Our Trip in Numbers

1 ~ one-year old birthday party

2 ~ cancelled nail appointments (never accomplished)

3 ~ trips made to the ER/Urgent Care/Doctor (for Lala)

4 ~ cancelled photo appointments at Sears photo (finally got those)

5 ~ cancelled massage appointments (never accomplished due to #3)

6 ~ times I raided Kelly’s closet because I packed incorrectly (dang it, weather.com!)

7 ~ friends who want to come visit San Antonio (Jo and Kelly might actually be able to make it before we move)

8 ~ six-packs of diet pepsi I drank while I was here (slight exaggeration!)

9 ~ home-cooked meals

10 ~ dollars I have in my wallet

11 ~ pictures I took

12 ~ pounds I gained (joke, but I sure felt like it!)

13 ~ days in NC Lala spent ill

14 ~ trips to Target

15 ~ visits to fast-food (majority to Sonic for soda with “good ice”)

16 ~ diapers a day (between Lala and Peyton)

17 ~ days we were in NC

18 ~ friends we were blessed to see

19 ~ times a child has to be told “no” before she even remotely cares

20 ~ times I wish I could see everyone again!!

Photo Update

Don't forget - We still need a renter for our house!!! I know this photo is a few years old, but I promise, the house hasn't changed at all. And, if you want to see our photo shoot from tonight, click the collage with the adorable babies below...We go home on Monday, but Kelly leaves tomorrow. The party is officially over. :-(

I'll hopefully have a great slide show update when I return!

Wish us luck and health! We will need it!

Queen sang this, right?

Can anybody find meeee....somebody to rent....

my house.

Or something like that.

Long story short, we had renters, they left, then we had more renters and they fell through.

Now I need your help.

If you know anyone looking to rent in the Fayetteville, NC area, PLEASE let me know. Our house is in the best school district, has a HUGE yard, newly renovated and has beautiful hardwood floors.

How about a $100 finder's fee for you?

Is it possible?

Is it possible that child would have a Southern accent simply because she resides in the South? Lorelai has only technically spent four months of her life in TX, but today's new word is...

"Pupp-aay"

That would be "puppy" in Texan.

Mi Germs Es Su Germs

I was so tempted to create a flowchart, but seriously, is it that important?

Basically, everywhere we turn, there are germs. Even with my best attempts to Clorox Anywhere everything ahead of or behind me, we've all ended up with some illness.

Rewind to two weeks ago. Remember this story? Well, after researching and talking to several doctors, we've come to the conclusion that Lorelai was probably suffering from rotavirus. If you don't feel the need to read the whole overview, let me at least share this one golden nugget with you. It's spread by poop particles. There is no nice way to say this, people. Somehow, some kid, somewhere had rotavirus and his infected poop particles ended up coming in contact with Lorelai's hands....and then to her mouth. It pretty much makes me want to vomit.

No longer am I going to be lazy about forgetting her cart cover for the store. I'm going to wrap my baby in cellophane before we go out. And spray her down with Lysol. Twice.

I know that children get sick, but I feel like it's my fault. That I didn't protect her from this. This wonderful virus spread to me (I promise I wash my hands!!!) and I believe I then passed it on to JD and Alyssa....and who KNOWS who they've infected.

The incubation period is what gets me. You can be contagious up to five days before you even show symptoms. Yet, sometimes you don't really show the tell-tale signs until the second or third day you have the illness. Then you can have the illness for up to two weeks.

What I gather from this information is...if you even read my blog, you could be at risk.

I'm just saying.

We were all feeling better when we boarded the plane to North Carolina. Since we've been here, our friends and their children have suffered from:

~ ear infections
~ rotavirus (I SWEAR this wasn't from us)
~ pink eye
~ flu
~ bronchiolitis

This is just in one week, folks. Kelly was sick on Monday with the flu....now Lorelai has it. After her fever hit 105 today, and we made a much-needed trip to urgent care, she is on tamiflu and feeling a little better. I've never seen her so lethargic. It was sad.

But, apparently, that's just not enough sick for one week. I have some nasty cough and chest congestion that Roger has been chasing after me with since I've been here.

It's a vicious cycle.

Who's next? Anyone, anyone?

Because mi germs es su germs.

Adios.

**Caution: Having any of the aforementioned illnesses
could result in random incorrect Spanish-speaking episodes.**

Photo Update

Well, we're here in NC and having a great time. Kelly updated, so I figured I should too!

We're missing Daddy bunches, but we talk about him often. He was afraid Lorelai would learn how to walk while we were here, but I truly think she's regressing. When I try to make her walk while holding my hands, she kicks her legs out in front of her so I'll drop her on her butt for her to crawl. Oh well. Must run in the family (SARA!)

Lorelai is having a blast with Peyton. Lala was 6 months old and Peyton was a DAY old when they met for the first time. Six months later, here we are and things are so different. Peyton is pretty much amazed at how much Lorelai talks (won't shut up) and Lala is enthralled with the fact that Peyton is sitting up on her own and about ready to crawl. It's been fun.

As for pictures, I have a few. That's it. Seriously. We had a get-together on Saturday with about 30 people and I snapped two pictures. No joke. TWO! I need to hire a photographer to follow me around. It's just so hard to keep up with the photos when you're chasing around a crumb snatcher! (friends with more children than one, please quit laughing at me)

Here are some photos and I promise to get it together. We had dinner tonight with a few great friends (Rebecca and Katie) and my battery was dead in the camera. It must have died from lack of use.
We had a play date with Kailey. You've heard me talk about her and her parents from time to time on my blog. Click here to read about all their fun adventures. Kailey is about three weeks younger than Lorelai. They definitely enjoy taking toys away from one another!!

What are you pointing at, ladies?

Mama and baby (not so baby anymore)

February 2007

January 2008

In Just One Short Year

*first photo by Sherri Winstead Photography
*second photo by ME

Some stuff, some things and some other items

Dear Texas Drivers Who Have at Least One Hand,

When we're at a four-way stop and you and I get to the line at approximately the same time, we all know who has the right of way. However, when I wave you on, because I'm just that nice of a person, and you GO, it really wouldn't hurt to raise one of those hands and maybe, oh....I don't know...thank me for letting you go first?

Sincerely,
Never Letting YOU Go First Again

_____________________________

Dear Young Lady (using this term loosely) Driving Behind My Mini-Van,

I'm betting your parents probably paid big bucks for your grill (that's teeth, for you non-gangsta types) and they wouldn't be really happy if the police called them to let them know their precious baby had a mouthful of bumper on I-35. Because that's what you're going to have if you get any closer to my rear-end. You are so close, in fact, that I can tell you have one gold tooth with a heart cut-out, in your low-rider texting your baby daddy while NOT looking at the mini-van in front of you...who would put on her breaks, if her sweet, precious and very impressionable daughter wasn't in the car. Be lucky I'm getting off at the next exit. Maybe someone else won't be so nice to you.

Sincerely,
Hoping to Not Run Into You Again

_____________________________

Okay, had to get that off my chest. I have some serious road rage and I feel much better now. Thanks.

In two days, Lorelai and I will be going to NC for 2 1/2 weeks!!! WAHOO!! Would you believe that part of the flight was a Christmas present from my BFF Kelly!? Yep, that's right. Pretty sweet, huh?

We have 17 days of visiting friends, getting massages, eating, having playdates, walking. It is going to be such a great time.

Please pray that Lorelai continues to be an angel throughout all the flights. I wasn't really bright with the timing of the flights. Oh well. Live and learn, right?

So, I'll do my best to update as often as possible, between laughing, playing and eating!!! I'm pretty sure I'll gain another 10 pounds while I'm gone.

Now JD has 17 days without his loverly ladies to figure out this whole school scheduling thing. We sure are going to miss him, though!!

_____________________________

Now, how many of you were good boys and girls and got your newspapers on Sunday?

For those of you who did, here are some wonderful deals I scored today while at Target - using my newspaper coupons. These deals are good through Sunday!!!

Electrasol Powertabs, Gelpacks or Dual Action tabs in a 20-26 count box are price cut to $2.66.
Use your $2.25 coupon from the 01/06 inserts and the box will cost $0.41.
(prices may vary depending on your area)

Huggies Baby Wipe Deal - still going on until tomorrow!!!
Here, 40 pack travel wipes are on sale for $1.47. Use this coupon for $3 off two Huggies products and you'll get them for free with some overage.

Also, some of you were saying that the wipes aren't on sale at your Target. So, if they're $2.39 and you use the $3 off two Huggies coupon, and the $0.75 off one Manufacturer's coupon, they will be $0.14. Still a fantastic deal!!!

For those of you in the San Antonio area....ALYSSA wiped out the Forum Target. I know, I can't believe she'd do such a thing!

Campbell's Chicken Noodle and Tomato Soups
They're $0.60/can here ($0.50 in some areas)
Buy four and use two $0.50 for two Target Coupons
stacked with the $0.40 for four manufacturer's coupon from your Sunday SmartSource
and it makes the cans $0.25/can

Folgers coffee is priced at $2.99
Use the $1 off one Target coupon
and a $1 off coupon from your Sunday P&G insert
to get them for $0.99 each

Excedrin Back and Body 24ct is $2.54
Use the $2 off one coupon from the Sunday paper and get it for $0.54 a box!!

and...I didn't try this one, because I'm WAY stocked up for popcorn.....

Pop Secret popcorn
3pack price is $1.50
Use $0.40 off one coupon from your Sunday paper
or the $1 off 1 coupon from Boodle.com
boxes cost either $1.10 or $0.50

Happy Shopping!!!

on the monitor

I wish I could explain what I'm looking at right now. We have a video monitor, so it's really nice to sit there (instead of cleaning) and watch Lorelai as she throws herself around the bed trying to get to sleep.

For the last few months, I've had a small decorative pillow in her crib to which she's paid no mind. Today is a different story. Maybe it's this bug she's fighting or maybe she really did miss it while it was in the wash after being puked on, but today she's determined to cuddle.

I can't help but giggle as she is rolling around in her crib trying to get the pillow under her head like a big girl. She's sat on it, laid on it, thrown it to the other end just to get it under her feet. She's got it in the corner of the crib right now and is sitting on it; very frustrated because she can't get her head on it. The poor thing. If only she knew I was sitting here watching her and not helping!

Now it's the closest it's been. It's ON her head. And she's crying. And I'm laughing. In the last four days of constant puking and diarrhea, it's nice to see her feeling a little bit better and ready to fight. A pillow.

Anyone want some good deals?

I'm too lazy to type out all the deals, so here are the links...

Printable Mall Store Coupons
Free $15 item at Lane Bryant (no matter your size, they have jewelry!)
Up to 70% off at Aeropostale.com(Keppel, this would be great for you - early Christmas presents for Shark!)
Disney - up to 80% off
Great Price on Magazine Subscriptions!
Thanks, Paul, for this one.

Shape magazine is currently $3.89 for a year's subscription.

15% off and it's like $3.31 for a year.

They have tons of subscriptions for under $5 and the discount works on most of them too.

code for 15 percent off most titles: PXCJ113

Nine West, Kohls and Others

It's never too early to shop for next Christmas. You could always go through your birthday list for the year, too...get some great deals for gifts!!

Have a great day!

Nothing like leaving a present behind.

Yesterday, Lorelai had her one year check-up.

Any guesses on height and weight?

Yeah, I'm too impatient to wait for the guesses. She is 33.5" long and weighs 37 pounds. That is right, folks, we have a three-year-old on our hands. Her size makes these new temper tantrums SUPER exciting, let me tell you.

I'm a little upset with the whole immunization process. I don't know enough about it, but I hear all the time about how immunizations are bad. I obviously haven't done my homework enough to be able to agree or even discuss it. Yesterday, the doctor spent almost 40 minutes with us, which was very nice, considering we were in the waiting room for almost an hour. After all my questions were thoroughly answered, I was sent back out for immunizations. The mean-needle-sticker-lady didn't say hi. She just listed the shots out to me (too quickly for me to even comprehend) and then started sticking poor Lorelai. Four times. She then turned her back on me, I guess to let me know that we were done. I came "this close" to thumping her in the back of the head.

They gave her a shot for the chicken pox. When JD found out, he said "oh no, we didn't want that one." Oh, we didn't? Whoops! I didn't feel like I had a choice, although I know I did. I was just all caught up in the moment and didn't even think of it. Why should she get a chicken pox vaccine? I didn't get one....and I got the chicken pox and lived. Having chicken pox doesn't cause major problems with healthy children. I don't know, the more I think about it, the more I think that if we do all these vaccines for diseases like chicken pox, we're going to start having problems.

Onto more interesting news. Today, Lorelai had projectile vomiting issues. If you've ever had a child with projectile vomiting issues, you know that there is no warning sign. After the first burst, I should have escorted her to the tub immediately. But, I didn't. I waited. Then came the second explosion. As I picked her up to move her to the tub (about 20 feet away) she spewed five more times. It was on carpet, clean clothes, doors, chairs, ME. It was everywhere! I just kept walking and exclaiming "no. NO...oh, no...not THERE...oh jeez...Lorelai...can't you wait until we get into the ... oh MAN!!!" It was a joy to clean up. I stripped her down three times today before I realized it was probably best to just leave her naked. Good idea.

She had no other symptoms of sickness. No fever. No pain (that she told me about). No redness at the injection site. WebMD walked me through everything and she was fine. So, I'm diagnosing her with a stomach virus. I know, I will send my bill to me later.

I really wish I had my video camera to catch her fire hydrant detonate and 1.5 seconds later her body boogying and singing with the Doodlebops.

Needless to say, we didn't get out of the house today. Every time I went to dress her, she redecorated. I figured that the Target employees wouldn't appreciate me leaving presents behind on our shopping trail.

So, there you have it. A sick baby will keep me from wiping out the diaper wipes at yet another Target in San Antonio. I was wondering what could keep me away.

Speaking of Target...there is a rumor that their Christmas stuff is 90%. You better believe Target will be getting a dose of me tomorrow!!! But, please, someone remind me this November that I bought Christmas stuff. I'll never remember.

** Tomorrow, your Sunday paper will have extra coupons. I'm talking they normally have two booklets and they're going to have five. So, if you're looking to start or grow your coupon collection, tomorrow is a great day to stock up!! **

Oh. My. Gosh. It's 2008 and I haven't posted. And some free stuff.

Well, it's 2008 and I've managed to successfully NOT post yet. I mean, seriously, my last post was Christmas. That's sad. As cliche as it may sound, things have been crazy busy lately!!

We had a great stay in St. Louis seeing family and friends. There was a lot of driving, shivering and laughing. Not necessarily in that order.

Happy Birthday to Carissa and Chris. Sorry I didn't give you a shout out while I was home, but you know the drill. :-)

It was Lorelai's first Christmas and I don't have a single picture of her in front of a Christmas tree. Mom of the Year - vote for me! She also turned one. One. ONE!! Are you kidding me!? I just gave birth to her. She CAN'T be one!

What's even more surprising....she ate her cake like a dainty little Southern Belle. I was so disappointed. She practices her fast-pitch with fig newtons on a daily basis, but when it came to 30 onlookers and lots of cheering, she hammed it up for the whole 20 minutes. I can't blame her though, who doesn't like a captive audience?

Lorelai also went back and did a little refresher course with Chuck (Infant Swimming Resource) and I'm happy to report that she didn't forget a thing! Go ahead, throw her in the pool. She's all over the saving-yourself-if-you're-drowning thing.

After the 20 hour drive back home (bru.tal.) JD had A day to get all rested back up for school. That's right. After five months, your tax dollars are finally back at work. He started school yesterday and I've seen him for a total of 2 hours since then. Looks like P.A. School will now have the luxury of taking care of my husband nearly 20 hours a day for the next year. I will still cook for JD, clean up after him and occasionally give him a kiss goodnight, but P.A. School will be his mistress. I'm okay with that, though, he could be deployed like the some 20 women I know whose husbands are in harms way daily while they're having babies/taking care of babies/waiting for their husband to be home to TRY to have babies. I'm certainly not complaining.

Hopefully I'll be getting on a much better routine around here. That should mean that I'll have a more regular blogging routine as well. Priorities, y'all. Don't ever check my baseboards when you come to visit, but my blog will be updated, dagnabbit!

Now how about some free stuff?

Kashi Coupon
$2 for 1 coupon
Kashi products are sometimes on sale for around $2.50, so this coupon would make it $0.50. That's one heck of a deal for healthy snacking!

Free Peanut Butter
This Sunday, you should find a coupon for $1.00 off any size Peter Pan Peanut Butter. The price at our wal-mart is under $1.00, so that means FREE PEANUT BUTTER!
I buy five Sunday papers and have no need for all five jars of peanut butter, so I'm going to donate them to the local food pantry. Free peanut butter AND generous giving. It feels good to do something nice for someone else!

Free Huggies Wipes
The Huggies wipes deal is still going on. At our Target here in town, 40 pack travel pack wipes are on sale for $1.47. This coupon will give you $3.00 off two Huggies products. Do your math and Target owes you $0.06. So, pick up a few items to make up for the overage. I have cleaned out many a Target so far and have had no problems. I now have over 40 packs of these wipes. Those of you getting ready to have babies....expect some wipes in your baby gifts!

Wipes are not only good for babies and children. They are great for taking off makeup, cleaning up your hands after a yummy hot-wing dinner, etc. So, don't think you can't use these!

Eddie Bauer - Great Deal!
Use this code NPSTRCLS and get $10 off your purchase....no minimum !!!

If you take advantage of any of these deals or know of any other deals, please leave a comment and share with us!!! If I don't hear that you're interested in this free stuff, I'll stop listing it! (that's not a threat, it just saves time if nobody is interested)