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.

Mother's Day 2012 Highlights

Flowers from church• Great advice• Homemade card fun• Excitement of gift giving to MIL (Iron Rooster & Giant Button )• David, trying to say rooster & it coming out as "Roofus!"• Spending time outside with David• Yummo Chicken, real corn bread, & canned applesauce lunch• Heart warming discussion with Dan• Excellent homemade BB-Q chicken stir fry• My gifts of a king size summer blanket for our bed & a women's organization wallet• Witnessing David giving his Grandma a dandylion• David said "dragon" when he saw one on the TV show, Merlin (he's so smart!)• Organized yard sale items some more, in the basement• Everyone wishing me a Happy Mother's Day•