Crayons and Legos

I get stressed out because I sometimes feel like if I didn't do something magnificent and amazingly adventurous with my day, then it was somehow a failure? I know it's not realistic to think that I need to go to Nantucket and polish the Queens silver, in order to feel like my day was glorious and not wasted. It should go without saying, that raising my kiddos is the most important, amazing job there is! And if that means that the most adventurous thing that happened today was potty training, and painting my doorways, that's OK. Because it means I'm doing my job as a homemaker and SAHM. I'm not likely to ever meet the Queen. But almost 4 years ago I met my first baby, and 2 years later met my second baby. And getting to wake up each and every morning to their joy filled blue eyes puts REAL meaning into my life. It would be a neat thing to be able to say that I met the Queen...but the truth is...I can live without that. My precious Baby boys? Not so much! I would be lost without them. I look forward to my hectic, crazy, what-the-heck-just-happened, days. Because what I am doing may not look pretty...but it's meaningful. It's what God, created me for. He chose to bless me with these children, and I am so lucky to call myself their Momma. I am only so privileged to get to care for them. Being a Mom isn't so much a job, as it is a blessing from God. Bring on the boogers, dirty dyters, potty accidents, torn book pages, and spilled cereal...I got this.

I'm Ready for a Slow Down

In today's world technology is always at our fingertips. And at first I thought it was awesome and it really can be...until it becomes ALL we do. Throughout the years my Husband and I have both been guilty of practically having our cell phones glued to our hands. Checking facebook, playing Candy Crush, perusing Pinterest, or looking at the funnies on fail blog. Oh boy can it be fun! But taking a step back makes me realize how consuming it can be and how quickly time passes while being online for 'just a minute'! And I thought to myself...children grow too fast as it is. I don't want to put my cell phone down one day, or look up from my computer to suddenly discover that my babies are grown and moved out with families of their own. Then I came across this short story that says it all:

The Old House

Two Saturday nights a month, I work in Cullman County at a dirt racing track. Tonight as I arrived at the track, I noticed I was the only person there. Tonight's race had been postponed, and I wouldn't be playing my role on the mic as the "Voice of River Valley Speedway." It appeared that I had made a burnt run.

On my way home, I stopped by an old house that I'd passed many times before. Fallen walls, a rotting porch, and broken windows told me that the house had been lifeless for at least fifty years. I had to have a picture. I just had to.

I walked next door to a brick house, much younger-- and knocked on the door. I introduced myself, and asked permission to photograph the old house next door.

"I'll do you one better. Would you like a history lesson?" I nodded yes, and not quite knowing what to expect I followed the woman inside.

I was introduced to her parents, an elderly couple perhaps in their nineties. I shook hands and was told to sit down in a recliner near the television showing the baseball game I had unintentionally interrupted. Mr. Pate muted the game, while his wife continued on with putting her puzzle together.

"That house was built by my grandfather in 1901 or so. Over 100 years old." For the better part of the next hour, this couple shared stories of growing up in log cabins, hard country life, and coming to know Christ. I was shown pictures of rural Cullman County from the late 1800's, and the last will and testament of the last man ever hanged in Cullman-- for a crime he didn't commit. I listened attentively as they poured years of history into someone they'd never met before.

As I stood up to say goodbye, my new friends tried to discourage me from leaving. "Preacher, don't go. Why don't you stay over for dinner?"

As inviting as it sounded, the disappearing sunlight told me that I needed to take my pictures and schedule a rain check. We shook hands again, and I was on my way towards the older house, with two mutts following me with curiosity.

As I took a few shots, suddenly I was in the house. I stopped taking pictures as the thoughts of children ran across the porch, playing tag as they ran barefoot. I saw a woman in the corner, sewing clothes to wear to church. A man was outside chopping wood for the stove, and I could see the mules tied to a plow near the dirt road where my car would be parked 100 years later. It was a different world: slower, simpler, and with more integrity. No technology, no electricity, and no water demanded a slower life at this house.

My odometer showed that I went fifty miles tonight-- but I traveled much, much farther.

On my way to the racetrack I was anticipating a night of speed, but instead I understood the importance of slowing down.

Sometimes in life we're too fast. We've gone too far and haven't appreciated the journey. Turn the phone off for a bit. Unplug the television for a while. Log off the net for a few hours.

Let's all slow down just a bit. Enjoy the ride we're on. Pretty soon it'll just be a memory...

Dental Extractions

Our home dentist came through for us and got us in with a great pediatric specialist for W's teeth. Dr. Bob is so wonderful and everything has gone so smoothly! W originally wasn't set to be seen until July 15th, but we got a call and he was seen June 12th. His X-rays were finally taken and our suspicion of him having no enamel was confirmed. His adult teeth were just barely visible and they will be keeping a close eye on their progression to see if they will develop with or without enamel.

His front four baby teeth were too far gone to salvage and had to be extracted in order to preserve his forming adult teeth. They had us set for a tentative date on the 30th of July but got us in June 17th! We were so amazed at how quickly they were able to get him in and make him a priority. The two, one year molars will be crowned to protect them, and he will also receive two fillings to repair a couple damaged teeth. Then once his two year molars come in, he will receive temporary front teeth that they will secure to his molars. This too will be monitored by X-ray, and once his adult teeth start to descend they will remove the temporary teeth so they won't inhibit the growth of his new teeth. These temporary teeth will ensure proper spacing when his adult teeth emerge years later, and proper speech development throughout childhood.

Dan and I are so relieved to finally be on the road of progress yet there's still a long trip ahead of us. I'm just happy W is being properly cared for. He is doing so good! The day of his extractions was so hard. I won't lie - it was extremely difficult to see our sweet boy post surgery with bloody gauze being held in his mouth as he cried. But I got him in my arms and once he was in his car seat I removed the gauze and he instantly stopped crying. Yes, there was still blood but I rode in the backseat with him and had extra gauze pads I used to keep him cleaned up.

He had to be on a liquid diet for a couple hours until the numbing meds wore off so he wouldn't accidentally bite his own lip. Then he easily moved on to a soft food diet of lots of yogurt, soup, pudding, noodles, you name it he ate it! This went on for about a week and a half before we slowly allowed him some of the mushier solids like pizza without the crust, soft breads, and tiny pieces of fruits. He eats everything we eat now - we just cut it up and he's good to go! He had Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Orajel for two weeks off and on and hasn't needed that in a long time now.

He is currently working on his 1yr. molars and we're hoping since he's 1 1/2 that his 2yr. molars aren't far behind! He has his next dentist appointment in mid August. God willing, I'll be allowed to sit in with him since it's not a surgery this time! I apologize this post took so long - we had a trip to Florida to meet our newborn niece and then the holiday weekend hit us. Now, sadly W is fighting off a virus. We took him to his pediatrician yesterday with a fever of 103.8 and discovered he has herpangina coxsackie virus and will be better within 2-7 days. Lets hope it's just 2! He's already better today with no fever but his apatite isn't back yet. His ped. said it's that time of year for hand, foot, mouth - so take extra care in washing little ones hands and the door handles!

The Cat's Meow

Today was the first time that W told me he loves me! We were at the dinner table after prayer and I told both the boys that I love them when unexpectedly I hear W say, "Ah laavu!" I was so happy hearing those words from his sweet little baby lips. Then of course we have our funny Brother Bear who when asked to say his full name (David Spoelman) he says, "David Spoopin." Tis' the truth - out of the mouths of babes...I swear. Some days the cuteness is too much! W has learned to climb this week and has made mountains out of our dinner table, end table, and he tried to make a go at our wood stove until mean ol' Momma ended that adventure. I am expecting to discover him perched atop the Frigidaire any day now.

The bee's have chose to grace our breezeway with their presence this past weekend and have continued to filter in through a rotting windowsill that desperately needs sealing. I can see Dan's honey do list growing as I type this. I had to rush into the breezeway the other day to rescue an unsuspecting W from the intruding bee yesterday, and shut the boys out of there until we get it fixed. Poor Brother Bear has been asking to play in there all day yesterday as well as today. Too bad, so sad, this Momma's too scared to go out there with a fly swatter and nix em'. There's 2 of them now, and a third I came face to face with in the attic window. I promptly turned tail back down those stairs so fast, you'd think I'd just seen a ghost!

Anywho...we have a new furry little member in our family and the boys couldn't be more excited to have Cinna living with us! He's a little 1 year old kitty who has become the target of two certain little men's tough love. He's an awesome cat and rolls with the punches. Or should I say with the pulling of his tail? How about the suffocating cuddles? And the picking up and carrying? Oh yes, he takes them all...and purrs the whole time. He loves kids. Thank you to my awesome Sister in law, Cindy. We all love him.

Invisible Mothers

I was browsing traveling information when I came across Incredible Dad's blog. He had such great advice on road trips, I decided to peruse some of his archives when I discovered a true gem of a poem. No one seems to know who wrote it, but that's just as well because it adds to the profound feeling it eminates. As a Mother (or Father!) reading this was such a breath of fresh air. Not only does it tell us that we're not alone in this parenthood journey ... but that it's worth it ... they are worth it and more importantly, God is worth it. -

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the
blank stares, the lack of
response, the way one of the
kids will walk into the room
while I'm on the phone and
ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you
see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see
if I'm on the phone, or
cooking, or sweeping the
floor, or even standing on my
head in the corner, because
no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible - The invisible
Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of
hands, nothing more.

"Can you fix this? Can you tie
this? Can you open this?"

Some days I'm not a pair of
hands; I'm not even a human
being. I'm a clock to ask,
'What time is it?'

I'm a satellite guide to
answer, 'What number is the
Disney Channel?'

I'm a car to order, 'Right
around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were
the hands that once held
books and the eyes that
studied history and the mind
that graduated summa cum
laude - but now they had
disappeared into the peanut
butter, never to be seen
again. She's going, she's
going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were
having dinner,celebrating the
return of a friend from
England. Janice had just
gotten back from a fabulous
trip, and she was going on
and on about the hotel she
stayed in. I was sitting there,
looking around at the others
all put together so well.

It was hard not to compare
and feel sorry for myself. I
was feeling pretty pathetic,
when Janice turned to me
with a beautifully wrapped
package, and said, 'I brought
you this.' It was a book on the
great cathedrals of Europe. I
wasn't exactly sure why she'd
given it to me until I read her
inscription:
'To Charlotte, with
admiration for the greatness
of what you are building
when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would
read - no, devour - the book.
And I would discover what
would become for me, four
life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my
work: 1)No one can say who
built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their
names.

2)These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see
finished.

3)They made great
sacrifices and expected no
credit.

4)The passion of their
building was fueled by their
faith that the eyes of God saw
everything.

A legendary story in the book
told of a rich man who came
to visit the cathedral while it
was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man,
'Why are you spending so
much time carving that bird
into a beam that will be
covered by the roof?
No one will ever see it.'

And the workman replied,
'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the
missing piece fall into place.
It was almost as if I heard
God whispering to me, 'I see
you, Charlotte. I see the
sacrifices you make every
day, even when no one
around you does.
No act of kindness you've
done, no sequin you've sewn
on, no cupcake you've baked,
is too small for me to notice
and smile over. You are
building a great cathedral,
but you can't see right now
what it will
become.'

At times, my invisibility feels
like an affliction. But it is not
a disease that is erasing my
life. It is the cure for the
disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the
antidote to my strong,
stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective
when I see myself as a great
builder. As one of the people
who show up at a job that
they will never see finished,
to work on something that
their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went
so far as to say that no
cathedrals could ever be built
in our lifetime
because there are so few
people willing to sacrifice to
that degree.

When I really think about it, I
don't want my son to tell the
friend he's bringing home
from college for
Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets
up at 4 in the morning and
bakes homemade pies, and
then she hand bastes a turkey
for three hours and presses
all the linens for the table.'
That would mean I'd built a
shrine or a monument to
myself. I just want him to
want to come home. And
then, if there is anything
more to say to his friend, to
add, 'You're gonna love it
there.'

As mothers, we are building
great cathedrals. We cannot
be seen if we're doing it right.
And one day, it is very
possible that the world will
marvel, not only at what we
have built, but at the beauty
that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of
invisible women.

You are a great Mother. To all of my Mommy friends, I hope you can see this. (I know I didn't until now!) You.are. AMAZING.

Sweet Summer Time

Yes - finally some nice! sunny! weather! The boys and I just got back from running some errands, and what a good day to do it. We stopped at the credit union, the good ol' local grocery store, fueled up at the gas station, ate at the Arby's drive through, and stopped at our new Church's yard sale. The drive through was all kinds of fun with a wonky window. I had to drive forward an extra foot and open my door for both the order speaker AND the pick up/pay booth. What fun! The cashier was kind - she smiled and laughed with me ...or was that at me?

I got all kinds of awesome deals at the sale and ended up going home with 4 bags of yard sale goodness. Including a 2-in-1 Scooter/bike for $2 and a temporal thermometer for $1! This is good stuff folks! I must have did three or four rounds of the gym just to be sure I didn't miss anything. There was a lot of cool stuff! The boys even got to play on the swing set...until the wasps chased us to the truck!

My coccyx is healing up nicely, just in time for all this summery goodness. It's tender while sitting and I tend to shift my weight to the left, but I'll take that over where I started a month ago! I've been off the pain meds for a few weeks and am so glad to be rid of needing the boppy pillow too. I forgot to tell you all, W has been walking for almost a whole month now! He started on the 8th of April, and is doing great. He's also weighing in at 28lbs. 13oz (90th percentile!!) and is in the 50th percentile for a TWO year old for both height AND head circumference! Oh my...yes we have a big 1 year old! Needless to say, he is in 2T clothes.

And look what I got to drive (turtle crawl) behind on the way home!

Boppin' Along

It's been a very long couple of weeks full of pain, medications, resting, new sleeping positions and my new best friend, the boppy pillow. Usually used to breastfeed Babies, this pillow is a soft crescent shape and has worked perfectly for sitting on and wedging between my knees for comfort during my healing phase. This thing has been everywhere with me! At the dinner table, car trips, visits to friends, the futon, in bed, Easter dinner, watching the boy's egg hunt, and even at church. The one place I wish I didn't need to take it is to bed. It really limits my sleeping positions and I just want to sleep how I choose again. I tried to lay down without it wedged in my legs last night, but I couldn't even fall asleep without it. So back to bed it came.

Bending over to pick up the house is extremely limited. I can only squat down a few times before I've had it and the floors are still covered in toys. It's better than the first week though! I used to not be able to bend at all, and walking was slow going. I'm finally sitting more, as opposed to laying on my side. Oh, and get this! A whole week after the fall, a bruise showed up? My doctor said it's completely normal for these types of injuries and the contusion took so long to surface because of how deep it is.

I'm mainly doing activities that are waist level and up. And of course whatever the kiddos need. I've been cheating and started holding my sweet W again, and as sore as I am it feels so great in my heart! The first time I picked him up after a whole week, he hugged me tight and buried his sweet little face in my shoulder for what felt like forever.

Here's what I got bored and did this week:

Ice Ice Baby

Our concrete stairs, they are the devil. We were on our way out to run a couple errands and just as I got to the last step two things happened at once - Brother Bear proudly announced he was going to get the mail and began booking it down the driveway, and I yelled, "No!" trying to hurry and stop him when W and I fell together on the icy concrete step. I fell straight down onto my bottom in order to avoid dropping W. Oddly enough I didn't spill a drop of my Pepsi - talented I know. Buuut not quite talented enough to not break my coccyx.

The immense pain was a dead giveaway that I had broken it. So instead of a trip to the local grocery store, I was in the ER. Before I received the pain meds I told Dan this hurt worse than labor pains. And that's definitely saying something. Up until yesterday I had never broken a bone in my life. This is something I could have went without experiencing! No excitement over here. Dan got me a foam donut to sit on but I swear the thing is harder than a rock and has more of a slit than a hole in the center. Suffice it to say I'm more comfortable sitting on the toilet all day. A big thank you to our loving church family for the meal train this week. You guys are a huge help - thank you!

Dental Win

The last time we left a dentist office I was just about in tears. Everything that could have went awry had and I was made to feel like I was the sole reason W's teeth were falling apart. Friday morning I left a new dentist office in tears...of joy! This office wasn't labeled as pediatric dentistry but let me tell you, they sure took the cake! From the moment we walked in (the wrong door) they warmly welcomed us all and made us feel important. W was in hysterics because I was busy filling out his paperwork. The staff took notice right away and blew up two helium balloons. One for W and one for Brother Bear. They never left anyone feeling unimportant. And when that didn't do the trick for little W, they let him and I go back to one of their cubicles to get started. (Even though the papers weren't completed yet.)

The kind assistant tried calming W with a musical stuffed animal. Which worked for a few seconds. I think he already decided these people in white coats were plotting to give him shots! There was no distracting him until another assistant stopped by and smiled, revealing green flashing teeth! He was amazed by the little glow stick in her mouth, and I was amazed by their bedside manner. I half expected a juggling clown to come traipsing down the aisle!

Soon the Dentist came in with a big smile and warm greetings, as if we were long lost friends. He didn't even make W lay his head in his lap, instead having me lay him back in my lap for the exam. Without me saying a word about my opinion or our last experience, he immediately announced that W has a dental deformity that could be genetic. I swear at that moment the heavens opened up and we had our hallelujah moment! He said it needs to be looked into with x-rays and such by a specialist. And also mentioned that none of the teeth are cavities, he simply has no enamel. The only reason any teeth would need to be pulled is if they were causing him great pain. And it would have to be in a hospital setting with W sedated. (Again, Hallelujah!)

He was going to refer us to the same pediatric dentist we had just had our horrible experience with until I filled him in on her opinions and the awful time we had with her. His eyes got huge and he was quite shocked and visibly upset that had happened. He said he was going to get a list of phone numbers together for me and do some research to make sure W gets the care he needs, and not just a quick "solution". The dentist is referring W to a specialist at the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.

The staff were chatting it up with Brother Bear at the desk when we came back to the waiting room and although it appeared he was telling them his life story, neither lady was bothered at all by his babbling. They were all smiles for him and even let both boys come back in and pick a toy from their treasure chest. I was told not to worry about W's paperwork today and to drop it off the next time we're in town. I do believe we have found ourselves an awesome family dentist! Now back to the waiting game which hopefully won't be that long.

Whirlwind

From Thanksgiving all the way up to Brother Bear's 3rd Birthday, it has been nonstop go-go-go for this household! I think it's def. time for some relaxation - but Motherhood has informed me that's not gonna happen! Soon after lunch I noticed W had a runny nose and immediately knew where he got sick from. Now why some people are blithering idiots and tote their sick Baby around a Birthday party of all things, is beyond me.

I knew it when I seen it and attempted to keep my kiddos far from the sick Baby...buuut that apparently didn't quite do the trick. My poor little man is in bed next to me struggling to breathe and cannot nurse without pulling off and gasping for air. Please pray this is nothing serious like RSV, etc.

I'm not sure what's going on lately but Brother Bear has had me rolling with laughter these days! Here are the latest Brother Bear-isms:

- I told him, "You're driving me nuts!" He says, "No your driving MY nuts!" In attempt to correct his misunderstanding I said, "No. Say 'you're driving ME nuts.' " to which he replies, "I'm driving YOUR nuts." I drop to me knees rolling with laughter and he says, "Can I help you?" Yes, yes you can sweet son...remind me not to say such things to you!!

- I asked him if my necklace was pretty and he said, "yeauh ur noggin's purty!"

- He asked for chips, I said it's almost time to eat dinner, and he said "I want Griff eat it."

- I whispered in his ear, and asked him to tell me a secret and he whispers, "Its'a secrrrret!"

- I stood up from fixing the wood stove and he hit my bottom and said, "Fly away!"

- He got a bagel out of the fridge and came running saying, "Look! It's a MONSTER cookie!!"

We'll top it off with one from W:

- I heard a lot of grunting and found W under the table, holding onto the leg for support... pooping.

Yup...I love my crazy, funny life! W also has a new party trick. I say, "I work out!" then with a big grin he adds the, "Ahhhh!!" We had been watching the 'I'm a Daddy and I Know it' video a lot that week and somehow he caught onto it. If you haven't seen it you HAVE to go to http://www.godfruits.com/im-a-daddy-and-i-know-it-funny-spoof-with-serious-message-kudos-to-dad-of-five-11765.php and watch it!

The time change really has me messed up! I could really deal with a spring BACK right about now...I better go to bed and get ready for errand day tomorrow. It's always interesting with two kiddos. But I've gotta say - I sure couldn't imagine my life without 'em. They are without a doubt my everything.

Say Grace

Dogs Saying Grace Before Meals.mp4 - YouTube

This is the video that helped David learn to pray at the dinner table with. He watched it...and then he watched it again...and I think he must have watched it 7 times that day (and 2 times today)! He is so stinkin cute! The other night I asked him to say grace, and he said, "Grace!" :)

Now every meal we pray together and hold hands (if Walter will let me) David absolutely loves it. After we finish praying he asks for our hands so he can say grace again. He repeats, "Dear God.....dear God...grace..dear God, Amen!" ...and only then will he let us eat. :)

Ambidexterous- aka "Mom"

I know all of my Mommy friends can relate whenever I say, "I never knew I could do so many things one handed, until I became a Momma." I was holding a teething, exhausted Walter, while getting my pajama bottoms on, as I said this to Dan. Then thought, "How fun would it be to type out a list and blog about it to share for a good laugh?" That brings me here...ready? :)

My Ongoing One Handed List:

-Get dressed
-Dress a child
-Cook
-Apply make-up (including eyeliner)
-Style hair
-Sweep the floors (and get it into the dust pan!)
-Go to the restroom
-Bag the groceries
-Get David out of his carseat
-Write an e-mail
-Bathe David
-Putting shoes on self & David
-Cleaning the house
-Putting away toys
-Eating
-Making my breakfast drink
-Putting a movie in
-Pedicure
-Nursing W
-Locking/unlocking the house
-Shopping
-Unbutton David's shirt
-Tweeze my eyebrows
-Opening packages
-Re-kindling the woodstove
-Loading/unloading the dishwasher
-Folding/Putting away laundry
-Brushing mine & David's teeth
-Clipping my nails
-Q-Tip for ears
-David's hair
-Reading a book (turning the pages)
-Giving David his meds
-Straightening up the bed
-Connecting cell phone to charger
-Getting the dog on/off his chain
-Feeding the dog
-Washing off the booster seat & tray
-Making a plate of food for self or others

Are you still with me? :) I know I'm probably forgetting some, so feel free to comment with some of your own one handed Mommy adventures. (or Daddy!)

Ready...Set...Go!!!

The party planning is running full tilt! Our sweet "Dabid" is turning 3!!! We have the date picked, the time set, our place reserved & I even managed to make what my Hubby refers to as a "freaking awesome!" party invite. (pictured below)

David is addicted to Lightning McQueen and (much to my surprise) he actually understood and answered me when I asked him, "David, what kind of a party do you want hun?" He instantly (on more than one occasion) told me, "Cars!" And with that sweet, super adorable smile of his.

We will be giving most of his party guests their "ticket" by hand delivery. If you live too far for us to do this, let us know and we can still get you your ticket, via snail mail or e-mail. Your choice, just ask.

What an emotional event this is turning out to be! Just typing the title got me choked up. My firstborn son is already going on his third year of life. He has brought us so. much. joy! I can only hope we bring even a fraction of that to his. Anyone who knows David, knows how sweet, loving, silly, creative, and smart he really is. God has blessed us with one of His beautiful children and we have had the honor to get to be his parents and know him at a heart to heart level. I once thought we would have a hard time adjusting to our lives when the time came for David to be born. That was shattered the moment the doctors laid him on my chest and he very deliberately locked eyes with me. As his Momma, I know I will never forget that, and many other precious memories. (more on that on the Birth Day post later!)

I am having SO much fun planning this and am really greatful for Pinterest, Google, and my Picsart android app! I still have things to draw, games to plan, and a menu of yummy food to buy, but I am relieved already, just to have a majority of these things ironed out and ready to go.  I know as the day nears closer I am going to be one mushy Momma! How is David already going on 3? I SWEAR we just brought our tiny blue bundle home a few months ago... :)

Oppa is Just My Style

Otherwise widely known as, Gangnam Style. My Hubby convinced me that it was too funny not to watch and I just had to see it. So I watched it right before heading out to a friends baby shower, and there were deffinetly parts that were funny ...but mostly I was left wondering what the rest of the words were. All I (thought I) heard was something like, "welcome Gangnam Style". Way off!

The song is a huge earbug and I had to look up the lyrics! Google to the rescue, I found the lyrics (once again parts of it were funny!)

[English Translation]
Oppa is just my style
Just my style

A girl who is warm and humanle during the day
A classy girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee
A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes
A girl with that kind of twist

I'm a guy
A guy who is as warm as you during the day
A guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down
A guy whose heart bursts when night comes
That kind of guy

Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now lets go until the end

Oppa is just my style style, just my style
Oppa is just my style style, just my style
Oppa is just my style

Eh- Sexy baby, Oppa is just my style
Eh- Sexy baby oh oh oh oh

A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays
A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
A sensable girl like that

I'm a guy
A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays
A guy who goes completely crazy when the right time comes
A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscles
That kind of guy

Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now lets go until the end

Oppa is just my style style, just my style
Oppa is just my style style, just my style
Oppa is just my style

Eh- Sexy baby, Oppa is just my style
Eh- Sexy baby oh oh oh oh

On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
I'm a man who knows a thing or two
On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
I'm a man who knows a thing or two

You know what I'm saying
Oppa is just my style

Eh- Sexy baby, Oppa is just my style
Eh- Sexy baby oh oh oh oh
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net ]

... but then was left wondering, "What the heck is 'Oppa'?"

Back on Google I searched, "what is Oppa?" and got a real shocker...

"Psy‘s “Gangnam Style” music video is going viral on the internet, even being featured on popular social media sites such as Gawker and Reddit which focuses on some of the best content on the web.

Having watched it a number of times, we know that Oppa is “Gangnam Style“, but what exactly does that mean?

Gangnam is a very affluent part of the city of Seoul, located south of the Han River. In fact, ‘Gangnam’ translates into ‘South of the River’, and it also happens to be where the offices of S.M. Entertaniment and JYP Entertainment are located.

This region of Seoul has been compared to Beverly Hills in California and New York City’s trendy Midtown, as Gangnam boasts plenty of high end shopping, dining, and entertainment to keep both tourists and the locals busy.

Once mostly farmland, Gangnam underwent massive changes during the 1960′s as the area north of the Han River began to develop. People quickly started migrating to Gangnam, where farmland was quickly turned into a bustling city.

There’s some debate as to whether the ‘horse dance’ in “Gangnam Style” is a reference to the city’s past agricultural history, or if it’s a means to show just how wealthy the people of Gangnam are now. With the steep prices on land in Korea, only the very rich can afford to own and take care of horses.

In ‘Gangnam Style’, Psy tries to win his ideal woman, who is “warm and human during the day, a classy girl who understands the freedom of having a cup of coffee. A girl whose heart grows hotter as the night approaches, a girl with that kind of twist… A girl who looks quiet but knows how and when to party, a girl who lets her hair down when she feels it is the right time. A girl who covers up but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all, a sensual girl like that.”

Psy tries to convince her to fall for him, by saying that he, too, is warm during the day, but gets ‘hotter’ (later, “goes completely crazy”) at night, a guy that seems calm, but parties when it’s time to do so. He then tries to explain that he’s a smart and exciting guy who “one-shots his coffee before it even cools down,” and who has “bulging ideas rather than muscles.”

Basically, the ‘Gangnam-Style Oppa’ is trying to convince you that he’s rich, fun to be around, and interesting to talk to. Evidenced by the music video, he has definitely accomplished that." - http://www.allkpop.com/2012/07/behind-the-music-psy-oppa-is-gangnam-style

...a history lesson? Wow didn't see that one coming! I was so shocked I copied and pasted that whole article and texted it to the Hubby. All this time SO many people only noticed the hillarious dance in the video...who knew?!!

Dental Dont's!

I figure I've waited long enough and may as well get this icky post over with! To make a long story short, everything we had hoped for was the complete opposite. But since I am here to give details, I'll keep going ;) It's probably a good thing I didn't write this right away. I was (and still am) pretty darn miffed! Assuming you read the last post you know what our fears were with the dentist. ...Well those fears came true & she won't be hearing back from this Momma. I'll be keeping my Babies far from her! Ok, so here's the play by play. We got there and the assistant was curtious and led us to a room, gave Walter a blue toothbrush & explained what the appointment was going to (supposed to!) be like. Among her explanations she had me sit in a regular chair with W in my lap, facing me because "they don't put children into the big dental chair until they are 3 1/2 so they don't get scared & are at ease." Now we are seated & (thankfully my friend Nichole came with for support) this is where the dentist comes in smiling. (Probably a nice person setting aside her lack of knoledge in her own line of work!)

She has W lay his head in her lap & immediately labels him with bottle rot. Yep. My Baby who has NEVER had a bottle. Then proceeds to poke around his mouth & make note to her assistant, every other tooth saying, "Red line, ...another red line,..." times 6! Not bothering to explain a thing. I spoke up & talked to her about the other possibilities I mentioned in the previous post, and explained that the genetic causes ran on Dan's side of the family & there was no way it was bottle rot because that amount of damage takes years, not months. To which she replied, "Oh, I can tell you just by looking at it, that it's not genetic! Baby teeth can decay very quickly it doesn't take long at all! The sugars in breastmilk break the teeth right down." I informed her about the protective properties of breastmilk (lactoferra) & she looked confused and told me she had never heard of that. So I told her how rare the genetic cause is and that our plan is to have genetic testing done through his pediatrician. She simply nods & says, "Sure you could look into that. Lets get him scheduled to have those teeth pulled. She goes on to say that they would perform the procedure right here in her office & pull W's teeth. (Now this is where I got really pissed!)

I referred to her website which very clearly states that they only perform these types of procedures in one of their partnering hospitals surgery rooms and with the Baby put under general anesthesia. She SMILES and says, "Noooo :) It will only take a few minutes. I will put him in the dental chair and have you hold him down while we strap a gas mask over his nose and I will pull out his teeth. It won't hurt at all so there's no pain meds given. Oh, he'll cry, and scream but if you just keep him still I can have it done fast!".......Yes folks the lady really said that. And it gets WORSE! When I asked her, "You really put a little Baby through that? How does that NOT hurt?!?" She says (now this one's a doozy), "Well the hospital only rents out the surgury room to us if it's a longer procedure. If it's not worth their time they just tell us to do it right here." (and oh yes that smile was still on her face, but it didn't have that friendly feel anymore)

By this time, as you can imagine, my jaw was dropped as I just sat there patting W's back (he was still crying from laying his head in a strangers lap). I composed myself and said, "You want to have me pin him to that chair while you rip his teeth out without pain medicine, while he's awake? He's a BABY! He was crying extremely hard just from putting his head in your lap!" She simply says that I can go ahead and think about it first if I'd like. (really?) My friend, Nichole then asked her, "So, what do you suggest be done to prevent this from reoccuring?" Shocked, she turns to me & suggests that he only have water. No breastmilk, no juice, just water, claiming he doesn't need it! I told her sternly, "He only gets a sippy in his highchair with his meals. And they are 3 parts water and 1 part juice. He nurses in the morning, a few times thruought the day, & I nurse him to sleep just like I did with my almost 3 year old who's teeth look NOTHING like W's! I brush his teeth before & after bed with a washcloth."

Then she tried telling me I should be waking him up after his night feeding to wipe his teeth again. Hello! Did she not just hear me when I said I nurse him TO SLEEP? I was tired of it all and feigned interest, said I would discuss it with my Husband and paid my money at the checkout. Then found out from the receptionist that the dentist had planned on pulling SIX of his teeth! And in two separate appointments to boot! How was she expecting our child to eat? These were all front top and bottom teeth she wanted to take, and he wouldn't get his adult teeth for many years to come! But she refused the idea of caps and looked at me like I didn't know what I was saying. So...we left when all was said & done feeling pretty disheartened and very eager for a second opinion. I'm researching a lot online and am considering Ann Arbor for the University of Michigan's dental care studies. We have friends who have gone there and recieved superior care and their website is very informational. Praying for better experiences! Let us know if you know of a good dentist. Sadly this one didn't work out.

W's 1st Dentist Apt.

Today is Walter's first dentist appointment. Now, normally this would be an exciting milestone for him. But in this particular case, not so much. Our poor Baby's teeth have deteriorated in a matter of 3 months, to the point where they have no enamel & are constantly breaking off. He is in pain from exposed nerves, every day. As a Mother, this is absolutely heart breaking! The reason I am sharing this is because we are in need of prayers for an understanding dentist and the treatment (s) that are right for him. I am one nervous Momma already because their website and receptionist were already shoving the blame onto breastmilk. The ammount of deterioration W's teeth have undergone SO quickly, is not typical of their label of "bottle rot" (early childhood caries). W has never had a bottle, he is breastfed. And that type of decay takes years! This happened almost immediately after his teeth broke through and it is not limited to his top, front teeth. It's on the bottom as well. Also, breastmilk has sugar in it, but it has lactoferra as well, which prevents decay. Dan's got a couple of cousins who, as babies, had this condition as well. Which leads us to wonder if this could be a genetic disorder such as, amelogenesis imperfecta or dentinogenesis imperfecta. The term, brittle bone disease, is also in our minds. We sincerely hope not, but we also know breastmilk is not the culprit! David nursed the same as Walter is, and his teeth are fine. If you or someone you know has been through this and has information please let me know. Google has been pretty tricky with finding much of anything without it terming it, bottle rot. Walter's appointment is at 1:15p.m. today and we would greatly appreciate it if you would say a prayer for W. We really need them to be open minded & reasonable.

Cutting the Ties that Bind

Early this morning I cut the ties that once bound me to fb 24/7. I already have so much more time freed up for my family, I cannot believe what a breath of fresh air this is! Setting aside the awful migraine I had today, I have sprung back to life in the real world, and it. feels. Great! I read my sweet Babies a bedtime story, and got out of bed without reading the fb newsfeed first. I put my Children first and that's the way it should be!

This blog is the new way for me to give my family all of me and some to all of you when update time comes along. Starting out, I will find what frequency works for us. It might be a monthly thing, maybe a weekly update, or even sporradic every other day tid-bits! ...we'll see. Todays tid-bit comes from David: He was SO stinkin hilarious, dancing (very seizure like) by the wall and pointing (jabbing) at his shadow saying, "You! You! Youuu!! .....without undies on. Oh the antics of toddlers!

Tonight my goal is to set up a bare bones page on fb, soley for the purpose of keeping close friends and family members updated on our blog. There will be no newsfeed or updates on my end. I'll only be posting a link to show up in your feed for you to click on, every time a new entry is written in this blog. So be on the lookout for your personal invite! One last thing! Our handsome little guy, David will be turning 3 years old February 16! Does someone want to tell me where the time went? I will be posting more info on his Birthday celebration as soon as plans are made.