Thursday

Aidan, Pops and Buster had a good night in the tent last night. Buster didn't stay long and that was a good thing because apparently his breathing was making the tent hot and I can only imagine the smell. Pops survived a night on the floor but I am sure he's happy to be sleeping in his bed tonight!
I passed my glucose test this morning. Hip hip hooray! Another pleasant surprise was that I discovered I had only gained 2 pounds this past month (so I celebrated by eating a couple of happy meals for lunch). And to make my appointment even BETTER was the fact that Dr.Morgan checked out the calendar and declared November 20th to be a great day to have a baby! I love my doctor, he's the greatest. So mark that date as NewBaby's arrival, unless of course he decides to come out sooner and if he follows in Big Brother's footsteps it will be a week earlier.
Aidan and I went to visit his friend Carson this afternoon. We went to drop something off but ended up staying for a bit. Carson had her first ballet lesson today and she was so very happy to show us what she learned, which was first position (that's heels together and hands in a U shape in front of the body if you don't know your ballet). Aidan and Carson had a great time playing games and dressing up. Carson was Cinderella and Aidan was the guy that goes before the princess announcing her arrival, a small but very important job. A little later, much to my and Carson's mom's delight, Aidan walked in the living room wearing Carson's dress up shoes (one pink, one purple). You have no idea how sorry I am that I did not have my camera. He later restored any question of his manhood as we were getting ready to leave because when Carson's mom and I looked out the front window, toward the porch rail, we saw Aidan's bare backside as he was peeing through the rail into the bushes. Carson's mom was impressed because he positioned himself between the rails and leaned in a way to make sure he hit his target, the bushes, and not the porch. Luckily, Carson's mom and dad are long time friends of ours so I wasn't too terribly mortified and I feel certain we will continue to be invited over, despite Aidan proving the fact that the world is his urinal. Aidan and I did have a nice long conversation in the car about the appropriate places to use the restroom and the front porch of a friend's house was NOT on that list. Of course, this story will be re-told when Aidan and Carson are teenagers just to see all the shades of red that Aidan will blush. It's so fun being a parent!

Be prepared

Aidan met Ms.Dana, his new teacher, today. He was a little shy at first but when he found his personalized cubby and saw the train table he felt right at home. He was disappointed that there were no trains in the room (he looked in EVERY cabinet) but Ms.Dana assured him she would have trains by the first day of school. He used the restroom while we were there and was VERY excited that he could now reach the light switch without standing on his tip toes. I didn't know that growing a little bit over the summer could be such a big deal! Ms.Dana was pleased to observe he could follow 2 and 3 step directions when asked and that he could spell his name. In fact, Aidan instructed Ms.Dana not only in how to spell his name but that when writing his name you make a circle and then a long line down (for the d) and another small circle with a short line down (for the little a). I guess I need to stop telling him that when he writes his name, he's got that lesson learned. The big concept Aidan's 4 year old class will be learning this year, in preparation for kindergarten next year, is how to sit quietly in circle time and at the table. Good luck with that lesson Ms.Dana!
After church tonight I dropped Aidan off at Pops and Namaw's to spend the night because I have an early baby appointment in the morning. I have my glucose test tomorrow, what fun! For those of you who don't know what I have to look forward to this is it: After I get up, I eat or drink NOTHING tomorrow morning, go to Dr.Morgan's office at 8:30am, drink the THICKEST, YUCKIEST orange flavored sugar laden drink in the world, sit for 30-45 minutes, have blood drawn and tested to see if my body is efficiently breaking down the glucose. This is a test for gestational diabetes. If I fail the test, I get to go back the next day for 2 more even longer tests. I passed the first test when I was pregnant with Aidan so hopefully I'll pass tomorrow. I just have to remember to pack a drink and snacks for afterwards because I noticed back in March that the vending machines near my doctor's office had been removed and I made a mental note then that I would have to pack snacks on the glucose test day. Be prepared, I went to a few Boy Scout meetings with my brother when I was younger, I know the motto. So back to Aidan spending the night with Pops and Namaw. He walked in with his sleeping bag backpack on, tent in one hand and overnight bag in the other. He was ready to go. You can see from the pictures that it should be an interesting night for Pops. The second picture, with the boxes, was after Aidan decided Buster(Namaw's dog) needed to camp out too but there was not enough room in the tent. The first box, nearest the tent door, is for the lower half of Pop's body(which didn't quite fit in the tent) and the second box is for Buster(which Aidan relocated Buster's bed to). My parting advice to Pops was to take a few Advil or back pain pills before bed. Always be prepared Pops!

No sugar bug club!

Today Aidan went to visit Dr.Mike, his dentist. I am proud to say that Aidan is once again a member of the "No Sugar Bug Club",which in lay terms means Aidan did not have any cavities. I have to take a little credit for this because EVERY time he brushes I hear the SAME arguments about not wanting to. Derek doesn't feel as strongly about brushing teeth as I do. Of course, Derek DOES brush his teeth (we would not still be married otherwise) but he doesn't go to the dentist on a regular basis,nor does he even know what the term "floss" means and yet he has NEVER had a cavity. I, on the other hand, could brush and floss after every meal, visit my dentist daily and I would still have cavities. Derek's big joke after Aidan's dentist appointments is that at least Aidan can make the "No Sugar Bug Club" since momma can't seem to. I blame my bad teeth on my mother's side of the family and I can only pray that Aidan did not inherit that gene. Of course, you can't really look at Aidan and tell that any gene was inherited from my side so maybe he lucked out in the teeth department also. After the dentist Aidan and I went to Jump Zone, which is a "place with all the jumpy things." I realize this is twice in the past week we've been to an indoor jump place but it really makes 2 times this entire summer. Don't think this is a regular trip. We met Aidan's buddy, Avery, and they had a great time. We spent 2 hours there and Aidan only took a 15-20 minute nap. It must be all those calories he consumed over the weekend keeping him awake.
Tomorrow morning Aidan meets his new teacher and gets to see his classroom and tomorrow night he is spending the night with Pops and Namaw. It should be interesting because Aidan is planning on taking his tent, sleeping bag, and camping gear to Pops and Namaw's house so he and Pops can camp out in the living room. I've got to get pictures of that! Stay tuned.....

Growth spurt?

One of the battles I face every day is getting Aidan to eat. It takes him an hour or so to really wake up each morning and getting him to eat that first hour is impossible. If we are going somewhere he usually eats a pop-tart or some dry cereal in the car. At lunch he eats a little of this and a little of that and dinner is about the same. I've discovered he doesn't eat on the same schedule as Derek and I so usually the meal he didn't eat earlier gets pulled from the refrigerator when he finally says he's hungry. Dr. Brian, our pediatrician, assures me Aidan is healthy and will eat when he is ready. If there is one thing I've learned it's that you can't make a 4 year old eat. You have to pick your battles! However, this weekend I haven't once asked him if he's hungry or told him he needs to take just one more bite because he has been eating like a garbage disposal! He spent Friday night at Namaw and Pops so he had breakfast there, probably oatmeal, a happy meal from McDonald's, more from McDonald's later in the day, 4 hotdogs, an apple, a bowl of dry cereal, a bowl of popcorn, several cookies, a banana, a bowl of grapes, and several cups of juice, milk and water! All this on Saturday! Today he ate 2 pop-tarts, graham crackers, 2 cheese sandwiches, a handful of marshmallows, an apple, a bowl of grapes, a bowl of dry cereal, yogurt, 3 small bags of juicy gummies, a bowl of rice, a cheese quesadilla, corn on the cob, another apple, a cup of chocolate milk, and another several cups of juice.(Cousin Bret must be so proud of his appetite!) I had better enjoy this while it lasts, I'm sure in a few days we'll be back to putting his plate in the refrigerator and telling him "one more bite, please!" And just think, I get to do this all over again with another one!

A day at the place with the jumpy things!

Today we went with a friend to Recreation Station 280. Aidan calls this the "place with the jumpy things" which it has quite a few of. I am referring to the large, inflated bouncy houses and slides. Aidan and Griffin had a blast jumping around, throwing balls, sliding down slides and going through obstacle courses while I stood and watched in complete and utter fear. Why they thought that they could attempt and make some of the jumps I witnessed I'll never understand. For example,there was one play area in particular that had a large blow-up turtle near a slide. Griffin would sit on the turtle and Aidan would jump from the top of the slide to the turtle catapulting Griffin airborne into a large blow-up plant. They loved every second. I,on the other hand, was mapping out the quickest route to an emergency room. Afterwards we went to Chick-fil A for lunch and while there Aidan and Griffin played in the enclosed playarea with tunnels and a large curvy slide. They had a great game of "let's throw our shoes at each other" which got them in a bit of trouble and we called it a day. Needless to say, Aidan took quite the power nap this afternoon. That was well worth my worrying!

Mom the movie critic.

I went somewhere yesterday I haven't been in a while, Movie Gallery. I had a free afternoon, Aidan had gone home with Namaw and Pops after church, Derek was occupied and I really had nothing to do. The house was clean, the laundry was done, the dishwasher was empty and I was bored. I should have just bought a good book but I decided to rent a movie. Now, my movie preferences do not have real strict guidelines. I don't do scary and gory but other than that I will watch just about any bad plot and storyline that a production company will pay to produce. I even sat through Napoleon Dynamite, not because I liked it but because I kept thinking that it had to get good at some point. Nope, never did. I've watched all kinds of high school chick movies: 10 Things I Hate About You, A Cinderella Story, First Daughter/Chasing Liberty(basically the same movie),What a Girl Wants, Mean Girls, I could name hundreds. You know the type of movie, within the first 10 minutes you know the plot and how the movie will end. I've seen probably all of Sandra Bullock's movies, except Speed 2. I have to draw a line somewhere. Then of course I still watch the 80's classics: Say Anything, Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. Now, Derek and I don't really like the same type of movies(many of you are not shocked by that statement). We do agree on some: The Good,The Bad and The Ugly, Caddyshack(only the first one), Star Wars (and all the ones after), Indiana Jones(and all the ones after), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and even the Lethal Weapon movies. But that's about it. I'll never understand his fascination with Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Blazing Saddles, The Big Lebowski, any movie with Chris Farley and David Spade, and all those stupid Leslie Nielson movies. OK, Airplane was funny the first time or two, maybe even the third time but enough is enough! And don't even get me started on any of the Naked Gun movies! It must be a guy thing. But then again Derek doesn't understand why I'll sit through Beaches, Steel Magnolias or The English Patient knowing that it will end in tears. It must be a girl thing.
While at Movie Gallery I made a few observations: there were 42 copies of Date Movie(these writers have spoofed more movies than I can keep track of, I spend most of the movie trying to figure out which movie the scene came from, very confusing), 35 copies of The Pink Panther(Steve Martin can't hold a candle to Peter Sellers), 28 copies of Bring It On, All or Nothing(I'll admit it, I saw the first one. I won't waste my money twice), 21 copies of RV(oh please, the Griswald family corners the market on vacation movies, followed by John Candy's family in The Great Outdoors), and 21 copies of I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer(I don't care what you did last summer or who knows about it). I think Movie Gallery might have ordered a few too many copies for some of those movies. But I could not believe that not one movie appealed to me. For lack of a better option I ended up renting Failure to Launch(after paying Derek's late fees, thanks babe). I haven't gotten a chance to watch it yet but today my mom told me it was "a cute movie" and she just "loved" Terry Bradshaw's character. Wait a minute, my mother doesn't watch current movies whose stars are still alive. Maybe once a year she and Aunt Tina will go to the theater but I hadn't heard of such a trip yet this year. When I questioned her she informed me that she had ordered the movie on pay-per-view one night last week. I could not believe that 1) she knew she had pay-per-view and 2) she could figure out how to use it. This is the woman who has the SAME satellite service we have, with the SAME remote, but has no idea how to turn on our tv. My mother the movie critic, she never ceases to amaze me.

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Abby!

Today was a day of celebration, it was Abby's (my youngest niece's) 1st birthday. Aidan had an incredible time playing with Baby Abby(as he has always called her) and Spencer(my nephew) and their many young friends. Aidan, Spencer and the other children blew bubbles, drew pictures, threw rocks in the lake, played in the sand, ate cake and ice cream, played in the baby pool, played on the slip and slide(I think those kids used a few gallons of dishwashing detergent and handsoap to make it extra slippery) and finally Aidan watched while Spencer and the other kids jumped off the pier into the water. By that time I had broken the news to Aidan that it was time to leave and he was too upset to even consider jumping off the pier. We had a great afternoon. It is always nice to be with family and friends on joyous occasions and many of the guests at the party I have known long enough to consider family. We finished off the afternoon with a quick trip by Nan's house (my mom) before returning to Birmingham. She and Aidan rode around the driveway on the golf cart, checked out some of Nan's new projects(if you know my mother you know she ALWAYS has a new project going on), played a bit and then gave Charlie(mom's dachshund) a bath. Aidan thought it was great fun when a very wet Charlie escaped from the towel only to be chased around the house by Nan! Of course I didn't think it was very funny when Charlie stood near me and shook all the water off! After we left Nan's house Aidan was asleep in less than 3 minutes. It was quite the day!
While I was driving home(and Derek was snoozing) I had time to reflect on this past year of Abby's life. As a newborn she spent a few days in NICU but with no lasting effects and like many babies her age she has now come so far developmentally, physically, intellectually and even emotionally in such a relatively short amount of time. This past year has been a year of firsts for Abby. Her first smile, first bath, first coo, first real food, first laugh, first hand clap, first time to hold her head up, first time to sit, first attempt to crawl, first tooth, first time to spend the night at a grandparent's house, first step; all this leading to her 1st birthday. Our family has not had many firsts this year that we've celebrated. We've had so many lasts that are at the forefront of our memories. Daddy's last birthday, his last Halloween,last Thanksgiving, last Christmas, last New Year's, last anniversary and last moments with us. But through those short months before and these long months after his death we've had Abby and all of her firsts to smile at and marvel over. If there was one thing our family needed a year ago, it was a new, beautiful, happy, cuddly, loving baby Abby. Happy first Abby, you truly are a celebration.

Villains, Dirt & Cake Mix Beware!

This summer has been SO busy with SO many planned activities and trips that I realized Aidan and I hadn't had many "just us" days. Today has been a momma and Aidan day. Sometimes you really need those days. So far we've built "The Tallest Lego Tractor in the World" among many other un-named lego creations. I'm not a very good Lego builder, that is Daddy's department. Derek and Aidan actually built the tractor last night and this morning we just added several more levels until it broke into a zillion pieces under the massive weight. We also, of course, played trains. That is an everyday activity for Aidan. I, yet again, did not get to play with the more popular trains (Thomas, Percy, Gordon, James, Henry) I am always the not so popular trains (Thumper,Mavis, Rusty, Alfie, Fergus). And my train usually ends up sitting on a side track until the popular train passes and then my train is allowed to make a lap or two. At least when we played Superheroes I did get to be Lois Lane or the princess. Whoever the story line called for. We have also cleaned some today,by necessity not choice. Spilling a bowl of Fruit Loops (no milk) means getting out the vacuum. Aidan is a great help when cleaning his room. You've got to start them young! We've also made cupcakes to take to a friends house. Again, Aidan is a big help in the kitchen. He really enjoys pouring things in the mixing bowl and turning on the mixer. Of course he may be so cooperative only because he knows that he gets to lick the beater and spoon if he helps in the process. Whatever it takes.

How to Dodge Jury Duty 101

A few weeks ago I had a surprise in the mailbox, a small envelope that had the perforated edges labeled 1-3 for easy opening and the words "JUROR SUMMONS" in the upper left hand corner. Happy Day to me! Actually, I was kind of excited. I've never been summoned to be a juror. I began thinking of all the John Grisham novels I've ever read. Being on the jury and watching the case unfold in the highly dramatic courtroom always seemed so Hollywood. What if I got on a jury that had a high profile case! I could write a book when it was over and make millions. I could go on morning shows and maybe even Oprah. WOW! And then I came back to reality, I live in Birmingham. Capital "B" for boring. The best case we've had was Richard Scrushy and I was not what those attorneys were looking for to be a juror. I began to not be so excited about juror summons. I called my mom to see if she wanted to come spend the night with us and stay with Aidan so I could fulfill my part of the democratic process and the guaranteed right of the 6th Amendment. I was confident that I would be dismissed for being a stay-at-home mom or a former teacher. I'm not sure why but I've always had friends tell me teachers were not wanted on juries. My mom happened to mention my summons to my Aunt Tina(who recently retired from an Ob/Gyn office) and she said that all I had to do was get my Ob/Gyn to write an excuse for jury duty. DUH! I'm 6 1/2 months pregnant! I can't go 45 minutes with having to pee. Not to mention that I can't sit around all day because my feet swell, my toes look like cocktail wieners and my ankles disappear all together. Plus I look like I'm having a spasm when NewBaby lands a good kick or punch. I am my own excuse! Why didn't I think of that! I called my Ob and sure enough, they would send a juror summons excuse for me. I then called the phone number on the summons and talked with a nice man whom I asked if being pregnant was an accepted excuse, he laughed (I'm sure he thought I was an idiot for even having to ask), told me it was a legitimate excuse, and gave me the fax number to send the excuse to. I'm not sure how I'll dodge the next summons. After a little internet search I discovered other legitimate excuses:felony conviction resulting in losing right to vote(won't be going that route); over 70(Isn't that a bit prejudiced? Does the government think being over 70 makes you incompetent?); being so important to the operation of a business that your absence will cause it to fail(I've got that if they count a family the business. This place would fall to pieces if I wasn't around)(Just kidding Honey); being an attorney, physician, dentist, or registered nurse(Again, prejudiced! That is not true and not nice of the government saying that being a physician, dentist or registered nurse means you're incompetent! Being an attorney, well, sometimes the truth hurts.); being a volunteer firefighter, rescue squad member or ambulance crew member(Possibility, if they would let me drive); and of course the one I now know, being pregnant. Well, better tell Derek we'll need another NewBaby in the future.

R.I.P. Chip or Dale

Today was pretty uneventful. I did manage to stay on the phone with BellSouth for an hour and a half because they "accidentally" disconnected our fax line. That was time well spent. It could not have gone any better if I had let Aidan talk to the 5 or 6 different customer service representatives. At least I figured out how to get a real person on the line and not just talk to a computer. Which, by the way, is by pressing zero anytime during the call. That was not one of the options the well spoken computer lady voice told me about. But, needless to say, our fax line was re-connected by mid-afternoon. Great way to start off the day. Tonight at church was the "Super Wednesday" kickoff for the new Wednesday night children's activities for the school year. We had dinner in the fellowship hall followed by the younger children going to the sanctuary for singing and a puppet show and finally an ice cream social on the front lawn. I am a Wednesday night Mission Friends teacher (yes, I teach Aidan's class and yes, I do know that he can do things without me breathing down his neck every second of the day but he doesn't mind me being there so I am milking the opportunity every chance I get because one day he will not want me within a 100 foot radius)( To my friend Mandy-no comments to me about that!) OK, back to what I was saying. So I was at church and we had about 30 minutes between finishing dinner and time to go to the sanctuary. Sitting at a table for 30 minutes with a 4 year old and 5 other young children who have all finished eating is not an option so we went outside to play. Things were going good. Aidan plus about 20 other children are in a contained area, running around and playing; parents are standing around talking, trying to keep an eye on their child when I see it. Two kids, side by side looking at something on the ground. I think to myself, "probably a stick or they are just checking out each other's shoes, nothing serious." Then more kids come over and stare at the same spot on the ground. And then a few more join in. Finally, some kid starts yelling, "Hey! Come look at this! It's a dead chipmunk!" Now, my child is not interested in the dead chipmunk because he and a friend are rolling around on the ground wrestling, but they are rolling pretty close to the dead chipmunk. I do what any mother would do, yell at my child to move. Aidan doesn't hear me, of course. I realized that by the time I found someone to remove the dead chipmunk it was quite possible that the dead chipmunk would have became part of some sick game. There were too many older boys standing around for one of them not to be able to restrain himself from picking it up and throwing it at one of the girls. It only takes one, and there is ALWAYS at least one in a pack of boys. Trust me, I know. I taught 8th grade. Anyway, I grabbed a trashcan and scooped up the stiff as a board chipmunk much to the disgust of about a dozen kids and a few squimish parents. I guess I can add "Dead Chipmunk Remover" to my long resume now. I can stick that in with "Dead Bird Disposer" which is another story. Rest in peace little chipmunk.

Man's best friend

A cousin-in-law had a pet pass away over the weekend. Just from a short email I could tell she was upset and rightly so. We have a chocolate lab, Mo Vaughn, that is about the best dog in the world. He, of course, would disagree because he does not realize that he is a canine. The best trait Mo has is that he loves Aidan unconditionally. When Aidan was born, I was nervous leaving him unattended in a room with Mo because I wasn't really sure what Mo would do. Now, my fears are gone. Mo watches over Aidan like he is the parent. Mo even gets visibly nervous when we go to the lake and Aidan is swimming. Aidan has on a lifejacket but Mo will swim circles around him until Aidan grabs Mo's tail and Mo will pull him to shore. I never considered the role Mo would play in Aidan's life. Mo is just a dog, but he is etched in almost every memory Aidan has. To us Mo is a house alarm, babysitter, big brother, good listener, garbage disposal, go for a ride in the car buddy, cleaner of food off the floor, pillow for a nap, squirrel scarer, and even yucky flying bug eater. Mo is truly a member of the family. He even has his own futon for comfort. Of course, it was not bought with that purpose in mind but later claimed as personal property by Mo. I do yell at Mo some, he tends to bark when he feels that he should be in the house and he does like to lie in the hallway where I walk but today I stopped and thought about what he means to me. Mo is so much more than just a dog.

Change is not always good

We had a not so normal Sunday. Today marked the first day of a new church year at Dawson Memorial Baptist. Not such a big deal for adults but a HUGE deal for a bunch of 4 year old children who have had the same Mr.Bill as a teacher for the past 3 years. Now, some of you may know Mr.Bill as Pops, Aidan's grandfather. But on Sunday morning Aidan shares not only Pops but also Namaw (Karen) with about 12 other children who are not always happy about leaving their parents. Mr. Bill has become the glue that holds some of those very delicate psyches together every Sunday. But this Sunday morning Mr.Bill had left the building. Maybe he foresaw the chaos that would ensue without his presence and so he and Namaw hit the road for Indiana earlier this week. Anyway, this morning Aidan and I entered his new room to witness children having breakdowns left and right because Mr.Bill was nowhere to be found. Surprisingly Aidan walked right in, got his id bracelet, and then he was off to check out the wonderful new toys in this different room. I think Aidan did better because he already knew the inside information that the other children were not privy to, Pops was out of town. Besides, Aidan had his breakdown Friday when he found out Namaw and Pops had left and not taken him with them. At least everyone had calmed down by the time we went to get Aidan. Hopefully next Sunday will be better for the Mr.Bill followers. After church we came home, had lunch, and played outside since the temperature is not anywhere near the usual 100 today. I have been avoiding the outdoors as much as possible since I have my own built in furnace. We filled the pool and got out the paint and other toys. If there is one smart thing I've done during motherhood it is not allowing the easel and paint in the house. You can see that Aidan enjoys using a non-traditional canvas. Of course he is still green because the paint stained his skin. Never a dull moment!

In the beginning....

I've decided to get with the crowd and start a blog. I'm not so sure that my life is interesting enough to entertain the masses but I'll give it a shot. And besides, I have tons of free times on my hands since Weaver Child #2 (hereafter referred to as New Baby) seems to enjoy using my insides as a punching bag when he SHOULD be sleeping like the rest of the free world. Also this will give out of town friends and relatives a chance to keep up with us and our happenings. I'm sure they will be checking for new posts every chance they get! Enjoy!