tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72766484770409511802024-03-13T09:59:26.911-04:00Three P's in a PodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-5918850286888340572011-04-08T10:18:00.000-04:002011-04-08T10:18:22.448-04:00A Little Begging Never Hurt Anyone<center><a href="http://s846.photobucket.com/albums/ab22/tarapaige1/?action=view&current=IMG_5864-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="640" src="http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab22/tarapaige1/IMG_5864-1.jpg" width="414" /></a></center><br />
I hardly ever beg for anything. Actually, I can't remember the last time I did. I will also be the first to admit that I hate voting contests and hardly ever enter them. But here I am begging ALL of you to help me in this voting contest because I really want to win! Please, please, please! <br />
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I entered Carter into a cutest kid contest that a friend of a friend is having. She's a photographer who does beautiful work, and is giving away a photo session to the winner. We didn't get one year pictures taken of Carter and I'm pretty upset that we missed that milestone. So I really want to get some professional pictures of him. Unfortunately, with the recent job issues Jake had, it's just not in our budget right now and I'm not sure it will be anytime soon.<br />
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So, I would really, really, REALLY appreciate it if you'd vote for Carter in this contest. You just have to <strong>like the </strong><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/mandyleonardsphotography"><strong>Mandy Leonards Photography Facebook page</strong></a>, and then <strong>like Carter's picture in the contest photo album</strong> (liking it with a page won't count, it has to be your personal Facebook page). It's that easy! I promise she won't spam up your news feed. You may actually enjoy her posts because she takes some absolutely adorable photos and has done a lot of newborns recently :)<br />
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<strong>Voting ends this Sunday night at midnight</strong>. Carter's behind several other kids by about 25 votes or so. But I have hope that all of you will come through for me! There's definitely still time for him to win.<br />
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If you'd like <strong>any kind of vote in return</strong>, just leave a comment on this post with a link and I'd be <strong>more than happy to</strong> <strong>return the favor</strong>. <br />
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Have a great weekend!<br />
<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-75452702270215945012011-04-06T07:30:00.000-04:002011-04-06T07:30:00.741-04:00What to Eat WednesdayHello all! Today is the first day of my new weekly series - What to Eat Wednesday! I struggle to come up with new things to cook so I thought this would be a fun idea because I'm sure I'm not the only mama out there with this problem! <br />
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<strong>Want to be featured on What to Eat Wednesday?</strong> Each week I'll post a recipe from a different blogger friend :) Just send me an email if you have one you'd like to share! <a href="mailto:Tara@3psmama.com">Tara@3psmama.com</a><br />
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The first recipe is a favorite in this house, and it's super easy. Healthy, not so much...but with a few minor adjustments it can be made a bit healthier :) The original recipe is from Campbell's and it's called <a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/campbells-swiss-vegetable-casserole/Detail.aspx">Swiss Vegetable Casserole</a>. We decided to change it up a bit, so here's my recipe! <br />
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<strong><u>Chicken Vegetable Casserole</u></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1KitULhMx_g/TZvA4UedBlI/AAAAAAAAASA/mpk6rdKSzy8/s1600/IMG_6296-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1KitULhMx_g/TZvA4UedBlI/AAAAAAAAASA/mpk6rdKSzy8/s400/IMG_6296-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<u>Ingredients:</u> <br />
<ul><li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of chicken coup </div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">1/3 cup sour cream</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">1 (16 ounce) bag frozen vegetable combination (green beans, corn, carrots, peas), thawed</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">1 (2.8 ounce) can French-fried onions</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">1/2 bag of egg noodles</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">1 boneless chicken breast</div></li>
</ul><div class="plaincharacterwrap"><u>Directions:</u> </div><ol><li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">Boil chicken breast until cooked thoroughly. Shred (I just use two forks to pull it apart)</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">Cook egg noodles.</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, pepper, vegetables, 1/2 can of french-fried onions, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, noodles, and shredded chicken in a large casserole dish.</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">Remove casserole from oven and stir. </div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">Cover top with the remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese and 1/2 can french-fried onions.</div></li>
<li><div class="plaincharacterwrap">Bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. </div></li>
</ol>Yummy! This recipe makes a ton. We usually get another meal out of the leftovers, sometimes more.<br />
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I've made it with and without the sour cream, there's not a huge difference. It just seems drier without the sour cream. I've also made it with and without black pepper, and sometimes I add broccoli florets. You pretty much can't go wrong! Well, the first time I made it with tuna, we weren't huge fans of that ;)<br />
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I hope you'll all try it and enjoy it! Let me know if you do :)<br />
<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-2662707213336345282011-04-03T23:06:00.001-04:002011-04-03T23:11:05.049-04:00Warm Weather FunWe've had a few really nice days over the last couple weeks. And with Jake not working we've been able to enjoy them together! <br />
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One day we just walked around the neighborhood. Carter got to ride in his wagon for his first outdoor wagon ride! I pulled him around in the house so we already knew he loved riding in it. But doing it outside takes it to a whole new level because he's already such an outdoors-loving little man :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5WASWn3Ii0/TZkoHSCCrzI/AAAAAAAAARY/8PQgnrb886E/s1600/P1030404-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5WASWn3Ii0/TZkoHSCCrzI/AAAAAAAAARY/8PQgnrb886E/s400/P1030404-1.JPG" width="376" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z1kAHZBLZqU/TZkoTli6zSI/AAAAAAAAARg/1xQUNIwxP5o/s1600/P1030418-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z1kAHZBLZqU/TZkoTli6zSI/AAAAAAAAARg/1xQUNIwxP5o/s400/P1030418-1.JPG" width="362" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dz0DRVnoo8Y/TZkoOt1DziI/AAAAAAAAARc/eJrOwxamk8w/s1600/P1030412-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dz0DRVnoo8Y/TZkoOt1DziI/AAAAAAAAARc/eJrOwxamk8w/s400/P1030412-1.JPG" width="313" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">This is what he did pretty much the entire way after he found the rolling wheels. He just wanted to keep his little fingers on it as it rolled :)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">We also made a trip to a local park one day. There's a little path along a river that we walked along. Then we sat down at a picnic table for a few minutes to just relax and enjoy the weather.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aTTN_9n7Ukg/TZkyAgrTISI/AAAAAAAAARk/b_Yotf8x8QE/s1600/IMG_5904-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aTTN_9n7Ukg/TZkyAgrTISI/AAAAAAAAARk/b_Yotf8x8QE/s400/IMG_5904-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ko0e43Cotls/TZkyLyb5uLI/AAAAAAAAARo/n3MEAvOCd34/s1600/IMG_5917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ko0e43Cotls/TZkyLyb5uLI/AAAAAAAAARo/n3MEAvOCd34/s400/IMG_5917.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u-eojlyXxug/TZk2qKiOcjI/AAAAAAAAAR8/6HDQXPaf3CQ/s1600/IMG_5940-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u-eojlyXxug/TZk2qKiOcjI/AAAAAAAAAR8/6HDQXPaf3CQ/s400/IMG_5940-2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mIfs0mXu9vo/TZkzzyVcEpI/AAAAAAAAARw/e5ydchKqnmM/s1600/IMG_5970-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mIfs0mXu9vo/TZkzzyVcEpI/AAAAAAAAARw/e5ydchKqnmM/s400/IMG_5970-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AAAxT7Vk7Ac/TZkz6r7Jd5I/AAAAAAAAAR0/72Kt0J0_t2k/s1600/IMG_5982-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AAAxT7Vk7Ac/TZkz6r7Jd5I/AAAAAAAAAR0/72Kt0J0_t2k/s400/IMG_5982-1.JPG" width="316" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-694yilVYAu4/TZkz_IrlHQI/AAAAAAAAAR4/zrH9brJ_LiQ/s1600/IMG_5997-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-694yilVYAu4/TZkz_IrlHQI/AAAAAAAAAR4/zrH9brJ_LiQ/s400/IMG_5997-1.JPG" width="378" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Due to Carter's love for the outdoors, we plan on spending a lot of time outside this summer. I'm so excited! I also can't wait to get him a water table to play with. He loves to splash in the bath so I'm sure he'll have so much fun :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What warm weather activities are you and your family looking forward to most? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd also like to give a big thank you to everyone who has kept our family in your thoughts and prayers over the last few weeks due to <a href="http://www.3psmama.com/2011/03/i-cant-believe-this-is-happening.html">Jake's job situation</a>. He received a job offer earlier this week and worked his first day today, yay! And I know some people had commented about filing a lawsuit against the company. We are pursuing it, so I'll have updates on that later. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope everyone has a great week :)</div><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-51018154151184558232011-03-29T22:47:00.000-04:002011-03-29T22:47:59.104-04:00One Year AdjustedToday is Carter's one year adjusted birthday (my due date). I'm soo proud of my little man and how much he's grown since then.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fb-dZ4X3ft4/TZKRr9onMHI/AAAAAAAAAQs/At2gHxmpx9M/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fb-dZ4X3ft4/TZKRr9onMHI/AAAAAAAAAQs/At2gHxmpx9M/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I remember my due date last year because, ironically, we ended up back at the hospital. Carter had started projectile vomiting and after the doctor checked him out he sent us to the ER because his xray showed a possible blockage on one side of his abdomen. Basically, they wanted to make sure there wasn't another reason why he was vomiting other than reflux. Everything ended up being fine and the vomiting was from reflux. But it was a little sad that we were sitting in the same hospital on my due date, the day Carter should've been born.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N8e-SYFJn9A/TZKVBYPtfEI/AAAAAAAAAQw/OPjoGSq5gBw/s1600/IMG_6127-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N8e-SYFJn9A/TZKVBYPtfEI/AAAAAAAAAQw/OPjoGSq5gBw/s400/IMG_6127-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KBgjK4OTuQw/TZKZRauwQdI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/6i53lXOd1Rc/s1600/IMG_6103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KBgjK4OTuQw/TZKZRauwQdI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/6i53lXOd1Rc/s400/IMG_6103.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
He's becoming such an ornery little man. He finally crawls with his stomach off the floor about 90% of the time. He pulls himself up on everything he can find. He loves standing at the coffee table, grabbing everything he can reach, and throwing it on the floor. He also walks along the coffee table and the sides of his crib (when he's trying to fight naptime). He's got a total of eight teeth now, crazy huh! It seems like once they started coming in they never stopped! I also think he's getting closer to saying "dada" with a purpose. He knows who dada is, and sometimes seems to say dada when he's with Jake or looking for him. But then other times he'll randomly say dadadadada. So I guess we'll see about that.<br />
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I love you so much Carter Joseph :)<br />
<br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-90040060203123588962011-03-22T12:30:00.000-04:002011-03-22T12:30:07.168-04:00Makeover!I'm so excited to show everyone the new look of Three P's in a Pod! Becca from <a href="http://www.jumpingjaxdesigns.com/">Jumping Jax Designs</a> was wonderful to work with and created just what I wanted when I wasn't even sure of what I wanted!<br />
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Make sure to visit the <a href="http://www.jumpingjaxdesigns.com/blog">Jumping Jax Designs blog</a> because Becca is having a giveaway to celebrate her shop's grand re-opening after making the jump to Wordpress. She's giving away <em><strong><u>three</u></strong></em> blog designs! It's super easy to enter and each blog design package is valued at $30.<br />
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Thanks, Becca, for giving Three P's in a Pod a makeover! You're great :)<br />
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So, everyone...what do you think? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-10250930983062746962011-03-18T22:49:00.000-04:002011-03-18T22:49:12.383-04:00Coming Home AnniversaryOne year ago today Carter came home from the hospital after a long, grueling 66 day stay in the NICU. Happy coming home anniversary to my little man. I love you so much and can't believe how much you've grown since then :)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotoTheaterCaption" class="spotlight" height="265" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/25104_731486418398_20701539_42069722_8345613_n.jpg" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Goodbye NICU! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotoTheaterCaption" class="spotlight" height="265" src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/25104_731486423388_20701539_42069723_6255683_n.jpg" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hello home! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotoTheaterCaption" class="spotlight" height="265" src="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/25104_731486428378_20701539_42069724_88746_n.jpg" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Carter and Trigger meeting for the first time! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SbxqykPdeHQ/TYQW-k5XdoI/AAAAAAAAAPk/va2asl_tszg/s1600/P1030322-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SbxqykPdeHQ/TYQW-k5XdoI/AAAAAAAAAPk/va2asl_tszg/s400/P1030322-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c_nqX3pGmWs/TYQXBqwdlAI/AAAAAAAAAPo/QaSZm5qStVw/s1600/P1030326-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c_nqX3pGmWs/TYQXBqwdlAI/AAAAAAAAAPo/QaSZm5qStVw/s400/P1030326-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TGBQVjt0Oyc/TYQXEB2JYkI/AAAAAAAAAPs/VqGE4tnkS0E/s1600/P1030336-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TGBQVjt0Oyc/TYQXEB2JYkI/AAAAAAAAAPs/VqGE4tnkS0E/s400/P1030336-1.JPG" width="312" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_4EBDR4zuEo/TYQXFLXUApI/AAAAAAAAAPw/ZY9lZ2n-JXA/s1600/P1030338-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_4EBDR4zuEo/TYQXFLXUApI/AAAAAAAAAPw/ZY9lZ2n-JXA/s400/P1030338-1.JPG" width="271" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-68721658941428058192011-03-16T16:09:00.003-04:002011-03-16T16:25:46.364-04:00I Can't Believe This is HappeningI hate that my last couple real posts have been negative. I really try to keep this blog a positive place, but there just haven't been a lot of positive things going on lately. <br />
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You may have noticed that I haven't posted anything about moving or pictures of our new home yet. I actually haven't posted about much of anything lately. We've been on quite the roller coaster ride and nothing is very stable right now so I've been holding off on all of that.<br />
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As you may know, my husband recently took a new job. He wasn't necessarily unhappy with his old job (where he had worked for 6.5 years). He just wanted to pursue something a little more professional and where he'd have the opportunity to move up and the opportunity presented itself. He was contacted by a recruiter and promptly sent a resume and application, as they requested. Jake has a criminal charge on his record from 9 years ago. So, when answering that question on the application he was truthful and included an explanation of how he's changed since then. After all, he was 19 years old at the time and just made some stupid decisions. He hasn't even gotten a traffic ticket in the 6 years I've known him. He truly is one of the few people that accepted their punishment and used it to become a better person.<br />
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As you can imagine, we were on pins and needles throughout the hiring process with the new company. Knowing they were running a background check, we refused to get our hopes up until he knew for sure everything had gone through and he was officially offered the job. They had already sent an offer letter the day of his last interview, but it was contingent upon passing the pre-employment screen. Almost a a week later he heard back from the head recruiter that his background check was clear. Jake responded to her email to confirm that his background check was clear so he could put his notice in with his current employer. He, again, was told that the background checks were clear and to put in his notice. So he did that day.<br />
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Over the next week and a half we talked to our current landlord to break our lease, paid a fortune for that, found a new place to live in Indianapolis, signed a new lease, and began moving our things. Jake received relocation money from the new company to help with our moving expenses, and reserved a U-Haul for the weekend. Jake was super excited to start this new job. As he learned more and more about the company he realized that his beliefs and ideas would be right on track with them.<br />
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Friday rolled around and he went to work his last day. During his last shift at the old company, he received a call from the recruiter at the new company. "Sorry, you can't start on Monday (two days from now) because something came up in the last county on your background check." <em>What?!?</em> Jake was a mess, I was a mess. And since then our lives have been in turmoil. <br />
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He contacted his old employer to tell her what was happening but since it was his very last day they had already filled his position and told him they were going to let his two week notice stand. I should note, this boss had only been Jake's boss for a few weeks. Had the old boss still have been there he certainly would've taken care of him. After all, Jake worked there for 6.5 years, worked his way up to store manager, and had always done a good job and had good performance reviews. <br />
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My husband is now unemployed.<br />
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We had no choice but to go ahead and move. We had signed the new lease and our old landlord had someone new moving in a week after we left so that we wouldn't get stuck paying out our old lease. So now we live two minutes from the place where Jake was supposed to be working but he's not.<br />
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We've talked to several people and done several things to try to fix this. The new company flat out will not hire him with this on his record. Unfortunately, he's not eligible to get the charge expunged. He's tried and tried to talk with someone in Human Resources and finally did yesterday after having to go through several other people first. He keeps getting told that this isn't the way the company wants to conduct business but that they just can't make an exception. This entire situation is an exception! He was TOLD by the recruiter that his background checks were <u><strong>clear</strong></u>! He was honest on the application but no one noticed! And because of those mistakes our lives have been turned upside down!<br />
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We've had a lot of things going on, between making phone calls and emails to the new company, looking for new jobs, switching pediatricians since we moved, and trying to figure out insurance for after we lose our current coverage at the end of the month. I think I'm going to have a freaking mental breakdown before this is all over.<br />
<br />
Luckily we had recently received our tax refund, so have some money to live on right now. We had depleted our savings in recent months so were looking forward to the refund and higher income because it would finally allow us to have enough wiggle room to really work on building our savings. And now that's all out the window. We have to live on this money, and what happens if/when it runs out?<br />
<br />
Jake's been applying for jobs all over the country pretty much. Anywhere we'd be willing to move. However, I have no idea if we'd be able to afford to break our lease here at our new apartment since we JUST moved in. That's definitely something we'd have to look into. He does have a couple of interviews set up so that gives us a little ray of hope.<br />
<br />
I try really hard not to spend all day worrying. But sometimes later at night I start to get upset. When I actually stop and think about how much money we've lost, the salary that Jake had that's now gone, that's when I lose it. Nothing is for sure now. Nothing is stable. Of course, I could look for a job, but that breaks my heart and neither of us want me to go back to work. Obviously I don't want us to get to the point of being homeless, so I'll do what I have to do. We're just hoping it doesn't get that bad.<br />
<br />
I just can't believe this is all happening. It feels like I'm in the middle of a huge nightmare. Please send thoughts and prayers our way if you have some extra time. We could really use them during this time in our lives. I honestly never thought something like this would happen. And just hope that it ends soon.<br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-1378306611121333912011-03-15T18:06:00.000-04:002011-03-15T18:06:25.533-04:00My HandwritingLolo from <a href="http://www.crazyaboutmybaybah.com/">Crazy About My Baybah</a> tagged me in this post and I thought it was just too fun to pass up!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">The rules are to answer the following questions on a piece of paper in your own handwriting and photograph it to share in your post.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">1. What’s your name / blogger name?</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. What’s your blog’s URL?</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Write “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. Favorite quote?</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. Your favorite song?</div><div style="text-align: left;">6. Your favorite band / singers?</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. Anything else you want to say?</div><div style="text-align: left;">8. Tag 3 ladies to participate.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SlxPtuvQpEU/TX_gowq4ZcI/AAAAAAAAAPI/ApYlnUDx05c/s1600/P1030309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" q6="true" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SlxPtuvQpEU/TX_gowq4ZcI/AAAAAAAAAPI/ApYlnUDx05c/s640/P1030309.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The three ladies that I've chosen to tag are: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.theparopost.com/">The Paro Post</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mommymoment.ca/">Mommy Moment</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://jellybean529.blogspot.com/">Angelica's Awesome Adventures</a></div><br />
<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-33523842982472592102011-02-28T17:13:00.003-05:002011-02-28T17:16:51.090-05:00Home is Not a House...or a city. It's who you are with. <br />
<br />
I kept this in my mind during the time about 10 months ago when we were moving from our house to a new city three hours away for Jake's job. We lived about 20 minutes outside of Indianapolis and had for about 3.5 years. <br />
<br />
Then we left. <br />
<br />
With less than two weeks notice, and it was so unexpected. We left our house, our home, our city. We left the house we helped design and had built. Our first house. The house we lived in as boyfriend and girlfriend, the house we brought Trigger home to, the house we lived in as engaged couple, and the house we lived in when we became husband and wife. The house we brought Carter home to. We left it behind. And as we drove away that day, I didn't look back. I loved that house.<br />
<br />
Now, just about as unexpectedly as we moved then, we're moving again. <br />
<br />
We're going back.<br />
<br />
Less than a year later. And we will live five minutes from that house. Our house.<br />
<br />
I never thought we would return to Indianapolis. I love that city, I do. And I'm excited for the job opportunity that Jake is taking there. We've also found an absolutely beautiful place to live.<br />
<br />
But, deep down, I still feel that little tugging feeling. The feeling that I felt when I knew we had to leave our home just ten short months ago.<br />
<br />
You may think it's stupid to be so attached to a house. But we designed that home. It was all us, and always will be. 100% Jake and Tara. But someone else will live there. Not us.<br />
<br />
I've always been bad with change. I get used to how things are and I get attached to that normal. And especially because that house was a lot of firsts for us. We knew we would only live there for five years or so. Our family's goal is to eventually move out of the state of Indiana. But we weren't planning on moving for at least a couple more years so it just all came as a shock.<br />
<br />
Jake has commented about going by to see it. He wants to see if the tree he planted in the front yard is still there. That breaks my heart. He planted that tree only a few short weeks before we left, and he was so proud of it. We almost dug it up and brought it with us, but didn't.<br />
<br />
I don't know if I ever want to see that house again. I feel that little painful tug even when I run across a picture.<br />
<br />
But, again, I remind myself. Home is not a house, or a city. It's who you are with. And as long as I'm with my boys, my heart is home.<br />
<br />
<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-64151093140662306892011-02-22T21:35:00.002-05:002011-02-22T21:42:02.817-05:00What I Get For Trying Something New<div align="left">A little piece of heaven. <br />
</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />
No, I'm not exaggerating. Ever since Carter started having problems with reflux our eating/sleeping schedule/routine has always been crazy. During his projectile vomiting days and into his spitting up days I would have to hold him upright for 30 minutes after each feeding so that his food could digest and he would be less likely to throw it all back up. So most of his naps have been either in his bouncy seat or in my arms. Still to this day. We used to let him fall asleep in his chair and just feed him there. The most recent routine is him falling asleep in his chair and then me picking him up to feed him in my arms. So if he continues to sleep after he eats and takes an actual nap then I just keep him in my arms the whole time. <br />
</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />
A few days ago I had fed Carter awake, which is going better now but he still needs a lot of distraction. It was about time for a nap and he had been acting tired so after he finished eating I put him in his crib just to see what he would do. He's never slept in his crib for a nap, but does wonderfully at night so I figured it'd be worth a shot. After about 15 minutes he was asleep and he slept for two hours, until I woke him up because it was getting too late. Crazy huh!?! Since then he's taken both of his naps each day in his crib. Today he took a three hour nap! He's never taken a three hour nap, I was amazed!<br />
</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />
So, yes, I'm getting a little piece of heaven twice a day. Free time! Free time without having to leave Carter. The first two days I took naps. I seriously haven't taken a nap, unless it was with Carter, since he was in the NICU and I slept on the little couch/bed in his room. And not having to sit and hold him for two hours straight while he naps makes me feel like I've been set free! Don't get me wrong, I love to cuddle with him. But Jake and I having to be perfectly quiet and me having to sit there barely moving for his entire nap, twice a day, was too much. <br />
<br />
I also feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Napping has been a concern of mine because I had no idea how we would ever get into a normal napping routine with his eating issues. I feel so much better that I can cross this worry off my list because now we can work on developing a more normal schedule each day!<br />
</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />
I love my little man, and I'm so proud of him. He loves sleep just like his mama :)<br />
</div><div align="left"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GOv-cLaWUF8/TWRxDfrY4NI/AAAAAAAAAO8/BtFtNeNK_7g/s1600/taraiphone+180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" j6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GOv-cLaWUF8/TWRxDfrY4NI/AAAAAAAAAO8/BtFtNeNK_7g/s200/taraiphone+180.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Carter when he was two months old - sleeping in his bouncy chair :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(sorry about the quality, it was taken with my phone)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">How are/were your babies with sleep? Did you have any unique sleep routines or things you had to do?</div><div align="left"></div><br />
<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-9042564440500144552011-02-10T22:43:00.001-05:002011-02-11T08:53:43.407-05:00Carter Saved the Day!Today has been one of the most frustrating days I've had in a while. <br />
<br />
First, we had an appointment for Carter for what we thought was a feeding evaluation. Turned out that it was just a general evaluation to determine eligibility for services. The feeding evaluation isn't even scheduled and I've been trying to get it set up since before Christmas. And not only that, but the two therapists that did the evaluation had none of his history, which I was told they would have. So they had to ask me a ton of questions. I don't mind telling them about Carter but when we have limited time and Carter's shy there's no way they will see and be told everything he's able to do. So I have a hard time believing that the evaluation is accurate.<br />
<br />
Then, Jake had an interview today about 45 minutes away. He called me soon after he left and said he forgot that there was a time zone difference so he had actually left an hour earlier than he needed to. So he was gone from 12:30 to 6 because the interview was 2 hours long. Ugh.<br />
<br />
Then I called the GI doctor to get a refill of Carter's Prevacid sent to our insurance. They called me back and said since we don't have another appointment scheduled with him that I need to call his pediatrician and have them send a prescription. Goodness, it just seemed like one thing after another today!<br />
<br />
Then, Carter swoops in and saves the day! Not only did he already have 18.5 ounces in by this evening (with his bedtime feeding still left), but he ate more solids in one sitting than he ever has! Almost a whole container! And Jake was the one that fed him, for the first time :) He's doing such a good job learning to put his lips around the spoon to get the food off. I sure am one proud mama! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RXd69XxywZ0/TVSvyYoI2II/AAAAAAAAAOk/GrC1z6IR7ZM/s1600/IMG_5804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RXd69XxywZ0/TVSvyYoI2II/AAAAAAAAAOk/GrC1z6IR7ZM/s400/IMG_5804.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-15383487460850229242011-02-07T03:00:00.000-05:002011-02-07T16:04:49.624-05:00Super Bowl Sunday - Then and NowSince Carter's birthday almost a month ago there have been several times when I've thought about what I was doing "one year ago today." He was in the NICU for 66 days. The longest 66 days of my life. And every single day I was there with him, pretty much all day long. I would go home to sleep at night, and sometimes leave during the day to run home and let Trigger out or run errands. I did go back to work for about a week and a half after my maternity leave was over and before I quit. So on those days I spent the night by his side.<br />
<br />
Super Bowl Sunday is a day that I remember. Jake and I had gone to Babies R Us earlier in the day (when my frustration with them officially began) to get a few more preemie outfits for Carter. Their ad said the Carter's brand clothes were all on sale. When we got there we noticed that all the Carter's brand clothes were on sale except for the preemie sizes. After complaining to the manager, we did end up getting the sales price, but that's not the point. The same outfits in Newborn size and up were cheaper and that's completely ridiculous! I swore that I was going to write a letter to the company but still haven't. I really need to get on that.<br />
<br />
We headed to the NICU after that and I used their washer and dryer to wash his new clothes. We changed Carter into a football outfit so that he could watch the Super Bowl and cheer for the Colts! I held him for most of the game as he, Jake, and I sat there watching. Carter's first Super Bowl and we watched it together.<br />
<br />
Carter weighed about 4 lb. on Super Bowl Sunday. He still ate through a feeding tube every three hours like clockwork. And he still had a nasal cannula on to help him breathe, which he still stopped doing several times a day. The road ahead for us at that point was longer than the road we had already traveled, we weren't even halfway through the journey.<br />
<br />
This year, I remember back to that day. He's grown up and changed so much since then. He's no longer that small, fragile bundle that I held in the NICU last year. He's an ornery, energetic, fun, curious little one year old boy who weighs a little over 18 lb. I am so lucky to be his mom and I love him so much. Thinking back to those days in the NICU still brings tears to my eyes, and I think it probably always will. But I also know how lucky we are to have him here with us today as happy and healthy as he is.<br />
<br />
<div align="center">Super Bowl Sunday - February 7, 2010</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9Znbt_BrI/AAAAAAAAAOA/TMxUVk8Dzvw/s1600/189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9Znbt_BrI/AAAAAAAAAOA/TMxUVk8Dzvw/s400/189.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Super Bowl Sunday - February 6, 2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9bOdB3UjI/AAAAAAAAAOE/K4PuVbjhdJY/s1600/IMG_5782-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9bOdB3UjI/AAAAAAAAAOE/K4PuVbjhdJY/s400/IMG_5782-1.JPG" width="281" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9bSSk7uZI/AAAAAAAAAOI/SvK_SD2uv2Y/s1600/IMG_5776-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9bSSk7uZI/AAAAAAAAAOI/SvK_SD2uv2Y/s400/IMG_5776-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9bWX_bzJI/AAAAAAAAAOM/lLJW7AFXrjk/s1600/IMG_5800-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9bWX_bzJI/AAAAAAAAAOM/lLJW7AFXrjk/s400/IMG_5800-1.JPG" width="366" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9bY3ZXeVI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/zXm_UVVyO-k/s1600/P1030005-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TU9bY3ZXeVI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/zXm_UVVyO-k/s400/P1030005-1.JPG" width="282" /></a></div><br />
I love you little man :)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-2613256246109833272011-02-04T18:00:00.019-05:002011-02-04T18:00:01.545-05:00Crazy Weather<div style="text-align: center;"></div>Our weather around here has been crazy for a few weeks now. You may remember me saying we had a lot of snow the weekend of Carter's birthday party. It seems to have been non-stop since then. When that snow started melting we ended up with some HUGE icicles outside. They would randomly fall throughout the day and it always scared me hearing them crash down. I was afraid to let Trigger outside because I didn't want him to get hurt!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUws4oiVSrI/AAAAAAAAANs/gFAInlf-DqY/s1600/IMG_5575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUws4oiVSrI/AAAAAAAAANs/gFAInlf-DqY/s400/IMG_5575.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUws9WoO2gI/AAAAAAAAANw/VfUxrRbzoKQ/s1600/IMG_5573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUws9WoO2gI/AAAAAAAAANw/VfUxrRbzoKQ/s400/IMG_5573.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not too long after this we took a trip up to Michigan for Jake's mom's birthday dinner. On the way up there I saw icicles hanging off of houses that were all the way to the ground! It was insane! I've never seen anything like that before. If only I could've taken pictures out the car window while we were driving down the road ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then there was this latest blizzard. The mall closed an hour early Tuesday night and then closed on Wednesday so he got a snow day! He was pretty irate Wednesday morning when he had been calling the mall to find out what was going on and they kept saying they weren't sure. He was supposed to go in at 8:00 but held off until 9:00. After he got in the car he decided to call one more time and they had finally decided to close. Whew, thank goodness. He was worried about all of his employees having to drive in when there were travel emergencies all around and no one was supposed to be on the roads. Then Thursday was one of his days off so it's felt like a mini vacation. Back to work today, so sad :( If only we could both be stay at home parents. Guess we need to start playing the lottery!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUxXyyQgfqI/AAAAAAAAAN4/RU14b5VNRo8/s1600/IMG_5742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUxXyyQgfqI/AAAAAAAAAN4/RU14b5VNRo8/s400/IMG_5742.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUxX56MKozI/AAAAAAAAAN8/8_jW_hSGxsU/s1600/IMG_5743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUxX56MKozI/AAAAAAAAAN8/8_jW_hSGxsU/s400/IMG_5743.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Were you impacted by this blizzard? What other kind of crazy weather have you been through so far this winter?</div><br />
<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center><div align="center"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-88872278807503031122011-02-01T22:41:00.000-05:002011-02-01T22:41:25.735-05:00New HaircutWe gave Carter his second haircut the other night. Jake started off by wanting to use the smaller, battery powered clippers because he thought they would scare Carter less. I convinced him otherwise so we opted for the larger clippers. Jake chose the #2 attachment because we wanted his hair to be relatively short, shorter than the last haircut at least. I did the buzzing and Jake distracted Carter so he wouldn’t cry too much. As soon as I cut the first strip I knew it was too short. And about halfway through I had to take a break because I was crying. He almost looks bald! I know it’s just hair and it’ll grow back so it’s not that big of a deal but it took some getting used to. Jake loves it, and loves the fact that he looks more like him now that they have almost the same haircut. <br />
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This is one of his new tricks! He’ll climb up into his chair and then bounce in it. He loves it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUjO4qSYDLI/AAAAAAAAANY/NK4KJ1iHI6Q/s1600/IMG_5645-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUjO4qSYDLI/AAAAAAAAANY/NK4KJ1iHI6Q/s320/IMG_5645-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Where's the blizzard mom, I know it's coming? Can we go out and play in all the snow? He loves to look outside :)</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He’s also been extra cuddly lately, which is nice. Usually he’s super squirmy on our laps but Jake and I have both gotten some good cuddling in these past couple days :) I sure do love my little man!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUjPPM0RdrI/AAAAAAAAANg/wkrv5xrkTcU/s1600/IMG_5688-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUjPPM0RdrI/AAAAAAAAANg/wkrv5xrkTcU/s200/IMG_5688-1.JPG" width="168" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUjPRFu-qXI/AAAAAAAAANk/4yV8nTMjXV4/s1600/IMG_5694-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUjPRFu-qXI/AAAAAAAAANk/4yV8nTMjXV4/s200/IMG_5694-1.JPG" width="173" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>In other news, he’s exploring everything these days and finding every single thing he’s able to reach to pull up on. He loves it, and it’s so fun to watch! He also has his third tooth, the top right. Hopefully that’s what’s been causing the feeding problems we’ve had lately. Well, in addition to his usual feeding problems. We are starting to do a little better with solids so that gives me hope!<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-31561140559649101922011-01-28T17:44:00.001-05:002011-01-28T17:49:19.544-05:00Milestone ManiaCarter had a crazy great day on Monday! We were up early for his twice-monthly physical therapy appointment and apparently he wanted to show off! He almost pulled himself up to his knees after grabbing the side of his wagon. Then he took a couple "crawls" with his stomach off the floor. And when the therapist left he waved bye when we said the word!<br />
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The real excitement happened later. Just a few minutes after the therapist left I shook a balloon in Carter's wagon to get his attention. He went over to it and pulled himself up to his knees from his stomach! A little bit later I decided to take a video so I set up the camera and lured him with the balloon again. He was up on his knees again! And then, before I knew it, he stood up! I'm so excited that I still had the camera running! He did it so fast I didn't really have time to turn it off anyway. I was so excited!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUM_YnqKu7I/AAAAAAAAANQ/1f5Mqen58mY/s1600/IMG_5625-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TUM_YnqKu7I/AAAAAAAAANQ/1f5Mqen58mY/s320/IMG_5625-1.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><br />
Since then it seems like he's really figured out how to use his arms. He'll grab us if we're sitting by him and pull up to stand, or find other things he can reach to pull up on. I'm just amazed!<br />
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It's so great to watch him grow and learn these new things! I can think of no greater feeling in the world :)<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-20642531915375800912011-01-20T19:31:00.000-05:002011-01-20T19:31:55.138-05:00This is the Store that Doesn't EndYes, it goes on and on my friend! Ok, ok I know those aren't really the words to the song, but it's definitely appropriate! Jake, Carter, and I took a road trip to Ikea for the first time yesterday. Whoa, we could've spent the entire day in there. Unfortunately we got a pretty late start because Jake had worked really late the night before doing inventory at his store and needed to sleep in a little.<br />
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We wanted to go, not only to see the store and look around, but to get Carter a shelving set with totes to organize his toys. We ended up getting that and a few more things ;) And actually, the only thing that we ended up getting that wasn't for Carter was a toilet brush. Exciting, huh! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TTjR-2bddkI/AAAAAAAAANA/UZXtyMJjA44/s1600/IMG_5607-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TTjR-2bddkI/AAAAAAAAANA/UZXtyMJjA44/s400/IMG_5607-1.JPG" width="388" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the other things we got for Carter is this cool rug that Jake and I are both super excited about :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TTjSlEJoexI/AAAAAAAAANE/PyCWiBOQUXk/s1600/IMG_5605-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TTjSlEJoexI/AAAAAAAAANE/PyCWiBOQUXk/s400/IMG_5605-2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a good day overall. Besides the fact that Carter ate a whopping 4 oz of milk the entire time we were gone from 2:00 to 10:30. Ugh, I'll leave that for another post. It was nice to get out and do something as a family that wasn't just going to Target or going five minutes away to the mall. Jake's done three inventories in the past week and worked like crazy over the holidays so it's been a while since we've spent some good quality time together outside of the house. And I think it was long overdue :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-29496397635114789372011-01-18T22:59:00.000-05:002011-01-18T22:59:54.104-05:00My Version of Me Time - Featured PostHi everyone! This post was featured on <a href="http://www.justmarriedwithcoupons.com/">Just Married With Coupons</a> this past weekend but I wanted to share it with my readers as well in case you didn't see it there. I hope everyone's week is going great so far :) <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a border="0" href="http://www.justmarriedwithcoupons.com/2011/01/five-minutes-for-me-event.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/5430/guestbutton125x125hotpi.png" /></a></div><br />
When I became a stay at home mom I had a very different idea of how my days would be. I told my husband that I would take over all the household chores, cook meals, make him lunch to take to work, and take care of our baby. Wow, I couldn't have been more wrong. I should add that due to my son having acid reflux and developing an oral aversion, our daily schedule of eating and napping doesn't look like a "typical" baby's schedule. So that definitely doesn't help things. <br />
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My husband has actually taken over a lot of the household chores because I don't have time to do them most days. So if I don't even have time to keep up with household duties, how on earth am I ever going to have FREE time? Ha, that's a good question! <br />
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I have found it extremely helpful to leave the room and do something else when my husband gets home and starts playing with our son, even if it's not necessarily something fun or calming. Or I might stay in the room but mentally remove myself while I'm on the computer or doing something on my iPhone. To me, just having another adult there to take care of our baby for five minutes allows me to slow down and let go of my stress.<br />
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I love my son more than anything in the world, but that doesn't mean I don't want and need a break. So my version of "me time" is when my husband takes over, no matter what I'm doing. Even if it's only for five minutes.<br />
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- Tara, author of <a href="http://www.3psmama.com/">Three P's in a Pod</a><br />
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Find me on: <br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/3psmama">Twitter</a><br />
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<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-60727185402185324732011-01-12T22:19:00.000-05:002011-01-12T22:19:17.625-05:00Happy Birthday Carter!Happy first birthday little man! I can't believe that you're ONE! Thank you for giving me the best year of my life. There's nothing better than watching you learn and grow. I am so lucky to be your mommy and I love you so much! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS5t87af4uI/AAAAAAAAAMk/jzGSlwrL3jc/s1600/IMG_5214-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS5t87af4uI/AAAAAAAAAMk/jzGSlwrL3jc/s320/IMG_5214-1.JPG" width="307" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS5uOOqXlTI/AAAAAAAAAMo/-ENynvqGHCA/s1600/IMG_5463-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS5uOOqXlTI/AAAAAAAAAMo/-ENynvqGHCA/s320/IMG_5463-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS5uUqH2ttI/AAAAAAAAAMs/xVCxeDI02BQ/s1600/IMG_5545-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS5uUqH2ttI/AAAAAAAAAMs/xVCxeDI02BQ/s320/IMG_5545-1.JPG" width="313" /></a></div><br />
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<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-73618339220955047272011-01-11T22:05:00.000-05:002011-01-11T22:05:03.737-05:00Carter's First Birthday Party!Carter's first birthday is tomorrow. I still cannot believe that he is one year old!<br />
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We had his party on Saturday. Of course, that was also the day that we received the most snow of the winter so far. Over thirty inches in some areas! So a few people that we were expecting weren't able to make it. It worked out though because Carter was able to sleep and eat well and was able to play and be happy because he wasn't overwhelmed by a ton of people around. Of course, we would've loved to have everyone here but their safety is more important.<br />
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My aunt and cousin from New York came on Friday night. She's awesome! I was shocked when she told me they were coming. She showed up at my bridal shower last year too. Walked right up to the door and I had no idea she was coming!<br />
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Jake's mom also came. We still decorated and set the food out as if we were going to have a full house. After all, we were celebrating for Carter so we were going to do it no matter what :)<br />
Instead of doing a cake or cupcake Jake wanted to do a cookie cake. So we got a big one and then Carter got his own little cookie. When I opened his 1 candle to put on it I broke it right in half :( Luckily, Jake came to the rescue and melted it back together. Carter wasn't too sure what to do with the cookie but enjoyed playing with the icing! He did bite on it a few times with my help.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0UOwIe6HI/AAAAAAAAAMI/yhbiCkYOzsU/s1600/IMG_4950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0UOwIe6HI/AAAAAAAAAMI/yhbiCkYOzsU/s320/IMG_4950.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0UgMXRlpI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/E_l49zdk6ZY/s1600/IMG_5084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0UgMXRlpI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/E_l49zdk6ZY/s320/IMG_5084.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0WMF09BXI/AAAAAAAAAMU/PgDG3tU9lVQ/s1600/IMG_5115-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0WMF09BXI/AAAAAAAAAMU/PgDG3tU9lVQ/s320/IMG_5115-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
He got a little grumpy opening his gifts. Same as Christmas, he wasn't interested in opening anymore after the first few, so I pretty much did it for him. He got some cool toys, clothes, and money. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0XFETKSGI/AAAAAAAAAMY/tNOM8qv_R28/s1600/IMG_4962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0XFETKSGI/AAAAAAAAAMY/tNOM8qv_R28/s640/IMG_4962.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0XvOt_FNI/AAAAAAAAAMc/Z7YWSxIo56w/s1600/IMG_4998-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0XvOt_FNI/AAAAAAAAAMc/Z7YWSxIo56w/s400/IMG_4998-1.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
Jake's mom also brought a late Christmas present for him. A Power Wheels Firetruck! This thing is super cool! Unfortunately, they have stopped including seat belts with the truck so we have to order some before he can really ride in it. I sat him in it today and held him while he rode it but he got scared and cried. It'll take some getting used to!<br />
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My aunt and cousin stayed until this morning. It was nice getting to see them for that long. Carter did so well while they were here. He slept and ate in his room since it has to be quiet. I was worried because Carter usually doesn't sleep well when other people are around. But I had no problem, not even during the party. I'm so proud of him!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0ZQSymFgI/AAAAAAAAAMg/FwS3fGVdZVA/s1600/IMG_5072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TS0ZQSymFgI/AAAAAAAAAMg/FwS3fGVdZVA/s640/IMG_5072.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
And then Sunday I noticed that another present had shown up at some point, his second tooth! Just the corner is through his gums so far, but it came in just in time for his birthday. So he officially has "teeth" now instead of just "a tooth."<br />
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My little man is growing up so fast. This has been such a wonderful year. I love watching him learn and grow day by day. I can't wait to see what the next year holds :)<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-47609018725058189662011-01-06T21:20:00.000-05:002011-01-06T21:20:13.466-05:00The First of Many New Things!I'm so excited about what 2011 holds for Three P's in a Pod. I have a feeling that it is going to be a great year! <br />
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The first change may not be as exciting to all of you as it is to me, but we will soon be on our own domain! Yes, <a href="http://3psmama.blogspot.com/">http://3psmama.blogspot.com/</a> is changing to <a href="http://3psmama.com/">http://3psmama.com/</a>! How awesome is that?!? I feel so much more legit now, like I actually have my own website, haha. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping hoping that there aren't any problems with the transition and all of my followers make the transition successfully. None of you should have to do anything, so that's wonderful. Well, that's as long as everything works how it should. So please hope for me! <br />
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Other possible changes coming soon include - blog makeover, new meme created by me, guest post series, more product reviews and giveaways, and anything else I come up with. If there's anything specific that you'd like to see, please let me know. None of this would be possible without all of you so give me all the suggestions you have! <br />
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<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-25440470549480717282011-01-05T22:46:00.001-05:002011-01-05T23:13:02.651-05:00This is Our Normal<div align="left">Throughout this holiday season I was reminded a lot of how different our situation with Carter is. On a daily basis I don't really think about it because it's normal to me. <em>It's our normal. </em>But it's not normal to others, and a lot of others struggle to even understand. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">A typical day for Carter and I is like a broken record that consists of him falling asleep in his bouncy seat, me picking him up and holding him in my arms to feed him while he sleeps. If he naps after his feeding, which is usually once or twice a day for 1 to 2 hours each, then I sit on the couch with him in my arms while he sleeps. During these times that he's sleeping there has to be complete silence all around, and limited movement. He doesn't sleep very soundly, until he's been asleep for a good 15 to 20 minutes. So if he wakes up before he eats then the feeding is lost because he will usually only eat his first feeding of the day while he's awake. Or if he's unable to take an entire nap (which is why I hold him, because he won't take a substantial nap unless he's in my arms) then he'll be super exhausted soon after but be too tired to sleep and just end up crying. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Ok, are you confused yet? It seems like no matter how many times I tell everyone that "Carter will not eat unless he's sleeping and will not sleep unless it's quiet" they just don't get it. Even if someone is just here and I take Carter to his room to fall asleep and eat it usually turns into an ordeal because he doesn't want to calm down, he wants to be a part of the action so he'll try to fight sleep. Unless he's absolutely exhausted.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">I try to remember that not many people have ever dealt with this kind of feeding issue. Like Jake said, some babies will just fall asleep right in the middle of all the commotion. Unfortunately, my baby will not. And when he won't, it's not just a matter of him missing a nap and being cranky. It's a matter of him not eating, and that's a big deal. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Whew, ok. Thanks for letting me get that out. It's a huge stressor when it comes to gatherings of any kind. And I just try to keep in mind that one day every once in a while is ok. It's ok if he has a few bad days now and then in order for us to celebrate things and see our families. However, I can't help but already be a big ball of nerves thinking of his birthday party coming up this weekend. I'm super excited and it's a given that we'll have a party for him. It is his first birthday! I just worry that everyone is going to think he's a fussy baby because when they're around he ends up being a tired, hungry mess. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Ok, enough of negative nelly. My point was that, <em>this is our normal</em>. And even though others don't understand, it's our life. I wouldn't want to live it any other way because as long as I have my little man happy and healthy, that is what matters :)</div><div align="left"></div><br />
<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-62736716648123254842010-12-30T20:51:00.000-05:002010-12-30T20:51:08.181-05:00Hello Hello!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TR006UO9RpI/AAAAAAAAAL0/ZNKaB-TzIr8/s1600/012-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TR006UO9RpI/AAAAAAAAAL0/ZNKaB-TzIr8/s320/012-1.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
This is Carter's new trick, and it is super duper cute. He's always loved to watch us talk on the phone, and I've held this little phone up to my ear and said "hello, hello" and then up to his ear and said the same thing. So now he does it himself! He doesn't just do it with this little phone, he does it with about anything :) <br />
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He's also so unbelievably close to crawling. Just today he's really started to use his legs more. He's pretty much doing all the motions with his arms and legs but his stomach is still on the floor. I have a feeling it's only a matter of days before he's zooming all around, officially crawling :)<br />
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I can't believe tomorrow is New Year's Eve. This year has gone so fast. And then in less than two weeks it's Carter's birthday! What?!? I don't have a <em>one year old</em>, I have a <em>baby</em>! Crazy.<br />
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We'll be staying in tomorrow night. Jake has to work until 8:00 and we haven't really been big partiers for several years now, especially not now that we have Carter. So we'll just hang out on the couch and hope that we're able to stay awake. I hope all of you have a fun and safe night! Happy New Year!<br />
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<center><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-89326094105125034792010-12-26T22:41:00.001-05:002010-12-26T22:42:53.628-05:00Better Late Than Never!<center><br />
<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="height: 494px; width: 425px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="background-image: url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif); height: 6px;"><div align="center"></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="background-image: url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-y; height: 482px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="height: 34px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 14px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 14px; width: 105px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif" /></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height: 350px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery"><img height="320" src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/0ActGrVy1bMmQA/0ActGrVy1bMmQOhg/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1293419820000/0/" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="background-color: #f4f4e9; height: 55px; line-height: 19px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 15px; text-align: center;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;">With Love Chartreuse Christmas Card</div><div class="sflyProductPreviewSEOText" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px;">Visit Shutterfly.com for classic <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards" style="color: #6666cc;">photo Christmas cards</a>.</div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px;">View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</div></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="background-image: url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif); height: 6px;"></div></div></center><center> </center>I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! Ours was great! For quite some time we've been joking that Carter would rip the wrapping paper off his gifts and be too busy with the paper to want the toys. He did enjoy the paper once it was ripped off. But after opening a few toys, he lost interest in the ones that were still wrapped and just wanted to start playing! Jake and I pretty much opened most of his gifts, but that's ok :) We spent the rest of the day playing and pretty much just relaxing. Besides having to cook dinner, but it was yummy! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TRgIgNXQPMI/AAAAAAAAALs/I2aRVAE_wio/s1600/Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TRgIgNXQPMI/AAAAAAAAALs/I2aRVAE_wio/s640/Christmas.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-73088036557399805842010-12-23T21:31:00.000-05:002010-12-23T21:31:59.148-05:00So Stinkin' Close!Carter is as close to crawling as he can be without actually doing it. He is doing the army crawl now so can get to whatever he wants. That makes me happy because I hated seeing him reach and reach and not able to reach far enough. I'd always give him what he wanted so Jake and I would joke that he'd never learn to crawl. Just yesterday he started getting up on his hands and knees and rocking on his own (without us putting him on his hands and knees). So he may not crawl before Christmas, but it's got to be coming soon! <br />
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Jake and I decided to give him his first haircut last night. He wasn't a fan of the clippers because of the vibration. So Jake did that quickly and then used scissors. He still didn't like it but cried less that way. We have some touching up to do, mainly around his ears and neck. Jake's going to do some fading to make it look better. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment :)<br />
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<div align="center">Before: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TRQEZVIEztI/AAAAAAAAALc/q_FrREtMNn0/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TRQEZVIEztI/AAAAAAAAALc/q_FrREtMNn0/s400/035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TRQEdbynivI/AAAAAAAAALg/fzMHO59YYDg/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QOvAAgiph5Y/TRQEdbynivI/AAAAAAAAALg/fzMHO59YYDg/s400/043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It ended up a little shorter than I had wanted, but I know it'll grow back.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">M</span><span style="color: lime;">e</span><span style="color: red;">r</span><span style="color: lime;">r</span><span style="color: red;">y</span> <span style="color: lime;">C</span><span style="color: red;">h</span><span style="color: lime;">r</span><span style="color: red;">i</span><span style="color: lime;">s</span><span style="color: red;">t</span><span style="color: lime;">m</span><span style="color: red;">a</span><span style="color: lime;">s</span> <span style="color: red;">e</span><span style="color: lime;">v</span><span style="color: red;">e</span><span style="color: lime;">r</span><span style="color: red;">y</span><span style="color: lime;">o</span><span style="color: red;">n</span><span style="color: lime;">e</span><span style="color: red;">!</span></span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7276648477040951180.post-47110142708544617952010-12-19T21:45:00.001-05:002011-02-10T22:45:43.203-05:00Moments and Things<div align="left">Well, I survived the road trip to my mom's wedding. I'm really glad I was able to make it. Carter did really well and Jake's mom was a huge help. My mom gave me some of my old stuff while I was there. She had come across it when she moved a few months ago. Going through it has made me think back to my childhood.</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">I find myself remembering a lot of "moments" instead of "things." I remember the road trip that my dad and I took from California to Indiana when we were moving. I remember when my mom bought my dad a guitar and surprised him with it. Laying out in the sun with my mom, when a friend told me that Freddy Kreuger lived under my house, playing golf with my dad and his real golf clubs in our back yard, coming home from school everyday and having a snack, the day my mom surprised my brother and I with two goldfish, wrestling with my dad, my friends and I making a music video.</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Now, I do remember some "things." I remember getting a bike for Christmas. I remember my mermaid baby doll, endless Barbie dolls, clothes, and accessories. My Barbie motor home, my Cabbage Patch doll with wire hair you could style, my Troll collection, my box full of dress up clothes. But I remember the fun I had with those toys. The memories I made with them.</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">I guess the whole point that I'm trying to make is that our childhood is about experiences more than about toys and "things." It's about having fun and making memories that you'll always remember. Happiness and fun times are two of the most important things that we can give to our children. We have done so many things with Carter this first year of his life. I know he won't remember them, but we'll tell him about it and show him the pictures. It's just the beginning, there are so many more things that I can't wait to do with him. Even if it's something as simple as going to the park and running around, it's the "moments" with our children that are most important. And if there are a few special "things" along the way to make those "moments" with, that's ok too :)</div><div align="left"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/305/1C9A76E48CE9756ADB8E6E27B7B4870C.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19