155 Things About Me

I saw this on another blog recently.  If I find it again, I'll add a link later. 

Here are 155 things about me:

1.  I have red hair.
2.  I grew up in Maine, where my parents still live.
3.  I have one younger brother.
4.  I am married to my best friend.
5.  I have one child (so far).
6.  My son is the love and light of my life.
7.  I am shy and reserved when I first meet someone.
8.  I would rather have a few really great friends, than a lot of sort of good friends.
9.  I am emotionally sensitive and it bothers me a lot.
10. I have a quick temper.
11. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and Equestrian Studies from the University of Findlay.
12. My college years were some of the best years of my life so far.
13.  I got married in October, my favorite month.
14.  I got my belly button pierced when I 22.
15.  I don't have any tattoos.
16.  I am an animal lover.
17.  I am good at riding/training/showing horses. 
18.  I have two dogs and three cats.
19.  I can't seem to be happy living in one place for very long.  I like change.
20.  I am a good listener.
21.  My right foot is bigger than my left.
22.  I am right handed.
23.  I played the violin for four years in school.
24.  Certain songs hold a lot of memories and emotions for me.
25.  I love reading to children, especially my son.
26.  I have been a SAHM for almost three and a half years now.
27.  I wanted to teach first grade after graduating from college.
28.  I lived by myself for one year in college and learned more about myself in that time than during any other period in my life.
29.  I would do anything to protect my family from harm.
30.  I drive a Toyota Highlander and love it.
31.  My first car was a Toyota Corolla hatchback that I paid $500 for.
32.  My roommate freshman year of college is one of my very best friends.
33.  I want to have at least three children, maybe even four.
34.  I was diagnosed with lupus in 2003.
35.  I let little things stress me out. 
36.  I am a Christian.
37.  I love my iPad.
38.  I wish I knew more about photography.
39.  I went to Jamaica with Sean for our honeymoon.
40.  I have been married for 6 years.
41.  I spent 12 days in the hospital last April.
42.  I try to live my life with my cup half full.
43.  I have an addiction to lattes, especially ones from Starbucks.
44.  I have a nasty sweet tooth.
45.  I love, love, love pickles, especially Bubbies brand.
46.  My favorite time of the day is when Cory comes into my room in the morning and asks to snuggle with me.
47.  I enjoy watching crime dramas on TV.
48.  My brother is a US Border Patrol agent.
49.  I am very protective of family traditions.
50.  I had to have braces when I was 21.
51.  I want to retire on a horse farm with lots of land.
52.  I have never been to California or Florida.
53.  I love snow.
54.  I like to do crafty things, but I'm not very good at it.
55.  Pies are my favorite dessert.
56.  I like white wine more than red.
57.  I try to buy only organic food.
58.  I am a semi-health food nut.
59.  I am obsessed with keeping my family healthy.
60.  I watch General Hospital.
61.  My first concert was Alan Jackson.
62.  My most memorable concert was the Trans Siberian Orchestra in Columbus with Sean.
63.  I love fireplaces.
64.  I'm not one of those people that enjoys hugs, unless they are from Sean or Cory.
65.  I've been to the ER three times in my life.
66.  My son was born 8 weeks early.
67.  When I had my worst lupus flare, I lost almost all of my hair and it was devastating to me.
68.  I used to be a runner.
69.  I love the idea of exercising regularly, but am afraid the stress on my body will cause my lupus to flare again.
70.  I need to lose 15 pounds.
71.  Christmas is my favorite holiday.
72.  I don't wear a lot of jewelry.
73.  I prefer to wear jeans and a t-shirt or sweater over anything else.
74.  I enjoy getting pedicures every so often with my girlfriends.
75.  I try to blog regularly, but I'm not very good at it.
76.  I am a Facebook junky.
77.  I didn't enjoy high school, but thoroughly enjoyed my schooling before and after that.
78.  I was a really good student, especially for the amount of time I spent studying.
79.  I always wished I could make being a student a paying career.
80.  Pregnancy and birth fascinate me.
81.  I've thought about becoming a certified doula.
82.  I am hoping to have a VBAC for our next child.
83.  Because of lupus, I have given serious thought to adoption.
84.  I enjoy design and decorating my home, but don't really know a whole lot about it.
85.  My brother and I are closer now than when we were kids.
86.  I will finally get to be an Aunt in January.
87.  I first learned to drive on a manual transmission car.
88.  I am a night person.
89.  I enjoy shopping for clothes for anyone.
90.  I wear a size 9 shoe.
91.  My favorite Aunt has red hair, the exact same shade as mine and people always assumed she was my mother.
92.  I enjoy being outdoors.
93.  I love seafood.
94.  Cheese is one of my favorite indulgences.
95.  I've never been to Europe but I would love to go someday.
96.  I despise doing dishes by hand.
97.  I would rather take a shower than a bath.
98.  I will be taking care of my very good friend's son next February when she goes back to work after having him.
99.  I want an iPhone.
100.  Fall is my favorite season.
101.  I am not a very good gardener, but I would like to be.
102.  I am going to plant my very first vegetable garden next spring.
103.  One of my favorite things to do with Cory is to take him to the library.
104.  I like to travel by car, rather than by plane.
105.  I want to go to the Grand Canyon.
106.  I love white water rafting but have only ever been twice.
107.  I never want to bungee jump or sky dive.
108.  I have never been in a helicopter, but would like to try it.
109.  I prefer to sleep on my stomach.
110.  My cheeks turn bright red if I become even slightly embarrassed or uncomfortable.
111.  Confrontation, of any kind, makes me want to cry.
112.  I have had my heart broken.
113.  I have only had one great love in my life, and I'm married to him.
114.  The thought of eating McDonald's makes me want to vomit.
115.  My friends and I ate a lot of wings and drank a lot of beer in college.
116.  I am a worrier, by nature.
117.  I am good at remembering details.
118.  I like my house to be clean and am stressed out when it's not.
119.  I love to read, but don't do a whole lot of it lately.
120.  I have never owned a desk top computer, only laptops.
121.  I spend a week every summer in Maine.
122.  I want to own a truck just because I like them.
123.  I once rolled my Dad's truck into a ditch because of black ice.
124.  Some of my closest friends are people I've met through the internet.
125.  I want to open an indoor playground for children.
126.  I am allergic to three different antibiotics.
127.  I am sympathetic to people's situations.
128.  I have a high tolerance for pain.
129.  I love tangerine chapstick.
130.  I never ever leave the house without mascara on.
131.  I never wear lipstick.
132.  I dislike talking on the phone.
133.  I love caller ID.
134.  I find politics confusing and depressing.
135.  I get very uncomfortable in large crowds.
136.  I love going to the movies, especially romantic comedies.
137.  I don't like getting wet in the rain.
138.  My first best friend was a guy.
139.  I used to love playing Nintendo.
140.  I listen to all different kinds of music.
141.  I buy a lot of clothes from Old Navy.
142.  Cookies are my favorite dessert to bake.
143.  I enjoy making healthy homemade breakfasts for my family.
144.  Lunch is my least favorite meal.
145.  I never ordered an appetizer at a restaurant until I met Sean.
146.  I can't stand liars.
147.  I try to drink 4 green smoothies per week.
148.  I wish there was a way I could retire my mom so she and my dad could come to visit whenever they  wanted to.
149.  I don't want to live in Ohio for the rest of my life.
150.  I miss living near the ocean and mountains but enjoy the openness of wide open spaces.
151.  I would like to get my masters degree before I die.
152.  I want to someday become a foster parent.
153.  I dislike afternoons.
154.  I like sorting/washing laundry, but I don't like folding and putting it away.
155.  I have double jointed fingers.

Changes

Just as the seasons are changing, so are things in the Fryburg household.  Sean has decided to go back to school to finish up his Criminal Justice degree.  Being sent to Iraq in 2003 really squelched his educational plans and he's now ready to get back on track, seven short years later.  Ha!  We're all adjusting to life without less Daddy pretty well and while it's definitely not ideal to have less Sean in our lives, we're keeping our eyes focused on the future. 

Other changes include Cory and me having found a new playgroup in our area that we've recently become a part of.  They have a lot of different meet ups scheduled throughout the week and so far we've thoroughly enjoyed each one we've been to and look forward to meeting lots of new kids and moms.  I'm having a lot of doubts and guilt about us choosing to not send Cory to preschool this year, but having him be a part of this group has helped quite a bit.

We've also welcomed a new kitty to our household.  He's a seven month old stray that we actually found while in Maine.  It's a long story, but he ended up making the trip back to Ohio with us and he is an absolute blast to have around!  He loves to play, loves to cuddle, loves to chase Cory (this is a good thing) and loves to snuggle up to the dogs.  Cory thinks he's great and I love that they are so gentle with each other.  Rocco has definitely been a beneficial addition to our family.  Now...if we could only get the go-ahead from my doctors then we could get working on another addition of the two-legged kind!  It will happen.  One day. 

Yikes!

Where has the past month and a half gone?!

We spent a week in Maine in August at Mom and Dad's house and had a blast! Jeff was able to be there too (we planned it that way) so that was awesome. I miss my brother. I hadn't seen him since early spring. Cory really enjoyed the time we spent at the ocean. We're hoping next year maybe he can go fishing with Grampa.

The first weekend in September we re-did Cory's room. It was very bittersweet to take down all of his "baby" things, but it's time. He's no longer a baby. We painted, hung new curtains and converted his crib into a toddler bed. I wonder if he was the only three year old still left in a crib?! :) The only reason we converted the bed was because he is now waking at night to go pee and I want him to be able to get up if he needs to (which hasn't exactly worked out the way I was hoping - he still sits in his bed and cries for us if he has to get up and go pee, lol). He got all new bedding for his birthday, construction themed, so now that's what his room is. I really like it. I'm happy with the way it turned out. It still needs a few finishing touches but it'll do for now. I even put away his changing pad that was still on top of his small dresser, ha! It's about time, Kelly. We have SO many totes of his baby clothes and things. If we don't have another little boy I'm going to have a lot of stuff to get rid of. I'm not sure where we're going to keep it all pretty soon!

Last weekend we went to a wedding in Cleveland. Sean's cousin got married and we had a great time. Cory was a dancing machine! He would not get off the dance floor and had a mini meltdown when it was time for us to leave...which may have also been because he didn't nap that day and we didn't leave the reception until 10 p.m.

Sean's Family at the wedding

(Feris, Starr, Rose, Steve, me, Sean, Cory)

Cory dancing with Aunt Patty

Cory on the dance floor!

Fall is definitely in the air and I couldn't be more content! We're going apple picking next week and I'm so excited! Pretty soon we'll be getting our pumpkins and mums too. Sean and I also have an anniversary trip planned next month and I'm really looking forward to it. Lots of fun in the next few weeks!

Potty Training

Two weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and just go for it! I put Cory in "big boy undies" and held my breath. He did great! :) It was a Saturday and we haven't looked back since! I'm so excited.

He's only had three real accidents - each of which have happened at a time when he has been distracted. There have also been a few dribbles but he catches himself each time and finishes peeing on the potty. As of right now he isn't very fond of the real toilet and much prefers his little potty which is fine with me. He will use the real toilets if we are in a store even though he isn't a huge fan. We take his little potty with us if we're going to be gone for an extended amount of time and just stick it in the back of the Highlander. He loves going potty in the back of the car. :) Who wouldn't!? Ha!

Our only true challenge at this point is pooping on the potty. If we even dare to suggest it he has a huge meltdown, tears and all. :( He always asks for a pull-up and at this point I let him have one. I read a great article about potty training toddlers and it says not wanting to poop on the potty is very common for toddlers. It had some great suggestions and we're going to try those. I figure he won't be wearing diapers to poop in when he's in high school, that it will eventually happen...right?! Ugh. I sure do hope so.

Listen To Me

Cory sure is growing up fast (I've mentioned that a lot lately, haven't I?). Yesterday morning as we were eating breakfast and I was checking my email Cory was playing with some of his cars on the coffee table. He was talking to them and having a great time. He suddenly stood up, looked me straight in the eye and said, "Listen to me...." and then proceeded to tell me something that I really don't even remember because I was too busy trying not to laugh at how he said, "Listen to me" in such a serious, big boy kind of a way. It's not like I wasn't paying attention to him and he had been repeating himself 15 times trying to get me to listen, he just had something to say and wanted to make sure I heard it, lol. It was very cute, not snarky or rude in any way.

I love that kid.

Cory's First Movie

Cory had his first movie theater experience today at the IMAX theater at the Airforce Museum here in Dayton. We saw Legends of Flight and Cory LOVED it! It was approximately 50 minutes long so it was the perfect length to see if Cory would would last that long in a theater or not. It was great. We all had an awesome time.

I'm really looking forward to taking him to a "real" movie! I was thinking Cars 2 was coming out this summer, but it's not. It won't be released until Summer 2011 - bummer! Maybe that will be his first real movie.

Catching up!

This month is flying by! Oh my gosh. Pretty soon it will be August and we'll be on our way to Maine! Wow.

We took Cory to see the fireworks in Moraine for the 4th of July. He loved it!! I was second guessing myself about taking him because I didn't know how he'd react and I didn't want him to be scared, but I was definitely worrying about nothing. He talked about them for days and days afterwards.

Sean is working on taking some classes at a local college to finish up his criminal justice degree that he started eleven years ago and never completed because of his deployment to Iraq. At this particular school he has the opportunity to get into a program to become a U.S. Marshal which has always been his dream. It will be an exciting next couple of years, that's for sure. If all goes according to plan we will end up in Georgia for a few months while Sean completes his Marshal training program. An adventure for sure! :)

We have decided to hold off on preschool for Cory for this year. I spent many nights awake in bed mulling over the decision. I'm still kind of torn but all in all I'm happy with our decision to wait one more year. He has his whole life to go to school but only a few years to be a little boy and I'm very thankful that I have such a special opportunity to spend those few "little boy years" with him.

Potty training is the next big item on our family agenda. I've been putting it off for various reasons but I know he's ready. Next week it's full speed ahead and hopefully we'll have a potty trained toddler by the time we leave for Maine.

Today is Saturday and Sean is helping a friend's parents with a garage door issue so it's just me and Cory today. We just finished making pancakes and now we're lounging around. We don't have any special plans for the rest of the weekend, just to spend as much time together as a family as possible. Hope everyone else has a great weekend too!

Day of Blog Silence for Cohen

http://sendlovetocohen.blogspot.com/2010/06/blogging-day-of-silence-for-cohen.html

Cory's three year stats!

Cory had his three year well-check yesterday. We went to a new pediatrician this time. I liked our old pedi well enough, she was just very "energetic" and frankly, she made both Cory and I edgy with her over-zealousness. So, we tried this new pedi and I liked her very, very much. Dr. G was very calm, cool and collected, very laid-back and soft spoken. I enjoy that. :) She was awesome with Cory, asking him questions and taking the time to talk to him about stuff other than the things she was doing to him. I've been very nervous about this appointment; doctors in general make me nervous so it was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders to have it done and over with and to have it go well!

Cory was a super star! He let the nurse and the doctor do everything they needed to do. He was so well behaved. Unfortunately, he was rewarded with four shots. :( It sucked. For him...and for mommy. Thankfully he stopped crying as soon as the nurse was done and then he got five stickers and a lollipop. All was well once again for the toddler. I was still traumatized, but that's OK.

I asked Dr. G about Cory's new stuttering habit. He mostly does it when he's excited, although he sometimes does it just because...but not always. She said not to worry too much about it now but to keep an eye on it. I truly believe it's something he'll grow out of. His brain is working so fast right now I think his mouth is having a hard time keeping up.

In the end, Cory is perfectly healthy and growing just as he should. He is 31 lbs. (42%), 37 1/2 inches tall (50%) and his blood pressure was perfect. Sean and I know how blessed we are to have such a healthy boy, especially after such an interesting start. We are very thankful. Dr. G said she doesn't need to see us again until Cory turns 4! Wow. I don't even want to think about 4 yet!! Lol. :) I'm still getting used to the fact that he's three...

Happy Birthday, Cory!

Today we celebrated Cory's third day of life! It just so happened that his actual birthday fell on a Saturday this year so his party is on his actual day of birth - pretty cool!

We allowed him to open mom/dad presents as soon as he woke up. He happened to open his Rescue Squad Mater first and that's pretty much all he cared about, lol. He talked about Rescue Squad Mater all.day.long. It was so funny! I knew he'd like it but I had no idea he'd be quite so excited about it!

Waking up a three-year-old!

Opening presents (Rescue Squad Mater) with Daddy.

More presents...

A "grappler"!! :)

A gift from Baba.

Showing Pace his new birthday toys.

A little help from Kara...

The Lightning McQueen cake and cupcakes.

Blowing out candles with some help from Daddy.

The party went very well. We had about 23 guests, tons of food and a lot of fun! We decided to do a Cars theme this year since Cory is all about the Car movie! It's definitely his "thing" right now. Cory totally cried when we started to sing "Happy Birthday" (noooo idea why?!) so Daddy stepped in to help out a bit, lol.

When all was said and done we had successfully pulled off a fabulous party with lots of thanks to my Mom and Gram for all of their help. It's been so nice having them here and it's going to be so sad to see them leave tomorrow.

What we've been up to...

I realized I haven't posted many pictures lately (read: "lazy") so I thought I'd give a quick snapshot of what we've been up to this month with just a few photos! :)

This is a little worm we found - Cory was really excited about it!

Just being cute.

It's been a HOT month - lots of water play!

"Zoom!" (as Cory would say).

This month is quickly coming to an end and Cory will turn three in less than 48 hours! We're headed to the airport tomorrow to pick up Mom and Gram and Cory is SO excited...so am I. There's also that little part of the next week where I turn 30 - YIKES! So weird. I still have a hard time considering myself an adult, say nothing about being 30.

There's gonna be a party!

It's been a busy week of shopping, planning, cooking, wrapping and cleaning...all prep work for Cory's birthday party Saturday! I told him about his party Monday night during our snuggle time before bed. It was so much fun to hear him talk about it and get excited. The next day when I went to wake him up from his nap the first sleepy words he mumbled (I'm pretty sure he was dreaming?) as he was waking were something about a birthday. I really wish I had been able to understand the two words he said before the word "birthday" but then as he woke up some more he said, "It's alllllmost MY party!". So cute. :)

Mom and Gram are flying in on Friday and we're excited to see them too! Cory's pretty thrilled to be able to go to the airport to pick them up. We haven't been there in awhile!

Stay tuned for birthday pictures and a party recap! Hopefully we have some good (COOL) weather and everyone has a great time!

My three year old and I like to...

Drive around and look for construction vehicles!! :) Yep. That's what Cory and I do for fun when the weather is so scorching hot that you'd literally melt being outside, or if it's stormy and raining. We usually make a swing into Starbucks first. One iced vanilla latte for mommy, one apple juice box for the boy. It's "our thing" and I LOVE it.

There is a ton of road construction going on near our house along with a bunch of houses going up in a newer development so between the two we have a wide array of all things construction. No matter how many times we drive by Cory gets just as excited as he did the time before...and the time before that...and the time before that. :) We have some of the best conversations, just him and I, about all kinds of things we see while driving. I love driving and enjoying the alone time with my boy. No radio. No TV. No whining and fussing. Just me and my three year old having "real" conversation and learning about the world around it.

It's just one of those things, one of those special memories that I will treasure forever. I hope that he enjoys it as much as I do and will remember it when he's 18, or 25, or even almost 30 years old and has a child of his own.

A small wrinkle in progress...

Last week at my regular appointment with Dr. A he informed me that I had an extremely low white blood cell count which ended me up back in the hospital. For an entire 24 hours. I'm not going to lie. It was hell. But - it's over now, I'm home and I'm praying for the best. I just need to be extremely careful of germs and sick people...and I'm not allowed to eat fresh fruits and veggies. Total bummer. There's a lot of things I'm not supposed to eat right now. It's frustrating but I'm taking it one day at a time.

Tomorrow is finally the weekend again. Cory has his three year old pictures in the morning and I'm so nervous! I'm really hoping he'll cooperate and I'm gonna let y'all know right now that this momma is NOT above bribery when it comes to getting some good pics of my kiddo, lol. There will totally be lollipops involved (or chocolate, or candy, or whatever else his little heart desires).

After pictures I have a baby shower to attend. I'm looking forward to some socializing and adult interaction other than with my doctors, lol.

Sunday is pretty much open other than the normal groceries/cleaning/laundry routine that seems to play out at some point every weekend.

Cory and I had a great day today. We dropped Pumpkin off at the vet for a grooming appointment bright and early, followed by an early morning trip (read: cooler and less sun for this sun-sensitive momma) to the park and then a little jaunt over to the mall for some new picture clothes, a pretzel and some time at the indoor playground. Cory was perfectly behaved and we really enjoyed out time together. I missed our time out and about so much while I was down and out (or at the hospital, whichever...). He is so special and growing so fast. He'll never be the same tomorrow as he was today and I'm so afraid to miss something fantastic. I love that boy.

I did more running around today than I have in a while and I'm praying I don't pay for it tomorrow, especially since we have things to do. Since I have the world's most fabulous husband he is letting me put my feet up and relax (i.e. blog) while he straightens up before our nightly cuddle/TV time on the couch. He truly is the sweetest. He got home from work before Cory and I did today (we had to go pick up Pumpkin) and when we got back there were fresh roses from our flower garden in a vase on the counter will a Starbucks iced vanilla latte sitting next to it. Love him. :)

Memorial Day 2010

We had a fantastic three day weekend, perfectly ended with a small cookout with some great friends. Cory had a blast playing with three other kiddos and the grown-ups had a good time having grown-up conversations and watching the little ones play.

Lily enjoying her cupcake.

Lily, Owen, Brielle and Cory.

Lily, Owen and Brielle cruising in the jeep.

The next few weekends around here are going to be kind of busy. Not "pull your hair out" busy, but we have plans each Saturday and Sunday for the next month or so. I'm excited. I like feeling like I have stuff to do, although I like not having stuff to do to. What can I say? I can be hard to please. :) At least I can admit it?!

We bought tickets to a Dayton Dragon's game last night. I'm really excited. We're going to take Cory and sit on the lawn. I'm hoping we'll all have a great time. I'm not a huge baseball fan (no booing, please) but I've heard these games are pretty entertaining and very family friendly. We shall see! If it's a disaster, we'll know and we won't go again. If it's tons of fun, we have some place new (and relatively inexpensive) to spend some quality family time together. I'll be sure to take pictures and blog about our experience...stay tuned in July. :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Almost there...

I'm happy to say that I've almost lost all of the swelling! Wahoo! I even drove this week, for the first time in almost two months. It. was. fabulous.

Other not-so-fabulous things in the Fryburg news include my broken tooth. Yup. Sean and I had a routine cleaning at the dentist yesterday and as soon as the hygienist began she asked if I knew about my broken tooth (bottom left, second from the very back)...umm, nope! Can't say that I did know. Ugh. Later on in the day I went back to the dentist to have my implant process completed (no more flipper tooth - yay!) and found out that the broken tooth would have to be repaired with a crown. Such a bummer. I think I must have one of the world's most expensive mouths ever. But anyways....

This is the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. I'm very much looking forward to spending the weekend with my family. Sean gets Monday off and it will be awesome to have him around for three full days. Tomorrow the dogs have a vet appointment in the morning, then the rest of the day is ours. Sunday we have a graduation party to attend in the afternoon. Monday morning is a parade in downtown Miamisburg that I would love to take Cory to (but we'll have to see how I'm feeling and what the weather is like) and then that afternoon we're going to have a few people over for a cookout - nothing fancy. Steve and Rose come home today too, so I'm assuming we'll be visiting with them sometime this weekend as well.

Other than my crazy health challenges, things around here have been pretty mellow. Cory has been wonderful, running around with me (us) to appointments and having play dates with Owen. It's been weird and hot this week, especially for May, so he's been playing out back in his pool quite a bit. His new favorite toys are the hose (when it's on, of course) and his bubble making machine. I have a feeling we'll be purchasing a lot of "bubble juice" over the summer, lol.

Cory and Owen enjoying snack on the "bean rock".

Watching the bubbles....

Playing in the backyard (in the mud) at Shanti and Pace's house.

Enjoying a beautiful spring day - wearing his new bulldozer boots, of course!

Happy Memorial Day (weekend) to all...may you remember those who have fought and fallen, so that we may enjoy our lives as we know it...and may you enjoy some extra time with the people you love.

Friday!

Today is Friday. The end of this very long week is in sight. I'm seriously about to go stir-crazy. I NEED to get out of this house. It's such a restricting feeling, not being able to drive. Soon. Soon I will drive!

Cory has been exceptionally patient with me this week. He's such a good kid. We've played lots of "beans", read a lot of books and watched way too many videos. I'm not looking forward to breaking the tv/video habit once we are able to get out and about again, but for now it is what it is and there's not much I can do.

Thought I'd post a few pictures of what we've been doing (or not doing?) over the past few weeks. Actually, one of the things on my ever-growing "To Do" list has included learning to use the manual settings on our camera. It's a very daunting task, but to my delight, I've seemed to kind of almost picked up a thing or two. Maybe this could really be fun?!

Anyways, on with the pictures...

You never know where you'll find Joey.

A little bath time fun! He's so cute.

One of my most recent favorite pictures. I love him.

Loving his new bulldozer rain boots, lol. He stared at them like this for way longer than I was comfortable with. :)

Helping to plant the flowers - such a good little gardener.

A new flashlight! It makes bedtime so much easier. ;)

Hopefully next month we'll be able to post some pictures of some family fun trips! I'm not planning on staying down too much longer. I hear places like the zoo calling our names!

Sunday

Today is the last day of another weekend. Another weekend that went by way too fast. Again. How does that happen? I'm hoping next week flies by, but there's not much going on at this point.

Sean and Cory spent most of the morning and early afternoon out in the front yard, trimming bushes, planting flowers, mowing the lawn and shaping up some trees. Since my bedroom window face the front yard I was kind of able to participate through the open window, lol. Hey, at least I could feel some fresh air on my face, lol. I do wish I had physically been outside with them though. Instead, I spent way too much time and way too much money shopping online. Geesh. It was ridiculous. Good thing I bought the stuff I bought with the intent of just trying it on, knowing that I will most likely return more than half of it.

During Cory's nap I made myself stand long enough to make some rhubarb crisp with the large amount of rhubarb we got with our "Happy Box" this past week. I love rhubarb anything and my mouth was watering for this crisp. I wanted to have it for dessert tonight because Rose and Steve were coming over and bringing pizza, sort of a "going away" dinner since they are leaving for a vacation soon. The crisp turned out great (even though my feet and ankles were the size of watermelons, lol) and we had a great visit with Rose and Steve. Cory loves playing with his grandparents. They are WAY more exciting than we are.

The plan for the rest of this day is to get Sean's hair cut and to shave out some mats that seem to have mysteriously started forming on our poor REALLY LONG-HAIRED cat. Seriously, this cat has a freakish amount of long, thick hair. It's crazy. He has a grooming appointment for the first week in June, but these need to come out now. Wish us luck -- we're going to need all that we can get! I'll post pics later.

Still Healing

This momma is still in healing mode. Still swollen (about 25 more lbs. to go), so life for me has been contained to the house...for now. I can hardly wait to bust outta this joint!

Cory has been spending a lot of his time with his Shanti and Pace during the days while Sean is at work, although last Friday he did spend his first day home alone with me in quite some time (he was an angel, by the way -- it was fabulous!).

Last Thursday Cory got to go on a trip to Young's Dairy. I love that he is starting to be able to tell me about his day. Of course, I knew he went and I knew the questions to ask to help lead him along, but it's still so stinkin' cute to see his face light up when he remembers some small detail about what he did or saw that makes his face light up! Love it.

This weekend has been a busy one so far for Sean. He's been grocery shopping, mowing, doing laundry, trimming bushes, and doing all things necessary to take care of Cory. He is amazing. I am so blessed to have married a true partner. All too often I hear of other moms who, even though they are ill or recovering from something, are still in charge of a majority of household tasks when there really is no need for it. Makes me sad. I am not sad. I have a husband who is willing to pitch in when necessary and who knows I would do the same for him...well, plus I would cook too, but that's a post for a different day.

Tomorrow is supposed to be partly rainy and partly sunny. I'm hoping maybe Sean can get Cory to a park and trim the rest of the bushes. We shall see. Me? I'll probably be right here, tweaking my blogs and wasting much of my precious time surfing the net. That's what I do best these days. I've learned a lot though, that's got to count for something...right?!

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. I'm so happy and so blessed to be Cory's Mom. Being a Mother is a very special gift, one that I vowed from the beginning to never take for granted.

I received my special Mother's Day cards when I woke and was served a yummy breakfast in bed! Well, the "breakfast in bed" part was kind of a given because I am still recovering from my little battle with lupus episode and still can't stand for very long due to the FREAKISH amount of swelling (but that was my other MD's present...I lost three more pounds between yesterday and today!). My breakfast was one of my very special favorites: a cinnamon chip bagel with hazelnut cream cheese from Panera and a non-fat vanilla latte, no whip, from Starbucks! Goooood stuff! I also had a little homemade blueberry scone (shhhhh!). It was a very sweet way to start the day. :)

This coming week is going to be a rather busy one. I have three different doctor/lab appointments to go to on three separate days. Sean has to work (but has decided to take Wednesday off to help make the week flow easier). Cory will be here, there, and everywhere (mostly at Rose and Steve's). I am on my own. There will be nobody here running back and forth for me for the first time since before I went into the hospital.

We've enlisted the help of Rose and Steve for babysitting and shuttle services (I still can't drive...HUGE bummer!). We are also blessed to have fabulous friends who were very generous and made us wicked yummy food for the week! Kara made us tuna noodle casserole, a meatloaf and some rice crispie treats. Jen and Chris made us scalloped potatoes with ham and an enchilada dish (not sure of the technical name...will have to edit later), and some super delicious chocolate no-bake cookies! THANK YOU! Food was one of my biggest stressors because after ten minutes of standing on my feet, they do.not. move. They get as big as soccer balls and I get shooting pains up my legs. It's not a really good time. There's no way I can cook anything and we can't eat out all week...so unhealthy. Thank God for great friends. I hope someday I can do for them what they've done for us - it means so much!
Life is a bunch of ups and downs at the moment. It's been a very strange past few weeks but I'm starting to feel like things are starting to straighten out and they'll be back on track soon.

I am ready.

Three

It hit me yesterday that at the end of next month my sweet little redheaded boy will be turning three.

My 2 lb. 14 oz preemie is now a 30 lb. toddler and a very sweet one at that.

I've been finding myself reminiscing about the past three years while poring over photos to make Cory's Third Year picture montage. They went so fast. I tried to drink in every minute of it, knowing it would fly by, but I know there are so many moments that I have forgotten.

Seeing Cory turn three makes me long for another baby. I had really anticipated having another baby by now, a sibling for Cory, another sweet blessing in our family. But life had other ideas. I need to overcome my health challenges first and I have no idea how long that will take. Months? Years? Only time will tell and until then I need to practice patience and concentrate on being grateful of what we do have instead of what we don't. We've always talked about adopting a baby too and we agree it's something we'd both like to do. Recently we've been talking about it and looking into getting started with the process so we'll see what comes of that as well.

As Cory's birthday fast approaches I know there will be more weepy moments, more "remembering when" and then time will move on...and then he'll be four. Before we know it he'll be eighteen. Time really is precious and it really is something to never take for granted.

Cory is turning three?!

Catching Up

Here we go again! Another catch up post, lol. I really need to work on my posting frequency.

So because it's been three months this will be a brief summary with few random pictures thrown in.

Grammie and Grampa were supposed to come for a visit over Valentine's Day weekend. We were excited to see them but a big blizzard on the east coast cancelled their flight. No worries though, thankfully they were able to make it out the following weekend and we had a blast - especially Cory! He loves to take the pillows off the guest room bed where Grammie and Grampa sleep and run to Grampa yelling, "You got Grampa's pillows!!". Then Grampa tickles him and runs back to the room with the pillows and they wrestle and play and do it all over again. It's so wonderful to watch.







March was March. Nothing much exciting ever seems to happen in March. Cory and I continued going to playday at the Kettering Rec Center on Tuesdays, storytime at the library on Thursdays and having playdates with our friends Kim and Owen at least once a week. I really, really enjoy playday and storytime. They are part of the reason I've gotten uncertain about sending Cory to preschool this fall, because we'll miss out on those activities together. He can always go to preschool when he's four and I can never get back the time I would spend with him now, while he's little. It's a tough decision, one we're struggling with right now. I'm sure it will all work out the way it's supposed to. Grammie and Grampa also came back for another visit. Uncle Jeff got to come too! It was so great to see him. He's doing so well. I'm so proud of him.









April was kind of a wash. I got sick, missed Easter with my family and ended up in the hospital for 12 days, followed by two more plus weeks at home in bed which is where I still currently am...I'm waiting for the fifty extra pounds of fluid that I've accumulated to disappear so I can stand for more than five minutes without my ankles turning into soccer balls. I'm not going to lie. It sucks. According to the doctors they think I had some crazy virus plus an e. coli infection that made my body really angry, triggering the lupus to attack my kidneys and my liver. Not a good time. Not a good time at all. Mom came for a week and a half to help out after I got home and then after Mom left Dad came and is here now for this week. Jeff might come next week. If he doesn't, I'm not sure what we'll do. I need to be able to take care of my family. I WANT to take care of my family. They've been so patient and wonderful. I love my boys...big and little. I'm really struggling to stay positive. It'll all be a distant memory soon, I know that. It just doesn't feel that way right now.

Cory had a great Easter. It was a lot of fun to watch him search for hidden eggs around the house. He and Sean went to the Dayton Women's Club for brunch and then to hang out with Sean's family afterwards. I think they had a pretty great day! :)















There's the quickie update once again. Hopefully from now on they will be more frequent.