The Neighbor

 Last year his yard had- not exaggerating- over 100 tree seedlings growing in his tiny back-yard (from the drain pipe to the tree in the middle of the mud).  Other neighbors dug those all out last fall but that just left a mudslide. After three years of being disgusted and frustrated by it, we finally decided to do something about it.

Before.

growing....growing...

Lawn.

I ran out of seed, so that little patch will have to wait until the fall. 

Something Fishy This Way Smells

Called the hospital and they said that they most definately didn't file it as that.  They will be calling my insuance company to see what is going on. 

...my gut says something to do with the big O-care changes that have taken place recently.

 

I'm trying VERY hard to stay off my soapbox right now.

Irony

Planned Parenthood is up in arms about loosing their Komen funding...which they claim is ignoring all their work they do to prevent breast cancer...
And yet Planned Parenthood promotes and distributes contraceptives...which increase the risk of breast cancer... it may be "slight" but the carcinogen level is the same as asbestos, tobacco, and solar exposure which most people take pretty seriously.

Wouldn't that be like a tanning salon getting upset for loosing funding for skin-cancer prevention?

TMI Day 3

Warning: this is a post about potty training! If talk of #1's and 2's bother you, or you think it's a silly thing to blog about, come back for another post.

1/12
8:00 diaper free

8:45-9, lots of potty dancing and positioning, but dry thus far.

9:30-9:35 lots of #1’s on the floor. Tantrum on the potty chair, but success in the end

9:35-12:15 lots of little #1’s on the floor. She has 10 oz of liquid in her and is NOT letting it go without a fight.

12:20 diaper on for a nap

1:00 woke up with a #2, but dry otherwise

I’m very frustrated at this point as I’m not getting washed/dressed/fed or any of the mounting laundry done, and nothing is getting put away. And my patience has run out.

2:35 she just gulped down 8 oz of water. I decide to give her her space. Within seconds I hear “Potty...(splash)...potty...(splash)” At least she knows what it’s called now, right?

2:48 #1 on my lap! I sit her on her the potty chair and say “No! we pee pee on the potty. Not on the floor.” To which she responds, “Mommy.” That’s right dear, or on mommy.

2:52 “Wa-wa (splash)” SERIOUSLY?! “PEE PEE ON THE POTTY!” I say ever so sweetly. To which she responds just as sweetly, “MORE (yogurt)!” I walk away, exasperated, to get the clean up stuff, come back and she stands up from the chair- and it’s full!!! “Wa-wa,” she tells me. “No sweety! That’s pee pee!” and I celebrate. She asks for more yogurt. I give her a cookie.

3:20 Showered and fully dressed (and diapered) baby. The diaper pile is just too high and stinks, I’ve got to return books to the library, and I’m pretty sure 3 more diaper free hours are not going to make an epiphany happen.

4:30 diaper hasn’t even been on for 30 minutes and it’s FULL. And leaking.

I don’t like failure. So, let’s just call this little experience chapter one; Introduction to Potty Training. We’ll continue the training at a later date...say, April or May?

In the mean time, underwear has a few other handy uses.

TMI Day 2

Warning: this is a post about potty training! If talk of #1's and 2's bother you, or you think it's a silly thing to blog about, come back for another post.

Ok, yes, this is a day late, but we couldn't find the camera cable. Better late then never!

1/11
6:15 Baby woke up with #2

8:00 Diaper free again

8:30 #1 on the floor- but she at least squatted this time!

8:45 the rest of previous #1 on the floor. This time mommy was a little firmer with the “Pee Pee on the potty” and baby actually sat on the potty for a minute, instead of protesting and immediately jumping off.

8:50 look over to see this
we read books while she did so for 10 minutes

9:05 while sitting on a pillow baby is reading a book and says “WAWA!!” within seconds, pointed to where she is sitting. Yes, that’s water on the pillow, thank you baby. Where is all this liquid coming from?!? A few dribbles did make it in the potty chair

*all pillows and blankets are removed from sitting level of baby*

9:10 took this picture


9:11 #1 soaks her leggings.

Obviously the extra liquids are working, but not sure I can keep this up all day

9:40 small #1 on the floor, but she finished on the potty chair!

10:00 wrapped up 15 minutes of reading books and playing while she sat on the potty

10:05 handed over to daddy so I could make breakfast

10:06 #1 on the floor

10:11 lifted leg and began to #1 on the floor. I’m beginning to think she thinks she’s a dog.

10:12 finished #1 on the potty chair

10:14 more #1 on the floor

10:20-10:41 lots of peeing on the floor, protesting and screaming. Early nap for baby!

11:31 baby wakes up Daddy takes over.

11:32 read books and drink milk

11:40 diaper off

1:00 mommy takes over again. lots of “CHEW!!!!” (Hold me!)

1:05 little #1 on the floor, but the rest made it on the potty! (with protesting)

1:30 baby came running to me yelling and then did a #1 on the floor. At least she’s anticipating it, right?

2:20 after pumping her full of water for an hour using this new favorite “cup” I knew she was holding it, caught the dribble and she made 90% in the potty chair! No complaining either! Just insisting on a cookie (she’d found a piece on the floor and wanted a whole one). I’m elated as I was considering giving up.

2:34 #1 on the floor. 2 steps forward, one step back

3:30 diaper on for a much needed 2nd nap. Note for other mom’s considering this- have some radio program on in the background as you will literally be following your child like they usually do you, and it’s as exciting as watching paint dry. And the moment you look away they will pee. They have a sensor. Also, do not even attempt any housework!

3:55 diaper free again (diaper was full)

4:45 shower with mommy. Within minutes I hear, “Mommy, Pee pee.” Since I was most certainly NOT peeing, you can guess who actually was. I told her it was ok and she continued playing happily.

6:30 diaper on for bedtime (note, baby did not actually go to sleep until 8, due to second nap. Will not be making the same mistake tomorrow!)

Adjustments for tomorrow:

Block off all rooms I am not in so as to avoid any run offs and maybe give me a little more visual freedom to look away. Proximity is key to catching it. I think.

TMI Day 1

Warning: this is a post about potty training! If talk of #1's and 2's bother you, or you think it's a silly thing to blog about, come back for another post.

I took three days off for this, and feel it's baby book worthy. So far it's been very comical, and is kind of what I was looking for when I was getting ready to start.

January 10th

8:30 Explanation in the shower went something like "No diaper today! Peepee on the potty!"

9:00 Diaper free

9:10 Squatting on the floor, scrambling of parents, protesting of baby, successful #2 in potty

9:15 Not so successful #2...in Sam’s words, it was, “Ucky.”

9:30 #1 on floor

9:55 First diaper-less fall to the ground. Mommy giggled as baby quickly stood up, grabbed her derriere and frowned “Ow!”

10:20 #1 on the floor- Sam insisted it was “Wa-wa”

11:50 Put diaper on for naptime

2:30 Growled at hubby for keeping Sam in a diaper after her nap while I was grocery shopping

5:00 #1 discovered a little too late, as most had been absorbed by socks

5:30 small #1 on the floor

5:45 the rest of previous #1 on the basement floor (at least she walked off the carpet to do it on the cement)

6:30 bedtime diaper

Adjustments for day 2:

• More liquids
• Salty foods to facilitate intake of said liquids
• More books and videos to encourage sitting on potty

Countdown

Some of you may have recently noticed a gadget I added at the bottom of my blog.

No?

Well, it's been there, nonetheless. I needed to put it somewhere, and I thought this would the perfect place. If finances are taboo for you, just don't go there...seriously, just avoid the bottom- that's why I put it there! Anyway, encouragement/ideas/congrats as we go along are welcome, but by no means expected. I thought it might add another dimension to the blog, and give me something to look back at when I feel like we've gotten nowhere!
So, here's where we stand today:

• about $1000 is medical

• the rest is student loans (I know, I know...)
  

• we hope to be done with most (if not all of it) before we move out of my parents' place (Mayish of 2012)