August

On the way back from Laura's, Reid and I stopped at Grammy and Grumpy's for a quick break on the way back to Dallas.  SOMEone had screamed for half of the trip from Katy because he "accidentally" threw a car on the floor and mommy couldn't reach it.  On the way to change his diaper, he conveniently found a little sombrero and "Weid! Weid!" on the computer.  Too bad you can't see the ginormous grin he had...

He also remembered exactly where the piano was, and this time I got to video it.  Kind of dark, but you get the picture.  And no, I don't believe this kid has a chance in the music industry!

Back at home, Reid has been totally enjoying his two new cars from Aunt Lala's house.  Reid carried them around the entire time we were there, so she let us swipe 'em when Ben and Alex weren't looking since they don't really play with them anymore. Tragedy of all tragedies, the talking Lightening McQueen car (his favorite!) has disappeared...pretty sure he hid it in our house somewhere right before the trip.  But thankfully, he hasn't seemed to notice with the new ones here.  One McQueen I bought as a backup, and the other was very sweetly given to Reid when we visited my former student, Neil, and his family before they moved to China--they very generously passed along many wonderful books and toys for him to enjoy and for me to use at school.  When he learned how much Reid liked Lightening, he went right up to his room and brought down one to give him.  Needless to say, they've been inseperable.  

It's actually gotten to be a problem sometimes because Reid just has to take them upstairs at night, then downstairs again in the morning.  No big deal until he's tripping, dropping, and worrying about them all the way up/down the staircase...which means he refuses to hold on to the rail, my hand, or the wall.  Eek!  He does manage pretty well, but I'd rather hold them ("NO, Mommy!") while he safely clambers up.  It is pretty stinkin' cute, though!

He very carefully lines them up in places all over the house.  Much to my dismay, they HAD to (all) come with us to the grocery store one day and he screamed half of the time because he couldn't manage to hold them all while he tried to steer the little cart.  I made it a much shorter trip than I'd planned and two of the cars went to time out in Mommy's purse.  Nearly every night, he tucks the cars into the crib bumper and tells them each, "Ni night, car!" just before we say our prayers.  Just tonight, he panicked when he realized the cars were not in bed with him.  I assured him I'd tuck the cars in downstairs...

Other things we did before I went back to work?  Lots of sitting on the potty.  Not because he actually wants to go, but because that's the only place I will read the super annoying Truckery Rhymes book (I'm not being mean...I just got soooo tired of reading it 50 bajillion times a day so we read it exclusively in the downstairs restroom in hopes of enticing him to use the potty) since it's too long for bedtime.  Well, that, and he's figured out he gets two "candies" (pretzel M&M's) for sitting on the potty whether he goes or not.  Smart kid.

Still a super picky eater.  Unless you count "uffins" (Little Debbie blueberry mini muffins, which he would eat at any hour of the day if you'd let him), candy, cookies (although he will only eat chocolate chip), and this Sam's Club zucchini bread.

He also loves the Reid books I made for him.  "Baby Reid!" will keep him entertained for hours, and he loves seeing pictures of himself, Daddy, Mommy, and the cats.

We finally had one more playdate with Violet.  We're sad that she is going to preschool, but Lacy (her mommy) and I are planning on getting them together after school during the year.  They've changed quite a bit since their first playdate, when Reid was about five weeks old...

Aunt Lala's House

I am enjoying my last few days of freedom.  I've pretty much always hated August... It means back to school, crazy schedules, and lots of work, stress, and anxiety.  Thankfully, this summer has seemed somewhat productive and longer than the previous two.  Reid is at a fun (yet trying) age and we have made many enjoyable memories.

Lots of them happened at Aunt Lala's house last week! It was so fun to visit, but the time flew by, just as I knew it would.  He made himself right at home and proceeded to dive into all of Ben and Alex's toy cars and diggers.  Car heaven!!  I just thought he was playing, but Laura noticed he had actually sorted them as he lined them up.  If you can't make it out in the picture, there's a spot for pickup trucks, a spot for diggers, a spot for small regular cars, medium regular cars, large diggers, and the best one, a spot for ??? (anything that didn't seem to fit into a category, like a helicopter)...  Didn't teach him that, and apparently he's been doing that all along at home, but we don't have enough cars for me to have noticed he was categorizing them.  I just thought he was assigning each vehicle a parking spot each day!

Reid had his first trip to the movies!  I can't say he thoroughly enjoyed it, but for a two year old I think he did pretty well.  The theater close to them in Katy has a kids' series during the summer and you can see a movie for *gasp* ONE dollar!!  Laura is always on the lookout for fun things to do and that was the perfect idea for Reid...if he didn't make it through an hour long Winnie the Pooh, it was just a buck. 

Thankfully, I had just introduced him to popcorn the week before.  I've been putting off introducing it since popcorn is a choking hazard, but so far he's carefully chewed it.  Reid loved the popcorn and previews, but when he was out of popcorn he told me, "All done!" and promptly prepared to walk down the stairs to leave.  I pulled out a small package of M&M's, which he devoured, and he did the same thing.  One bag of Teddy Grahams later, I realized that Reid, too, must not be a Pooh fan.  So we called it a day and headed for the lobby, to ogle over "candies! Candies!" in the display case, then drive a pretend tank in the arcade part.  Luckily, the movie only lasted another ten minutes or so and I didn't have too long to entertain him.
 

 I mistakenly thought that Reid would love their neighborhood pool this year since he can walk.  It has a regular pool, a pool with water slides, a great splashpad/pool, and a large baby pool.  I didn't think to get a picture of the whole shabang, but it's a pretty cool place.  As soon as we walked in, he was fixated with the huge water slide (you have to be a certain height and be able to swim w/o floaties) and continuously gravitated toward it.  He immediately went to time out, twice in a row.  Luckily, there were two smaller water slides (but you still can't use floaties) where one adult could help him up the stairs (I was worried about him slipping!) and one could catch him at the bottom of the water slide.  He loved that a few times, then was fixated with the big slide once again.  If he couldn't go on that, he didn't want to play, so we sat and had a l-o-n-g snack break while Ben and Alex played.  Of course, when they were done and dried off, Reid announced, "Pool!" and promptly jumped into the baby pool.  Sheesh.  This kid has amazing timing.

 Back at the house, Reid wanted to try out all the fun things in their garage...the bike, trike, battery-operated jeeps, and a little ride on thingee.  I gave in and let him ride the trike for a few minutes (notice how he wouldn't use the pedals and screeched at me when I tried to help him out).  He didn't seem to mind the heat and humidity, but I sure did!  

 The next day we skipped the pool and played in our backyard.  Laura set up the sprinkler under the trampoline for the midday fun.  Again, I thought Reid would love it, but he jumped for a second and was "All done!"  Alex wetting his hair in this bucket was waaay more fun, apparently.

The older kids had fun jumping and I got to meet a few of the neighborhood kids.  Reid did enjoy attempting to drink out of the sprinkler, which was entertaining to us adults.

The next morning, we got going a little earlier so the kids could play outside without melting.  All three of the boys were excited about Ben's jeep.

First, Reid rode with Ben.  Ben, of course, had to make sure he was buckled in.  Such a good little rule follower and sweet big cousin to watch out for Reid!  He was a very safe driver and mainly stuck to variations of the same circle around the park.  Ben is very observant, too, and noticed that Reid liked when he went over the little hill, so he made sure to do that with each pass.

 But Alex decided that he wanted to drive his jeep, too, so he and Laura went back to the house to retrieve it.  As soon as they were back, Reid decided he wanted to ride with Alex, who is a little more adventurous in his driving.  Two little daredevils...   They rode all around the park, not going on the same path twice.  Just about when we mommies were going to melt, Alex's jeep battery slowed down, signaling the need to go home.

We drove to this cool splash area later.  You can't really see everything from the picture, but it had a ship theme and tons of areas to play in.  We had it all to ourselves! 

 Reid, of course, was not interested in playing.  He hung around Laura and me, slowly enjoying some pita chips and the ducks.  One duck noticed his chip and snatched it out of Reid's hand, which he thought was hilarious (but it scared me! Still not sure if it actually bit him, but didn't leave a mark...).  Right out of the car, he was saying, "Kak, kak, kak!" (quack, quack, quack) and thought they were hilarious.  He even named two, Poop and Green.  I'm sure you can gather where Poop duck got his name, and Green duck had green feathers. 

Laura gave Ben her old cell phone from Australia since it didn't work here in the States.  Ben thought it was the greatest thing ever!   It had a few songs on it, which became the soundtrack for the week, but oddly enough he and Alex loved the cell phone rings even more.  Laura and I got a kick out of it because it was the original Nokia ringtone that provided so much entertainment.  We dubbed it the Nokia Dance, but by the time I ran to get my camera, the best dancing was already over.  At least you get the idea...

We had so much fun with Aunt Lala and the cousins!   Time flew by and I wish we didn't live so far apart, but I'm sure thankful they aren't half a world apart any longer.  And just so they didn't forget about him, Reid left a little parting parking spot for one of the cars...

More July Fun

Reid is getting pickier and pickier (is that possible??) about what he eats.  We have tried different utensils, including buying a Cars fork and spoon.  I have tried cooking things different ways, including searching for deceptively delicious recipes that hide fruits and/or veggies like the zucchini tots recipe I just made from Pinterest (they sucked).  We have tried different bowls, seats, I could go on and on...  But this kid is just a picky (and getting pickier) eater.  Most "meals," he eats like a bird.  Ask him what he wants to eat, and he will only mention two things...cookies or candies.  Ha.

 We have lucked out with some rain showers recently.  Some of them have been pretty severe, like the one this past week that blew down half of the fences and some trees in our neighborhood.  Others have just been a nice, steady rain.  Sure fire way to bring rain?  Get your car washed.  But the day I did that, the storm did have a gorgeous rainbow, the first I've seen since we've lived in Dallas.

My sister and her boys came to visit last week and we all had lots of fun.  I was bummed to miss a half day with them thanks to the first staff development of the summer (boo!!) and some tummy issues.  But we all had fun.  Ben loved brushing the cats and playing with them, especially Samson who is used to be abused by Reid.

Reid does love to give the cats treats.  This isn't the best filmed video since I was trying to get out treats and film, but you get the picture.

 Reid wanted to sit with the boys again at their table.  He didn't really eat, but sure enjoyed sitting with them!

 We packed in lots of fun...playing in the yard, going to pools, parks, and the safari park, and picnics in the backyard.  I forgot to bring my camera on most of the outings, but at home we had to have some "cheese" time, of course! 

 Everyone do a sad face...

 And now a happy face!

Reid has also been really, really pushing it lately.  He is in time out two or three times a day some days (like below), then not at all other days.  Sometimes he enjoys doing things all by himself, then the next day he wants you to do it for him.  Too bad we can't see into the minds of toddlers...

July Fun

July has been jam packed with playdates, summer fun, running errands...I honestly have no idea where the time has gone!  I have loved being at home with my little guy.  He still wasn't quite old enough to stay up and enjoy fireworks on the Fourth this year, but we did enjoy the Nathan's hot dog eating championship, a (hot) day in the backyard where Reid played in his new sandbox and pool, and of course grilling.  He didn't care for the popsicles or ice cream he was offered, but did have lots of fun drinking the pool water (clean, thankfully!) out of various toys.

 He finally loves taking baths.  His new favorite thing in the tub is to "wash" his car or truck he's dragged in.  The real car wash has become quite a treat and he asks for that and "tots" (Sonic is right next door) every time we drive past.  Love the white hiney, too.  This boy tans so well...you'd never know he wears spf 100 all the time!

 Pretty sure this kiddo isn't ready for full on potty training, but I'm prepared.  He loves to watch his new "Elmo's Potty Time" dvd (or "dd," as he calls them) and took the best seat in the house.  He has gone a few times on the big potty.  I ordered a special toilet seat that has an attachment for a tiny bottom that magnetically stays up except when you're using it.  It's great and stays out of the way, unlike all the other attachments, most of which don't even fit elongated lids.

One of the girls in our playgroup found the neatest kids' kiddie pool/waterpark in Plano.  It has water slides, wheels that turn water on/off, sprayers, bubblers, and a great shaded picnic area.  All the water in the pool only comes up to your calves, so he doesn't even have to wear his puddle jumper because he can just stand right up.  

 His favorite thing was this slide, which he did over and over and over again.  We had so much fun that we went back the next day, a Saturday, with Daddy.

 Other big news...Reid has graduated to his toddler bed!  We'd been apprehensive in deciding when to do this, but it really wasn't a big change after all.  So far, he has stayed in the bed until we come to get him.  And then he wants to go under the "bridge" we make out of the crib bumper so he can get out.  I know one of these days, though, he'll give me a heart attack and be wandering around all on his own, so we are very careful to keep the gate at the top of the stairs closed at night and nap times.

I am really glad we didn't pay to join The Little Gym this summer like everyone else in the playgroup.  We went to a birthday party there and Reid pretty much did his own thing, didn't sit down to listen or sing, but finally did join in on the bouncing at one point.  I went home exhausted from chasing him around and picking him up. 

Another great thing about our playgroup is that we have MNO (Mom's Night Out) about once a month.  This is only part of the group since not everyone could make it that night, but you get the idea.  This was our feather earring night, if you notice ;)  We usually go out to dinner and just chat, but this particular night we did dinner and a movie.  It's great because it's girl time, plus we talk about our kids and get advice, and we're all teachers, too, so of course that's a hot topic of conversation as well.  Fun times!

Infertility, Round Two

I normally just blog about Reid since he is the most interesting person in the family (sorry, Jason ;) and we adults don't change or grow as much as our little guy.  But sometimes, I just need to vent...it's kind of like an online diary of sorts.  

I was hoping it wouldn't rear its ugly head again, but I have to face the facts and admit that we are in the category of "infertile."  You are assigned that oh-so-lovely label when you have "actively been trying to conceive for a year."  (And I think it's even less time than that when you're my age, lol!)  This go 'round, it has now been 19 months.  Since it took three years before being blessed with conceiving Reid, we didn't waste any time this go around and started "seeing what happens" when Reid was six months old.  At first, it was absolutely fine...after all, since he hasn't been the easiest, most laid back child ever, it was probably a good thing to not have siblings 16 or so months apart ;)  But as the months continue to tick by, I am not getting any younger. So we went from having primary infertility to primary and secondary infertility...hey, when you're gonna do something, do it right! (yes, sarcasm...and also the reason Jason and I snickered at the "in sickness and in health" part of our vows because I've always leaned toward the former, from allergy shots for 12 years, to migraines, to weird knee and ankle injuries, etc.)

It breaks my heart to think that Reid may be an only child, especially when I think of how much fun Laura and I had growing up (and still do!) and hear hilarious stories from Jason and Steven's childhood and beyond.  There is just something about that bond between siblings...it's special and is like nothing else on Earth.  Now don't get me wrong.  I am so grateful for Reid that words truly fail me when I try to explain.  And if his being an only child is God's plan for us, then I know He will be faithful and change my heart somewhere along the way (hopefully sooner rather than later!).  But I truly feel like our little family isn't quite complete just yet.  Some days, I just wish God would write it across the sky, or send me an email letting me know that yes, it will or will not happen someday.  But that wouldn't require me to have faith, would it?  God wouldn't be God if we understood everything He does or puts in our lives.  I always think of Isaiah 55: 8 & 9, " 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.' " I always thought I was pretty patient, but this is yet another time God is saying, "Wait.  Wait on me."  And every time He's done that, things turn out waaaaaay better than if I had been given exactly what I thought I wanted when I thought I wanted it.

So at my annual physical last year, I mentioned to my obgyn that we were trying again and he immediately said, "Do you need a little Clomid?"  If you're not familiar with the drug, Clomid is the most prescribed fertility drug that millions of women take to induce ovulation.  As a fun bonus, it has numerous possible side effects (most of which I will spare you), one being a 10% chance of conceiving multiples (as in, more than one baby).  I don't think this ol' body can handle carrying twins, plus the Clomid didn't do much during the 5 or 6 rounds of it I tried before we conceived Reid.  And no, I don't want to spend tens of thousands of dollars to be a human pincushion doing IUIs or IVF.  No guarantees there, either.  I have no qualms if someone else wants to do those, but I just don't feel like they are for us.  It means many more doctor appointments (translated, time away from family), it's expensive (and that money could be going to Reid's college fund, etc.), and it takes a toll on my body both mentally and physically.  Acupuncture is also expensive and time consuming, so it's out.  Neither of us feels led toward adoption (nor could we afford it, anyway) because we want a biological sibling for Reid.  And selfishly, I want to feel pregnancy again.  Don't get me wrong...it was no joyride, but it was miraculous!  To read a little entry each day or week about what is forming in your unborn child's body just reiterates how amazing it is when God "didst weave [them] together in [their] mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13).  And I swear that I semi-knew some of Reid's personality with all the thrashing around in there ;) 

So where exactly does that leave us?  I'm open to trying alternative remedies that aren't all consuming or harmful (e.g. Chinese tea, reflexology).  I did drink the Chinese tea I'd gotten in Singapore at the beginning of the month we conceived Reid.  It was one of the grossest things ever...you take these barks, roots, stems, and boil them from five cups of water down to one, then drink it.  Nastiest stuff I have ever put into my mouth. I would liken it to drinking dirt, and that's pretty much what it tasted like, too.  Since I can't just hop a plane back over there, I ordered Fertilitea and drank it twice a day that the first half of this month.  And as a bonus, it was much easier to drink even though I'm not a tea or coffee drinker.  It did all kinds of quirky things to my body, which I'm hoping is a good sign.  BUT ultimately, no matter what I do to "help" on the earthly end, we know Who is in charge here.  God is "intimately acquainted with all my ways.  Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, oh Lord, You know it all." (also from Psalm 139, vs. 3 & 4)  How wonderful it feels to know that I'm not doing this alone and that my Heavenly Father knows best. 

So if I could ask one thing of you, if you've stuck around long enough to read this entry, please pray.  Pray that His will is done and that we embrace it.  Pray for our patience as we endure this trial.  Pray that it brings Jason, Reid, and I closer as a family...because often times it does the opposite.  Pray that it, once again, draws us closer to Him.  Pray that it is truly in His time.

"...But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing." (Psalm 34:10b)

Summer Fun

This summer is absolutely flying by.  I am not quite sure where June went, but we have tons of fun memories made and are looking forward to many more in July!  Reid seems to be loving the time home as much as I am.  Don't get me wrong...he (we!) miss seeing Miss Holli, who has been on vacation, and I'm sure he misses playing with kids each day, plus we have our share of time out and have had a few spankings, like when he RAN into the parking lot at Kroger yesterday.  But I absolutely love my little playmate and am thankful for the time I'm having with him.  It also gives me way more opportunities for photos and fun.  Here's what I call his "Edward Scissorhands" (think 90's movie).  He gets them each time we are about to start the movie, Cars.  It's a little weird and frightening that he does this every time, but funny to watch.

Of course, there's been playground fun to be had.  Unfortunately, it's been sooo hot that we don't get outside as much as we'd like to, but we'll take what we can get.

And some days, it's just in the backyard.  We went to the pool on Sunday, and wouldn't you know...it rained!  If that's all it takes to get rain around here, maybe we should go more often!  It had been a long while since our last rain and since it was so warm, we just let Reid run around in it.  He had a blast!

The rain made the next morning nice and cool (well, if you can call 88 cool...but we took advantage of it!), so he had plenty of time to play in his new sandbox.

And of course, we've enjoyed many playdates. I often forget to take pictures, either because I'm chasing Reid around, or because we're just having too much fun. This morning, we played with Hailey.  She and Reid had lots of fun, and so did Stacey and I.  She teaches across the hall from me at school, and it was so nice to just chat about our kids instead of school!

On Friday, we had a playdate with Violet, the Art teacher (Lacy)'s daughter.  I am so sad to think that Reid and Violet won't see each other every day since she's going to preschool next year.  But we are determined to have lots of playdates so they'll still be buddies.

We met at this neat splash park, but what did they want to do?  Run around on the hot cement, then eat snacks in the shade.  Worked for us mommies!  Reid, of course, did not want the Goldfish we brought...he wanted Lacy's peanut butter crackers.  Funny...we have the same exact ones at home and he is never interested in them here!

Jason and I also enjoyed a night out last week.  The photo is a little skewed because I uploaded it to Facebook, then the blog, but you get the idea.  We enjoyed an adult meal at Cavalli's, a wood-burning upscale pizza place, then headed over to the little wine bar, Zin Zen, for some live music.  It was fun and I am thankful we were able to have a date night out since we normally just have them at home.  My hubby ages well, doesn't he?  More handsome each day :)