Intestinal Revenge

Warning: This may be one of my less enjoyable posts...especially if you are reading during a meal! 

A couple weeks ago, I enjoyed some pepper jack cheese. I -love- pepper jack cheese. Unfortunately, whenever I eat jalapenos, Gizmo get the most disgustingly stinky poop and farts known to all mankind. It's actually quite amazing how a little bit of pepper can affect him so strongly...though my milk.

Nonetheless, I ate my burger with pepper jack, and Gizmo enjoyed a raisin, a green olive, and some bread.

Then, just over a day later, I sent my hubby on an airplane to Texas for a week...and Gizmo started having diarrhea. Stinky, mucous-y, blood-tinged diarrhea. I was near tears thinking about spending any amount of time with a sick kid and an absent husband.

But I was unsure what was really going on in those little baby intestines. Jalapenos had never caused such a bad reaction before. Could it have been the raisin? The olive? Those were new food items for Gizmo. Maybe it was a triple whammy of pepper/raisin/olive distress. Or was it a virus? Whatever it was, I hoped it would quickly get better. And as I Googled, I got more worried about the presence of blood in my kiddo's dipe...and I got more prepared to make a visit to the pediatrician.

But the runs kept coming. And then came the diaper rash on top of it. We were not a happy mother/baby pair.

Then, after a couple days of pain-in-the-butt diaper changes, out came a hard, solid....popcorn kernel! And all the sudden, the symptoms started clearing up. After going though nearly a whole (and huge, I might add) box of diapers, and a whole tube of Desitin...things started to get better.

I can easily blame my husband for this horribly exhausting mishap....because I am never the one that makes the popcorn in our home (and I -very, very rarely- eat it). But, that lucky guy, he didn't have to change a single one of those wretched diapers.

Bad Neighbor/Awesome Mom

As spring turned into summer, the heat started rising and rising, and all the local pools opened. But, we don't have (free) access to any local pools. And I'm cheap. And lazy. So, instead, I decided to put up our very own splash pool outside.

There are just a few things to note about this situation.

1. We live in an apartment complex.
2. We live on the top floor.
3. We do have a downstairs neighbor.

I tried to do this the smart way. We bought the smallest kiddie/wading pool available (splashing all summer from home for only $6.99? Yes, please!) I thought about putting a tarp down on our deck first...but I neglected to do that when I first started filling the pool. Of course, I decided it needed to be done once Bug dumped nearly a whole bucket full of water down to our neighbor's patio below. So, I emptied the little pool and got out our tent tarp. It easily covers the whole splash area (which is pretty much the whole deck, minus some room for our camp chairs/mini grill/tiny stack of firewood/bag of charcoal).

With the tarp down and in place, I was able to fill up the pool again. And then I sat out there with a book while Bug made big splashes, and Gizmo crawled in and out of the pool. (Of course, I also had to keep getting Gizmo and returning him to the pool when he tried to touch anything he shouldn't...mostly our baby bird nest....which is another post that I'm hoping to get up soon.)

Within a week of having our splash pool up, an apartment complex notice went out reminding upstairs neighbors that what they did above would affect those below (pinpointing water as one of the things to be polite about). Er...we were feeling guilty, and a little like the notice was directed at us. But, then the hubby talked directly to our neighbor about the water. She said she noticed a little (I'm assuming the initial non-tarp dump) but it wasn't bothering her. Phew! Of course, she is so nice, she probably wouldn't tell us. But, I think the splashing has been kept very minimal now that we have the tarp down.

All in all, I'm probably a horrible neighbor. But there is no denying that I'm an awesome mom! (If only I could now keep Bug from deliberately peeing in the pool!)

Who doesn't love chocolate ice cream?

When my mom tells me that she misses my blog....I guess it's time to sit down and type up a post. (Where the HECK has my motivation gone???) And I have a list of nearly a dozen post ideas, so I really have absolutely no excuse.

A friend of mine had a baby 10 weeks ago. She had invited me to attend the birth, but due to unfortunate circumstances, I couldn't get a babysitter to watch my kids, so I couldn't go. And 7 weeks later, I still hadn't had a chance to meet the new baby. So, we marked our calenders and got our butts over there! I tell you what, I don't understand the fertile-aged woman who can hold a tiny baby and -NOT- have a pang in her ovaries to have a[nother] baby! Gizmo is over nine months now, so I can have a baby any time and he'll definitely be in nursery by the time the baby comes. (Every LDS mom knows how nice that is, right?) Alas, I guess things will have to wait a bit longer before we have another one, though. 'Cause no matter how much those dang ovaries of mine are panging, they are the servants of my breastfeeding relationship with Gizmo....who says "no baby yet".

But that isn't the point of this post. I just can't get over how cute and tiny new babies are, and how much I really want another one.

So, we were visiting with friends. We ate dinner. We talked. We ate chocolate ice cream with brownies. We let the kids (minus the tiny baby) run around and play. We sat at the table to play a card game (Bohnanza anyone?). Then, my friend's sister (who lives in the household) came home. She walked into the kitchen...which is right by where we were playing cards and -totally- visable to us....and exclaimed, "Oh, hello!"

There was Gizmo. On the floor. With a bowl of Bug's chocolate ice cream remains over his face.

He had chocolate ice cream all over his face. All over his hands. All over the floor. And he was sad to see it go when we took it away and cleaned up the mess.

Apparently, Bug left his bowl on the stool he was sitting on, and Gizmo was just tall enough to reach it. And he knew he needed to be stealthy. We had no idea what was happening just 6 feet away!

But who can blame him? It was chocolate ice cream!!

Let's Eat!

This is a shameless plug for a new blog I created on a blog I already have established. ('Cause I can do that!) I have been trying to share recipes with some of my friends and family members. But, of course, I don't have them all typed on the computer. Then I type an email for one person, only to realize I want to send it to someone else, too. So I have to find the sent email, or retype...and before I know it, I'm trying to share one recipe for half a dozen people through half a dozen emails and typings of the same recipe. I just knew I was making it way more complicated than it should have been (and who needs that when you are a busy mother!!?!) So I will now just put all these yummy recipes in one spot, and I'll stop worrying about sending emails. I am pleased to introduce: Tasty Thalman's! Go check it out!

'cared more!

Every now and then, I have one of those mothering moments that makes me laugh....and then promptly makes me feel bad for laughing.

Last night, The Hubs put Bug down to sleep with a bedtime read. Bug hadn't had a nap all day, so he was more than ready for bed. He actually kicked Hubby out of his bedroom before the Hubs was even done reading his chapter! Thinking that we were finally ready to get some semi-alone time (depending on how quickly Gizmo fell asleep), the Hubs and I were quickly brushing our teeth before jumping into bed....when all the sudden I heard Bug crying and running to our door. Then he was frantically trying to open our bedroom door, while screaming and pounding in terror.

I rushed to open the door to soothe him and take him back to bed.

"Loud! 'cared! [scared]" he cried in between his desperate sobs. I could practically feel the energy coursing through his little body, trying to escape from the fear that he was feeling.

I was thinking over all the reasons he could be so terrified. I could hear a lawn mower outside, but I wasn't sure that was the culprit. With Bug in my arms, I marched back to his bedroom. I ran into the door, then fumbled with the knob in the dark, trying to get it open.

"Beep-bee-beep! Beep-bee-beep! Beep-bee-beep!" It was the sound of the alarm clock. I flipped the light on and walked over to the table where the clock was dangling over the edge by its cord. I turned the offending noise off and stifled a giggle.

I don't know why the clock's alarm was turned on, but Bug certainly wasn't expecting such a rude awakening just moments after he fell asleep! I plopped him back in his bed as Hubby removed the offending alarm clock from Bug's room. We turned the lights back off and I sang Bug a song. I told him that he didn't have to be scared anymore, to which he whined, "'cared more!" along with a few after-cry hiccups. I calmly explained what had happened and then I asked him to say a prayer. He did, then requested that I say one, too. After kisses, hugs and several "goodnight"s, I crept out of the room and left Bug to fall asleep again.

As soon as I got back into my room, I looked at the Hubs and started laughing. "Poor kid!" we both lamented.

Ok, Ok...I'll find something to blog about!

Obligatory "sorry I haven't posted in a million years" paragraph: I wish that I could just say, "Our life has been boring and normal, and I have absolutely nothing to blog about." But, we all know that is not true. I've just been a lazy blogging bum (not including working fabulously hard and losing 9lbs so far in my weight loss competition, of course).

But, we have some exciting news....well...it's excited if you're a dorky mom, like I apparently am! WE BOUGHT A MINIVAN! Oh yes. We did. I told my mom that I now feel this camaraderie with with all over van drivers. She just laughed at me. But it's true. I'm in the Minivan Club now. And my family would be way more excited to plan a fun and comfortable road trip if gas wasn't over $4/gallon!!!

Also, Gizmo has FIVE teeth now. He crawls at the speed of light. He pulls himself up to standing. And he can walk with support. Seriously, wasn't that kid just born five minutes ago? I don't understand how it is even possible that he is as grown up as he is!

Speaking of THAT...we just celebrated Bug's THIRD birthday yesterday. I think I might be living in a warped dimension. He loves the gifts he got....a tricycle (from Grandma and Grandpa T), a dinosaur puzzle, train whistle, canteen, new outfits (from Grandma Marty and Grandpa Mike), and a "You-bot" (which is Bug-speak for robot) backpack from Mommy and Daddy. He puts everything he can into the backpack to carry around...unfortunately, his bike doesn't fit.

So, tonight, when I was making dinner, the boys were playing together in the cabinets. Sometimes they play nicely. That is so refreshing. And they were doing just that. I heard Bug saying prayers. (They are almost always the same, "He'y Fodder. Day. Foo'. Jee Cwhyst, Uh-men.") I looked over and saw Bug putting his hands on Gizmo's head while he was saying his prayers. Then Bug excitedly exclaimed, "[Gizmo]! Prayer! A head!" Bug was definitely giving Gizmo a "blessing". Abso-stinkin-lutely hilarious! I guess he knows it is his divine nature to become a holder of the priesthood!

Bye, Bye Baby Weight!

When I was pregnant with Bug, I gained 40lbs. After he was born, I was able to lose 30lbs of that baby weight.

Then we moved to a new apartment, and I mysteriously gained 20lbs. (Yeah, I know. What the heck?!) But, I lost 10lbs of that...

And then I got pregnant with Gizmo. And I gained 40lbs. And then lost 30lbs.

Are you seeing a trend? Of all the weight I gain, I can never seem to shed the last 10lbs of it. And I am 30lbs heavier than I was when I got married.

But now I'm changing things!

My mom (a twin, and consequently, a highly competitive woman) has blessed me with her competitive nature. And together, we are motivating each other to lose weight. We both need someone we love and trust to motivate us to lose it. We need a punishment for failure. We need a great reward for success.We need healthy competition. So we have formulated a weight loss competition:

We have one year to lose FIFTY pounds -each-. We will have weigh-ins every two weeks (using the same scale and time of day, for accuracy). For every one pound that I lose, she will put $5 in the weight loss pot. But, for every one pound that I gain, I will have to put $5 in the pot. And vice versa. Whoever loses their 50lbs first (or whoever has lost the most when the deadline has passed) wins the money from the pot. But, the loser won't be completely forgotten...they will get the dollar amount x2 of their weight lost (from the pot). And, of course, they will have all that wonderful weight lost (assuming they lose any)!

We discussed the advantages and disadvantages that we each had, wondering and hoping that this would be a fair (enough) competition. We decided that it is. My mom is older, and has lower metabolism, but she also has a bit more weight to lose. And she has better control over her time (meaning, she doesn't have young kids that will prevent her from getting her exercising done). I am younger, so I should have better metabolism. And I'm a nursing mother (which, according to different sources, could be a help....or not?) But I don't have to ability to get out to a gym (or park, or anywhere, for that matter) because we only have one car. And my exercise time if often cut into because of diaper changes, nursing sessions, and other kid necessities.

The only exit clause we have is me getting pregnant before the competition is over...which I don't think is going to happen. (And, we are keeping very good track of our money. It has all been set up in an Excel file and everything! So should we need to end the competition, I'll know exactly how much I should get back!)

My weight loss plan involves: eating a healthy and well-balanced diet, cutting out most refined sugars, exercising at least 30 minutes a day (which usually means doing the "Just Sweat-Intense" mode of Just Dance 2). I have practically eliminated desserts from my life...with the exception of Nutella, honey and fresh fruit. I even passed up chocolate in RS the other week! I eat my meals on a small plate, to help with portion control. Unless I am eating salad....I always give myself a big plate of salad! I am also trying to drink more water, (and I've cut out all other liquids, except for a glass of milk a day).

I am proud to say, that after a full month, I am down 5lbs! That is right on target with healthy weight loss goals (about 1lb/week). And my pants are starting to feel a little loose! Of course, my mom is down 8lbs, so I'm currently in second (er...last) place! But I'll take it!

I keep teasing my hubby that once I lose the 50lbs, I'll end up getting pregnant and I won't be able to really enjoy my sexy, new body! But, for now, I'll just keep up my good work and say, "Bye, bye baby weight!"