Teadiez's Point

And to prove it...

2009-11-22T15:59:00.001-05:00

This is Teddy checking out my previous post about his knowledge of car makers. This is not "scripted", truly.

More on the fostering.

2009-11-21T07:22:00.004-05:00

The kittens continue to do well, getting stronger everyday. They are actually able to climb out of the box when they want. At night, I am covering the box with a towel, to deter the escape, but that will work for only a little while longer I'm sure.

They have bathed frequently, the first time to get rid of the obvious flea problem, and while I did not get many fleas off of them, I got tons of eggs. They slept for 5 hours afterwards so I'm sure they were feeling much better. Now, they just get dirty from not being litter trained and being messy when eating. We were able to skip a bath yesterday but one is impending today.

Our big boys (we have two cats, ages three and one) have taken it all in stride and our younger boy is quite curious about them and will rub on them when I am holding them. They very well could be cousins or even half siblings since he came from one of the ferals outside and did this litter, although his Mama has been fixed since shortly after his birth.

Teddy loves them and wants to help feed them (which we can't let him do), but is gentle with them, for the most part. :-) Sometimes he tries to pick them up around the neck and the only time he holds them is when one of us is sitting with him to prevent an accident. It has definitely been a teaching opportunity.

Fostering

2009-11-16T11:06:00.003-05:00

I've never done this before, well, once before and he stayed with us. We are now foster parents to 3 new kids. Okay, so they are of the furry, four-legged species, but they will be our furbabies until it's time to find them other homes. They are only 2 or 3 weeks old and have been abandoned by one of the ferals we have outside. I'm kind of thankful I volunteered since now by the time they are ready to be adopted, they will be used to human contact. There were four, but the last one was in agonal breaths by the time they were all found. So, we walked up to the store and got some cat's milk and an eye dropper to feed them with (since then we found out that the cat's milk isn't so good for them and got a recipe to use instead, I don't have enough corn syrup to use for the recipe so it will be another trip up there but using the cat's milk in the meantime-they were starving!!). Here's a couple of pictures I took this morning. Should be interesting around here for the next little while...

Whoops, I missed one.

2009-11-10T16:37:00.003-05:00

And that rounds the count to 30!!

Cars 101

2009-11-09T21:01:00.009-05:00

The following are all the cars Teddy recognizes by emblem:

How many could you recognize?? LOL

It's really amazing to me that he recognizes so many and it's been said that riding with him in the car can be an education. He is so fast with calling them out and sometimes when we are walking he'll call out a car before I can spot it. There is no doubt his eyesight is perfect! So, just wanted to share an amazing talent of my son. He loves cars, trucks, buses, trains...anything with wheels attached to it and if he doesn't know what it is yet, he'll ask and remember the next time he sees it.

I am an Etsian!

2009-11-09T20:52:00.004-05:00

Hmmmm, not sure if that is really a proper term, but it came to mind.

I had opened an Etsy shop earlier this year without so much as the smallest interest. However, since then I have completely revamped my pictures. I have also changed hosts for my website and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to get the new site up and running. It could be a number of reasons why, mostly that I have a very active almost 3 year old that is demanding of my time and attention so I have very little left for focusing on learning a new language (html). So, for now, I will keep my domain where it is, but also have the Etsy shop. I still have work to do there, with descriptions and such, but if anyone is interested the site address is www.beadsforthee.etsy.com (for some reason I cannot get the link in, even using the 'insert link' tool, so it needs to be cut and pasted into your browser window). I hope I move some of the items I've made so I can justify making new pieces. I so miss playing with my beads!!!

See? He DOES smile!!

2009-10-02T14:24:00.003-04:00

Took a long walk to the playground today and got some great pictures of Teddy. It's a cloudy, cool day here but tomorrow is supposed to be very rainy so I figured we'd get out today. I warned him (haha) as we got there that I wanted some pictures with him smiling, he dutifully obeyed (HA!).

These are a couple of really fun ones. The first one is looking up at Teddy while he was looking down through the holes in the metal at the top of the slide. The second is him playing peek a boo through one of the benches.

I know it's been over a month since blogging, for my dedicated blog checkers, my deepest apologies. I'd say I'll do better, but I can't promise anything but I will try. :)

First morning out in awhile.

2009-08-27T22:19:00.003-04:00

As previously mentioned, it's been pretty hot and muggy here, so for the most part Teddy and I have stayed indoors. We go to our complex office every morning to see the manager and the maintenance guys (they all like to see Teddy and Teddy likes to visit). So, this morning brought cooler weather and we were gone from the house for the better part of the morning. We had the playground to ourselves for most of the time we were there and then bombarded with 3 Russian speaking nannies and the children they care for. Teddy played the part of the welcoming committee a little too well and his efforts were rebuffed equally as well. No one seemed to care that we were there and very few pleasantries were exchanged. Needless to say, we didn't stay too long after they got there. I did, however, manage to tick Teddy off with the constant camera watching his every move.

Shoo fly don't bother me! Yep, he really was saying that too! He HATES flies and will not go down the slide, even when I tell him they will fly away if he comes near them. Of course, I give him a couple of years and he'll be bringing home all kinds of things for me in his pockets, up to and including snakes, I'm sure.

"DON'T TAKE THE PICTURE MOMMA!!!!" Heard that several times during our outing. *sigh* You'd think by now he's just suck it up and give me a smile from time to time. He's going to wonder, when he looks back on all of his pictures someday, whether he ever smiled or not...

We watched as the waters rose...

2009-08-27T21:57:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday was an interesting day for us. We've been dealing with the hot and muggies for about a week solid, storms on and off and it came to a head Saturday, late afternoon. We had been getting flash flood warnings for a couple of days and it began to rain, hard. This was the end result, actually when the pictures were taken, it was during the worst part. Funny thing is, about an hour after the rain stopped, you wouldn't have known this had taken place. I found out today that we got about 3 inches of rain in an hour.

The scene from our living room window.

This was a shot taken from Teddy's bedroom window of the courtyard. There was a crew in that ambulance, bringing someone home, presumably from a doctors or dialysis appointment. They sat there for about 45 minutes with the patient in the back, not sure why they waited so long.

The parking lot behind our building, our van is behind the red car. Thankfully, spared from any damage.

These next two are also from our living room window, I was kind of hanging outside of the window to get these. Our maintenance manager's car got the brunt of the water. We were watching out the window when we saw him come out to move it (again, not sure why since the damage was done). He was waste deep in water!! The second shot was just after he started to move it, that's why it looks closer. A few guys come from the complex came out to help him. They pushed it to our lot, against the current. David just got his car back today from the mechanic.

We are expecting a lot of rain again this weekend. We'll see what happens...it all depends on how fast and furious it comes.

A little about our visit from family.

2009-08-12T21:50:00.007-04:00

We had a good time with my sister, mom, and grandmother. We didn't see much of my grandmother really, as she spent the weekend with my aunt. She did treat us all out to dinner on Sunday, which was...interesting. We got there before anyone else and had to wait about a half hour and for a toddler, that is a few eternity's time. Teddy seemed to take to my grandmother, though, and didn't hesitate to call her "Grammy". Once we were seated, he did fairly well, though. But, that is getting well ahead of myself. The really really great part started on Thursday when my sister landed. Teddy knew who she was, however, had the look of "Wait a minute, you live in the computer!" He knows Marianne from talking with her via the web. He didn't waste time, though, making the connection of who she was and talking to her just as he would Garnet, who lives just a few miles from us. We spent a couple of hours walking through IKEA before heading home (IKEA was on the way). We had some dinner at home with the big boys (Ed and my brother-in-law, Joe) and just spent time together catching up. Here's a picture of my sisters, goofing off.

Friday, Marianne and I spent the morning together, in the kitchen actually. She made lemon curd and scones for a few people as gifts and I got my baked ziti together in preparation to have everyone here for Saturday supper. Garnet worked and then came and picked us all up to head to the shore. We had a gorgeous day to head down there, which we weren't sure we were going to get. We spent some time on the boardwalk, Teddy rode the same carousel I did as a child and he rode some of the quarter rides too (although I think they are more like $.50 at this point, which considering isn't too bad). My sisters and I played some games and then we walked on the beach. Let me say, it's quite a workout walking in the sand with a 36 lb. toddler on your hip!! He wouldn't walk in the loose sand, but didn't mind it down closer to the water. He wouldn't let me put him down in the water though, which I suppose I can understand. The ocean can be quite intimidating. Here's a few shots from the boardwalk and beach.

Saturday was spent with my mom, as Marianne took off to visit some old high school friends. We headed to the farm (see a previous post), but found they were closed for the day. :( So, we headed to a Peddler's Village, which is a cluster of boutique-y shops. They also have a place for kids called Giggleberry Fair, which has games and quarter rides as well as a carousel. Yep, Teddy got another ride on a carousel. Mom treated us to lunch and then came home to our house while Garnet and Joe got some things done elsewhere. They came for supper and we all watched a movie. It was a nice night. Just a couple more shots from Saturday.

Sunday we went to church, had a light lunch and then I came home with Teddy, got some things done around here and then we went to dinner. Here are a couple more shots. The first ones are with my mother and grandmother, so it's four generations. God bless my grandmother. She's 85 years old, still has every wit about her and drives like a bat outta hell!! LOL. She drove most of the way here from NC, actually. The second ones are with my mom and sisters. Yeah, we really do look nothing alike. We didn't seem to get it together and get one really decent pic, but they are okay. I did not get nearly enough pictures I wanted to, but I was living in the moment and just didn't think about the camera too much. Bummer, I know, but that's the way it goes sometimes. It was a great time and went by much too fast.

Some befores and afters.

2009-08-12T21:36:00.004-04:00

Well, I finally got my pictures done! Here are some of my pieces as they appear on my website now...very basic, one dimensional, blah.

Here they are after many many tries and re-tries to get it right! I think I did a pretty good job in the end.

A lot to catch up on.

2009-08-11T22:24:00.005-04:00

Just realized it's been much too long since I've updated. I'm just doing my best to stay busy here and Teddy helps out with that quite a lot. I will try to cover the last few weeks over the next couple of days. In the meantime, I will share with y'all my newest creations in my beading ventures. It's been quite awhile since I have worked with my beloved beads, just never enough hours in the day and little hands grabbing at my supplies just doesn't excite me. LOL. Ed's manager, Matt, just got married a couple of weeks ago and I thought these would be nice to give as gifts. They are wine glass charms. The pictures are my attempt at a more professional presentation, not sure how much I like them. I am still playing at all the settings on the camera and since the charms are packaged up, these pictures will have to do. I am trying to retake pictures of all of my pieces in preparation to move my domain and in the process, I am learning just how exhausting taking staged pictures can be. Anyway, enough of my babble, here's the latest...

A very exciting weekend coming up.

2009-07-22T22:21:00.003-04:00

My sister from Montana is flying in tomorrow until Monday!!! We (my other sister, me and Teddy) will be going to the airport to pick her up, I can't help but wonder what Teddy will think of the airport. Teddy and I get to spend some time with Marianne during the day on Friday while Garnet works and then us girls (and Teddy) will have some fun down the shore for a wee bit Friday afternoon/early evening. While that is going on, at some point, my mother and grandmother will be pulling into town!! I am so looking forward to seeing my family that I have not seen in two years, especially since Teddy can solidify these important people in his mind. He already knows Marianne through Skype and my mom by a picture, but to see and touch them in "real" life I think will be a different memory for him, it has to be! I hope to get lots of pictures to bring here (as long as everyone says it's okay to post).

So, that's all, just a fly-by entry, but an exciting one for me! YAY!!!

I'll leave you with some recent pics taken at a different playground we just found!

More tub fun...and not so much fun.

2009-07-14T22:24:00.002-04:00

I miss baths!! The only part Teddy doesn't like is the water running over his face when we rinse, but he's getting better...or maybe my technique is. I rinse as much away from his face as I can so it's just one cupful over the front of his head. Anyway, that's beside the point. He's taken to bringing his Matchbox/Hot Wheels cars in with him. Here's some vroom vroom shots. After he tired of playing with them tonight, he decided to test the waters by putting a little of his face in...and got bubbles instead. I've really come to the conclusion...he hates his picture taken. I've really had my suspicions before but tonight really took the cake.

A sleep study.

2009-07-13T15:14:00.012-04:00

One of my very favorite things to do is watch Teddy sleeping. It's probably one of the reasons that I rock him to sleep midday for his nap. There is just something angelic and peaceful, something you just don't see when he's awake, he's far too active and animated then. So, here's my many pictures taken of him sleeping, from newborn up until just the other night.

July 4th at Auntie's

2009-07-09T21:47:00.004-04:00

These were pictures taken in my sister's backyard on July 4th. We had beautiful weather and spent a few hours enjoying a yummy meal and great company!!
Not sure why, but this one just cracks me up!

Flying the helicopter backwards...

A typical Teddy face.

Couponing...a non-Teddy experience.

2009-07-09T07:41:00.004-04:00

Many years ago, I got into the couponing game and it really was a game. How many items in one shopping trip could I get free or close to it? I did good with stockpiling soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. I didn't do as well with the food items, but I did fair, I just didn't stockpile with food. Then, I started noticing I wasn't clipping as much as usual and I ended the subscription I belonged to for trading. The game faded away and we started buying more store brands. I always had my eyes out for decent "Q's", but I didn't have a nice thick organizer I once did. Fast forward to about a month or so ago, I got the itch again to try my hand at it, I found a wonderful site (www.weusecoupons.com, for reason it's not letting me put in the hyperlink) and joined. I felt the hook set once again and I'm obsessed!! On this website, they have lots of different forums for the members to post their good deals, people trade coupons for other coupons or stamps, proofs of purchase, rebate forms, etc. They even have a 'Live Auction' board where people present what they have (it can be actual items or large lots of coupons). I happened in that particular board one day and found a woman auctioning off a lot of 500 coupons and then would add to it as the bidding got higher. I ended up winning her lot of 600 (she added another 100 coupons at the $5 mark). Now, it did cost me $11 with shipping, but I did one heck of a shopping trip with what she sent me. I posted a wishlist of brands I use (not that I'm particularly brand loyal, but if I find brands that I like and can get them at a price I like I'll buy it) and she sent me coupons from my wishlist. This is a picture of some of the things I got with the coupons she sent.

This trip, without my store card and coupons, would have cost me $75 and some change. After my coupons and store card it came to...drum roll please...$19.38!! The mustard was free (on sale for 2/$3 and I had $.75 coupons, doubled--FREE!). The mayo came to $1.30 with my coupons, the sour cream $.50, the cheese $1. The cookies I had a free print out from the store, the 1/2 and 1/2 was full price as was the bread (although it was on sale). After all was said and done, if you want to average what it cost me, less that a buck for each item!! (23 items for $19.38) Not too shabby if I say so myself.

If anyone needs any mustard, just let me know, I have some!!! LOL

A morning at the 'kaybound'.

2009-06-29T14:35:00.004-04:00

Translation: A morning at the playground.

Since Ed is home with his injury and this morning was just too nice to pass up time outside, we headed to the other side of town and played. We walked up the hill behind the park and walked a little bit along the river. Teddy recognizes it from the car, but I wanted him to see it "for real", so we walked along the berm beside the river, which is high with a steep hill of rocks leading down to it. This, of course, did make me hold his hand a little tighter, but we enjoyed it all the same. Here are a few of my favorites taken, which was hard since I took a little over 60!!!

Needless to say, we did come home a bit dirty, but pleasantly run out. It was nice to go early enough so we had the whole playground to ourselves also. So glad I took my camera!

Teddy can be such a dude.

2009-06-22T07:40:00.002-04:00

Children has always fascinated me in so many ways. I think the biggest aspect that I love to watch is they way they act like little men or women in their mannerisms. Teddy has so many little man quirks, I just love to sit back and watch him sometimes. Here are just a few poses I've been able to get.

This one is my favorite (haha):

The newest thing he's picked up is recognizing logos on cars. He surprised me one day when he approached me with one of his Matchbox trucks and says "Cheby" I didn't understand at first, but when I looked, there was the Chevrolet emblem on the grill of the truck (Grandpop Booth would be proud!). He then came to me with a red car and says "Honda" and sure enough, there was the Honda emblem. Yesterday during our weekly trip to the produce market, he pointed to a car and said "Nissan". I'm telling you, this kid stops me in my tracks sometimes.

Father's Day.

2009-06-22T07:22:00.003-04:00

I was trying to come up with a decent Father's Day present for Ed, so I did some googling (should that be capitalized?? Hmmm). I found a website for handmade gifts (my favorite!!). This idea is actually designed more for the traveling dad, but I was able to find away around that and aim it towards Ed. It's "survival" kit :)

Teddy colored the stickers we put on the sides.

We did some cutouts, one of a star which says "You're An All Star Dad", we traced Teddy's hand and put a string around it to let him know Teddy always thinks about him, a big XO so he'll always have a hug and kiss handy, and we put Teddy's fingerprints on a piece of paper in case Ed ever gets lost. LOL

Finally, we put some sweets in there too for him and the well, the body spray is the kind he uses and we happened to find some so we threw that in there too.

Apologies...

2009-06-16T13:57:00.002-04:00

It has been a whole week since I last posted anything here. I haven't forgotten, just been busy and trying to decompress a little since I will soon be childless (with the exception of having Teddy...no more babysitting services here!!). I will be posting something in the next couple of days...promise!!!

A yummy and very thoughtful gift!

2009-06-09T20:45:00.004-04:00

I was surprised to notice the UPS truck pull up outside our door yesterday and hesitantly excited. I say hesitantly, because I was not expecting a delivery. Excited because I was hoping for a knock. I was not disappointed. I was handed a heavy, rectangular box. Of course, I was prevented from ripping into it like a child on Christmas morning since I had three children in my care, who apparently all felt their needs were much more important than mine. "Shannon, Alexa won't share!" "But I had it first!" "Mama! Mama! Mama!" *sigh* Such is my life at that moment, I am counting the days until I can enjoy my own son for awhile. But, I digress. When I had my first moment of peace, I opened the box and in it was something that brought a smile to my face. Pure Vermont Maple Syrup!!!! My brother-in-law's father was so kind to think of us and had it sent. He is a fine (former, now Delawarian transplant) Vermonter and such a sweet man. God bless him, he is 94 years old(??) I question the old part since he gets around pretty darn well and has every wit about him still. His face lights up when we visit with Teddy and Teddy remembers him well and talks about him too. As a matter of fact when I called to thank Scotty for his gift, Teddy asked to say hello. So, this morning before we partook (ha!! Is that even a word??) in breakfast, I asked Teddy to show off our goody!! Afterward, as I was getting breakfast ready, Teddy reminded me he wanted "syrup Scotty sent" with his pancake. Yummmm!!!!

Thank you so much Scotty!!!

For P.J.

2009-06-06T22:24:00.004-04:00

Since you requested pictures of Teddy laughing, here ya go...they aren't the best, but I'll post them anyway.

This is one where he was asking me to "ticklish" his neck.

This one is my favorite out of this bunch. His dimple is hidden, but it's still a great shot. It's a little off center, but hey, consider who was behind the camera.

Tub fun.

2009-06-03T20:50:00.004-04:00

Teddy has decided to get brave in the tub, laying back in the water and actually putting his face down. He hasn't gotten brave enough to totally submerse himself, but that's fine for now. Someday he will. I think he gets a kick out of the accoustics when he lays down and his ears are under the water. I just had to get a couple of "clean" (no pun intended) shots of him in the tub (and yes, that is a bruise on his cheek, Mom hit him with the door coming in with a full basket of laundry, the same cheek he whacked on the floor a couple weeks back...poor kid!).

Teddy finally has a 'real' room!

2009-06-01T11:11:00.004-04:00

So, we have finally done Teddy's room to the point that it really looks like a little boys room. It was timing thing, really. My sister finished refinishing the toy box we had as kids, one that was handmade by my dad. I wonder if he thought it would be around this long and know that it is cherished just because it was something he made for us. I finally nagged Ed just enough times to hang the corner cabinet, made by my father-in-law and I mounted the shelves my sister passed on to us. I was also able to snag, from online, a matching lamp and coat rack. I finally hung the wonderful, handmade alphabet plague my sister-in-law thoughtfully picked out for Teddy. The room still feels like it's missing something, but it sure looks better than it did.

This is the view as you stand in the doorway;

To the left of the door, the cross stitch picture (a train) is from a friend and the big rocking chair is in my room now;

To the right of the door;

Teddy in the rocking chair I was given by my grandparents, probably when I was just a little older than him now, in front of the alphabet hanging;

The toy box, when first brought in from picking it up at my sister's, had little wooden pieces glued to it. Teddy took care of those, picking them off (grrrrrr). They will be put back on (Sorry G!!!). The pieces were a train, a racecar, an airplane, a pick-up, and fire truck. Quite the change from the flowery decals we had on there as little girls. We will soon be putting in a twin bed with (hopefully) matching bedsheets. Maybe that's what I think is "off" about the setup thus far. So, just wanted to share how we spent our Sunday afternoon. This afternoon, I tackle my and Ed's room as I was just able to get rid of the big TV stand (we don't watch TV in the bedroom) and now I can move things around just so.

A package from Grandmom!

2009-05-27T15:02:00.003-04:00

It was a good mail day for Teddy today. While he was napping, I saw the mailman pull up outside our door. He had already made his rounds so I was puzzled as to why he would stop out front. Upon hearing the outside door open and a box dropped out in the vestibule I peeked out the door to investigate. There sat a box from my mom. :) Always fun to open a box that comes unexpected!! Inside were some trucks and books she picked up during one her many visits, I'm sure, to a downtown secondhand store. After Teddy woke from his nap, I waited a few moments until he was fully awake and then asked him if he would like to look at the box Grandmom sent. He casually nodded yes. I sat the box on the floor next to him and saw the realization cross his face as he saw the contents. He couldn't get the trucks out fast enough and promptly lined them up.

After he played with those for a little while, that when the interest in the books took place and he'd come peruse them for a moment or two before heading back to the trucks. As previously mentioned, he has a one track mind. Anything with wheels...

Looking forward to putting that puzzle together too!! Thanks Mom!!!

We went to the farm!

2009-05-25T12:29:00.014-04:00

Over the river, around the corner and just up the road a bit is the Howell Living History Farm. It's run by Mercer county in Jersey. (www.howellfarm.org) It's a real old-time working farm that has only one powered piece of equipment-a tractor with a wagon attached for the Halloween hayrides, everything else is horse/oxen powered. It's a good, free, fun thing to do on a nice afternoon. They do demonstrations like haying, honey collecting, field planting, blacksmithing, etc. We have been a few times, but not since last fall. I took a friend and her two children over on Saturday and we had a great time! We saw pigs...

And sheep...

And a bull...

And oxen and, of course...

Farmer Teddy!

Here he is practicing his shepherding techniques.

This is how he tests the strength of a bench.

And he tried calling the cows home.

They were doing free horsedrawn hayrides, so we hopped on a wagon to explore the frontier. We 'bocked' at the chickens and got chased by a couple of rabid geese. We saw the pregnant cow, who should have her baby in the next month so we'll go back to see the calf. We pumped water from the well. But, the most exciting thing for Teddy was seeing that tractor. He has a one track mind with anything mechanical and protested (haha) loudly when it was time to leave. It was also the first time he was not put into the stroller for all that walking, so needless to say, it was a quiet ride home...can't wait to go back!!!

First trip to Rita's.

2009-05-22T21:38:00.007-04:00

Teddy and I had a first experience today, together. I had never been to Rita's Water Ice and consequently, haha, neither had Teddy!!! It was a warm day and I got the itch to make a white pizza. So, I got Teddy in the stroller and walked up to the local pizza joint to get some of their dough. They sell it by the pound, it beats out the frozen supermarket dough, and well, I stink at making my own. LOL. On a whim, we walked a little further and stood in line outside of Rita's. The one girl behind the glass was slower than molasses in winter and we waited about 10 minutes, with only 3 people in front of us. Teddy was very patient, thankfully, and thoroughly enjoyed the reward. As you can see...

He sat straight up in his stroller on the way back and kept saying "yummy, cherry" over and over. I don't even think one single car, truck, bicycle, or motorcycle caught his attention. I think I will make it a once a week date for us over the summer. I didn't even mind the mess he made, things like this need to be enjoyed.

And when there is still "stuff" in the cup, but it's all melted, a straw works best (sorry, not the best quality pic here)...

AI shocker!!

2009-05-20T22:05:00.002-04:00

WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT???

I truly thought Adam Lambert had it in the bag. I am still sitting here in shock!!! I like them both, but it is clear that Adam had the stage presence of a seasoned vet, born to do it. WOW!!! I'm sure I am not the only one totally blown away by the results.

8 years.

2009-05-18T22:13:00.002-04:00

Today marks eight years of being married. In so many ways it has gone unbelievably fast. We have been through an incredible amount of stress, happiness, ups and downs; just like any other couple I'm sure. The difference between ours and a lot of other relationships is through all of the bad situations has not torn us apart, it has only made us stronger. We agree to disagree on a lot of subjects, we embrace each other's flaws and we do not fight. If there is something we don't see eye to eye on, we walk away until we are both level headed to discuss it like big people. Oh, we might bicker, we may like each other all of the time but there is always love and respect for one another. We banter like no other couple I know and outsiders might see it as fighting, but we can read each other and we know when enough is enough. There is just enough spice to keep laughter between us. What is life without laughter? Without some spice? Seems to me like it would be pretty dull.

I love my husband, I respect him like no other. He is a hard worker, doesn't really know how to fail at a job-whatever it may be. He comes in from a hard day at work and still finds time and energy to let Teddy crawl into his lap and plays music for him. He knows how to bring a smile to my face, he knows my weaknesses and yet doesn't point them out. He knows my most dark secrets and loves me still.

We met on a Greyhound bus--a bus, for Pete's sake!! It was nearly 15 years ago. I was so scared of another relationship and this one grew so quiet and so quickly, it left me breathless. His love still does to this day.

09/23/07...4:43 a.m.

2009-05-12T20:45:00.004-04:00

This is an entry I made on a different site I used to blog on. I came across it and thought I would enter here as well. I'm glad Teddy has smoothed out his sleeping issues some. It's still not perfect, but he does at least sleep through the night on his own, in his own bed. It just took awhile to get there. This took place when Teddy was 8 months old and yes, this is exactly how the situation that morning went.

The stand off begins. Mommy vs. Teddy.

Mommy--100 and some odd lbs. with 36 yrs. experience of stubbornness, 8+ mos. knowing what's best for baby (sleep), and a strong desire to snuggle longer under the covers. Has been known to concede her stance under certain circumstances.

Teddy--approx. 22 lbs, a lightweight in size and experience, but another generation born under a long line of stubborn men, 8+ mos. of generally getting what he wants and is known to loudly protest when he doesn't. Has been known to fight to the bitter end, whether it means winning or not.

It is still dark, with no sun on the horizon. A quiet Teddy stands up in his crib, wide awake and makes just enough noise to stir Mommy awake. She removes him from his crib and arranges him next to her in bed, patting his back, and tried to convince him to go back to sleep. Teddy has had enough, although he yawns at consistent intervals and rubs his eyes. He quietly talks to his hands, Mommy quietly shushes him and tries to sing his favorite to go to sleep with. Tries is the operative word as the sleep almost overcomes her. Teddy rolls over and sits up and talks a little louder. And then, he sees something in the dark--a cat walking into the bedroom. He crawls down to the bottom of the bed for further investigation. Mommy grabs him and brings him back to her. Teddy begins to protest. It's a battle of the wills now, forget who's sleepier than the other. It goes back and forth, the winner is anyone's guess now.

The round lasts 45 minutes, when Mommy grumpily concedes and gets out of bed. Teddy wins this round and is rewarded with a warm bottle.

An hour and half later, Teddy falls back to sleep and victory is Mommy's...

for 45 minutes.

There is no rest for the weary.

Mother's Day.

2009-05-10T11:20:00.003-04:00

This used to be the day I would dread with every fiber of my being. I used to hate being a woman because I felt like I failed at it miserably. After all, as a woman, I was created to be able to bear children. A part of me felt like a failure as a wife as well because I had not given my husband a child. However, that has changed and I have been unbelievably blessed. I look at my beautiful, handsome, incredibly intelligent son (yes, I am partial) and I cannot deny there is a God, who heard my many prayers and answered them. I know He hears countless others' prayers for what I have been given and I hope He answers each and every one of them in the same manner He did me. I pray for every Mother without a child, for peace that your time will come and if it doesn't, for whatever reason that may be, that you are granted comfort. For every Mother that has lost a child, without having one placed in your arms, I pray you will find refuge from your pain. For every Mother who has a child or children, may you know and understand, they should not be taken for granted. Love them, support them, teach them, hold them tightly every moment you get.

There is a big part of me that is now grateful for my infertility. I am able to appreciate Teddy that much more. I know this day is not all about me, for without him, I wouldn't have anything to celebrate today. I am a Mama!!!

Teddy and his trike.

2009-05-08T15:21:00.006-04:00

We got him his tricycle for Easter. He knows how to pedal it, but chooses to scoot on it more often than not. I have tried to encourage him to put his feet on the pedals and go, his usual response is "No Mama!!!" (Please pardon the landscaping, it's still early spring and well, I don't think they try very hard for grass around here due to the amount of kids running around)

Yep, he's my cupcake!

2009-05-06T20:59:00.005-04:00

Teddy doesn't get to indulge in these kinds of sweets very often. But, ever since I mentioned Auntie Garnet's birthday (which was Saturday), he has asked me to have cupcakes. So, we spent a few minutes in the kitchen earlier and made some. Yes, he helped. He really enjoys being in the kitchen with me and I hope that stays with him, I'm really looking forward to teaching him the basics of cooking.

Our feral cat problem.

2009-05-06T07:32:00.007-04:00

We do not have a feral cat program in the county where we live. These pictures were taken from my kitchen window (nice view, huh? LOL) and this is probably only half the cats that migrate around the complex. We do have a maintenance man who is kind of like the pied piper of the group and when he feeds them, he walks all the way to the back of the parking lot with a bag of food and has at least dozen cats follow him. I'd like to get a picture of that one day, just to post here. It's a little comical to watch, but the cats continue to have litters and I wonder what the complex will be like in just a couple of years. I would say 99% of these cats will not let a human near them. It really is a shame and I know there is a trap, fix, and release program in the city, but it would take forever to trap all of these cats, especially since it's so hard to even get within feet of them.

75 degrees and snow.

2009-04-28T22:39:00.006-04:00

Okay, so it's not real snow, but I made ya look!! These were taken from my living room window. It just reminded me of snow. (It's just the petals falling from the apple tree when the breeze kicked up, I don't think you can see it so much in the pictures.)

Another new diagnosis for Ed.

2009-04-28T22:27:00.004-04:00

Sleep apnea. Not fun. It means that for however long, he will need to sleep with a CPAP machine. He is beginning a 4 night study tonight to see how much he will need to depend on it and what the settings need to be at for him to see improvement. I am hoping it helps tremendously. His energy level is not so good and his job saps whatever is there. I know it will not be comfortable for him to sleep with, but I hope he is able to overcome that discomfort for his own health, mainly. Selfishly, I hope it improves his energy levels enough that we might start doing more on the nicer weekends and to have his health improve so that we will have him around for so many more years to come.

He has done so much towards improving his health in the last few months. I'm sure for him, it helps to have found a doctor who he has a great rapport with and one is very proactive with his patients. I know there is more he should be doing, but I know with time, he will get there. I have every confidence in him.

Too hot, too fast...and digression.

2009-04-26T22:36:00.003-04:00

It was sweltering this weekend. The next couple of days will be even hotter before we get a cold front come through, I'm looking forward to the storms, though. It's far too early in the season for the temperatures we had and I'm hoping it is not the sign of what summer is going to be like. It was a frigid winter and we were stuck inside so often. Teddy does not deal well with the heat, so if summer is going to be brutal, we'll be spending a lot of the time indoors, again. Not to mention the fact that Ed works so much of his day outdoors. Needless to say, he comes home exhausted and hot. I worry about him in the heat.

We didn't do much over the last couple of days. We did go out and get Teddy some summer pj's and some tank tops. I was only going to dress him in the shorts from his pj set for tonight since it is so warm, but apparently I have a very modest boy and he insisted on the shirt as well. :)

I feel as though a lot of my energy has been sapped, not only from the heat, but from a bit of a funk. It will work itself out as it always does. I saved a few projects that could have been done today for tomorrow. It always helps push the blues away when I am busy. Before I know it, the clouds have passed and I'm feeling better. I will also have the little girl I babysit all day as opposed to just having her until 2--should be an interesting day, to say the least. Whenever "A" is here, there are few quiet moments. She has many issues I am trying to help her through, however, I am only one person. I know details I shouldn't know, not from "A", but from her aunt. I try to pry details from "A"'s mother, but she is not honest with me and so my opinions and possibly any help I can be is kept to myself. Her issues are not terribly huge (life threatening or abuse), just a lot of little ones that add up to one unhappy little girl. I do my best to be patient and understanding with her, but there are days those are stretched to the limit.

Tomorrow I begin down the road (again) to a healthier me. I have been on the longest sugar binge I have ever remembered and it's high time it stops. I wander off the road far too often. Wish me luck...

Infertility

2009-04-24T22:07:00.004-04:00

Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart. This may be a long entry, so settle in and let me ramble. I have a history of infertility. Ed and I began to try for a child about nine months after we got married. I had always wanted children and figured getting pregnant would be a breeze. After all, there have been no women in my family who had a hard time conceiving, well, that I know of anyway. My mother had "female problems", but had four pregnancies resulting in three children (she had a very early loss), but no one else that I am aware of ever had difficulties. A couple of months after we began TTC (trying to conceive), I began having pains on certain days on my cycle. I went to see my general practitioner and she suspected endometriosis. Endometriosis is the growing of the endometrial lining outside of the uterus. It can wreak havoc everywhere in the body, there really is no safe place once it spreads. So, I was referred to an OB/GYN, but she did not suspect endo since I had no other symptoms, however, I did have an ever growing cyst on my left ovary. Long story, short--I had surgery on December 23, 2002 and I came out of the surgery without my left ovary or tube. It had been infiltrated and destroyed by endo. This was now 10 months into TTC. I was then referred to a RE (reproductive endocrinologist, AKA infertility doctor) because the OB/GYN still saw endo on the right side, but didn't feel comfortable removing it (she probably didn't have much experience with that kind of surgery, only guessing). He was a great doctor and had much confidence that we would be able to conceive on our own. He suggested we continue to try another year on our own before beginning fertility treatments. That was March 2003. In April 2004, I had another surgery to get rid of the endo on my right ovary. I was given time to heal and the advice that we try again on our own for 6 more months. Sigh. November 2004 comes around, no pregnancy. We began fertility treatments. We were given the diagnosis of "unexplained infertility", meaning there was no real reason that we were not conceiving. I started taking Clomid and we were doing intrauterine insemination. We did four medicated cycles without conceiving. We were then gearing up for invitro fertilization before life took a turn and we had to leave the state we were living in and subsequently lost insurance. We moved to our current area in December of 2005 and surprisingly enough, we got pregnant with Teddy in April of 2006, without any kind of intervention other than a blessing from above.

Now, I tell you all of this because it is fresh in my mind. The burning desire for a child. Throughout my journey to have a child, I became a member of a site where I found other women who were taking the same journey I was. It was truly reassuring that I had somewhere I could vent and someone could understand. I was also part of a small group of women who I shared my pregnancy with. They are women who had problems conceiving, women who had suffered several micarriages, women who had older children, and women who were going through pregnancy the first time. I was lucky enough to connect with a few of them on a deep level and we are still in touch today. I like to think of them as my sisters, beside the ones I have through blood and marriage.

Infertility is scarring. I know having Teddy has healed much of that pain for me. I was truly blessed. Unfortunately, I still know women who have not been as blessed. They still travel down that road, never knowing if their empty arms will be filled with a child. Even though I now have a child, I will always be able to remember how I felt, month after month of trying, of waiting, feeling like I failed again and again. No, I do not live in the past, I do not think of it everyday, I do not dwell on it. However, it is a part of my past and I can remember the flippant remarks from people; "Just relax, it'll happen when you least expect it" (okay, so it did happen when we least expected it, but it was because it was the right time, God's time, for us to have Teddy), "Have a glass of wine, it always happen when you get drunk"(yeah, because that's always a responsible way to get pregnant), "Adopt, you'll get pregnant in no time"(adoption was discussed, just not financially feasible for us at the time), "Maybe you aren't meant to have children" (that's a killer by the way), there are so many ways to belittle getting pregnant. Anyone who hasn't been there, doesn't understand and really, can't understand.

I know this has excrutiatingly long. I apologize. I guess I merely wanted to educate anyone out there reading this. Before you know someone's situation, think about your words. Especially when it comes to something as close to the heart as a matter like this. The last thing an infertile woman wants to hear is advice; just be there to hold her hand, give her a shoulder to cry on, and if you've never been in her shoes, a closed mouth.

My pride and joy.

2009-04-22T21:55:00.007-04:00

Need I say more?

Where to go from here?

2009-04-21T22:03:00.000-04:00

I'm really trying to decide on what direction I will take my blog. Do I make it all about me? How much of my life will I share? Do I want to include politics? Religion? Opinions? How candid do I want to get? I can get fairly opinionated, as I have learned, as I get older. However, I do not wish to offend with my thoughts and opinions. I really am a live and let live kinda gal. I can't say I never judge anyone, but it is usually saved for a pretty severe infraction upon another person or upon society in general. That said, my judgments really mean nothing when you get down to the nitty gritty.

So, I think this space will be used for a variety of thoughts, ideas, opinions, and facts. If I offend, I am truly sorry. Please remember, I am only one person and I, obviously, cannot speak for anyone else but me.

I'll begin first with the explanation of the name 'Teadiez'.

2009-04-19T09:20:00.001-04:00

If you've heard this story a gazillion times in the past, my apologies.

Have you ever seen WKRP in Cincinnati? This is the origin of the nickname Ed gave me when we first started our relationship. There was an episode that featured a Russian who traveled to America and while he was here, he decided to defect. He fell in love with the character Bailey. At the end of the episode, the two of them were dancing to Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' and he said to Bailey "Hold me closer, tiny dancer." Well, for whatever reason, Ed picked up the line and would say it (still does from time to time) in his silly russian accent. That was raped (pardon the term) into the spelling Teadiez with the 'z' silent to be pronounced T-D (tiny dancer). Why he chose me for the endearment, I'll never know as I am anything but tiny and I am certainly not known for my dancing. However, the name has stuck and I usually shorten it to simply Tea.

It is hard to believe most days that that was 15 years ago, yet, here we are.