10+ list

1. August 30

My little man is the best :) I don't want him to grow up. I know... I know... I'll love the new ways he changes . I'm just going to miss these days.

2. September 2

My son's favorite new word is "uff da". He's heard me say it many times. So now he repeats it often. Praise God that's what he's repeating :)

3. September 3

I received a cortisone shot in my back in March of this year. I've searched on line trying to find out how long the cortisone may take affect but nothing was definitive. Could the cortisone still be working or might my back be better than before? I'm not completely healed, but I'm MUCH better than before. I think I'm back to how I was feeling about two years ago :) I did get some great responses on FB; but if you have any knowledge about this that you'd like to share with me, please do :)

4. September 3

I've been thinking I need to buy Joseph Jr 2T clothes for this winter especially while in VT. All of a sudden today I came across a bag of 2T winter clothes I received a couple months ago from my sil, Rachael. God is so good :) Thank you, Rachael, again :)

5. September 6

Joseph Jr refused to sleep during his morning nap :( I put him down at noon. He fell fast asleep. I wonder if he's in the process of going to one nap a day. hmm...

(ever since, he's been taking one nap a day minus one day where he had very little sleep the night before. The naps usually last about 2-3 hours.)

6. September 8

My son woke at 2am. Then slept from about 3-7:30am. He took his nap from 12-3pm.

7. September 15

My son's left arm was pulled out of socket for the umpteenth time. We didn't know what was happening at first. He'd cry and then he'd be fine after a few minutes. Each time it got worse. Then a few weeks ago, we were playing a game with him where we'd count to three as we were walking and then pick him up by his arms and swing him forward. He LOVED it until the last time we did it. He was in severe pain, so we were searching for an urgent care or something. Finally after not finding anything open, we headed toward the hospital. Within minutes of making that decision, he was all better. We've been so careful since. Then yesterday, not thinking, he was picked up and within a few minutes he was crying in pain. We took him to the hospital and got his elbow put back in place. The doc said it was just a little out of alignment. Once it was put back, he was using both arms and happy as can be :) The doc said that if a toddler throws a tantrum while your holding his arm and he drops to the ground you should immediately let go of the arm. His daughter did that to him. Twice her arm was pulled out of socket "by" him. So we just need to be really careful with his arms and legs, especially his left arm since it's already been injured. Nursemaid elbow

8. September 17

We came back from the doc's. She showed me how to put his elbow back in place and said if it doesn't work to take him to a pediatrician, not an adult doctor. She also said it happened often with her daughter. I pray I'll never have to use my new found knowledge :)

9. Saturday, September 4 we celebrated Bob's b-day, his dad, George's b-day, and Sarah's b-day. It was great fun and great to see everyone there :)

10. The weekend of September 10 Joseph and I joined around 500 other people at Desert City Swing. I worked my butt off the entire weekend and my back surely felt it. But it was a great time. I really enjoy it every year :) Maybe we'll see you next year :) Oh, many people commented on my prego shirts :) Some were still cautious about mentioning it to me as I could have just had a bit of a belly. The shirts read "Pregnancy is the new skinny", "What's kickin" baby feet were where the i's should have been, "Love brings out he child in me", and "Pregnancy - all of the hangover, none of the booze". Joseph got 4th in Intermediate. He danced very nicely :) But ladies, just remember, he's all MINE :)

11. The past few weeks Joseph Jr has been getting his upper canine teeth. Just recently I saw one of his lower canine teeth trying to pop through. He's been a real champ :)

10 on Thurs, no Saturday

1. I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted last. Wow, so much has gone on this last month. August 4:

I had major cramps last night! I don't remember ever having it that bad with Joseph. But you forget a lot of the not so fun things about pregnancy I've realized :)

Joseph Jr's favorite word to say now is "box". His favorite word to sign is "dog". He's such a cutie and learning so fast! I love my little man :)

2. August 9:

We got French doors put in our dining room :) We love it!!!

3. August 18:

We had a great time in Palm Springs, and Joseph Jr had a great time with his grandma and pop pop. We're back home now :) Joseph Jr is taking a long needed nap :)

4. August 19:

Potty training begins today :) It turns out my son pees OFTEN. He goes pee in the potty, washes his hands, and not 10 seconds later goes pee again. That time he doesn't pee in the potty. Maybe I started too early. I definitely think today is not the right day. I believe he's teething and his nose has been running all day today :( UGH!!!! Any suggestions on potty training boys?

5. August 20:

Jr had his five month check-up even though he is now six months of age. He is 26.8 lbs and 34 in. He went from an average of 25% to 77% in weight and 90% to 99% in height. My boy has been growing! I love him so much. He's going to be a great big brother :)

6. August 21:

Today has been one of those days :( However, I did have a great time with Betsy and her family :) So it wasn't a total wash. Well, now that I think about it, maybe it didn't turn out so bad. I got to spend more time with my two favorite men than normal. And my honey is going out and getting me some dinner since I have yet to eat and am starving :) We'll be watching "All American Hero" tonight.

7. August 22:

Joseph Jr loves saying prayers. When we sit down to eat, he always says, "Amen," and repeats that until we pray. It's so cute :)

8. August 24:

Joseph has been waking up during the night and/or too early in the morning. Maybe it's time to drop his naps down to one a day. Any thoughts?

9. August 24:

It turns out the third heartbeat was an echo of my heartbeat :) Maybe we'll have twins next time :)

10. August 28:

Yesterday, Joseph Jr took a 2 1/2 hour morning nap. He talked for 1 1/2 hours during his afternoon nap. Went to bed at 7pm and woke at 2:57am. He talked to himself for about one hour and then started complaining. So I went in and changed his diaper and laid him down again. Not sure if he fell asleep but at 5am I know he was awake. At 5:30 am he began to cry, so I went in to let him know it was still night night time. He soon fell asleep. I finally got him up around 7am.

So I thought we'd take away his first nap and see how he does. That lasted until 10am when he started to cry for no good reason. We'll see how the afternoon goes. hmmm...

10 on Wednesday

1. I posted the following on FB on July 25:

There are so many views on disciplining your child. I have always leaned towards "spare the rod, spoil the child". I know every child is different and therefore different disciplining tools are needed for different children.

Well, Wednesday I went to visit a friend from college who has five children ranging in ages from 2-8. I saw her children at church a couple years ago when she was pregnant with her 2 year old and was amazed at how well they behaved. After service, my husband and I joined her and her family for lunch at their house. Again, the children were perfect angels. She would give a direction and immediately the children would follow it. I was floored. Well, I saw the family again a year ago and asked her husband how they have such well mannered children. He quickly said that it was his wife's doing. So I asked her. She told me she could give me a list of books.

After seeing my friend a year later, she lent me "To Train Up A Child" by Michael & Debi Pearl. I'm only in the first chapter, but it is amazing! And it's not a discipline technique. It's a book on training your children starting as early as a baby. I wish I had read this book before I started teaching. At least I'm reading it now :) It's so good and obviously works with at least five children that I wanted to purchase a bunch and give them as baby shower gifts. However, I found the book on-line. So I thought I'd share with everyone of my FB friends :) Please share with your friends as well. It is well worth the read!!!

Man, did I ever get comments. Most comments were against the book/authors of the book. I think some of the people who commented misunderstood what the authors were saying. Some are completely against any kind of spanking discipline. The main thing I'm getting from the book is to train your child how to behave rather than disciplining your child for not behaving the way you expect them to without teaching them what you want in the first place. I look at it this way: you start a new job and they train you how they expect things done vs starting a new job and you getting docked pay for not doing it their way even though you don't know what their way is.

Training up your child: An idea as told to me by a friend- Set up a room in your house with stuff found in a grocery store or other store. Have your child walk beside you holding onto your pant leg. Instruct the child not to touch anything. Walk around the room picking up items to place in your "shopping cart". All the time your child is quietly walking with you holding onto your pant leg and not touching a thing. Do this a few times before taking your child to the store and periodically afterward to remind your child what to do :) This way your child knows what you expect before going shopping. Less stress on you and your child :)

2. Wow! Tearful, joyful... I'm not sure. But I had to pass it on :) Marriage...A Must Read

3. I'm planning a yard sale for Saturday, September 25. Some of my family members are going to join in. It should be fun. Now all I have to do is talk my husband into letting me have it :)

4. I finally purchased tickets to go to Vt :)

5. Saw the doc for the first time this pregnancy. I got a pic :) I'll post it after I get it on my computer. The baby actually jumped while we were looking at her :) It was so cool!

6. Wow! I think I cried with tears of joy through the entire video. Beautiful :)

Cesarean vs. VBAC: A Dramatic Difference

7. posted July 29

We've got ants again!!! I swear, I'm pissed!!!!!!! I think the storm sent them into my house. It was crazy. They weren't here one minute and the next they were everywhere, well, in my front hallway and part of my kitchen and dining room. I used the Borax solution first. Then I picked that up, vacuumed, and put the Borax down again. They came in from a different place than all the other times. I feel like I'm losing my mind! UGH!!! Thankfully they were gone after being vacuumed and Boraxed :)

8. Please keep us in prayer. We are looking for another church :( I loved the last one, but my ears couldn't handle the volume level.

9. My son slept about 30 min on the way down to Tucson Friday morning :( But slept about 1 1/2 hours on the way back yesterday :) We went down to visit some friends and go to Betsy's baby shower. She now has four children. Her oldest daughter, whom we all love and miss, I'm sure was looking down from heaven with joy in heart on her new family members :) Then there is her oldest son, Nik, her youngest daughter, Lily, and her new born baby boy, Marcus. Lily was the only one at he baby shower. She is so sweet and beautiful :)

10. Spent Monday morning with two of my sils and some of my nieces and nephews at a splash park in Chandler :)

10 on Thurs, no Sunday

1. Joseph Jr had a great time at swim lessons :) Next year, he'll be a little pro :) Now he loves all water time, bath time, kiddie pool time. He still hasn't mastered bubbles yet, but he keeps trying :)

2. My son's new favorite word... uh oh :)

3. We had/have ants! I hate those things. We usually get them in our kitchen once a year, but we've been blessed the last couple years. This time they entered through my hallway. The kitchen ones are pretty easy to get rid of but the hallway ones are a REAL pest. A couple nights ago, I used a Borax mixture. The next morning we had about 10% of the ants left. By last night there were just a few here and there. This morning I've found less than five. By the next day they were all gone just to return a couple days later in my son's room.

Joseph Jr woke up and I picked him up and laid him on a changing pad on a twin bed by his crib. I had just washed his diapers the night before and forgotten to get a diaper cover. So I left. After returning quickly, I noticed the ants all over his bed. I quickly picked him up and took him to my room where my husband was still sleeping. I frantically told my husband all about it. He just rolled over and went back to sleep. Oh, man! I finally got my son changed, and I went to assess the situation. The ants were all over his bed with a few on the floor searching for more to eat. I got the vacuum which I hadn't yet put away from the other ant issue and began to vacuum. To my horror my son walks in front of the vacuum and sits down! I freak out and move him to an area with no ants. Once I finished vacuuming, I made more Borax mixture and placed it in front of his bedroom door. I have no idea where the ants came from or where they went, but when we returned later that afternoon not one ant was seen. Later, I looked back on the situation and realized they had probably found some crumbs from a pretzel my son had been eating while being changed. No more of that.

4. My son is so cute. Here I am wearing shorts and sitting. My son comes over and kisses my knees :)

5. Joseph Jr played on his play set and swung in his swing attached out front for the first time today :) Loved them both. We weren't out too long. It's HOT out there!!! (July 14)

6. Some more words...

button = belly button
choes = shoes
boo = boom
ops = oops
uh oh = uh oh

nos = nose
Iya= eyes

I love my little man :)

7. My son hates cow's milk but enjoys almond milk. I tasted and have to agree that it is better :) But more expensive :( Good thing he likes water better :) Maybe I spoke too soon about the Almond Milk. Joseph Jr and I had some for lunch. I drank mine up quickly and had to hold back all temptation of drinking his. He kept saying, "Water." I said, "No, it's milk." I even showed him what it looked like. He still continued to say water, so I drank his milk and gave him water. He guzzled it :) At least his favorite drink is the best for him :) He did drink some almond milk yesterday. I just had to put it in a cup, not sippy cup.

8. Yesterday, my son was sitting on my lap and wanted more of my attention. So he swung his arm at me as he often does when he wants my attention or is upset. This time he had a cell phone in his hands. My nose still hurts! (July 21)

9. During Joseph Jr's nap today, he some how managed to lock himself in his room. I didn't realize that until he woke about an hour later. I quickly became frantic. We're at my Mom and Bob's and I don't know where any of the tools are in the garage. I call Gregor, but his phone is on the fritz and he can't hear a word I'm saying. Finally, after three or four attempts to talk to him, I call Brien. He thankfully could hear me and knew where the tools were. Within five seconds of trying to unlock the door, my son was freed :) Sigh of relief..... (July 21)

10. A message sent to my mom and Bob: Wow, do you ever have crickets! And it seems they like to come out at night. Well, first things first :) I walked in your house and a dead cricket is there to greet me. Later, I get Joseph Jr up from his nap and there on the bed is a dead moth. So far, no big deal :) Now Joseph's asleep in bed and the boys leave. It's just me from about 8:30 on. Well, I take that back, me and the crickets. I don't know how many I killed that night in the living room. If I had to guess, I'd say about six. I also got one or two in the bathroom. Here's the fun part. I pull back the covers to go to bed. Do you know what happened?! A cricket was wanting to share the bed with me. Well, I took care of that. That one will never try to impose upon a married woman again. What did he think he was doing?! I am very committed to my man.

10 on Thursday

1. I haven't written much on FB this week. I usually get my points from there. I guess I'll just have to use my memory. Uh, oh! I hope pregnancy brain doesn't kick in :)

2. Some of my cousins and our families went to a splash park last Thursday. It was our first time there. Thanks to Ricky all the kids got to enjoy the water a little bit at least. He picked each one up and took them around to get sprayed by the many sprayers :) They finally started getting braver just before we left. Isn't that how it always works :)

3. Joseph and I decided to get a patio and maybe a porch put onto our house. I was first going to re-stucco our house, then put in new windows/door, and finally put up a patio and porch. We found out we were doing it all backward :) We should get some estimates in a couple of weeks. I can't wait!

4. I enjoyed lunch Saturday at Chipotle with a friend I haven't seen in a while :) Then we went to see the new Twilight movie. I think that one is my favorite thus far. We had a great time and decided we need to get together more often.

5. A bunch of us went to my cousin Theresa's to see her new place. It's great :) Her parents, especially her mom, did so much work on it. She was ever so grateful. Then we went to Karaoke which also dueled as a send off for Kristen. Her husband is being stationed in another state. But at least he's back in the states :)

6. We had our 4th of July BBQ Sunday. It was a small gathering due to a birthday party, a dance convention, and a family reunion all falling on that day/weekend. That's ok. It was really nice :) I enjoyed everyone who came. My husband did a great job on the bbq. Thanks, Love ;)

7. Monday, my mom and Bob had a BBQ at their house. It was fun. Joseph Jr. enjoyed playing with all his cousins both days :)

8. Joseph Jr started swim lessons Monday. He's doing pretty good. His favorite part is playing with the spongy block. My first cousin, Monique, is his teacher. She's great :) Jesse, Monique's sister, helps out. She does a great job too :)

9. Girls' Night was Thursday night. It was great having my young girl cousins over. They watched movies late into the night while I slept :) My mom came over and helped thankfully :) We had homemade waffles in the morning. Joseph Jr had a blast with them all morning. I even let him skip his morning nap. But by 12:30pm he was ready for a nap. The afternoon wasn't as fun for him as the rest of us were doing things where he wasn't the center of attention. However, he still enjoyed his day with the girls. Thanks, Ladies :)

10. We bought a kiddie pool with a shade/sprinkler on top. It was horrible. We set it up but never used it. It just never worked. Today we got an alligator pool with spray. Joseph Jr and the girls loved it :)

10 on Thursday

1.

My son woke at 10:45pm the other night and wouldn't go back to sleep. Finally around 2am, I let him down to see what he wanted. He started for the kitchen when he got scared and turned to me. So I picked him up and showed him the house while explaning that it was night time and we should both be asleep. I laid him back down and placed a post it note over his humidifier light to make it a little darker in there. He then went to sleep. He woke the next morning extremely cranky though. Finally at 8:30 I realized he must be exhausted so down he went. He slept for a while. My little angel. I'd like to say I got a lot done, but I was mostly on the computer catching up on my blogging and such.

2.

My son is ready for the 4th of July :)

3.

Bubby found a new seat :)

4.

My son accidentally spilled his cereal snack. I told him to pick it up. And do you know what he did right away. He picked it up :) That's my boy!

5.

My son gets along with everyone pretty well. However, when it comes to his cousin Colin, he likes him so well he wants to play with everything Colin plays with. He doesn't understand that taking things from Colin is not playing with him. He is getting a LOT better. But still has a way to go :) My son is also not very affectionate. He has began to give hugs a little more but usually when someone else initiates it. Well, as I observed my son and Colin just a few minutes ago, my son gave Colin not one but three hugs :) He was very gentle about it too :) As I was picking a picture, Joseph Jr gave Colin two more hugs. I love them both so much. What blessings they are :)

6.

Well, I received my nap time and overnight training pants that I ordered. However, the Potty Scotty training system that I ordered is on back order. They say I will hopefully get it the end of July. Well, I guess there's nothing for me to do but wait :(

7.

I made homemade blueberry oatmeal muffins the other day. The boys really enjoyed them, but my nephew missed a few which fell in his lap. Getting rid of the stain, hmmm... It worked!

http://video.about.com/laundry/How-to-Remove-Blueberry-Stain.htm

8.

Thank you to all my friends who wished me a happy birthday :) Love you all. Many Blessings :)

9.

February 24, 2011

10. 4th of July BBQ at out house. I have mixed feelings about it. hmmm... I'm sure it will be fun.

10 on Thursday postponed

I have news I want to share, but I need to wait another week.

Love you all :)