MckMama Fans...

I am so sad to say that this sweet, beautiful, almost-five-month-old baby boy needs our prayers yet again. He is hospitalized because his heart is in Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (or SVT = very high heart rate). This is the same heart condition little Stellan exhibited in utero when the doctors told MckMama that he would not survive. He has certainly proven them wrong before as he was born against all odds without complications. So my prayer is that God will save this tiny trouper from his diagnosis once more. Please join me if you feel so led.

Flashback Friday: Our Furry Baby

Before there were children, there were furry Boo Boo kisses. After all, she was our very first child. And she is such a love that she easily won over the heart of my "dog person" of a husband. He still gives her regular kisses, even though she isn't quite this tiny anymore. And so do I, even though she still insists on sleeping on my head.

Happy St. Patty's Day

My mom says I have a little Irish in me, and to look at me, you would probably believe it. I am very fair-skinned with some freckles on my cheeks and green eyes. My hair is also not actually this light (hmmm....it's called highlighting, people, and no, it has nothing to do with the stray gray hairs that keep defying me and showing their sorry selves in the daylight. Ahem.). Peanut and Pumpkin's real first names are both Irish, too, so I guess that means it's fair for us to celebrate a bit.

Peanut said that during recess today, a leprechaun snuck in his classroom and messed up all of their things. Apparently, he visited all of the classrooms in the whole school. He even was kind enough to leave green pee in their classroom toilet (um...really?!?), but one of the students flushed it before everyone could see. Peanut was terribly annoyed that he didn't get to observe that. He and his classmates determined that the classroom was probably a wreck because the leprechaun must have been looking for his pot of gold. His teacher laughed and said the leprechaun was searching in the wrong place since the pot of gold is -- obviously -- safe in her backyard.

While we were working on Peanut's homework tonight, his second tooth fell out on his paper. This one bled which completely freaked him out until he was no longer able to taste it anymore. But after I calmed him down, he immediately darted over to his room to retrieve his letter to the tooth fairy which -- you might remember -- plainly requests that she not steal his tooth. Can you see the new empty hole in his bottom row of teeth?

Better yet, check out Peanut's leprechaun drawing. He is so darn cute, I might even let him use our bathroom (if he asked politely and didn't mess up the rest of our house, of course). Although, messing up the house surely hasn't stopped me from allowing our two boys to use the bathroom.

Hope all of you had a little extra luck o' the Irish thrown your way today!

Speaking of running to Mommy...

This is one of my favorite...photos...ever. 'Nuff said.

(Thanks again, Kelly!)

Flashback Friday: Great Strides

This picture was taken of Pumpkin when he was about fourteen months old. He was still not walking yet, and even as a second-time mom, I was a bit concerned since he wasn't really even close. Peanut walked at fourteen months, and I thought that was late compared to other children I knew. We used to joke that Pumpkin was so smart to just allow people to carry him everywhere. Our pediatrician reassured me that he was perfectly normal and he would walk when he was ready. His verbal skills came fast, and the doctor also mentioned that sometimes babies work on one skill at a time. Pumpkin finally walked towards me while we were at a family get-together at my in-law's house (a.k.a. Gemma and Pop's). I was so relieved! But, in a way, I knew that the second he began walking, the world would change as I so vividly remembered that it had with Peanut. And I also knew he wouldn't be a baby much longer. Part of me was thankful that I had the opportunity to have my little one as a baby for so long, even though the other part of me naturally wanted him to continue to thrive and grow. There's something sadly symbolic about a baby who can walk -- and soon after, run -- away from his mommy. I have to admit, though, that I was very grateful to no longer have to fight with him about crawling outside when we walked down the block on the old sidewalks in our neighborhood. Scratched-up knees did not deter my determined little man. And once he walked, he went from walking to running in no time and earned more scratched-up knees.

As I write this, my almost three-year-old Pumpkin is sleeping away. But all night, he complained of "ickies" and "grossies" in his throat. He has had a rough week of a phlegmy cough, runny nose, tears when Daddy said goodbye in the morning, and more time-outs than he can probably count. And tonight, he threw up all over the hardwood floor. Now, throw up is usually my husband's area of expertise, but unfortunately, he wasn't home yet. I am really, really bad at throw up. But Pumpkin was so scared and confused that he got sick, I turned on my auto pilot while continually assuring him it was okay, and I simply cleaned it up and got him changed. Anything -- even cleaning up throw up -- for my little Pumpkin. (But don't tell my husband I said that.)

I'm hoping that in a few days, he will make great strides in the "ickies" department and that he'll show off his running skills again in no time (as long as he is running to Mommy, that is!).

Now in Technicolor

Whoa...I really thought I had given away the answer to the newborn Peanut and Pumpkin pictures when I mentioned in this post how laughable Pumpkin's hospital pictures were. But I still fooled some of you! Thanks to everyone who participated. :)

And now for the illustrious winners....

(Drum roll please....)

Congratulations to Kelly and Laura! Seriously, that is impressive, girls. Even though Kelly was there the day he had his picture taken, she never got to laugh at the picture itself. And if I recall, she either wasn't in the hospital room with me at the time or was preoccupied with her own adorable baby. And Laura has never met Pumpkin, so major kudos for having such a great eye and paying attention!

If I would have posted the photos in color, maybe I would have had more winners.

Peanut (left) and Pumpkin (right)

They both had light blonde hair around their faces, but Peanut's was much lighter than Pumpkin's. I thought you would be able to tell by the sharper picture quality and more vibrant color of Pumpkin's pic if I posted them both in color. Peanut's little suit was actually a light baby blue with light blue and green striped cuffs and an embroidered train with button wheels on the jacket, but you can barely make out any of that detail. And thanks for the kind comments, but I was hysterically giggling when I first laid eyes on Pumpkin's picture. He was really not in the mood to have his picture taken, so the photographer gave him a pacifier and then pulled it out the split second before she captured his pursed little lips.

By the way, at the time, I thought these little boys looked nothing alike. I always reminisce that after having Peanut, that's what I thought Eric and I made. But then, Pumpkin came out with brown hair and a round little body, and I thought he was so very different. Looking at the photos now, I can't get over how many similarities there are. Those noses and lips look like I could cut and paste them from one baby to the other. And they both have such nice tans. Of course, that was due to the jaundice and surely not my skin tone (nor my husband's!).

I remember people telling me how much I resembled my brother as a child, too, but I think we looked less so as we grew older. So I am curious; did your babies (or you?) look like their (or your) siblings? And were you ever surprised at "what you made"? Do tell!

Flashback Friday: Peanut or Pumpkin?

I gave you a few hints in my previous post, but I thought it would be fun for this installment of Flashback Friday to have a game. All you have to do is guess correctly which newborn picture is Peanut and which is Pumpkin. To make it a bit more difficult, I have made converted both photos to black and white so the color quality doesn't give anything away. I would think if you have been paying attention, this might be pretty easy.

Just tell me the number of the picture and your guess. And no fair if you already know (ahem...Gemma! Unless you forget, of course!). You will -- as per usual -- receive a link to your blog and many oohs and aahs if you are correct! :)

Picture #1

Picture #2

Can't wait to see how well you know my Baby Peanut and Pumpkin!

Time March[es] On

It cannot be March already. Really?!? I really find it hard to believe in so many ways. Today we had a snow day with 9.7 inches of snow according to our local news station. It seems to me that we were just outside enjoying the fall weather and the leaves.

See?

Now, before you tell me that my photography skills have improved 100-fold since my last post, I have to confess that the following beautiful images were taken by my dear friend, Kelly. I was blessed to have roomed with Kelly in the hospital when I had Pumpkin and she had her sweet little boy, Jake. In fact, Kelly is also the one who introduced me to blogging. I followed her blog for over a year before even considering to start my own. I have to laugh looking back now because I clearly remember wondering why she didn't opt for the standard baby hospital photographer to take her newborn's picture. Someday I will have to post the newborn hospital photo I spent my hard-earned money on of Pumpkin. I felt it was an obligation to buy them; after all, I had done them for Peanut, and his were actually kind of sweet. Had I known I was rooming with this amazing photographer, I would have asked her to at least whip out her cell phone. The result would have been eons better than Pumpkin's hospital pic, I assure you.

Anyway, I have been meaning to post a few of the gorgeous photographs that Kelly took of our family around Thanksgiving. So, how did it get to be March?!? We were fortunate to be able to schedule a session in late fall with Kelly even though she and her family now lives out of state. And now that she has taken these great photos, we are all spoiled!

The boys warmed up to Kelly in no time and asked about her for many days afterwards. And I am certain we will treasure these images and her friendship for many, many years to come. After all, the fact that Kelly was the one who took these portraits just makes them that much more special to me.

You can see a few other images of my little men on her photography blog, and you have to check out her official photography site as well. It is no wonder to me that she recently won an award for her wedding photography. I have already asked her to book us for July 2022 to photograph our 25th wedding vow-renewal ceremony. I was worried she wouldn't have the date open if I waited much longer. She is just that talented!

So, while I stare at these photographs of these little boys I love so much in the leaves, it is so terribly obvious that time does, in fact, march on. Pun [always] intended. ;)

Flashback Friday: A Whale of a Tale

Some of you may recall that we have a budding artist in our mix already. You may also recall that I take no credit in this area of development since I have had years of practicing, yet I still can't master a simple Hello Kitty rendition of my own that I think is up to snuff. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Peanut also has proven to be quite the illustrator. In fact, when I looked back at some previous photos for this Flashback Friday, I found this little gem:

That is Peanut at age two and a half and his proud picture on his Thomas Aqua Doodle of a whale. I remember being so completely shocked when he told me he was going to draw a whale and then he actually drew something that resembled a whale. As any Aqua Doodler knows, those pictures dry up in a flash. Hence the picture. I had to show Daddy his amazing accomplishment!

Tonight was a similar scenario. Peanut was drawing the cover of his favorite Dr. Seuss book, and the next thing I knew, this had materialized:

What a difference three years can make! I still think that is darn impressive for an almost-six-year-old. But then again, if you asked me to draw a lion, it would probably look like a dinosaur. A dinosaur with a cute little pink bow on the side of its head, a' la Hello Kitty, of course, but a dinosaur all the same. And this, my friends, is the reason I have stacks of preschool and kindergarten artwork all over my house that I can't seem to part with. Although I know that even if Peanut had my more inferior drawing gene, I would love his artwork all the same. I might just feel the urge to put a little bow on his dinosaur, that's all. :)

And it's outta here!

Peanut lost his first tooth Friday afternoon. Apparently, the going rate for a child's first loose tooth is one gold dollar. (I'm not sure if that is always the rate or if this one was simply special because it was the first.) Peanut was very pleased that the Tooth Fairy was kind enough to allow him to keep his first lost tooth, and -- by the way -- he said she is the size of a bee and she has a son, too. No, he didn't see her, silly! A friend of his in his kindergarten class saw her. And guess what? He already has loose tooth number two!

Don't be alarmed by this post...

You have been patient waiting for my big reveal about my source of stress, girls! :)

Kristin (doesn't she have a great name, BTW?!?) made me laugh the hardest by guessing that I was making a denim skirt or pants. She obviously thinks way too highly of me. The last clothing I made was in 4-H in eighth grade. I did win some blue ribbons (and red and yellow) for my creations, though. If I recall correctly, my best ensemble was a blue terrycloth dress that I made in fifth grade. Terrycloth! Sooo early eighties.

Laura and Kathy B. had excellent guesses, too; I probably could add a patch to jeans if necessary, and I do love scrapbooking projects, even if most of them are sitting in boxes waiting for some attention in this decade.

Gemma's creative attempt #2 made me giggle as well, because frankly, who hasn't experienced some weird piece of the sole of a shoe driving you crazy?!?

But Kelly's guess and Gemma's first attempt were the closest. Yes, it is a tag! Good job, ladies! Can you hear me ooh-ing and ahh-ing? :)

But no, the tag didn't actually bother me. Well, at least I didn't realize it was bothering me. See, I got a great deal on this suede and faux fur coat last winter. And ever since, I have worn it a lot. Actually, I have worn it so much that I never even put 2 and 2 together.

Until I was putting it on the other day and noticed this tag that blended in with the coat and just happened to be right next to two other tags with the care instructions and fabric details on the left seam:

Okay...now who really looks inside a coat for a tag to be removed? But as soon as I felt it, I knew.

So that's why I am setting off alarms in all of my favorite stores!

Yup, folks, it is a sensor. And boy, did it work. Every single time I left my favorite store with all my new purchases, I made a bwamp! bwamp! bwamp! sound in addition to the red flashing lights and my look of total and complete embarrassment. In my mind, I was blaming the store for their faulty sensors and even the cashiers for possibly not removing a sensor. But I never even considered there would be a hidden sensor in my favorite coat -- one that no coat thief would ever suspect or look for. Or any honest customer who actually paid for the coat with her hard-earned money for that matter. Hmmph.

I do understand the point of the sensor and not making it obvious. But maybe the cashiers should be trained to point it out to their customers when they pay for an item with a crazy hidden beep-inducing do-hickey. I was constantly dreading the walk out of the door to my favorite stores because I might -- literally -- cause alarm. Even the cashiers said, "Oh, don't worry; our store alarms are sometimes too sensitive." No one ever mentioned my coat could be the source of my stress!

So, consider this a public service to my faithful readers. When you buy a new coat, check the inside. What you find just might be alarming!

Guess the source of stress

UPDATE: I AM going to tell you what this is soon, but no one has guessed it quite right. Any second guesses? Hint: it caused me many problems for almost a whole year!

a) What is this little do-hickey, and b) why did it cause me so many problems?

If you guess correctly, I will ooh and ahh about you all day as well as create a link to your blog in my next post. Don't have a blog? No worries. I will ooh and ahh about you on my next post instead.

So get guessing! :)

Flashback Friday: Baby's First Valentine's Day

Are there other mommies out there who have to have the holiday shirts? I love the children's shirts for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, even Fourth of July. I realize it's a sickness. Anyway, this was Peanut's very first Valentine's Day at ten months in 2004. He looks so angelic in this top picture. Ha! And I think that "Be My Valentine" heart turned inside-out into a bear. I have no idea what happened to that.

Now that looks more like the Baby Peanut I remember. He looks like he is up to something. I still adore his baby-fine blond hair. And look at those new little teeth! For those of you who read my last post, there has been no change in the status of the first loose tooth. And no change in my sadness over it. But I can't help it. After all, he stole my heart the second I knew he existed. So from my stolen heart to yours, happy hearts day!

Hope a certain fairy uses Google Maps...

Could it be the troof?!?

My first baby has a loose toof!

I hope the Tooth Fairy doesn't disappoint. She has never been to our house, and I don't know how to send her directions. But I am more upset about my Peanut growing up. Officially. This is one of those mommy milestones that make us sentimental types weepy. I checked his baby book, and this was actually the third tooth he got at nine months. Don't you dare ask me to find that information out when it is Pumpkin's turn. In fact, please don't even mention to him that I ever had the slightest idea about his big brother's teething details. That page just might be blank in Pumpkin's baby book. Anyway, Peanut was visibly disturbed that the tooth fairy would consider taking his prized tooth away. So I told him we could write her a note and ask her to please leave the tooth under his pillow. I vaguely remember writing a note like that to the Tooth Fairy at his age, too. Looking back, my parents were geniuses! Now Eric and I don't have to silently fish under a sleeping boy's pillow ever-so-delicately for a teensy weensy baby tooth in the middle of the night. Score!

But score, shmore. The fact is, I can't stop my first baby from getting older. No matter how I try.

Just please tell me I have a long time before an armpit hair makes an appearance.

My happy place

I have had a rough week filled with stress, tantrums, and tears (and don't even get me started on my boys!). Seriously, I need to transform myself sometimes and go to my "happy place." That could be anything from envisioning a relaxing moment to just taking deep breaths and evaluating how big a deal the current crisis is. As I tell Peanut, we need to decide if it's a big problem, a medium problem, or a little problem.

When I saw this Random Picture Challenge on Brittany's blog, I decided to check it out. The directions are to go to your November 2007 photo folder and choose the 44th picture. I have checked out my photo folders for her past challenges, but none of my shots were really blog-worthy. But this time? Jackpot. Lucky for me, I apparently downloaded several months of pictures back in November 2007. And here is the 44th photo:

Ahhhhhhhhh. There's my happy place.

That is Pumpkin and my wonderful dad at the beach in August 2007. I took several pictures of this in a row, and this is the only one with the kite flying in the background. I just adore this picture. Almost as much as I adore my father and my adorable son in the picture. Now that is a bonafide happy place.

Maybe I'll keep reading this post over and over again. I hear another tantrum brewing downstairs....