Pie

As soon as Brandon and I got on the road I felt my stomach start to turn. Making it only a hour down the road, driving, we had to pull over so Brandon could drive the rest of the way.
Once we reached our destination Brandon's stomach began to turn as well.

It seems a stomach bug has hit the Mann family; explaining the events later in the evening. :)

As Olivia finished eating I set her up so she could burp. Having let out a trucker type burp we all laughed. As she began to spit up a little we wiped up her mouth only to have her gasp and begin to puke. Jennifer sitting next to her jumped back a little only to see Olivia gasp again and this time spray at Jennifer while she jumped back. Having now covered 2 couch cushions we all became distracted cleaning up and making sure Olivia was okay. She obviously had what Brandon and I had.

Amidst the chaos Andrew calming walked in the living room carrying one of the pumpkin pie trays. With pumpkin all over his mouth we all burst out laughing while Brandon gently took the pie from his hands. Seeing the finger marks, the bite marks, and the pie on my sons face only caused us all to laugh harder.

He had innocently reached up on the counter and discovered the pie. When he began to struggle eating it one handed he brought it to us asking for help! We all couldn't help but laugh at the chain of events; Brandon commenting that the two kids were already conspiring against us.

Fear

Some say that our experience with our daughter was insignificant or that we're over dramatic; however, I know that those who have had a similar experience would agree that no matter how short the time frame the emotion was real and the fear earth shattering.

For those that don't know our daughters story please allow me to share:

Despite a rough pregnancy with Andrew and the surprise of being pregnant with Olivia everything went very smoothly. Even labor was a quick process and my daughter came out pink and screaming. She took to nursing like a pro and we cherished finally meeting her and holding her in our arms.

Since our pediatrician does not come out to our hospital we were assigned an on-call pediatrician. When Olivia was first born they heard a murmur in her heart. Her first day in the hospital after birth the pediatrician came in very optimistic but wanting to chat. He sat down and talked to us a bit stating "it is probably PAC (premature atrium contractions) and something she would more than likely outgrow". He drew us a chart to explain and told us not to worry too much but they were going to do an EKG just to be sure. We carried on with no concern and again cherished all the family and friends visits and time to hold and snuggle our little girl.

The following morning the pediatrician came back after running tests, more serious this time, and stated he that what he was looking for in the EKG was not there. They wanted to run more tests and it was not what they thought. He mentioned a possibility of PVC (premature ventricle contractions). He never really explained the situation and wouldn't really answer any of our questions. Each time I would ask a question as to what PVC was he would response with: "I want to do more testing". He explained that Olivia would not be discharged with me and she would not be going home any time soon. He said that he knew the best cardiologist in Louisville who specialized in infant PVC, he had personally called him, and he would be over to see us later that day to discuss the situation. He let us know that he would work to get me a board room close to the nursery and would come back to see us after we had met with the cardiologist.

PAC is a misfire in the upper part of the heart to which the lower part helps the heart recover and keep beating. PVC is a misfire in the lower part of the heart. Due to the longer distance from the lower heart to the upper heart the rate of recovery is longer and it takes longer to get the heart beating again.  In an adult, who has a more mature heart, the ability to recover can be minor and may only cause a "minor" heart attack. In an infant the time span it takes to recover is often fatal. At any moment our daughter could suffer a heart attack and die with no warning or real cause. I began praying immediately and constantly, while sobbing. We were devastated.

I held her tighter, closer, and with greater love than anyone hoping and praying. I wanted to see her crawl and walk. I wanted to see her play. I wanted to hear her first word and see her at school for the first time.
I wanted to take her home.

After seeing the cardiologist they took Olivia again for more testing. The cardiologist wanted his own team to run tests. We sent special emails/ text/ and phone calls asking for prayer from those closest to us. We attempted to busy ourselves while waiting for Olivia's return. Everyone prayed for my little girl but no one more or harder than me. It was a LONG and emotional day!

6 hours after we received the news about her heart the cardiologist came back stating she looked great and HIS tests came back free of PVC; he didn't hear any real murmur and nothing was showing on any of the tests. She did have an open valve, that would close in time, that he wanted to keep an eye on but as far as everything else she was healthy, happy, and doing great. He did want to send her home with a holter monitor (24 hr. EKG machine) to be sure. We were to return the machine the next day, calm down, and go home- taking O with us- and rest.  We sobbed some more, this time in relief and pure joy that our little girl was okay. We sobbed even more when they told us we were able to take her home!

Getting in the car with my daughter, I cried all the way home at the emotional whirl wind of a day but yet knowing that Olivia was in the back seat contently sleeping, breathing, and heart beating.

Everyone asks if I prayed that God would spare my little girl. Honestly, I did not. My prayer was that God would hold her, give the doctors wisdom, and comfort me in a way I had never been comforted before. The fear of losing my little girl was devastating and blinding. But as I prayed I begged for God to hold our family in his hands and comfort us. I prayed for Christ like strength and wisdom. I prayed for my little girls heart to be strong and beat as long as God willed. When I had finally, fully placed my daughter in Christ's hands I thanked God endlessly for her. I called each piece by name: the moments I had to hold her, her alert eyes, her perfectly heart shaped lips, her long eye lashes, her ability to nurse, her long elegant fingers and perfectly shaped nails. I thanked God for the friends and family that already loved her and showered her with that love. After giving thanks I prayed for the machines that were testing her heart, the doctors/nurses who preformed the tests, and for the tests to come out true. I asked God to pour his spirit into our little girl and let Christ's light shine through her, even at her young age of 2 days old.

To have finally met my little miracle I feared losing her. To say hello and then goodbye; that fear was real. In what some consider a brief time frame I gained and grew more as a Christian, as a woman, and as a mom than I ever have in my life. 6 hours changed me. Fear changed me. God blessed me.


Olivia is my little miracle. There is not a DAY that I don't look at her and say thank you. She gained weight before her first doctor appointment after coming home and has since put on another 1.6 lbs and 4 inches. She is always full of smiles and you can tell she already adores her brother.


I continue to pray for my little girl. I pray she continues to be healthy and happy. I pray she comes to know Christ and how much He loves her. Most of all I pray that Christ will continue to use her to touch others and His light will continue to shine through her, no matter what her age. :)

The World of Cloth Diapering

We've returned our diaper trial and our shipment/ stash of diapers came last weekend; we're IN! 

 

We hit a MAJOR 4th of July sale and got an INCREDIBLE deal on our stash; the brand we bought (Kawaii Baby) were on sale PLUS since we had such a large order they gave us an extra $30 off with FREE shipping. That dropped our initial investment $75-100, I was PSYCHED! Since we were saving so much Brandon let me splurge a little and I got 6 cute printed diapers; the small amount fed my "fun factor" with out breaking us.

 

Brandon found a deal on a medium wet bag on Woot.com last week so, since I don't have sewing machine, my wet bag only cost me $6 instead of $17. We had been using Ziploc freezer bags until I researched something cheaper; Brandon found it instead- GO HUBBY!

 

Here's the low down on our trial and what we like and found:

 

1. Prefold:  old school piece of absorbent fabric that requires "pinning". Modern day pin =  Snappi contraption. You still need a plastic type cover that goes over the fabric and is the waterproof layer. (3 step process; fold fabric, secure in place, place waterproof layer on top.)

2. Fitted: Disposable like in make and ease of use but made completely of cloth. Still requires the plastic like cover over top of them to create the waterproof layer. (2 step process; put one cloth absorbent layer, put on waterproof cover/ layer.)

3. Pocket: Absorbent layer + waterproof layer sewn all in one diaper. Pocket at the top allows for stuffing of absorbent layer and allows you to customize according to your child's absorbency needs- aka stuff to your heats content. (2 step process; stuff absorbent layer, put diaper on child) Most parents pre-stuff prior to changing the child to make the process easier.

4. All-in-One: Absorbent layer + waterproof layer sewn all in one. Has 2 absorbent flaps that sit on top of one another to create the extra absorbency where in the pocket you have to stuff that yourself. Considered the Cadillac of cloth diapers; no prep, no fuss, no stuff.

 

Although I really didn't mind the prefolds Brandon did not like them at all and with Andrew currently in outside childcare the prefold really wasn't an option. We wanted to make sure we kept things simple for whoever was watching Andrew. The prefold method takes coordination and time to "get the hang of", something a once-in-a-while sitter may not have. We opted out on this one but may revisit once the little one gets here.

 

We decided to use Fitteds for overnight and with how much Andrew rolls around those seemed to work best. We never had anything we used "leak" but the outside liner of everything else would be slightly damp or his PJ waist band would be a little damp. The fitted sit a little tighter on his legs so for all the extra we get at night I like those as my overnighter.

 

During our trial I had a nasty poop in an all-in-one and spent WAY too much time trying to get each "layer" clean while not getting it all over myself. I told Brandon right then we would NOT be buying ANY all-in-ones. To keep things cheaper right now we're not investing in a sprayer to rinse- that may come later once we have a smaller child with less solid diapers but for now I DID NOT like swishing the all-in-one.
They're also the most expensive and, for us, the hardest to rinse off- so we said no thanks!

 

By the time we'd tried them all, discussed finances, our lifestyle, and Andrew's childcare options we opted for pockets during the day and fitted for overnight. We discussed numbers with our friends and in our class and came to a solid number of 18. When we ordered we ended up with 18 pockets and 3 fitted with 2 covers. With our diaper trial the every night wash was not bad; I had a system down that worked and got it done with Andrew in bed and before 9:30. Our new and current stash lets us wash every 3 days and given that I washed every night for 2 weeks the break has been awesome. :)

 

We LOVE our pocket diapers and so far so does everyone we've given Andrew to. We encountered a lot of skepticism through our process but have been able to bring around just about everyone. :) Cloth diapering has come so far and is now so easy that we have yet to have a complaint. Since we use pocket diapers, which are just like disposables, it's been super easy for everyone. We pre-stuff them so anyone who has Andrew just has to remove the dirty one and put on a clean one, just like they would a disposable. We've even had a few moms comment on how cute he looks.

 

Andrew is diapered and we LOVE it! We know that diapering an infant is different so we'll be researching, budgeting, and keeping an eye out for sales/what not for the next one. All in all we're extremely happy and Andrew seems to be as well. I'm not an environmental advocate in the least; however, we both agree that this has been a great investment. 

 

Not for everyone, but it works for us!

No Way In

I feel that I haven't had a really good laugh out loud story in a while... well... call it pregnancy brain, stupidity, or just a good learning experience- here you go:

I have worked at our churches counseling center as an administrative assistant for almost 4 months. I schedule clients, process the files, work with insurance, deal with claims, update our database, and complete general office tasks- I love it. Fridays are pretty low key days and most Friday afternoons I am here by myself. I kick off my shoes, lock the doors, and crank my music while feverishly working away and getting stuff done! I LOVE my Fridays.

My boss took off around 11:30 for lunch. I settled into a stopping point and around 12 decided I would go into the kitchen and heat up my own lunch. Knowing that the front door and interior door were locked I grabbed a key and made my way to the kitchen. As the interior door shut I found the kitchen door to be locked. Shocked and shaking my head I put my key in the lock and attempted to turn. Nothing. I turned and put the key in the interior door and attempted to turn. Notta. Complete and utter confusion swept over me and I racked my brain as to what just happened. I tried the kitchen door again. Zip. I tried the interior door again. Zilch.

Beginning to chuckle and thinking of a previous conversation with a co-worker I stepped into our waiting area toward the window. Recalling how my co-worker stated that she would love to see me crawl through the window, should I ever lock myself out, because I'm the only one that would fit I thought it a viable solution to my insane "how did this happen" problem. I was wrong. When the last client of the morning left, I locked the window to save myself a step that afternoon when I locked up and left for the night. The window was locked.

Standing in the middle of the waiting room I realized I was trapped and bust out laughing. THANKFULLY, last minute, I had grabbed my phone. I could walk to the church and find a facilities guy with a key or call and have them come over. Looking at my phone the battery was blinking; I had about 20 minutes left of call time. Shaking my head, yet again at the luck, I dialed the church.

As soon as the receptionist picked up I knew it had rolled over to the office... that meant there was NO ONE at the church that could come let me in. Good thing I didn't walk over but CRAP! Making sure, I asked if anyone was at the church and as I thought it was a ghost town. No big surprise given that most of the staff take Friday off since they have to work the weekend. Laughing at myself I humbly dialed my boss and requested a rescue operation. Since we have a spare set of keys in the kitchen, for situations like getting locked out of the interior door, it took me a few moments to explain that I was also locked out of the kitchen with no access to said keys. I feared going outside and not being able to get back in the building at all. *(Good thing I had already picked up the mail!).

With nothing to do and my phone dying I made myself comfortable on our couch and patiently waited for help to arrive. I made sure to have a big smile ready for my boss when he walked in the door. With both of us laughing we pondered how the kitchen door had gotten locked. Until today I didn't even know the kitchen door HAD a lock.

Lessons learned:
- Our kitchen door has a lock.
- The "master" key I grabbed is actually a key to JUST the offices. It does not open the interior, kitchen, or exterior doors of the building.
- (In lue of the situation) The windows in the bathroom, although small, DO open. hehehe.

All VERY good things to know. :)

Cloth Diapers: All In

We met with some good friends on Sunday to talk diapers. No sales pitch just: what works for you, what do you recommend and what have you learned. They even walked us through their day/travel/ wash routines. They been using cloth for 2 years so it was awesome to talk to and actually see how someone makes it work. The best part is that they’re like us, practical about it. They gave some really good advice, suggested some things we would have never thought of, and answered a lot of questions. Brandon and I both felt more confident when we left and the encouragement they offered was incredible!

4 days in and I’m still really liking it. Our sitter found that she LOVED it and the church childcare didn’t mind since we gave them the system that is just like disposable diapers to use (pocket diapers).

The laundry every night has not been bad at all. Last night provided a real test of strength and energy as we spent the entire evening teaching our son a lesson in limitations and the screaming that comes with it. Completely exhausted by his bed time I still started a cold rinse cycle just before his bedtime routine. I put Andrew to bed and by the time he was down everything was ready for the hot wash/cold rinse cycle. I left for Walmart, in need of some serious alone time, soon after and asked Brandon to put the diapers in the dryer on low once they were done washing. By the time I got home they were ready for their 2^nd low dry cycle and within 30-45 minutes I had a stack of stuffed and ready to go diapers before 9: PM. I stuffed the pockets while relaxing in front of the TV. Since we won’t be washing every night like we do now I can totally see this working for us. The nice thing about the laundry piece is you set and go. I don’t have to hover and can do other things while they’re washing/ drying; I’m not really seeing what the big deal is or what all the fuss is really about.

We have been using disposables at night, for now. The only reason being that we currently only have enough diapers to last a day or so and I would prefer not to be down a diaper first thing in the morning. Since Brandon doesn’t care for the pre-folds we haven’t been using them but have discussed using them at night for now. It really is all trial and error. We have plans to finish out the week, do another weekend, and possibly revisit again next week before “officially” deciding. We really want to give this a fair trial without jumping in head first; however, so far so good! :)

Cloth Diapering Step 3: Using Cloth

Although I read it time and time again and always just rolled my eyes, it really is true; babies look absolutely adorable running around in nothing but a cloth diaper. I put Andrew in cloth first thing in the morning and let him run around naked to get used to it. There really was no need because he took to it like he does everything else, with great adaptability and ease. He looked totally and completely ADORABLE! :)

I started my day with pre-folds and then moved to the fitted. Although I didn't mind the pre-folds Brandon was not a fan. Immediately he knew he wouldn't be able to take on the coordination that comes with a wiggling toddler and a pre-fold and turned it down on the spot. He was much more contented with the fitted and tomorrow we'll try the pockets and all-in-ones.

Wouldn't you know that my VERY first cloth diaper change would have to a poopy one! In a matter of 5 minutes I learned 2 very important things:

1. Anti-bacterial gel needs to be at the changing table
2. A sprayer on the toilet would be a wise investment should we decide to make this permanent. I didn't mind swishing and flushing; however, I did a doctor scrub on my hands when done.

The entire day went really well and I noticed an immediate change in Andrew when he wet in his diaper. He was completely aware. He still didn't care if he was wet but if watched carefully he gave a cue as to what was going on. I'm still highly optimistic and still don't really see what all the big fuss is about. Even the small load of laundry tonight wasn't bad; however, it didn't come after an 8 hour day at work.

On ward we go!

Cloth Diapering Step 2: Diaper Prep

Step1 being buy your diapers. 

So we have all our diapers; 9 in total: 3 pre-folds, 2 fitted, 2 pocket, and 2 all in ones. For this trial, since I didn't read the fine print, we'll have to wash each night. I think this will actually help since I know that if we commit to this the laundry will actually be less. :)

What people don't tell you is that when you get your diapers you have to pre- wash them. This is a process where you wash your diapers numerous times to rid them of manufacturing oils that prevent absorbency. Again contraversy reigns as to how many times, water temp, detergent or a cleaning agent. One sight recommended you just boil them in a large pot for 10 minutes; I wish I had read that first. ;)

I washed them twice in a hot/cold water cycle with an extra cold water rinse with out detergent, drying in between. I dried everything for 30 minutes on high, pulled out the pockets and all in ones to hang dry for the rest of the night then left all the pre-folds and inserts in the dryer for a normal full high cycle with low cool down. I repeated this once and we did not wash our covers. Andrew is not known to have sensitive skin so we were willing to take the risk and avoid washing these until I get a better feel for it. I would hate to ruin the water resistant covers right out of the gate, hehehe.

Although we're not doing this for the environmental value it still saves money to invest in cloth wipes as well. I researched cheap ways to do this and since I don't own a sewing machine and took the advice of a fellow money saver- I bought cheap baby wash clothes. 4 for $1. :) I found a homemade recipe for wipes solution on the internet of items we already had: water, baby wash, and olive oil. I bought a small spray bottle at Dollar Tree and found a medium spray bottle laying around the house. We'll put the smaller in his diaper bag and leave the medium one at the changing table.

Wipes and solution are ready and the diapers are finishing drying. Tomorrow morning I'll stuff the pockets and get it all ready for the day. :)

Cloth Diapering Step 1: Read the Fine Print

As Brandon carried a package in from the mail box he teased asking what in the world did I order now. Taking only a second to think I remembered, cloth diapers! Our thirty day trial had arrived. Feeling like a kid at Christmas I couldn't help but tear the package open immediately upon Brandon handing it to me. All thought went out the window, including dinner preparations, as I greedily pull each item out of the bag to inspect and get a closer look.

There was only one of each diaper. I only held 3 modern cloth diapers and 3 indian prefold diapers and the wind was punched right out of my sails. Realizing that dinner needed to be cooked I placed everything back into the bag and tried to calm my frantic mind as to what happened and process my confusion. Slightly distracted at dinner Brandon did most of the parenting and talking as the rest of the evening went on. Once Andrew was in bed I reached for my package and tried again to come to reason with what was inside.


As I touched and worked each diaper, more and more questions starting coming like a tsunami. Immediately I felt a huge sense of discouragement and was immensely overwhelmed. I held 3-6 cloth diapers and wanted to run for the hills. In lue of this discovery... I laughed.

Making my way to the computer I pulled up You Tube and started simple searches of How-To/ Cloth Diaper videos. My husband, having grown in wisdom since our vows, noticed the signs of his wife in the "leave me alone zone" left me for over a hour as I poured over video after video. My panic slowly began to fade at the completion of each video and my confidence and excitement returned as I realized my trial order blunder and made another order. This time I read the fine print. I could order 1 of each brand/ kind of diaper and I needed to order a Snappi (the contraption that replaces old school pins) and Wet Bag (to hold the soiled diapers until washing) separately.

Feeling a sense of relief and a boost of confidence, I was ready to talk to my husband again. It was decided that we would attend a cloth diaper class as well as contact some good friends who currently cloth diaper for some serious Q&A. We're both on board and ready to take it head on.

I'm pretty sure I know what method I'm going to prefer; however, I could be wrong and that method may not work for Andrew. Either way, the diapers are here and once the rest arrive and we have enough to get through 1-2 days we'll start. Next time I'll read the fine print a little closer and make sure I know what to expect, realistically. Lol. I'm excited, it's going to be an adventure!!!

30 Day Trial

As Brandon and I venture into the multiple children territory we've been looking for ways to cut costs where ever we can. Since I need to work to help pay our bills and childcare is EXPENSIVE saving money is a must! For the last month I have researched the prospect of cloth diapering. The initial reason was simply curiosity since I had no idea what it meant or would cost. As I ran numbers, based on consumer reviews and articles, the difference between cloth and disposable made my eyes bug out of my head and my jaw crash to the ground.

For the Mann family to diaper 1 child, based on our present grocery/ diaper bills over the last year and a half, for 3 years costs around $3000-$3500. That is diapers and wipes ALONE people for 1 child! We will have 2 children in the fall bringing that total for the next 3-4 years to possibly $7000.

Cloth diapering is an upfront investment; however, the diapers we would use for Andrew we would also use for the next child and possibly any children we have later on. Cloth diaper investments for a woman like me who is more cost efficient than cuteness oriented the diaper ranges from $300-$500 over the same time period. Those numbers are based on discussion with moms I know who cloth diaper and the current cloth diaper pricing of the mid-range diapers. That costs covers enough diapers to do laundry every 3 days and is modified to accommodate the slight increase in water and laundry soap bills.

Those numbers alone caused my Brandon and my head to turn and be seriously willing to consider this option. I've spent hours pouring over emails to friends who cloth, on the phone talking to my dad who used cloth on my sisters, and reading article after article on what to-do and what not-to-do, which diapers to use, how to wash, all the options, and how to save money. Cloth diapering is a culture, it's a lifestyle. This is not to say that we would NEVER purchase or use disposables again; there is a time and place for them. The amount of money spent per year alone on disposables would range around $100 given that I watch for sales and use coupons.

My excitement is purely financial. We have no clue what we are getting ourselves into but the great thing about modern day: 30 day trials baby!!! For less than $80 I got to pick the type and style of diapers that I wanted to try, a little bit of everything out there, and give it a go to see if this culture and life style fits into the Mann mold. The best part is what ever we don't like, even if it's everything, we can send back and are only out the $10-$20 cleaning fee. I'd say $20 is worth the investment of a possible savings over $7000, wouldn't you?

The trial has been ordered and our journey begins. Here goes! :)

Only Seconds Long

Yet again the thought of how heavy my child is slammed my mind as I lifted Andrew off the changing table.With a huff I set his feet on the floor and turned toward the door not acknowledging if he was following or not. Seeing a spark in his eye I smiled as I walked out and turned off the light fully expecting him to follow. Having thrown away his soiled diaper I continued my morning routine of getting ready, applying my makeup and finishing up with my hair. As I pinned the last of my hair I noticed that I had not seen or heard from my son since leaving his room and dread started to rise in my stomach.

Knowing that Brandon had been in the kitchen and unaware of the fact that I left Andrew alone in his room I sighed as thoughts of what might be now spread across his floor. It could a number of things; books, diapers, wipes, anything he found in his closet. I was sure I'd left that door open.

Too tired, I prayed for patience to what I might find and made my way across our small house towards Andrew's room calmly calling his name. As I entered the semi dark room my eyes quickly adjusted. The floor was clean and all I found were a small pair of feet at the bottom of the curtain. Certain that my son was playing hiding and seek or peek- a- boo I called out to him again with a smile on my lips. He quickly poked his head out from behind the curtain to acknowledge me briefly before retreating back. Chuckling at his antics I made my way to the window and peeked around the curtain gently asking: "what are you doing?"

To my amazement my son was standing at the window holding up the shade. He turned with a smile that stretched from ear to ear and with wonder in his voice pointed out the window: "LOOK" he exclaimed! Gesturing for me to raise the shade he held his smile and turned back toward the window; immediately I removed his burden and let my eyes follow his out the window.

There in the front yard were 4 robins pecking away at their morning breakfast. Again Andrew turned to me with his eye brimming with excitement as he calmly stated around his pacifier: "bird". Placing my hand on his back and giving it a quick rub I smiled and encouraged him: "That's right, birds, 4 robins".

He simply smiled at me, then sighed, folded his arms on the window sill and turned back to watch the birds in the yard. Contently we stood there for no more than a minute or two before Brandon came looking for us, ready to leave for the day.

In those few minutes neither of us said a word. With my hand still on Andrew's back neither of us moved. We stood there letting our eyes take in the birds of the morning. When Brandon came in calling and asking what we were doing Andrew looked at me and then back out at the yard. Sighing again, he waved and told the birds: "bye bye" as we both moved toward Brandon and from around the curtain.

Chuckling again, I took a second to place the moment in my mind. I didn't want to forget the simple wonder of my son and his fascination with the robins. I wanted to savor the minute I shared just standing in silence with him. He is too young and the moment was too short for him to ever remember it but I hoped to place it in my memory and never forget it. To me it was something special and although brief I know it added to the love and bond I have with my son.

It was a phenomenal way to start my morning. Today it was better than any hug or kiss he could have given me.

Silver Platter

These days most of our stories revolve around our son. I think Tiko, our dog, must have been feeling a bit jilted and has decided to create a little action to get one of his own. :)

This past Sunday night we planned our meals for the week and pulled out all the necessary meat for thawing. Seeing my husband take a 1-2 lb. chuck roast outside I assumed he placed it on the table (mistake #1- Erin) so it could be prepared that night for tomorrows dinner. Just before leaving for the grocery store I noticed that Tiko wanted out and with out really looking into the yard the I opened the door and let him out (mistake #2- Erin).

After a full grocery trip I made my way out to the car and noticed that I had missed 4 calls from Brandon. Shocked, the phone was on vibrate, I quickly dialed to see what emergency I missed. Calmly Brandon explained that we would not be having roast tomorrow night and he wanted to see what I wanted to fix instead. Not understanding the need for 4 calls over this confusion hit my like a brick and I asked "Why"? With a slight chuckle Brandon asked me if I had let the dog out and again I was unable to connect the dots. It wasn't until Brandon explained that Tiko had got a hold of our dinner that I understood. My classic belly laugh came bellowing out of me as I pictured our dog greedily going at the frozen meat. Surely he thought we had laid it out there just for him because Brandon had placed it on a chair (not the table like I thought) at head height in the middle of the yard; it was as if it were on a silver platter! When I let him out I'm sure he went straight for it. I was so distracted with the grocery list I didn't even notice the meat or the Tiko's excitement as I opened the door. Laughing still I defended Tiko, as it was truly my mistake, and commented on how smart he was.

The meat was completely shredded and Brandon tossed it all in the outside bin. Almost 2 lbs of raw chuck roast meat wasted, such a shame. hehehe. Since there was no real way to tell how much Tiko actually swallowed, how much he just tenderized, or how any of it would affect his system he slept outside Sunday night.

Thinking the funny story was over I was shocked, appalled, and nauseated when I woke up this morning. Having gone to bed early Brandon left Tiko in the house for the night (mistake #3- Brandon). I got up at 3:45 to use the restroom and I was confused at Tiko's reaction to me moving around; he was super clingy and needy as if there was a nasty storm outside. It was so out of the norm that despite my slumbered state I remembered his reaction; however, I still went back to bed and quickly fell back to sleep with out giving it another thought. Up at 6:45 to start the day I walked toward Andrew's room.

The dog had gotten sick all over the foyer. Moaning I headed for the kitchen and found more in the living room, all over the the kitchen, and in the dining area. By then the smell smacked me up side the head and I almost lost it. Running for the bathroom and calling for Brandon, who was in the shower, I explained the situation. We hashed out a clean up plan and Brandon retrieved Andrew from his room so I could avoid the smell of the foyer as much as possible. Lighting candles, turning on the fan, and opening windows we started to clean up. It was everywhere. Brandon found more on the carpet in the hall, it was on the kitchen cabinets, the baseboards, and even the dining area curtains. Everywhere.

As Brandon walked the house and found more and more of it he cried out: "Our entire house has been defecated!"  As we cleaned the house Andrew sat contently strapped in his booster eating his breakfast and occasionally commenting: "uh-oh!" While we wiped and mopped the title we had to borrow some carpet cleaner from a neighbor since we couldn't find ours. I couldn't help but chuckle and immediately felt horrible for finding the situation so funny.

All is clean and disinfected and Brandon and I scrubbed our hands like doctors going into surgery when it was all done and clean; I still feel gross. Tiko will remain outside the rest of the week and I would like to recant my previous statement, smart dog. STUPID DOG! Brandon has decided that Tiko will never sleep in the house again; Brandon never wants to wake up to a situation like this morning EVER again! hehehehe. :)

You could say Brandon and I had a pretty stinky morning. ;) Lavender spray people- it works, invest in some!

Chattanooga CHOO-CHOO

For the first time the "new" Mann family took a family vacation.


Thursday morning at nap time we loaded up and headed out. The drive down went really well and Andrew did great and we got to the cabin just before bed time. He went down great the first night and slept all night- we were shocked and elated!

Most mornings were spent relaxing at the cabin until Andrew had napped and then once he got up we loaded up and he ate lunch on the road to Chattanooga. The little pig- all he did was eat ALL weekend, constantly!!!

Day 1: Although it poured down rain just as we finished getting ready for the day that did not damper our vacation excitement. We adjusted the weekend plans and opted for a day at the aquarium instead. What we didn't realize was that we were so intent on dinner the night before that we forgot to get gas. When we got out to the car we were almost completely empty; I'm talking like on E (but no gas light... yet). Brandon, thinking for sure that we had stopped, started to freak that we'd been siphoned somewhere on the road or at the cabin! Come to find out we're just forgetful; causing a classic loud deep belly laugh from me. Luckily we were at the top of the mountain and spent most of the drive down coasting in neutral. I laughed the whole way but Brandon didn't find it as funny as I did. :) It really was funny though... I mean, come on, knowing us- this would happen. lol.

The aquarium was SO much fun and came with plenty of Andrew exclamations of: wow, whoa, look, and giggles. It even came with some random break dance moves as we passed through a door way and the monkey heard music. The best part was when he would be looking at one fish and another would swim by, scaring him. His eyes would get HUGE and he would turn and asked to be picked up... I couldn't help but laugh each time it happened. The whole trip was hysterical and we had a blast! Dinner was at a Mellow Mushroom and the pizza rivaled our local Wick's.

Day 2: The temperature was in the WONDERFUL upper 70's so we opted for the Incline Railway and Rock City. Super excited about the Incline I found myself sorely disappointed at my terror on the dumb thing! The constant and slow feeling of "maybe" falling to my death at any moment didn't exhilarate my blood in the way I thought it would. Andrew was not impressed either. Although excited to get on the "choo-choo" the ride was too long to keep his attention and he wanted to move around before we were even 1/2 way up the mountain. The view from the top... a let down; I was ready for Rock City. :) Rocky City met my every expectation and Andrew loved hiking down the trail. I loved the swinging bridge more than my husband and son and might have upset a few strangers as I jumped, rocked, and bounced across it. Brandon and I both wished we had more time to spend there but still got to enjoy the visit and got plenty of fun pictures. Dinner was at the INCREDIBLE Sticky Fingers BBQ and everyone walked out stuffed!
Day 3: Not as well planned as the days 1 & 2. Starting out just after breakfast we parked close to the Riverfront and took a free shuttle to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Thinking the area would be just as nice as the Riverrfont with plenty to see and restaurants we were shocked to see the part of town it was in; the not so great part... We ate lunch at a small cafe in the hotel (very good) and spent the next hr getting Andrew to nap. The plan was while he napped Brandon and I would enjoy the sights and walk around... that only took about 45 minutes and the monkey naps for 1.5- 2 hours. Again, we just took the time to relax do what little shopping there was (they had a scrapbooking store! :) ) until he woke up. Once he was awake he snacked and walked around checking out the choo-choo. Back down at the Riverfront we thought he would enjoy all the water play- notta. He was done. He would splash his feet in but that was about all. Finally giving up at getting him in the water to play we paid for our parking and headed to dinner.

The restaurant I had chosen, come to find out, was closed on Sundays. Yep, right there on the pamphlet M-F and Saturday hours with nothing listed for Sunday. HAHAHAHA! Tired and hungry we drove back to the same parking gargage parked again and walked to Hennens. AWESOME restaurant with some of the best steak and fish either of us has ever had. Andrew was in a SUPER good mood so it was a VERY enjoyable "last meal" in Chattanooga.
Our last night it stormed something AWFUL and Andrew had a really rough night. His rough night caused us all to over sleep and we left 1.5 hours later than planned. Despite the bump it was a good drive home. The monkey entertained himself until lunch and conked out directly after.

Brandon was bummed we had to, yet again, eat lunch on the road at a McDonalds but I teased that we eat where the kid can play. :) We stopped off at a park in a small historic town to run off some energy after the monkey's nap only to find out that the town was shut down on Mondays. NOTHING was open for us to use the restroom or get a snack. There business days were T-Sat., of course! hehehe. After some fun at the park we scronged up a gas station and headed the rest of the way home.

The weather was perfect, our son was entertaining and an angel, and we didn't have internet so Brandon couldn't be tempted to check his work email. Our complaints: the cabin was WAY too small, smaller than our 700 sq. ft. apartment when we first got married- PLUS- when this big bellied prego woman has to pee she does not want to walk down tight spiral stairs to do it, the cabin didn't have a tub thus the monkey didn't get a bath the whole trip. The plan was to put him in the shower our last morning but with us running behind schedule that didn't happen. He actually had an odor and the whole way home. I was in the back seat with him for most of that trip... smelling him. :-P To top it off, our son has an arm on him and loves to throw his trains... at our heads... he also has good aim. :) lol.
It was an awesome and much needed vacation. Now who wants to take my son for a week so I can rest in a whole other way?! ;)

Memorial for a Whole Other Reason

Memorial Day Weekend is a weekend to remember those who served or are serving our country. Tradition has it come with a relaxing weekend of memorial services, cook outs, and a day off work. We found that ours came with a whole lot more... stress.

Let me give you our weekend plan: Andrew gets shipped to the G'rents Fri/ Sat night while Brandon finishes painting our Master and we get the house put back together. Brandon and I get a date night, extra sleep, and a break from parenthood. Sunday after church we leisurely drive to get Andrew, stay the night, leaving the dog when we come home Monday. (They are dog sitting while we vacation this week). THAT was the plan! The plan that DIDN'T happen and here's why:

Wednesday night Brandon and I finished prepping the master bedroom for paint. Brandon took Thursday and Friday off to get it done and with Andrew out of the house for the weekend we could leave bits and pieces of the room through out the house. As we carried our cheap bookcase out of the way it completely collapsed and fell apart on top of us- literally. Luckily neither of us were hurt but the bookcase was totally trashed and now we had no where to put any of the books. *minor detail*

Thursday night on our way home from Life Group Brandon and I were in separate cars. While I picked up Andrew from a friend's Brandon blew 3 tires on my car and bent all 4 wheels. $85 for a flat bed tow for less than 5 mi. and we were down a car. Calls were made, plans changed, and schedules accommodated to our one car situation- it was a late night!

At 12:15 PM Friday I got a call from a from our friend that was watching Andrew that said he was not himself. Come to find out he had an UNDER ARM temp of 102.7 and she has taken it twice! Brandon, who was in the middle of painting our vaulted ceiling master bedroom, ended up having to go get Andrew because I was at work with out a car. Bear in mind that master room furniture, art, and books were spread through out the house and having a toddler roaming about was not ideal (that's why he was going to the grandparents). On his way to get Andrew we picked up the broken car and were now out $600. As I drove it back to work it drove it was hard to control and drove horribly. We knew more work was going to need to be done... it was more than just the tires. (There went a portion of our vacation money.)

Andrew's temperature remained over 102 for the rest of the afternoon keeping us from taking him to his grandparents per the plan. When his temperature finally broke that evening I frantically called and readily offered to meet the in-laws in Frankfort for the hand off in a sad attempt to save our weekend plan and help get the painting done.

Tired from the late night of getting the car towed, sleeping in the guest bedroom due to the painting, and the stress of schedule changes with one car and the day with a sick kid I hopped on the highway- Frankfort and a soon to be good night's sleep fresh in my mind! Time ticked away and my son chattered happily in the backseat. As I came up on the KY speedway I grew concerned and when I saw the sign that read I-75 15 miles my heart sank and my blood pressure sky rocketed... I was on the wrong highway. Did you know that you can't get to Frankfort from I-71, Frankfort is off 64. I did too but have NO IDEA what was going through my head when I got on I-71. Driving an extra 45 minutes out of my way I met my in-laws in Georgetown and took 64 home. I made sure to call Brandon when I passed Frankfort and tell him that I found it. hehehe.

I came home exhausted and stressed from the extra long trip and crashed. No date night. :( Friday night the in-laws battled with Andrew's temperature. If he had medicine in him it would remain normal but the minute it wore off he would spike up over 102. After numerous phones calls Saturday morning to us and urgent cares the in-laws made a trip to a Lexington urgent care with the sick kid. Brandon and I frantically attempted to finish the bedroom and get enough of the house put back together that it wasn't a complete wreck before heading to Winchester a day early. No day with the hubby, no break, nothing! The boy was miserable and once we got to the in-laws he let loose just how miserable he was; needy, fussy, and just generally feeling crappy he only wanted mommy. We fought with his fever until Sunday afternoon and gladly came home early on Monday for a chance to "relax".

After settling in at home Brandon attempted to start the broken car... fail. Nothing more than a click and grind and the car is shot.
Still down a car- plans/schedules were changed to accommodate again. Andrew is feeling better but still recovering.We've lost a bookcase and car and battled illness. When it rains, it pours but I'm just thankful we already had a break planned. We have a long list of need-to-dos before we leave but we BOTH are ready for our vacation; we're just praying it goes better than our weekend. :)

Laid Back Mom With The Good Son

It's true what they say: Once their mobile all life comes to a screeching halt and there is no going back. I don't think I'll be as encouraging with the second one when it comes to moving around. I just don't know if I'll have the energy for it. My son is past his 1st birthday and our second, a little girl, is half way here. Whew, what a whirlwind of life.


While pregnant with our son I always shared that I would be a laid back parent; allowing my child to eat dirt, make a mess, and not living through a hand sanitizer bottle. Everyone would just laugh and say: "yea right, just wait". To give credit and toot my own horn for a moment I have maintained my original thought.

Here's my mentality: You want to hold my kid, perfect that means I don't have to! He did a back flip off the couch and landed on his head, is he bleeding or crying? Was it just one handful of dirt or two that just went in his mouth? Another stain, the shirt only cost one dollar. He likes my shiny necklace, here put it on him. The dishes can wait the boy wants to show me how he emptied the pantry of all contents and found his crackers.

Does my life long love of children and dream of becoming a mom fuel my nonchalant attitude? Do I have some sort of special gift that allows me to be so easy going? Am I so grateful to my heavenly father to giving me Andrew that I'm willing to let him go? Am I lazy? Do I care enough? This is my first child, I'm suppose to be panicky about every germ, mess, and outfit they ruin, right?

With so many questions in mind I can't help but ask why would I want to restrict him with so many rules and a fear of germs? Andrew is safe. Andrew is happy. There are rules in our house, there are rules when we're out in public, and the rules are the same. We ask things of our son and don't yell. Even at 15 months old we give him choices and let him decide. We communicate what we expect and follow through with age appropriate discipline when it's not met. We take cues from him and listen when he's trying to communicate something to us. Andrew's personality is easy going. He loves life, he loves food, he loves people, he is an easy child. Maybe I'm so easy going because with Andrew I can be.

In the past I've been asked what I do to have such an "easy" or "good" child. Nervously laughing my response is always: prayer. My prayer from the moment I found out I was pregnant and to the present moment has always been that my child would be happy, healthy, and love God with all his life. I've never prayed for obedience, a sound sleeper, or a strong and smart man. I've never felt the need to. God created my son. God knows his path and it's my job to trust him and seek his will to help guide Andrew to it; what ever it may be.

Outside of prayer I fully believe that my laid back mentality comes from my own parents. They raised me with a great attitude that has translated to my adult years and now to my own children:

I'm here for you no matter what. If you want to make a decision that causes your life to fall to pieces that's your choice. That choice is okay because I'll be here to help you pick up the pieces!

Please don't misunderstand. My parents did not let us run crazy and do what ever we saw fit. Just as my 15 month old has rules so did we. As we grew and followed them we gained trust and with that trust came independence. As Andrew grows he will gain that trust and independence as well.

In the mean time, he can eat dirt- as long as it's not out of my flower pot (lol). He can flip over the back of the couch, he can completely empty his bookcase of books, bang my pots on the floor, or break my jewelry by accident. It's not that I don't care but that I want my son to learn how to be his own man of God. I keep him safe but am willing to let him learn a few things on his own- even if that means it might hurt a little.

My prayer remains: Father please let Andrew be healthy, happy, and help me to show him how to love God with all his life.