KohlesFamily.org

Traveling in Planes with Toddlers ALL BY MYSELF!

2009-11-09T20:17:00.002-05:00

O. M. G. It hasn't actually happened yet, but the anticipation is probably going to give me a heart attack. In 11 days I will be and it is a 5 hour flight. 5. HOURS. I feel like I am back in college cramming for a final exam because I am search the interwebs for advice and words of wisdom. As my SIL would say you people in my computer are AWESOME! At least it kinda sounds like that. Anyways... Jason has been MIA (with the exception of this past weekend) going on 3 weeks. It can and is being done. By the end of next week I will be on a plane with the kids. We are joining him for his last week of training. It also happens to be the week of Thanksgiving. I am super thankful that he has found this awesome job which he loves. The beginning of this year started off REALLY bumpy and we haven't really recovered yet, but we are working on it... In other news (cuz I will totally try and post as much about TIPWT - ABM as possible so others may learn the errors of my ways. or perhaps rockin awesome ways.) The kids are hitting the sibling rivalry phase full force. And Abby is all about not doing what she is asked. Excuse me while I go sit on her to keep her in bed.

Abby's Summer of 2009

2009-09-01T14:49:00.004-04:00

It has been a long time since I have had a wee bit of time to plug out a post. This summer has been one of the worst I hope Abby ever has to endure. She has had a lot of sever trauma to her jaw/mouth/teeth, Strep throat, bowel problems, and lastly she has discovered that (as her favorite BNL song Allergies boasts) Allergies SUCK!

She found out on her brothers birthday just how much it can suck. Watching your child have an anaphylactic episode/reaction is one I hope no one has to ever witness. As an exEMT I still felt helpless because it was my daughter. Abby is now officially allergic to cats AND all tree nuts and will be "challenged" to a peanut and sesame seed test in the next few months. Luckily those two (the peanut and sesame seeds) were somewhat mild enough to have her tested in house with the item versus just a blood test. However she has to stay clear of pistacios and cashews at all costs as well as pecans, walnuts, and almonds...

I was really hoping that my kids could avoid food allergies all together. As my one food allergy didn't show up until I was in my 20's. But now it is "highly" likely that she will have this allergy for the rest f her life. Because of the results from two of the tree nuts tested. Personally I LOVE tree nuts and peanuts but I will be strong and SUCK IT UP for her.

Abby starts preschool in two weeks and I am getting excited for her. She loves reading and coloring and playing and all she needs now is better social skills - which I can't give her. So I am hoping she loves school as much as she has been leading on that she is. When we visited to sign her up she didn't want to leave. Which is a good sign. I hope that can be a good thing that ends all the crumby things that have happened to her this year. But don't get me wrong she has had lots of great things happen to her this year too, they just aren't nearly as interesting to write about.

Morgan Turns 1

2009-07-17T15:57:00.001-04:00

IMG_2694
Originally uploaded by gingerkohles

Holding him while I type this one handed.

Morgan today you can:

WALK, Climb up and down the stairs, point at what interests you, say yes, say no, dance, wave bye bye, give a high five when prompted, drink from a (Nuby) sippy cup, say UhOooh, and get into mischief.

And so much more and more to come.

HAPPY 1st Birthday!!!

Child Size Football Helmet Needed

2009-07-01T18:20:00.002-04:00

Ugh!

She just can't cut a break lately. Since the tooth extraction she has gotten Strep. A very constipated belly that needs 2 MONTHS of Miralax (now 6 weeks left). And now she has a dislocated jaw. Or so it may seem. The doctor was showing me the discrepancies between the left and right side. And telling me there was trauma that in 4 weeks time will heal if she eats soft foods for a Month.

Yesterday my aunt and I went to Target to get last minute items for her trip home. While there my cousin (who is six weeks younger than Abby) and she were chasing after a Red Balloon that only days before I blew up for her and Morgan to enjoy. He fell into her knocking her into a chair (at Grandma's House). The impact caused her frenulum to tear, a severely swollen upper lip, and bloody nose. And apparently a dislocated jaw. I just iced her lip seeing no damage and for the most part she ate and slept well. This morning however while attempting to eat her "Monkey O's" (Kix/Cheerios/Rice Krispies) she informed me that it hurt her teeth to eat and that she wanted to go to the doctor. She knows herself well enough that I only have to ask her if she is sure she needs to go, so I called them up and the rest is Abby's dental history.

She was a trooper again I must admit, but has been a bit whinier than before. . . mostly because of the pain from her jaw. But for the most part even though she hasn't had any meds . . . she hasn't said anything about the discomfort since the Doctors. The panoramic xray machine was AWESOME and Abby did a GREAT job standing perfectly still. Even this visits hygienist said she was VERY MATURE for her age. The doctor was great for even noticing that Abby was guarding her jaw. I sure as heck didn't see it, but am glad she had the know how to do her job competently. But I hope I don't see them again until November when the kids have their 6 month cleaning.

Morgan now has 7 teeth and is working on at least 1 more before his first birthday in 2 weeks! He is walking short distances unassisted. Unfortunately he isn't interested in anything but Cheerios, dried apple bits, and yogurt puffs, as well as whole milk. He isn't interested in soft things like bananas or meat sticks, small bits of ravioli, and so forth. . . they end up squished between his fingers and thrown on the floor or smeared in his hair and on his shirt. Morgan is a picky eater and I can't stand it! Other than that Morgan is jabbering and starting to respond to questions and is mumbling syllabic phrases. Like "You Did It!" which sounds like "OOoooo Deeed Eeeee" And "Ess" and "No". So I feel like I did ok raising him this past year as a stay at home mom. Even if I didn't do a lot of baby sign, and feed him from my breast, and carry him around and all that granola stuff. (No offense my granola friends. I commend you for being so firm in your beliefs.) I feel reaffirmed as a mom unlike what I felt with Abby until I started staying home with her. So yeah for me for not just spawning them but also being a proactive raiser of my kids as a stay-at-home mom. It certainly is going to be something I don't regret even if I was thrown into it without a parachute.

Now about the helmet...

One Tooth Less at 2 and 2 quarters!

2009-06-11T15:54:00.003-04:00

Last week Abby declared that she was 2 and 2 quarters. When she was told that I was going to go play poker with my friends. She wanted to go play poker with her friends, but daddy said she isn’t old enough. And she replied that she was old enough. And proudly declared that she was 2 and 2 quarters. This was two days after her tooth (that was destined to come out) was extracted.

In an effort to get healthy a lot of the mom’s that I am in a club with have attempted to meet up on some mornings and walk/jog with our kids. We prefer out doors, but sadly it was raining heavily and steadily on that fateful Friday. After half a lap of the local (indoor) mall Abby requested to get out and run along side of the stroller. She made it no further than 10 steps and pancaked onto the tiled floor. I saw her head bounce up, but was none the wiser that it did so much damage until I came up to her and saw the blood. And then the cracked tooth. Again. Side story time...

In September of 2007 just shy of 14 months old Abby had her first and until Friday only ER worthy illness/accident. While getting out of the tub she landed front teeth first on the edge of the tub after getting out of her bath. (The tub is still chipped to this day). Breaking/chipping her two front teeth. Only one of them took more of the blunt force and we had to get a crown on her tooth. Because the tooth broke just enough it was keepable. That was the only time she has ever had to be under anesthesia. And that is why all of her pictures from after that point have a prominent front tooth (crowns make your teeth a wee bit bigger). ...resume current story.

So right away I realized that we would need to go to her dentist and get emergency repairs. Then I saw her lip was split and being that I am not a doctor I took her to the ER were I spent $50 copay for them to tell me that she didn’t need them. At the dentist we were told that her tooth had to be extracted because of where it broke this time.

Through all of this Abby was responsive to all that I told her to do, did everything that the doctors/hygienists told her to do, and was lavished with balloons, toys, and stickers. I was so proud of my daughter that day. Because I doubt any mom of a 2 and 2 quarters (though she is actually more like 2 and 5/6ths) year old could say that their daughter didn’t panic and cry the whole day about their boo boos. I would like to think that I had something to do with that as I utilized my EMT skillz from long ago and kept my cool while juggling a ~1 year old and wounded ~3 year old. I got a napkin (from a fellow mom) to put on the lacerated lip and found ice to reduce the swelling. All before leaving the mall. (Thanks pretzel guy who gave us ice in one of your unused food prep gloves!) She was calm by the time we got on the road (because there is no way a toddler won’t cry when something like that happens to them). And she didn’t fuss over or poke at it the whole day. In fact in between the exam and the procedure she was “[wanting to go back] to the dentist so they can make my tooth better [by] brushing my teeth”. She had no idea what “extraction” meant.

After the "extraction" we told her of the tooth fairy. Upon trying to explain who/what the tooth fairy is. . . by saying that he/she brings you a treat and puts it under your pillow. My daughter thought that that meant food. Specifically “strawberries”. But was happy with the $1 gold coin. (Which she lost once and we found and then lost it again.) Such is the life of a toddler.

I am still beaming if you can’t tell at how well she did. The smile. I am still getting used to the new “look”.

To Have a 3rd or Not... That is the Question.

2009-06-03T09:20:00.001-04:00

I feel like I am being so nonchalant about this miscarriage. Kinda like a heartless bitch. But going from yes, to no, to yes, to a final no took a lot out of me emotionally. It is extraordinarily hard to put all that I went through into eloquent words. I have had over a week to come to terms with my miscarriage. I feel unresolved in whether I will actually try for any more children in the future. One thing I do know is that making that decision right now is not a good idea. But here is my list so far of Pros and Cons. . . Pros aren’t looking that persuasive right now are they?

Pros:
Another wonderful child in our lives
Another companion/friend/sibling for the kids

Cons:
Less money on hand for college fund, single family home, vacations, emergencies, etc.
Adult to Children ratio 2:3 which could be problematic
Pregnancy “Issues”
Having to lose the weight all over again
Sleep deprivation extended a few years
Diapers extended a few years
Less Mommy & Daddy “alone” time — including vacations on our own (which we haven’t ever really had)
More mouths to feed and bodies to take care of when they are sick

Obviously third children come only because the parents don’t care about the Cons or the third was an “Oops” — you decide.

Anyhow, I am still undecided. Does less money and less spare time beat out? Stay tuned because next year is the last year I am willing to go through any more pregnancies. And dear higher powers no more miscarriages! Although, maybe that was a sign? Food for thought.

I Wasn't Stressed Before

2009-05-14T10:15:00.005-04:00

This post contains TMI, but I have to get it off my back before it consumes me whole. I never claimed to be a very patient person, though I can be in certain situations, this situation is certainly not one of them.

Last Thursday after I got home from working out and realized that I was “late” by 3 or so days I peed on a stick and waited 2 minutes. The result was a faint line and an obvious line (which was the same result I got from my last pregnancy) — my first response was “Oh, Shit!” I am not prepared to have a third as I am still adjusting to two. I wasn’t even sure that I still want a third.

So, like last time, I called up my OB and requested to come in for a blood test. Unlike the last two pregnancies I was told they could not see me until Monday (that would be this past Monday and they usually take me the day I call). So I waited “patiently” all weekend, but shared with some friends and family that I was pregnant again. Having no doubts that I was or could be otherwise.

I was supposed to find out the results on Tuesday around 3pm. All day I was feeling anxious, crampy, and I noticed that I was “spotting”. This made me all the more anxious to know what the results were. Alas, after leaving a message at about 3pm by 6pm (when I had planned to go exercise) I had not heard from anyone. I contacted the doctor on call about my concerns and he said to call at 9am to find out my results and “take it easy” (so no exercise for me on Tuesday night).

As many of you know I have a predisposition for a “high blood clotting factor” so I had made an appointment with my hematologist for yesterday at 10am (assuming that I would have had the blood work results by Tuesday). So I called the OB’s office right at 9am and was told that my “count was low” for the number of weeks I claim to be (about 5-6 at this point). Right away my Mommy Spidy Senses were at 11 out of 10. You see I had come to accept my pregnancy in the short period of time and the “spotting” had got me all freaked out topped off with the “count was low” and I was really beginning to panic. Basically the OB was saying that it was highly likely that I was having a “chemical pregnancy” and not to worry that he didn’t think it was ectopic (thank god for that, not that I thought that that would be the case). So anyways they wanted a new blood draw and I just got the results.

By the way my result was a 25mIU/ml on Monday and a 35mIU/ml from Wednesday.

hCG levels in weeks from LMP (gestational age)* : * 3 weeks LMP: 5 - 50 mIU/ml * 4 weeks LMP: 5 - 426 mIU/ml --> my current ~week * 5 weeks LMP: 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml * 6 weeks LMP: 1,080 - 56,500 mIU/ml * 7 - 8 weeks LMP: 7, 650 - 229,000 mIU/ml * 9 - 12 weeks LMP: 25,700 - 288,000 mIU/ml * 13 - 16 weeks LMP: 13,300 - 254,000 mIU/ml * 17 - 24 weeks LMP: 4,060 - 165,400 mIU/ml * 25 - 40 weeks LMP: 3,640 - 117,000 mIU/ml * Non-pregnant females: <5.0 mIU/ml * Postmenopausal females: <9.5 mIU/ml From http://www.americanpregnancy.org/duringpregnancy/hcglevels.html.

So now I have to go in for blood work next week. Oh and that “spotting” it hasn’t stopped but neither has it gotten worse.

I am freaked the shit out right now. I thought I could be okay with not being pregnant, but the not knowing if I am or am not about to miscarry is putting me into an emotional state I would rather not be in at all. Am I pregnant and is the baby ok or NOT???

So I am going to do my very best to continue as usual. But any support on my 6 readers parts would be fantabu-frakin-licious!

GUR Day

2009-05-03T10:47:00.002-04:00

A few of you may know that I started working out this past week. Only 2 days so far, very intense hour long aerobics, but that is enough for now. I am committed to get in shape and get healthy. And will continue going until I feel capable of adding 3, then 4, and then 5 days. I have become my own motivator, but yesterday I participated in The Great Urban Race and think I may have found my bigger motivator.

As many of you know I LOVE the Amazing race. So when the opportunity presented itself recently to participate in something that was similar in nature I went for it.

Sadly they only gave us 5 hours (and I and my teammate completed it in 4.5 hours, but it took 40 min to get back to the finish line therefore we were "late") and instead of checking in late comers who worked their asses off, didn't quit, and got through the race, they left everyone hanging. I don't see why they created that rule. It is a de-motivator for some who paid to enter the race, and yes they were not in the top finishers, but they put forth the effort and deserve recognition for the effort. I mean I really wanted to know if we got everything correct and what our time actually was. It was very disappointing to say the least that we were not given that chance.

Additionally I found one called High Trek Adventure and Urban Dare and I have every intention of trying GUR again. I just need to get in shape and healthy quickly. To get from point A to point B and so forth. Faster and in time. And so finally! FINALLY!!! I have found my motivator!!!

Just as a side note. Back in December or there abouts I told Jason that I wanted a scavenger hunt type 30th Birthday Party. Because since I can remember I have always wanted to have one. And with the Amazing Race and Geo caching out there I know that it is possible and that would be AWESOME!

They say admission is the first step right?

2009-04-27T08:39:00.003-04:00

I am *gulp* extremely overweight and not just a little bit. A Lot! I need help and someone who is willing to kick my @$$ if I should say "not today". But alas I havn't quite figured out how to cope with having the kids around while I do it... additionally I feel like I could benefit from a personal trainer, but I don't have the money that is necessary to obtain one.

I have weight goals . . . but really I just need to get healthy. Getting winded going up and down a few flights of stairs sucks and I want it to end. I just haven't found THE motivator.

My eye opener is that I can't stand what I look like in photographs. And that is not like me. I don[t generally care. But lately I do. Also, clothes that I wore 3 years ago don't fit. . . and I was big then! I have known all of this the whole time but I am hoping that admission will be my first step towards "recovery" of my healthy self.

So whose willing to drag me nay help me get motivated?

Abby, Uncle Brian, and Fortune Cookies

2009-03-15T20:43:00.006-04:00

The other day, as we were getting ready to go out, I had this conversation with Abby:

Abby: "This is Abby's jacket. Uncle Brian got it for me."
Me: "Uncle Brian is going to come visit us in a couple of weeks you know."
Abby: "NO!"
Me: "You don't want Uncle Brian to visit?"
Abby: "NO! I want him to STAY!"

It was terribly cute. It's also terribly cute that when she says "Uncle Brian" it sounds like "Monkey Brian."

Also, Abby recently had her first fortune cookie. It said "Have a vision. Be demanding." She's taken it to heart (at least the demanding part).

My Sanity Can't Take Much More

2009-02-26T18:38:00.002-05:00

Lately our lives have been a total suck•tastic•fest. Jason’s layoff may be a total godsend because hey he may get a job that pays him more and put my mind at ease... that is if he gets one before we are broke. And that would be by April. Yup. April. We have no savings and no income. And thank god we got our huge ass tax return or April would have been March. And all my loved ones are like you will be ok things will work out and I am like yeah I know. But really? No. I. Don’t.

And then Morgan started showing signs of teething the other day so his fussiness was blown off until I felt just how warm he was and I was like FUCK! I took his temp and it was 103.8! And panic struck. We have no health insurance. None. So I called the Pediatricians office and I talked to a nurse. She was like bring him in we can work something out for payment. And because I love my son and was concerned I took him in. And the whole time I was torn. My son means the world to me and I was like please don’t let it be something bad. But additionally I was like SHIT how am I going to pay for this? The Doc was awesome. Sweet, Kind, and Understanding. She took a swab from his nose and went to do a test to make sure it wasn’t the Flu or RSV (or something). And of course in the 15 min it takes for results I was like breath in breath out. Stay calm. You can get through this.

The Doc came back in and said that both tests were negative. His nose, ears, and throat were all fine and that he most likely had a virus. That is when I reminded her that we had no insurance and she was like “oh that’s right, the nurses told me”. And that’s when she was like your children’s health is very important and we don’t want you not coming to us when something is wrong so... We aren’t going to charge you for the visit.

I about passed out.

Thank you so much! Butttt she said if you come in and we have to do something like an outgoing lab that costs us money then we will hold you liable for the cost of the procedure. Ummm. Yeah. Ok.

Inside I am doing summersaults Ally McBeal style. And shouting AWESOME! And giving the Doc hugs while flinging her around in circles.

So life isn’t a total suck•fest, but I am still freaking worried about the imminent $0.00 to our name. And living in *GULP* my parents house. No offense mom (& dad).

And it has been nice to have Jason around, but for god sake someone hire him! Now!

The Bunnies Are Doomed!

2009-02-18T22:02:00.003-05:00

I have not had much to post about lately. For all my boasting about my kiddos and all I can't keep my mind off the fact that we have no income right now. None. And though the kids are doing well and oblivious to our plight I can't seem to come up with cheerful awesometastic news. We are in a rut. But...

As a distracting method I have launched my freelance company and its' site which I also designed. I am very proud of it and hope that I can market myself successfully. I am not very good at those things. But heck I can give it the good ole' college try. Right? One Shoe Off Design Studio.

So tonight I met with a prospective client and all went well. I just need to write up a contract... which I have never done. Ever. I think I will use an invoice style form with an itemization cost breakdown. This is the stuff I hate about business. All I want to do is the work and get paid... someone else can do the ~~monkey~~paperwork. *sigh*

So I am not pooping out bunnies and rainbows, but at least this post wasn't all doom and gloom like I currently feel inside. I am totally unable to be over-the-top that I have more than 2 clients right now. Time will come when I don't need to worry like I am, but I sure as hell wish I knew when!

Girls Weekend

2009-01-25T17:28:00.001-05:00

Red Sunglasses
Originally uploaded by gingerkohles

Last night I met up with long lost friends from way back in my childhood. It was the first "girls night out" that I had had in so long that I am just guess that it was last summer.

We had a great time. And are planning to meet up again before we have grandkids. I rolled into bed at 1 and was up again every hour with a fussy baby. By 6 I nudged Jason and croaked "help" and he did. What a guy. By 8:30 I was up and getting Abby out the door for our day together.

We called up Rachel for a rain check from last weekend shortly after breakfast with Pop Pop and Grandma. She joined us for our first ever visit to Build-A-Bear. Abby picked the Pink Monkey and named him "Pink". LOL. We played in the Loony Toons Train area and then grabbed lunch.

And to wrap it all up we are here at my folks and Donna and Elizabeth have come to visit!

I have had the BEST weekend in a long long long time — but I am exhausted (in a good way)!

2 Posts in One Month?

2009-01-21T13:51:00.001-05:00

The Many Faces of Morgan 18
Originally uploaded by gingerkohles

Morgan is sooooo expressive with his eyes and mouth! I think he may get the acting bug like his grandpa (only time will tell). Click on the picture to go check out the tons of recently uploaded pictures of both the kids. We even have a bunch loaded from Abby's most recent experience at The Little Gym.

Briefly, (because everyone is doing it, so why shouldn't I?) I just wanted to talk about how I was glued to the TV yesterday. This was the first time I wasn't working (in an office) on inauguration day since I watched the Clinton's take the office (and even then I wasn't working because I was school age at that time).

I am so inspired by the new President and his family. They ooze optimism and hope. You could see the love in their eyes and their body language for their family. Also, President Obama's sincere wish that this next few years will be a redesign of America — for the better. I am looking forward to the weekly VLOG updates on whitehouse.gov (if he can stick to them) and additionally the Blog.

For the first time in years I am seriously interested in the politics of out nation and the outcome of our country. I desperately want the US to be respected by other countries because of our values and freedoms. I feel very strongly that President Obama has a very hard road ahead and that he has many challenges to overcome before he can get to his agenda, but I am looking forward to being here to watch his successes and be supportive when he fails. All humans fail and make mistakes after all he is only human.

But enough of my blubbering go check out how Morgan and Abby are growing! :)

Life on a Roller Coaster

2009-01-16T16:27:00.002-05:00

This week has been challenging to the extreme. At the same time the kids are growing and learning in LEAPS and BOUNDS.

GOOD NEWS: Morgan has TWO teeth! Both of his lower front teeth decided to grace us with their presence on Monday (1/12/09). Morgan is sitting up without support for long periods of time. And he is an EATING MACHINE! I am totally in trouble when he hits puberty. He is on Stage 2 (of 3) eating solids. We haven't introduced puffs or other chewable foods yet, but I feel that it is only a matter of months and we will have a crawling baby. Right now he successfully rolls onto his tummy and seems to be okay with chilling there for extended periods of time. He hasn't quite figured out how to roll back onto his back, but I see that happening very soon. Morgan's 6 month check up is this upcoming Tuesday where I expect all of his measurements will be in the 75%-100% on the growth charts. He is HUGE! I would guesstimate his height at about 30-31 inches and his weight at about 20-21 pounds. I have no clue where his HC will be at this point. He is still on special formula, but significantly less now with the solid foods. I plan to talk to the Doc about the lactose issue and see what they think we should do next.

Abby is LOVING BOOKS. We go to the library almost every week to every other week and get about 5-25 books. Of which we (and by we I mean Jason most of the time) read her 5-7 books a night before bed. She also loves in no particular order: Legos/Building, Playdoh, Drawing, Card games (GO FISH, Matching, & Complete the Picture), Taking Pictures, Dancing/Tumbling. The newest hurdle is POTTY TRAINING. I have had it with changing her when she occasionally goes potty. So now I am making it my goal to have a fully potty trained toddler by February! Here is to trying. I found the best bribe is CHOCOLATE MILK! If she doesn't go 1 & 2 on the potty NO CHOCOLATE MILK! And Oh My God has that been working!!! Well today was my first real day of putting this method into action. Our previous attempts have been unsuccessful and just as impromptu.

And everyone has been in good health even the kids. This is all good as the BAD NEWS: Jason was laid off on Monday. So my Potty Training should save us a little money on groceries (while not the laundry — water bill — for now). And not being sick means not having health insurance in 3 weeks will hopefully not hurt us. Though I certainly am trying to think positive and believe that Jason will have found a new job at a stable location where he is making a little more thereby allowing us to be able to put money aside versus living paycheck to paycheck as we have been since last May.

I love roller coasters, but I don't like the idea of living on one. Here is to hoping that Abby can successfully achieve BIG GIRL status ASAP!

Christmas with a Toddler — '08

2008-12-26T18:04:00.001-05:00

Ahhh She GOT Me!
Originally uploaded by gingerkohles

Traditionally (for 25+ years) we (my family) save up milk cartons (for a few months — starting Labor Day usually) and then make them into luminaries. We light them on Christmas Eve and if we can Christmas night. I have only been able to do this with my parents house for the past few years. Once we have a SFH, however; whenever that will be, I plan on trying to get the neighborhood to partake. It looks really neat, is fun for kids, and is recyclable.

Other traditions are to go look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. And to give the kids and us an ornament every year.

Abby had present sensory overload on Christmas Day. She got lots of gifts. And claimed ALL of Morgan's (as any Toddler should for their younger sibling). They all made quite the haul in gifts. Abby, sadly and too all of our frustration, only got a 20 minute nap the whole day. And they now seem to have colds.

Check out the pictures. And Happy Holidays!

Morgan Time

2008-12-11T08:04:00.001-05:00

As I sit here watching Morgan play, while Abby and Jason are still snuggled in their beds, I am torn between envy and guilty pleasure. Envy because I am so tired—I feel even more tired than usual from my short-lived single motherhood experience. The guilty pleasure is that I get to have time with just Morgan and see how much he has grown. He woke up today after sleeping a whole 10 hours, which he has done once or twice before, but woke up chatting. He has not chatted before when waking up he is usually screaming and crying. I desperately wanted him to fall back to sleep so that I too could grab another hour or two, but I saw just how happy he was to be awake. I put him in the exersaucer and he is SO alert! He is flipping the pages of the little book and spinning himself around while jabbering away. It’s time where his big sister is not trying to detract attention onto herself and he gets to shine all on his own.

But you can tell that he adores his big sis. Yesterday proved it to me the way nothing else could while at Grandma and Grandpops house. Morgan and Abby had a “Jump-A-Thon”. Abby pulled out the jumping Tigger and Morgan (sitting in his jumper), who had been watching her intently, started to bounce when he saw his big sis jumping. This tickled Abby to know end. She started exclaiming “JUMP MORGAN JUMP!” and “JUMPIN YAY MORGAN YAY!” like the big ~~little dictator she is~~ sis she is when he would stop she would demand that he do it again. It was such a fun sight to behold alas I didn’t have my camera at the time or I would have added the video footage.

It was the first moment that I saw where he was reacting (mimicking) someone’s actions. Abby thought it was because he was doing what she told him to do.

Well now it is time to soak up baby and me time while it lasts.

Look Ma, I'm Standing!

2008-11-16T20:18:00.001-05:00

Look Ma, I'm Standing!
Originally uploaded by gingerkohles

I am so proud, yet at the same time I am hoping he will be more encouraged to sit and crawl.

But YAY for transitions! Does anyone else like his Elvis imitation?

Dude I Gotta Get Me One Of Those!

2008-11-15T15:28:00.002-05:00

So I have been doing some thinking. I need to obtain my "own" blog. Where I post about all the same stuff, but I am not putting it on my "family" page. Ya know if that makes any sense. But also so that I can start making money for being a Stay-At-Home-Mom. I mean I could have ads and stuff on the blog which seems to be on ALL of the blogs that I read. I would need to have a cool catch phrase name. Any Suggestions? And if I actually had any writing skillz I would, but mostly perhaps, I could just post pics, or vlogs, or have my 2 year old daughter write them. Hummmm. Putting the college degree to good use. Except that I am incredibly lazy. So we will see. Food for thought.

It All Began With Two Harmless Letters In the Middle of the Alphabet

2008-11-12T15:07:00.004-05:00

I never seem to write about the good times with Abby anymore. Today I am overwhelmed by child induced stress. I lost my patience somewhere on Route 7 between the "I WANT {insert any item here}" and "Waaah! Waaaaaah!!!" (So if you find it please return ASAP as it is a necessary evil to not lose my S#!& with my kids. Thanks in advance.)

So of course I want to pepper this blog with how angry I am at my kids and most especially myself. I don't get a break not even a two day weekend away from my job. And the impact that has had on my nerves is becoming earth shatteringly clear. I was not cut out to stay-at-home with small children (especially my own). I didn't have siblings so it is hard for me to relate to Abby's sudden interest in being the biggest hellion that there ever was. Don't get me wrong she has some pretty good manners 90% of the time. But as the months go on she has started to locate my "piss the frick out of mommy" buttons.

It all began with the most devious horrible word ever, just two little letters that when repeated enough times snaps on my "I want to throttle you with your own arms" button: "NO!" I especially dislike it when it is paired with "Mommy".

I am bone weary tired lately. Every morning I feel like I wake up and get no "me" time to prepare and arm myself for the battles of the day. And whenever I get to take some "me" time it never seems like enough. The lack of sufficient sleep is most definitely to blame. And I am to blame for that, but I am stuck in a catch 22. I want to have me time which is after the kids are asleep which is about 8:30ish and so I stay up until almost 11 or later. And then I am up from anywhere in the 3:45-6:45 hours to feed Morgan and then hopefully get to crawl back in to bed for a few more hours of much needed sleep.

Today goes down in the books as a day that should have never been. It started like most mornings that I have had since Morgan was born, but somewhere along the way I got bitch slapped by the letters "N and O".

How do you get a toddler to listen to you when you say "Come here Please." and then actually do it? I would really like to know, because today I had an EPIC FAIL when it came to getting Abby to do anything I asked or demanded of her. And our head butting tension trickled down to Morgan.

I finally won the battle of Nap Time with brute force (don't worry no duct tape was used nor did I sit on her, but both were very tempting) and a whole lot of will power. And she cried herself to sleep (sort of). But, I don't want it to be that way. And for the most part it isn't . . . this week however I seem to have hit the Freakin Mother Load of the Terrible Twos.

The Photo Album Conundrum

2008-11-08T16:45:00.002-05:00

So everyone knows all about how your first child has tons of photos taken of them and the second fewer and so on, right? Ok, so not so much with us. It turns out that from January-May we don't take pictures. So there are huge chunks of time with nothing to commemorate. We have lots of pictures on our phones, but is that the same? would those pictures actually come out looking decent?

I only bring this up because the year Abby was born we gave everyone a Abilicious Calendar and then it was such a hit last year is was Abidoodle (a name I call my daughter, don't ask why as I can't remember its orgin). Well this year Morgan arrived and for the better part of the beginning of the year I was working and we didn't do a lot that really was photo-worthy. And well with Morgan, our second, we haven't taken all that many photos. There was a boom at the end of October with the borrowing of Uncle Brian's AWESOME (spare) Nikon. And I plan on continuing to use it with the kids until he claims it again.

But I need to put this calendar together soon (as it is the only gift our family is getting this year with our income downsized and printer to delivery to redelivery times) I want to get them together so that we can send them out by Christmas. Which means in the next 2-3 weeks to the printers. So this means minimal Morgan pictures this year and a pretty generic name for this years calendar.

P.S. UB: Am LOVING the camera will load more pics by mid next week!

Siblings and Their Rivalries

2008-11-07T14:17:00.003-05:00

Abby has been in rare form these past two days. Sibling rivalry has reared it's ugly ferocious booger-picking head.

As Morgan gets more and more attention for "talking" and becoming more mobile Abby is getting more and more jealous. I try my best to put Morgan down, once he has been fed, in places were he can explore and I can devote some attention to Abby. But while he is getting fed I have to hold him and the bottle, which leaves one hand free if I can get in the right position. But generally for 20 min I can not give her undivided attention.

Where is the happy medium? I don't want to encourage the rivalry because I LOVE them BOTH equally. But I never had siblings and therefore never had to fight/compete for the attention. I know what she is feeling is normal, but my gravy she is driving me bonkers!

She is still a sweetheart and uses "thank you" and "please" has a few problems "listening" but overall is a normal toddler doing normal toddler things. Additionally, because it is getting colder out I have avoided my usual choice of the park as Morgan's system is not ready to be in the cold for an hour or more even when he is strapped to me. I chose to go to the library to get books (which Abby LOVES) but that doesn't get all her toddler energy out. Ideas anyone?

Also I want to do crafts with her — anyone have any good links to seasonal crafts that toddlers can take part in? I can only take so much finger painting and play doh.

This is What I Think About THAT!

2008-11-06T10:46:00.002-05:00

As this is a family oriented blog (my family's in particular) I am putting a lot of warning to the younger readers at the beginning of this post. Additionally to anyone whom may read this and not know that I support the rights of all women & men to have inalienable rights freedoms no man or woman should have taken from them. Freedom of Religion, Speech, the right to bear arms, the right to Marry whomever you so choose and so forth!

I follow a blog: http://www.diaryofamodernmatriarch.com/ and her most recent posts have been about the Prop 8 outcome. She linked to http://swistle.blogspot.com/2008/11/middle-finger-warning.html who linked to http://www.eatingoutloud.com/prop-8.

I have never met these people in person but I have a lot of respect for their bravado and so I have included my photo here. I will not apologize for it's offensiveness and if you have a problem with it then I suggest that you no longer read this blog as that is your human right.

I don't generally have a definitive point of view on many things, but on this I am certain. It is not your place to tell me or anyone else that I am or am not able to marry whomever I choose.

On this issue I have a strong opinion as I know many gay people to whom I believe should have the same rights as everyone else. This is for my Aunt Ruth (d. ~1994), My Uncle Jim (d. ~1992), and all my other friends and family members that no longer have a voice in this matter!

With All My Love! Ginger

The Day Before. . .

2008-11-03T14:28:00.002-05:00

By late tomorrow night the USA's voters will have decided who they want to take over in January 2009. But what will happen in those 2 months between now and then? And then will the winner actually live up to all of their promises? Will they be able to actually get to do what they wanted or will the "cleanup" from the current President take upwards of 4 years to recover from before than can get to the nitty gritty? All these questions and more will be answered. . . eventually.

Pains in the Neck (and Butt)

2008-10-29T13:20:00.003-04:00

As some of you readers may know I was in a vehicle accident back in March of 2001. Where I obtained an eye injury (that luckily recovered quickly). Lets just say that the year 2001 was one of the worst years of my life as well as many other lives I have no doubt. I began blogging in the early part of 2002 to help get me over some of what happened in 2001. Having had numerous posts and blogs which have since been deleted. This blog is the longest standing account next to my LiveJournal account. But I digress.

Starting in December that car accident started its post effects on my spine. And as I would get more stressed (which a final year at college can do to just about any/everyone) I started being in large amounts of pain in my neck and shoulders constantly.

Over the past 6-7 years these neck pains have been coming back at the worst possible times. When I am stressed. So then I become stressed and in tremendous amounts of pain. Last year I went to the ER because of it and was diagnosed with Radiculopthy. So I have been seeing a chiropractor on and off in that time usually when the pain is at its worst. back in Jan/Feb of this year I called up my usual suspect and it turned out when I went in for the appointment that he was selling his practice and I didn't actually get to see him for my last visit, but instead the new guy. Well I gave him the benefit of the doubt and tried him out. Boy did he F up my back (mind you I was 4 or so months pregnant at the time). Shortly after that visit my hips which (he "adjusted") started to experience massive amounts of pain as well as my neck which got worse! So needless to say my neck pain dissipated and the hip pain just got worse, but I lived through it. I was not comfortable going to see a new chiropractor at that point for fear they would also screw up my back.

So now 3+ months postpartum with the neck pain and hip pain rearing its ugliness on my spine once more I did a little shout out on my Facebook account, took a suggestion, and ran with it. And thank goodness I did.

This week I started seeing the new Doctor and have a positive outlook (I know me, right?) and think that he will be able to help me get back to a healthier me.

I have been trying to give up sweets this past week (last year around this time I gave up sodas and other carbonated beverages which has pretty successfully stuck) but have not been able to control the urges. So I will keep working on it and hopefully get to the point of adding exercise on a serious scale AND additionally controlling my food intake better as well. I used to be a member of TOPS but it was recommended by a few people that I try Weight Watchers as it is more regimented. Technically I would prefer to do this on my own as it will become a lifestyle change that I intend to keep doing for longer than I would care to be a part of a weight loss program. So I am slowly rebuilding the motivation that I had back in 2002 &2003 where I went from 220ish to 180ish. I just need it to get here sooner rather than later.