Just Some Thoughts

Just some random things I've been thinking about. I'm putting in some pictures of the boys when they got their new playground.

What is up with people thinking they can give non-baby food items to other people's babies? People, don't feed my baby junk...especially since you have NO idea if he's allergic to something. And let's not even talk about the choking hazard part of it all. Doritos are NOT for babies. Let's introduce him to the good foods first. He has his whole life to chow down on chips, do you really think he needs it at 6 months as well?

Of course, I've also heard other people having issues with this as well. It's not just me. Why is it that people want to see "how they react" and give them whatever they want? Does all common sense get thrown out the window when it comes to babies and new experiences?

Pink Eye is not fun. Especially when a two year old has it and just LOVES his little brother. However, we survived it. And Aiden never got it, so I'm pretty happy about that. Austin is back at school and we all got to go to a birthday party on Saturday, so that's a good thing. Now, giving a 2 year old eye drops 3-4 times a day is a different story. I'd rather not talk about that.

Do you think it's possible to just shovel out the contents of an entire house and start over? I feel like that's what I need to do at times. I feel like I am buried up to my ears in housework and organization that needs to be done. I just can't keep up with 3 boys, 2 dogs and a house all by myself. Spring is going to be bringing a yard that needs to be mowed too. Of course, I'm too cheap to hire someone to do a job that I am perfectly capable of doing myself. Especially when we have the size of yard that we have and I KNOW it will cost an arm and a leg to get it mowed for me. Yeah, way too cheap for that!

I LOVE our new playground. The boys have played on it everyday (when weather permits) and haven't tired of it yet. It's an awesome gift that we are so happy we were able to give them this year. We used to say that they probably would never have one this nice because we tend to move every 3-4 years. However, it's completely worth it. If we really wanted to, we could probably take it apart and move it with us. We'll have to see if we are up for that. :-)

The neighborhood kids all love it too. Good thing we have a tall fence and 2 dogs, otherwise I think I would look out there and see kids playing on it at all hours of the day. Most of the kids around here are afraid of our dogs though, so we don't have to worry about any of them coming in the yard without permission.

I'm hoping that by March 17, the politicians can come together and pass a bill that will keep the government operating temporarily. They have been basically arguing over budets since last Fall and if this bill doesn't pass, Brian and the rest of the military will be working without pay. Like my mother-in-law said..."they should stop being republicans and democrats and start being Americans." I'm praying that it gets resolved by the 17th, but definitely by April 1st. If it's hasn't been resolved, we will not be getting a paycheck. For us, we have a backup plan, but so many of our Soldiers and their families are literally living paycheck to paycheck and that is with the help of government programs like food stamps and WIC. Our military is already stressed as it is, let's not add no pay into this!

This happened before back in 1995, but the military was still payed back then. This time, the military is not exempt from it. Sure, once government funding is restored, we'll get backpay. That doesn't pay the bills that will be due on the 1st. I don't understand how they are letting this happen. I want to be grateful that my husband has a job and that he'll get paid (eventually) when there are so many others without jobs, but I don't see how these politicians can sleep at night knowing that our military could be putting their lives on the line FOR FREE. That they are being shot at, while their family tries to figure out how to keep the electricty on and the mortgage/rent paid when a paycheck wasn't issued. We'll see if this becomes a problem...and I pray that it won't. But it's still something that we have to plan for.

The unbelievable sights in Japan makes me sad. I tend to not watch the news...it's just a habit that I've had to have since Brian first deployed at the beginning of the Iraq war. I get a lot of the news online and this is no different. I watched a bit that first morning. I haven't been able to watch a whole lot because as it's a lot for me to handle...it's just too much for our kids. They are almost always in sight of the TV and so, it stays off. It doesn't completely prevent me from seeing what is happening and the devestation that just seems to keep on growing.

I can't imagine the feeling of losing my grip on my child in the water. I can't imagine not knowing how family is doing or the agony of wondering if they are dead or alive. I can't even blog about it much because my heart hurts for these people and I lose the words that I want to say. I pray for the people of Japan. That's the best thing I can do at this point.

Colten and Aiden are getting some shots tomorrow. I know they'll both be ok. I wish I could follow my alternate schedule of vaccines for Aiden. Since Brian is deployed, I knew there would be some days where I needed the kids to be in daycare. The military has Child Development Centers (CDCs) that have "hourly care." You reserve a block of time for your children and drop them off and pick them up at the end of that time. Basically, since military moves around a lot, it's hard to find good babysitters that can provide occasional childcare during the day. The CDCs require kids to be up to date on their vaccines. There is NO flexibility. I can't delay ANY of them at all. If I want to use the childcare, shots have to be given and they keep very careful track of that. It was a hard choice for me. I truly felt that the delayed schedule was really good for Colten and I really wanted that for Aiden. But, a healthy, happy mom means happy kids. If I was stressed all the time and didn't have a break, it would have affected everyone. I think it's an ok trade-off. I still hate that I had to make that decision though. And I am reminded of that everytime he has to go in and get a TON of shots.

For those wanting an update on the kids:

Austin is doing great in school. He seems to be well-liked by pretty much everyone. A couple of girls like him a little more than just friends and he is pretty embarrassed by that. He has been seizure free since being put on his medication back in September. We are very thankful for that! He has increased his dose lately because the neurologist doesn't want him to grow out of his dosage. We think that his medicine affects his moods a bit and we saw more outbursts and mood swings with the increase, but I am hoping it's evening out now that his body has had time to get used to it. The behavior really hasn't crossed into school, though, so we are happy about that. Austin is looking forward to baseball season and warmer weather so he can play outside with his friends more.

Colten is a character. He makes me laugh so much. He's an awesome big brother and hugs and kisses on Aiden daily. Colten started speech therapy recently and is doing EXCELLENT! He goes twice a week and loves his therapist. He's saying a TON more words now. Colten listens so much better than Austin did at this age. Sure, he has his 2 year old moments, but I think you can reason with him a little better. Colten also seperates from me really easily. I drop him off at church nursery or hourly care and he just says bye to me and walks right in. He is just SO social! He knows NO stranger and I think that if I wasn't watching, he would just go home with someone else! Colten has also started gymnastics recently and has so much fun with that!

Aiden is 6 months old now! I can hardly believe that! He is, thankfully, not as mobile as Colten was at this age. He sure does love to smile, though! Everyone always comments on his cheeks and he just smiles away at them. Yep, another kid who knows no stranger! Aiden isn't sleeping through the night, though. That is something I am working on though. He does nap very well and has gotten a TON better in the car. He used to just scream through the whole car ride and now he just sits there. Sometimes he cries, but it's not anything we can't handle! Aiden recently started solid foods, but isn't as good at eating. He still had a lot of tongue thrust and just didn't quite get it when it came to eating from a spoon. He's getting better though and he really likes his acorn squash! He's going to start on other foods this week and I'm hoping he gets easier to feed soon! Aiden hasn't started any sports, but he's looking forward to watching his brothers do theirs!

Ok, now I'm going to bed. Hope you enjoyed the pictures...even if you didn't read a word I wrote!