Grandma's Angel Face

He's got your little Easter bunny!

Mess

One look at this kid and you'll see I've had a busy day. I had planned on taking him to the sitter today because I needed to run some errands, but we woke up to a mess. I guess he ate something that didn't agree with him last night at my farewell and had thrown up all over himself and his crib. I felt so bad for the little guy. He must have been sleeping in it for a good portion of the night and he didn't wake us up! So I got him cleaned up and changed his clothes and bedding. After that he seemed to be ok, except now he was sneezing and had a runny nose. I was constantly cleaning his little face because of the constant draining. TMI, I know.
Then alittle later on in the morning I decided I needed to clean up the living room a bit. I keep the doors closed that I don't want him getting into but I forgot that when I changed him I left his last poopie diaper sitting out in his room. (The dumb diaper pail we have takes two hands to operate it, so sometimes the diaper will sit on top till I get around to putting it in) Well he thought it would be fun to play with his poopie diaper. It was like he was laughing at me when he was holding it up...poo smeared on his hands and shirt. Ack! Gag!
So I get him stripped and in the tub in two seconds flat! Whew, that was close. It could have been everywhere!
I put him down for a nap and he woke up within 30 minutes. He was screaming and crying, I felt so bad for him. Then he sneezed and sent a glob of snot that hit my leg. I think he may have an allergy or something. I gave him some Dimatap and put him back to sleep. He was seemed to feel like a million bucks after his nap. I think he got a great nap.
We had rigatoni for dinner tonight which is where I got the picture posted above. One final mess to clean up before bed. Whew! What a day!

Farewell

Tonight was the night my co-workers had my going away party (a month later) and there were good and bad parts to the evening. First off these things never get started on time. I've been to probably 10 farewells in my two years of working for the military and they have never started on time. We ended up getting there about a half hour late, due to traffic and construction, and we're the next to the last people to show up. It figures! It's at this little mexican place which has great mexican for being in Germany. So we sat down and ordered our drinks and no sooner than we decide on what we're going to order, Collin starts to get cranky. He's whining and squirming and that escalates to screaming. It made it very hard to have a conversation when you have a toddler screaming in your ear. So basically Dave and I spend the whole evening trying to keep Collin from throwing a fit. I know it's not his fault, it was close to his bedtime and he was just being a little kid. It just basically ruined my night. We had to eat, get my gift (which was nice...they had a huge silver platter that was engraved and it had the hospital coin displayed) and leave. It just wasn't the vision I had for an enjoyable last evening with my co-workers.
I guess that is what you get when you have kids. It ceases to be about you...and all about them.
Don't get me wrong, he is such a great kid and I love him so much. It just seems that when I need him to be a good boy...he turns into Damion. Next time...he's going to a sitter. :)

Route 44

If you've never been to a Sonic Drive-In you're missing a real treat. Not only is the food great (I love the footlong chili dog and cheddar bites...awh...I can practically hear my arteries clogging) but the real star of the show is their drinks. My favorite is a route 44 Diet Coke. What is so special about Diet Coke you ask? Well this monstrosity was a part of my morning routine for as long as I can remember. This thing would get me through my work day. Of course I'd have to get another one on the way home, but that is what happens when you're addicted to something! Also, they have this pellet ice that is a nice ending once you've finished the beverage. They also have the best slushies ever. I like the blue coconut flavor the best. They even mix the slushies with icecream for another awesome treat. You're probably thinking, this girl needs to get a life. This is just one thing that I'm looking forward to once we get back home. I guess there is no real point to this post other than I know the first place I'm going to hit once I get back to the United States. I've missed you route 44! sniff sniff....

D'oh!

I had a D'oh moment this morning. Last night I picked my husband up from work and we stopped by the convenience store because I needed ice. Europeans aren't big on ice here but I've gotta have it. So we get our bag of ice and go home and we go up stairs and enjoy our evening. Without bringing the ice inside.
I haven't been able to get a hold of my hubby to see if he found the big bag of water in our back seat yet. Who knows, it could be a pool in the bottom of the backseat by now. Or it could have soaked the seat...I dunno. I can't believe I forgot to bring in the bag of ice.
Not only that, last night while I was cooking dinner someone kept ringing our doorbell. I was in the middle of cooking a fabulous dinner (baked cod with angelhair pasta and greenbeans) so I couldn't go downstairs to get the door. I asked hubby, but he was watching the kiddo and talking on the phone, so he was like...just ignore it and they'll go away. Well later that night my hubby goes to take the dogs out for one last potty break and when he gets back inside he tells me "I know why someone was ringing our bell, you left your keys in the front door lock!" D'oh!! (smack to the forehead!)
Atleast I remembered to bring Collin in the house! Getting old sucks.... :P

Time with Collin

Today was a pretty good day. First off, Collin let me sleep in till 8 am. It has been ages since Collin slept this late, so I was stoked. He also went down for his nap without any troubles and slept for a couple more hours. Nap time is great, cause that is when I get to shower and get dressed. It seems funny that I would get excited about naps and getting to shower. Until you have a kid you take that kind of stuff for granted! LOL.
It was an absolute beautiful day here in Germany and once Collin woke up from his nap I wanted to go out and enjoy it. We went to McDonalds for lunch and Collin had his first Happy Meal. I like the way they do Happy Meals here. You have some options. I got him chicken nuggets and instead of fries I got the yogert and fruit option. I figured it was better than getting the fries and I figured he'd have a couple of mine anyway. Once we ate it was off to the park to play.
I have this little bucket hat for him to wear, cause the sun was blinding today. Only thing is he didn't want to wear it so it was a constant struggle. Better than a burned little head I guess.
So he played and played and it was so much fun watching him learn and get joy out of life. On the toddler playgym at the park they have this funhouse mirror that is just his size. He finally noticed himself today and it was the funniest thing I've seen in a while. He kept looking at himself and laughing and talking and I think I even saw him kiss himself. It was hilarious. He is also getting better at climbing stairs. ( I don't let him climb the ones in the house yet, but he does pretty well on the playgym stairs) The stairs on that playgym are very shallow, so I think it's getting his confidence up since the falling down episode. You can definately tell he is more nervous about high places now. After we were done playing, we just did a few other small errands and then returned home. I'm trying to take him somewhere every afternoon. Not only does it get me out of the house, but I think boys need fresh air, sunshine and play everyday. I hope that I am able to do these kinds of things with him once we get back to the states. My mom was a good mom and provider, but we really didn't get a lot of quality time with her because she was a single parent doing the best she could to take care of her family. (Which consisted of her, myself, my sister and my grandmother) I hope that he is able to look back on these times in his life and be happy.

View of my front porch

Here are some pics of the flowers I planted last week. This is the first day there has been enough sunlight to even take decent pictures. It was fun....gave me a chance to play with my new camera.
I just love gardening. It's amazing how relaxing it was just to plant these few pots. It feels good to get your hands dirty bringing beauty to your home. It's funny how my view of the perfect home has changed with age. I used to want to live in a loft apartment (like the one in that movie "Big" with Tom Hanks) downtown in New York or LA, somewhere hip and fun. Now I want the Martha Stewart white picket fence house. Maybe it would also have a path of flagstone leading to a secluded garden with maybe a koi pond and a bench where I can sit and read a good book or just go to relax. I have moved so many times since I left home over ten years ago. I think I'm ready to finally put down some roots.

Ho hum....

It's turned out to be a real yawner of a day. The only thing that I did today was take a friend to her drivers class so she can get a license and clean the kitchen. Paaarrrttaayyy!!
That's ok, I had a pretty good weekend. It was a beautiful sunny weekend here in Germany. We took Collin to the park and played for most of Saturday, then yesterday I did a ton of housework and planted some beautiful plants in our front porch pots. I'll have to post a pic of our front porch as I'm quite proud of the work I did.
I can't wait to have a home of my own so that I can plant beautiful roses and other various flowers. Maybe I'll even try for a little vegetable garden. It will be so nice to have a place to call our own.
My husband told me today he's got a date for us to return and it's coming up real soon. I hate giving dates over the internet, so I'll just say it's in the next two months. Looks like he may even have a job lined up when we return to the states. That would give us so much peace of mind knowing that one of us would be working right away.
Well, back to surfin the web. Any good sites out there for a bored SAHM?

Enjoying motherhood

I was going to write this post last night, before Collin took his tumble down the stairs, but now it's even more meaningful.
I am really enjoying being a stay a home mom. I didn't think I would, so it's really surprised me.
Collin and I have gone to the park almost everyday this week. It's been so much fun watching him explore the playground and play in the grass and dirt. They even had toddler swings so he got to swing in one for the first time and he was giggling and laughing and having a great time. I just loved seeing him so happy. I've also been reading to him more than I did when I was working. We've got this Clifford the Big Red Dog book that has buttons you can push that make sounds, he loves it. I guess I feel like I finally have the time to really be a real mom. I know it sounds sad. That I would have to "make" the time to be a mom. Like it's a burden or something. I think it's hard to give your child the time and attention they need when you work so much. When I was working full time, I only saw Collin for an hour in the morning and two hours at night. That's not enough time.
We went over to a friends house this morning so that Collin could play with my friend's son and so that we could have breakfast with them. My friend commented how much happier Collin seems to be now that I'm home with him. That made me feel like I was being a good mom to him.
I'm just really grateful to have this time to share with him. I look forward to more of our little day outings. I think we may go to the indoor swimming pool in town. I bet Collin would love it.

I had the scare of my life today....

The day started out pretty good. Nothing too out of the ordinary. I had pretty much just finished feeding Collin lunch when I decided that I would do some cleaning. One of the perks of being a stay at home mom is that I actually have the time to clean. I know that sounds funny but when I worked full time my family came first and the house came last. Collin even likes to help me sometimes. Just doing little things, like shutting doors for me or handing me stuff.

We live in a two story house and the stairwell has a door. My husband and I have been diligent about keeping the door shut at all times. We've noticed that if you don't pull on the handle real tight it will sometimes pop open just slightly. Well today was one of those days. I got Collin out of his high chair and went to get the vacuum cleaner when I turned around and noticed that the door was all the way open and Collin was no where to be found.

At that instant my heart sank into my stomach and I ran for the door. Just as I got to the door I saw my little boy fall down the stairs. I couldn't stop it, I felt like puking. I ran down the stairs to his side. He was screaming and I freaked out. In my mind I was thinking...this is it...he's either going to be paralyzed or die before I can get him to a hospital. Our phone is upstairs in the dining room and so I had a dilemma. Leave him there and run to get the phone to call the ambulance (because I know you're not supposed to move someone who could have spine or neck injuries)or carefully take him upstairs with me. As a mom, I just couldn't leave him at the bottom of the stairs scared and screaming, so I carefully moved him keeping him as straight as possible.

I called the German ambulance service (DRK) and I can't believe it, I was so freaked out and upset with myself, I couldn't remember my address! I finally composed myself, because Collin needed me to be strong for him and I needed them to get there quick. It seemed like hours until they got there, but actually they got there really fast. While I was waiting for the ambulance to get there I was trying to keep him still so he wouldn't hurt himself further. Amazingly enough, he seemed like he was doing ok. I wasn't going to take any chances though. When they finally got there, they almost seemed surprised I called them. They never said they wouldn't take him to the American hospital, but they almost insinuated that I could take him myself. No way was I going to attempt to strap him into a car seat and take the chance of paralyzing him, or wrecking the car because I was so upset.

Once we got to the hospital they assessed him. He wasn't bleeding, his pupils were responsive and equal to light, and he was able to move his arms and legs. We couldn't even find a bruise on him!!! They went ahead and got some xrays of his neck and spine and from what the doctor said they looked good. (he did say that kid bones are softer and sometimes harder to pinpoint fractures, but that he thought they looked clear) We waited awhile and they gave him a popsicle, I guess to see if he'd be able to hold fluids (When you have a concussion, you tend to vomit). By this time Dave had arrived. He was in a class when his unit gave him the message about what had happened. I can't imagine what that drive must have been like for him. The not knowing how serious his son was hurt. Atleast I was able to be there with Collin.

The totally amazing and unbelievable part of all of this is that Collin is doing great. You would never know just a few hours ago that he fell down about 15 stairs. Children are amazingly resilliant. All I know is that I hope to God I never have to feel that way again. I've been smothering him with love and kisses. I always do, but more so tonight. Collin is my son, my life, and I love him with every fiber of my being and I've never been so scared in my life.

Whoohooo!!

I started my workout plan today. I didn't make any excuses, I just went and did it. I have to do something. I'm 50 pounds overweight and I feel miserable.
This is the first step....

Change of plans...again...

Well, this past weekend has been the weekend of the best layed plans gone arey. We were supposed to go to an Easter egg hunt on Sunday, gut when we showed up at the park, there was a pad lock on the gate (our parks on base have gates...to keep the animals out? I dunno...) with a note that said it was located on a different base about 30min away. We were late as it was and by the time we pack up Collin and get to the other place we'd be too late. So we made the best of it. We went to Kidzone. That place I mentioned before that is like Chucky Cheese. We had a great time. We pigged out on pizza and Collin got to run around with other little kids. I think he had a lot of fun. I think he'll have more fun when he's old enough to climb on things and play video games.
I also had fun playing Skeeball at Kidzone. Yes, I'll admit it, I like Skeeball. I like to win tickets playing Skeeball, just to find out that I only have enough to buy that spider ring. Ohhh what a rush!
After that, we stopped by the grocery store then went home and relaxed alittle before putting the kiddo down for bed.
It turned out to be a nice weekend, despite all the snafus

Come rain or shine...

Today has been much better than yesterday. We didn't go to the ball. We ended up just chillin on the couch watching the new King Kong movie. It was a pretty good movie. The computer graphics were awesome and it was quite scarey. Definately not a kid movie. It wasn't as exciting as if we had gone to the ball, but it was still a good night.
This morning we were trying to figure out something fun to do today. We decided to go to Kaiserslaughtern. It's a fairly big city not too far from our village. As we were leaving, the storm clouds started to roll in. grrrrr.... We had to drop something off at a friends house and it rained the whole drive there. So we changed our plans again to accomodate the weather. There is a place on post called the Kids Zone, it's simular to a Chuckie Cheese, only smaller. As we were heading there, the sun came out. Will this damned weather make up it's mind already??!!! We ended up sticking with our original plan. We walked around and did alittle shopping. It turned out to be a really good day. I needed to get Collin a nice little Easter outfit for the Easter egg hunt we are going to tomorrow. This will be his first Easter egg hunt, so it should be interesting. After the shopping, we went to a nice mexican restuarant for dinner. It was just so nice to get out of the house for a day.





I got a new camera last week. It's a fabulous camera that has all kinds of great functions. I just need to learn how to use it. It's one of those cameras that you can just point and click, or if you've had a few classes, you can do real photography.

Here are some picures I took today from out day in Kaiserslaughern.





























I am going to take some classes so that I can get better. I think it could be a fun hobby since I just love scrapbooking and saving the moments of my life. I want Collin to be able to see what it was like here in Germany when he grows up.