Winter Update/Conclusion To Blog
I finally have a chance to wrap up this blog with our final update! Our last family update was written on October 21st. . .Around that time I was putting our home movies on DVDs and Logan saw a clip from his first night home from the hospital (he'd been 3 days old). In the video he is crying that pitiful newborn cry. Joe and I looked at our current Logan who was watching himself as a baby -- and his lower lip began quivering and he burst into tears! We immediately stopped the tape and gave him a hug! We asked what was wrong but he didn't really answer so we don't know whether he was empathizing or if he was confused and scared by seeing himself as a newborn. . .I don't know, but it was sad! :p
During that time he also became worried about his stroller blowing away! Whenever we'd get it out like at Vala's Pumpkin Patch, he'd tell me to hold on to it and if I didn't (but would tell him it was fine) he'd get nervous and insist that it was going to blow away! Now that it's winter we haven't really been using the stroller so it'll be interesting to see if he has forgotten by the spring (I hope so)!
He still gets bad dreams sometimes, and has started showing fear to things in his room. For example, he'll make Joe and I turn around toys that he feels are "looking" at him. We're about to permanently move his riding horse out of his room because sometimes the music starts playing in the middle of the night -- it's kind of creepy to us, too! But we keep reassuring him that his room is his safe place and there's no need to be scared.
His nap as of October is at 2 pm (the latest of his life). But he still sometimes sleeps 3 hrs so I'm glad his nap doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon.
His entire life he has said "eye" instead of "yeah," although he recently has started saying "yes," but we joke that he is part pirate. It is kind of his unique thing that everyone notices, so I think he'll laugh about it when he grows up.
For awhile he was calling Joe and me "Dad-ee and Mom-ee" (putting emphasis on the ee). Until then he'd always referred to us as Dad/Dadda and Mom/Mama so it was cute, but he has since returned to the originals, even though I often refer to myself as Mommy and Joe as Daddy.
One day when Logan and I came home from Vala's Pumpkin Patch, Joe asked Logan what we had done there. Logan thought for a moment and then answered, "Mama went pee." We both cracked up. I mean, yeah I did, but that was not the main event that day! :p
It's funny what kids pick out to recall. That same week I asked Logan to tell me about his day at Babysitter's house and he said, "Ryder pushed Zay down and Zay cried and Ryder had to go to time out." Then he said, "I hit Mia in the eye but it was an accident so I didn't go to time out." Until then he'd always just told me what toys he played with or what he ate but now I'm hearing interesting stories!
Also in October he began referring to himself as "Logan" and has ever since! (No more "Baby.") It's really cute to hear him say his name.He's also aware on his own when nap time and bed time are. He'll be playing and then stop and say to me, "One more time until sleep?" I have to stifle a laugh because I usually haven't even thought of it yet but will then look at the clock and realize he must be getting tired and is telling himself "one more!" So I nod and say "yes" and then five-ten minutes later he goes down.
He's started telling the dogs and Joe & me when we're "good boys." He'll even pretend he's using a camera and will say "Say cheese! Good boy!" Joe's like, "Is that what you tell him?" I wasn't aware of that but maybe I do!
He also started saying "you're welcome" which is cute. From day one he's always been so polite and well-mannered, all on his own because he wants to be, I am a proud mama!
We're not sure how far back he can remember, but definitely June because one day in October Joe, Logan, and I were upstairs in the master bedroom and Logan walked over to the window and told Joe that he wanted to sit on the roof with him! (Those of you who read my blog this past summer might recall when Joe did that with him one time.) We quizzed Logan by asking him if he'd been eating something when they were out there and he said "Yes, string cheese, but it fell down." That was exactly the case! Still, we had to inform him that was a one-time thing. . .no more toddlers on the roof :p
On Friday, October 22nd our basement was finally fixed after three months of leaking water.
On Saturday, October 23rd my stepdad's parents came to visit us from Eastern Iowa so that was fun. We went out to lunch at The China Buffet, played some games, and ate supper at Red Robin. They left on Sunday, October 24th. Logan enjoyed entertaining his great grandparents and they enjoyed being entertained!
On Monday, October 25 Logan and I went to Vala's with our friends Brooke & Kaelyn. That place was just too much fun! My stepdad's birthday was Wednesday, October 27, Logan sent him the following 9-second video:
He also tried on last year's Halloween costume that night and it fit so he was a tiger again!
We went back to Vala's with friends Lisa, Lexi & Riley on Thursday, October 28. It was cold that day so Logan wasn't as playful as he usually is. We'd been spoiled by having a warm fall until then so I think he was a bit caught off guard since I don't think he remembers last winter.But it was warm again on Friday, October 29 so we played outside in our backyard and went over to our neighbor Jenn's house where Logan enjoyed jumping on their trampoline with her kids. (Jenn spoiled me twice this winter by baking cookies for me. I have the best neighbors in the world!)
That evening Joe & Logan watched the movie Annie for the first time and they both enjoyed it. Logan was so cute singing the songs the rest of the weekend! He also kept referring to Carol Burnett's character as "the bad mama" and his favorite character was "Sandy" the dog. I felt like my life had come full circle since that had been my favorite movie as a child!
We went to Vala's for the final time on Saturday, October 30. Joe got to go with us so we had a wonderful time, it was a great way to end the season. That night we carved jack-o-lanterns!
Trick-or-treating was on Sunday, October 31st. Logan had a blast going from house-to-house and putting candy in his Mickey Mouse bucket. Although we couldn't get him to say "trick or treat" to strangers, he always said "thank you" on his own (everyone thought he was too adorable to care about the trick-or-treat, lol). Last year Joe had taken him to a few houses but this time the three of us went together all over the neighborhood for over 2 hours! I hadn't planned on passing out candy this year but at the last minute had decided to buy some just in case. Turns out I should have bought more because kids starting ringing our bell the second we walked in our door. The candy went quickly -- we had to turn off our light because we ran out! Usually I have a ton leftover.
Logan got his second haircut on Wednesday, November 3rd. He did great again! Right before his appointment, I got mine trimmed by my friend Stacy for the first time and then after Logan was done she cut Joe's hair as well! He'd never been to a real salon before so I took pics of him, too, haha. (He said to Stacy, "What are you doing washing my hair?" He'd never had that done before in his life!) Afterward we went out to eat to a Mexican restaurant. . .and then the next day Thursday, November 4th I got pregnant! :p Of course I didn't know it at the time. . .the next two weeks I continued to live my life oblivious.Logan and I went to The Children's Museum with Brooke & Kaelyn on Friday, November 5th. I remember being tired that day, but Logan was full of energy and enjoyed the museum. We'd only been one other time (last January) and it had been too crowded back then to really enjoy it, plus Logan was only 21 months old. This time it was a weekday so we had plenty of room to roam around and with Logan being almost 31 months old he could hold his own.
Right after we finished eating lunch a boy threw up right in front of us so I remember thinking "I hope Logan doesn't get sick after playing here all day." He'd had one minor cold since his birthday in April and that'd been it. Well I'm not sure where he caught it since it was 9 days later when he came down with his first real non-colds of his life and what turned out to be his most serious and longest virus ever (more on that in a minute).The night of the 5th, I met Brooke at the movie theater for our monthly "Mom's Night Out." We saw Hereafter which was okay.
On Saturday, November 6th we took Logan to play in the leaves like we did last year (This & That). It was a fun afternoon and we took a ton of pics.
On Sunday, November 7th Logan began wearing underwear every day at home! The day before Joe was playing with Logan but stopped to use the bathroom and when Joe came out he asked me if I knew where Logan went. We found Logan in the other bathroom, sitting on the toilet going, poop! He didn't even tell us that he had to go, he just walked in there, took his pants and diaper off, and didn't even use his toddler seat! (He was on the big toilet) He had the door shut and told us that he wanted to be alone and so he instructed us to shut the door again until he was done! It was taking awhile so we peeked in on him and he told us to close the door. . .then he locked it! A few minutes later he told us he was done so we told him to unlock the door. . .there was poop all over the seat but we ignored that because he did a good job, haha. He has continued to go completely on his own (and still doesn't want Joe & me in there) every time that he has to poop or pee! (And isn't making a mess anymore.)It wasn't until Christmas when he began going at other people's houses, though, or if we had other people over at our house. However, now he has started going sometimes even in those situations, so I'm going to start bringing the toilet seat in the car for when we're in public because pretty soon I think he'll be wearing underwear 100% of the time! (Except at night -- he still has never gotten out of his big boy bed/still calls for Joe & me when he wakes up, so I'm guessing it'll be another year before he's potty trained at night.)
On Monday, November 8th we met Brooke & Kaelyn at the zoo! I'm glad we had a chance to go one last time this year. It was fun as always.
On Wednesday, November 10th I had a dentist appointment. We were supposed to do x-rays but I told them that I was trying to get pregnant so they held off in case I was. I really didn't think I was (it was our third try, just like with Logan). . .but I would find out in one more week!On Thursday, November 11th Logan and I spent the morning and afternoon at our friends Andrea, Drew, and Ashton's house. Logan enjoyed playing with Drew (who is 9 months older) and I enjoyed chatting with Andrea and holding baby Ashton (who was born in June). We ordered pizza for lunch and can't wait to do it again.
My dad's birthday was on Friday, November 12th. That weekend I was looking forward to my friend Stacy's dinner party and her friend's Uppercase Living Party that I was invited to, but I began experiencing what I thought at the time was withdrawl from stopping the progesterone cream a month earlier (explained in my November post: Downside To Progesterone Cream: Acne). But maybe it was my body reacting to implantation instead? I don't know, except that I had a mirgraine and felt awful so I ended up staying home all weekend. Logan went to my parents' house on Saturday, November 13 to Sunday, November 14. When he returned I felt back to normal, so he helped me decorate our house for Christmas! :-)
I didn't have Logan go to Babysitter's the week of November 15 because I thought he had a cold. Aside from returning from my parents' place with eczema for the first time in a year (thankfully Aveeno lotion did the trick again, as I first wrote about with other tips on getting rid of eczema in last year's post Snow Day), he'd woken up a few hours after we put him to bed on Sunday night because his eyes were stuck shut with puss! They drained all day Monday and Tuesday, but otherwise he seemed fine so we went to Storytime at the library on Tues, November 16th! He enjoyed the singing and dancing and he made a turkey for their arts & crafts project.
I also hit it off with one of the moms there (I never did see the mom again who I met exactly a year before) but we haven't been able to go since then because the next day, Wednesday, November 17 I took Logan to the doctor because his eye had developed a rash around it and was still producing serious amounts of mucous. Turned out he had pink eye -- and on top of that a double ear infection and bronchitis (his second ear infection of his life).This turned out to be at the same time that I learned I was pregnant! After Storytime at the library on the 16th, we'd gone grocery shopping and bought a pregnancy test because the one I took that morning was inconclusive. It had actually said negative but I'd forgotten to throw it away and when I came back two-and-a-half hours later it looked like it could possibly pass as positive! Sure enough, test #2 was positive! So I called my doctor right away and asked to come in to make sure my hormones were okay since I'd just gone off the progesterone cream; she had me come in the following day and results were back on Thursday, November 18th. Everything was fantastic and so I didn't have to be on progesterone suppositories this time like I was with Logan! My pregnancy has continued to go well and much easier than with Logan. I've had some nausea but it hasn't been as bad as with Logan and it didn't start until week 8. So far things have been VERY different! I'm anxious to find out if it's a boy or girl :-)
On Saturday, November 20 Logan helped us put up our Christmas tree and lights, and we also made a mold of his hand and foot to keep forever :-)
Logan finished his nebulizer on Monday, November 22nd so we thought he was recovered to go to Babysitter's house, but we would soon learn that wasn't the case. I should have known when Logan picked up a teddy bear I've had in my house as a decoration, hugged it, and said "my teddy bear" and didn't part with it until January 2nd (when I think he decided to move on from it). He'd never cared about any of the stuffed animals in his room, or really any comfort items before, but for several weeks he was obsessed with making sure that bear was always at his side -- it was sweet! 
Joe's mom came to our house that evening (we went out to eat to Johnny Sortino's Pizza) and we decorated the tree and hung stockings. She left the next morning to spend Thanksgiving in Colorado with her oldest daughter & family, while we left on the morning of Thursday, November 25th to spend Thanksgiving with my mom and stepdad & family in Iowa. That is where we announced the news of our pregnancy, with a cake we'd had designed with the words "We're Having A Baby! July 2011!" On Friday, November 26th Joe and I saw the movie Due Date, partly funny but mostly dumb.
We went over to my dad's house on Saturday, November 27th and shared the news with him by bringing a balloon that said "Oh Baby!", before heading back to Omaha.
Joe's mom stopped by again on Sunday, November 28th on her way home from Colorado and that's when he told her the news! :-) We gave her a cupcake with a baby bottle and "July 2011."
On Monday, November 29th I took Logan back to the doctor because he had been coughing the previous few days. His pediatrician feared the worst -- pneumonia -- and so an x-ray was ordered. Sure enough, Logan had right lobe pneumonia which most often requires hospitalization for a two-and-a-half year old but he said that if I kept him at home and put him back on the nebulizer (he was also given a shot of antibiotics in his leg) then he could improve on his own. We had to bring him back on Tuesday, November 30th and he was put on a prescription which caused him diarrhea every hour (obviously he was back on diapers that week) and he screamed bloody murder every time we changed his diaper because he had the worst diaper rash of his life. It was awful to watch him go through that. . .thank goodness for 100% zinc oxide diaper rash cream and pedialite and pediasure! Also, his mood was good and he didn't "appear" as sick as he was. There was only one day he had a temperature (the second of his life) -- we called after hour's because it was 102 but before we had a chance to give him any Tylenol or Motrin, it went down on his own and never back up.
He also developed a scary rash on his legs on Saturday, December 4th. So we called the after hour's number again and found out that was normal when taking Augmentin (amoxicillin/clavulanate) and that unless it didn't go away or got worse we didn't need to bring him in. Sure enough, it was gone by the time he went to bed that night.
Logan finished his prescription on Thursday, December 9th -- the same day that I had my first ultrasound! Everything was right on track with Baby, and Logan was able to be there, too, since we wanted to wait until he got the doctor's approval to return to his Babysitter's house.That weekend, Saturday, December 11th, we went to our friends Matt, Stacy, Jaxson, and Olivia's house for our birthday celebration! Stacy's birthday is five days before mine (but was born a year later) and then our mutual friend Lisa and her husband Jeff and Stacy's friend Callie are all within the month so we all blew out candles together :-) Matt & Stacy had made two cakes and had chili, sandwiches, salad, and chips for supper. Jaxson and Logan (born six days apart) had fun playing as always, and I enjoyed holding Olivia (who was born in July). Stacy, Lisa, Callie, and I had the best time talking, we hated to leave!
Unfortunately, when Logan went to his doctor's appt. on Tuesday, December 14th we were told there was still some fluid in his lungs so we'd need to wait one more week and would do the second x-ray then. So he went back on the nebulizer and was pronounced 100% recovered on my birthday -- the following Tuesday, December 21st! (These days, at 32 Months Old, he is 32 LBS.)
Meanwhile, on Friday, December 17 Brooke and I went to see Burlesque for our Mom's Night Out, which I liked.
On Saturday, December 18th we took Logan to the mall to sit on Santa's lap! We had thought maybe we wouldn't do it this year since he'd been sick and also last year's pic was well. . .you can see for yourself on my post Santa 8 Mos Vs 19.5 Mos! But this year went a lot better :-) Logan chatted with Santa and even gave him a high five!
I wrapped Christmas presents on Sunday, December 19 (I was glad I'd done all of my shopping in November since once I found out Logan was sick we had to stay inside all day, every day!)For my birthday on Tuesday the 21st we went out to eat to Roja for Mexican food and then Joe gave me a blizzard cake from Dairy Queen. For presents I got two DVDs and a Smores ornament (which I've been collecting the past few years and LOVE)! The highlight was when Logan sang the entire "Happy Birthday" song to me all by himself for the very first time!
On Friday, December 24 -- Christmas Eve -- Joe had the day off, so Logan helped him shovel our driveway
and then spent the day coloring with markers. In the evening we all watched It's A Wonderful Life and then tracked Santa and left him milk & cookies by the fireplace :-) (For those of you who read my post last year: Santa To Tell Or Not To Tell? I will still never lie and tell Logan there is a Santa Claus but that doesn't mean we can't have fun pretending!)
On Christmas morning, Saturday, December 25, we opened presents just the three of us. . .Logan's favorite was the bounce-a-round that we bought him! (An indoor trampoline that holds up to 200 lbs). At noon we went to church (where Logan sang loudly the "Happy Birthday" song during every hymn - by the way he is finally at an age where he will sit still through the entire service!) and then for supper I made my first ham and it was very yummy!
We left for Iowa on Sunday, December 26 and arrived to Joe's mom's house at around 1 pm. We picked up a pizza from Pizza Hut for lunch and I took a nap with Logan and we opened presents there! Joe's sister AnMarie visited from California and they all went sledding on Monday, December 27th which even Logan enjoyed (next year I won't be pregnant and can go, too)!
Joe, Logan, and I drove to my mom & stepdad's house on Tuesday, December 28 where my bff Sarah came over, too, since she was visiting her family from Seattle. Joe, Sarah, and I went out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant there and then to see the movie Little Fockers which made us laugh. Afterward, we sadly said goodbye to Sarah (but next year at this time hopefully she will be living in Chicago and we can spend much more time together!) and then Joe and I returned to my parents' house where we opened gifts!
We returned to Omaha on the evening of Wednesday, December 29th. On Thursday, December 30th I had my doctor's appointment where I heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time!!! It was 175 beats per minute which was much higher than Logan's ever was. . .so that makes me think it's a girl! But we won't know until the first week of March.
On Friday, December 31 we had a quiet New Year's Eve at home; Joe and I watched the ball fall as always.
We celebrated our final Christmas on Saturday, January 1st with my dad and stepmom at my paternal grandmother's house in Missouri. My brother came from California (where he is an actor) and my aunt & uncle from Texas so it was an extra special time! This year my brother joined a church outside of L.A. called North Park and has become very involved. He is now one of their paid staff members, as the Student Ministries Associate. He feels he may have found a new calling with counseling, so he plans to finish his under-grad this year and use his degree working in the church, as well as continue to act.
On another subject, I'd like to say thank you to my blog friend Jenny of His Grace Is Sufficient for the BEAUTIFUL 2010 angel snow globe. She sent this to me as the winner of her giveaway last month. It was my 2009 post, What Is Going On? that got us in touch when I published a link to her blog after I'd stumbled across it and asked for prayers because she'd lost a baby at 4 months premature and was in jeopardy of losing her next. Praise God her youngest son is now over a year old!
As for Logan, other cute things he's done lately is that sometimes when we're not ready to get up in the morning and we let him come in our bed, I will awake to Logan sitting up and smiling lovingly at me! He'll lean over and kiss me and say in the sweetest voice, "I love you Mama." I swear, life doesn't get any better than that!At night, too, sometimes I'll lay down next to his bed and I'll tell him how much I love him and how important he is to me, and he gets the cutest grin and says "yeah" then he'll reach over and rub my head. It is just too heart-melting!
One day I mumbled to myself on the couch "I'm cold" and the next thing I knew, Logan was bringing a blanket down the stairs! He said, "Here Mama," as he covered me up! Another day he was getting onrey and said, "You're making me mad, Mama." I felt this was such a good thing because it showed maturity! I immediately stopped whatever I was doing and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make you mad, thank you for telling me rather than hitting or kicking or spitting." Then we were both calm as the situation resolved itself.
Another day Joe asked Logan, "What does Daddy like?" Logan answered "Football!" Joe asked, "What does Logan like?" Logan said, "Football!" Joe asked, "What does Mommy like?" Logan said, "Pictures!" I laughed forever about that because it is so true. He has us figured out. . .in our spare time Joe watches football and I play with pictures :-)
After I picked Logan up on one occasion from Babysitter's, I asked him who had been at her house that day. He mentioned a little girl named Mia. Having not seen her myself, I said, "Did her mom pick her up?" Logan paused and then said, "No, she walked!" Too funny! (He thought I meant literally, rather than "pick up" as in her mom came to get her.)
And finally, another cute thing Logan did one day was when I opened the door to let Bella outside. It was at the beginning of winter so I think Bella was a bit taken aback because she just stood in the doorway and didn't move. Logan said seriously, "She's too cold, she needs a hat, coat, and gloves on." ! :-)
Joe ended up getting TWO promotions during the month of December so we both hope that means the raise (or two) that he was hoping for in February, since obviously due to baby #2 we won't be moving this year. I've also decided to wait until late March/early April (rather than Feb) to start Logan in preschool. The reason being, when I was home with him 24/7 during his five weeks of sickness, I realized that I better get used to the feeling of "no break" because that's how it's going to be once baby #2 arrives. So then I started toying with the idea of getting a nanny one day a week, since I don't think I'll be ready for baby #2 to go to Logan's babysitter's house one day a week until he/she is over 6 months old. But nannies are more expensive for one day then two days of Babysitter's and preschool combined! So I wouldn't be able to afford for Logan to go to two days of preschool and a nanny one day a week for his sibling. So part of me thought, maybe we'll wait until Logan is 4 to start him in preschool and he can just continue going to Babysitter's throughout the next year (since she's the cheapest) while Baby #2 has the nanny. Plus, with preschool you have to pay even when they don't attend for being sick (so that would have been a waste those 6 weeks when Logan couldn't go) whereas I pay Babysitter based on how many hours I use her.
But the other part of me still wants Logan to start preschool this year (with at least 3 months before baby #2 comes so he doesn't have double-the-adjustment). Maybe it won't be bad for baby #2 to go to Babysitter's for just an hour here & there when they're under 6 mos rather than get a nanny. Or maybe I won't need anyone at all, I never felt like I needed a break with Logan until he was 9-10 months old.
Needless to say, I need February to be when I make my final decision rather than if Logan started going to preschool that month as originally planned I'd have to make the final decision now -- but I HAVE chosen the preschool that I want Logan to attend whenever we are ready to sign him up! So it'll either be preschool & Babysitter's or Babysitter's & Nanny. But. . .this new chapter in our lives won't be written here. . .as 2011 is now upon is, this blogsite has come to an official conclusion!
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