I've been tagged....

First, here are the rules of the game:
1. Link to the person that tagged you. http://themurphsters.blogspot.com/ (Thanks for thinking of me Sarah!)
2. Mention the rules. (check)
3. Tell six (6) quirky, yet boring and unspectacular details about yourself.
4. Tag other bloggers by linking to them. (May or may not do this one...)
5. Go to each person's blog and leave them a comment so they know they've been tagged.

Sarah tagged me a LONG time ago, and I've been thinking and thinking about something quirky about myself. Am I quirky? Hmmm, I'm sure my husband and sister could think of quirky things about me but I just think I'm normal :) But, I will give this a shot and let you into my questionable mind for a minute....

Quirk #1: I frequently lose things and then refuse to look for them because (try to stay with the crazy thought process) if I don't look for whatever I lost and I have a vague idea of where it is but never attempt to confirm where it really is then it isn't really lost because it could be where I think it might be.

Quirk #2: People mistake me for a clean-freak. My husband will tell you that this is way off-base. I am actually a neat-freak. These are two different things. I feel perfectly content in my house that was last cleaned (dusted, vacuumed, wiped down) more then a month ago as long as everything is organized and put away. Now, I do really appreciate a clean house, it just isn't really as much of a priority as a NEAT one. I like to think I'm exposing Eli to all sorts of allergens thus decreasing his risk for asthma!

Quirk #3: I recently established a morning routine that I am in love with. I get Eli up, change pants, feed small face, set him down to with his toys and then I make coffee, catch up on facebook/blog/mahjong and listen to him sing to his toys and play contentedly. If I never had to go anywhere before noon I would be a happy camper! Plus, he is learning to entertain himself which I feel is instrumental to his development.

Quirk #4: I used to talk extensively to myself in the grocery store/target/anywhere in public. Why? I have no idea. But I used to catch myself talking out loud and quickly look around to make sure no one was close enough to hear the crazy! On the upside, this quirk has been resolved because now I just talk to Eli. And since my sister read that baby needs to be spoken to frequently to aid in language development I feel like all my chatting is fulfilling my motherly duty!

Quirk #5: If I pee while Eli is sleeping (naps or overnight) I NEVER flush the toilet. Gross, eh? However, and I'm sure I'll get an amen from all the moms out there, keeping your baby sleeping comes before everything else including cleanliness and when you live in a tiny house a flushing toilet can be the straw that breaks the camels back... or wakes the baby. I'm also wasting less water and thus being more environmentally friendly. Just trying to do my part to conserve the planet for my son and any future children.

Quirk #6: I try to rationalize all my actions by twisting them into something that is not weird or unhealthy but actually is good for my baby. Please see Quirks #2-5 for examples of this.....

So there you have it, try not to judge me too harshly! I'm going to tag my sister Cammie since it's been months since she blogged- and we want to hear more Eva stories!

The Pumpkin Patch!

Trying to pull on the pumpkin plant.
Am I the cutest pumpkin in the picture?
Hanging out with my Uncle Eric.
"I want to take ALL these home!"

Eli is excited to go to the pumpkin patch with Eva!
But first, some leaves for munching.
Isn't he an adorable bee?
Mommy feeding goats, Eli though they were funny little creatures!
Sittin' on a hay bail- Eva thought it was too prickly!

The Realizations Hits

What realization you might ask? Well, the realization that I am a mom. Weird, since I've been doing this for over eight months, you are probably thinking. And I've definitely had these moments before, where you're doing or saying something and all of a sudden you think "Huh, I really AM a mom..." But it hasn't happened to me in awhile. I think you just get caught up in the day to day- taking care of your baby, working, keeping in touch with loved ones, keeping your house clean (sort of)- and stop taking the time to think about what you are doing because it doesn't seem as new and exciting as it used to. And then it hits you again- and you say to yourself, "Huh, I really AM a mom!" So tonight, long after Eli went to bed, I decided to straighten up the house so that in the morning it looks nice to walk out to. Funny that the baby doesn't even have to be awake and present for a moment to occur! I was picking up his toys, and trying to remember which ones need to be handled carefully and turned off before chucking them in his toy bin. I was failing miserably and set off not one but two toys- one of which has a volume switch that you can hit to turn it UP and not OFF and of course I turned it on louder before finally getting it off. And I was praying that Eli didn't wake up and trying to gently set the rest of the toys in the bin and all of a sudden, BAM! It hits me again- I'm someone's mom! How strange... I have to know, do you ever get used to it? Having that be your role? I used to be a daughter and sister, then friend, then girlfriend and nurse, then wife, and now mom. This seems to be the hardest transition to get used to, but not in negative way. Just that I still marvel that Dylan and I are parents. And maybe I don't want to get too used to it, maybe that means you start taking it for granted because in the same moment that I realize I'm a mom I also thank God that I have Eli and am so grateful to be doing this. So here's hoping that the realization continues to hit at the odd moments in child rearing and to always remembering how precious it is to be a MOM!

I wanted to share a little Eli movie with you all- He is loud, busy, constantly moist and way too much fun!!!

Fighting the yeast battle...

Can any of you moms out there sympathize with me, and Eli of course, that a yeast diaper rash is the WORST thing to try to get rid of? We have been battling this thing for almost a month! We think it may have started with my dear little Eva who was on antibiotics and therefore got her yeast diaper rash. These two babies truly do share everything! I finally broke down and called the doctor yesterday. On a side note, I hate hate hate going to the doctor and also, apparently, taking my son to the doctor and will therefore do everything I can to avoid it. But I digress. I called the doctor yesterday and the nurse I spoke with reinforced the clotrimazole cream we are using and asked us to add baking powder baths to the regime. So now on top of getting his butt creamed three times a day he gets to play in a fizzy bath twice a day. I am just desperately trying to nix this thing before we head to Disney World at the end of the week- who wants a red itchy butt in 90 degree heat! Prior to calling the doctor I asked every mom I talked to if they had any suggestions and then tried whatever they told me, sometimes with humorous results! Two nice nurses I work with told me that leaving him open to air would help to which I replied that at least I didn't have my new carpet down yet. Turns out, I should be REALLY glad I don't have new carpet yet because this morning, while I was leaving him open to air following his baking powder soak and a peeing episode during breastfeeding, Eli decided that he simply had to go in the 5 seconds I had him sitting naked on the floor to reach for a diaper. All I can say is, thank goodness for starting solid foods and therefore solid poop! Other helpful suggestions included alternating the clotrimazole and desitin (started doing that today) and also using a combo of desitin, neosporin, and clotrimazole (haven't tried that yet). Things are beginning to look better, but I am not going to get hopeful yet, we've had this rash basically gone a few times and it always flares back up! So any suggestions my mom friends have would be MUCH appreciated. No matter how goofy, I'm willing to try anything!

The 'I should blog' entry

I really don't have a topic, or anything of importance to talk about, but since it has been awhile since I posted I thought while Eli was sleeping I should hop on here and write a little. So, here are the things that are going on in our mundane lives:

-Dylan is working nights now which means I get three nights a week with the bed ALL TO MYSELF! (How many years do you have to be married to be so excited about that?)

-Eli recently decided to boycott all of the 'meal' type baby food (turkey and dumpling dinner, spaghetti with meat sauce, etc) and would only eat fruit. Now, one can hardly blame him, they smell AWFUL. But Dylan was a little dismayed. After all, you will remember that our one goal for Eli is that he is a little foodie like his dad. So, it's back to plain vegetables this week to get him back on track. Maybe he just didn't want any of his food to touch and by touch I mean all pureed into one gooey gross mess. I think he'll be fine- he always gives me this look like "Hey, how come you get to eat all that delicious seasoned food?" when I feed him tidbits off my plate!

-I am still working on my new healthy eating plan. Things are going okay, thanks for all the well-wishes!

Uh oh, the little one is screaming, and as Dylan is trying to sleep today I should probably run right in there and get him. A short post is better then none, right?

Mommy Post

Okay, so I've posted the last few times about Eli and I figure it's time for a post on me :) And it's even more appropriate because today is my birthday... 27 whole years old-yikes! My husband asked me how it felt to be 27- I said "fat and unattractive". Now, this may be a little bit of an over-exaggeration! But we do all have days like that, right? I told my sister that I'm heading back to weight watchers this week, so this is truly my last 'free' day. I have been thinking of getting back on track for quite a while, I've even had a few attempts/false starts. My day usually progresses like this:

Morning=motivated and eating a healthy breakfast
Afternoon= "well, this isn't that healthy but I had a healthy breakfast so it's okay"
Dinner = totally motivated....for starting tomorrow and will therefore finish tonight off with a blizzard from DQ!

But with an upcoming wedding where we'll see friends from college I'm really feeling the pressure (all self-applied) to start treating my body better! In the past few weeks there have been a number of occasions coming up that have prompted me to want to wait to really get back on the wagon - going on vacation for two weeks in MN, my birthday, going to Omaha, going to Disney World, Thanksgiving, Christmas.... and then- time to have another baby? But then I realize- OH CRAP- if I weigh 250# before I get pregnant for a second time I'll have to invest an ungodly amount of money in new maternity clothes! What a kick in the pants :) And so, it is with some trepidation I start up again tomorrow- mostly because I loathe giving up things I want to eat. Any other moms out there reward themselves during naptimes with a snack on the couch? But, I know it needs to be done, and I really do want to set a good example for Eli. So, wish me luck! My goal is to lose 15# by February- seems doable, eh?