Microwave Mayhem

Partners in Crime (has nothing to do with my post)

  I don't know why, but our house is where microwaves come to die. We've been through 3 in the past 8 years. The first was a really old one I had in college that was old when I got it for $10. But the next two were brand new.  Last night I was microwaving some corn on the cob and started smelling something weird. When the timer went off, the corn was not cooked. Michael, my resident expert in all things mechanical and electrical, said it was definitely fried,  I decided that I don't need a stinking microwave. It would give me more counter space without it. I really don't think we can go without one, but I'm going to try for 30 days. I've already seen the inconvenience of it when I decided I wanted leftover lasagna for lunch. I had to warm it in the stove....which took a decade. Maybe it will make me a more patient person.

So here's to day 1 sans microwave. We're going to be all old timey and stuff.

Derby Dash

I love the Kentucky Derby. One day, I will go. It's definitely on my bucket list. I almost went a few years ago but it was cold and rainy and I really didn't feel like paying $$$ to be cold and muddy in the infield. But one day....when we can afford to go watch from somewhere other than the infield.

But we have taken part in the Derby Festival downtown the past couple years. They have a race called the Derby Dash which is free for the kids to do. This was Joseph's second time to run in it and he has yet to complete the 1/4 mile distance. It's really cute though. I think it's funny that all I've wanted since I've been racing is to get a medal and Joseph has 2.  It starting raining a little after the race and we headed on home. But I kept with the derby spirit and made hot browns for supper and derby pie for dessert. I even had a couple of mint juleps. Yum! Of course, I watched the derby while listening to Joseph whining about something that wasn't going his way and James fussing because I wasn't getting the spoon to his mouth fast enough. Ahh the glamorous life of a mom.

I had my own run today. It was the Fondant 5K...I've decided that I am only running in races named after sweets...the Funnel Cake 5K is next month and the Thin Mint Sprint later this year. Anyway, it was a lovely day for a run....49 and raining. Yay. I was determined to do it anyway. It was at the Keeneland Race Track in Lexington. I recorded my fastest ever 5K time there a few years ago so I was pretty stoked to revisit it. Needless to say, it wasn't the same course...this one was hill-ly. My legs still ache. And the cold rain blasting me in the face wasn't very nice either.  But I'm glad Michael was there to time me with his phone because they had no timers set up....not even at the finish line. And no race bibs to know where you placed. At least there were cupcakes and ice cream at the finish. But next year, I think I'll just go buy my cupcake. I guess I can mark "Run a 5K in the pouring rain" off my list. I'm not telling my time..,it was painfully slow. Must.get.faster.

Bed calls...hopefully James will let me get some sleep tonight. Michael is out of town at least tomorrow night so I will need my energy.

Where to begin..

 Where to begin? I've thought about this blog often. I even get so far as to start writing a post but then get overwhelmed and stop.  I really don't know where to begin, but here goes...

James is 8 months old. WOW! He is a big ol dude at 24 lbs, but the funny thing is that he doesn't look fat...he is not a Michelin baby by any means. He's pretty much happy most of the time..except when he is teething. He does not sleep very well at night, though. He will be up sometimes every 2 1/2 hours. And it's not to eat. Sometimes he is just awake. I always say that if he would just sleep at night, he would be the perfect baby. He takes pretty good naps and doesn't fight me too much about them.  I've learned to love a noise machine....not for him, for me. After awhile, it's like, "Dude, if you want to party, you are partying alone." 

Joseph just turned 3. I can't believe it. He's a pistol. He only weighs 27 lbs so it won't be long until he is surpassed by his little brother. We've been potty training and he is actually doing really well. He only wears pull-ups at night and most of the time, they are still dry when he wakes up.  

I've been splitting my time between frankfort and south Fulton since Michael has been out of town so much. Neither situation is perfect. It's nice to have some help as well as some flexible free time while I'm here in Tennessee. However, I only get to see Joseph when he wakes up ans when it's time for bed unless he's sick in which case he wants mama. If I try to get him to hang out with me, all he says is "I want to see Papaw and Gray." And it ends up being just a huge fight. It doesn't matter what fun stuff I have for him to do. I miss my Jo Jo (a nickname he gave himself). However, when I'm in Frankfort, I don't get a break most days. I also have to cook supper every night (as opposed to splitting that duty with my mom here). It's also so much harder to keep the Frankfort house clean. One of the big downfalls comes at night when James is deciding to wake up constantly. I want to reach over and say "hey, you're turn." But, alas, there is no one else to take a turn. The good thing is that there is no one to disturb if I decide to let him fuss. Well, there's Joseph, but he has gotten to be so much more of a sound sleeper.

I was so excited to be here since I really don't have any girl friends in Frankfort, but you know what? My friends are pretty busy, and unless I call one of them to go to lunch, I really don't see them much. 

So, I will probably go on back to Frankfort and only come here when Michael is out of town for more that a few days. I'm not happy with either decision, but I feel it's the right thing to do. I want to raise my kids. I don't want my husband to miss seeing the boys grow up simply because I wanted someone to watch the boys while I went for a run....man that will be hard to give up.

So, my first post in a long time. Hopefully, I can be more regular about it. I've got so much swimming around in my head...it needs somewhere to go.

Until next time.

An Update

James is almost 4 months old! The past few months have been...well....overwhelming to say the least. Overwhelming, exhausting, wonderful months. Life as I knew it is no more and as hard as I though raising one son was, I was no where near prepared for how hard 2 is.  To make it even harder, Michael has been out of town probably about half the time since James has been born. Some days, I'm just hanging by a string.

James is an easy going baby over all. He eats good and weighs 18 lbs now. Big brother only weigh 26. He likes chillin in the kitchen with me when im cooking/cleaning. He also likes laying on his play mat. He doesn't sleep that good yet. Just when I think he's getting consistent at only waking once at night, he starts waking 2 or 3 times. And it's not like he wants to eat, he just wants to hang out. He absolutely hates car rides. It doesn't matter how short....if he's awake, he's crying.

Joseph is a better big brother than I thought he would be. He's still pretty jealous and it seems like anytime I sit down to nurse James, he suddenly need juice or something to eat or wants to watch a movie,...something that requires me getting up. But he has learned to sleep through a lot. He can sleep through some of the worst crying. His naps are pretty much gone though.  Should they be? Probably not. He takes about one every 3 days. Most days, I get tied up with James and miss the nap window. And to be honest, I get tired of the wailing and gnashing of teeth that is involved in nap taking.

You would think that with James gaining weight like a champ, I would be losing it like crazy, but I'm not. I'm starving all the time and aside from hauling James around and chasing Joseph, I don't work out. I'm trying not to get too bogged down in it though and give myself some time. I think I did too much too early with Joseph and my milk production went to crap. I keep telling myself that I'm not having any more kids so I've got time to get the weight off for good. That's right...no more kiddos for me. I'm done. Michael thinks i will want to try for a girl  in a few years but I don't think so.

I would like to get back to blogging some. I don't know how that will go. I'm still cooking lots of blog worthy food. I'm not that comfortable blogging on the iPad yet...I don't know how to put pics on here with it but I'm going to work on that. I will try to get some pics up soon. I just wanted to give a life update to those who give a hoot.

James Covey is here!

Well, James finally graced us with his presence last Thursday. He didn't want to....it took getting induced to bring him here, but I'm glad I did because at 4 days late he was 11 lbs 6 oz! No, friends, that is not a typo....and no I didn't have a c section. So much for all those cute newborn  outfits! I have to say that being induced is WAY more painful and I was seriously screaming for my epidural because my contractions were so bad. But after my epidural, I was a pussy cat again.

Joseph started getting sick while we were in the hospital so he has gone to my parents house until he gets well. What little he was around his little brother, I really think he's going to be really good about it. I can't wait for him to get home even though I know that it will makes things even harder.

James is a really good baby though. He has a broken clavicle from delivery but you would never know it. He also came out very bruised but it doesn't seem to bother him. He is a little night owl right now and keeps me up most of the night. I try to take a nap in the morning with him. I just hate sleeping during the day. Otherwise I'm trying to take it easy. I take my pain meds religiously and that has really helped. Well, the little guy is stirring. We will be heading to the orthopedic doctor this afternoon to see about his clavicle. I will try to keep you updated!

Oh and for you who are wondering where the name came from: Covey is my mom's maiden name. I wanted to name a child after my grandfather on moms side but his name was Ralph..and let's face it, not the most modern name for a boy. So I went with the last name instead. James was just a name I liked. It turns out that it was michaels great grandfathers name but I had no idea of that until the other day.

Fun Day

 We had a pretty fun day today. I had a doctor's appointment this morning...which was not part of the fun. Joseph was pretty good though so after we were done there, we headed to the Newport Aquarium. I figure that it was probably the last outing we will have with just the 2 of us for a while. He had a blast and mostly just wanted to look at the sharks over and over and over and over....you get the picture.

 

Other than that, my doctor did tell me that my induction date will probably be the 23rd if I haven't had James by then. It's always good to have an end date. 

Anyway, time to watch some Olympics. I love watching them, but I do get irritated by how many commercial breaks there are....and I stay up way too late.

James' Room - The Frankfort Edition

 Hi long lost friends!! It has been A WHILE! So sorry, but don't get your hopes up....I don't know that I am back fully yet, but I REALLY wanted to show y'all James' room that we fixed up here at the house. I painted the mural and stuff at my parents' house which is soon to be our house. When we will fully move, I don't know, but I wasn't going to paint a mural here when we would probably be moving in the next year (or 2 years). I repainted this room last year anyway when it was our office/fitness room and it still went with the bedding, etc that I wanted. So, here is a little tour of the newest nursery.

The bookshelf. I got the idea off Pinterest of course. I bought a cheapo $15 bookshelf and mod podged fabric to the back of it and then Michael spray painted it yellow.

 The name plate. I painted the letters and attached them to a small board. I found the ornaments at Hobby Lobby and they were pre painted. I attached them with ribbon to the back of the board with hot glue (of all things). I used eyelet screws to attach the hanging ribbon and hung it on a nail.

 I am proudest of the mobile. I think all total, I have maybe $2.50 in supplies in it. The main structure is an embrodery hoop that my mom got at a yardsale. Michael cut it in half which left me with 4 arcs. I only needed 3. The balls are just wooden 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 inch balls that I got at Michael's. The ornaments are made out of felt. I just kind of cut my own pattern. There is a moon, a saturn like planet, a space ship, a star, a sun, and an alien in a space ship. They are filled with some poly fill and hand stitched closed. I started working on this quite a while ago!! Everything is connected with good old fishing line and it is hung from a hook on the ceiling. It will be easy to move it up as James starts being able to pull up and sit up.

Another view of the bookshelf

We got the swing out of the storage building and next thing we knew, Joseph was in it swinging for all he was worth! Luckily, he still isn't over the weight limit. 

Other than that, I finally pre registered for the hospital and got my bag packed. The due date is 2 weeks from Sunday and as miserable as I am, he can wait until then. I'm in no hurry.

I will try to post pics of the mural I painted in what I am calling the "official nursery" soon.