Our Big Road Trip

Last weekend I was able to do one of my favorite things: drive back to my hometown and stay with my sister. The last time I was able to do that was almost 2 years ago, when I was pregnant with Matthew.   Matthew was once again with me, but of course he is a toddler now.  I was slightly nervous about the two of us making such a huge trip.

Our drive there on Thursday went super smooth, and he napped for a nice chunk of it.  After crossing the Mackinac Bridge, we stopped in St. Ignace to fill up the car and grab some lunch.  I specifically chose where to eat based on the view.

Once we arrived at my sister's, Matthew was immediately smitten with her dog and cats.  Matthew had never spent time with cats before, but it was clear that it was love at first sight.  I'm also pretty sure that my sister's dog, Rusty, gained about 10 pounds that weekend.  He and Matthew were pretty much BFFs, especially when Matthew had food.  "Rusty" is Matthew's new favorite word.

The three of us enjoyed some time together.  We ate pizza, visited my sister's co-workers on their lunch break so they could meet Matthew, ate some more pizza, and basically just enjoyed being together and playing with Matthew.  Our parents joined the fun on Friday, along with their dog.  My sister was also dog-sitting for her friend, so we had a really full house.  It's very clear that Matthew is an animal lover!  I am getting such a twinge to adopt a second dog.  I know that wouldn't be a wise move right now though.

Saturday took us to Green Bay for a family reunion for my dad's side of the family.  It was Matthew's first time meeting just about everybody.  He was a little shy at first but definitely warmed up.  The reunion was at my cousin's house, and she has a beautiful home and yard.  Matthew had a blast, and it was great to have fun with everyone.

We were able to spend time with some relatives from my mom's side of the family.  One of my aunts had us over to our house and cooked dinner.  She had a couple desserts, and we opted to give Matthew the least messy choice: angel food cake with Cool Whip.  He loved it!  My aunt commented when I was a kid, I just called it Cool and would eat it with my hand.  I'm not surprised.  Matthew also got awfully close to my aunt's TV, but it was to watch the Packers, so I allowed it.

We were able to visit my grandma (my dad's mom) at her apartment afterwards.  Matthew got ahead of me and ran down the hall and was rattling every single door handle he could reach before I caught up to him.  Thankfully, they were all locked.

Then it was back to my sister's house for one last night.  She graciously let Matthew and I have her bedroom so we could close the door at night to keep the kitties from jumping into Matthew's pack 'n play and accidentally causing chaos.  Her bed was crazy comfortable, and I slept great every night, except for the last one.  The last night is always hard.  I hate falling asleep because I know that when I wake up, it's time to hit the road.  Being realistic with vacation days I have left for the year, I'm certain I won't make it back until sometime next year.  It's always so hard to leave.

The drive home went almost as nicely as the drive there, so I really can't complain.  My parents decided to take the long way home so they could drive through Michigan, so we left at the same time and traveled together for most of the trip.  Mom rode in the backseat of my car to spend time with Matthew.  He loved having her there.

By the time we got home, our trip odometer showed that we had logged 1,063 miles.  I can't wait to do it again!

Eventful Weekend

This past weekend gave us a few fun Matthew milestones:

• Matthew's first camping trip
• Matthew's longest road trip so far
• Matthew's first night away from home

Matthew did awesome with all three!  We unfortunately experienced a lot of problems with our fifth wheel (a leaking toilet, a blown out tire on the freeway, and a hole in the roof, to name a few).  We also found out before we hit the road that my credit card number had been stolen.  How lovely!  Fortunately, our credit card company was suspicious of the card activity and contacted us.  The charges were at a local store that I shop at regularly, so I was really impressed that they were able to detect the fraudulent activity so fast.  

It was kind of funny because on our way up, Ernie had stopped to change a blown out tire on a horse trailer for two ladies.  We had left feeling happy we could help and also thinking that maybe that would give us good karma for the weekend.  Apparently not!

After Ernie finished changing our blown out tire, we continued on the freeway in silence for a little while.  I could tell that he was also exhausted and in disbelief over how much stuff had gone wrong for us.  I finally broke the silence by saying, "You know, someday we are going to look back at this weekend and laugh."

Ernie said nothing.

"I mean, that day is really far off, but we are going to laugh so hard someday."

"Well, at least we're all okay," Ernie said.  "That's what's important."

Definitely.

Road Trip

My dad's side of the family is having a reunion later this summer, so Matthew and I will be taking our first road trip together to go back to my hometown.  Aside from two of my cousins spending about 15 minutes with him, nobody on that side of my family has met Matthew.  There seems to be a lot of excitement about him coming, and I'm looking forward to having an adventure with him.

When I make the trip by myself, I can make the drive in less than 9 hours.  I make one pit stop to get gas, use the restroom, and grab a snack.  My drives back home have always been about (safely) making the best time possible.

I have no idea how the drive will be with a toddler in tow, but I know it's going to be different.  The drive will take longer.  There will be more stops. Matthew will need diaper changes, drinks, snacks, and time to stretch his legs and burn off some energy.   There are always such pretty and fun places that I blow past when driving home.  I sometimes, think about stopping, relaxing, taking some pictures.  Ultimately though, my desire to make good time wins, and I just keep driving.

I'm looking forward to having an excuse to enjoy the journey a little more.

Books and Puzzles

My mom is constantly on the prowl for goodies for Matthew.  She and my dad recently made an awesome score at a garage sale.  They found several great books and puzzles.

I've been keeping track of Matthew's book collection with an account at Goodreads.  After adding this latest haul, his total number of books owned is at 179.  Several of those books were ones that my sister and I enjoyed when we were kids.  I'm glad our parents kept them all these years!

The puzzles have been providing endless amounts of fun.  My favorite is the one with the pets.

Brake Job

I had an oil change recently and was told that my brake pads and rotors were pretty worn and should be replaced.  Tears in my eyes (as there are any time large sums of money are requested), I texted Ernie with the info and the amount of the estimate.  He simply replied, "Nope."  Yes, I did need those things replaced, but Ernie was able to buy the parts and do it himself, so it didn't cost as much.  Free labor!  I love having a mechanically-inclined husband.  Matthew supervised the work.

A moth landed on one of my tires which, from the right angle and distance, made it look like I had a major issue with my tire.  I freaked out for a split second.

Last weekend, we got a few goodies from my cousin that her son had outgrown.  One of them was an awesome wagon.  Matthew and I had to take a couple of trips around the neighborhood.  He had a blast!  

Ernie took Chewie for a couple little trips too.  She loves riding in the truck.

On Sunday morning, I finally got to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast.  I had bought pork sausage earlier in the month with the intention of cooking this favorite of Ernie's for Father's Day, and then I got sick.  I guess it's not fair to say that I made biscuits and gravy; I made the gravy, and I threw frozen biscuits in the oven.  We can't all be Martha Stewart.  I made barbecue beef patties and mashed potatoes for dinner, but Matthew pretty much just ate a little bit of the potatoes and then scarfed a bunch of watermelon.  He's so appreciative of my cooking.

Weekend Recap

What a weekend!  I'm an admitted homebody; I love being home. We spent a lot of time elsewhere though, and it was great.

Saturday started out bright and early with Mom helping me work our first Mom 2 Mom sale to get some of Matthew's old stuff out of the house and make us a few bucks.  How does one child accumulate so much stuff?

The sale was a lot of fun, and all we ended up not selling was some clothing and a baby monitor.  We sold lots of clothing and bigger items like activity gyms, bathtubs, a swing, and a high chair.  It made us a little sad to see some of the stuff go, but there is really no sense in keeping it.  The atmosphere at the sale was wonderful though, and it made me really happy to see other people so excited about their purchases.  Feeling some sadness about seeing an adorable little jacket of his get sold is eased by seeing the excitement of the person buying the jacket for their little one.

I was exhausted after the sale.  My poor mom had to drive home to Ohio right after, but I was fortunate enough to be able to go home and crash on the couch.  Ernie kindly let me sleep but finally woke me up to get going to a graduation party.  My co-worker's daughter graduated high school and was having a big party at her house.  A lot of my co-workers were there, and we had a really good time.  Her house and yard are beautiful.  Matthew loved running around the huge yard.  He also enjoyed the food.  He basically had a little bit of meat sauce, a bread stick, Goldfish, and cookies for dinner.  So healthy.

Matthew fell asleep on the way home, and then he of course got his second wind once we got home.  After playing for a little while, he was ready for bed.  Ernie and I watched some Breaking Bad on Netflix before we went to bed ourselves.

On Sunday, I got grocery shopping out of the way, and then we hit the road to go to my cousin's house.  She lives about an hour and a half away and had kindly offered us a free tricycle, wagon, and basketball hoop that her son had long outgrown.  Matthew has none of these things, and we have particularly been wanting a wagon, so we were obviously pretty excited.  Another one of my cousins (they are sisters) was visiting from Green Bay with her husband and sons, so we got some bonus relative visiting.  They had also never met Matthew before, so it was nice for them to see him.

As we left, Ernie called his cousin who didn't live too far away to see if she'd be up for having us pop in for a visit.  She agreed but admonished us upon arrival for not giving her more notice about our visit.  She was not mad that we'd shown up with little notice but said if she'd known we were coming, she'd have cooked us dinner and got Matthew presents from Toys R Us.   She still managed to be quite the hostess.  After we had called her, she quickly called to order pizza and salad.  She also had some strawberries and mini eclairs and presented Matthew with a brand new Batman t-shirt.  I was highly impressed!  None of that was necessary, but it was flattering and appreciated that she fussed over us.

Matthew and I snoozed on the way home, although I'm pretty sure I slept longer than he did.  I used to never be a napper, but since having a kid, I sure do love naps now.  Ernie mowed the lawn when we got home and then rode into town with Chewie to get some gas in the truck and pick up some Chinese for dinner.

Now, it's Monday morning.  Where did the weekend go??

Toy Story

I've been sick since last Thursday, which has obviously been a bummer.  I used to rarely get sick, but now that I have a toddler, it's hard to avoid the germs.  Yes, I'm blaming the kid.  I've been told that's what they are for.

Managing to go to work (aside from wimping out and taking one half day last week) has been about all I've been able to do.  Ernie has been doing most of the parenting duties, and I've been alternating between sleeping and watching shows on Netflix.  I'm currently working my way through Breaking Bad, my show of choice after finally finishing Dexter recently.  Not having cable really makes me behind on popular culture.   I started watching Dexter back in December and was so excited about how awesome it was but kept it to myself to avoid becoming the butt of jokes.  "When you're done watching Dexter, want to put on powdered wigs and listen to records on my phonograph?"

I'm starting to bounce back though.  I still have a slight cough, but it no longer makes people get wide-eyed and instruct to me to stay away from them.  That's a definite improvement.  I'm having more energy to get stuff done at home too.

My favorite daily chore happens after Matthew goes to bed.  I've pretty much turned our living room into a playroom, and I take great enjoyment in tidying up Matthew's toys at the end of the day.  I have a spot for everything.  Certain toys go in certain containers.  Any item missing, even a small puzzle piece, is hunted down with determination that can be borderline crazy to anyone present. But it makes me happy to bring him downstairs each morning to a nicely arranged play area with everything in its place and waiting for him.  I know it will be destroyed in 10 seconds, but those first 9 seconds of him wandering around and deciding where to begin makes me happy.

This task was kicked to the curb while I was sick.  I laid on the couch and looked at the tornado of toys scattered throughout the room (and spilling into adjacent rooms), but I just didn't have it in me to pick up.  It made me feel bad that when he woke up in the morning he didn't have a nicely arranged area to dive into.  Ernie regularly points out that Matthew probably doesn't even care.

I'm willing to bet that Ernie is right.  I care though.  It makes me happy to spend a little time each night getting ready for our next day of fun.

I'm disappointed this morning because there are two items that are missing.  One of them is a book, of all things.  How does a book go missing?  We're also missing a guy from the farm.  I've been scouring the house with no luck.  I feel incomplete.  Matthew, of course, is fine.  I'm clearly the only one troubled by this.  It's just so vexing!

Bully at the Mall

Back before I even got pregnant, I would always feel a fluttery happiness when I'd see the kids in the play area at the mall.  I hoped I would be there with my kid someday, watching him or her laugh and play and have a good time.  I've been eager to take Matthew there for awhile.  I had to run to the mall to pick out some greeting cards, so I thought it would be the perfect time to bring Matthew with and hit the play area.

After Matthew patiently tolerated how long I took to dig through the cards at Hallmark (I could easily blow an hour there), we made our way to the play area.  I left the stroller by the entrance and took off our shoes.  The play area was really crowded, and Matthew seemed hesitant.  He was barely entering the play area and looked nervous.  After a little encouragement, he cautiously began exploring.  He didn't like it if we were too far apart, so I pretty much hovered over him and probably looked like a really obnoxious helicopter parent.

After about 10 minutes, Matthew seemed more relaxed and started to enjoy himself.  He especially liked the slide.  The first several times, he couldn't make it up the steps by himself.  The more he went down the slide though, the more hyper and excited he got.  Pretty soon, he was having a blast and climbing the steps with little to no assistance.   He was laughing, and I was able to back off a little.

Matthew had been taking turns with several other kids playing with the slide, but we soon found ourselves with the slide all to ourselves.  Matthew would climb the steps, go down the slide, and run back to the steps, laughing and clapping.

Soon, another kid ran over to the slide.  He looked like he was about 7 years old and beyond the maximum height that was allowed for kids in the play area.  He also had sneakers on, which was a no-no.  

I wouldn't have minded his presence, but he went to the top of the slide where Matthew was sitting.  The kid angrily yelled, "GO!" and shoved Matthew really hard down the slide.  Before I even had time to react, I was at least able to see that Matthew was okay.  He went down the slide normally and wasn't crying, but he did look really surprised.  

"Do not EVER touch him or yell at him AGAIN."  I didn't yell, but it was obvious I was livid.  The kid looked at me like I was a complete moron.  A woman walked over, who I assumed was the kid's mom.  I figured she would apologize and scold her kid.

There was no apology, but she did firmly tell her kid to be careful.  I appreciated that.  Then, in a very sarcastic tone, she said, "The babies are special," before walking away.  She didn't say a word to me. 

A little girl had climbed up the the slide and was about to go down.  The boy once again yelled, "GO!" and pushed her down the slide.  We'd been in the play area for over half an hour, so I decided it was time for us to just go.  Fuming, I picked up Matthew, and we left the play area to put on our shoes.

While I was strapping Matthew into his stroller, tears filled my eyes.  When I was in 1st grade, I was playing outside at recess on the big play structure known as the deck.  There were poles that you could slide down to get off the deck.  I reached out for a pole one day to go down but apparently wasn't fast enough.  A boy came up behind me, yelled, "GO!", and pushed me off the deck.  I fell down to the ground.  My recently skinned knees that were almost healed were ripped back open.   

Nobody saw it happen.  I got up, quietly crying, and walked into the school to go to the office to find someone to help clean up my knees.  My teacher was called to the office, and when it was just the two of us, she scolded me for playing too rough.  I truly believe that my 1st grade teacher did not like me.

Seeing that boy  be mean to Matthew made me think back to my childhood.  I endured years of bullying.  One of my biggest fears for Matthew is that he gets subjected to the kind of bullying I experienced.  One of the most important things for Matthew to learn is kindness.  I think the only thing that would break my heart more than kids bullying him would be if he were a bully.  I refuse to let that happen.

I hope childhood years are kinder to Matthew than they were to me.  At least I always had a good home and family.  I promise he will always have that.

Flag Day

On the first Saturday of every June, our little community goes nuts over Flag Day. It's our big celebration of the year. The big events are the parade in the morning and the fireworks at night. It's a small parade on a short route, but that doesn't stop people from flocking in for the fun. Matthew was only about 7 months old on his first Flag Day, so he was able to enjoy it a little more this year.

Sometimes, I get sad that I don't live in my hometown anymore because I wish Matthew could experience things that I grew up with on a regular basis.  This is his hometown though, and I think the annual Flag Day festivities will be part of his childhood that he will fondly remember as an adult.

Shopping and Swinging

After tackling the porch steps on Friday, Ernie forged ahead on Saturday with many more outdoor projects.  While he worked, Matthew and I decided to go out for a little while.  Our first stop was Target.

Matthew loves riding in shopping carts.  Being a stroller in a store doesn't cut it anymore.  He likes to be up higher and able to observe more freely.

I picked up some boring household items, but I also got a few things for Matthew.  It's getting way too warm for his footie pajamas, so some new summer pajamas were in order.

Once we left Target, I decided to stop at a playground that I knew had toddler swings.  I've been wanting to allow him to enjoy some swinging, but our previous playground stops only had swings for bigger kids.  Matthew definitely enjoyed the swing.

Once he grew tired of swinging, we walked around the park and explored.  When I decided it was time to go, Matthew resisted and ended up falling and scraping his knees on the asphalt.  Poor kid!  I felt so bad.  I cleaned him up as best as I could, and then we headed home.  

At Target, Matthew had spotted one of his favorite books from his day care and was stretching and trying to get out of the cart to get to it.  Obviously, I had to buy it.  I also picked up a couple new toys for Matthew's Little People Farm. I figured these new toys would make up for the knee scrapes he suffered.  Turns out, all I needed were the boxes.

Trip to the Greenhouse

I do not have a green thumb, but I do love flowers.  Fortunately, my mother is very knowledgeable in that area.  Thanks to her, I am able to enjoy some lovely flowers outside my house once winter goes away.  She told me last week that a trip to the greenhouse was definitely in order.  When I got home from work yesterday, we hopped in my car with Matthew and went to get some flowers.

This was Matthew's first time visiting a greenhouse.  I wasn't sure if he'd enjoy himself or not, but it was quickly clear that he was mesmerized by all of the beautiful flowers.

Matthew and I happily wandered all of the aisles while my mom made the important decisions.  She kept asking me what I'd like, and I did help to narrow down some choices, but I truly consider her the expert and wanted her to just buy whatever she felt was best.  I knew that we couldn't go wrong with whatever she decided.

Next to the checkout, there was a bin with free watering cans for "junior gardeners."  Matthew proudly grabbed a watering can before we left.  The owner said that he would hire Matthew in a few years, once he got a little taller and a few more muscles.  My mom said, "He should probably stop wetting his pants too."  Ha ha!  Poor Matthew.  It's hard being 18 months!  The owner said that wasn't a big deal though and that "it happens."  I think you're in, Matthew!

1 Year and in the Clear

I took the day off from work yesterday to take Matthew to the doctor.  He was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when he was a newborn and had to wear a corrective harness.  It came off in May of last year, with the scheduling of an appointment to follow-up in a year.  Matthew had to be x-rayed, and unfortunately, the x-ray machine in the doctor's office was broken.  We had to go elsewhere to get the x-ray done, which meant going to a huge, overwhelming x-ray room.  Matthew freaked out and was really upset, but he cooperated well.  When we went back to the doctor, we were told that Matthew looked "absolutely perfect" with no need for any additional appointments.

I'm so grateful to have this experience behind us!  Because of the x-ray machine issue, our appointment took a little longer than expected.  Matthew was ready for a nap not long after we got home.

We are having a potluck lunch at work today, so I put a dish together yesterday to contribute.  I decided to make Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad.  I made it once for us for dinner and loved it.  I had served it warm then, so this is my first time making it in advance and serving it cold.  I hope it goes over well.  It's obviously a bit spicy, so we'll see if people like it or if I should just go back to bringing cookies on potluck days.

For our dinner, I decided to make beef burritos.  The only thing I omit from that recipe is the garlic.  That's odd for us, as we are big garlic lovers.  The first time I made these burritos though, the garlic seemed to stick out too much.

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen yesterday but also plenty of extra time to play with Matthew.  I love days off with him.  He seemed to have recently went through a phase where he was extremely independent in playing, but now he seems to prefer having us around, even if it's just to sit on our laps while he plays.  He really enjoys books, blocks, puzzles, and his Fisher Price Little People farm.

Speaking of which, I think Matthew could use a lap to sit on right now.

Long Night

Yesterday was a pretty normal day.  I made Cheater Korean Beef for dinner, which is super easy and tastes awesome.  I follow the recipe as stated, except I omit the ginger.  I don't know what it is, but the last time I made it and used the ginger it called for, Ernie and I both thought it tasted like soap.  Last night was much better.   There is a little bit of spice to it, so Matthew ate some chicken tenders instead.

Matthew was a little cranky going to bed last night.  I read him a couple Dr. Seuss books that he pulled off his bookshelf and sang to him (everything from nursery rhymes to Conor Oberst), but nothing did the trick.  Ernie rocked him for a little while, and we thought everything was fine.  Not long after Ernie and I went to sleep though, we were suddenly jolted by the unmistakable sounds of a sick child.  Our poor little guy was sick several times.  He didn't have a fever, so we just tried to make him as comfortable as possible and take care of him.

Matthew slept in a little bit this morning and seems much better.  I'll be fine too, as soon as I get some extra coffee.

Mother's Day

I wasn't expecting anything on Mother's Day.  Ernie isn't one to make a big fuss of holidays, so I was just looking forward to another nice weekend day at home.  Ernie was kind enough to get up with Matthew in the morning and let me sleep in (which he actually usually does on the weekends, which is awesome).  When I did come downstairs, he immediately asked me if I'd like to go out for breakfast.  It was still some what early, so we figured we'd beat the Mother's Day crowd.

Ernie and I had excellent omelettes.  We ordered French Toast for Matthew, which he'd never had before.  We sampled it, and it was really good, but Matthew was happier nibbling on some of my wheat toast.  At home, I opened my cards: one from Matthew, one from Chewie.

I chose to make one of my favorite recipes for dinner: Mexican Stuffed Shells.  It's an easy recipe, but it takes a little time, so it's not an ideal recipe for a weeknight after work.  It's a perfect Sunday dinner.

It was a beautiful day, not too hot outside.  We spent time in the backyard playing with Matthew.  I blew bubbles that he had a blast chasing, and we also kicked around a ball.  Matthew loves being outside.  I am not an outdoors person, so I'm trying to adjust for his sake.

I spent the majority of my life planning on never having children.  I was perfectly content with not being a mother, and my husband also didn't want kids.  For some unknown reason, we both changed our minds in 2010.  We got engaged later that year, married in 2011, and Matthew was born in 2012.  I can't believe I spent so many years not wanting this.  Being a mom is hard, but it is so incredible.  I feel so lucky each and every day.

18 Months

Matthew had his 18 month checkup yesterday. He weighs 26 pounds, 3 ounces, and he is 34.25" tall.  His weight is in the 80th percentile, and his height is in the 97th percentile.  He's nice and healthy!  The doctor also assured me that it is perfectly normal for him to moonwalk.  I mean, he's not as smooth as Michael Jackson, but it's still pretty impressive.  I didn't know toddlers were capable of such an activity.

While waiting for the doctor to come in the room, I glanced at the assortment of books and magazines scattered along the wide windowsill.  There are several books that are made by area students.  One in particular really caught my eye:

My sister's name is Julie, and my family calls me Kate, so I of course thought this was awesome.  My sister still lives back home in the U.P., and I miss her so much.

After Matthew's appointment, we grabbed some lunch and headed to my work for a visit.  He hasn't been to the office since he's been walking, so he was due for an appearance.  He was a little shy and was also tired, as it was past his nap time, but he seemed to enjoy it.  I had a few little stuffed animals on my desk that he liked to play with.  I tried to give him one of my Aaron Rodgers action figures to play with, but he wanted nothing to do with it.  I hope that isn't a sign that he is going to eventually  rebel against our cheesehead ways.

Matthew's First Library Card

On Saturday, Matthew and I went to the local library to get his first library card.  I also needed a library card.  I have lived here for over 9 years, and I'm embarrassed to say that I have never been to our library.  I loved going to the library as a kid.  Whenever there is a library millage on the ballot, I don't hesitate to vote yes.  Why I quit going as an adult, I really don't know.  

Our library is beautiful, and I can't believe all of the amazing stuff there!  I am so glad that Matthew has a library card.  I hope that he loves the library as much as I did as a kid, and I hope that my library love will be rekindled.

I am looking forward to going back!