um.... never trust a naked baby

so- as the title states i was a bit too trusting of noah's diaperless butt- and i paid for it. not as bad as it could have been- but a giant wet spot on my couch none the less. that's right..... wet. poor thing is cutting two more molars and drooling to beat the band. with that comes a nasty diaper rash that he has had only once before. since he seems to have super sensitive skin we take the daily precautions and change often, wear "super duper diaper doo" religiously and can only wear pampers- but in return we have warded off that nasty diaper rash. usually. well, i gave him a bath last night and followed the dr's instructions. "after his bath just let him be naked for awhile. the air is the best remedy for diaper rash. he will probably have peed already in the tub and so the chance of him peeing again is slim. keep a close eye and all will be well." not the case here at our house. i left him alone hanging next to the couch for 5 seconds only to come back around the corner to find him peeing on the couch side and the floor- a lovely addition to our decor. i write this just so i never forget it. there is a picture- which i think i can probably scrapbook after some creative editing- but would be borderline baby porn if i put it on the internet. plus.... i think you outgrow the cute naked pics by age one- right?? none the less- i can laugh about it now. plus he just looked so innocent and happy- chewing on his shampoo bottle. (we pick our battles :) oh well, another memory i wouldn't have without my sweet baby noah that i know will always make me smile. have a great day.

bunko night!

bunko girls- absolutely love them! we meet only once a month and i can't hardly wait for each one of them. this great game with dice that allows us to talk the entire time is fantastic- who wouldn't love it?? in the summer and in december we set the game aside and have a much deserved girls night out. this time we hit up the cheesecake factory down at the plaza. great food and great conversation- how could one go wrong? there are a few girls that couldn't make it and we greatly missed them! we have had our bunko group line up since april of '06. we have had lots of changes in the last year and a half..... new babies, new houses, new friendships...... and lots of fun. some nights are calmer than others- but it's true- we can liven things up once in awhile- especially at lauren's crazy place. giddy-up stephanie!

christmas at crown center

i have never been down to crown center during the holidays so i was really excited to go on thursday with some friends from work and their kiddos last week. it was crazy busy and a little hard to keep track of everyone but it was a lot of fun. noah even sat on santa's lap for long enough to snap a picture..... no smiles or anything- but better than what we got last time we tried! noah loved the crayola soft play area and didn't want to leave at all. not such a fan of the train ride around the christmas tree though. he sat on ian's lap and made it about a lap and a half and then was pouring buckets of tears. they actually had to stop the train and let him off and then continue along. fortunately he got over it and we continued on. i think they all had a pretty good time and there were few tears- so it was a success, right? we have got a busy few weeks ahead of us so hopefully i can keep all things in perspective- and my sanity- before it's all said and done. be back later.

still not sleeping

ok- well- as i sit here on the couch watching 'the polar express' (a favorite of mine- love it) i am wide awake. so, i remembered that i had some pics of noah that i could share. he has found a new "toy" he pulled out shortly before thanksgiving that he can't be without. he carries it everywhere, even tries to eat it several times a day. i feel slightly bad for the snowman and friends from hallmark. some may recognize this piece of decor- you had to buy three cards and pay 12.95 last year to get it. hallmark..... they get me everytime i am in there! anyway- it plays jingle bell rock when you press the button which noah mastered turning on and off on day one. aaron loves it! however, the carrying it around has taken some practice. he's pretty steady on those wobbly feet most of the time, but give him some extra weight and the balance is all off. the photos are of him and his new carry along friends. he stared at me evey time he tried to bite it- i think looking for me to tell him no- but what's a little furry tree gonna do to anyone :) i'm off again to bed- and if i can't sleep this time i am going to watch ELF, another favorite. i mean- seriously- i start watching these movies in anticipation for christmas around july- you would think i might be sick of it! but- no- not really........

still awake....

it's no shocker that i am still awake. this working nights thing is great in theory. less time away from noah, more time to spend with him- it's like i am hardly away from him- which i love. the "best of both worlds" is what i hear people refer to it as (i don't think they live in both worlds). however, the trade off for this is pure exhaustion. my body simply can not adjust to the back and forth that working nights and living days requires. even though i only work two nights a week- it is still so challenging. however, my other option is far less appealing and thus i will stay on the night shift and maybe i can learn to make myself go to sleep..... at least we have power tonight- which is 100% better than what we had last night. since we live where it doesn't snow so much- it just "ices"- we get to deal with lots of ice- and usually it seems to be all at one time. we spent last evening at my parents house to keep warm since they had power- and we didn't (did i already mention that??) we had a great meal thanks to my mom and then i headed to work and everyone else played some pool and the wii- which is totally addicting for those who have never played before! it sounded like they had a lot of fun. we are so very lucky to have family so close to us. noah and i are heading down to crown center tomorrow morning with some gals from work and their kiddos for some much needed "out of the house play time." for anyone in the area who has been there, i think it is such a great place at christmas time. so very festive and all lit up- i can't help but walk around feeling great. i can even ignore the shoves from those too busy to enjoy it, the dirty looks from people who can't stop to enjoy the true excitement of little children and the crowded walkways- i just love this time of the year. i hope that my children can grow up to know what christmas is really about- and i hope that i can teach them the same values that we were taught growing up. i love the extra time spent with family and friends, the tree, the lights- i could go on and on. for those of you who know me well i know you are not surprised to read this at all! i promised myself i would attempt to go to sleep at 12:55 and so i better stick to it. maybe i can get a load of laundry folded first...... thanks for checking in with us!

well, the excitement of the snow has worn off, as we are now in the middle of what promises to be a wonderful sheet of ice in the end. yes, thus is winter in kansas. i so miss the SNOW, although it is nice that winter ends before may.... only have two projects left to finish so that rocks! had a busy weekend working- no fun- but it wasn't too bad there so works out in the end i guess. plus, it gives aaron and noah some one on one time which i think they enjoy. it makes for along weekend for aaron- but i know he will look back and be glad he had this time with him (i hope anyway!) above are some pics from when we headed out in the little bit of snow we did get a few days ago. the jacket, yes a bit big, but hoping it lasts all year- maybe into next! because the jacket is a little big, he has trouble walking- and may have face planted a few times- but didn't seem to mind. it wasn't very warm so we didn't stay out long, but long enough for him to get wet and eat a little snow. hope everyone has had a great weekend- be back soon!

finally some snow!

it finally snowed here! i have been waiting and waiting- since last year really. i worked last night and got to sleep a little late thanks to my mom and woke up to a bright white snow covered yard. noah- he's not so sure about the snow. my step-dad terry brought some in to him on a plate and he wanted nothing to do with it. i'll post the pics tomorrow of him outside. however, because it was on a plate, he may have thought i was going to make him eat it. he absolutely refuses anything that is wet and textured. the struggle continues in our lives to get this child to eat anything other than baby food. unless it is grilled cheese- forget it! bring on the jars is what he says (in his own language of course). you would think that he would be tired of the same old food all the time- i mean really- there isn't that much variety out there. most foods he won't even try to like. so frustrating! since day one feeding my child has been one struggle after another. seems to work out in the end though so i guess we'll let him decide when he wants to switch over to "real food." not that he is starving by any means.... terry reminds me often that he could live on his thighs alone for at least a week. so, much as we do with the bath, we keep trying! what else can you do? thanks to the weather it finally feels like christmas time. i even finished up the majority of the shopping i had left to do. feels good! can't wait to get together with our families and see everyone. even in the mass chaos that almost always encompasses the holidays i cherish each moment. i just love the sound of the kids running around and playing and catching up with family. still finishing up those christmas gifts i need to make so i better sign off. ta-ta for now as my grandpa always said!

i'm in ..... (i think)

ok, so as of the first post i guess i have decided i love this deal..... i have put together several blogs in my mind already. as i do the day to day things i think of all these things i should be saying as i go along. tonight for example, as some of you may know, it is a challenge to give my child a bath. he hates the tub, hates the bath ring, hates all things that are not the sink. how did this happen??? anyway, i persevere, and continue to try the tub, much like i continue to try real people food, (an entirely different story) and tonight he actually seemed to enjoy it. not sure exactly what has changed. my technique is the same, the toys are the same, water temp the same..... it goes on and on. anyway what is important here is that he actually liked it. i don't even care why at this point. these are some pics showing how much he actually liked it. i am as shocked as you!! none the less- hopefully this will be our new bath location- otherwise we are going to have to find a bigger sink for our kitchen. goodnight all......

first post

well this is the first post. who knows if i will keep this up! a few of my friends have started one- and so i thought i would give it a try. seems strange to journal for all to read- but maybe i'll like it. we'll see how much nap time allows me to do this. isn't that how it works though- for me anyway- i am racing around trying to get all things done in the 1-2 hours that my little one sleeps. what i would really love to do is nap myself, or work on the many christmas gifts i have envisioned making this year. better get on it though, headed out to see santa claus at the mall when he wakes up with my mom. why do i feel the need to do this each year? the question remains- will he actually sit there? he was so little last year, and i know my niece has never liked to see him and she is 4. we'll have to wait and see!