, so I knew exactly what was happening. By the time morning rolled around I had gotten about three hours of sleep and the fever was starting to come on so I knew I definitely wasn't going to make it to church. The problem was getting a prescription on a Sunday! After everyone left the house I started making phone calls. I called Labor & Delivery and it turned out that one of the doctors from my office was there. She kindly believed my self-diagnosis and called in a prescription. I was able to get it just a couple of hours later, fortunately, because within a few hours my fever was up to 101. After just a couple of doses of medication though, it was back down to normal.

Also on Sunday I went back to Belk because when I bought Brianna's winter jackets I didn't use my two 20% off coupons! I know! Leila said she couldn't believe I forgot to use a coupon but my excuse was I'm not used to retail coupons. :) So I took them back to return them and re-purchase them with the coupon. Hey, it was almost $10 I got back! While I was there, though, I had the worst customer experience ever.

There were about five of us in line. I was talking to the woman in front of me in line (Hunter is a hot topic of conversation in stores) when we were suddenly distracted by the customer at the counter raising her voice to the girl behind the counter, Casey. I guess she was trying to ship something and didn't have the zip code. Casey was trying to explain to her that she didn't have any way to look up the zip code and that the woman needed to have that information when she came into the store. The woman started yelling about "customer service" and why didn't she just call "zip code directory". Well, I'm not even sure there is such a thing as zip code directory. Casey said, "Sure, I'll call zip code directory. What's the number for that?" The customer said, "Well, I don't know - that's YOUR job!!!" After lots more yelling the customer said, "Why don't we just call 411. Just do that!" Casey called 411 but of course, they only do phone numbers, not zip codes. The customer finally said, "Look, why don't we just call your manager up here!" Casey said, "I would be HAPPY to do that!" She called the manager who said exactly the same thing Casey had been saying all along but the customer kept yelling so finally Casey just asked the manager to come up front. Once the manager got there the customer continued complaining in a very rude tone with lots of finger pointing at Casey. Finally the manager offered to call 411 to see if they could find the zip code that way (she didn't know Casey had already tried that). The woman said, "FINALLY I am getting some help. That's ALL I have wanted this whole time! SHE was so rude!" Well at this point I had had it with this woman. There is no reason to speak that way to someone, so I said, "Excuse me, but the girl behind the counter DID call 411 and they don't do zip codes." Then the woman in front of me said, "That girl has been NOTHING but polite to this customer" and the woman behind me stepped up and said something as well! The manager smiled at all of us and offered the customer to go to another register so they could try to figure something out. Casey profusely thanked all of us for speaking up. I just felt like if I didn't say something it would be condoning that kind of behavior. Later the manager came back over and Casey said she was glad that we spoke up so the manager wouldn't think she was actually rude to the customer. The manager said she knew Casey and she knew customers like that and she knew who to believe. It's nice to have a boss who believes in you! Anyway, that whole episode just exhausted me and made me so angry! I can't believe some people.

Okay, believe it or not that was the short version of the blog I wrote yesterday. And here are some pictures I wanted to put up - I should be putting more up soon!

Brianna loves to practice good hygiene:

Stephen has taught Brianna to give him five and then "pound" fists or do "knuckles". Here she is trying to do knuckles with Hunter - he just happened to have his fist balled up already!

Giving daddy high five:

Teaching Hunter to do high fives:

This is when she pats him and says, "Awwwww, baby!"

Brianna's beautiful dress from her Nenah!

More pictures coming!

September Goals

Yeah, yeah, I know it's almost the END of October, but I never posted about my September goals! As listed here, I created goals for September that I wanted to accomplish. Let's see how I did...

• $100 grocery budget - CHECK!
• 4 new recipes - CHECK!
• 5 books read and out of the house - CHECK!
• $10 sold on eBay - CHECK!
• organize 500 coupons - CHECK!
• hang all of Hunter's NB-3 month clothes - CHECK!
• box up all of Bri's NB-9 month clothes - CHECK!
• box up all kids older clothes (like 2T+) - CHECK!
• clean out underwear drawer - CHECK!
• make X amount of money - CHECK!

I did reach every goal in September. Although, barely the grocery budget - I spent $99.83! Whew, that was close.

My underwear drawer, like my sock drawer (an August goal) was out of control. I didn't take a picture, but here is what I found in my drawer:

• 1 - pair of boxers
• 3 - belts
• 6 - nursing pads
• 7 - old bathing suits
• 7 - pairs of panties that got thrown away
• 102 - pairs of panties that were kept

Looks like I don't need to buy any underwear in the future...

I didn't set any goals for October, which is great since I'm obviously behind on everything! I did want to stay under $100 for budget but I'm not even sure that's going to happen. We'll see!! I'll probably get back on track in November.

Lots of Stuff

Man, it has been a crazy few days! Seems like we are never sitting down and there is always something going on! Which is the way I like it, after all.

Brianna had her 18-month doctor's appointment last Thursday, just two days after Hunter's 2-week appointment. It was easy breezy. Hunter slept through the whole thing and Brianna did great. She was very shy, but didn't cry. I'll take shy any day. She now weighs 22 pounds, 10 ounces and was 30 inches long. She's just about in the 25th percentile so she is moving up and right on target!

Thursday night Joy came over after work. She brought goodies for Brianna and Hunter, and by the end of the night was rewarded by a big smooch on the lips from Bri! That is very rare - Bri doesn't just throw around those kisses. We had a great time just hanging out and chatting.

Saturday morning, Stephen was working, so I took the kids to the Our Savior Lutheran yard sale where we met up with mom and dad. I bought several goodies, including clothes for 25 cents, some 25 cent books, and some Secret Sister gifts which I can't talk about! After the yard sale we went to 195. Hunter slept the whole time (he's so easy to please right now!) and although Brianna was a bit antsy, she didn't have a tantrum or anything and that's really all I can hope for. Unfortunately Stephen had to work until 8 that night (he found out late that afternoon...), so I ended up taking the kids to the store for probably the dozenth (????) time over a three day period. I've been going kind of crazy with some great deals that have been going on as well as Fed By Faith shopping.

Sunday I didn't make it to church. Stephen was working and Hunter was eating so we just hung out around the house. We went to mom and dad's for lunch, particularly for the fact that Granny and Granddaddy were coming to lunch. We stayed all afternoon and it was great! Very relaxing for me, not so relaxing for everyone who had to follow Brianna around entertaining her/being entertained!! When we got home around 4:30 or so, we all CRASHED! Bri crashed in her crib, Stephen crashed on one couch (he got home early from work since he had to work late the night before), and Hunter and I crashed on the other couch. It was the best nap EVER. We woke up just in time for Stephen to get Brianna ready for evening church. I couldn't go because of feeding Hunter again. That seems to be a common theme as to why I miss out on many events...

This morning I had to get Bri up for Mom's Morning Out. I let her sleep in and eat her breakfast in the car, hoping the sleep would mean she wouldn't be cranky at MMO. I never got a call to go pick her up so I'm guessing she was fine! I ran a couple of small errands and took Hunter to work for about an hour. After picking Brianna up, I thought she would need a nap but like last week, she was way too keyed up to sleep. We ate lunch and went to pick mom up for a trip to the grocery store. Afterward, back at mom and dad's house - Jenn and Claire showed up! Jenn and I were able to hang out with Hunter while mom and dad chased around after Brianna and Claire. Nice.

I keep being interrupted by a grunting son who wants to be fed and then falls asleep. So I'm going to cut off this post, gather him up, and grab a few hours of sleep while I can. I have a tendency to not go to bed with the rest of my family (I love getting things done in those late, late, QUIET hours!) and it's starting to catch up with me! We have a very busy week ahead of us too. So, to bed I go.

Quick Update

Quick update on life while Hunter is napping and Brianna is playing with a box of brown sugar and a strainer. You take what you can get, right?

Last Friday we realized our time with Stephen at home was running short, so we made plans for all of us to go to the church so I could work on Fed By Faith stuff. A little before we were planning on leaving, Kathy called and said she was around town, and would we like her to pick Brianna up? Yes! So within a few minutes, Brianna was headed off with Kathy to see Grandpa Talbert and Grandma Betty. Stephen, Hunter and I headed off to church. Within about an hour and a half I was able to pack up pretty much everything possible for our two families we are adopting in October. We ran out to Tokyo Express on the way home because Stephen had been hinting not so subtly all week how good Japanese would be. Once we got home, Kathy, Steve and Betty all came over with Brianna. I was glad to get something accomplished for FBF!

Saturday, Cindy and Kimberly came over around lunchtime to meet Hunter and play with Brianna. I was glad they got to come but it definitely made me LONG for the days when I can bring him out in public more, and especially back to church. Not sure how much longer I am going to last with that.

Jenn and Claire came over for a play date, which was so much fun! It's so incredible to have someone so close whose child is going through the same issues as your child. I think we both feel like there is hope that both girls will eventually outgrow their climbing issues, standing up when they shouldn't, etc. It makes things more bearable for me.

That evening Stephen went hunting for the third time that week. He went Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings from about 2:30 to 7:30 or 8:00. It gave me a little taste of what it would be like when he went back to work and gave him some quiet time! I am used to these rugrats but he was about ready to go back to work I believe. :) Unfortunately he didn't get anything any of the times he went.

Sunday, since Hunter and I didn't go to church, I cooked barbecue chicken and homemade macaroni and cheese for lunch. I NEVER have lunch ready when we get home from church so I knew it would be a nice surprise for Stephen. It was delicious!

Yesterday Stephen had the day off - federal holiday - but I told him I wanted to take Brianna to MMO because I needed to practice having Hunter too. He gladly took the opportunity to go hunting again! When we got to the church I said to Bri, "You wanna go play?" She vigorously nodded and said, "Uh huh!" But once we got to the other kids she clung to my leg and cried! I told the woman in charge that she was probably going to have a tough time, what with Stephen not being around and stuff (she's quickly become more of a daddy's girl if that's possible). I dropped Hunter off at mom and dad's, went to Rite Aid, went back to mom and dad's to feed Hunter, and then went to work for about 45 minutes. When I went to pick Bri up it turned out the woman said this had been her best week so far, that she hadn't seemed sleepy at all, which is usually her problem. In fact, last week when Stephen went to pick her up she was asleep in the lap of Kathryn, so she must have been utterly exhausted.

We hung around the house last night since it was technically Stephen's last day home (although he's home every night) and then went to Dairy Queen to celebrate.

This morning Hunter had his two week appointment - already!! He weighs 8 pounds which is great because they just wanted him to be back at his birth weight. I'm tellin' you, he eats very consistently, so I'm not really surprised. Everything checked out great. Mom came with us as crowd control for Brianna, fortunately.

After Hunter's appointment, I took the kids to Walgreens for the first time by myself. I got several, "You had that baby already!?" from the employees, who know us well. They both did incredibly well which I am so happy about! Then we went to the Post Office because I was feeling positive. They did great there, too.

Now we are home, just relaxing, freezing zucchini, clipping coupons, cleaning up a bit, etc. Brianna's on my lap right now, putting chapstick on my lips and receiving lots of smooches from me. It's a good life.

Pictures

Last night church was canceled, so we went on our first neighborhood walk as a family! (Hunter is the burrito in the back)

After our walk it was still really nice outside, so Hunter did this:

And Brianna and Daddy did this:

Beware: she loves to flick your lip and go "Pbbbbbt!" or "B-b-b-b-b-b" (those are the best descriptions I can come up with)

Loving on Hunter:

Oma had her hands full when she stayed with us!

She loves trying on anyone's shoes... no matter what size:

There is nothing cooler than feeding yourself!

Here she says, "All gone!"

Daddy gave her her first M&Ms: (much messier in real life than the picture shows!)

You can see from this picture that Brianna went and found three pacifiers and then walked around with one in her mouth and two in her hands. She would switch out her paci every few minutes. I guess they taste different.

The first time Brianna had muscadine grapes! Although I did eat a few, most of these are truly what she ate:

This is what she wanted to wear this day. She walked around like this for hours until we had to leave the house and I made her put on a real outfit. I'm a mean mommy.

Bri loves This Little Piggy and wanted to help me play with Hunter :)