Baby Grows Up, Mommy Gets a Job

Lessons learned this week: (1)Babies grow up way, way, way too fast and (2)There is a reason I am a high school teacher instead of early childhood.

I've been knowing #1 for a while now, I suppose, but it hit me hard when Wyatt and I were walking out the door for our first day of "school"/work, him with his little puppy backpack and matching lunchkit, me running behind him snapping pictures. It's hard for me to believe that he is almost 16 months old - he shouldn't even be big enough to carry his own backpack - and there he goes wearing it proudly, toddling off to go meet his new school friends. While I love every second of watching him grow up and learn new things, and I couldn't be more proud of the little thing, some days I wish just a little that I could swaddle him up like I used to and rock him for more than 10 seconds before he's off and running. And yesterday I was just sending him off to daycare... heck, not even sending him off, I was going to be at the same place as him all day! But before I know it I'm gonna be packing up his car and watching him leave for college! Ok, ok let me not get carried away here... he's 15 months old. And it's daycare. And it was so, so, SO cute. See for yourself.






Now for lesson #2 - I have never in my life heard the words "I need to go potty" as many times as I did on Tuesday. I promise you I spent close to 85% of my day taking various children to the bathroom. A class full of potty trained or nearly potty trained children is a blessing and a curse. It is nice to have a break from diaper changing all day (although, there are still a few incidents and when they happen they're much, much worse than a baby's) but it's almost just as irritating to have to help kids pee all day. I think that most of them just like to go cause they get to wash their hands when they're finished which means they get to play with the soap. Also irritating/entertaining is that the great majority of them strip their pants and underwear completely off when they go to the bathroom and then run out half naked to tell us that they're done. WOW. Never a dull moment.

It also gets really old saying, "No, so-and-so, we don't take toys from our friends. Now give so-and-so the ball back and say you're sorry." Talk about a broken record! Thankfully, these kids are pretty darn cute and say and do lots of sweet stuff in between potty breaks.

All of this said, I think I will really enjoy my new job - it's a good break in our regular routine, gives Wyatt and I both something to do a couple times a week, and allows us to put a little extra cash in the bank. But it is also a wonderful reminder of why I became a high school teacher and not a kindergarten teacher. Not that high school students don't often act like 2 year olds, but at least they don't need help going to the bathroom and they can blow their own noses... most of them anyway.

Daddy Love

I am busily working on my Florida Vacation post, but it's gonna be a long one and, in the meantime, I thought it would be appropriate to take a minute on this beautiful Sunday morning to say Happy Father's Day to the two best Dad's I know - my sweet Dad and Tyler, who is celebrating his second Father's Day today!

My dad has been the best dad a girl could ask for and may even be guilty of spoiling me just a little :)



And now he is such a proud Grandpa who couldn't possibly love his three little grandsons more. And I think he's just a little excited about having his first grandDAUGHTER in a few months - wonder if she'll be spoiled, too?



Then there's Tyler... The proudest moment of his life was 15 months ago when he laid eyes on his first baby boy and he's been puffed up ever since.



He loves this little guy more than anything in the world and he shows it. He's become a wonderful diaper changer, breakfast maker, bubble blower, ball thrower, and all around great daddy. They make quite a team, those two.



So I want to wish a very Happy Father's Day to two of the most wonderful men in my life and I hope they know how much they are loved and appreciated every day! ♥

Pure Florida Bliss

Well, here we are, back in Lawton after a beautiful week in sunny Florida. While I hate to seem dissatisfied with where I live, I gotta say, after 7 days in Destin, Lawton is not exactly paradise. But I suppose that's what vacation is all about - taking a few days to escape from the norm, shucking all schedules and responsibilites (that's where the Grandparents come in), and then, just when you're growing quite accustomed to living on beach time, you find yourself strapped back in a car with 908 miles between you and the reality that awaits you in Southwest Oklahoma.

But let's not let reality get in the way here... this post is all about beaches and ocean and good times. (Here's a little preview.)



This week long trip to my happy place began with a very looong 14-hour road trip, whcih I thought would be more eventful than it was, but because I have been blessed with what must be the sweetest and most well-behaved toddler on the planet, it was cake. Save for the last 45 minutes of the trip in which all 3 of us passengers were in what you might call "Melt Down Mode," the trip was nothing like what I'd psyched myself up for. We headed out at 8 pm, Wyatt's bedtime, hoping for a full night's rest for him and that's exactly what we got.

Here's Wyatt all ready to go!


We made a 6am stop for a McDonald's breakfast, a 10am stop in Mobile, AL for a look around the children's science museum and lunch in a precious little downtown cafe,




and were in Destin by 1pm, exhausted and maybe slightly irritable, but who cares, we were there!

And this was Wyatt minutes after arriving at our condo...



And because I think pictures will do the week better justice than my words, the rest of this post will be just that, with picture descriptions as needed. Please enjoy, we certainly did :)

Our beautiful condo and the view from our 15th floor balcony...




My sister's 30th birthday celebration


Complete with all you can eat chicken spaghetti!


Sweet pajama-clad boys scoping out the beach before suiting up and heading down...


One happy little boy's first time in the sand :)


A family sandcastle building affair (yes, my swimsuit has a skirt, I'm the oldest 24 year old in the world)


There was snack sharin' on the beach


And snack sharin' in the condo


And lots more pure cuteness...






There was a trip to Johnny Rocket's, a delicious hamburger joint



and a trip to the mall (which had no maternity stores, so I left empty handed)


Wyatt tried his hand at boogie boarding (on land)



And the big boys went deep sea fishing








And then a little boy and a big boy went parasailing together!




And we took some beautiful family pictures - This is one great looking family, if I have to say so myself :)



Just looking through and posting the pictures makes me wish I was back there, but duty calls (that's right, I got a job - post coming!) It was a much needed, much enjoyed vacation for us all and until next year, we've got our sweet tans and some wonderful memories!

Need. Vacation. Now.

Overall, I would say this has been a pretty craptastic week. Save for Monday, as we know that's when I received news that the sweet little creature that's been perched atop my bladder for the last 8 weeks or so is a she creature. Now let's discuss how my week unravels from there... Tuesday I am to have another ultrasound, this time one on my kidneys due to what an ER doctor believes is a UTI that's been plaguing me for nearly three weeks now but my midwife seems to think may be kidney stones. So, I schedule the appointment for 8:30am, secure a spot at hourly care for Wyatt (by some miracle) and plan to be in and out of there in a half hour. And then Wyatt wakes up with a 103 degree fever and some kind of rash.



Plan B: Cancel appointment. Cancel hourly care. Tylenol for fever. New appointment, this time for Wyatt. Again, by some miracle, I am able to get Wyatt a same-day appointment in Family Practice. You may not be able to understand all the miracles here unless you are military. Making an appointment for daycare or to see a doctor in the military world is the equivalent of making an appointment to have cocktails with the president in the civilian world. Plus, you have the pleasure of talking to a bunch of people who don't give a damn about you or their jobs and who make it their personal missions to see how they can be of absolutely no help to you whatsoever. But Tuesday must have been my lucky day (hardy har) because some precious gem of an appointment scheduler was able to squeeze us in at 1. And by the way, "please be here 15 minutes early" even though everyone and their grandmother goes to lunch from 12-1 and you will be sitting in an empty waiting room, consoling your sick, miserable child, unable to even sign in because the receptionist is out to lunch until 1 o clock as well. But appointment time finally rolled around and the diagnosis was this, more or less - "I'm not sure what's wrong with Wyatt, maybe he has the flu? Try alternating Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever down, he should be better in a few days." To which I reply, "Right. So that might explain the fever, but what's with the rash?" He tells me it is, in fact, not a rash, just bug bites. He's probably got sensitive skin. BUG BITES. I'm no doctor, but this doesn't look like bug bites to me...



But we take the good doctors advice anyway and head home for more Motrin.

Wednesday: No progress, fever still high, rash the same.

Wednesday night: MISERABLE. Wyatt wakes up screaming at 1 am (which is terribly unusual for him) and stays wide awake, only screaming about half of the time, until 4:30 am. No fever, no obvious signs of physical pain, no teeth coming in... Mom's at a loss and sleepy. But because it's part of the job description and because Dad has to be up early for PT, Mom's got night shift. So Wyatt and I play firetrucks, share some Frosted Flakes, dance to some music, and just when I honestly think I can't keep my eyes open anymore, he comes to me, blankie in hand, and lays his sweet little head in my lap. Thank you Jesus! And he and I both sleep for the next 6 hours until the dogs simply can't hold it anymore and I am forced to get up and take them out. Which leads me to Thursday.

**Please note that Tyler is in the field all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday leaving me all alone with the sickling.

Thursday: 104 degree fever, rash - out of control!! Another call in to the doctor (same bug bite doctor, mind you) and he can see us at 11. So we rush in (it's already 10:30) and after a quick glance he says, "Well, looks like maybe he's coming down with the flu." Wait, what's that Doc? That's what you said Tuesday and I'm not buyin. And just like that, maybe it's strep. WOW. All these maybes are really blowing my mind. But we do get a strep test - negative - and we are referred to pediatrics. Hallelujah! That's what we've wanted all along but it's been booked. So at 1 o clock we are off to our second appointment of the day, Wyatt miserable and exhausted, Mom... miserable and exhausted. New doctor comes in, rules out flu and strep, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, roseola and a host of other strange diseases I've never heard of. He narrows it down to Viral Exanthem and (gasp!) Scabies! Dear Lord, please don't let it be Scabies! I can't even stand to say that word! Luckily, the rash is not under Wyatt's arms or between his fingers (apparently tell tale signs of Scabies) and it doesn't itch so we are home free there. Turns out it's just some unknown viral rash, comes and goes, causes no real harm, isn't contagious, and will go away on its own within several days. And after several hours of keeping his fever down, here's my little patient now.



So, needless to say, after this week from military healthcare hell, I am SO ready for the vacation which awaits us TOMORROW! Well, technically Saturday, as there is a 14 hour drive involved (which will probably bring many unpleasantries of its own). But I don't care! We're getting the heck outta dodge, Florida bound for 7 glorious days on the beach! Or perhaps poolside, depending on the state of the beaches afer BP's little "oops" that is not so swiftly being taken care of. So wish us luck on the road, and more for the sake of the water and all the little creatures in it than ours, pray that the Destin beaches are oil free and sunny. So long, see you next week. Hopefully rash and fever free and bronzed and well-rested!

Sugar & Spice

As most of you know, yesterday was a big day for us. I had my 20 week anatomy ultrasound and we were told that we are expecting a GIRL! Well, I wouldn't say that we were "expecting" a girl but that's what we're getting. I, personally, was in somewhat of a state of shock for the remainder of the ultrasound and a few hours after. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier! But for some reason, I had it in my mind that we just made boys. My sister has two boys and we would have two boys and that would be that. Mostly I secretly hoped that because I know I was a living terror as a baby and again when I was a teenager. Not that you'd believe me - I mean, seriously, look at this, could this baby be bad??



But I was! And you know what they say about payback... So as it turns out, I think God has quite the sense of humor. And He's given me this baby girl and now He gets to watch me squirm a little! As it is, Wyatt has been about the easiest baby a mama could ask for. So if anyone out there told me they think this little bundle of baby girl joy is going to be like her brother I'd tell them I think they are dead wrong.

But speaking of her brother, when Tyler and I got home from the hospital, I gave big brother the happy news. I said, "Wyatt did you know that you are going to have a baby SISTER?! Are you excited?!" He said, "No." I said, "Sure you are! You're going to be the best big brother in the whole world!" He said, "No." But don't be disheartened. "No" is the universal word for everything in Wyatt's world right now. So, I'm taking a 'no means yes' approach and saying that he is ecstatic about his baby sister! Whether he knows it right now or not I do believe that he is going to be a terrific big brother - he's got some big love in that little bitty heart and who better than to get a whole big ol' bunch of it than this precious little angel who will be joining us in just 20 short weeks?!



And after all, look how good of a big brother he already is to his other sister, Addy...




So, shock aside, suffice it to say that I am just about as happy as one mama could ever be, and if you think I'm glowing, you should see the proud papa who's already got himself wrapped up tight around this baby girl's tiny finger. Our cup truly runneth over.

Update: FOUND!

Wonderful news here in the Moody household today... Step 2 of the very expensive Mary Kay Microdermabrasion Set has been FOUND! And Tyler decided to buy a third bottle of Visine and see if he can't hang on to this one, so now we're just down one oven knob. After our other two victories today, I'm feeling quite positive about the outcome of this situation! The only problem I foresee is that I have recently been attempting to teach Wyatt that trash goes IN the trash can rather than OUT of it, as he prefers to believe. So we repeatedly find things that need to be thrown away, walk hand in hand to the trash can and say, "This is trash, let's throw it away! Don't take it out, icky!" Perhaps in doing this I have created a monster, as they say. Perhaps he surprised himself one day by being able to reach the knobs, plucked one off and thought, hey I bet I know what Mommy would do with this! - "This is trash, let's throw it away..." And into the trash it went. If that's the case, it's so long oven knob and here's to hoping our landlord is forgiving when it's time to go. Maybe I'll replace the trash can with a "found" bucket and lots of other items I didn't know I was missing will turn up. Now there's an idea...

Oven Knobs, Visine, Microdermabrasion Sets, Oh my.

I currently share my house with a very... active almost 15 month old. While every day is a joy it is also exhausting, patience testing, and, as of late, downright expensive. Why? Well, at this moment, I am in hot pursuit of an oven knob, which he suddenly grew tall enough reach and then dispose of in an unknown location, a bottle of Visine, which is the second my husband has purchased with the intent to use to calm his itchy allergy eyes and the second that Wyatt has had other plans for, and Step 2 of a very expensive 2 step Mary Kay Microdermabrasion Set, which is, of course, useless without both steps.



Now, you might think that his ability to relocate, rearrange, and often destroy things is due to some negligence on my part. But I swear to you I am very attentive, sometimes to the point that he might consider me annoying, I'm sure, but he is fast and he is sneaky!! All of these items were literally here one minute, gone the next. While I'm still somewhat hopeful that these missing objects will eventually turn up (although they haven't yet after various attempts at cleaning the house) I am afraid that if this behavior continues I will be looking at a quite costly toddlerhood. So far, Visine = fairly cheap, replaceable -- Microdermabrasion Set = fairly expensive, replaceable -- Oven knob from an approximately 1990 model gas stove in a military owned rental house = hmmm.

Now I just wonder which will be the bigger blow when it comes time to move out - a replacement stove or the cost associated with repairing the busted bathroom door frame, the result of rescuing my 2 year old nephew who locked himself in by accident...



Well, whatever the outcome, the absolute joy that this 14 month old Houdini brings to my life each day far outweighs any residual exhaustion and expense. All of our missing items are replaceable unlike all the precious memories in the making.