Treasures

I had the best day yesterday! Many reasons why. I got a full night of rest with no interruptions from Aiden. He got his 1st bad report card on Friday. He was throwing so many fits instead of naptime he had to sit in the office. Which meant when I was trying to bring him home that afternoon and he noticed no star sticker on his sheet he had the BIGGEST fit. Literally drug him out holding him by one arm and he's not touching the ground (I was in so much pain-hello 40lb kid!). Screaming and crying the whole way wanting a star sticker (talk about embarrassing, but I just wanted to get him outta there so I could straighten him out in the car-privacy). After a few butt spanks and harsh words he said he was sorry and wouldn't do it again. Peace regained. Since he was being good while I made a few stops before home I asked if he wanted to go play with Carlos or go home (normal answer is play) but today we got home....ummm okay.....

So we are at home, he crawled in our bed while I watched X Factor from the night before and next thing I knew he was fast asleep. It was only 7:20! This is his normal weekday bedtime and after multiple nights of a 10+pm bedtime I was shocked. But this only scared me that he would wake up at 2am...and wouldn't you know I physically had to wake him up at 6:30am!! Holy Moly! His normal sleep pattern has returned!!!!! I think it finally caught up to him.

Once we ate breakfast we headed over to Gabby and Grande's so I could go on an adventure with Gabby and our friend Mary. Off to yard sales and an art festival! Having a good nights rest was the best thing ever since I was going to be walking all day. I had never been to Reelfoot Lake and it was definitely a pretty scene! I had so much fun and can't wait to go back next year!! As we came into town all the locals set up yard sales on the main drive and I definitely got some good treasures before I even got to the festival. lol

I got a jar of local honey, which builds up your immune system and helps with allergies, def need. Then I found the best gift for Aiden, a wooden elephant piggy bank! I have been looking for one ever since he man handled his plastic one. All the ones on Etsy are like $25+, I only paid $5 and all it needs is a good dusting. Score! Next I found a good little gift for Aiden's "Elf" to bring to his North Pole breakfast, a Cars ornament, and it was only $1. Yes! But the best treasures are the free ones! I got the Iron Man mask for free (think I cashed in on that pregnancy pity card. haha)!! This thing is $10 bucks in the score and every time I pass it I think "Aiden will love it, but def not worth $10 bucks."

Now we finally made it into the festival. So many amazing things inside, but then I ran across something I recognized...This White BBQ sauce is amazing! Great on sandwiches. I haven't found it in years, so I just had to get some. (My mom will be jealous. The wasabi one is great!) I really wanted one of the coffee can yard flowers....but of course the Bama ones were sold out. Next year one is mine!! lol

We made it home just in time to change clothes and head off to Brody's Diaper and Wipe shower. Amazingly I wasn't too worn out. It was a good evening out with friends and family. We love them so much and they are so amazing to our boys! Feel like I've been saying this a lot lately, but it's true, we are so blessed!

You know I love owls, so I LOVE LOVE LOVE the owl outfit! And the owl picture looks great next to the dresser, can't wait to hang it! Then how could any Bama fan not love an elephant wubbanub and football hat!?! Did you notice the last image...Brody has his own personalized baby bag. Such amazing gifts from amazing people!

Even Aiden got a little present. He was all excited about his Buzz and Woody bag! Today we've been coloring all day and he HAD to have his Rex cup!

So how did last night sleeping go for Aiden? Great!! We didn't get home till 8pm, he passed out shortly after and didn't wake up till 7ish. How did nap time go? Well there was definitely fighting, cried for 30 minutes straight, but we did see great improvement!! Stayed on his bed, didn't beat on the door once. It was tough, but thankfully his demon didn't come out. lol Let's just see if he can keep it up during the week....

Next week is short for me, trying to use up my remaining vacation days so Tuesday me and Wes are having a day date since he's off. Going to see Taken 2! Can't wait! Then I get to see Brody again on Thursday, then on Friday it's a short work day! But on Sunday it's my big day at work Go-Live! This year's BIG project will be officially be over! Only have to work from 1am to 9am. lol No biggie right?! But at least I'm off on Monday! :-) I hope everyone else had a great weekend like we did in the Lambert household.

Blessing

Well our prayers have been answered! Happily to announce Wes got a new job! Making double what he used to make!! YAH!!! He still is working long hours 6am to 6pm, but I'm just happy we are both off at the same time more. He's working 2on 2off 3on schedule, making some of his weekends 3 day weekends.

We are actually working right down from the street from one another. But he's right over the state line working in Olive Branch. So what does this mean for our family....probably within 2 years we will move. To make both our drives shorter to work and less traffic fighting.

We love having our current open space, but are wanting to increase our 1 acre to minimum 2 if we can. This means probably getting out of Shelby county. The closest city to our works in Shelby county is Collierville and space is not something you get there.  We really don't want to move, but long term it's the best thing for us. I want to be close to the boys' school and home. The hour drive one way gets old.

But I am very excited about his opportunity and feeling blessed beyond belief. After all the unknowns and no feedback we just had to put it into God's hand to show us the way and it came at the perfect time. So thankful and proud of my hubby!

Elf on the Shelf Prep 2012

I'm excited about Elf on the Shelf this year (Yes I'm already planning lol)! I think Aiden will really get into it. Last year he didn't quite get the concept (Mommy found the Elf most days. lol) nor did we name him. So hopefully this year we will have a name.

Like last year I want to have a North Pole Breakfast. I don't want to start it the day after Thanksgiving but Dec 1st. Makes it easier on us especially since we will have a newborn at home. I can't wait to use the goodies I stocked up on last year on clearance. And wouldn't you know it Pottery Barn has the exact place mats for sale this year....however I only paid $4 for 2! I scored on another divider plate but snowman themed for $1.50 and got 2 shaker cups (santa and snowman) for $1 piece too after Christmas. I figure Aiden would probably want a big boy cup this year, so Brody can have his Santa sippy cup (next year obviously lol). Not bad on items I will reuse every year.

Since Aiden will be the only one eating I wanted to keep it simple. Fruit candy cane and snowman donuts along with chocolate milk topped with cool whip and sprinkles. Something a sleep deprived mommy can easily whip up. :-) We will finish the morning watching a Christmas cartoon (the 1st falls on a Saturday thankfully).

I was thinking for his elf gift I would get him some Christmas socks and small happy from the dollar bins. (Last year he got a coloring book from the dollar store.) Nothing grand, just a happy.

Now comes the fun part. I'm predicting I will be using half my brain that month, so I need to be prepared. I went ahead and planned what I'm going to do each day. (Yes, this is the point where Wes calls me crazy for being so organized. lol)
CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO USE THE WORD DOC TO MAKE YOUR OWN. Welcome! :-)
(BTW the preview looks crazy, but I confirm it downloads like the picture below...not sure why my text boxes aren't staying locked.)

To not overload my plate we won't be hosting a "Polar Express" party this year, but I plan on picking that back up next year. Now I just have to survive the next 2 months....

Bills

Well my Thursday wasn't to great. I get a call at 8:50 saying Aiden was running 101 fever, luckily Wes was off so he picked him up. They watched Avengers until Mommy could come home after lunch. Poor little guy needs to feel better by Saturday for Carlos' birthday party or he will be one unhappy baby.

Then I check the mail. Ugh a bill. A bill from my high-risk OBGYN for my 1st office visit and ultrasound. Oh just $1200 (for one visit! No wonder you don't get to do those fancy features at your normal ultrasounds....) I only have to pay $486.92, yes $486.92! And I will get this bill every 2 weeks until Brody comes....so that Oct due date is looking pretty good about now. haha! One good thing is I'm $589.55 away from reaching my deductible, so I'll only have to pay 20% then on. Oh and that doesn't include my normal OBGYN extra bills on the weeks I don't see this doctor. Money just flying out the door, so thankful we have everything we need already and I'm pretty much done with Christmas shopping. Just God's way of looking out for us. Now we are just keeping our fingers crossed for some more good news...
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Carlos' birthday party was a lot of fun, but again Aiden was attacked by mosquitoes. Probably about 10 on his legs and that's even with repellent on. Poor little guy! Not all have blistered up but he's still in pain. Back on Benadryl 24/7.

Once we got home it hits me. COMPLETE misery! My SPD was kicking in high gear, I could barely move. Brought me to tears just to get up to use the bathroom. Aiden was super sweet and asking if I was okay and would bring me things if I needed something. (Daddy wasn't at home at the time) I literally took 4 baths that day (eases the pressure off my pelvic bone) and my sweet little boy would sit outside the tub playing with his trains or reading a book or have splash parties with me. So thankful it was a good day for him. (Excuse the blurry pic I wanted to show how Aiden rests on me, but he moved. He puts his head on my belly and sits between my legs)

Then about 10 minutes before Wes gets home I'm sitting on the couch. OMG! Sprint to the bathroom puked my brains out. Then the pain got even worse, because had just moved so fast and then the puking on top. Aiden was right there asking if I was okay...as Daddy walked in the door. I told him if I feel like this tomorrow I know I can't make it past October.

Sunday I felt a little better, but luckily Daddy took over and I stayed in bed till about 2pm. Aiden came in around 1 and we both took a nap together. Loved that sweet time together. This weekend I did absolutely no house chores and Daddy was a rockstar. So thankful for that!! Don't know what I'd do without him.
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One issue we are having at home is bedtime. Aiden used to be an awesome sleeper...now not so much. I've never seen him throw the kind of fits like he does now. Like he will get out of bed and beat on the door screaming bloody murder. What does he want? To crawl in our bed and go to sleep. It's so weird we put him in our bed, he falls asleep within 5 minutes, and then Wes carries him to his bed without a peep. We really don't want to make this a pattern, but fighting him isn't worth it now. I just hope he outgrows this soon.
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Today I got to see Brody again to preform a Biophysical Profile test and check my fluids. No gain in fluid. Yah! And he passed his BPP very quick, but look at that grumpy face. Somebody wanted to sleep after kicking Mommy all weekend. (If you were wondering what BPP was it's a test Brody has to pass within 30 minutes and he gets points on each part. It determines if he needs to be delivered early. The BPP looks at the baby's breathing, movement, muscle tone, heart rate, and the amount of amniotic fluid.)

It's so funny all the ultrasound techs are so amazed you can see and I can feel his movements, because apparently when people have lots of fluid they don't feel anything (which is sad I think). Just shows you how much he's moving as my belly is a ripple of waves.
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End on a funny note. So the other day we rented What to Expect When You're Expecting to watch it with Regina and Steve who hadn't seen it. So Aiden and Carlos were playing and then decided to watch it with us. If you haven't seen it, it's a MUST! SO funny! By the end both boys were picking up their shirts saying they had a baby in there or they wanted a baby in there. lol Too cute! We would ask Aiden where Brody was and he will point to my belly then goes "My baby's here" and points to his. lolol silly!

Not all the story lines were great, and my favs were Elizabeth Banks and Brooklyn Decker. The father-son bit was hilarious! Best quote of the movie, which I could relate to this past weekend
Wendy: "I just wanted the glow. The one that they promise you on the cover of those magazines. Well, I'm calling it - pregnancy sucks. Making a human being is really hard. I have no control over my body or my emotions." She's having a breakdown giving a speech. Priceless.