It was a wonderful Mother’s Day.  It started off by getting some time to sleep in while my husband tended to the kids.  He not only made me coffee, but a complete breakfast which included eggs, bacon and pancakes.  It was delicious! The kids gave me a shirt from PeaceLoveMom that says “Lucky Mom 24/7.”  I absolutely love it!  They also gave me a drawing that they made together. I’m not gonna lie; I got a little teary eyed! No shocker there for those of you that know me.

Then we met my mom and dad along with my sister and her husband for brunch.  Although we had to wait an insane amount of time, it all worked out in the end.  The food was good and I enjoyed the time with my family.

After that, it was off to my husband’s family for dinner and more family time. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins and we enjoyed catching up with everyone.

It was a wonderful Mother’s Day!!

Below is a picture of me and the kids. Notice my shirt.

AJ looks a little silly in that last one so we tried it again.

Next is myself, my mom, and my sister.  Unfortunately, my brother and his wife were unable to come up for Mother’s Day but my parents will be going to visit him this coming weekend. So he will have some time with mom as well.

Finally, we have my husband with his mom and brother.   I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: One of the things I love about blogging is it reminds me to take pictures!

I am truly blessed to have had such a wonderful Mother’s Day and I hope all of you had a great one as well.

My poor Kiki. She has been suffering from allergies for the past two weeks.  Last summer, we had her allergy tested and the results showed that she reacted to pollen and certain weeds that are the worst in Spring and Fall.  Her eyes have been red and puffy and she sneezes constantly.  In fact, that is how I know she is awake in the mornings; she starts sneezing the second her feet hit the ground.

Unfortunately, nothing seems to be working to help alleviate the symptoms.  At first we were giving her a generic form of Children’s Benadryl.  That didn’t seem to do the trick  so we switched it up to Children’s Zyrtec.  It seems like pretty potent stuff since the directions call for one tablet in a 24 hour period.  That still has yet to make a dent.

Kiki is getting to the end of her rope I’m afraid.  The past two mornings she seems almost angry that she is still suffering.  I certainly can’t blame her.  I’ve been telling her that I think if she takes the medicine, as the day goes on she will feel better.  After repeating that same line to her again today, her response was:

“How do you know? You’re not me.  You don’t know what it’s like to be me.”

As she said this, her voice was hoarse from all the coughing and sneezing and her little chin was quivering.  It broke my heart.  She is absolutely right; I don’t know what it’s like to be her.  I haven’t been in agony for the past 2 weeks; she has.  But how does a 7 year old even formulate that thought? I will admit it does seem a touch dramatic.  But as I watched her slowly walk to the bus today, her comment was repeating itself constantly in my mind.  Now I realize, even at age 7, she is her own person.  I may have carried her for 9 months but she really is not mine. She is without a doubt, her own individual: with her own thoughts, her own realizations, her own sense of fashion, and even as a 2nd grader her own battles. Whether it is battles with friends, school work, or allergy suffering, she has to feel it on her own while I stand on the outside only able to guide her.  And the shocker for me is that based upon her comment from today, she already realizes this.  How did she learn that lesson before me?

Wow! If anyone needs me today, I will be in my bed, curled in the fetal position, crying like a baby!

I think any mom can relate to this song. Not all of us may be able to sing it like this, though!

I have a phobia when it comes to public restrooms.  I would rather hold it and get a bladder infection than step into the disgusting world of public bathrooms.  Truth be told, I would rather my kids hold it too.  Now before you go all child abuse crazy on me, I’m not that insane.  If they really need to go, I begrudgingly take them into the dark abyss.  But you better believe I try to talk them out of it first.

Last night we are out to dinner with my in-laws.  Everything was going swimmingly until AJ turns to me and says: “I have to potty.”  Just so you know, he is not potty trained.  However, he started this new thing last week where he willingly uses any potty but the ones nestled safely in our house!  He will fill his diaper to the max if we are home. But when we run errands or go anywhere that isn’t home,  he transforms into a fully potty trained 3 year old.

Since I would like him to be potty trained at his point more than I want world peace, I took him into the bathroom.  Actually, first I ignored the statement but when he repeated it I knew I should comply.  So in we go.  This is my first time taking him into the bathroom.  He is too small to stand up to go so I form the toilet paper safety barrier and sit him down.  He starts going but it isn’t flowing down into the toilet, it is flowing out.  Luckily, it all hit my little strip of toilet paper that I laid across the front.  No problem.  And I was beyond excited that he went plus his diaper was dry when I took it off of him.

“Mommy, get out,” he so lovingly exclaims.  I figured he needed some privacy to complete the rest so I waited outside the door of the stall.  And that is when I hear it.  It was the sound of a waterfall hitting the floor of the bathroom.  “Uh-oh, Mommy,” AJ says from inside the stall.  I open the door to find a huge puddle running towards my feet.  Plus the waist of his pants are now wet.  Now here I am “Miss Public Restrooms are the Devil”, squatting down wiping up the floor of the bathroom.  There are not enough scalding hot showers in the world right now to make me feel less dirty!

About 15 minutes later, we emerge from the bathroom and go back to our table.  It takes everything within me to not curl up into a fetal position and rock back and forth.  “I pee-pee all over the floor,” a way-too-excited AJ shares with the table (and the tables around us.)  I explain to my table (and possibly a few eavesdropping neighbors) the events that just took place.  I ended my story by telling my husband that he is taking AJ to the bathroom from here on out.  He says that I should have rolled up a ball of toilet paper and placed it in front of him.  Although my MIL says she doesn’t recall ever having to do that with her boys when they were younger.  She suggested that I buy one of those portable toilet seats to take with us.  Preferably one with a shield for little boys!  I think I’ll be out looking for one of those today.

It was then that my FIL reminded us that when Kiki was just being potty trained, she too needed to visit every bathroom everywhere we went.  Which just proves the old what goes around comes around theory.  After years of dodging public restrooms, I find myself cleaning up their floors.  IRONY!!

When I left off yesterday we were strolling down memory lane back to December 16th 2005.  I was settling down on the couch to wait out my contractions.  Join me now in the wee hours of December 17th, 2005.

My contractions started off at 10 minutes apart and continue in this fashion.  Every 10 minutes, I sit up nice and straight on the couch, trying to remember to breathe.  When they subside, I relax until the next round comes.  I notice that my dog Lexi sits up with me every time I have a contraction.  When I relax, she does the same.  I go into the bathroom, she follows me.  Nausea overcomes me and I keep my face over the toilet, she pushes my head out of the way to see what I’m doing.  I am just amazed at how in tune she is to the fact that I’m going through something.

Apparently, they replay Oprah at 4:00 in the morning.  I watch as she interviews Reese Witherspoon and Jouquin Phoenix about their new movie “Walk The Line.”  I make a mental note that I want to see that when I’m done birthing a child.

Sunlight breaks and I decide to wake up my husband and fill him in on my night.  I shower and call the doctor on call to tell him my situation.  Unfortunately, my regular doctor is out on a medical leave to have some sort of surgery.  The doctor on call says he doesn’t recommend I come in yet because he doesn’t think I’m far enough along.  I tell him that I live an hour away and I’m coming in.  He tells me that if I get there and I’m not far enough along he is sending me home.

We then call my neighbor and ask her if we can dump Kiki on her because this is it!  Once we get Kiki across the street, we are on our way.  My sweetheart of a husband turns the seat warmer on for me.  Such a nice gesture, although it didn’t really help with the contractions.  But at least if AJ was born in the car he would come out head first into a warm seat!

We arrive at the hospital at 11:00am.  They take me up to labor and delivery, a nurse gets me in a gown, and straps me up to the monitors.  She leaves without so much as asking me any questions.  The only thing she tells us is that the doctor isn’t in yet.  Once he gets in they will check me out and we will go from there.

Left by ourselves, my contractions keep getting worse.  I remember asking my husband which one of us thought that having another kid was a good idea.  I have another pretty strong contraction and I swear I feel my pelvis just open up.  Another contraction and now there is something coming between my legs.  I’m pounding on the nurses button telling my husband to get someone quick!  She comes in and I tell her that there is something between my legs.  She tells me I probably pooped!  But she is kind enough to check anyway!  “It’s the head!” she says.  “It’s the head!”

She grabs random people out in the hallway.  It’s a whirlwind!  I’m screaming, people are flying around the room, some doctor is yelling at the nurse asking her why I don’t even have an IV in yet, my poor husband is pushed up against the wall, I’m still screaming, and POOF, AJ is out!

We got to the hospital at 11:00am.  AJ is born at 12:07pm.  Thank goodness I listened to my instincts and not the doctor who told me to wait it out at home some more.  By the way, he came in as AJ was being cleaned up and said, “I guess it’s a good thing you came in.”  The nurse felt so bad about pretty much ignoring me that she made arrangements for me to get the room at the end of the hall which was supposedly the biggest.  It was pretty big with windows all around.

In the end it all worked out.  Today, December 17th 2008 at 12:07 pm AJ will officially be 3!  Happy birthday, little man!  We love you!

Allow me to steal a line from Sofia on The Golden Girls:

Picture it: Spring City, Pennsylvania, December 16th, 2005.

I’m nearing my December 24th due date with AJ.  Kiki, age 4, and I are in Kohls finishing up some last minute Christmas shopping.  There is nothing quite like being 9 months pregnant and fighting the Christmas crowd in a department store while trying to keep on eye on your 4 year old.

We are among the sea of clothing racks and I turn to tell Kiki that we need to move on.  Only there in no Kiki.  I call her name over and over.  Nothing.  I start frantically searching through the clothing racks, moving awkwardly among them with my ginormous belly, searching the crowds for her.  Nothing!  Panic is in full swing!

All of a sudden, I hear over the loud speaker, “Shannon to Customer Service.”  Okay, they could mean me, right?  They didn’t say a last name but they could totally mean me.  The loud speaker roars overhead again.  “Shannon K to Customer Service.”  That is me!  They must have my little girl!  Where the heck is Customer Service!?  I run in a full sprint to the front of the store where the registers are located.  “Where is Customer Service?” I yell at a poor cashier just trying to get through her shift.  “In the back of the store,” she replies with just a hint of attitude.

My big belly and I sprint to the back of the store.  There, standing with a Kohls’ employee, is my Kiki!  I run over to her and give her a huge hug.  I start crying.  The Kohls’ employee tells me how impressed she is with Kiki for not only knowing her own full name, but my full name as well.   I am just a mix of emotions…relief, happiness, a sense of pride that my little girl knew the correct information to give in that scary situation, anger, anxiety, you name the emotion and I am feeling it!  I thanked the employee for her help and with a death grip on Kiki, we left the store.

We met up with my husband at McDonald’s, where I told him the whole story while stuffing my face with a Big Mac.  Remember, I’m 9 months pregnant here and just had the scare of my life!  You better believe I’m eating!!

Once we get home, I give Kiki a million kisses and tuck her safely in her bed.  I am exhausted!  I change into my pjs and climb into my welcoming bed.  I close my eyes, ready to embrace sleep, when a pain inches across my belly.  It catches my attention for a minute but it quickly subsides and I am off to dreamland once again.  Except 10 minutes later, that same pain comes again.  And 10 minutes after that, and 10 minutes after that.  Are we seeing a pattern here??

I look over at my husband who is fast asleep.  I decide since we could possibly be in for a long night, I’m going to set up camp downstairs on the couch and let him sleep while I assess the situation.  One of us should get some rest and it wasn’t going to be me.  So with that, I head downstairs to wait out the night.

Stop by tomorrow for the rest of the story!

Kiki had a Halloween party at her school last Friday.  I signed up to bring the small bottles of water for the class.  And yes, I know I just did a vlog on not using plastic water bottles.  But in my defense, the homeroom mom asked specifically for the little bottles of water.  So I ran to the grocery store Friday morning, because I love waiting until the last minute, and then dropped the water off at school.  But I had to leave them in the office.  I wasn’t allowed to drop them off in the classroom myself.  The not-so-friendly office lady assured me that the water would find its way to Kiki’s classroom.

Friday after school, I asked Kiki if the bottles of water were in her classroom.  She replied that they were but that no one even had any because the “apple cider was too popular.”  Now here’s the part where I wonder when I will learn to use some censorship around 7 year old ears.  I say OUT LOUD, “Well then they should give me the water bottles back.”  Of course in my head I’m thinking, “All that running around this morning, plus there are twenty some kids in her class so I had to buy 3 packs of eight bottles which cost me over six dollars…”  But obviously I didn’t really mean that.  I figure they can hold on to them until the next party.

Well, the conversation ended with that and we went on with our busy weekend.  Then the school had off Monday and Tuesday, of which Kiki was sick with strep throat, and then it was back to school on Wednesday.  This morning Kiki says to me, “Mom, I spoke to Mr. F. and he said he will give the water bottles back to us today but he thinks they are too heavy for me to carry.”  GASP!!  At this point almost a week has passed since I uttered those stupid words and I didn’t even remember that conversation.  But not my Kiki! No, she stores it in her little brain and no amount of trick-or -treating or birthday parties or being sick with strep throat will dislodge it.  She holds on to it for five days and I’m sure the second she saw her teacher the words were out…”My mom said if no one drank the water bottles then you should give them back to us.”

GULP!  I explained to her that Mommy shouldn’t have said that because I didn’t really mean it and she shouldn’t have repeated it to Mr. F (who now probably thinks I’m the cheapest, rudest mom around!)  So I’m off to send him an email where I do some serious back-pedaling and tell him to please keep the bottles for the kids.  So wish me luck and pray that I remember to keep my mouth shut around little ears!!

How many of you are singing Bon Jovi’s “She’s A Little Runaway” right now after reading my title?  I’ve been singing that song ever since I decided to title this post.  Fun times!

This morning, I took a moment to take a shower.  Well, truth be told, it was a couple of minutes.  Usually when I’m taking my morning shower, AJ comes into the bathroom with his toys and plays until I’m done.  This morning, however, no AJ.  No biggie, I had a movie in for him so I figured he was downstairs watching it.  So I call his name.  I yell, “AJ!”  Silence.  This repeats itself about 5 times.  I run to the top of the stairs and yell louder.  Silence.

The dog is laying by the door looking out the windows.  “Not a good sign,” I think to myself.  I run down the stairs in my towel and peer out the windows.  Our pumpkins from the Autumn Celebration are lined up in a row along our walkway.  As nice as that looks, I prefer to keep them on the porch.  Obviously, this was the decorating of a 2 year old.  I run upstairs and peer out the back windows to the swingset.  No AJ.  Panic is now setting in and I run back to my room to quick throw some clothes on before heading outside.  Just then the doorbell rings.  I run to the top of the stairs naked to see if I can see anyone.  I’m hoping it’s one of my neighbors with AJ and hopefully not a police officer.  Although either way, I was naked which puts me in a bit of a predicament!  But there peering in was AJ.  He likes to ring the doorbell before he comes inside.  He then opens the door and a huge wave of relief sets in because a.) He is back in the house safe and sound and b.) He was by himself so no one needed to bear witness to my exhibitionist state!

I let him know that he absolutely can NOT go outside without Mommy or Daddy.  I’m not sure it sank in so we need to put something on our doors to keep him in.  I’m just so thankful that nothing happened to him and I refuse to let my thoughts linger on that because I will have an ulcer by tonight if I do!!  I mean really, I didn’t need those extra ten years of my life that I just lost!

Kiki has off from school today for an In-Service day.  When she has off during the week, the day care that they go to provides a field trip for the elementary students.  If I were a kid, I would think that this is great.  A day off from school and a field trip in its place! Apparently, Kiki doesn’t share my enthusiasm.  Here is our conversation that took place yesterday when Kiki wanted to know what was in store for her today.

Kiki: “What am I doing tomorrow?”

Me: “Going to the daycare.”

Kiki: (whining) “I hate going to the daycare!”

Me: “But you are going to a place where you get to go on a hayride!”

Kiki: “I’m NOT going.”

Me: “Well, I have to work so you are going.”

Here comes the best part….

Kiki: “When it’s time to go tomorrow, I’m just not going to go with you.”

Me: (slightly stunned) “You can try that, but then you will find yourself grounded for the weekend.”

So needless to say, she is going to accompany me to the daycare today.  I’m pretty sure this was just a little taste of what the teen years have in store for her father and I!

AJ has been pretty attached to me for the past few months.  Sometimes I love it because I love to just hold him while I take mental snap shots of my little man.  Sometimes I hate it because there are times when I actually need to be doing stuff and the only one that can help him is me.  My husband could be holding the apple juice in his hand ready to pour it for AJ, and he will throw a temper tantrum because I’m not the one pouring it.  Like it’s going to taste different if Daddy pours it and not Mommy.  I try to remember that this isn’t a forever thing.  I try to remember that someday he won’t want me to do anything for him, or be seen with me for that matter.

So the other night when I got home from work, I asked him how daycare was.  “I cry,” he said.  So I asked him why he cried.  “Cause I need you,” he replied.

Can someone pick my heart up off the floor for me please?  It just melted!!