I did it, he did it, aha moments and such Saturday's Bush Boy Birthday Bash was wonderful. I"ve recovered. I'm enjoying all the toys being in the basement or up in Tyler's room. I'm glad to have some things cleared out in anticipation for Christmas! The tree will go up Saturday night! I can't wait! I love getting the decorations out. It's like my own private christmas- unwrapping and seeing the treasures inside! I'm most excited about finding Grace a first Christmas bulb and getting her a stocking and a Christmas dress... I"m so blessed! He did it: SUCESS!!! (knock on wood) Tyler has been diaper free besides night time for like 3 days now with no accidents. Before that he'd been in them all day but not for naps. He still wont tell me when he has to go but we are making major progress. I'm also saving major money on diapers which reminds me we need more size 3's for the girl with 6 BM's a day. Won't she be thrilled to read this when she's 13? I did it. I got my lazy rear out of bed, bathed, fed and dressed both kids and myself and got us all to the doctor's office this morning. Alert the media. I left my house ON TIME and got to the office EARLY!!!!! They were running late so I got to entertain Tyler in the FULL OF SICK KIDS waiting room for 40 minutes. Thank the Lord Grace sat in her seat! Grace is perfectly healthy and her head is fine. Whew! I've been worried about the back of her head being flat for awhile and the worry increased Saturday. Dr. said it's fine- big based on percentiles, but fine. She went from 50th to 75th percentiles on head circumfrance! I could have told you it's huge. She's wearing a 12-18 month hat! She's 16 lbs 5 oz and 25 1/2 inches long. I didn't get to see her chart with percentiles but the Dr. said she's perfectly healthy. I call it pleasantly plump. She's gonna have my thighs I believe. (at 6 months Tyler was 19 lbs and over 27 inches) Tyler is 36 lbs and 39 1/2 inches. He's grown an inch since July and 4 inches in the past year. He's also only gained 4 lbs in the past year. Maybe he's FINALLY slowing down! Of course at his 2YR appt, he'd shrunk an inch and a half b/c of the differnce in measuring them standing and laying down. Hmm.... (side note: I'm 62 inches standing up really straight.... any bets on when he'll pass me up? If he keeps growing 4 inches a year he'll be 9. ) So anyways, for anyone who's ever met Tyler you know- He's a tiptoe walker just like his dad, uncles and grandfathers before him. His achilles tendon seems tight so we have to take him to a Pediatric Orthopidic Doctor up in Akron. Right before Christmas. I figure they will just give us excersises and want to see him again in 6 months. He physically (obviously!!!) can walk and run and get around just fine so I don't think it's going to be anything major. I pray that! I also found that the reason his one tooth has turned grey is likely to be from trauma. Hmmm... maybe when he got kicked in the face at nursery? There was another time he had a bloody lip recently but I can't remember what happened... I'll have to read back through blogs! haha! Anyways he's due to go for his first cleaning anyways so I got the name of a pediatric dentist in Canton to take him to. I also have GOT to figure out a way to teach him to spit. Dr said it's no big deal and to just keep using the non floride toothpaste.... *blushes*.... I ought to get some of that! I'll be sure to tell the grandma's to get some for his stockings! (oh calm down- I do have some.) So that was our appointment today. The Doctor was very patient and spent a good bit of time with us and I was very thankful. I was so ready to get a new doctor (again) but you know, if you are giong to have to wait 40 minutes in the waiting room you want a doctor to see you right away in the exam room (she did), answer your questions (she did), and spend plenty of time with you and your kids (she did). So, possibly against my better judgement, we'll stick with her. Don't like the office, but do like the doctor. I'm not sure how many of my readers will remember how the front desk lady was downright unhelpful and rude when i was getting information on taking Grace to the surgeon but today I had a different lady. Sit down- she offered to call the doctors office for me and make an appointment. SAY WHAT?!?! She did! I kid you not! I said YES! Hey, if that's an option lets just get it done now & save me some minutes on my long distance phone card! She got me the number to pre-register my insurance, an appontment and directions to the office! I LOVE THIS LADY! THEN she let me schedule Grace's next appointment right there too! She even had a smile on her face! wow. I was floored. I seriously might send a card to the office thanking them for treating me like a person. As I left gary was getting into a meeting so I ran over to Steph's work (shh! Don't tell pops!) to say hi. She happened to be on an easy day schedule wise so we got to hang out for a little bit and then go out to lunch and gary met us there! I've not had lunch with gary since summer so that was really nice. Especially since he went to work early today (6:30) and works late (8:30). I know that most people work long days and I know gary has a decent work schedule but these days are still rough. I'm thankful they aren't worse and at least he does come home at night, but it's rough. Especially when I know that things could be done to make it so he does not have to work those kinds of hours. It's out of our hands and he's doing the right thing and so I support that. All that to say it turned out to be a great morning. Tyler's down for his nap, (you know it takes me hours to write these blogs right? Getting inturrpted constantly....) Grace will eat in about a half hour which means I have 30 MORE minutes to myself! yay! Aha- I figured out today that if I don't check my email and do my shower the day before I can get us all ready in 2 hours. Barely. Why? Why does it take so long to get these kids ready? And me? I actually wore out the door the first outfit I tried on today. That's like a first - ever. Thank you Jen for these AMAZING Gap Jeans. I'm going to wear them out so I might as well pay you for them! 3 more waist inches and I can get my own. Speaking of waist inches- Jackie K. if you are reading this I just have to say it's SO unfair that you look like you never had a kid. I hate you in that you're-my-best-friend-and-i-love-you-but-i'm-so-jealous-and-happy-for-you kind of way! As I finished typing that I reached for my cupcake i was eating...hmmmmmm.....connection??? Nah. I realized recently that I'm at a point in my life where the majority of the people I know now never knew me when I was "skinny". When I look at myself I see a fat girl and see what has changed in the past 10 years. I figure people see what I see- so much change and the "now" is worse than the "before". When I think about it though, right now I actually (in a few places) look better than I have in a long time. I wonder if this is why women are so bad at taking compliments. When people tell me I'm pretty (Thanks Melissa!) it means the world to me but I also dissagree because I still see myself as what I was in high school. Id love to look that way again but I can't sacrifce health for beauty now that I have a husband and kids. Does this make any sense?!?!? What makes it so hard for us as women to accept the "now" as beautiful and not just the "before" or the "where we wish we could go"? I mean sure, I'd love to get bigger boobs and lose 40 pounds and look like Eva Longoria but would I be any happier? Would I see myself and see beautiful? I doubt it. That balance is hard. I have to be more healthy, I have to change some things about my body but I also have to accept who I am now, not who i want to be or was. I have so many things I want to teach my kids- I really need to learn some of those things for myself again. I heard once that we spend a lot of money on things we don't want to impress people we don't even know or like. I think that's true with self image too. Working out every day should be for no one else but me and to take care of the one body God gave me. I need to keep it in shape so I don't have to get replacement parts! I was going to comment on something else but I can't recall... oh well... Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Travel safe this weekend!