Much better day....

 It was a much better day. There were no nightmares, and no plumbing issues. I got the dogs out in time, so there was no pee in my floor. Thank God! It was all around a great day! My friend whose wedding we attended stopped by with her husband today for a visit. I really enjoyed it. It was the first time he and I had a chance to really talk, and get to know each other. I already liked him because she was happy, but after getting to know him, I like him because he is a great guy.

 I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog, but we are going to Sea World!! We are going sometime next month. My original plan was August 9th-August 12th, but seeing as how that will be the week after I have my toe nail removed, I might have to push that date back. Davis is so excited! We plan on doing the family adventure thing where we get to feed a dolphin. That is what he is most excited about.

 Davis and I made a deal with the whole going to Sea World. He has to try every new food put in front of him. The first time he refuses, and doesn't try a bite, we don't go. I am very serious about this. He refused to even try his dinner Sunday, and so we told him no Sea World. He got up from the table, and said " Fine, I'm not going." Jay told him that he was still going without Davis, and he was going to pet a dolphin. Davis tried the whole reverse psychology on us, and after a few minutes of that he finally came to me, and said " Mommy, I want to go to Sea World, and feed a dolphin." I told him what he had to do, and he did it. As of now he has tried everything put in front of him, and the trip to Sea World is still on. For now.......

 Well, folks that's it for tonight. I am worn out. It is time for bath and bed.

Talk to you guys later.

 

Oh what a day.....

 Today started off great, not... I woke up around 5:30 to the sound of Jay's alarm going off. I was thankful to wake up because I was in the middle of a nightmare. I dreamed that I was watching a possession movie (which I never do), and they were performing a ritual. They threw the stuffed animals out of the room, so they wouldn't get possessed. Well, a bear that looks just like Davis' got thrown, but didn't make it out the room, and ended up possessed. I went from watching the movie to being in it, and it was just freaky. Low and behold when I woke up Davis, and that bear was in the bed. I will never look at that bear the same way.

 Well if that wasn't enough I discovered that the toilet was knocked loose this morning, and I had to call the plumber. He arrived, and struggled to fix it. It was not looking good there for a minute. I was scared he wasn't going to be able to fix it. Two and a half hours later, along with $333 it was fixed. Jay wasn't too happy about it, but I reminded him that's why we have savings.

 While we were waiting for the plumber to come, I needed to do some cleaning before he got there. I put off taking out the dogs, so that I could get it all done. I swept, and mopped. I failed to remember the fact that Boudreaux is on steroids, and he REALLY needed to go. So, after I finished mopping my floors, and they were all dry, and fresh, he peed. Like a gallon! It caught me off guard, so I of coursed shouted out his name which caused him to go to his hiding spot behind the chair. Yeah...he was walking, and peeing. Looking back now he was 2 feet away from the front door, I should have just opened it. He is good about coming when called. Instead I stood there listening to him pee. Which felt like a good 3 minutes. I had to mop all over again. I felt so bad for him because I could tell he was embarrassed.

 The highlight of the day was my doctor's appointment. I am having my toe nail removed. I know what you're thinking " that was the highlight?" It was. I have lived with the hideous toe nail for years. I was told it is called a ram's horn. It's gross. While there I saw my supervisor from Penny's. It was so good to see her.You don't realize how much you miss somebody until you see them. She got on me about slacking with my blog post,lol! 

 I had to take Davis with me to the doctor's office. I was a little nervous about this because we are not patient people. We are more instant gratification kind of people. He did awesome! He played around in the waiting room, and quieted down when I asked him too with no arguments. I brought his leap frog I pad thingy (I'm so tech savy), and while we were in the room he played with it. He sat there so quietly that you wouldn't even know he was there. I was one proud mama!

 Well that is all to report today. I will try my hardest to put a blog up tomorrow night. 

 Talk to you guys later

 

Hey.....

 Long time no talk. I don't have any excuses. I was basically just slipping, but I am back. There isn't anything really to report. I know, boring right? Yeah, I agree. How have you guys been doing? Anything exciting to report? Any fun vacations? We are thinking about planning one here soon.

 I ended up not having to go back to work. Jay got a raise, and it was just enough to cover the cost of school. I struggled with the decision, and going back just didn't feel right. Something just kept telling me don't do it, and now I know why. I felt bad saying no after I showed so much interest, but it just wasn't the right decision. I still have my fingers crossed that Davis will be able to attend the Mother's Day Out fall program. He has loved going this summer, so for him to be able to attend the fall/spring would be awesome. I would send him 3 days a week instead of 2. I could probably send him 4 days, and it would still be cheaper than the private school. It actually is cheaper. It is about half the cost.

 I have been waiting for about a year for the banquet chef position to open up out here, so that Jay could transfer home. Well, it finally opened up (the chef left), and they promoted the sous chef..... Now I am waiting for the Steak House chef position to open up. I am over trying to sell the house, and moving. It is taking too long for me. I am more of an instant gratification kinda girl.

 Today was kind of rough. Davis has been loving a show, and has been wanting to watch it all day. Did I mention there are only 2 episodes of this show? Yeah, I scrubbed my bathroom floor just to get away from it. That's when you know it's bad. I guess it's a good thing though. My bathroom was starting to smell like "boy". 

 Well that's it for today. I am just dragging. I always stay so tired during the summer time. I guess it's the heat. 

 Talk to you guys later.

Soggy shoes....

  Happy Hump Day everybody! Today was a wet one. I once again have an inch of standing water in certain spots of my yard. One of those spots just happens to be outside my back door. Every time I had to go out back I got a shoe full of water. I tell you there is nothing worse. Well, except of course wet jeans. Yeah, wet jeans are probably number 1.

  The dogs of course have to go splashing through the water when they go out to potty. They break out in a full run with me standing there yelling "Get out of the water!" Then when we come back inside they track leaves, blades of grass, and dirty water through my house. It is so gross. I sweep up all of the bits and pieces, but I won't mop until Friday. It wouldn't make any sense since they will have to go back out in it tomorrow.

  I ventured out to the store today between storms. Davis drank the last of his juice yesterday, and Krogers had the Minute Maid half gallon juice on sale for a $1.00. It is a good deal, and the juice is good. It's in the dairy section, and comes in a carton. While I was there I ran into a former employee of Jay's. She is actually a family friend. We chatted for a little while. We were "those people" you know the ones who stand in the middle of the aisle? I dislike those people. At least I would move, or ask if I was in the way. After talking for a little while we both had to go, and walked to the check out together. On our way I looked through the sliding glass doors, and saw that the sky had once again opened. I decided to hang out a bit longer. After it slacked down I checked out, and headed to the Red Box kiosk. There it was, The Great and Powerful Oz, I was so excited. I cannot wait to watch it. Davis finally gave in to sleep, but it is late. I might wait, and watch it in the morning. I was so excited when this movie came out. I of course ruined it though, and went on wikipedia to read the spoilers. I'm sure it will still be great.

  Well that's it for tonight. I am pretty tired, and I still need to clean my kitchen. Jay won't be home until next Friday night. Yeah, it seems like forever away.

  Talk to you guys later.

My NICU Story.......

  As promised a few weeks ago here is my NICU story......

  I didn't wake up from the surgery, and all until about 5:30p in the evening on Tuesday. So, I didn't see Davis for the first time until Tuesday night. They wheeled me in the NICU up to his isolette . The nurse greeted me, and asked if I wanted to hold him. As soon as she touched him he began to cry. She said he preferred to be left alone. I knew that much was true because he was like that in the womb. He was crying when she put him in my arms, and I said " It's alright Davis". He immediately stopped crying, and gazed in my direction. It was like he was thinking "I know you. Where have you been?" I was instantly in love.

  

   The first couple of days went great until that Friday morning when I called to see how his night was. His nurse told me that he had 4 out of the 6cc's of food left over from his last meal. They put a feeding tube in through their noses or mouths down to their stomachs, and feed them through a syringe. Before the next meal they "suction" I guess is how you would say it to see how much of the food digested. That morning he only digested 2 cc's. His breathing had also taken a turn for the worse, and he had to be put on a ventilator. That was a bad day. I spent the whole day crying. 

  That night he was in worse shape. His heart rate was dropping. His oxygen levels, even though he was on a ventilator, were low. He was turning gray. I cannot express in words the feelings, and emotions I felt when I thought my baby was dying.  I had only known him for 5 days, but it was the most wonderful 5 days there ever was. When we left that night we didn't know if he would be there in the morning. I cried all the way home. I called my Dad, and told him what was going on, and he told me to pray. I took a shower, and as I getting out the doctor called. Come to find out Davis' pic-line IV came out, and he wasn't getting any of his medicines, or IV fluids. A pic-line IV is an IV that they put into a major artery, so that they don't have to keep sticking him. The possibility of that happening is so rare that they didn't even think to check for it. They only noticed it because his arm was swollen from the fluid going in his arm, and not the artery. My luck I tell ya. After they put it back in he was fine. He had weened himself off of the ventilator by that Monday.

  Two days after our big scare my Dad came to visit. He arrived that Sunday morning, and we headed off to the hospital. He was so proud of Davis. We left the hospital, and went grabbed some lunch. Jay and Daddy then went to Wal-Mart, so Daddy could buy the carseat. I stayed home because who really wants to walk around Wal-Mart a week after a c-section? After we left from our second hospital visit we stopped, and grabbed dinner. I had just fixed our plates, and sat down when I heard my Dad yell "Cyndi come get this!" I turned around, and he was thrusting his plate at me. I grabbed it, and then he started feeling he had to vomit. Jay went and grabbed a trash can. He sat there hollering in pain, and I kept asking did I need to call an ambulance, he would say no. He told me he just needed to go lay down, but he couldn't muster the energy to stand up. I let him sit there for 30 mins before I finally got a good look at his face. He had had a stroke. I called an ambulance, and they took him to the hospital. While we were in the back he just kept apologizing for getting sick. I told him it's not like he planned it. When I thought he was going to get some rest I went home to take a quick nap. The hospital called and woke me up. The nurse told me he had had 4 more strokes while I was gone, and I needed to get up there. When I got there he seemed to be feeling better, and we waited for him to be moved upstairs to the ICU. I called my uncle to let him know what was going on. He and my aunt left, and headed this way. I hung out in his room until it was time for my doctor's appointment.

  After my appointment I went home to gather my thoughts. My aunt and uncle arrived, and my uncle went to the hospital while my aunt and I went to the NICU. For the rest of the day I went back, and worth between the NICU, and the ICU. Later that night while I was at the NICU the hospital called, and said my Dad was coding. We rushed there, and thankfully they were able to bring him back.

  The next few weeks my day was as followed: wake up at 3am and pump, wake up at 7am pump and get ready to go to the NICU, 9am come home and pump then go to the ICU, 12pm pump,eat, and go the NICU...you get the drift. I was on auto pilot. Seriously I was so tired I fell asleep with the breast pump on high for 3 hours. Yeah... This was suppose to be the happiest time in my life, but instead I had 2 important guys in critical care. One, Davis, was doing awesome while the other, my dad, was not.

  Davis continued growing and doing great. He ended up being a feed and grow. We didn't have anymore health scares. He was just so tiny. You can not imagine how small a 3lb baby is. I had one, and cannot remember him that small. I still have one of his diapers from when he first got into the NICU, and it is the size of my palm. All the nurses were fabulous. They were so kind, and just.....there isn't a word for them. My friend whose wedding we recently attended was one of Davis' NICU nurses. I hold a special place in my heart for all of them. The experience probably could of been a lot worse if it weren't for them.

  I also made another friend during our time in the NICU. She was a mom of a preemie as well. Funny thing was we were in childbirth classes together. On the last night of the class Jay noticed they hadn't been there, and said "they must of had their baby". I remember telling him that I had hoped not because she was due 2 weeks before me. I ended up giving birth a week later. That Tuesday night when they wheeled me into the NICU I saw a familiar face smiling at me. It was her. She had her little girl 2 weeks before I had Davis. We became good friends, and since we both stayed home the first year we would go walk the mall in the morning time. I think we helped each other make it through that first year. It was nice having someone going through the same thing as you. Her little girl is doing great. She is smart as a whip, and so pretty. She was always smaller than Davis, but did everything first. They are both little miracle babies.

  On Friday March 20th, I signed the papers to take my Dad off of life support. He passed away at 4:30 in the morning on the 21st. That following Saturday Davis came home from the hospital. It's funny how life turns out. I never imagined my dad not being in my son's life. I always pictured him at the holidays, birthday parties, and baseball games. Now that he is not I think that is the hardiest part of it all. I am sad for me, but I am sadder for Davis. My dad was a wonderful man, and I just wished Davis would have had the chance to know him.

  Well that is it. We were just really blessed. We had an excellent team of medical professionals looking after us, and we made some really great friends in the process. If you have any questions just feel free to ask me in the comment section.

  Now if you would excuse me I have a load of clothes that despite all the pep talks, will not fold themselves. 

  Talk to you guys later.

Fun family day....

  We got up bright and early this morning, and headed out the door. Today we finally made good on our talks about going to the zoo. We left the house at about 7:00a.m., and made it to the zoo a little after 9:30a.m. We didn't tell Davis where we were going because we wanted it to be a surprise. He asked several times where we were going, and I finally said "We're going to a broccoli farm. We get to pick our own broccoli, and eat it! Isn't that great?" He agreed half- heartedly. What? Oh, like you don't have a little fun ever once in awhile..... don't judge me.

 When we pulled up at the zoo, and he knew exactly where we were. His little face lit up. He barely sat still long enough to for me to undo his straps on the car seat. The first exhibit we stopped at was the elephants. We made it in time for their baths. I had Jay walk him over though because the smell nearly knocked me down. Davis was down right giddy, and then he was ready to move on to the giraffes. 

  We stopped at other exhibits before making our way to the giraffes. Unfortunately it was HOT today. The majority of the animals were laid out. I can't blame them, I was about to fall out myself. The zoo provided fans with misters through out the park which was fabulous. It was only 10a.m. , and it was close to 90 degrees. My face was beet red, and I was sweating like crazy. Davis' face looked the same as mine. We had to stop, and get some water to cool down. At least some of the exhibits were inside. We at least got a break every now and again.

  After looking at a few animals we made it to the giraffes. He was so excited! They were so close too. That surprised me. They had the option of feeding them, but it was $5 dollars for 3 pieces of lettuce with a 15 min wait. I will own up to the bad parenting move by skipping out on it. Jay was even in on it.It was just too hot. By this point I was just looking for the exit. He was just happy to see them. As a parent there really is nothing better than seeing that look on your child's face.

  Our last stop was the gift shop I was really hoping Davis would get a new stuffy, but he chose some small hard plastic animals. Jay laughed at me because I kept trying to talk him into the stuffies. He told me " it's not what he wants". We payed for it, and dragged ourselves to the hot car. On the way home we stopped at a Mexican restaurant. I believe it is called Iguana Joe's. Seriously the best Mexican food I have ever had. I am still stuffed. Jay was stuffed as well. Like I am hurting stuffed, but still keep thinking about my leftovers in the refrigerator. How sad is that?

  Well that is it for tonight. I am so tired. I am about to slip under the covers, and settled down for the night.

  Talk to you guys later.

  

Slow day....

 Today was a very relaxing day. I didn't even turn the T.V. on until about 5pm when I was heating up dinner. It was so nice. I read Davis a couple of stories, and we just laid around. He played in his room a good bit today while I caught up on some videos. I wrote my menu plan out for next week, and Davis sat beside me at the kitchen table practicing writing his letters. As I sit here writing this blog the T.V. is off, and Davis is asleep. 

 We broke out his Dr. Seuss Favorites book today. He has really been into Horton Hears a Who lately, so I took the opportunity to read him the story. We also read The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and one more I cannot recall. I had to hurry past The Grinch. Davis is scared of The Grinch, and me being the horrible mother that I am will break out singing You're a Mean One randomly. Not to scare him mind you, but just because that is a song that gets stuck in my head....I started singing it in the tool store not too long ago, and he told me to sing a happy song. Back around Christmas time I thought he was just kidding when he would cover his eyes when it was on...I know, I know...That Christmas favorite will not be shown at my house. Sad because it is one of my favorites.

 I am excited to go shopping in the morning. Bath and Body Works Semi Annual sale starts tomorrow. I need some new candles, and smell goods. As soon as I drop Davis off I am heading that way. I am going hoping they have one particular candle. It is normally a fall scent, but the guy told me they might have it for the sale about a month ago. It is the French Baguette scent, and it honestly smells like fresh baked bread when it is lit. Do not be put off by the smell when it is not. It smells liked buttered popcorn when it is not lit. I LOVE this candle. I mean it could just be the fat girl in me, but I burn it constantly.

 Well that's all for today. I wish I had something exciting to share, but it just wasn't that type of day. I'm okay with that. It means I got to lounge around. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Talk to you guys later.

Hmmm.....

 Jay watched the final episode of Prison Break this morning. YAY!!!! WOOHOO!!!! I felt so free....until he started a new show. Luckily this show only lasted a season, and he will be done with it shortly. We are now trying to find a show to watch together that we will both like. The crazy part is we both started out liking Prison Break. He just went a little over board with watching it. I am thinking Vampire Diaries....

 Today just kinda flew by. Jay goes back to work tomorrow, and I am going to miss him. I always miss him. I am seriously just hoping that whatever is suppose to happen will just happen. Whether it's we stay here (gag me), or we complete the move together as a family. I just miss having him here day to day. 

 We went to J.C. Penny's today. I worked there until Ron Johnson took over. I was apart of the pricing and signing team. Our jobs were phased out when the "new strategy" was put in place. What kind of idiot really thought that he could eliminate coupons and sales, and people would just be like " Thank you Mr. Johnson for showing me the light". Yeah okay.

 Well while we were there I was approached about taking my old job back. I am really considering it. I did like the job, and it would be nice to have a employee discount to use at Sephora again. I'm just saying.... Plus with me possibly having to send Davis to private school for Pre-K  having a job to pay for it would be nice. The only problem is on early work mornings who will take Davis to school? When I had to be at work for 5 am I could count on Jay to bring him to daycare, but with Jay living 2 hours away that is out the window. Also when the house is being shown the dogs HAVE to be removed from the house. They are just the worst, so that would mean evening showings of the house only. What if because of that we miss a potential sale because the buyer could only come during the day? It is a lot to think about. I tried talking to Jay about it, but I got the standard " I don't know we'll talk about it later", but later never comes. So, I am left to figure this out on my own. Wish me luck.....

 I also found out today that a really good friend of mine is moving back to town. She worked with me on the pricing team, and I miss her so much! Her reasons for moving back suck, but I am still glad to have her back. We didn't get to talk as much while she was gone, but hopefully we can make up for lost time.

 Ok guys that's it for tonight. I am going to try and get some sleep, so I can get up earlier in the morning. 

Talk to you guys later.  

Mini vacation.....

 So my mini vacation is over, and it was also cut short. The boys were suppose to be back this afternoon, but ended up coming home last night. That final night of having the bed to myself, and sleeping in guilt free was out the window. Davis stayed up until 3am, and woke up before 9am. Let's just say he has not been pleasant today. He was the poster child for meltdowns. He threw a fit because he didn't want to go to Wal-Mart, he threw a fit because Daddy was watching Prison Break ( I had to join in on that one), and the final meltdown was after I told him to put his soap down. He took it out of his suitcase, and I told him to put it down. He didn't listen, and took it out of the ziploc bag. I told him to put it down in a stern voice, and this is what I was able to make out " I NEVER GET TO SEE ANYTHING!!!!" I am guessing he is referring to me never letting him play with things he shouldn't. I thought that was good parenting. Apparently I was wrong. He climbed in my lap, and went to sleep.

 Nothing much has been going on these past few days. Davis left Thursday night with Jay, and about 2 hours later a storm came through. The wind picked up, and from what I understand we had streamline winds of about 60mph. I was sweeping the floor when all of a sudden I saw the transformer sparking. The lights went out at about 7:20p and didn't come back on till after midnight. The crazy part was there was only 5 of us without power. My neighbors on both sides, 2 houses across the street, and me. The rest of the street was lit up. I was nervous the Entergy workers were going to pass by because everybody body else had lights on. Luckily I was awake when they passed by because that was just what was going to happen. They stopped to check out the transformer 3 houses down, and the guy was heading back to the van when I called out to him. They fixed it and life was good.

 I got quite a bit of cleaning done while the boys were gone. I cleaned Davis' room. Which he has only been back a day, and you would never be able to tell he walked into a clean room. It was just nice to be able to clean in peace. Without having to say things like no, move, get back, don't touch...

 We are hopefully meeting with a real estate agent tomorrow. We are ready to get the ball rolling again. I am ready to get back to the other side of the state. I am just done with this side. I miss home, and I miss old friends. Although I will be leaving my favorite friend behind. Luckily she goes back home to visit every now and then, so I will see her when she does. 

 That's it for tonight. I am really sleepy. Davis not going to bed until 3a, and then waking up early put a hurting on me. Gone are the days of running on a few hours of sleep. Now if mama doesn't get at least 8 hours there will be some heads rolling.

 Talk to you guys later.

What's been up?

 Hey guys. Long time no chat. I have been fighting a sinus headache, and it was a mammie jammer. It is Wednesday night, and my hubby is home. He got in last night. I keep thinking today is Friday for some strange reason. I guess his days off being different has thrown me off this week.

 Nothing much has been going on the past few days. I had to venture out of the house yesterday because the dogs were out of food. Plus Davis started his new "school" today, and needed some school supplies. It is a Mother's Day Out program at a local church. They teach preschool there which is a bonus. They sent home a progress report with him today. The teacher said that he did great today. I am glad that he enjoyed it, and transitioned well. 

 While Davis was at school, Jay painted. We are planning on putting the house back on the market within the next few weeks. Let's just say I got a little carried away with my paint colors. He has to paint the accent wall in the dining room, the office, and our bedroom. He started with the dining room today. The wall before the primer went up was a dark teal, and tomorrow it will be a light khaki color. Every time I look over at the white wall I get a little sad. I loved my teal wall, but unfortunately I am guessing it turned some buyers off. Hopefully tomorrow we can paint that wall plus prime the office. I can paint the office while Davis is at his grandmother's. Did I mention that? Davis is going to stay at my mother-in-law's until Sunday. I so needed the break.

 After we ate dinner tonight we decided to take Davis to the spray park. It was almost 6 o'clock in the evening, and I assumed everybody else would be at home eating dinner. I guess all the people that were there assumed that too.... He had a ball. He ran around, and splashed his heart out. It was a good way to insure a good night's sleep. He has been staying up so late recently. I am excited to say it has been followed with us sleeping until 10am. I have been waking up in the best mood. I am a night owl, and no where near an early riser. Davis is shaping up to be the same.

 Well, that's all for tonight. My friend who got married went to Europe for her honeymoon. I told her I just wanted pictures of Italy for my souvenir. She posted a picture of them taking a gondola ride in Venice, so I am pretty excited :)

 Talk to you guys later.

Labor and Delivery part 2....

 First I would like to say Happy Birthday to my husband! The old fart. He had to work today, so no birthday celebrations. We will have to do all that Wednesday and Thursday when he comes home. He is a no fuss kind of guy, so it won't be anything major. He doesn't even like to go out to eat. We will end up just with me cooking dinner, and just relaxing around the house. Well on with the story....

 So, last night I left off with the start of what I thought was a gallbladder attack. Once the pain began I called the nurse, and told her what was going on. She asked how did I know it was a gallbladder attack, and I told her because I had already had one. She then says "well I am going to bring the gas medicine anyways, and we'll wait and see". She brought me the medicine and low and behold jack squat happened. Luckily she was working a short shift, and the next nurse came in. I believe our first introduction was me shoving the right side of my rib cage into the table. You know, trying to put some pressure on it to ease the pain. She was really nice. She rubbed my back, and told me to call if I needed her. 

 By now this had been going on for about 2 hours. I started vomiting. What I saw put me off Subway for a while. I will spare you the details, but let's just say I couldn't even ride by Subway without my stomach doing loops. Another hour passes by and I am still sitting in the same place when she brings in the drink that numbs my throat as I drink it. I am told that if it was my gallbladder it should stop the pain- it didn't. She also told me the doctor asked if I was hurting this bad when he was there. My response was no. He never came up there. I moved on to my next attempt at feeling better which sitting on my knees in front of the rocking chair with the base of the seat shoved into my rib cage. Once again it did not work. I called Jay begging him to come up there with me, but he told me to just try and get some sleep. Before you call him all the names I did he really does feel horrible about that. He is a typical guy. If you cut your finger off just figure out how finish it with 9 fingers instead. 

 Next I moved on to the shower. I was not a huge germaphobe  before this, but if I was not in so much pain there is no way I would have done what I did. I got on my knees, and placed my face on the bench. Yep, the bench that God knows how many bags of water have ruptured on, and I put my face on it. I was desperate, and it worked! Finally some relief.The water beating down on my back was so soothing. I would fall asleep like then wake up because my leg was over the drain, and I was flooding the floor. The nurse came and checked on me, but by this point I was out of it. Once my exhaustion set in I went and laid in the bed. I literally passed out from the pain, and being so tired. The nurse checked on me 2 more times before the end of her shift, and told me she hoped I felt better. At about 7am a resident came in. She told me that they were going to draw some blood, send me for an ultrasound on my gall bladder, and not to eat anything. They drew the blood, and the ultrasound tech said she didn't see any gallstones. At 8am the CNA brought my breakfast. I told her they said I couldn't eat anything, and she went go check. She comes back in, and says that they told her it was alright that I could eat. I am still hurting so bad that eating was the last thing I wanted to do. I took a sip of orange juice, and went back to sleep.

 A little after nine a new doctor comes in. This is what I remember of that conversation...."Hey babe, look I just got off the phone with LSU..." I fell asleep "they said your liver...." fell asleep again "we are going to go ahead and do a C-section". I just looked at him and asked " when are you doing the c-section?" He told me now. He came over to my bedside and smiled down at me like you would a sick child. I could just imagine what I must have looked like. I asked if I had time for Jay to get there, and he asked how far away he was. I told him 15 mins, and he said he better hurry. I called his cell, and he didn't answer. I called the kitchen, and the chef answered. I said " Hey Chef Andy, this is Cyndi, Chef Jared's fiance. Can you tell him that they are about to do a c-section, and for him to get his ass to the hospital right now?" He says yes and we get off the phone. Jay arrives as the nurses are prepping me.

 I at this point am just in a daze. Everybody is rushing around me, having me sign papers, and assuring me that I am going to be alright. Jay is surprised to find that the c-section is about to happen. He didn't understand until he got there that this was serious. The nurses try setting up another IV, but fail to do so. They tell me I am going to have to wait on the anesthesiologist...... DUN DUN DUN!!!!! As soon as he walked up to my bedside, and introduced himself I informed him that I had been scared of him my whole pregnancy. he laughed and told me he had never heard that one before. Usually everybody was happy to see him. 

 They wheel me to the OR, and the anesthesiologist puts in my epidural. I was shocked at how easy it was. They lay me back, and wait for the epidural to kick in. Then the surgery begins. Jay watches the whole thing. I still laugh at the fact that he was rubbing my head while he was watching, and after a few minutes the rubbing would slow down to almost a stop, and then start back up so fast he almost started a fire on my face. It's like he would get so into the surgery, and then remember it was me. He will still sometimes say "Phssh, I've seen your uterus". A few minutes into the surgery the doctor asks the nurses for a banjo pick. Nobody moves. He asks again. Then you hear " I need a banjo pick! B-A-N, GOSH DARN IT (but he actually said it the other way) YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO HAVE THIS S*IT READY!" Me being the inappropriate person that I am thought this was hilarious. In fact he is now my regular doctor because of that. 

 Next thing I hear is "It's a boy!", and Davis' cry. If you have not had the pleasure of hearing a preemie cry- they sound like baby kittens. It was the most precious sound ever.I remember Jay saying "He's so small".  They walked him around so I could see him, and then whisked him off to the NICU. The same nurse practitioner that told me what to expect was in the OR. She told me he was breathing on his own. I forgot to mention that I was given 2 shots that I believe were to speed up Davis' lung development. All in all he was perfect. 

 They closed me up, and took me back to the room. I had to throw up on the way back, and the anesthesiologist told me to go ahead. I lifted my head, and cupped my hand on my boob, and proceeded to throw up. It was just orange juice. He laughed because I was so neat about it. I just remember thinking I didn't want to make any extra work for somebody. I get back to the room where my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law were waiting.My mother-in-law always says she was good luck because she was in town when he was born, and when he was released from the hospital. I tell her she can claim when he was released, but seeing how he was 2 months early I wouldn't brag about that.

 They changed my gown, and I passed out again. I woke up in the middle of the night with the nurse telling me to press the button for morphine, and then I went back to sleep until Tuesday evening around 5:30. I was out of it. I think it was about 2 years later I found that my friend who sat with me stopped by the hospital the day Davis was born. I was like "you did?", and she said "yeah you talked to me". When she said it I vaguely remembered her standing beside my bed. 

 That is the bulk of it. I left out a bunch of stuff, but then there would have been "Labor and Delivery part 5", and who needs that? Wednesday when Tammy came to check on me I told her I had the worst gallbladder attack ever, and that is when she told me I didn't have a gallbladder attack that is was HELLP Syndrome. The doctor that didn't come back to check on me that night came in doing rounds, and couldn't even look me in the eye. I guess he felt bad for not coming back, and checking on me in person. If you are wondering why I had so many different doctors it's because when I got pregnant with Davis I didn't have insurance, and had to use medicaid. Not my finest moment, but that is what it is there for. So, the clinic I went to had several different doctors that attended to the patients.

 To all of you who made it to this point, thanks for sticking around. Sorry that it was so long, but it was a crazy experience. Tomorrow I will talk about our NICU experience, and something that happened during Davis' NICU stay that shook my world.

 Talk to you guys later.

  

 

Labor and Delivery.....

 Hey guys! It was a slow day here. We didn't go anywhere, or do anything. In fact we didn't even change out of our pajamas. It was quite nice. Davis' allergies flared up at I don't even know what time this morning, so he was pretty miserable. I gave him some allergy medicine when he officially woke up, but it hasn't done much in the way of making him feel any better. Since it was such a slow day with nothing to report I figured I would blog about my labor and delivery. I might have to break this into two parts. Let's get started....

 The whole ordeal started with a regular ol' doctor's visit. It was just a regular day.I was 31 weeks pregnant, and I felt great. There was no indication of the crap storm that was about to kick off. So, I get called to the back, and the nurse checks my blood pressure. She makes a face, and says that she must have messed up, and proceeds to check it again. Once again she makes a face except this time she tells me that she isn't even playing with me, and for me to follow her to the back. She tells the nurse practitioner, Tammy, that she is having a problem getting a proper reading on my blood pressure. She tells her that she keeps getting 155/105, and that Tammy needs to come take a look. Tammy comes in and presses on my ankles, ask me if I had been seeing gold flecks in my vision, and takes my blood pressure. After she takes my blood pressure she tells the nurse "You were wrong". A brief wave of "whew" passes over the nurse's face, and then Tammy tells her "It's 160/115".  The nurse's jaw drops, and Tammy proceeds to tell me to get my butt to the hospital. I was told not to stop for anything- not even a phone call. As she is rushing me out she lets me know she is calling ahead to let them know I am on my way. 

 I leave for the hospital ignoring her orders because I did make a stop. I stopped at work to let them know I wouldn't be there that night because I was being put in the hospital. It was on my way to the hospital.... I make it to the hospital they check me in, send me to have an ultrasound done, and start an IV. At this point I still feel great. They had me hooked up to a machine that would take my blood pressure once an hour, and every hour after it took my blood pressure it would beep. By the time everything quieted down it was around 7pm. Jay came to visit, and left to go tend the dogs. He slept at home since he was still having to work, and there is no such thing as a peaceful sleep at a hospital. Unless of course it is drug induced. I eventually fall asleep only to be awoken to nurses standing on either said of my bed saying my name. They tell me that my blood pressure had shot way up, and they were going to wrap the rails of my bed just in case I had a seizure, so that I wouldn't hurt myself. The resident started me on magnesium, and so began the wild ride.

 Have any of you ever been on magnesium? That is some miserable stuff. It makes you so sleepy. My best friend whom I have known since middle school came and sat with me while I was in the hospital. It was funny because we would be having a conversation, and I would just fall asleep in the middle of it. I would wake up later on asking "Did I fall asleep?" She would laugh, and tell me yep. She would just sit there while I slept reading a book. I tell you what I will love her forever for sitting with me like that. She would get there bright and early, and leave like 7 hours later. She is my touchstone.

 While I was on the magnesium I was also on bed rest. Yay.... Catheters are the devil. I was so scared to move because bumping it was the worst. Here is a fun little fact about me, I am terrified of needles. Funny I say that since I have a tattoo, and have had a couple of piercings. I am though. The whole pregnancy I kept thinking I was going to have a natural childbirth because there was no way on God's green Earth they were stabbing me in the back with that huge needle. I say this because while I was on the magnesium they had to monitor the levels of it in my system. Which meant they had to draw blood every 30 mins to an hour. Finally one of the phlebotomist asked had I been having it drawn from my arm, or just having my finger pricked? I looked at her, and said "I have a choice? Finger prick please". They had pricked my fingers so many times they stopped producing blood. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

 The IV's were insane. My veins are so terrible that you had to be a seasoned pro I guess to stick me. My veins were mangled by time I left the hospital, and I am not even kidding. They were having to put the iv's in the weirdest angles. I can't remember all of them, but I remember the one that kept me from bending my wrist. Oh, and the fluid retention....I was so swollen. Jay had many a laugh at my expense. He said I had Fred Flintstone feet. They were huge! I remember looking at my feet once all the fluid was gone thinking " my feet are so dainty". They're really not. I have wide fat feet, but after all that fluid they looked like size 6's. My hands were humongous as well. I do have little hands, so to see them look like they did was crazy. They were so full of fluid I could barely make a fist.

 I spent all day Friday and Saturday on magnesium. By Sunday my blood pressure had come down enough that they were able to take me off of it. They also unhooked me from the iv fluids.The catheter came out as well, and I was allowed to get up, and move around. I was informed though that I would be in the hospital until I delivered. My due date was two months away. I didn't care though I was just so happy the catheter was out. At some point that day they scheduled for a neonatal nurse practitioner to come talk with me in the event that I had a preemie. I had a list of questions to ask, and she answered every one of them. She really and truly put me at ease. While we were talking the machine took my blood pressure, and it started beeping like normal, and I noticed she was looking at it kinda funny. The nurse came in and told her "Laura, we didn't say come in here, and scare her". That's when I realized the beeping was letting them know when my blood pressure was high. 

 That evening my in laws came to visit from across the state. I had begged Jay to go, and get me a Subway sandwich because at this point I was starving. He left to go get it, and they came to put the bands around my stomach to monitor Davis. This was at 6:30p, and they told me not to eat until they gave me the go 'head. Jay comes back, and places this delicious sandwich in front of me smelling all good, but I can't eat it. I sent him to the nurse's station after about an hour and a half to see if maybe they forgot about me. Nope, they said I still had to wait. Finally after almost 3 hours of looking at this sandwich I send him back out there, and they told him I could go ahead and eat. They were having problems locating Davis on the monitor, and the doctor on call was going to come do an ultrasound later. I tore into that sandwich. Jay and my in laws left for the evening, and I was left to wait for the doctor. As I am waiting I start to get a pain under my right rib. The doctor comes and does the ultrasound Davis is fine just being a pain in the butt. I call the doctor down to me, and ask quietly for gas medicine.I am an EXTREMELY modest person. I leave the room to blow my nose. He says sure and leaves. About 10 mins later the pain hits me like a ton of bricks, and I think "oh,no...gallbladder attack".

 That's where I am going to leave off. There is still plenty more to tell. I will get into that tomorrow. I need to go to Sam's tomorrow for a rotisserie chicken. If you have never had one then get one! Seriously you need this in your life. 

 Talk to you guys later.  

 

No cavities....

 We got good marks at the dentist today, and Davis did great! Like the title says, no cavities! He got to put his name on the "No Cavities" wall. I just hope we can keep it up. He was a little nervous at first, but once they got started he relaxed. The dental hygienist just kept bragging on him. It was such a relief especially since I was so horrible with going to the dentist when I was his age. I remember biting my dentist, and him threatening to throw me off the table. There was a little boy that was there this morning who was having a meltdown. I felt so bad for the little fellow.

 Davis now has a worse youtube problem than me. He watched videos all day. At least they are educational. He watched a video on all the different birds, farm animals, wild animals, and pets. Plus he watched a couple of phonics videos. It at least gave me a chance to get my menu and grocery list done. I also got to go through John Besh's cookbook. I am really enjoying it. I believe the title is My Family Table. It is on the dining room table which means I would have to get up, and go get it.... so we'll just say it is My Family Table. 

 I like that he gives a glimpse into the lives of chef's and their families. He mentions not being home in the evenings because he is at the restaurants, and how day to day meals fall on his wife's shoulders.I think that is a common misconception people have about chef's wives. "Oh, you must eat all kinds of great things!" Then I have to bust their bubble, and tell them that I do most of the cooking. Actually almost all of it. I laughed because he made a comment to his wife about the quality of meals she was cooking, and she laid into him. She basically told him to put some effort into meal planning at home instead focusing it all at work for strangers. I have had that conversation as well. I often find myself telling Jay "pretend it's something you need to do for work" when I need something done, and he is dragging his feet.

 Not much else to report. I have a ton of housework to do tomorrow, and on top of that I need to do my grocery shopping. Ugh....I am tired already. It is 11:33pm here, and Davis just went to sleep. The little sneak came in the living room when I was talking to Jay, and has been up ever since. Watch tomorrow morning I will have to drag him out of bed, and any other morning he would be up at 7am.
 Talk to you guys later.

 

 *Things that make my eye twitch"
Spending what seems like an eternity cleaning the kitchen- only to walk in the front room to find 2 glasses that I forgot to bring into the kitchen. 

Hard to say bye....

 I don't know why, but telling my husband "bye" this morning was harder than usual. I even teared up after he left. It may be the PMS taking hold, but I like to think it is the love. I'm sappy like that. Even as I type this my lip is quivering a little. I know that I am lucky because at least I get to see him once a week, but it is still hard to say "bye". He really is my best friend. 

 Okay, enough with the hormonal stuff. We made it to the library yesterday. There was no story time, or maybe there was and we just got there too late. Davis didn't care though. He got on the computer, and played a Diego game. He also got to check out some books. It was so funny he was trying to negotiate with me in the car before hand on how many books he could get. We finally agreed on 5. Jay didn't have anything to get this time, so I of course went to the cookbook section. I ended up checking out the Pioneer Woman and The Neelys again. I didn't get a chance to really go through them the last time. I also got one of John Besh's  cookbooks. If you don't know who he is, John Besh is a New Orleans Chef. He competed on The Next Iron Chef the year Michael Symon won. He is one of my favorite celebrity chefs. He doesn't seem like a pompous butt like most chefs. Even mine is a bit of a pompous butt.


 Before the library we had to stop at the DMV. Jay had a little something to attend to, and of course he waited until the afternoon to go. It is always fun bringing a 4 year old to a boring place. Davis just kept saying, " I don't like this place". I had to tell him that nobody does. That's why we normally only have to go every 4 years, or so. Thank goodness for Youtube on the smart phones. I will admit I thought they were a waste of money, but mine has helped me out in a pinch a time or two.

 The plan for dinner last night was Rotisserie chicken, cornbread dressing, and green beans. That plan fell through. We had all skipped lunch due to a late breakfast, so when we got to Sam's we were starving. We decided at the register to just skip cooking, and eat there. Did I mention we were STARVING? I still would of have had to come home, and make the cornbread for the cornbread dressing, so in the end it was just faster to eat there. I love the fact that we can leave Sam's stuffed, and only spent $10.

 I didn't do much of anything today. I got started on my housework, but I didn't break a sweat or anything. I did however have to go and get some "supplies". Those _____ (insert your favorite explicit word here) at Kleinpeters makes a Bananas Foster ice cream, and it comes in a pint!! I mean if it had been a gallon I could have easily talked myself out of it, but a pint....it left with me. I haven't done much damage to it, but it's there when I need it. 

 Davis has a dentist appointment tomorrow. In the past I have always been a nervous wreck thinking they were going to find a mouth full of cavities. Crazy because I take really good care of his teeth, but watch I am not stressing about tomorrow, so they will find the mother load. I have I guess you would say brittle teeth. The last time I was at the dentist he put the little machine in my mouth that detects where cavities are forming.. That thing started dinging like a slot machine paying out. I guess technically it was. I just hope Davis has nice strong teeth.

 Ok guys it's time for me to go to bed....I lie I am probably going to watch another episode of Gossip Girl. I ran across it on Netflix, and decided to give it a go. I actually like it. I am only like 4 episodes in, but so far so good. 

 Talk to you guys later. 

 

Feet in the pool....

 Happy Memorial Day! Today as we all know is a day to remember all of the soldiers who have given their lives for us to be free. If you have anyone in your family that is serving in the military right now give them a big thank you from my family. We appreciate the sacrifices they make to keep us safe.

 We didn't do much today. Of course y'all forgot to remind me that the library was closed today. I realized it as I was rushing Jay to go take a shower. Seriously, he is the hardest person in the world to get moving. I can take my shower, get myself dressed, get Davis dressed, and we are still left waiting on Jay. Did I mention that before all of the above has happened he has already spent like 30 minutes in the shower. Yeah... 

 We didn't BBQ today. I am not a huge fan of it, and Davis hates it. We had Popeyes instead. I also made a cookies and cream poke cake today. It was pretty fabulous if I do say so myself. The recipe will be at the bottom if anybody is interested. I let Davis help with the whole process. I like to let him be involved in the food preparation process, and he loves it as well. Now I do not let him do anything that involves a hot stove, or oven. That's where I draw the line. 

 Can I just say water balloons fights are the best thing ever?! On a hot summer's day nothing is better. Davis threw some at me, I threw some at him, and I pelted Jay with a couple. We broke out the pool today as well. I even got in the pool. It is just a little kiddie pool. My big butt made all the water pour over the sides. I was a little sad, but it was hot, so I got over it.  Davis enjoyed having me in the pool with him. I want to get a bigger pool when we finally decide if we are moving are not. 

 Guess whose child is spelling words? That's right, mine!! Parents of preschoolers invest in some alphabet refrigerator magnets. We sat in the floor earlier tonight just spelling words. I tried to keep it at 3 letter words, and I would keep it in groups with the same ending sounds. Like car,bar,and tar. Then tall,ball, hall, and then I had him spell small. He was so proud of himself. Jay and I just stared at each other smiling like crazy people. It really is an amazing moment when your child does something like that.

 We just got finished watching End of Watch. I really enjoyed it. Jay kinda of got bored with it. I am not going to spoil it for you if you haven't seen it, but go rent it. It is also available on Netflix's video streaming. The chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena is awesome. If they didn't walk away from this movie best friends then somebody needs to hand them an Oscar.

 Well that's it for tonight guys. I am going cuddle with husband. I can't remember if I mentioned he was able to take three days off this week. Granted he had to because he won't be home this weekend which bites, but at least I get to wake up to his face three mornings instead of two. I could however do without the snoring.

 Talk to you guys later.

 Cookies and Cream Poke Cake

You just need any kind of chocolate cake mix ( I used swiss), and bake it according to the directions. Let the cake cool for about 30 mins once out of the oven. After the cake has cooled make your pudding according to the directions on the package. It is the jello cookies and cream instant pudding. You just need one box. Once that is done take a regular drinking straw and start poking holes in the cake. Hence the name Poke Cake. You don't want to go all the way down to the bottom of the pan, but you do need to go deep enough for the pudding to seep in. About half way is good. Now that you have poked the holes pour the pudding on top of the cake. Spread it out evenly making sure you cover the holes. Put it in the refrigerator, so that the pudding can set up. Right before you serve the cake crush some oreos and fold them into one container of cool whip. After that just frost the cake with the cool whip like you would with icing. Refrigerate any leftovers, and enjoy!

 

Around the loop....

 Sorry we didn't get to catch up last night.Davis was so bad at the wedding last night. I came home with the worst tension head ache ever. It even radiated down my neck into my shoulders. That's what happens when you sit with your jaw clenched for an hour. I got a nice shoulder rub, and went to sleep.

 Davis wouldn't keep still for nothing. I know he is four, and that is asking a lot of a four year old. I kept telling him we were waiting for K.K. to walk down the aisle, so when she finally did he asked me " Can we go now?" He kept throwing my bracelet under the pew in front of us. Luckily there was a friend of mine sitting in front of us who kept getting it. He talked during the prayers. He finally went to sleep during the last 20 mins. After the ceremony, which was beautiful by the way, we headed to the reception. It was out on the groom's parent's farm. They had tents set up with tables, and a dance floor.  It was beautiful. We were there for maybe five minutes when the lightening started up in the distance. I had a head ache, an unruly four year old, and it looked as though the skies were about to open up. We left. I felt horrible that I missed their first dance, and the cake cutting. I didn't even get a chance to talk to my friend, but I was done for the evening. 

 Today we had a birthday party to attend. We had a blast. We set around laughing and talking while the kids ate their pizza. Davis kept trying to blow out the candles on the birthday cake. I take that back he actually did blow out a few of them. I ended up having to place my hand over his mouth. Once it was over we headed back home to rest up a bit before we went to the spray park.

 We headed out to the spray park later in the afternoon. When we got there we found out that it was closed until next week. So, we headed back home, and filled the kiddie pool up. The guys played outside while I started dinner. I stepped out for a moment to engage in a little water balloon battle with my husband. Fun times. 

 After dinner we went to get some milk shakes. Sonic has milk shakes half price after 8pm. We got three mini milk shakes for under $4. Not too shabby. Davis waited impatiently for his. Jay laughed and said "He is just like you! You don't wait for anything patiently either!" I figure everybody's a critic.... We went for an evening drive, and drank our milk shakes. I come from a very small town where "going riding" was the highlight of the night. I still enjoy a nice little drive every now and then.

 Davis fell asleep in the car on the way home. What? Was that part of my plan? Why I have never been so insulted in my whole.....okay, okay you got me. It was part of the plan. We got to come home, and watch the movie we had rented. I highly recommend Gangster Squad. When it first started I was kinda like "meh", but I got into it. Helps that it had sexy ol' Ryan Gosling in it. Man, I hope they used some kind of face make up or something on Sean Penn to make him look the way he did in the movie. I would really hate to think he is aging that badly. 

 It is now almost midnight. I really need to go catch some shut eye. We have story time at the library in the morning. Say a little prayer for me. With the way Davis has been behaving lately I do not want to even think about what tomorrow is going to be like.

 Talk to you guys later.

 

Got my hair did...

 We did fantastic  being on time for daycare this week. We were not late once! Of course the alarm was set for 7am, and we didn't wake up until 7:50, but we still made it in time for breakfast. That's really all that matters. 

  I had a hair appointment today. It was long over due, but when a hair cut cost $50 spacing it out is required. I am trying to let  my hair grow out. It is right at my shoulders right now, and I keep testing it to see if I can get away with a pony tail. I miss my pony tail. Jay wants me to keep it short. He loves my hair short. Jay actually wants me to cut it the same way it was when we first met, but unfortunately I have gained about 35lbs since then. I can't get him to understand that my face is too fat for all that. What I like about short hair is it always looks fixed. I think that is why I always go back to short hair. I grow my hair out with the intentions of curling it, and wearing pretty updos. The reality is I keep it in a bun. A messy bun. Not a chic messy bun, but one that hasn't been brushed in a couple of days. I like to keep it sexy....

  After my hair cut I had to go grocery shopping. I do my shopping at Wal-Mart because I find that it is usually cheaper.  It seems like it is getting harder and harder to stay within my budget.It has come down to either omit a meal, or go over budget.Obviously I can't omit a meal, so over budget it is. The past 2 shopping trips I have gone over. I only went over by $13 this week, but I barely bought anything. I guess it doesn't help that I had to buy milk this week. I buy organic milk which cost $7 a gallon. Trust me I cringe every time I put it in the basket, and write  $7 next to milk on the list.I think the fact that Davis is trying new foods isn't helping my budget.When all he ate at home was mac& cheese, hamburger helper, or a peanut butter sandwich it was pretty cheap. It was also super boring. I would rather spend a little more on groceries now, and just cut a trip out to lunch.I am pretty good about not buying things that aren't on my list. Unless Davis is with me. Then I like to look for fun things for him to try. I like going shopping without Davis because I can keep up with how much I am spending better. I am just less....distracted.

 I was reading an article on yahoo about the return of the mullet. Why? You know what else is making a comeback? Rat tails..... Stop trying to make it happen people. It was the 90's. Nothing from the 90's needs to make a comeback. Other than Friends of course.... Seriously though folks, let it go. It wasn't cool back then, it's not cool now. That goes for the mullet and the rat tail.

 Well that's all for tonight. Let me know if any of you guys are having problems staying on your food budget. The price of food is just continuing to go up. Heck, the price of everything is continuing to go up.

 Talk to you guys later.

  

Getting back on the horse....

 Today was a semi successful shopping day. I was on the hunt for light colored dress pants, but all of the ones I found were trouser leg. Me and trouser leg pants are not friends. My legs are soooo short. Seriously one pair went about 4 inches past my foot. Now I have to wear my black dress pants which I really did not want to because it is spring, and I wanted to be all light and breezy. Did I just say breezy? Yeah.... I ended up just getting a new shirt and clutch. I was in desperate need of a clutch. I am going to make it work.

 I bought all the new stuff for a wedding I will be attending Saturday. A good friend of mine is getting married, and I am soo happy for her. I however will be attending the wedding alone. The life of a chef's wife. I normally go to every event alone. I wonder sometimes when I attend the same child's birthday party year after year, if some of the other regular party guest think I just throw on a wedding ring for appearances? In their defense they have never seen Jay to know he exist. Like I said I go to everything alone. He will be able to attend a birthday party with us Sunday which is a rare treat. 

 Davis earned his first reward on the new bribery chart. We are going to take him to the spray park after the birthday party Sunday. He is still doing great with trying new foods. He ate all of his fruit today at school, and he even ate his sloppy joe tonight at dinner. He keeps asking for new foods to try. I know, I know... it is just so he can get a sticker, and than a reward, but at least he is asking. 

 So, I am standing outside today when I hear a "whoosh" followed by a crashing sound. I immediately know that this is the sound of a pretty big tree branch falling on my back building. I peaked my head around the corner and saw part of it. I walked to the back and saw that the branch was a good 7ft long. Luckily it didn't damage anything. Well anything as far as I know. Mind you, it was a beautiful sunny day. There was barely even a breeze! I went and got my neighbor, so she could see it. We both agreed if hurricane season is a doozy this year we are both in trouble. The oak trees in our yards are so big that their branches are tangled together. I am just glad it didn't do any damage, and that I wasn't coming out of the laundry room at the time. 

 Now not only do I watch beauty videos on youtube, I also watch other Mommy's vlogs. I found one woman who I absolutely adore. Her channel is nellyandhernerd. She does nelly gets fit videos, and it is just nice to see that someone else has the same struggles as me. Not that I am glad she is struggling, just glad to know I am not alone. Ugh....you know what I mean right? Anyways, if you get a chance go check her channel out. The reason I am mentioning her other than the fact that she is awesome, is her nelly gets fit video today was titled "Disappointed with myself". She talked about how she had fallen off the wagon, and I could relate because I was eating right and following the Zumba workout hardcore for about 4weeks. I had lost 13 to 15lbs, but fell off the wagon myself. I have gained about 8 of those pounds back. Maybe more. I was too chicken to get on the scale today.  It sucks! One of my short term goals was be able to wear a dress to the wedding. If I would have stayed on track I would have most likely been able to buy a dress today. Tomorrow is a new day. Time to get back on the horse.

 I finally finished the Grimm season finale, and of course it ended with a cliff hanger. It was so funny because at the end it said " To be continued.... Come on you knew this was going to happen". Which is true because they always leave you hanging. I just love this show so much. If you have not checked it out you should. It comes on NBC  Tuesdays at 8 I believe. I have Hulu, so it's Wednesdays for me.

 Well I am going to call it a night. The chef should be calling here soon. 

Talk to you guys later.

 

Dog hair everywhere....

 I am continuing to post pone writing my meal plan for next week. I really need to go through those cookbooks first, but Davis is just not having it. I know the weather has warmed up, but I really want a good beef stew. I am not one of those people who only eat certain things depending on the weather. I like stews and soups year long. Ah, I think I have Sunday night supper planned. One down six more to go. I plan on one day going over how I do my meal plan, and my grocery shopping. I do my shopping weekly because I find that it just works better for me. I feed technically a family of 3 on a $50 a week budget. Since Jay is only home Sunday and Mondays that's one less mouth to feed, but at the same time that's at least 21 meals a week for me, and 17 meals a week for Davis. That's why having a meal plan in place is so important. 

 Today was bath day for the dogs. Boudreaux is a wonderful bath taker. All I have to do is call him to the bathroom, and say "Get in the tub". Savannah on the other hand, you have to drag her from behind the chair, then put her leash on to walk her down the hall. I really need to get a camera because her face as she is walking down the hallway to the bathroom is pitiful. I always laugh, and say " Walking the green mile". Then when she gets in the bathroom you have to physically pick her front half up, get that in the tub, and then proceed with the back half. That's why their baths are so few, far, and in between. There is always some butthole in the midst messing it all up. Mission accomplished today though. My house smelled like vinegar, and baby shampoo for a good part of the day. I use the vinegar to kill any of the yeast on Boudreaux's skin. He has really bad allergies, and when they act up he gets all yucky. I use about a cup of vinegar diluted with about 2 cups of water. It does the trick.

 There isn't a day that goes by that my son doesn't make me laugh. He is really into clothes, and things like that. I guess I have a future model on my hands. Well, today he wanted me to put his ski cap on him. After I did he ran to the tv, which was turned off, and looks at his reflection, and says " Oh, I look fancy". I held my laughter in because he was so serious. I didn't want to make him feel like he had said something silly. It was funny, but I want him to keep being creative in whatever he does, and if he feels fancy wearing a blue and white striped ski cap then hey....

 That's all for today. I really need to go comb through the cookbooks, but I also need to finish watching the season finale of Grimm. To be honest Grimm is probably most definitely going to win. 

 Talk to you guys later. 

A very relaxing day....

 Well I hope everyone had a happy Tuesday. I know I did. We did not make it out of the house today. I was just too...lazy. I will just wait and go Thursday when the kid is at daycare. I did however manage to get some laundry done. I feel somewhat accomplished for the day. Hey, at least we have towels to dry off with.

 Today I let Davis play with markers, washable markers. Not so very washable makers.... His hands are green, blue, and brown right now. It is going to take 2 baths to get it all off. He had so much fun coloring, and drawing pictures that I really don't care that his hands are a mess. I am just happy he is taking an interest in coloring, and drawing. I have bought what seems like 100 coloring books, and he never showed an interest in them. Now he colors everyday. I hope he is creative. I am sooo not creative. I look at all the craft projects other mom's do with their kids on pinterest, and get jealous. I made his bribery chart, and when my husband got home he jokingly said, " Oh, that's cute. You let Davis draw the lines". I had a few choice words for him, but he he had a point. We will start doing some projects though. We will just start out with really...REALLY basic ones.

 Do you know how you can tell a dog was around for the toddler years? They have a really paranoid look on their face whenever the kid comes around. Mind you I am not one of those parents who lets their kid stand on the dog's head to reach something. I hate that crap, but there have been times when I have had to stop Davis from poking Savannah in the eye. God love that dog, she lets Davis do whatever he wants. I can just imagine her thinking " Okay...you can poke me in the eye". Because she just sits there and braces for impact. I always stop him, and tell her that she doesn't have to let him poke her in the eye. Now whenever he goes and sits by her she just looks at him like "What do you want? What are you doing? Why are you sitting in my blind spot?" Then she looks at me as if to say "Hey, you see him right? Keep an eye on him". She seriously has the best temperament. Boudreaux not so much....

 As a newbie blogger I am still getting the hang of how everything works. With that being said last night after I posted my blog I had like 4 hits. I was sooo excited, and that's when my husband informed me that he had just read 3 of my older posts. I told him that wouldn't make a difference, and went back to watching the page views number. I cheered again because I had 2 more views, and he looked at me and smiled. " You just read 2 more posts didn't you?" I asked. "Yep". I am not going to lie it knocked the wind out of my sails a little, but oh well. I enjoy doing this, and will just continue on. Like he said "If you ever write a novel, you're going to sell at least 100 copies. Your mama is going to buy 1, and I am going to buy 99". Wasn't that sweet?

 I made a new bribery chart this week. The prizes this time are : the 1st five stickers we go to the spray park, the next five we go to story time at library, the five after that we buy a new book, and his big prize he gets for having completed the chart (20 stickers) is we will go to the zoo. Davis loves animals, so I think this will an awesome experience. We have gone to the Baton Rouge Zoo before, but the zoo I am assuming is running low on funds because they hardly have any animals anymore. The problem with where we live is the nearest zoo is an hour and a half away. Needless to say we have had good intentions of going, but they seem to just disappear the day we planned to go comes around. I know, we are horrible parents, but at least we don't tell him ahead a time what the plan is. I think that would be worse, so when the day comes and we don't go, he is none the wiser.

  Okay time to call it a night. I am going to hit the bed early because the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I get to wake up, and watch the season finale of Grimm.

 Talk to you guys later.

  

Cowboy food....

 I am so sad to hear about the tornado destruction in Oklahoma. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones. Mother nature can be a witch when she wants to. Living on the Gulf Coast, it makes me worried for hurricane season. The weather has been pretty crazy here lately. My neighbor and I had a conversation about how cool the weather has been in May. Now of course within a matter a days it is starting to feel like May. All I am saying people is to get your water, batteries, and peanut butter now. 

 We went to Chuckee Cheese today as promised. The trick is, if you're able to, go on a Monday or Tuesday during the day. There is hardly anybody there. We pretty much had the run of the place except for the little boy and girl who every time Davis chose a game they came, and stood behind us waiting for us to finish. I mean really kids? It's not a slot machine. We are not warming it up for you, and when we walk away you are not going to win big. Like I was saying it was pretty dead in there. Let me just say now that I am so thankful Davis is not afraid of people in animal costumes. When Chuckee came out he went right for him, and gave him a big hug. One of the little boys that was there ran outside screaming and crying, refusing to go back inside until Chuckee returned to the back. I felt so bad for the little guy.

 We left Chuckee Cheese to go eat lunch. We did not eat there because the smell of their pizza turns my stomach. We had Davis' birthday party there this year, and took home sooo much extra pizza. We ate on that pizza until we could no longer stand it, and even then we ate some more. So, we left Chuckee Cheese, and I gave Davis the choice between Cowboy food (bbq) or Chinese. He chose cowboy food. He tried some of the bbq, but he didn't like it. Can somebody tell me why BBQ places cost an arm and a leg to eat at? It cost us $34 to eat today. Out of control.

 Ever since my husband has discovered Prison Break on Netflix he has watched it almost every single moment he is in the house. I am so sick of this show. I don't even want them to escape anymore. I hope they get caught. Just so it will end.

 Well I am going to call it a night. I need to go shopping tomorrow for a wedding I am attending Saturday. Clothes shopping with a 4 year old is always good times....sike. 

 Talk to you tomorrow guys.

 

Nothing wrong with the way I drive...

 Jay got home last night around midnight. Of course the dogs cut up. They were barking, yelping, and dancing like a bunch of wild animals. I guess in all the commotion Davis woke up because Jay hadn't been home 5 mins when the pitter patter of little feet was heard coming down the hall way. Normally I close his door to keep that from happening, but last night I forgot...and paid the price. He was up until after 2am because he had slept for 4 hours, which in kid world must be like 10 hours. I had given up on the idea of going to Ryan's for breakfast because we were obviously going to miss it, but then 8am came, and my little ray of shine was awake. Ryan's breakfast it was!

 Seeing as how Jay and I are not 4yrs old it took us a little longer to get going. So, we ended up getting there at 10. Which means that they weren't bringing out any fresh breakfast food since they were beginning to transition to lunch. I am a little bummed seeing as how I have been wanting to go to Ryan's for about a month now. Oh well, at least the biscuits and gravy were good. Davis even enjoyed them. 

 I must say this bribery chart was brilliant! I would pat myself on the back, but my arms are short...He tried everything put in front of him today. I know some of you are not seeing the amazement in this, but this is a child who sat at my table screaming and crying at the top of his lungs because I was trying to make him try sweet potatoes. The fork tip amount of sweet potatoes. You could barely see it,and today he ate biscuits and gravy, tried a bite of hash browns,tried a bite of smoked sausage,tried a bite of ham, and a bite of bread pudding. He did not get a sticker for the bread pudding. He only gets stickers for real food. That was just at the restaurant. At home he tried a bite of rotisserie chicken, and skillet potatoes.  My biggest concern when I started this was that he would want a sticker every time he ate the same food, but he surprisingly (so far) has not asked for one. Like last night with the tacos which he got 2 stickers for last week, he didn't mention getting a sticker once. I am over the moon about all of this. I know my explaining it to you doesn't do it justice, but believe me before the chart I wanted to pull my hair out. 

 I did most of the driving today. Jay hopped his happy butt in the passenger seat, and then had the nerve to comment on my driving. He over reacts by doing things like grabbing the " oh crap handle", and pressing the imaginary brake on his side. I admit I am an impatient person. As soon as the light turns green I put the pedal to the medal. I curse at people often while I am driving. Okay, so I do drive like I am in a race. I know this because occasionally Davis yells from the backseat, " Faster Mommy, the blue car is beating us! We have to win the race!" True story....

 Confession time...we went back to blockbuster today. Ugh, I know I did enough damage Monday, but I really wanted the rest of the Twilight movies. I also got all three of the Tim Allen Santa Clause movies, Hook, and Mamma Mia. We bought a couple of the fixtures to hang in Davis' room to put his movies on. It is a vast improvement over stacking them on the dresser. 

 Then we went to Harbor Freight Tools. We needed to pick up something to mount the fixture, and Jay needed something else. As we were leaving Jay asked me "Do you need anything else?" I just looked at him, and said " That's like me asking you if you need anything else while we're at Sephora."

We are watching Jack Reacher right now. It is actually a pretty good movie. I am a big fan of Tom Cruise. I like pretty much anything he plays in. Cocktail will always be one of my favorite movies. " Bet I can still spook ya". 

 Well I am going to finish up this movie, and head to bed. Davis is still awake. Seriously, the energy that kid has!  

Talk to you guys later.