Right Wing Mom

I realize that Jake takes up a lot of my blogging sometimes - but its just because, honestly the kid takes up a lot of my life.

I have said in the past that parenting/raising him was twice the work that Kaitie and Mandy ever were. Yep - you heard it here first… I think parenting Jake was harder work than parenting twins!

That boy has given me the highest highs and the lowest lows in my adult life. It has definitely been a roller coaster.

Right after Emma was born we were fortunate enough to discover the Feingold Diet for him. A diet that rightfully claims to help with behavior and other issues. Well, as Marc and I were so very seriously at the end of our ropes with him… we thought: Why not! We jumped into the diet and within days we saw a miracle.

We had a little boy that we actually wanted to be around.

Lately, we have been getting a little slack with the diet. Not being as careful about what he was eating and it started to show. Nothing too bad… but it was starting to work its way back to somewhere we didn’t want to be!

We reordered our food list and started back at square one a few weeks ago. And what do you know? It still works Within a few days he was back to a “regular” little boy. ( well, regular for that crazy kid!)

So the whole purpose of this post is to tell a short little story of our trip to Target today.

The last time we were in Target together ended horribly. Jake screaming… and I mean blood curdling crazy screaming that reached each and every corner of the store. Condemning stares from people who no doubt saw that I was pregnant, with Emma in the cart and Jake doing his thing, wondered why I was bringing another kid onto the world when I couldn’t even control this one. Me in the car, crying out to God, “Why can’t he be normal?” “WHY!?!” Texting Marc the same and then feeling guilty that I was thinking so negatively about my son.

In a word… it sucked.

Today… after 3 weeks back on Feingold, it was like night and day. He was great in the store. So great he called Daddy who gave him permission to pick out a new toy. With Bionicle in hand he proudly walked up to the register and waited and skipped out to the car as happy as can be. But that was not what got me… it was the woman who smiled when she saw him talking on the phone and commented “How cute.” It was the Mom who smiled at him and gave a little chuckle as he was trying to pick out a toy that was under $10 (and having a hard time) and finally it was the cashier who commented on how happy he was holding his new toy.

I got to see people see Jake the way I see him. The real him. The awesome him.

Its probably just those crazy pregnancy hormones, but I cried all the way out to the car - with a big smile on my face.

It was a crazy week last week.

We started back with school (more on that later)

We got our roof replaced - finally (more on that later)

We got are getting the downstairs repainted (more on that later)

And most importantly…we went in for our first ultrasound.

I was a little sad going to the midwife because with all the contractors in the house, Marc wasn’t able to go and that made me a little sad. However, being the awesome Daddy/Husband that he is, he decided to keep Jake and Emma home with him, which made things a whole lot easier for Kaitie, Mandy and I.

I was especially thankful that Jake was staying home, just in case we found out that this new little one was a girl. You see, I’,m not sure if you remember, but their was quite the emotional breakdown when we found out Emma was an Emma. Yep, the little guy had his heart set on having a little brother and was really disappointed.

Thankfully, he has gotten over that little heartbreak and has settled in his role as a big brother to a girl quite nicely, most of the time.

Anyway, back to the ultrasound…

We got called in a little early and planned on calling home and having Daddy and Jake on speakerphone. Wouldn’t you know it - no reception! The girls decided to record it on their cameras and we were told, of course, that recording the ultrasound was against hospital regulations. Darn it!

The ultrasound got underway and it was fantastic. And I must say, I am getting rather good at reading those things! I could easily identify the femur, the bladder, stomach and kidneys and the “parts” Hmm, maybe I see a second career in the future… or not.

The baby looked great and was a very active little booger! I was so excited to see the beautiful spine and be able to count all the toes and fingers (well, on the hand and foot he let us see!)

This ultrasound was a little weird for me as it was the first time seeing this baby. I first saw the girls at 12 weeks (and a whole bunch more after that!) With Jake and Emma’s pregnancy we did the first visit scan to check for twins again. This time, we skipped it. I knew it wasn’t twins.

The time came to take a little peak between the legs and it was then that I really wished Marc and Jake had come. I knew right away it was a boy! No hiding that thing

After the scan, I managed to get a little signal and called Marc. I told him that everything looked great and the baby was doing fantastic! I then told him that we were going to have another son and I could hear him beaming. He put Jake on speaker and we “broke the news” to Jake that he was going to have to share his room. He knew right away what we meant and started whopping and hollering. I don’t think that poor boy could handle any more estrogen in this house. Of course, I’m not sure I can handle any more testosterone!

There is one small problem though. Jake is adamant that the new baby will be in his room from day one. I’ve tried to correct him and well, he ain’t buying it!

That hard headed boy of mine is in for one rude awaking! LITERALLY!

Wednesday, against my better judgement, I loaded up all the kids and Joey (my little brother) and took a little day trip down to Galveston to visit a really neat place called Moody Gardens.

I had not been feeling great the previous few days and my energy level leaves a lot to be desired. I was nervous that I would crash about halfway through the day and the kids would be disappointed. But, praise God, I hung in there

We visited the aquarium, the rainforest, saw an Imax movie about sharks, visited an interactive display all about bones, ate lunch, saw some life size animatronic dinosaurs, the kids went on a movie ride about dinosaurs and we finished the day by visiting the splash pad It was fun!!! And most importantly almost all indoors, which means… air conditioning, my friend

All the kids were perfect! Having a great time and being courteous and well mannered. OK.. who am I kidding? The girls are almost all this way and Emma… she still has that baby thing to fall back on if she gets in a mood. I’m talking about that ball of testosterone filled craziness that is my son. And he was perfect! And I was happy!

Perfect that is until we got to the splash pad. At the splash pad area that had two water slides for the kids. Not big or crazy or fast, but fun never the less. Jake was having a great time playing with all the kids and taking his turn at the water slides.

I was sitting on this little wall, in the shade, soaking my feet a bit and watching the kids run around and play. Then, a lifeguard came up to me and asked if the boy in the blue shorts was my son. Yep, he’s mine.

I was preparing myself for the worst. But then she told me the funniest thing! Oh, he still got in trouble, but it was so funny!

It seems that my little man walked up to the line of kids and the life guard at the top of the water slides and loudly announced for all to hear “I am impatient, so I am just going to go ahead and go first.” Then he hopped up to the front of the line and took his turn.

My question is: Is it possible to be rude and polite in the same sentence?

When I first found out I was pregnant (the first time)( back in 1997) I just knew I wanted a boy. I had never been a real “girly-girl.” I didn’t like dresses or shoes (unless they were running shoes) Make-up? I could take it or leave it. My hair style of choice was a pony tail. I was in the Marine Corps for crying out loud. A place nicknamed “The worlds largest male gun club” Yep… not too bit on the girly stuff.

Needless to say, when I found out I was having not one, but TWO girls, I was a little shocked. What was I going to do with girls? Thankfully, as always, God knew what he was doing. Before long I was buying dresses (for the girls, not for me!) in pinks and purples and other pretty girly colors. Hair stuff and baby dolls. Yep, I think having Kaitie and Mandy brought out the inner girl in me.

I still don’t “do” dresses. Most days you will find my hair in a ponytail. Make-up? On any given day - about 50-50 chance that I have it on. I still don’t get the whole shoe thing either, unless its a Nike or Asics.

Ok, there is a point.

When I found out I was expecting Jake, I was really excited. A boy? Alright, I can do this! I mean, I had two brothers. Grew up with almost all boys and don’t forget that whole Marine Corps thing. Yep - I thought I knew I could handle a boy.

This is where you can start laughing. I KNEW NOTHING WHEN IT CAME TO RAISING A BOY!

Those things are some interesting creatures. To say the least.

On any given day, I can expect to be farted on, shot, stabbed, step on at least 10 legos, have to remind him that there is such a thing as in inside voice, remind him that girls don’t like to be farted on, feed him more than anyone his size should be able to eat and tell him repeatedly that he needs to wear more clothing that just underwear.

One last week Jake was being particularly obnoxious. All day long. Finally, I told him he had one more chance to chill or I was going to kick him outside. Not 5 minutes later, I gave him the boot. He went complaining to Daddy, who thankfully took my side and told him he had to scoot outside, BUT… he could play with the hose. Ummm, WHAT? Water?

First you take the hose…

Contemplate your stratgey

Relax

Yep, thats my boy… wallowing in a mud hole, like a pig.

Then there is this little beauty…

That is a Mandy’s stuff gorilla. Jake decided that he needed to preform a c-section. He was a little dismayed to find out there was no baby in there. Even more dismayed when Mandy explained to him that the gorilla was actually a boy. Of course, you should have seen his face when I told him that most Mommy’s including me, didn’t have their babies cut out of them. Oh yes, I told him how they came out. One word for his reaction… priceless.

Revenge is sweet:

One more thing I forgot to mention with the things I can expect. Almost every day, I can expect to hear my little man tell me I am the best Mommy in the world, which is the sweetest thing I have ever heard.

Yep, he is a strange little creature. But he is all mine and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I am not one to do the email/facebook question thingies. Not sure why. I love to read them and enjoy seeing who responds, but I just never take the time to sit down and do them.

There is one I saw the other day on facebook that I just had to check out. The results were hilarious!

Here’s the gist: Go to Google and type in your first name and likes to in parentheses like so “Alicia likes to” and post the top results!

Here are some of my favorites:
1) Alicia likes to fight evil (well, my alter-ego “SuperAlicia” does!)
2) Alicia likes to spin (no, I do not. I hate to spin.)
3) Alicia likes to party (once upon a time)
4) Alicia likes to hike and backpack
5) Alicia likes to dance (as long as no one is watching!)

Even funnier was when I typed in “Jacob likes to” Heres what came up for that!

1)Jacob likes to play with guns
2) Jacob likes to help me
3) Jacob likes to move
4) Jacob likes to dance
5) Jacob likes to point
6) Jacob likes to play outside and run around
7) Jacob likes to eat hamburgers and spaghetti.

Yep, that about sums up my little boy

Give it a shot! Tell me what Google says YOU like to do!

Its Monday and believe it or not I am semi-happy about that. Why? Its all about getting back on track. We have been kind of fumbling around in the dark here the last few weeks and I am ready to get back on track and get some stuff done!

Lots to talk about this morning - nothing too in depth or really even interesting, just a bunch of stuff floating around in my head.

Watching my dogs “do their outside thing” can be very interesting. (Great topic to start off with right?) So, I am waiting for them to finish to let them back in when I see Buster walk over to a tree and pee on it. Kaya comes running over and pees over Busters “area” then Buster circles around the tree behind where Kaya is and pees over where he just went - kind of remarking. It was funny - they obviously have issues (as do I … talking about my dogs peeing)

Ok.. moving on.

Hitting the gym this morning was quite the chore. After not going for almost 3 weeks it was so hard to drag myself out the door! I got up in time and puttered around for almost an hour. I was trying so hard to justify not going. I am so glad that I ignore myself! It was a great workout and I was so happy to be back!!! I took it a little easier today than normal, doing only 2 sets per circuit verses my normal 3. Getting my food back under control will be my main focus the rest o the week. I have been getting progressively sloppier as I have been getting over being sick. The scale will probably reflect that this week which makes me a little sad - but its all about accountability… I know what I did and should not be surprised at the results.

Have I mentioned before how weird my kids can be sometimes? Kaitie and Mandy have been cracking me up with their choice of entertainment. First off - they begged me to put Bon Jovi - “Living on a Prayer” on their iPod. I think thats funny. Secondly they watched a movie this week that really made me laugh, just because they enjoyed it so much! It was “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer” starring Myrna Loy, Carry Grant and a teenaged Shirley Temple. And dont get me started on their obsession with Animal Planet.

Oscars - did you watch? What did you think? I loved it! It was very well put together and I really liked how they had some past winners present the acting awards. I could have done without Sean Penn. But then again… I don’t think I have ever liked that butt head. Didn’t really care for the musical montage either… little weird. But I LOVED the opening! Who new Anne Hathaway could belt it out like that?

Jake lost his first tooth Saturday night. Kind of early don’t you think? I forget when the girls lost their first tooth, but I really thought it was much later. He was so happy about it! Sadly the tooth fairy forgot to come - and now that I am thinking about it… I hope he She remembered last night.

Last thing for now. Emma has (finally) started walking. She had been taking a few steps here and there and then last week she decided to get mobile! She is so proud of herself too! Sometimes after she takes 5 or so steps, she gets this big smile and her face and starts laughing - then she loses her balance… it pretty funny. Her favorite thing to do right now is to go across the room and pick something up and bring it to you. What a little helper!

I will (hopefully) be back on a little later to get my Monday Meal Plan up

Being on vacation and trying to stay with my program has been a little challenging. Preparing for the road trip I packed some food so we wouldnt have to hit the gas station and such for snacks. Of course, I obviously didnt put that much through into it. Snack? Lots of those! Meals - you know, actual food? Not so much. But, I survived.

My newest challenge has been working out while being sick and dealing with sick kids. Mandy got sick on Monday as we were finsihing up our drive. Kaite got it on Tuesday. Emma Wednesday morning and I followed up by Wednesday afternoon. Not sure what is going on with Jake. He hasnt been running a fever and he hasnt had the runny nose/congestion like the rest of us. But, he took a 5 hour nap yesterday (put himself to bed!) and has been uber grouchy!

Anyway, I got up yesterday to get my workout in and just coudlnt do it. I did about 20 minutes and then blah! Hit a wall and just couldnt push through it. This morning was kind of the same. I got up determined to workout. Jake woke up around the same time and a feeling of dread washed over me. I hoped that I could get through my workout… but no such luck. I was really having to push myself as it was. Now add in a grouchy 5 year old coming in every 30 seconds and yelling at me that he was hungry or cold or tired or bored or whatever!

Sigh

I now know why I get up at 5:30 in the morning to go to the gym. Totally worth it.

Oh - I wanted to clarify a little something. I totally messed up my weight loss from last week! I posted that I was down a pound, not sure where that came from. But I was actaully down 2 lbs! Big duh on my part.

Time to scoot! We have a big day today - as long as everyone is still breathing this morning

My Dad and I are taking the kids up to the mountains for a bit. My poor little Jake has never seen snow and wants more than anything to through a snowball. I am hoping to get some great pictures! Then we are heading off to Knoxville this afternoon. My Mom wants to spend some money on the kids and I am taking my parents out for a little early Anniversary present. Lucnh at PF Changs. They have never eaten there and we love it! They are celebrating their 40th Anniversary on February 15!

So, as you can see I did not fall of the face of the Earth. I just haven’t been in much of a blogging mood and when the mood has struck I can’t think of anything profound to say and for some reason, I felt like I needed to be profound. (and write really long run-on sentences too)

I can’t believe its December! Holy cow! Where did this year go? Did you know that my little baby Emma will be one year old Tuesday? Weird huh? It makes me want to cry.

In other news, our trip to Slidell was great! We had a wonderful time catching up with some old friends and meeting some new little ones that have been added the past few years. Jake made a two new friends, Wyatt and Jeffery. Kaitie and Mandy got to spend the night with their friend Emily.

The whole reason for our Slidell trip was to visit our friends, Adam and Andrea and their little one Aashini. You should really check out their blogs. They are living in South Asia and doing some awesome work for the Lord. Don’t tell them I said so this… but they are kind of like my heros now

They have actually inspired us to do something cool this year for a family Christmas present! We are going to sponsor a child through Compassion International! If you aren’t familiar with this organization, please check out the link!

Also… if you are looking to do a little extra giving this time of year, may I suggest International Mission Board. This organization helps people just like Adam and Andrea to help spread the message of the Gospel. I bet by doing this… you can pretty much guarantee that you will not be on the naughty list this year

And finally… Thanksgiving! What a great day We had some wonderful friends come over and ate way too much food. I was actually thinking of taking some pictures of the feast, but I totally forgot! (Just like I totally forgot to take my camera to Slidell - duh!) But, I will tell you what I prepared! The menu was:
Fried Turkey (Marc took care of this and did a wonderful job!), Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole (from scratch… and oh baby! Yummy!), Corn Bread Stuffing, Yankee Stuffing (what I grew up on) and Honey Butter Rolls. For dessert we had Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie (another killer recipe!) Please let me know if you are interested in any of the recipes

Sitting at the table last night for dinner, after Marc said prayers, Jake informed us that he wanted to pray also. Here is what he said:

“Lord, thank you for the wonderful day. Please help me control my anger, listen to my parents and be a good boy. And thank you for the growers” (farmers)

Oh, my heart melted.

Later on, somehow Marc said something about cavemen. The girls chided him a bit and Jake said something about God creating the caveman. LOL, this led into a discussion about creation. I know I covered this with him before, so I decided to remind him of what the bible says:

“Jake, remember? On the first day God created……..?”

“CAVEMEN!”

oh, well…. win some, lose some.

With my inconsistent blogging lately, I have fallen very behind in both updating and posting pictures. I thought I would try and break things down a bit - so here goes:

The last month we have celebrated both Kaitie and Mandy’s 10th birthday and Jake’s 5th birthday. Both were celebrated very differently. The girls had wonderful tea party, while Jake’s birthday was a little more low key - dinner, cake and presents.

I present you: Birthdays Part 1; Cake

So - if you can’t read (or tell) this is Kaitie and Mandy’s cake. Homemade Vanilla cake with butter cream frosting, filled with Strawberry preserves.

See those? Gum paste flowers…I made those Sorry - a little proud there. I had never worked with gum paste before, I think it turned out nicely! The girls loved it!!!

And it sharp contrast:

Jake’s cake. Homemade chocolate with butter cream frosting, filled with butter cream. Dusted with Cocoa and decorated with Star Wars figures. It take a little creativity to decorate a cake for a boy who can’t eat artificial colors.

Monsieur Jacob - from the great country of Batter Bowl, showing off his stylish batter bowl mustache.