http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33088053/ns/us_news-weird_news/?GT1=43001
Hmm...I'm thinking she might've been punishing herself a bit more than him. There are some messed up people out there - even in Texas.
I feel so overwhelmed and discouraged right now. I don't feel like this often, and especially not to this degree. I cannot remember a time in my life when I've had a week this hard, which sounds dramatic, but there are so many things going that I can't even keep track of anymore. I could list all of the reasons why, but don't really have the energy. I'm worn out, spent, and don't feel like I have another ounce of myself to give. I'm not even sure when or how I'll begin to be replenished, and there's not really an end in sight, which is also disheartening. The weird thing is, I haven't even been able to cry. I wish I could - it's always been a good release and helped me feel better in the end. Instead, I just feel sad and totally in over my head. And I feel very alone in it.
I know these feelings aren't from God. I know this sadness and discouragement will pass. I know most if not all of it is happening due to the growth and change the Lord is inspiring and bringing about in my life - that I'm being attacked head on. But right now it beyond stinks. I guess I don't have all that much endurance because a week of this junk has whipped me and kicked my butt. I'm clinging to the old saying, "It can't get any worse," and hoping it's true in my case. Next week should surely be better than this one.
It's made me feel a tiny bit better just to write this stuff down. Hopefully I'll have some cutie-pie pictures or stories or whatever to share next time.
This weekend has been R-O-U-G-H.
*Bennett and Jasper both kicked off the weekend with colds and have continued along these lines, steadily progressing into the "non-breathable" status. Fantastic.
*Bennett has decided he's terrified of monsters coming up from his headboard to get him. So each morning I find him sleeping by the door, Lamby and blanket in tow. Last night took the cake. He woke up at 2:00am screaming and not breathing real great because of his cold. He came to bed with us (which we've only done a handful of times because he doesn't actually sleep - he talks, sings, wiggles, etc.). After a while of needing tissues, needing a blanket, needing to talk to get all the millions of middle-of-the-night thoughts off his chest, I finally took him back to his bed and fell asleep with him. Awesome.
*I went back to my bed around 5:00am, to be awakened by Jasper at 6:00am, which is an hour or two early for him - he was having trouble breathing through his nose. I fed him, went back to bed, and woke up again at 7:00am to the sounds of Bennett playing down by his door on the floor again. I love it when sleep eludes me.
*Today, Bennett is completely hoarse (which makes for a quieter house, which is kind of nice once in a while, though I'd MUCH rather him be feeling well), Jasper is stuffy, and Mommy is exhausted. We've been hanging out in the steamy shower, and vapor rub, saline drops and cool mist humidifiers have been our very best friends. Along with this, Bennett is now the proud owner of a fancy-schmancy night light...to deal with the monsters in the dark that aren't real, of course.
Throw in the mix a bunch of errands to run, two loads of dishes due to trying out a new food/cooking routine, 3 loads of laundry, and a kitchen floor that's still sticky because I haven't had the time or energy to clean it, and you've got a super-fab weekend. So believe it or not, yours truly is looking forward to Monday :)
Everybody says it, and so will I: I canNOT believe Jasper is 6 months old already. I lucked out because he's a little bitty thing, so it still feels like he's 4 months or so when I hold him. Because of this, I'm absolutely in denial. Here's the update on my little buddy.
Growth -- he's jumped the track from being in the 10th percentile in weight to now being in the 15th percentile - WOOT! Go, go, Jasper GO! I think moving onto the solid foods have really helped with this a lot. Height is still 50th percentile, and his head is in the 90th percentile. No wonder he's not sitting by himself yet! HA!
Food -- He eats rice cereal and oatmeal regularly, and has sampled avocados and bananas. I think we'll be moving right along to squash this coming week. He gobbles up his food and is pretty easy-going about the whole process, which is really nice.
Health -- his neck condition continues to improve. We're still taking him to our chiropractor once a month for therapy, and I do his exercises with him everyday. He's having a little trouble raising his right hand up to grab things, and isn't sitting up independently yet. Everything is just going to be a bit delayed because of this. Research I've done on my own says that this should be cleared up and really healed up by 12-18 months, which is a little overwhelming, but also makes me feel better because we're progressing at such a good rate and we're only half-way there. That means there's so much more improvement to come! Thank you all who have been praying for him. I REALLY appreciate it.
Personality -- I pegged it right from day one in the hospital. He's my easy-going little "sweets." He goes with the flow and laughs and smiles easily, especially at me, which melts my heart. His cries and complaints are softer and far fewer than Bennett's ever were. I'm thankful I had Bennett first rather than vice versa, because otherwise I'd be totally at a loss :) Jasper LOVES his big brother and would watch him all day long (until said brother starts making faces and noises right up in his face and patting his head a bit too hard, in which case he blinks rapidly and looks anywhere but at Bennett). He also loves hands and feet, and is ticklish on his tummy. He's not too interested in books so far - more in people. He's totally content if you're talking to him, or if he can watch you talk.
Favorites -- he loves to blow spit bubbles, loves making a smacking sound with his lips and teeth, loves to be held (which I LOVE), loves the sound of Daddy's voice, loves to wrinkle up part of his sheets and hold onto it while he sleeps (I've offered him a lovey, but he prefers the sheet :)), loves looking in the mirror and at ceiling fans, and loves to talk to the pictures and friends in his crib when he wakes up. His favorite position is standing with his legs locked, and his aquarium bouncer has been a lifesaver because he adores it. 
hahaha - you know you're a dork when you're laughing out loud at your own blog title....I couldn't resist (who sings that song, anyway?)
Warning: If mommy trigger-words such as "poop" and "potty" and "tee-tee" offend or annoy you, or you think people who post about potty-training are really dumb, this isn't the post for you.
Bennett is now officially, all the way potty-trained. Here's what I think helped:
1. I would not battle with him over it. When he showed signs/interest, we started talking about it and worked on it.
2. What finally clenched (choice of words on purpose - har!) it all was two things, and I really think these were the main keys once he was ready to potty-train: a) in the first stages, he ran around naked. That way, the "stuff" had nowhere to go, which he knew. (yes, I cleaned up a few accidents, but it wasn't a big deal). b) once he was telling me he needed to go, or was going to his potty by himself, we got rid of the training pants COMPLETELY (even at night), and just wore underwear. Those training pants are a crock, man (or so I feel). They're diapers with a different closing mechanism. Bennett had no qualms with going in them because they weren't any different than baby diapers. So we got rid of them.
3. He had MAJOR poop issues. Bennett isn't really a fit thrower, but he threw some doozies over this. He did NOT want to let go of it. So I kept him naked, knowing he wouldn't do his business on the floor. There was a 48 hour stretch of resistance at one point (which is a record for him), but eventually I put him on the potty, told him to stay on it, and left the room. After about 5 minutes, he said, "I DID IT!!" It took about three times of this happening before he became confident and good with it, rather than scared. Now he's the Golden Poop Boy.
P.S. I also bribed him. Yep. Sure did. And I defy anyone who judges me. Bennett is now the proud owner of the Cars movie, and looks forward to M&Ms when he does the business. We'll start weaning off the M&Ms in another few days. But for now, it's a nice little treat.
If all of this is way too much info, too bad so sad. I warned you. I put it out here because it's something I would've liked to read before potty-training Benito. I know every kid is different, so the stuff we did won't work with everybody (like the kids who don't think twice about wetting their underwear or pooping on the kitchen floor), but maybe it will for some.
This is how we poo it.
