its been a while...

well, we made it this far! :) we had calebs first bloody trip tot he ER on Saturday. we were out to dinner and waiting outside to be seated. caleb was running with his friend john when he turned around to run away and ran smack into a metal rail/post thing (like for an outside dining area at a restaurant). i didnt see it happen, but my mom said he bounced off the pole and landed flat on his back. all *I* saw was my dad walking VERY fast with one arm around calebs waist and the opther cupped under his chin. i ran up to my dad (now at the hostess desk just inside the restaurant) where he was asking for towels or wet washcloths (the bar was right there, so he had some quick) and i saw my dads hand overflowing with blood, and blood pooling in calebs mouth, running down his face, over his eyes and nose... and down the front of his shirt (from my dads hand). i said "OH SHIT!" and grabbed caleb while my dad took the washcloth to get rid of the blood in his hand and i pressed one to his forehead. after a few minutes we had him somewhat cleaned up and i could tell it wasnt a BAD cut. we put a bandaid on it and took our seats. caleb seemed okay with a balloon and some juice. *whew*

and then he started shivering/shaking saying he was "too cold" so i said "forget it - we're going." and we headed to the ER. seriously? quickest ER visit EVER. the accident happened at about 6:00. we were at the ER by 6:35ish, and i was checking out at 7:20! they took us right in, the nurse practitioner came over, asked what happened, looked at it, decided on glue.. then caleb ate fruit snacks and went to the bathroom and they glued him up! he was. not. happy. about being held down, but he got a sucker (and about 3042 stickers from all the nurses!) and then papa took him outside to breathe and be away from the doctors... and thats when i melted down a little - water works and everything. i held it together until then! :)

but anyway - he's glued shut. and he ate a VERY good dinner (since we missed it) and has pretty much forgotten anything happened. he's on motrin, and thats it. *whew*

here he is when we got to the ER (bandaid compliments of the restaurant ) - that was his second bandaid, he bled through the first one :( you can see the dried blood smears on his cheeks, chin and neck :(

and after - playing a video game in the ER waiting room with papa. you can see how small the cut is... hey put two steri-strips on, then the glue on top of the strips. those suckers arent going anywhere! :)




p.s. people always say heads bleed real bad - but DUDE. ive never seen anything like that, it was EVERYWHERE. my dads shirt, my sweater, calebs jacket, pants and shoes.


-- Post From My iPhone

waa hoo!

gap casting :) vote for caleb!

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/amyrca/

hey... it cant hurt, right??

im bad, arent i?

oh man... i havent updated since BEFORE his birthday?! yikes! im awful! i've bene updating my year in pictures blog every day, so i guess i dont think about this one too much. i need to get better about that.

well - the cast came off, you know that much from the last post :) his birthday was the next day, and we had a great time! we pretty much hung around and got pictures taken, then had his BIG HUGE PARTY the day after. the party went off without a hitch, and im pretty sure my toddler ate his weight in pizza and cupcakes. looooooooooordy.

speaking of his weight - the dude is a TRUCK. :) at his 2 year check up he was a hair over 31lbs and 36" tall. he stepped on my scale at home about a week ago and it put him at 33lbs!! i really dont think he put on 2lbs in a month, but... i dont know because like i said, he'd been eating like a teenager! so who knows? :) either way - he's heavy enough that no one wants to carry him any more LOL

he's also big enough to go potty on the big boy potty, wear underpants, climb into his car seat and buckle the chest clip without help, drink from a "big boy" cup when he wants to, eat a slice of pizza without mommy cutting it up, dunk his head under the water all the way (in the pool, bath, whatever), run run RUN, say "don't bug me" and "where papa go?" and "red means STOP! green means GO! yellow means SLOW DOWN!" (of course that sounds more like "way mean TOP! mean mean DO! yayyo mean DO DUN!" but hey... we're working on it.

work is work. i got a bit of OT this last week so that'll make my paycheck pretty. :) im addicted to crap TV like "true blood", "so you think you can dance" (new season starts soon!) and "kathy griffin: my life on the D list".... and of course, "NYC prep". im not proud. :D

i'll throw some pics in here too, for good measure. :)

the best slide - it goes "bump bump bump"



big boy underpants!!


his birthday party :)


peeling an orange by himself in his underpants. woot! (those are toddler butter knives... they dont cut anything, trust me.)


the morning of his actual birthday - thats his new train table and tain set!!

it's off!!

we got the cast removed tonight! :) he did so good... such a brave boy! he only cried a little but about halfway through the removal. as soon as it was off HD cried again when hd bent his knee - it had to have been stiff! but about 3 minutes later when we were waiting for x-rays, he was already walking around and trying it out :$

all in all, the 2 weeks went pretty fast! and tomorrow is his birthday... WOW!!

two years ago today I was in the hospital getting induced. in fact, at 10:00p (now) I sent my parents and my "cheer team" home to get some sleep... only to call them back a few hours later! :)

so birthday tomorrow - we are getting his 2y pictures in the morning then we'll probably go to the zoo or something :) and the party is on Saturday. *whew*. can't wait!!!


-- Post From My iPhone

*sigh*

well... the pediatrician saw one small fracture and the orthopedist saw TWO small fractures (as caleb climbed over the back of the chair and tried to jump off the exam table)... so he gets to wear a cast for 2 weeks - it comes off the day before his birthday! :)

seriously - this boggles the mind. i wouldnt believe it if they didnt point out the two small (very small) "cracks" which actually looked like shadows. they said one was older than the other, and they were both about half healed - but to make sure he didnt hurt himself more with all the running and jumping he was doing (since the bones would be weaker in those two spots for a while) they put him in a cast to stabilize the leg and let those areas heal 100% before he starts jumping again.

the ortho was laughing as we went to the casting room because caleb would walk a few steps then stop and go "JUMP!" and jump with both feet. then run and stop and "JUMP!" again. he looked at caleb and went "broken leg, huh?" :) crazy!

the good news is that he got his cast at around 2:00p and by 6:00p (after a nap and bike ride) he was walking on it! today he was walking as fast as he could at the zoo - he cant quite get to a "run" because his leg doesnt bend, but he can walk SUPER fast! and he can climb the ladder and stairs at the park *sigh* and slide down the slide by himself. i swear - even a cast cant slow him down (not much, anyway!)

here are some pictures - just recent ones, and then some of the cast. :)

being brave getting his cast:




you guys will appreciate this one - caleb found his box... the box that i put all of his "things" in (my OPKs, HPTs, vials, hospital bracelet, my appt reminder cards... all the stuff mommies save forever LOL) and he picked up one of the vials and said "MINE!" ooooooooh boy... you have no idea. :)


the crowded crib. this was one of those nights where he has to have everything in there with him. happens every few months LOL so he gets everythign in his crib, then shoves it down on one end and sleeps on the other *sigh*


a genuine smile :)

whoa!

wow... ive been a slacker. no new posts since APRIL?? im sorry!

i wish i could say we've been busy and all that, but really... just day to day stuff adds up. blah. nothing major to report. caleb is talking more and more (i was counting his words, but stopped at 75, thats more than enough!) and putting words together, "no, MINE sadie!", "that way, papa!" LOL he's growing like a weed... at the doctors this week the scale kept bouncing between 30.8lbs and 31lbs. im going to say 31 because DANG, he feels like it. and he's tall enough to conk his head on the cutting board 2 or 3 times a week (however tall THAT is)

we had a little excitement this week - he's been limping (and "great" mommy that i am, thought he was faking... because he's wiley like that) so after a few days i took him to the doctor. keep in mind, that WHILE limping he was running around like a... well, like a 2 year old... and jumping off the couch and climbing on the patio furniture (in other words, not slowing down at all). so our wonderful pediatrician took an x-ray and said she didnt see a fracture, but to come back in a week and do another because sometimes, in kids this young, the fracture wont show till it starts to heal :( so if he's still limping this weekend we're going back monday and if they see a fracture on the second x-ray he'll get a cast. UGH!

if he acted like he was in any pain - if he stopped running or jumping or climbing - id be more worried. but its hard to think that he may have a hairline fracture when you see him take a running leap off the deck into the grass, know what i mean?

what else? well... work is still work. nothing new there. no contract, no strike. blah blah blah. there have been some changes that all the peons (um, me and my coworkers) think are absolute crap, but the suits (um, the people who have NO IDEA what we do) think are brilliant. yeah, we'll see who is right. :)

we're getting ready for his birthday. how is it possible that he's going to be TWO?! when did that happen? i swear, just yesterday i was pregnant, right? seriously you guys, dont blink. :) *sigh* so for his party we're just going to the park to play play PLAY, then have cupcakes and pizza. really low key :) unless he has a cast... in which case, i dont know what we'll do :( the park will be out, so... argh, who knows? pray he wont have a cast though!

thats about it. nothing major to report. if there was, i would have updated, promise! its time for bed now. *yawn* man, im getting old.

yay!!

the american academy of pediatricians is finally on board!!

http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/12-a

yay! :) its nice to see something "official". at 21 months, 28lbs and 34.5 inches, caleb is still rear facing and loving it. :)

ugh

lots of work crap going on... as well as a possible strike :( caleb is doing amazing - he's talking a lit more now and getting TALL! :)

I'll update more on the work thing when I can... but please cross your fingers or pray for no strike!


-- Post From My iPhone

back by demand!

pictures!! these are all from my phone, so if the quality isn't great, that's why! :). he's getting SO big, where'd my baby go?? I post pics daily (mostly of caleb LOL) on my year in pictures journal - linked on the right :)

mid-word at starbucks. I'm always interrupting with the camera! LOL

he got a new backpack today!




checking out the flowers :)




-- Post From My iPhone

long time...

wow! i havent updated in a while :) not a whole lot is going on really... just enjoying life with a 20 month old. it kinda freaks me out to know that in 4 months he'll be two. TWO!! how on earth did that happen?!?!?!

his vocabulary is groing every single day :) some phrases he says now that i LOVE are "oh man!" and "i did it!". :) he also FINALLY said "mommy" about a month ago. for whatever reason, he was laggin on that. now i hear it all day, "mommy? mommy? moooooommmmmmyyyyyyy!" he also says: outside, sadie, bee, papa, nama (grandma), no, yeah, yes, uh oh, milk (sounds more like moss), dinah, sarah, katie (his favorite), jason (sometimes), bus (everything big with wheels is a bus), whoa, wow, this, come on, pee pee, potty, poop. :) im sure there are more, but its early in the day and those are the ones i remember right now.

he went through what i assume was his 18 month sleep regression, but he did it last week. can i just tell you how un-fun that was? it sucked. a lot. but it seems that the bad part is over and ive stopped complainig about it. :) but im not giving details - that always seems to jinx me!! he's doing fine, we'll leave it at that!

he's also working on his bottom 2 eye teeth! which is rough. :( his gums have been swollen and "mushy" for the last few days and he wont take his fingers out of his mouth. poor kid! i hope they break through soon! he has 14 teeth right now - 8 top and bottom "front" teeth, 2 top eye teeth, and all 4 one year molars :) i have a funny feeling he'll finally get these bottom eye teeth and the 2 year molar will be right behind them. lovely!

as for me - we're still waiting on news from my work about a possible strike. negotiations have started - which is good! the contract is up in april, so my guess is we wont hear until then if we're going to strike. this is a BIG contract year, so its really a 50/50 shot. which scares the pants off of me... but i know theres nothing i can do to change it. so im hoping and praying that the union and the company can come to an agreement...

other than that, theres not a lot going on. or well, theres TONS going on (i have a toddler, after all!) but its all just so "normal" now. :)

i hope everyone is doing well and i DO keep up with the other blogs i read, i just dont comment much because im lame. :) *hugs* happy almost st. patricks day!

true love

for valentines day, I got a ring LOL dove chocolate, how I love thee!!

can you tell I'm bored at work? caleb is out with grandma and grandpa checking out the lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) and I'm stuck under crappy lighting :) LOL


-- Post From My iPhone

he pooped in the potty!!

okay. this is going to be TMI for a lot of people. im warning you now - the subjuect of the post says it all. if you dont want to read in detail about the content of the subject line... stop reading now.



still reading???




!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now, i dont for a second think this means he'll be potty trained soon, and i do think this is a fluke. but HE DID IT!! we were reading his bedtime story and he stood up to get another book (we go through several books. imagine that.) and he gave me the "pooping" grunt, and grabbed his diaper/butt. i asked, "are you going potty?" and he said, "yes."

keep in mind, pretty much anything i ask he replies, "yes" so i wasnt convinced.

so i said, "okay. you need to go sit on the potty" ive been trying to get him familiar with the potty so he'll sit on it every now and then fully clothed. SO. he walks into the bathroom and sits on the potty in his PJs, then really gives a good grunt. he was actually pooping!

i knew id have to change his diaper anyway, so i stripped off the PJs and took the (now poopy) diaper off. he sat on the little poty and peed. yay!!!

we made a big happy deal about it and cleaned his bottom. then he went into the hall and peed a little pn the carpet. the little potty had poop on it so i grabbed the toilet ring thing and sat him on it. he peed a little more (yay!) and i said, "do you have to poop?" and he, of course, said "yes!"

this is where i lost my head a bit. i said, "caleb, you gotta push the poopy out." and i grunted and pretended to try to poop. he imitated me and grabbed his belly and PLOP PLOP PLOP!! he pooped! i was shocked! i asked if he was all done and he said "more".

so i told him to push his poopy out and he did. he seriously did like, an adult sized poop. he hasnt had a poopy diaper since yesterday, so i knew a big one was brewing. he TOTALLY pooped, then said "all done!" and tried to climb off. i wiped his butt - WAY better then cleaning up after a poopy diaper - and he flushed he toilet while saying, "bye bye!" to the poopy. he was SO excited! :)

i can hardly believe it. and like i said, its probably a fluke, but i can promise that when he starts grunting at home, i'm putting him on the potty and we're going to work on it!

waa hoo!!!

video!

my boy genius doing his puzzles :)

better :)

ok, I like my job again! :) my mom is doing the breast cancer 3 day again this year and I can hardly wait! we had so much fun walking with her and cheering everyone on!

I went to target this weekend because I heard a rumor that toys were 75% off. I didn't believe it but they were!! I got 3 birthday gifts that were originally $29 marked down to $20... which is cool, right? I got them for $7.50!!!!! dude. the birthdays aren't until march, June and august, but I'm ready!! LOL

that's all... my break is over.


-- Post From My iPhone AKA i'm a geek

babies.

not the cute and cuddly sweet smelling kind. the adults who behave like babies and children when they don't get their way or don't like what they are told.

I swear. I work for a worldwide corporation that everyone knows... and I work with a bunch of babies. most of the time I adore my coworkers - and I do like my job - but this week?? it's like we're running a daycare filler with terrible 2ers.

UGH.


-- Post From My iPhone AKA i'm a geek

overheard in the office

it Friday and it's crazy in here... these are phrases overheard in my office today. interpret as you will:

1. if your dog was a cat you could probably do it.
2. (doug) - I wish I could sit on my ball.
3. oh MAN! I thought you were going to say provolone!
4. he's got homework and hairproduct in his backpack.
5. if you put it in that far I'm gonna scream.
6. my dragon just got like an inch longer.
you have a dragon?
yeah. but it's not real.
7. you underesimate my boredom.
8. Ronnie likes it on her head.

-- Post From My iPhone AKA i'm a geek

pic of the week-ish

so my parents took caleb to breakfast this morning while I went to work (ugh!). he's definitely my son, since my parents don't drink "the sludge" :). and the funny thing is his expression, it actually looks like he could use some!

and im going to steal an idea from jen :) shes doing a "my year in pictures" blog, so im going to do the same :) if you'd like to follow my year in pictures you can go here: http://amypics365.blogspot.com/ or follow the link on the right hand side of this page. woo hoo! :)

-- Post From My iPhone

another year in review...

stolen from jen! im going to edit and fill this out from work today - on my breaks... so if its blank, come back later! :)

Where did you begin 2008?
at home with a sick baby, dreading going back to work.

What was your status by Valentine's Day?
single

Were you in school (anytime this year)?
nope

Did you have to go to the hospital?
only to visit, not for myself

Did you have any encounters with the police?
nope

Where did you go on vacation?
Hawaii, pennsylavania, Ohio, phoenix

What did you purchase that was over $500?
i dont think i made any really big purchases...

Did you know anybody who got married?
yep! three of my cousins :)

Did you know anybody who passed away?
yes, my grandmother in feb.

Did you move anywhere?
nope.

What sporting events did you attend?
none LOL

Describe your birthday:
nothing fancy - a "july birthdays" dinner at grandmas and i think my brother and i went to hooters. :)

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
take swim lessons. they were for caleb, but i never thought youd get me in a public pool!

What has been your favorite moment(s)?
so SO many! calebs birthday, christmas morning, his first plane ride, intriducing him to jen and tricia, meeting new baby cousins... :)

What's something you learned about yourself?
that i dont give myself enough credit.

Any new additions to your family?
many! madison grace, enzo, abdul rahman and jackson! those are the babies - then by marriage we got stuart, dave and delia.

What was your best month?
hrm. june or july. i took time off work and i was able to be a full time mom and that was amazing :)

What music will you remember from 2008?
barenaked ladies - snacktime!

Made new friends?
i dont think i made new friends, but friendships were definitely made stronger this year :)

New best friend?
nope. same ole' same ole' :)

Favorite night out?
hooters with my brother. cant beat that!

Any regrets?
that i didnt follow my money plans for the year :( i need to save more.

What do you want to change in 2009?
i want to save more money and pay off debt (instead of shopping so much) and lose weight.

Overall, how would you rate this year?
on a scale of 1-10? 9.5 :)

What would you change about 2008?
just the money stuff - i would have saved more and spent less. thats about it.

Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
work :(

Have any life changes in 2008?
i cut a toxic friend out of my life and you cannot believe the weight that has been lifted from my shoulders. i hadnt realized how much i had invested in that relationship and how much dread i felt... but now that its gone i truly feel like i can breathe and anytime i think about cutting her out i dont feel even a twinge of regret. thats such a good feeling. :)

Change your hairstyle?
nah - still rockin the ponytail. im growing it out to donate and i have a few inches to go. maybe ill cut it next summer :)

Have any car accidents?
no! *knock wood* ive had my share already.

Buy a new car?
nope, not yet.

Get a new job?
nope. and hopefully i wont have to *fingers crossed*

Do you have a New Year's resolution?
not really. i dont tend to keep them.

Do anything embarrassing?
oh please - have we met? thats like, a daily thing. i do embarassing things all the time. just yesterday i was telling my aunt that i laughed so hard i peed a little, which is TMI, but shes my aunt. well she didnt tell me other people were in the office (we work together) so about 4 other people heard my little announcement.

Buy anything new from eBay?
LOL again, have we met? im an ebay hound. yeah... ive bought a few things from ebay.

What was your favorite purchase of 2008?
honestly? calebs cozy coupe. he LOVES that thing :) oh, and my camera. it was a birthday present for myself.

Get married or divorced?
nope and nope.

Get arrested?
nope.

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
heck yeah! I didn't pick the winner though.

Did you get sick this year?
not really :)

Start a new hobby?
yes and no. I tried geocaching and I liked it, but I don't know if it will become a real hobby or not.

Been snowboarding?
um. no

Drank Starbucks in 2008?
as often as I could! LOL

Are you happy to see 2008 go?
I'm ready for a new year, but not like "good riddance!"