A Quick Update

I'm hoping to squeeze a quick update in before Jeremiah wakes up from his nap and I have to run to my mom's office.

My two week break from babysitting is coming to an end. I start up again next Tuesday for a week, then I have another two week break! I wonder how Jeremiah will take to seeing Sydney again? I have certainly enjoyed having my days of freedom back with my son, and going to my mom's office a few days a week.

On Saturday is Lindsey's first bridal shower! I'm very excited about it, seeing all of our family and celebrating my brother's upcoming wedding, and especially since I can start unloading some of the many presents that I have been storing for the past few months. Then on Monday, Jenni will be in town! I have missed my wonderful friend for the past 15 months since I saw her last (when Jeremiah was just a few weeks old). I'm happy that she's loving her life in Idaho with her amazing husband (who won't be joining her), but I miss her. We're going to take Jeremiah to the zoo with her friend and friend's children, then Jen will come back to m y house and spend the night =) Tuesday's activities are kind of up in the air, but seeing as I'm her source of transportation, I have her at least until Rayna comes to pick up Sydney at 3:30. Jenni was one of my most treasured APU friends, and a roommate for first semester of our senior year (until she graduated early).

I have been having LOTS of fun with my 101 list! I purchased my DVD player, finished reading the "Jon and Kate" book, well into "Bringing Up Boys," called my grandparents, bought yeast to start to make bread, and started taking Jeremiah on our nightly walks. I have been doing very well with my daily tasks- vitamins and reading to Jeremiah, but have determined for the daily and weekly goals that there HAS to be some room for error. It is unrealistic to think that I didn't accomplish my goal because I forgot to take vitamins one day (such as yesterday) or didn't get to read to Jeremiah one day. For the daily and weekly goals (that are to occur for the entire 1001 day period, not for a short period of time) that a 95% achievement goal is a good goal to strive for. That equals for roughly 50 days of "error" and still have quite a nice pass rate. For the goal of reading to Jeremiah, I have also kind of bent the rules to where if I wasn't able to read to him one day, I have the option of reading to him twice the following day for it to count.

Well i can hear Jeremiah now, so I better go! Thanks for reading and show some love if you can!

My poor lil guy!

My lil man is sick =( Jeremiah woke up around 11:00 pm on Thursday night with chest congestion and the most heartbreaking whimper in his voice =( Thursday night was a long one for us- Jeremiah going back and forth from wanting to sleep in our bed to his crib, or just being held. However, around 3:30 am he finally conked out for good until 7:30 am. He woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, running around playing with his toys, but still had that horrible raspy breathing and squeaky voice. So, off to the doctor we went! The doctor determined that Jeremiah has a small chest cold and prescribed him some amoxycillan. I think he's finally starting to feel better today, but he still sounds horrible. I hate seeing my son not feel well. It is heart breaking, knowing that beyond giving the prescribed medicine, some mommy TLC and a few prayers, there isn't much more you can do to make them comfortable.

However, after watching Jon Q. last night on TV and starting to read Multiple Blessings (the Jon and Kate Plus 8 book), I know that there are parents out there with even bigger worries about their children than chest congestion. Parents are worrying about whether or not their child will receive an organ donor in time for a transplant. About carrying their child as close to term as possible... where every day in gestation makes such a drastic difference in the quality of life their child(ren) will have once born. About wanting to mother their children but can't even hold their precious newborn because he or she is hooked up to machines intended to help them survive, and their tiny, frail bodies can't cope with human contact. I am truly blessed to never have known these kinds of motherly worries other than through watching it on TV or reading it in a book. If you haven't read Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets by Jon and Kate Gosslin, go pick up a copy. Even if you can't stand their TV show and think that Kate is a monster, go buy a copy. Kate has shown me how to truly give your problems up to the Lord and rely on Him for comfort, guidance and strength. Each chapter begins with a Bible verse, and throughout each chapter one thing is evident- God is her rock. Science and doctors can only do so much, and then there is God, the great physician- shepherd, comfortor, Father, rock. I only started reading the book last night but couldn't put it down. I'm over halfway through with it, and hope to have it finished by tomorrow.

In other news, my birthday celebration at Disneyland was amazing. I wanted to post some pictures, but I can't find the USB cord to upload them to my laptop. Louis and I had such fun together, more fun than we've had during any other Disneyland trip where it's just the two of us (Louis is known to be somewhat of a grump at Disneyland!) It was rather crowded there on Sunday, so we spent most of our time eating eating eating ... and eventually spending the afternoon taking in a few drinks! First a beer at the Grand Californian Hotel (my new favorite being Blue Moon), then at the ESPN Zone (a Bloody Mary for me, another beer for Louis-that I helped him polish off-followed by one shot of tequila each!). Oh, and one more Scooby Snack shot at this outdoor bar between the ESPN Zone and the Disneyland main entrance. Just enough alcohol to keep us "happy" yet not sloppy =) We had dinner at the Cafe Orlean's restraunt after a few more rides, then went over to California Adventure so Louis could have his first trip on the new Toy Story Mania ride. It's become one of my favorites, and is now Louis's all time favorite Disney ride. It's another one of those video games inside a ride. Louis and I get rather competitive with one another, and I was rather dissapointed that he managed to slaughter my score, even though I had gone on the ride a few times before. Oh yeah, and we never made it over to his friend's birthday party last Saturday. It just got way too late by the time his friends were done with their dinner at BJ's and I was exhausted.

Tonight I'm having a girls night out with my wonderful friends, a birthday tradition that I started last year for myself and fully intend to keep it up annually! We were going to cook dinner together at my house and then head off to Lucky Strike (a bowling alley for 21+ with billiards, a full bar, and DJ), but with Jeremiah being sick we're just going to go to Lucky Strike. I've been wanting to go there for some time but haven't had the chance. Louis's ex girlfriend is one of the managers there and was very kind in helping me plan this event, booking my party for me and giving me lots of advice and inside information on making it a wonderful evening =)

As for my list... I am proud to say that I have so far kept up with my daily obligations (vitamin taking and reading to Jeremiah) and weekly obligations (talking to Grandma on the phone- still have to call Grandpa today), and blogging. I have gotten started on my reading 20 new books task (Jon and Kate!) and am plugging along finishing "Bringing Up Boys." AND... as far as travel... Marissa and I are planning on going to visit Kappie and Steven next month in Sacramento! So that will take care of not only a new place to visit but the plane ride as well. AND... (i'm even more excited about this!) Louis and I are taking a child-less trip to Vegas in May! A distant relative is getting married there the week after my brother's wedding, and Louis offered to sing at the reception. The bride's father was my uncle Louie, and he and MY Louie would always sing kareoke together during his and my aunt Bette's California visits. Both are huge Frank Sinatra buffs. Uncle Louie (who is my grandmother's first cousin) passed away a few years ago and my aunt Bette now permanently resides in California with her son. She was CRYING when Louis offered to not only attend the wedding in Vegas (we've only met her daughter one time, for her engagement party in January during a visit from New York) but to sing as well, she was so touched. So that will take care of one of the child-less trips. I can't wait!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

101 in 1001!

I came across the idea in Emily's blog to create 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. There are SO many things that I want to do but a) can never remember to do them! or b) simply do not have the time or motivation to do them, so I figured why not try this out? Sometimes seeing my goals outlined on paper helps keep me on task for finishing projects. So, borrowing Emily's format for organizing her goals, I spent the last week coming up with my list and perfecting it. All goals are meant to be realistic enough to where they will actually be possible to complete, yet challenging enough to stretch me, either physically, mentally, or emotionally, or encourage us to save $$ to reach some desired goals (mostly in the home and travel section). I will be updating my list as I go along, and blogging about my progress as most of the major goals (i.e. not goals to be completed on a daily basis for the 1001 day duration) are completed. 25 goals need to be chosen to complete in the first 250 days and are noted with an **

I was going to wait until April 1st to start my list, but now that I am finished I simply can't wait! And, after finding out that my 1001 day period is up on my husband's 30th birthday (Dec. 14, 2011) I figured... why not start today? Have fun reading my goals and I encourage you to start one of your own!

Erin's 101 in 1001!
To be completed by Dec. 14, 2011

Key:
**To be completed by November 23, 2009
In Progress
Completed

Creativity and Projects
1. Finish wedding scrapbook, honeymoon scrapbook and Jeremiah's 1st year scrapbook (0/3)
2. Learn to tole paint and complete at least two projects
3. **Finally order my wedding album!
4. Order pictures from Snapfish at least 10 times (0/10)
5. **Organize East Coast Tour pictures into an album
6. Blog twice a week (1/286)
7. Drag out my violin and spend an afternoon or an evening playing... just so I can't say that I haven't played since APU Graduation (May 2005!) anymore!

Education and Learning
8. Read at least 20 new books of choice, including Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, and The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage
9. **Find our local library and get a library card
10. Read at least 3 books related to the field of education
11. **Finish reading Dr. Jame's Dobson's Bringing Up Boys
12. Finish all paperwork necessary to apply for my California teaching credential and apply for it!

13. **Take a Red Cross CPR Course

Environment and Outdoors
14. ** Take Jeremiah on a walk 3 nights a week for 3 months (0/36)
15. Enroll Jeremiah in a swimming class (does not count for "Mommy and Me" goal)
16. **Go horseback riding with Lindsey
17. **Take a hike
18. Go camping
19. **Take a personal day to go to the beach alone!
20. Transition to earth friendly cleaning supplies once current supplies are depleted
21. Use only "Green" bags or reuse paper bags for 3 months

Family and Friends
22. Get pregnant and have baby #2
23. Nurse that baby for at least 6 months, provided I maintain an adequate milk supply this time around
24. Host 3 family holidays (0/3)
25. Call Grandpa weekly (0/143)
26. Call Grandma weekly (0/143)
27. Visit Grandpa once a month (0/33)
28. **Enroll in a "Mommy and Me" class
29. Mail out homemade birthday cards to family and friends
30. Host another family cribbage tournament
31. **Host a cheese and wine night when Morgan is in town
32. Have another Disneyland day with Anna
33. Read to Jeremiah daily (1/1001)
34. **Eat at 3 of Anna's favorite restaurants that she's been dying for me to try (0/3)
35. Have dates with Louis at least twice a month (1/66)

Health, Fitness and Appearance
36. Take a folic acid supplement every day (1/1001)
37. Wax my eyebrows once a month for a year (0/12)
38. **Paint my toenails twice a month for 6 months (0/12)
39. **Make a fresh loaf of bread once a week for two months (0/8)
40. Try cooking one new recipe a week for 3 months (0/12)
41. **Purchase produce ONLY from our local farmer's market for a month
42. **Plant an herb garden, including the following herbs: basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, mint, cilantro and chives
43. **Grow tomatoes this summer
44. **Learn to style and curl my hair
45. Make a conscious effort to wear makeup daily
46. Donate clothes to Goodwill
47. Exercise three times a week for a month (0/12)
48. Take a multivitamin every day (1/1001)
49. Buy 5 new dresses (0/5)
50. Make homemade chicken stock and freeze it
51. Buy 5 pairs of shoes (0/5)
52. Go running with Marissa. Decide on a good mile time goal for myself (_:_) and work at improving my time (best: _:_)

House and Home
53. **Have all dishes washed and put away before bedtime for 3 months (0/90)
54. Purchase curtains or blinds for all rooms of our house (0/5)
55. Organize dresser drawers in our bedroom and maintain that organization
56. Organize kitchen cabinets and maintain that organization
57. **Organize hall closet and maintain that organization
58. Turn our spare bedroom into a guest room, office, activity room or baby room- something other than a storage room
59. Buy a DVD player
60. Plant flowers in our front yard and back yard
61. Learn five new crock pot recipes (0/5)
62. Acquire a Dutch oven
63. Learn 3 Dutch oven recipes (0/3)
64. Learn 5 new cookie recipes (0/5)
65. Learn 5 new muffin recipes (0/5)
66. Learn how to make sushi and host a sushi night
67. Remodel our kitchen
68. Purchase a new refrigerator
69. **Make Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa) Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup
70. Paint our bathroom
71. Paint our hallway
72. Paint our kitchen
73. Organize living room bookshelf
74. Frame pictures and hang them on our walls
75. **Subscribe to the LA Times Sunday Edition for one year
76. Replace our living room couch and love seat

Money, Finances and Work
77. Clip coupons from the Sunday paper every week (0/143)
78. Open a bank account for Jeremiah, depositing at least $20 a month upon opening
79. Roll all spare change and deposit it into a college fund for our children

Responsibility and Good Things
80. Have all 2009 Christmas presents, other than those for Louis, Jeremiah, our parents and our siblings, purchased by October 1st
81. Do 15 random acts of kindness (0/15)
82. Get up an hour before Jeremiah 6 days a week for a month (0/27)
83. Spend an afternoon watching all of my favorite Disney movies
84. **Get my wisdom teeth pulled

Spirituality
85. Read the Bible cover to cover (Current book: )
86. **Find a home church in Whittier and attend regularly
87. Contribute to the children's ministry in our new church
88. Start a prayer journal

Travel and Places to Go
89. Go on a cruise
90. Travel to 3 new places, at least one of those requiring a plane ride (0/3)
91. Take at least 3 child-less trips with Louis, consisting of at least 3 nights each (0/3)
92. Renew Disneyland pass before the 1001 day deadline (Expiration date: January 21, 2010), and, if needed, purchase a pass for Jeremiah as well
93. Spend the night at Coronado Island with Louis
94. Eat at a Greek restaurant
95. Go to Six Flags, without kids
96. Attend a concert either at the Disney Concert Hall or the Hollywood Bowl
97. Attend an LA Philharmonic "Concert in the Park" at the Arboretum this summer
98. Visit Uncle Ken and Aunt Jean in Virginia
99. Take Jeremiah to the Children's Museum in Los Angeles (If it's still around? If not, find another hands-on children's musem and take him there instead)
100. Spend an afternoon in Hollywood
101. See a live musical

He's been gone 10 minutes...

... and I miss him like CRAZY. Jeremiah, that is!

Tonight we celebrated my birthday with my family (a day early! ) so that tomorrow Louis and I could go to Disneyland, just the two of us. We had a wonderful evening of conversation and yummy dinner, followed by some amazing presents =) My parents took Jeremiah home with them, and he will be there until Monday morning when I go to work for my mother. (I have the next two weeks off from babysitting- sweet!!!). My parents left roughly 10 minutes ago... and the house feels so empty. I long for times of solitude when he is napping or in bed for the night, and count down until he gets babysat with earnest, when the time comes for him to be gone for a day or two- I MISS MY LIL GUY!!

Now, I"m not one of those mothers who refuses to go on trips without her children. My mother in law was like that, even going so far as to bring her kids on company cruises where children were explicitly NOT invited; spouses only. It was very rare that my husband and his sister were allowed to spend the night at their cousin's house or their grandmother's, if ever. Jeremiah has already had a handful of overnight trips to grandma and grandpa's house, for mine and Louis's anniversary last year, when I had my miscarriage, and a few other one-night trips. I love the time alone with my husband... but I find myself going into Jeremiah's room, playing with his toys after a while. The house isn't the same without him there. I can't wait to go on Splash Mountain tomorrow... and I REALLY can't wait for Monday morning when I can give my lil man a hug!

Anyway, my night is far from being over. Despite the fact that we are meeting Louis's grandfather at Disneyland at 9 am, Louis and I are going out to a club in Fullerton to celebrate his close friend Javi's birthday (Javi was our best man). Louis's grandpa is going to sign Louis into the park with his lifetime annual pass, which is good not only for him but 3 other people per visit. We aren't leaving our house for another hour- which means we'll get to the club by 11:00-ish. Javi and his friends won't be done eating their dinner at BJ's until shortly before that. Now, I'm no night owl (I'm ready for bed NOW in fact!), I hate clubs, I HATE dancing, and I hate spending tons of money on drinks. Oh, and I hate taking care of my husband when he drinks. And I hate driving late at night (I"m probably going to be the Designated driver). But, it's one of my husband's best friends (and one of his few friends that I really like!! Javi's awesome) so we have to go. Louis had me call up Marissa and invite her to come along, and she's more than willing. She likes this kind of thing, and usually keeps me company when Louis's friends have parties. I'm trying to be a good sport about things, because lets face it- my husband has spoiled me immensly yesterday and today with presents (a new set of Mac makeup yesterday- my first set everrrrrrrrrrrr and I love it! There's no going back to Maybelline now!) and a rather healthy Barnes and Nobles gift card. Plus he's taking me to Disneyland tomorrow, which he really doesn't like going to, especially on crowded days like it's probably going to be. So I have to do this for him- with the stipulation that we stay no more than an hour and a half! =)

I think it's safe to say that this birthday definitely tops my birthday last year. My grandma Arlene passed away 3 days before my birthday, and per my grandma's wishes of being buried on a weekend (because she hates imposing on people to take time off of work, and our pastor doesn't do funerals on Sundays for obvious reasons) we were left with having her funeral actually on THE DAY OF my birthday. Definitely the worst birthday ever. My grandpa Hector (mom's dad- Arlene was my dad's mom) passed away on teh same day as my Grandma Arlene, 7 years prior, but his funeral was the day AFTER my birthday. So it was a rough birthday but not as bad as last years.

So here's to 26 being an amazing year!!!

(Oh, and happy 28th birthay, Ryan! Wish we were there celebrating w/ you and Stephanie in Chi-town. Take care, cousin!!)

I KNEW He Was A Puppy!

I call Jeremiah my little puppy on occasion. He is very frisky, curious, and loves to investigate. He has no problem eating cheerios or goldfish that he finds on the floor, and LOVES drinking the water in the bath tub, puppy style. Balls are a favorite toy of his... as is his new child harness- aka THE TODDLER LEASH.

Louis wanted to register for one when we were creating our baby registry. However, at the time I flat out refused. I thought they seemed cruel, confining, and lazy on the part of the parents. I mean, shouldn't you just teach your child to hold your hand and stay put?

And then Disneyland happened.

Now that Jeremiah is walking, he is no longer content being cooped up in his stroller or in my arms for hours on end. As big and crowded of a place that Disneyland is, I refuse to let him walk by himself, unassisted, especially since he does not obey "Come here NOW!" or hold my hand. Plus, with me being half an inch shy of 6 feet tall, I'd have to walk like Quasimoto just to hold his hand (if he were to let me, which he doesn't.). So, following the advice of my neighbor Nicole (Mariah's mommy- Jeremiah's little playmate and "girlfriend") I went to Target and invested $12 in this:


An Eddie Bauer child harness!

The look in Jeremiah's eyes when he realized that he was given a taste of "Freedom" on Wednesday at Disneyland was priceless. If he had stood still for two seconds I would have been able to get a picture! They all came out way too blurry to even bother saving. I think it's safe to say that exploring has officially topped going on Dumbo and It's a Small World, his two favorites. And it was worth every penny. It is not something that I will be using on a daily basis or for every outing, just to huge places like Disneyland and the airport. Places where there are mass crowds that we will be at for longer periods of time and he will need to stretch his legs.

Now we just need to teach him not to eat pieces of food that he finds on the ground at Disney!!

Your thoughts/experiences on child harnesses?

Boo

I hate David's Bridal. I wasn't thrilled with them when I worked with them for the bridesmaids dresses for my wedding. I gave them business for 11 (yes 11!) girls- 8 bridesmaids and 3 junior bridesmaids. Did my gals get any sort of discount? NO. I didn't order my dress through them . Plus, they ended up screwing up some of the junior bridesmaids accessories, and were rather rude to my 12 year old cousin, who was too big for the junior bridesmaids dresses.

However, I was rather excited with the cute dress that Stephanie and I wound up choosing for my brother and Lindsey's wedding. The 6 regular bridesmaids paired up in twos to choose a dress, and the maid of honor has her own dress. The dress was very classy, fit perfectly without needing alterations, and the price was perfect. We were told that my dress would take 6 weeks to deliver, so in January we had PLENTY of time to order it. I waited until today to order it because I knew I would have extra spending money from babysitting. Its still around 11 weeks til the wedding, and I didn't need any alterations so no problem.

Except that David's Bridal lied.

My dress apparently is a 12 week dress, ordered from overseas. Which would arrive roughly the first week of June. Not by May 23.

I'm pissed.

So now Stephanie, Lindsey and I have to find a time to all get together and go to David's Bridal (by Ontario Mills. An hour from my house). Find another dress that both of us agree on, that isn't one of the other bridesmaids choices. And, more likely than not, fork out more $$ than we were planning on. At least Stephanie hadn't ordered her dress already, too. Then things would really be messed up as far as the pairs of dresses going!

Lindsey and Joe are going to give David's Bridal a piece of their mind.

I hope those bridal consultants are prepared to take them on!

In other news... I made a grand total of $12 at my yard sale on Sunday. I closed shop up around 11:30, getting tired of waiting for non-existant customers. I also have had a terrible bachache since Friday, barely able to walk or lift Jeremiah. I mostly walked like Quasimoto, the Hunchback of Notre Damne over the weekend. I'm fine if I'm sitting down or laying down, and I can walk short distances- but can't be on my feet too much. I cancelled my babysitting for Sydney today. Luckily Sydney's grandma doesn't work Mondays, either, and was happy to have her again. But thank goodness my bachache is now 90% gone.

I'm hoping to take Jeremiah to Disneyland tomorrow after Rayna picks up Sydney. We STILL only have one car (!!) and I hope Louis will be able to lend me the car in the afternoon. I just need to get out of the house, and I know Jeremiah does too.

(CARA- what happened to your blog?!! )

Well I'm back out here on my front lawn, for day 2 of my yard sale. I wasn't planning on making this a two day event, but I had a few people that came yesterday call me up (getting my # from the ad on craigslist), asking if I could open shop again today. By this time yesterday I was a rich woman. Today- $11 profit. Oh well- it's Sunday, and between church and daylight savings, people aren't moving very fast or early. I'm hoping that after church lets out things will pick up a bit. In all honesty I'm not doing this for the $$ as much as I am to simply get rid of things and make room in our house (and my parents house!) Lots of my college dorm/apartment items sold well yesterday, all of which were being stored at my parents house. They're happy to see the end of that. And with my brother moving out in a few weeks, pending him and Lindsey finding and leasing an apartment, they'll have even more space available. So yes, in an effort to do a little spring cleaning, once again I am sitting on my front lawn, this time with some fresh pan dulce and a glass of milk =)

And now Louis and I are going to run around the front lawn with our precious son!!

Oh what a week!

Finally the weekend again! I apologize for my lack of blogs as of late, but as you could probably tell from my previous entry, I have a little bit more on my plate than time allows for blogging. As I write this, I am parked outside on my front lawn, having a yard sale. I started lugging things outside around 7 am in the freezing cold, and by 8 am (the official start time I put on craigslist) I had quite the crowd. Things that I never thought would move (such as my "reject" dvds), baby blankets and bibs, stuffed animals and some of my old dishes from college- GONE. Or mostly gone that is. My biggest sellers seem to be my boxes full of old teacher prizes- brand new packages of character pencils, little toys and stuff that I bouoght on clearance from Target for a quarter back in the day- selling them two for $1, pushing them as Easter Basket stuffers. Out of two huge boxes I'm down to one. Right now I have about $100 more in my pockets than I had before ($20 of those dollars being in quarters!) Yes some lady paid in all quarters. That's okay though- all of our change goes into this huge water jug for Jeremiah's future college fund, so it's forcing us to save that money rather than spend it at the Steak Corral tonight or Target next week. Yard sales are a huge thing around here- people have them all the time. Lots of people buy things to send to family in Mexico. I am determined to stay out here until 2:00, or until one of my Craigslist customers comes to pick up some things I set aside for her this week. I LOVE selling things on Craigslist!

This week with Sydney has been a little easier. We have our routine down, I know most of her cues and signals, and Jeremiah has been a bit better with her around. Also, Rayna had a sweet surprise for me on Thursday- my auntie Anne, Sydney's grandma, wanted to babysit her on Friday (and a few other fridays coming up too!) so my weekend got to start a day early. I adore unexpected surprises! Since we are still with one car for the next week (I HATE CAR REPAIRS!!!) I had Louis drop Jeremiah and me off at my mom's house at 8:00 am yesterday. I worked for my mom for a few hours,a nd then she let me use her car while I ran errands w/ Jeremiah. We went to Target and to get his hair cut. I took him to the salon I worked at in college and BOY did he kick and scream!!! his haircut is a teeny bit jagged because of it but at least it's short again. 4 months later. Louis has been saying he would be the one to take him as af ather/son outing but never got around to it. After this very difficult experience I am more inclined to wait for Louis next time!! In retaliation I cut Jeremiah's bangs on Tuesday b/c I was sick of seeing them in his face, figuring the stylist could fix whatever came up crooked. I wish I got a picture of that- his tiny bangs and SHAGGY head of hair! Oh well at least he's presentable now. Jeremiah and I stayed until nearly 10:00 at night. I put him in his pjs and in his crib for bed around 8:00 and he was out like a light. I love how he has his own room there.

The reason Jeremiah and i stayed so late at my parents is because, once again, we didn't get notified of (or invited to!) Louis's uncle Victor's birthday dinner until 20 min. before the event started. I feel so badlyl for Victor- he's an amazing guy and his children do not take the courtesy to invite people in advance! The rest of Louis's family has picked up on that habit as well. I am sick of having to drop everything I am doing and go to a family function just b/c people didn't take the time to notify you in advance. I swear a day or two would be more than an improvement. But yeah with Friday traffic and everything Louis woudln't have had time to come get us- and it was too late for Jeremiah to go to the cheesecake factory anyway. Taking him to a BUSY restraunt on a Friday night, 45 min before his bedtime is a major no no. So my mom and I went shopping while my dad played w/ Jer, then came home for a gourmet dinner of hot dogs and pork and beans! YUM. Sometimes its the comfort foods that taste the best, ya know? Then after we put Jeremiah to bed we watched Hells Kitchen with my dad. I love how irrascible Chef Ramsey can be.

I decided that Jeremiah needed a pick-me-up on Tuesday and took him to California Adventure to watch the Pjxar Play Parade after Sydney left. We met up with m y friend Melissa and her husband, who were there celebrating their anniversary. Jeremiah lit up as soon as we pulled into the parking structure and he saw me take out his stroller. I"m telling you- these fast evening trips are so much more enjoyable for me!! I don't bother with his bulky stroller or diaper bag; just the lightweight fold-up one and a backpack with two diapers, PJs and his dinner (and Goldfish. Never go without the goldfish). After the parade, we went on Its a Small World (which he lit up again when we walked up to the line! I love how he remembers), hit the Pizza Port for dinner, and said goodbye afterwards to my friends. Stopped at the baby care center to change and went home! Since I didn't have the huge stroller we took the tram, which is a luxury for us. I normally don't bother and just walk through Downtown Disney to the entrance if Louis isn't with me. Speaking of Louis... we're leaving Jeremiah w/ my mom next Sunday so Louis and I can go for my birthday! Louis's gpa will get him in for free, and we will have the day to ourselves to go on all MY favorite rides- no more kiddy rides! I"m immensly looking forward to it.

Well that's about all for now. Thanks for reading and check back soon- I will make a point of updating more!!