The A-Team

Today we honored our Veterans by going to the parade downtown. Abraham had such a good time! He is such a good, easy going baby.

Abraham got to ride in the back carrier while we were downtown. He really seemed to like it! When we were walking to a good spot to view the parade, the jets flew over. As many of you know, Abraham LOVES planes! He is always pointing at the sky at the jets. Well, these were a bit scarier. He was pointing until he heard the really loud noise and then ducked as low as possible into the back of his daddy’s head! I reassured him and he didn’t cry, but that was a close one. He did not much care for the noise. Funny, he doesn’t like car washes either. He was okay when he was like a month old, but not now. He bawls his eyes out when we go through one. Poor kiddo. He just doesn’t like loud noises. I honestly don’t blame him.

He really was a champ. He was tired when we left to go to the parade and I prayed he would make it through. He just sat on my lap and watched all the activity. He was so intrigued by the parade, so he never got fussy or wiggly. He just sat there taking it all in. He did get to see Grandma and Grandpa D. too. They came to the parade and gave Abraham the flag you see him with:)

Family picture

And to all you veterans, thank you so much for you service yesterday, today and tomorrow. May God bless America!

Tonight has been a bit odd. Abraham has never really been sick. He has had a few sniffles now and again but never a fever and just plain not sick. Tonight was different.

Abraham fell asleep on the way home. Once we got home, he did sleep for about another hour and a half. We had a busy night because we have been without phone or internet service for 2 days and I finally got a technician scheduled to come out and see what was going on…since they hadn’t yet fixed the problem. So, the tech came around 4pm and Abraham had gotten up from his 1 nap of the day. He was still pretty tired. We played but he was kinda cranky and CONSTANTLY pulling at his shirt. I had him in fleece since it was cooler out today and we were outside. Well, with the wonderful sunshine, the house was pretty warm. A nice 72 degrees. I think Abraham was overheating. So, I took off his shirt since he was SMOKING. That poor kid. He was super hot. Probably overreacting from the cold earlier today. He was SO happy to have that removed and just played some more without any fuss. We ate dinner and proceeded to enjoy a video before bath time. He didn’t throw a fit for bath time which has become the norm since he knows bed time follows. But within a couple of minutes of being in the tub (even with the water warm) he was covered in goosebumps and started shivering! Poor guy! I quickly re-warmed the water and finished his bath and tried warming him up. I got his heater going in his room. I got his pjs on as fast as possible. Then all he wanted to do was sit on my lap. We enjoyed some internet time (since it was FINALLY working – I had like 70 emails to catch up on). And then we just enjoyed some reading time. He NEVER sits still on your lap. Ask Aaron. He will sit for a couple minutes but is still wiggly and trying to get to something he shouldn’t have. He literally just sat there and yawned and shivered. I put a blanket on him, gave him some Motrin and just held my baby boy. It was so sad. The compassion one has for their child when they go through a sickness is something I haven’t experienced. I felt so helpless. I just kept telling him Mommy loved him and would take care of him. He went to bed over an hour early because he just wanted to sleep. His eyes were heavy and he kept rubbing them and yawning. I put him in his bed, he grabbed a pacifier and hasn’t made a peep since. I keep checking on him but that little guy is super worn out. Hopefully it was just the cold/hot environment changes that got to him…we shall see tomorrow. I plan on checking his temp before I go to bed just to be sure. He doesn’t feel real hot so I think he is okay. It was just so odd to experience something like this. I hadn’t realized that I hadn’t been through this yet. Parenthood I guess will be like this and each child will probably bring new experiences.

Anyway, since I have been UNABLE to post for a couple days…let me tell you what has been going on with me! Just because I know you care so much:) Well, I think I am finally hitting the 2nd trimester windfall of energy! Yeah!!! I surely welcome this new feeling! I am finally sleeping much better and my naps are only for about an hour when I need it. Not too shabby! I am starting to get caught up with things that have been falling behind because I have been sleeping…so that feels good. My moods have been a bit weird though. The hormones must be working overtime. Poor Aaron. Monday – bad day. I was a grump all day. Tuesday – I vowed that life was too short and I wouldn’t be grumpy, then I went Christmas shopping. Well, I will get to that in a minute. Wednesday – complete emotional wreck this morning. Tears for no real reason, happy the next minute, and then tears again. I even got choked up at the parade! Oh how I despise hormones…I can’t control them!

So, the Christmas shopping…well, money doesn’t grow on trees and I am making the best of what I have. I want to buy gifts for everyone because God blesses me with so much, I want to share it with abundance! That just isn’t fiscally responsible nor possible. Alas, I parred my list down and am working within my means. We have NO credit cards and will NOT incur debt. We have a Christmas club and that’s what I am using. So, back to my shopping story…I went to Target because they had some GREAT toy buys. I was SO overwhelmed with the selection and then just trying to find the toys in the ad that I wanted was virtually impossible. It was truly exhausting. Plus, they ended up only having 1 of the 3 toys I went to get. How frustrating. So, I got the 1 toy and few other odds and ends and started out. I had this horrible since that I was losing focus on Christmas…I had. I was so upset and hormonally weird that I started to write a poem in my head as I drove home. Here it is for all to enjoy.

ODE TO DR. SEUSS

I do not like to shop for toys.
I do not like the ones that make noise.

I do not like the store to be hot.
I do not like it when it’s not.

I won’t like to make a choice.
I don’t think anyone hears my voice.

I do not like to shop for toys.
I do not like the ones that make noise.

I will not like to wrap them up.
I will not will not get a pup.

I will not try to be sappy.
I will not make everyone happy.

I do not like to shop for toys.
I do not like the ones that make noise.

So there you have it! That was my attitude at the end of Tuesday. Kinda bleak. And then, God is so good. He taught me a VERY valuable lesson. My verse for last night was Romans 12:9- “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” This verse is so true now and every day. I need to turn from the evil and love without condition. It doesn’t matter how much money is spent or what new gadget is bought. All that matters is that I take the time to share ME with my family and show them Christ’s love as He has loved me. I get the Family Christian bookstore fliers now and again and I love their slogan right now “We give because He gave.” That is so true and such an expression of love. So even in my hormonal state, I will see this wonderful verse God placed before me to clear the fog and allow the true meaning of Christmas to come to the forefront and allow me to live every day with Christ as my center focus.

We had such a fun Halloween this year! We had issues with the original costume but fortunately the backup dragon costume worked out wonderfully!

We went to our neighborhood’s Halloween Party at 11:30 am and had free pizza and lots of trick or treating (indoors from vendors). The down side – we had to eat outside in the cold and wind but the worse part was that the tables and chairs were set up in a mud hole! Other than negotiating our way through the mud, we had a great time! Abraham rode on Daddy’s shoulders the whole time because Abraham is not real big on crowds. He just stares. Which is all he pretty much did at the party. He didn’t wave, didn’t smile, just stared. But that’s ok! Fortunately everyone we encountered thought he was just “too cute” so that made up for it all:) He did get his first Kool-aid and boy did he enjoy that! He actually was upset when it was all gone!

I had made some treat bags up for the few neighbor kids we have (a whole whopping 5) and tried 3 times to deliver them with Abraham dressed up! We ended up only seeing 1 family with 2 boys. It was ok though but we got this adorable video of Abraham walking (with me). He is REALLY trying to walk. He will drag me around EVERYWHERE!!! The reason I am laughing so much in this video – is seeing him walk from the backside is absolutely hilarious! There is a little tail on this dragon suit and it just wiggled with his every step! Too freaking cute!!!

We got a flyer while we were out that Sonic had corn dogs on sale for $0.50 each! I was totally excited! Corn dogs rock! So we made plans for dinner – a cheap one at that!

The family had nap time (my personal favorite) and then dinner. I dressed Abraham up in his costume again and off we went. After the DELICIOUS dinner we were able to see Grandma Jean! He went right in like he owned the place! He was “hunting” for Grandma Jean’s cats:) He loves those guys….they don’t much care for him of course. But he was doing so well at walking! He would actually let go and REACH for Grandma Jean while taking a step out! It was awesome! Hopefully this is the beginning of truly walking!!! I can’t wait:)

That was our Halloween – lots of fun as a family!

**Small update for those that care*** our dogs are doing much better! After eating my tree for the last time and most likely swallowing glass rocks – they puked a few times and had diarrhea but all seems to have passed. They are back to their old selves and seemingly happier with our new “rules.” Thanks for the prayers!

This is Abraham out in the lawn at Grandma and Grandad D’s house for his first Easter Egg Hunt! Of course he didn’t get to actually go hunt the eggs. Mommy and Daddy did that but he got all the loot! He enjoyed his first time outside for a decent amount of time. Grandma kept him entertained the whole time!

As you can see, he was VERY tired when we got home but I had to get a picture of him in his Easter jammies! But we had a wonderful Easter and thanks to everyone who made it so special! Love you all!

We saw the Easter Bunny this year! Abraham was too funny. Our dentist’s office held an Easter celebration on Saturday morning. Free face painting, balloons and pictures with the Easter Bunny. Abraham really didn’t know what to make of all the people. It is actually quite amazing to watch him study all the people. He gets so serious, as you can see from the picture. He would NOT smile for anything. I could not get even a crack while he was with the bunny, but no sooner than he was done with the bunny and got his balloon, he was all smiles! Goofball.

Anyway, we had a wonderful Easter and we hope that all of you did too.

We had such a good time today! We got to go to the church and play with Luke and Reagan and then Daddy met us for lunch at the Claddagh Irish Pub! Nope, no green beer for Abraham on this trip. Maybe when he is older, like say 21? Hahah! Anyway, we just had a wonderful day with this beautiful weather! Hope everyone else had a great day too!

Ok, now that I have brought you all up to speed on our Christmas celebrations. I now bring you to Christmas Day!

First of all, I wake up at 3 am far too excited! It was like I was the little kid excited for Christmas morning and couldn’t wait to open presents! Of course, I just wanted to share it all with Aaron, Abraham, Archimedes, and Arugula. I FINALLY get back to sleep and we get up around 8 am to start the day. Aaron gets the video recorder set up on a tripod to video tape Abraham’s first Christmas. All is well and Mommy starts handing out the presents! Arky and Rugy are having SO much fun because this is the day they get lots of new toys and most of them are soft toys (quite a treat considering they destroy soft toys in about 20 minutes). So, we have 2 very happy puppy dogs. Abraham is quite content to just be with us and thinks we are pretty nuts because we are excited over HIS toys and presents! I must say even with as little as he is, he really showed an interest in one of the toys that I picked up for him. It is just this little dangly toy that is very vibrant in color and crinkly to the touch and of course makes a cow bell kinda sound when shaken or smacked in Abraham’s case. That was the best dollar I have ever spent! He LOVES that toy and gets so excited when he sees you bring it to him! So, YEAH! My little boy actually gave me thanks for his stuff by actually liking one of the toys:)

On a side note, I have never really given much thought to the Santa Claus dilema. We did finally decide that we want him to enjoy the magic of Santa but Santa will only fill his stocking. Everything else will be from us and that way he will learn appreciation and if I slip up when talking to someone, I won’t blow the big Santa secret!

Now we are off to start the Christmas Marathon! We get showered and packed up to head over to Mom’s for Christmas breakfast. We get there promptly at 11 am and celebrate with Mom, Joe, Dejah and the boys. Funny thing. Abraham still doesn’t quite know what to make of other children. He likes to watch them, but he gets pretty terrified when they get close. Poor guy. Oh well. I am sure that will pass and he will torture the living daylights out of his siblings. Anyway, we had a great time at Mom’s and Abraham did quite well once again. He is so easy going! I love it!

After Mom’s we quickly ran home to take care of the dogs before heading out again. We headed off for Grandma Brown’s for Christmas. We get there just before 2 pm and have lunch and enjoy the Christmas chaos! Really, it was quite mild this year but I am sure that will change once Abraham gets into the squealing and ripping paper phase (next year?). Once again Abraham had lots of awesome presents and we are just such a blessed family! Something Aaron said to me the night we left Dad’s from Christmas has kinda stuck with me. He made a comment how our little Camry was packed to the gills and we really couldn’t fit anything else in the car and were going to be hard pressed to put ourselves back in the car (this was the case just about everywhere we went this year). He said “Just think of this as how blessed we really are.” How true. Not that we measure blessings by stuff, but I truly feel so blessed with all of the love and support from our families! We really can’t say thank you enough to all the family. Words never really convey the gratitude I feel for everything everyone did for us. We love you all!

Anyway, back to the Our Christmas Story…

We have a great time at Grandma Brown’s and we are supposed to be at Aaron’s parents by 4 pm. So far we had been on time everywhere but didn’t quite make it on time to the D. Christmas. We were only 15 minutes late which was quite remarkable considering we are talking about ME! Ok, so I am in the car and switching brain gears, thinking ahead to the next Christmas celebration and CRAP! No, not the baby (hahaha) I realize that I forgot the HOMEMADE bread that I made SPECIFICALLY for Christmas dinner with Aaron’s parents and family! DANG IT! Ok. I will just call Julia and apologize forever. She is so wonderful. Not to worry, she tells me. She has rolls and cresents on hand and all is fine! Whew! One emergency avoided. Ok, so the evening progresses and we have another wonderful Christmas celebration including reading the Christmas Story (biblical) and enjoying a scrumptous dinner (of which I should not have eaten due to calorie consumption, but oh well). We all open presents and of course enjoy Mr. Abraham who is still being wonderful! After all the traveling and seeing lots of new faces, he still was in a pretty good mood. Well, Abraham actually fell asleep when it came to opening presents. He slept through it all! At this point, it is getting pretty late and I realized I made another mistake for the day. I forgot to feed the dogs when we stopped by the house around noon! I was planning on giving them half their dinner to help prevent them from STARVING while we were gone. DANG IT! Another strike against me. Okay. So far, not too bad. They did get an extra special meal on Christmas Eve with a can of dog food on top of their normal food for the day. So, this will just even them out. No biggie. We decide that we should probably start heading home, it was getting late and all 3 of us were pretty wiped out. So, we get all packed up and start heading home. I volunteer to drive us all home because Aaron had driven ALL day and he was really tired.

So, I did notice the PDLOG (pretty darn low on gas) light was on, but we were trying to run the gas tank as empty as possible because of some new additive in the gas tank. No big deal. Aaron said we had plenty of gas to get us to the Emerson Ave Speedway. Okey dokey. I will get us there. No sweat. We start to approach the Pendleton Pike interchange for 465 and there is an accident that just happened. I couldn’t quite tell if the exit ramp was blocked by them due to all the orange barrels. So, I just passed the exit ramp and figured I would turn around. We do notice the Speedway on Pendleton Pike was 1.47/gal and knew the Emerson Ave Speedway was 1.40/gal. So, we were definitely going to the other Speedway. I get us turned around and we only lose about 5 minutes. So, down the interstate we go. Aaron and I were trying to decide whether or not we were going out the day after Christmas to do some shopping for ourselves. We had Mom lined up to babysit, but after all the craziness, we just really needed to rest and enjoy a few days NOT going anywhere, especially not with a bunch of crowds. So, I finished letting Mom know the plans and I hang up the phone and notice the car is slowing down. Yes. Slowing down. Mind you. This is a 20-year-old car and we have had issues with it, but have fixed the transmission, replaced the starter, belts, one headlight bracket, flushed the antifreeze, and the list goes on (can’t tell Aaron was a mechanic for the Army). So, the car is in tip-top shape minus comestics, but she is still slowing down and kinda sputtering. Aaron finally feels it and looks at me like I am some crazy driver and I am trying to put all pieces together as to what might be wrong. I kill the cruise control, press harder on the gas pedal, tap the brakes occasionally, and then it hits us both! We are out of gas!!! Ok, let me take this moment to explain a couple things. If you know us at all, you know we are a bit retentive about being prepared for just about anything (nuclear war, EMP, extended power outtages, you know chaos – Jericho style) and we also have a thing where we refuse to spend ANY money on Christmas Day. We think everything should be closed (save automated gas pumps) and that everyone should be home. Ok, with that said, we are out of gas and I realize we just passed the Brookville Rd exit. I floor the gas and am doing about 80 mph to get us as quickly down the interstate (the car found a pocket of fuel) and to the Emerson exit which is just a couple miles away. So, I am freaking and Aaron is completely puzzled as to how his calculations could have possibly been off. And then he realizes he has a son this year and we have to get the car warm before we stick him in it! So, all that idling spent gas that didn’t register in miles on the car. Ok, now we need a plan and fast. We decide that stopping and waiting at stoplights is a bad idea. So, we know there is a Shell station just to the right off the exit. I am hauling up the exit ramp and praying the Lord allows us to get to the gas station. We are still going and all lights are green! Thank you Lord! I make the right without any traffic to be seen and the car stalls. I coast through the next light (green turning yellow) and pull into the gas station with Aaron’s help because I have no power steering! Amazing what you take for granted. The pumps we pull into are empty (should have been a clue) and we are just thrilled we made it! But to our dismay, both pumps are out of service!!! Big yellow bags and all! ARRRGGHHH! So, poor Aaron had to make the walk of shame and enter the gas station and ask for a gas can to fill at a different pump. Aaron said you could see the question forming on the clerk’s face (why don’t you just go to another pump?) when Aaron informs him that we ran out of gas right there. The guys smiles and finds us a can. We get 1 gallon of gas – fire up the Camry and drive to Speedway! The rest of the trip home was pretty uneventful. We just thanked God the whole way home and promised that we would NEVER do that again! If we are ever trying to run the gas tank low because of an additive, we will bring some gas in the trunk!

We are home! Yeah! Safe and sound. Aaron takes sleeping Baby Ham into the house and comes back out to help me unload this insanely packed car but his face is all contorted and not happy. Lord, now what. I shouldn’t have asked. Aaron said one of the dogs couldn’t hold their poop. Yippee. We have dog poop smell filling the house! At least the mess is contained because we crate the animals. But little did we realize the severity of the situation. The saga continues. It was not just dog poop. It was dog diarrhea and spastic diarrhea. Yuck is the only word I can use. I was nauseated by the smell as was Aaron. I go in and pull the crate down the hall to the bathroom to get the dog (Arugula) who is covered in poop into the shower to have a Christmas bath! Yippee skippee! I proceed to bathe Arugula and in the mean time Abraham wakes up and is hungry! Super duper crapola. What do I do now? I am in the middle of bathing a poop-crusted dog and of course am now not exactly able to stop! Poor Aaron is stuck trying to pacify a baby that just wants to eat while I finish bathing Arugula. I quickly finish and pass her off to Aaron to dry on the front porch while I feed Abraham. Abraham goes back to sleep and Aaron and I contend with the disgusting crate. We decide outside is the best place to wash it and we get supplies together (hot water, Pinesol, napalm, etc). Ok, just kidding about the napalm. We do work quickly (it is freezing outside) and get the crate cleaned and ready for the dogs to go back to bed. Of course, we had to feed Arky but waited for Arugula, due to this crazy poop frenzy. Plus, I honestly thought she ate her poop and vomited it back up. Needless to say, Arugula was in deep trouble with us. I took her outside and she still had diarrhea before bed. Not abnormal with being crated so many times in the last few days, no cause for concern. That was a Christmas night to remember! Thank goodness Abraham is too little to remember the smell or know what happened on his first Christmas!

Oh, but wait! There is yet more! The next morning, Aaron was so sweet and let me sleep in a bit and went to take care of the dogs. He no sooner than descended the stairs and a waft of dog crap again assaulted his olfactory senses. Oh no, he thinks. Yes. Arugula spastically crapped her bed, but thankfully she covered it up with her blanket and kept it off of her! No re-bathing needed! But the crate needed detoxed again. So, after about 40 minutes, I wake up panicked because Aaron isn’t back in bed. Something is wrong. I quickly go to see and wish I hadn’t. Poor Aaron is cleaning up dog poop AGAIN! What an angel. He didn’t even wake me. He just went to cleaning. Now I realize something is wrong. Arugula is nearly 3 and this isn’t normal. I started thinking back in the week and do remember there being a time when I looked in the trash can in Abraham’s room and did notice 3 wipes were missing from the trash. I only know there were 3 because I put them there. They were clean, relatively speaking. I just wiped Abraham’s mouth with one and hands with another and my hands with a third. I didn’t think much of it until now. Arugula had to have eaten them. Oh no. That means she is blocked up and we may have to have a visit to the vet and of course the worst starts running through my mind. Fortunately, by early afternoon, she threw up the wipes that she ate the previous Monday. Dumb dog. What gets me is that my dogs have never gotten into the trash or anything and now since the introduction of Abraham, they look for ways to get attention and trouble is what they find. Lucky me. Well, Arugula immediately starts to show signs of improvement and is back to her old self now. Thank you Lord!

So, that was our Christmas 2008 and it was one to remember for lots of reasons! Thanks for coming along with me on this journey and may your Christmas’ not be so crazy!

Merry Christmas to sweet Abraham! We had quite the eventful season this year. Our Christmas celebrations started on December 19th. We had Adam and Ashley and Grandma and Grandad D. out to the house for a chili dinner and celebrated Christmas with Adam and Ashley. We had a great time of being together! Abraham handled it pretty well. He still wasn’t quite sure why everyone was there and it was a bit of sensory overload being so late at night. But all things considered, he did well.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon, December 20th, we celebrated our next Christmas with my Dad and that side of the family. We had a good time and Abraham was a dream! He wasn’t fussy and just enjoyed all the attention:) I think my Dad is starting to enjoy being a Grandpa – he labeled the gifts to Abraham from Grandpa and Brenda! So, it was pretty neat with Dad and Brenda playing Mr. and Mrs. Claus for the kids:)

Now once again we have another Christmas celebration on Sunday, December 21st! Goodness! Poor Abraham hasn’t had a good nap in his bed all weekend! But, he is such a trooper and doesn’t skip a beat! He sleeps whenever and wherever. He really doesn’t mind:) We celebrated Christmas with my Grandpa Shinkle (Great Grandpa to Abraham). That was wonderful to see everyone!

Whew! What a ton of traveling! But, guess what, there is more!

Christmas Eve finds us in Muncie visiting Aaron’s Mom’s side of the family. His aunts and uncles and cousins were there to celebrate Christmas. It was wonderful! Marla and Jim’s new house was absolutely gorgeous and the food was divine! We enjoyed the Christmas gift exchange game and made out with an outdoor game (Washers)! It will be great as Abraham gets older! But as you can see, he was all smiles and quite the Christmas Ham for pictures!