Sunday, December 23, 2007

The Scooter

We have a mover on our hands. Gavin put it all together and is now officially "scooting" around like crazy. Not quite crawling, I don't think his legs are up enough, but he is fast! Can't believe that Christmas is only a couple days away. It really doesn't feel like Christmas to me. Usually it is cold and I have made Christmas cookies with my mom and grandma. Just doesn't feel the same making Christmas cookies on a hot, sunny day. I'm not complaining....I love the warm weather, but it just isn't the same as being in the midwest for the holidays. I wish it could snow just one day here, then get hot again.

We "skyped" my family tonight who was celebrating Christmas. Our web camera has sure come in handy, especially now that there is a baby in the picture (literally).

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Shop til you Drop

Gavin and I headed out this afternoon for some last minute Christmas shopping. The "town center" where we go is new and filled with lots of stores. We walked,which is about 1.2 miles each way, and enjoyed the warm sunshine and fresh air. As we approached the stores, I noticed immediately that the Christmas "frenzy" was beginning. People are beginning to have that frantic look on their face. We went into TJ Max and a nice lady commented on how cute Gavin is. She said that he was a good shopper and would definitely be a lady's man as he grows older. We ended up in the same checkout line together and she went on to say that he looked like a little genius. Hey, I'll take any flattery I can get...I was so impressed that she did not ask where my sons shoes were. She said that she raised 4 boys of her own, so I asked her: Did you put shoes on your boys when they were little? She exploded in laughter and said, "NO WAY, WHAT WOULD THE POINT OF THAT BE?" I wanted to hug this woman. She went on to say that her sister always had her children in fancy shoes from the day they were born and that she would constantly tell her to put shoes on her own kids. We talked for like ten minutes after we checked out. I was so proud of me! (John would be proud too.) Usually I go into a store with a mission and leave with only a quick "hello", smile, and "thank you" to the person checking me out. Hate all that small talk and chatter. But, today....I talked to strangers!!!! I walked Gavin home in the stroller with a smirk on my face the whole way thinking of my dad's quote: "Shoes? Shoes? We don't need no stinkin' shoes!!!!!!!!!"

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Mama Say Knock you OUT



I was cooking dinner last night and noticed that Gavin was no longer in my sight. He had rolled his way under a chair. When I discovered him, he squealed with delight and giggled as I asked him how he got himself under there.

What a crazy couple of days. Over the weekend John had to go to Miami to take an exam. The drive down turned into a long adventure as it was raining and an accident on the highway brought him to a complete stop for several hours. During his exam, someone broke out the window of his car and stole EVERYthing he had in it. His laptop, GPS, money, medicine, hard drive, etc... were taken. Of course the police officer who arrived to take the report was unconcerned and calloused about John's loss. The next day we decided to go to dinner to get our mind off things. On the way home we were almost hit by a reckless driver. I was like, WHAT is going on??? Then the topper: John was playing with Gavin on the floor. I attempted to step over them at the same time that John popped his head up. We collided and John got a concussion. I'm not even kidding. He said that he hoped one of the doctors asked about his weekend. He could say that he was robbed, had his valuables stolen, then was kicked in the head and knocked out by his wife. WOO HOO.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Where are your shoes?

Okay, seriously, what is UP with people? More than once I have been shopping with Gavin when some lady will approach and ask, "Where are your shoes little boy?" The first time it happened I was caught off guard and flashed one of my best fake smiles. Then it happened again. It does not take much to annoy me, but this one really bugs me. First of all, my child is 7 months old. He cannot crawl or walk and sits in a stroller for the duration of our outings. Second of all, we are in Florida and it is 80 degrees or hotter everyday. And, finally, why are these people asking my son this question? He can't talk. I have socks on the kid- is that not enough????

So, I need your help on this one. Can you help me come up with a response so that I am ready next time this happens? Kerri, I know you can think of something! Next time someone approaches and asks in that annoying voice, "where are your shoes?", I will be ready for a come back. This is what I have thought of so far:

Act defensive and say...."It is against our religion."
Say in a bad Chinese accent....."No speaka da English."
Gasp and say....."oh my gosh, someone stole your shoes Gavin. Damn Floridians!!"

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Hot Blooded Lady

I think my internal thermostat is broken. I am always hot and sweaty. (Sounds attractive, doesn't it?) But, really, I rarely get "cold". In the middle of winter when everyone else is wearing sweaters and coats, I am usually wearing a short-sleeved shirt. I have to force myself to dress for winter when I am living in a cold place. Awhile back at work my boss, Bart, sat down in my cubicle to fix a computer problem. He asked if I was sick because the chair was putting off a temperature averaging 200 degrees. HA! I was like, no....this is my normal body temperature. At one point my doctor ran some tests to see if maybe I had thyroid problems, or something related, but all tests came back normal. For awhile I attributed my hotness to anxiety, but it is always there.....even when I wake up in the middle of the night from sleeping. Gavin has been waking up in the early morning, around 5:30AM, to eat. Luckily he goes back to bed for an hour or so and I try to catch a little more shut eye as well. When I return to bed there is still some major HEAT coming off my pillow. My goal is to invent and patent a pillow that has air conditioning in it. This would likely solve my occasional insomnia that occurs from being too hot to sleep. For awhile I thought this problem was worse because of pregnancy hormones, but....7 months later I don't think this is the case. I DO, however, think that the extra weight I am carrying is related to this problemo......another motivating factor in my quest to continue losing weight. But, in reality, I don't think it will make that much of a difference. Must be genetic....my mom is the same way.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Shopping Saga II

Crazy morning here. Apparently some little teenage punks were in need of some holiday cash or maybe their next fix, but they decided to break into several of the cars in the parking lot of where we live. Our neighbor, a nice guy who is probably in his late 20's, was held up at gunpoint by the little weasels and was forced to give them his wallet and cell phone. I was up feeding Gavin this morning when he stopped by and asked to use our phone. I felt so sorry for him- he was trembling and appeared to be somewhat in shock. Not a great way to start off a work day. Good news is that the police apprehended one of the guys, so there may be some justice to the situation.

Once the chaos subsided, I headed out to Target with Gavin to pick up some formula and groceries. Cheese was on sale....so I stocked up on shredded cheese for homemade pizzas and also picked up a variety of sliced cheeses for sandwiches. (John is on a grilled cheese kick these days). While I was checking out, the cashier began commenting on all the items I was placing on the counter. "Wow, someone sure is addicted to cheese. Don't you know that stuff clogs your arteries?" I just laughed and said, "yes, but it is high in calcium and probably better than eating fast food". He came back with, "well, not really. You know, I used to eat cheese everyday until my doctor said that I had to start to eating fruits and vegetables. Damn this diet. I want my cheese." I didn't know what to say to that, so I turned to Gavin and asked if he was all ready to go bye-bye. The cashier proceeded to ask Gavin if he liked cheese. Okay, dude, give it a rest. So I have 6 packages of cheese. It is on sale and we are on a budget here......As I was getting my keys out and putting my receipt away, the guy turned to the next lady in line and asked, "wow, do you have a thing for Elmo?" The look on the lady's face was of irritation and surprise, as she had several toys on the belt that were probably Christmas presents.

Friday, December 07, 2007

One rotation done!

Yay! Today is a landmark in John's journey through medical school. He completed his first clinical rotation! Twelve weeks of training in internal medicine. It is hard to believe that just 12 weeks ago we were staying in a motel with a dog and a baby trying to find a place to call home. That was a little bit stressful. Anyway, John has the weekend off, then begins his pediatric rotation on Monday. I can't wait to see all the things he will diagnose Gavin with in the next several weeks..... :) Oh, and I am proud to say that the doctor who John worked under praised his work and said that his dictations would be used as examples for the next group of students to follow. Pretty cool! The cool thing is that he is out of the classroom and now everything seems to be coming together and making more sense than it did in theory alone.

Happy weekend.

Grandma is here!


The days are flying by! My grandma (Gavin's great-grandma) arrived on Monday and we have been having lots of fun. My grandma is something.....you would never know she is 78 years old. She jumped on a plane by herself and loves to go go go! We've been shopping almost everyday and trying out new restaurants. We bought new jammies and undies from Victoria's Secret and trendy new sunglasses. We are SO glamorous. Yesterday we ventured out to Super Target where grandma bought all the groceries!! Then, today, we went to Walmart and she stocked us up on goodies and baby stuff AND she paid for our prescriptions. We are definitely being spoiled!!!! I think Gavin is going to be sad when his great grandma leaves....he has really taken to her. Last night she fed him his bottle before bed and he just stared at her and smiled before he dozed off to sleep.

Tonight we had dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. I had a delicious filet and baked potato. We had wine and enjoyed a nice evening out. Not sure what we are going to do for the rest of the weekend. Tomorrow morning grandma is going to show me how to cook apples the way she makes them. A yummy topping for my morning oatmeal.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

A sick baby......

We are experiencing our first sick infant! He has a pretty bad head cold with lots of congestion. Poor little guy....he seems to be fine except for a little bit of irritability, but I feel so badly for him! His little nose is chapped and he has learned right away that he does not like me wiping his nose with a tissue. We're trying the new trick of putting Baby Vick's Vapor rub on his feet, then bundling him up in warm socks and his sleep blanket at night.

Not much else to report. It is Sunday.....my least favorite day of the week. I sometimes think I going to do my dissertation on all the factors that make Sundays such a depressing day for some people. Don't like em. I think it got worse when I was away at college and was not with my family for church and a nice dinner.

I am so excited! Tomorrow my grandma is coming and staying for a week with us. She got a great deal on airfare and decided to get away from the cold weather and head south. I'm really looking forward to spending time with her!

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Dawnie?????

Sunshine....I was so happy to see that you posted on my blog. I keep sending you emails and all have been returned. Has your email changed? Please email me! And I also need to see a picture of Kyla and Shug, Jr.

My week's vacation from the online world of learning has come to an end. Monday I take on the challenge of two more courses......Ethics and Social Standards of Professional Practice and Behavioral Nutrition. The textbooks look really good. That always makes a difference to me.

Been having nightmares lately. Haven't had been dreams since I was pregnant. These dreams are scary and weird. One dream I was in some eerie parking garage and some older man in a suit thought I overheard him discussing some crime he committed. The rest of the dream involved me trying to escape this crazed lunatic who was trying to kill me. In another dream my boss (Chris- who I adore) was mad at me and would not listen to anything I said. Another dream my friend Eileen was telling me that I was not a good mom. Like, am I having some self esteem issues here? Paranoia? I finally get my child to sleep through the night so that I can sleep and I am waking up from scary bad dreams. Weird.