I do have to admit, however, that I am very excited that I have my husband and my daughter ALL to myself until January 4th.  I love when Chris is at home & not working late at night - although I’m jealous of his extended vacation.  So tonight, when I pull up into my driveway, I’ll have my sweet daughter running to the door saying MOMMY”S HOME and Chris greeting me with a kiss.  Hurry up 5:00 pm!  I just want to cuddle with my loves tonight. Nothing less, nothing more.

In all of the exciting Holiday Cheer, I have had unusual sleeping patterns, waking up in the middle of the night wide awake – not due to being uncomfortable, but just awake.  Some nights I logged onto to HuLu & watch Housewives of Orange County to get up on my BRAVO.  Last night for instance, I was wide awake at 3:30 am — so I stole my mom’s new book “Dear John” and read the entire thing until 6:30 am, just in time to shower & get ready for work.  I am however, exhausted, at this very moment.  But it was a good read!  The Netty Pot, Tylenol, and Sudafed have been my BF’s since last Tuesday.  I’m contemplating calling the doctor for sinus relief!  I think 7 days is plenty to deal with all of this right?

Monday, we got a sneak peak at Levi McCool!  We are at 30.5 weeks along and wowzers, we are flying along.  I am enormous and wonder how big Levi is going to be.  We are not nearly as prepared as we were with Tatum — I hear that happens your 2nd time around.  End of February/Beginning of March will be here before we know it.  Much still to do.

January will be an exciting month with baby showers (so blessed with my friends), scheduling a much need pregnancy massage, having our carpets cleaned (yes this is an exciting thing!), and working on Levi’s room.

I was a little overwhelmed at the beginning of last week at the personal to do list & the work to do list with Holidays coming up – and planning for a new baby.  I wasn’t quite sure it’d all get done, or get done without enjoying every moment and not rushing through this fun season.  Thankfully this weekend, due to being sick, I was able to slow down, spend 12 hours on the couch relaxing, and at the same time, feeling productive.

We decorated our quaint little house, and thanks to the Scentsy smells, feels so homey & comfy. Don’t you wish you could keep your tree up all year long!

Chris painted Levi’s room on Thursday/Friday, and besides a few touch ups here & there, looks really great.  We hope to soon move baby furniture in there once we get Tatum’s big girl mattress & bedding bought.  It’s all starting to come together – we shall soon be a Family of Four.

We randomly watched two football games on Saturday (again my couch time!) – we never watch football games.  I kind of enjoyed it.  And enjoyed the 5 Oreo Cookies I ate with milk.

Chris and I saw Tatum’s first ‘performance’ of her life on Sunday – her preschool @ Parkhills Baptist Church did a little program for their Sunday morning service.  Tatum was an Angel with the rest of her classmates & they sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  Tears fell down my cheeks watching her & how cute she was up there.

After church, we registered for Baby Levi @ BabiesRUs & Target.  This registering wasn’t NEARLY as stressful as when we registered for Tatum – there were major tears & arguments that go around…..we just had no idea what to do, what we wanted, etc.  This time, we were in & out in less than 1 hour. Baby blankets, check. Diapers, check.  Video monitor, check.  Thank God that 2nd Baby gets all of 1st Baby’s big items.

I started wrapping Christmas presents late last night – and am almost done.  Tatum tried to help & put her name on several name tags ‘her way.’

This weekend starts the weekend of parties. Wowzers.  Friday: my work party.  Saturday day: Girls Ornament Exchange Party. Saturday night: my boss’ party.  Sunday night: Chris’ work party.  We will be pooped by Monday, but will have fun doing it!

Baby Levi gets his check up & glucose test today during lunch!  I am officially in the third trimester (says the books) – 27 weeks.  Crazy, this is flying by.

We knew the drive would be longer than normal because of the holiday season.  12 hours there – and 11 hours back.  Tatum was a trooper and did REALLY great.  We sang a lot, watched movies on the DVD player, read books.  We didn’t have any off the wall tantrums and I was oh so proud of her.

We arrived to my mom’s house at 5:30 am on Thanksgiving morning.  I told Chris that we could just drive down the road to the “Smokehouse” and eat a yummy greasy breakfast – but for some reason he wasn’t up to it.   We went straight to bed instead!  We were delirious.  We slept until about 9:00 am and spent a little time chatting it up with my mom – Tatum of course of was in her wonderful, fun, ‘i love mornings’ mood!  Her and mom headed up to my brother’s house to get ready for our Thanksgiving meal, while Chris and I took our time getting ready. 

My mom, Aunt Sharon, and sis in law, Jenny had a GREAT spread for us!  So much food.  My sweet grandparents even drove in from Little Rock to have lunch with us!  What an exciting day for us all.  It had been several years since we all ate a true Thanksgiving meal together at a dining room table  – thanks to Josh for his new beautiful house!!   Thanksgiving day really really really felt like an actual Thanksgiving day.  Family seated around a table, eating tons of food, hearing the kids play in the background.  Tatum and her cousin Jenna are the same age (7 weeks apart), so they were BCF’s very quickly (best cousins forever).  We loved loved watching them play together.  It’s all about the baby dolls & the kitchen right now!

My nephew Jacob is 10 – and he kept Chris pretty busy with playing the Wii, showing off his ‘toys’ to Chris and bragging on himself for killing his first deer.  My brother Josh has all sorts of toys himself – one including this 1980 motorcycle that he supposedly only drives in his yard?  Chris got a kick out of playing with THAT toy.

We enjoyed my brother’s house & the kids playing until about 8:30 pm or so — we had to get Tatum to bed, but we were sad to leave!  We had a big day planned for Friday & everyone needed their rest.

Chris woke up at 1:45 am to purchase a Barbie Electric Jeep for Tatum (present from Nonna B) – what a good Dad.  Tatum and I got up at 7:00 am and hit up the Wal-Mart Black Friday sales.  Yep, that’s pretty much all that Heber has to offer as far as shopping goes.   Mom (who works part time at Wal-Mart for ‘fun’ outside of her normal 1st grade teaching job) got off at 8:00 am and we ate the nastiest donuts ever at Harp’s.  Ever.  Ick.

Friday we spent at my grandparents house in Little Rock with my Aunt & cousins.  We ate a yummy lunch at Olive Garden, enjoyed my grandparents music/play room with the kiddos, rode on the golf cart, and played in the backyard.  We did hit up ToysRUs before we left Little Rock & found exactly what mom was looking for.  Oh, of course, we didn’t forget our Mexico Chiquito drive through for queso (cheese dip they call it) and salsa for the drive home.  YUM. 

That night we headed to Searcy to spend time with Chris’ mom & husband, Freylon.  I was sad to say bye to my mom (and yes, I cried when we drove off), but thankfully will see her in just a few short weeks for Christmas.  Searcy was nice & relaxing for us.  We watched movies, ate, took Tatum to see the cows that she loves @ Freylon’s farm, and checked out the Christmas lights in the Searcy park. 

Sunday we were on the road by 6:30 am because we knew our drive would be just as long as the drive in – and it almost was, 11 hours!  Our drive was long, our stay was short, however, it was a great time spent with those that we love.  I think for next year, we are already taking donations so that we don’t have to do the drive with two kids – I’m all about flying — just need to find about, oh, $800 or so in order to do that.

I am excited about getting my haircut & highlighted tomorrow by Amanda.

I am excited about getting some free preggo shots from Dawn’s friend Danielle, who is taking photography classes at ACC.  Although I’ll only be technically 6 months, free shots are free shots, right?

I am exited about ordering Scentsy from Melanie Brothers, and getting everyone else excited about it as well.

I am excited that in 2 weeks, we drive to Arkansas for 3 quick days of family love.  Anyone have a car DVD thingy I can borrow?

I am excited to get our Christmas cash out on November 15th so I can start SHOPPING!  I have almost every thing/every one listed that I need to buy for and what I’ll be getting them.  WOOHOO.

I am excited that Tatum is completely & fully potty trained.  She’s such a big girl.

I am excited that my doctor appointments are about to go from every 3 weeks to every 2 weeks. This pregnancy is flying by! I love my doctor.

I am excited about finally (FINALLY) ordering our family pictures that Meshali took months ago onto a canvas.  I’ve been putting this off way too long.

I am excited that Baby James & Tatum are growing into true little people friends.  It’s so fun to watch them talk & play together.

I am excited that my husband is developing some new friendships.

I am excited to see little things like game night, coat drives, and Micah 6 happening with our small church family.

I’m just plain excited people.

The cruise was amazing, so much fun.  We had heard from several friends how awesome they are, but its not until you actually experience it that you are like ‘WOW! this is a great way to vacation.’  Really.  We had been planning this trip for about a year, thinking through saving money, etc.  And we were able to get an ‘early bird’ deal when we put our deposit down 5 months early. So glad we did!

We ported out of Galveston & went to Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico.  Each port in its own right was beautiful and perfect.  You can’t go wrong with clear blue ocean water, white sand, and clear skies. Mostly clear skies (there are drops of rain here & there). 

We said goodbye to our Tatum on Saturday & spent the night in Houston.  Sunday, we drove to Galveston & waited about 1 1/2 hours in line to board the ship- which really wasn’t too bad with all the different lines you have to go to.  Once on the boat, we were like, wow, now what do we do!!  We’ve arrived!  We settled into our room after our luggage was delivered, explored the boat for a while, enjoyed the sunset & breeze off the ocean, and then got ready for dinner. We were excited to meet all our new ‘boat friends’ at our dinner table….but guess what. No ONE showed up!  I was so disappointed.   And to note, we only had one night that another couple came and it was like pulling TEETH to get them to talk.  Geesh.  Thankfully, we had Donovan, our awesome waiter from Jamaica, that made dinner every night worth our while.

Monday I honestly can’t remember what we did.  I’m sure it entailed eating, laying out in the sun, and swimming!  Tuesday I had a spa morning while Chris worked out.  I enjoyed a milk & honey scrub, body wrap, aromatherapy shower, and full body massage.  I was so sad when it was over.  Those people on the boat are SALES people!  Every single one of them.  The lady almost had me convinced to buy this Japanese oil & lotion to prevent stretch marks.  Over $100 for 2 tiny bottles, no thanks. 

Chris and I were amazed at how slow (in a good way) time was going.  Everytime I’d look at his watch, I was like no way! It’s only 12:30 pm??  So nice to have complete full days to do whatever the heck you wanted.

The boat had shows in the evening, sometimes before dinner; sometimes afterwards.  They also had dancers/singers – that were honestly realllly corny.  I could hardly stand to watch them!  I would giggle at the guys that looked like they just came out of high school & so wanted to be a part of a boy band.  Nevertheless, it was entertaining.

Wednesday was Jamaica!  Boarding onto the pier wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world – kind of dirty, much like a train station.  We had about an hour to spare so we shopped in the local shops at the port thinking about things we wanted to buy ourselves & Tatum.  When our bus came, it dropped us off at the gorgeous SANDALS RESORT.  Wow, just like a postcard.  Gorgeous.  We found two seats under a tree/umbrella and swam for a while.  We road on a small sailboat that was so awesome and then ate some yummy lunch.  We walked around their little piers & took pictures, absolutely breath taking.  It rained for about the last 30 minutes of our stay there, so we napped in our chairs under the tree/umbrella until it was time to go.  We finished up the day shopping at the port stores & gave Tatum a quick call to make sure things were all ok.

Thursday we ported in Grand Cayman Islands, which I think was Chris’ favorite place.  So much prettier than Jamaica (but much more expensive!).  Here I found some really awesome jewlery though (not diamonds, chunky stuff that I like to wear).  Our excursion for the day was swimming with sting rays & snorkeling in the ocean.  The sting ray part was really cool.  I was a little freaked out, but still, a neat experience.  Chris was like a fish in the water – I couldn’t keep up with him, he was swimming everywhere. Ha.  When it came to snorkeling in another part of the ocean, I just enjoyed myself on the boat (my fear of drowining stepped in), and I let Chris just go have fun out there.  When we got back to the pier, we ate at Margaritaville ($40 for burger & turkey wrap!) and bought some fun tshirts (again $100 for 3 shirts!).  We shopped for a bit before the rain came in & then boarded the boat. 

Friday we ported in Cozumel, Mexico!  We had no plans on this day except to shop & do whatever.  I wanted some real Mexican food, too.  It started to pour not 10 minutes after we got off the boat.  Luckily, we had a poncho & umbrella, so we survived until it quit raining. We were specifically looking for Mexican dresses for Tatum.  The shops at the pier said we’d find what we wanted downtown, so we grabbed a cab & headed to the downtown local shops.  We found a little man that really helped us & we really went back & forth on the ‘costs’ of these dresses and a few other items.  After we left, we realized we could have gone down even more, but oh well.  Tatum got 2 cute dresses, and that’s all we wanted! We shopped some more (in the pouring rain & flooding streets!) downtown and then caught a taxi back to the pier.  Here, we found a lovely Mexican restaurant (the rain had finally stopped) that served yummy margaritas and amazing tamales.  Two little men were outside playing their instruments while we ate, it was perfect.  And I was SO hungry, believe it or not. There is no much food on the ship that I was just getting tired of eating all the time!

We debated whether or not to grab a taxi to a nearby beach or keep shopping. We called & talked to Tatum for a little bit, and then just decided to hang out and relax.  The port days went by so fast!  So much fun, and by this time, I think we were literally exhausted.

Saturday we spent the entire day at the pool.  Ahhhh I love that feeling.  We ate our last dinner with Donovan & said our goodbyes.  I admit, I was a little sad to say bye & prayed that his sweet family back in Jamaica would be blessed.  Staff on cruises stay on there for 6-8 months at a time, away from their children & families.  Made me sad.

Sunday morning we were off the boat in an hour’s time & in our car headed back to Austin at 9:30 am!  We could not wait to see Tatum.  We were proud of ourselves for spending 8 whole days away from her & making it!  I only got teary eyed after the times we talked to her & I heard her voice, but honestly, I don’t even think she knew we were gone. haha.  When we got home, we woke her up from her nap, and she goes “Hey Dad! Hey Mom!”  It was so funny.

It’s great to be home, getting back into the swing of things & back to the real world.

Which then leads to ultimate fear of, holy Lord, how large will I REALLY get?  Chris has a feeling it’s going to be big.  And having a big BELLY is one thing, but having a big everything else, is just another.  And my fear is the whole package. 

So for all you friends out there that pray – please add my very selfish, vain prayer to your list:

Dear Jesus, please keep Summer from growing so large that she’s unrecognizable.  Please keep those stretch marks that occurred during Tatum’s growth to stay PUT.  Please keep those preggo boobs from uncontrollable chaos.  I think that’s all for now.  More later. Thanks.  (insert your name).

Chris and I preparing for our first vacation together since we’ve had Tatum. And no, she is not going with us! We’ll be sailing on a cruise ship for 7 days, JUST US. We are both so incredibly excited, we are beside ourselves. We’ve been waiting for this day for a very long long time. Now, just to calm my fears of Tatum breaking her arm or having an allergic reaction to who knows what, and I won’t be there to fix it or even know about it? I mean, can they call us or text us while on the ship? I have no idea. I’m trying not to think about it.

Speaking of my big girl, she is in big girl panties. Potty training is going so/so. We have super good days and days where we have like 3 accidents. She’s great at GOING potty, when we are diligent about putting her on the potty – just not making us aware when she NEEDS to go. That’s where the accidents come into play. I guess it’s normal. But it’s so funny – when she has an accident, she cries, and says, “Sorry, Dora” or “Sorry, Elmo” depending on what type of panties where’s wearing. She doesn’t like her ‘friends’ getting dirty.

Nicole moved in this weekend for a few months during her transition between jobs. We transferred all the office furniture up to the front room of our house – and now no more dining room! We barely use the table, so hopefully this set up will work out for us. It’s good to transition now without the extra room – because in 6 short months, there will be a baby in there. Crazy!

And can I also say that I officially look pregnant, at 13 weeks. How is that possible? I need to take a picture of my growing belly but I find it a bit depressing that I’m already showing. I hear it is normal. Yeah, whatever. I’m sure I have much more to write about, but this is at least a good update for now. I will try my best to come back to blogging since I’ve got a cool new look.

Cooked dinner/meals would be helpful – however, with our current schedule, we don’t cook much because of Chris’ late nights.  I’m really looking for quick meals? Like food while at work for lunch/breakfast – and some type of idea for me at dinner time while Chris is at work. 

What’s worked for you?  Would appreciate any suggestions — and if you have specific receipes, please email to summer.mccool@gmail.com

Thanks!

Thursday began Day 1. Chris ordered the rock, which was delivered the SAME DAY. What an overwhelming feeling. We began digging up dirt – we had so much space that was unleveled – and would require a lot of work to level out. Seems that it wouldn’t take long to do, but really takes almost an entire afternoon. By end of Day 1, we had outlined our area and dug up existing holes & grass & dug ¼ of the needed trench for the retaining wall (yes, everyone, I did this all by myself!) End time: 11:00 pm.

Friday began Day 2. Chris realized we needed more supplies, I forget which ones…sand maybe? While Tatum napped, Chris finished up the trench for the rest of the retaining wall & laid 3 levels of brick & mortar on the right side of the patio. Sergio & Mike (Amanda’s dad) stopped by to see our progress & give thoughts. They had built a similar patio last year. We were on the right track for the most part (and doing ok for rookies), so that was a confidence boost. We grabbed a quick dinner after I got home from work & got right to work. By 10:30 pm, we had finished most of the 3 layers of retaining wall & called it a night.

Saturday began Day 3. Again, we needed a few more supplies! We headed to Dripping Springs & the guy gave us the rest of the rock for free (it was a very little amount, so nice of him). We spent the majority of the afternoon leveling out dirt (with Chris making more trips than I can count to pick up dirt from a nearby area of ‘public dirt). I’m totally forgetting now what happened because my days are running together.

By the late afternoon, we knew we were ready to begin the next process of adding the layers of sand, then sand/cement mix before laying the rocks. This is where Russell Boyd’s wisdom (and Ileah’s vocal direction) came in to save the day! RB has experience with this sort of project and they volunteered their Saturday night to our backyard. A shock & super nice surprise.

Ileah, Tatum, and I went to buy 1,400 lbs of sad (20 bags, 70lb each) at Home Depot. When we returned, the guys were playing Tetris with the rocks – so I jumped in, and Ileah brought back each bag of sand, 1 by 1, on a wheel barrel. Strong chic. By 11:00 pm, we had layered ¼ of the patio with dirt, then sand, then sand/cement mix, then ROCK! We watered & let it set for the night. Our patio was actually coming together and making sense.

Sunday began Day 4. The morning time we had reserved for house church – several random occurrences happened with a few of our friends, so the morning ended up being extremely relaxing with us cleaning the house (yes, it was a disaster, the cleanliness felt soooo nice). Chris needed (again) to go get more sand & dirt, and I was not feeling the best. Tatum and I napped while Chris did his thing.

I jumped back in the game at 4:00 pm ready to get our next section completed before the weekend ended. I had really hoped that the whole patio would be completed by Sunday night – but with all the work it takes to do one of these suckers, I knew that was an unrealistic expectation. Chris and I put about 18 buckets (is that right?) of dirt on our 2nd section and I began leveling out with a rake.

RB & Ileah showed up a little bit later, just in time for us to lay the layer of sand. I never thought it’d take 6 hours to lay sand, level out, then lay sand/cement mix, level it out, and then begin putting rocks back in. Adjusting the rocks so that they are level is what takes so much work. But by 10:30 pm – section two was watered & completed!

For some reason, I was not able to sleep! You’d think I’d be more than exhausted by this time. Maybe my mind was in patio mode. I honestly contemplated staying up to watch Mall Cop that Nicole had brought over, but I knew Chris was ready for bed. I think by 1:00 am, I was fast asleep.

So, hopefully next Saturday will be the day that it’s completed! We have 1 more section to add dirt (literally tons of dirt), sand, mix, and then readjust the rocks. Can’t wait to have a BBQ so we all can enjoy it together! PS – I did not wash my hair since yesterday (but yes, I have showered), and it is so disgusting today. Even in a pony tail.

At Graceland People, we’ve been talking through what it means for us as a community “to live by faith, to be known by love and to be a voice of hope.”  Last week, we focused on Love – and broke down what is known as the ‘love chapter’ —–1 Corinthians 13.  Many times we hear these inspirational words in a wedding or we see them written as quotes on plaques or notecards.  They are moving & motivational — and can also hit you smack dab in the face — when faced to see beyond the inspiration & look to applying what it means to truly love.

So is the case with me.  Our challenge Sunday was to focus on 1 (or more?) areas (listed above) in which is a daily struggle for us to ‘love’ in everyday situations.  I automatically knew mine: Love is not envious (doesn’t want what it doesn’t have).  I can’t tell you how many times a day I see or think about friends that have the opportunity to be home with their children.  I go to Target & see young moms with their young kids — and I get sad.  I read FB statuses of what so & so did today — and I get sad.  I think about things Tatum and I could do — but at 6:00 pm — and I get sad.   I am amazingly grateful for my job, the company I work for, and we have been extremely blessed since I have switched jobs over the past year.  I know that I am a natural mother by saying I wish I had more time with my kiddo – and I also know the sacrifices that come with ‘not working.’  My heart is hopeful for the day that our last debt is paid off (hence the reason I am working) so that I can have the option to work part time (I know I could not stay home full time, I might go insane) & have a few days a week with the kids to play, swim, go to the park, read books outside, etc.  Until that day – my struggle is to learn to be happy & joyful for my friends that have chosen the decision & made that sacrifice.

This weekend reminded me of more flaws that I have — Love is not easily angered (doesn’t fly off the handle).  Why is it that the closest people to us sometimes frustrate us the most?  Why do the smallest, most ridiculous things ruffle my feathers?  The Mr. Potato Head toys were not put back correctly.  The plate is in the sink, not the dishwasher.  The 6 loads of laundry are all washed, but in the laundry basket getting wrinkled.  The pillow that we washed 5 weeks ago is still laying in the bathtub drying (it’s just got to be dry by now, right).  All stupid ‘tasks’ that in the big scheme of life mean nothing.  NOTHING.  Yet, the frustration builds when things aren’t done (my way I suppose) or my mind is not being read.  So silly. So immature. Yet, my daily battle.

I recently celebrated my 31^st birthday & had fabulous celebrations that lasted for weeks. J  So, in my head, I thought, no need to overdo anything for Mother’s Day – I mean, I just finished my birthday parties!  And outside of celebrations – I’m a very lucky girl with a wonderful family & life – why the extra?  The guilt of spending more money & making me feel more special than I normally do on an everyday basis didn’t seem so important – until the actual commercialized day of Mother’s Day.I wake up to my daughter bringing me a card & a new throw blanket (wrong color…but still, he tried!) for my couch.  We had a wonderful discussion (church) with our friends at Zilker Park with perfect weather.  We rode the Zilker Train with Tatum & then let her play in the rocks & pool for a little bit.  But during her nap time, I get ancy. Cranky.  Why am I sitting on my couch watching boring Bi-Centennial Man while Chris is surfing the net?  This is not how I (now a mother!) should be spending her mother’s day afternoon. Where’s the sparks? The love? The extra special extras you get for this day?  And why am I spazzing out — for a commercialized holiday? What’s so wrong with relaxing…maybe even taking a nap?My quietness becomes evident to my husband — who realizes even though I said, ‘don’t worry about mother’s day, no big deal’ – knows I’m lying!  I cry for being cranky – he feels bad for not listening to the ‘read between the lines’ conversations – and I cry for making him feel bad!  Seriously. What’s the deal here?  Why on this day is it more important than the rest?  I take a moment, check my email, coach myself on not being so silly & girlie, and to realize Chris had kind of a game plan for us as a family – just didn’t communicate it, or paint it on the wall with finger paint, or write it in the sky with clouds….I just need to chill.  No need to waste my day on feeling sorry for myself.  So, FB doesn’t help because I begin seeing friends from all places having ‘special surprises’ and large gifts — HAHA…and I lose it again.  So, I tell Chris – I’m outta here – I need a break!  I return my throw blanket at Target to get the correct color.  I come home back to being normal Summer – and wanting Chris to stop feeling guilty because of my emotional outbursts.  He’s the perfect husband – and why on this DAY I’m feeling left out?  So silly.By 4:00 pm, we are happy go lucky, hopping in the truck for my favorite meal at Matt’s & then to “ice” (snow cones).  We end the evening cheering for my Joan Rivers on the Celebrity Apprentice!  I know now that no matter what I’ll say in the future, for all my birthdays & Mother’s Day….I’ll always want a little extra love & attention.  And I’m preeetttttyyy sure Chris is aware of that as well.  Ha! 

Kelly (who is very preggo, yet doesn’t look it and looks amazing) picked us up from the airport.  We hung out at Venice Beach for a few hours.  The CA weather was nothing like Austin – pretty cool actually, I think the highest it got while we were there was 65 or so degrees.  Definitely not bathing suit weather (which I secretly was happy about).  

The last time I visited Venice Beach, it was COLD & RAINY (anyone from our LA missions trip … SAGU…remember that?)  It has a neat eclectic feel to it.  Tatum was able to put her feet in the sand – which didn’t go so well…ha.  However, she loved the ‘play’ (which is playground in baby terms) and kept herself busy doing that for a while, giving Kelly & myself a good chance to chat.  At about dusk, we realized, we needed to head out of there! 

We met Vida at a very ghetto Taco Bell/Pizza Hut that was guarded by a police officer.  I swore he had a tazer in his hands.  Tatum was exhausted & I was starving – so we treated ourselves to a greesy little meal with watered down pink lemonade.  Ick.

Vida then carted us off to beautiful Santa Barbara.  I could not wait to see her fun little town.  I hadn’t seen Vida since October 08, however we talk regularly.  But as we all know, talking in person is much better than email, phone, or video chat. 

The weather was perfect.  We walked basically EVERYWHERE, which I loved.  Saturday (my actual bday) we took our time getting up & around (Vida got a good taste of what mornings with Tatum are like:  waffles, peanut butter, and Elmo).   We then went to do a little sightseeing of the beauty in SB.  Flowers, greenery, trees everywhere!  Everything is so bright & colorful – a natural high for your mental health.  Kind of gave me the itch for gardening. J

We shopped, ate, walked, shopped some more, ate some more, walked some more.  I was glad I had myself a stash of money from my bday – so I could enjoy every minute without thinking “budget” – like normal life is!  One little shop was treating everyone to beer, cokes, or margaritas.  Nice having yourself a mid-afternoon (FREE) frozen margarita.  Tatum wanted a taste – I think she thought it was “ice” (meaning snow cone).  Don’t worry, she didn’t have any.  We also tried the beach that day – but like I said, it wasn’t beachy weather, and all the sudden there was a sand storm!  So, we lasted maybe 20 minutes.  Enough to get a few windy pictures & write Tatum’s name in the sand! Somehow, we also both managed to break our ankles on the walk.  Every 5 minutes, one of us was tripping over something. Amazing how we didn’t injure ourselves!

We really needed Zach to tag along with us – because we realized, no ‘group’ pictures, unless we held the camera ourselves for close face shots.  That silly Zach – he had better plans than to spend his whole day with us. J

That night, Vida had planned a yummy dinner at a café that serves amazing desert (so I hear).  However, Tatum was not the best trooper & half way through dinner, we had to call it an evening!  She was tired, cranky, low grade fever, and I had had enough of her whining!  So, we headed home & put her to bed.  I think when you get to be a parent, you get used to having some of your plans change last minute – whether or not you like it.  I was pretty upset for a bit, but then just let myself forget about it.  Can’t blame a 2 year old for being off her schedule, right?  So, even though bday night was a bust – relaxing on a soft comfy couch eating Sour Apple Twizzlers with a good friend isn’t so bad.

Sunday, we were even MORE lazy in the morning, but who cares – that’s what vacationing is about, right?  Tatum was still not herself – so we made sure to do a nap in the morning before we ventured out into the world.  After the nap, we made sure to buy some Children’s Motrin for her small fever & some shakes/drinks since she was eating.  It seemed to help for the most part.  That afternoon, we did more shopping, had PinkBerry, and then more shopping!  I found a super cute dress that would have been perfect for our cruise and/or wearing to Wicked (IF I’m not huge & preggo by then) – however the top button was broken.  Saved me $50 I guess.  I then found another cute long dress just for summertime fun.  I was pleased.   Note:  we learned that Tatum is freaked out when any sort of male figure approaches her to pick her up or give her a present.  Wow. She FREAKS out.

We had yummy pizza at this little joint & then Zach took us around the houses on the hill (Monticello?).  I mean, how can people live like this! Huge HUGE houses!!  The roads were so windy & curvy, by the time we got back home, I was feeling a big nauseous!  Vida was coming down with a cold, so we all plopped ourselves on the couch and caught up on Heroes (and finished off the Sour Apple Twizzlers). 

Monday was the day to head back to LA to spend time with Scott & Kelly.  Kelly met us at In & Out burgers with the kiddos and we enjoyed a yummy lunch.  It was sad saying bye to Vida – especially since we weren’t sure when we’d be ‘face to face’ again.  However, we had a great time in SB.  Exactly what I was wanting from our trip.

I was anxious for Tatum to play with Zooey & Keeton!  They are all so close in age, I knew it’d be fun to see their interactions together.  Once we got to Costa Mesa, we walked to a nearby park to let them get rid of energy.  We basically played the whole afternoon!  Kelly made yummy homemade waffles (note, Tatum was STILL not herself & barely eating, but somewhat playing ok).  After bedtime, a friend from High School came & picked me up & we went to have dinner together to catch up.  Poor little Tatum, while I was at dinner, she woke up & just cried. Thanks to Kelly for getting her back in bed! 

Tuesday was a little cloudy in the morning, so we went to a nearby outside mall to do a little window shopping & ride the carousel.  We admired all the fun things in Anthropology & Lucky stores.  I just LOVE clothes. Really.  We wanted the kids to ride the carousel – and it was so cute.  We need carousels in Austin!  $2 a ride is not bad to see a smile on your kiddos face.

We came home to have the kids play some more because the sun started to come out.  Ha, I swear, Tatum kept falling!  Let’s see, she skinned both her knees TWICE in a 30 minute period outside (major Boo Boo on her knees).  And then later that day, she fell down little steps outside Kelly’s patio trying to push her baby in a stroller.  Wow, so many tears, I was about to go insane!  Not mad that she was hurting, because there were plenty of tears for lots of other things as well.  However, it was confirmation to me that she is a normal 2 year old because there were other little tantrums from other little kids during our visit.  So if mine wasn’t crying, Kelly’s were for something or other!  Kind of comical now. Scott came home for dinner & we all ate & visited for a while that evening.  Of course, Little Miss woke up about an hour into her sleep & wouldn’t stop crying, so early to bed for me. J  I was sad to cut our conversations short, but had to let Tatum sleep.  Seriously – 4 days of crankiness had to end!  The low grade fever was still occurring, she still wasn’t eating or napping well – I think Kelly might have been worried about my sanity. 

Wednesday was the end of CA trip for us.  We had a tattoo party (thanks to Vida) with the kids.  We let them “color” their own tattoos, which ended up meaning marker all over their arms.  Thank goodness it washes off.  We took a nice little stroll around the neighborhood and then came back to eat a little lunch.  Scott took us to the airport & helped me get all our luggage together.  We definitely don’t travel light!  Let me tell you – I was starting to worry that Tatum had the swine flu because of all her crankiness that week!  BUT – the minute I ordered us a pizza in the airport, she ate 1 whole slice by herself.  Really.  Was she just wanting to be alone with her mommy in order for her to be in a good mood?  GEESH!  And the plane ride home she was PERFECT.  She watched Elmo on the DVD player, laughed, played, read a book, and then fell asleep in my lap for the last 20 minutes of the flight.  Too cute.

My love greeted us with flowers for me and a balloon (her favorite) for Tatum (that said, Get Well Soon…hahah).  Yes, please God, let her get well soon! Haha.  I knew he missed his girls.

It was a fabulous trip – even with all the temper tantrums & crankiness of my daughter.  I resorted to giving her the pacy, blanket & baby most of the trip – just to calm her nerves!  Now we are back settled at home & I’m at work catching up from a week’s worth of emails & things to do.  I think everyone should return from their vacation on a Friday – makes going to work easier.

With a beautiful array of visitors that have passed through our home the past week, my daughter has now decided that our bedtime routine is no good.  She was spoiled & stayed up late for a few nights (meaning 8:30 – 9:30 pm).  And in those late nights, she also loved the idea of getting out of her bed, over & over again. I have watched my fair share of Super Nanny shows & took on some of her techniques.  They are working – just taking an hour to work!  So far I tried two things.

Our normal routine is get our blanky (blanket) and paci (pacifier), say goodnight to Bro Bro & Daddy and walk to her room.  We climb in the rocker, pull out a few books and read.  After we read, we rock for a few minutes while we say our bedtime prayers (she likes to pray for Rophie, Manda, Isiz, Lo-Lo, Nanna, Lena, BroBro…the list goes on…).  After her big ‘AMEN’ we kiss and go night-night.  And for the past 1 1/2 years…that has been it!  Easy as pie.

Now, she climbs out, turns off her music, and sits outside her door with her blanky & paci – I immediately come, pick her up (without saying a word), lay her down and go ‘night night.’  Try to make it as boring as possible.  Lately, I’ve just plopped myself at her door inside the room – which keeps her from actually getting OUT of her bed – but she still plays and plays for a very long time.  The minute I think she’s asleep, she climbs out, and the routine starts all over again.  Anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.  My patience is completely gone by this point – but I hold my tongue so tightly so I don’t get angry at her or raise my voice.  But man, do I want to blame SOMEONE!!!  But sadly there is no one to blame right – this is just part of life.

It’s been a week – and now with her going to bed later….she also wakes up EARLIER!  Say 5:00 am, when it used to be 7:30 or 8:00 am.  I’m dying. I’m angry. I’m frustrated!!!  AND…I go to bed upset & wake up upset – not good. 

Super Nanny, please help!

I’m going to try & jet out of work early today so that I can spend some quality, fun time with my mom before she leaves tomorrow. Nanna has been cooped up in the house all week with no car & a sick, cranky kiddo.  I believe they BOTH need a break!  Getting out & about can help that….ONLY if it stops raining! PLEASE.

Tatum has the nasty croup that is going around.  Sunday night after we got home from playing at the park & Farmers Market, she all the sudden turned into Miss Cryer and was very upset.  We were grilling out, making dinner, having a good ol time, and I thought, who is this cry baby!?  I picked her up & noticed she was burning up – had a fever of 102.1.  Tatum never really has had a high fever before so I knew something was up.  Poor girl wanted just to be held and lay on my shoulder.  We gave her meds, a cool bath, and she was out like a freight train (snoring)! 

Monday morning Tatum wakes up & comes into our room about 5:30 am, still burning up.  Still high temperature – so we give her more meds, and put her back down to sleep.  I was concerned because her fever had not gone down, so I called the after hours nurse, and she told me not to worry – fever is normal in a child – and to just let her ride it out (I actually felt like she was reading a script & not really TALKING to me, very frustrating).

I decided to work from home, in the case that I chose to take her to the doctor if her fever didn’t break. And it never did – and a nasty chest cough developed earlier that morning, which everytime she coughed, Tatum would cry. So sad!  The doc took us immediately around 1:30 pm yesterday – and they are so fast at getting us in and out!  I love ARC (just not the night nurses!).  Dr. Amy said that it was Croup – that this is going around, and Tatum’s lungs and ears look good – so that is very positive. Whew.  It could have gotten worse.

We ran to Wal-Mart to get more baby meds and Dora the Explorer popsicles.  Of course, since Nanna is in town, our cart became full very quickly with a Dora the Explorer bouncy ball, a new Elmo (kiss me) toy, toddler plates, fake Crocs…lots of things!  Manda & Isiz were at Wal-Mart, too, so that changed Tatum’s demeanor!  She was so excited to see her friends.

The moment we got in the car, crying again, high fever, and then she CRASHED out in the back seat. Poor thing.  She slept for hours yesterday afternoon, holding a high fever the whole time.  I love cuddling with my girl, so makes me so sad when we are cuddling and she’s sooo friggin hot.  After bath time, her fever was 102.7.

I had set my alarm to wake up at 11:30 so I could give her meds again to help the fever.  At that time, it was 102.9 and I was so concerned! Shouldn’t fever go DOWN with baby tylenol, not up?  So, I called the night nurse AGAIN.  Why I call them, I don’t know b/c I am always pissed every time I hang up.  The nurse acted as though this was no biggie – don’t worry, as though I was inconviencing her and wasting her time unless the fever was 104.  I’m sorry lady – my daughter’s breathing sounds awful & has 102 fever for more than 5 hours straight….I’m going to worry! URG!  I was SO upset. I hung up quickly b/c she was just no help and started crying.  What can we do? You feel so helpless!

So I grabbed my pillow and blanket & stayed in her room until her fever went down.  So many things went through my mind:  What if I didn’t worry – and there was something else wrong with Tatum that we would never know unless I called?  High fevers can be dangerous at times, and although this might be common for some babies – Tatum never has had it, so aren’t I normal to be in freak out mode after 2 years of good health!?  Seriously.  I laid on her floor crying so heavily b/c I was so worried!  I thought who can I call this late?  Who can I text to validate my concern but also to let me know its ok?  So, instead of calling anyone – I just prayed.  After an hour, I checked her again – and it had gone down to 102, so I knew it was gradually reducing.  So, I curled myself up in the recliner and set my alarm to keep check her every so often.  By 3:00 am, it was down to 100.9, and I felt much better.

I’m at work today and SO thankful mom is here this week.  If she wasn’t, I don’t know that I’d feel comfortable leaving her.  This blog has no real rhyme or reason, but to let me vent & say that the ARC night nurses are stupid.  I’m honestly thinking about making a comment on their website.  Watch out for crazy psycho mom.