I Don't See Your Order, Sir

We hosted small group at our house last night, so we decided to order pizza for the meal.  Earlier in the day, I was sitting at my desk at work and the marketing lady for Mazzio's happened to walk in to bring some coupons and she saw where I had Mazzio's number written down on a sticky in front of me.  She asked if I was ordering pizza, and I said yes, that I was ordering for my church small group.  I guess you could say I like to shop around for the best price (when time allows, and in this situation it did).  But she wasn't going to have that.  Before I could even give her the details she got all excited and decided she would give me the $7 a pizza deal since it was for Piiiiiiinelake as she kept prounouncing it.  Then she ran around to my desk phone, picked it up, and then asked me what the phone number to Mazzio's was (her place of business).  So once I gave her the number, she called and ordered the pizza for me, all five larges.  And they were to be ready at 6:10, small group starts at 6:30.  JM got home, jumped in the shower, and then headed out the door to pick it up at the place in which I told him I ordered.  Right at 6:15 he calls and says "What's the name under?"  I said, "Well either Brittany or Piiiiiinelake" and he tells me they don't have the order.  I panic.  Then he tells me they can still make it, and it will be about 15 minutes.  Fine.  He finally gets to the house about 6:40 carrying five boxes of this:

So that's why they didn't have the order.  And that is what the saying "Communication is Key" means.

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Ryder definitely had salmonella, we found this out on Sunday.  He is fine now, and to be honest, he's seemed 10 times worse when he's just had a simple cold.  So parents, as bad as the word salmonella sounds, don't be too alarmed if your child gets it.  It's not as bad as it sounds.  Just make a pit stop by Sam's and pick up fifteen jumbo pack of wipes, you'll need them.

Since he was sick, I kept him today and we spent the day running errands since he wasn't feeling bad.  This particular boutique we were in was dead silent, no music and no other customers besides me.  And keep in mind, the floors were mighty hollow.  I sat him on the ground beside me and gave him my purse to rummage through to keep him occupied so I could look through a few racks.  It was nearly 3:00 and I suddenly realized that he had only had two dirty diapers all day long (this is a good thing for salmonella booty's).  And wouldn't you know, just as I had that thought, the thunder rolled.  And I mean the thunder ROLLED!  And no people, it wasn't raining outside.  That child tooted so loud you would've thought he sat on the world's largest whoopie cushion.  Now count to five really slowly.  That's how long this thing lasted.  I was mortified.  I saw the clerk glance over in the corner of my eye and I looked over at Ryder and said something like, "Ryder why are your shoes making that silly noise" or something like that.  Just trying to act like I was talking to him.  Obviously she knew.  But I knew I needed to change his diaper, and immediately.  If I asked her for the restroom, it would be like admitting the truth.  That the roaring thunder she heard was actually from the rear, not the shoe.  So I held off until we got to the car and prepared myself for the worst.  And there was nothing.  Nothing!  I was pleasantly shocked. 

While we were out and about, I took Ryder to his favorite store, Victoria's.  He was quite the panty snatcher, I was having to pick them up off the floor left and right.

A Case of Salmonella?

That's the last thing I exected to hear from the doctor today.  Ryder had been running fever for about 24 hours by the time we got him to the doctor around noon today.  And he had probably gone through at least 15 runny diapers.  To say the least, his beee-hind looks like a 14 year old practically begging for pro-active.  I will post one cheek, so that I don't expose the whole boot. 

So, moms.  I know I shared some "house cleaning" tips last week.  But tonight I'll give you some baby booty cleaning tips.  Our doctor told us that for the rash we should coat his booty in Malox.  "The stuff you drink."  People drink Malox?  I didn't know this, but I nodded along.  Well JM sweetly went to pick up dinner and a few necessities at the grocery tonight (who knows... he could've been using that Rogaine coupon while there), and he called to see if I needed anything.  I said Malox.  He said OH YEAH!!  (he gets real excited when we need to get items for Ryder, it's super cute).  Unfortunately, he forgot the Malox, so sorry moms, I can't prove that it works.  But, our doctor said it does.  I'll be purchasing some first thing tomorrow and will keep you posted.  I suppose some of my readers may want to know what I mentioned salmonella.  My mom kept Ryder today because of him being sick, and the diaper she changed before we took him to the doctor literally looked like he poo'ed a blood clot.  Sick, I know.  But it was so bad.  So doc said with the fever along with the bloody diaper, she thinks it's salmonella.  They are doing a culture (sp?) on the diaper and are supposed to let us know by noon tomorrow if it's salmonella or not.

When Ryder is sick, he always tends to smile and laugh, no matter what.  This is comforting to me because I know that he can't be hurting toooo bad if he can flash those pearlies.  So, only minutes after that nastiness above, I took him outside for some fresh air... and to try out his new adirondack chair.

I have a feeling he's going to be real good at the game of hooookie once he gets into school.  I mean happy as a clam not 5 minutes later.

Since he was in such a good mood, I gave it a shot trying to see if he wanted to walk.  I'm talking this child hates trying to walk.  He straighens those legs out so tight when we try to stand him up.  He will cruise along every peice of furniture in a two mile radius, and he will walk behind rolling toys, but when it comes to standing alone, he's out.

He wanted to give me a step... but he just couldn't get those legs movin'.

But he stood in place long enough for JM to take nearly 20 pictures.

Then it was daddy's turn.  I always assume he will just up and walk to daddy, no problem.  This child LOVES his daddy.  Today at the doctors office, even the doctor said "Well he's not a daddy's boy much is he?"  The child was stuck to him!

These two decided walking was for the birds...

And instead wanted to watch the game, and enjoy their beverages.

JM was kind of disappointed that Ryder wasn't "more into the game."  Because... and I quote, "when he was little, he LOVED football."  When he was little?  I wasn't aware our child was seventeen now. 

While they "watched the game", I decided to break down and stain Ryder's birthday table.  If there are any misspelled words in this blog, I blame the fumes.  Good grief those were strong.

BEFORE

AFTER

Thanks so much to all of you who told me about Star Furniture, we love our table and chairs!

Play Ball and Feed Ducks

Just a glimpse of what the future holds for these two and their father/son relationship.  I'm sure they'll be at many a ballgame.

(Nanni - perfect timing on the outfit!)

I was so proud of John Michael for taking Ryder to the Mississippi Braves game tonight, by himself!  I had a work event in Jackson until 7, so JM took him to the game and then I met them there to pick him up.  It didn't hurt that BankPlus has a suite, so it wasn't as hard.  Plus, all the ladies in the suite gave Ryder lots of loves while JM got to watch a little of the game.

Here is a picture from the last time we were at the Braves game, which was last April (it was actually just at the Braves Stadium, but State and Ole Miss were playing eachother) and it was the day we found out Ryder was going to be a little BOY! 

And here we are almost 1 1/2 years later at the same location with our lil stinker

I really think he had a great time!

And he was definitely getting vocal with the umpires.

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Last week we had a family outing at Cock of the Walk.  It was us, Marlee, Tripp & Sellers, Mom and George, and Kayla and Kevin.  It was really great to all get together.  And the food wasn't too bad either.

If you can believe it, Ryder had a blast banging his two metal pans together.  That doesn't sound like him, does it?

And by the way, if I could've captured a picture of him after he tasted slaw, you would NOT be seeing this sweet grin.

One of many failed attempts at a family photo. Boy, that was tough.  Please see the frustration on my face, and JM about to pull Ryder's arm out of socket.  If you know this child, you know he gets very distracted.  So do you think he was interested in the ducks much?

Ryder and his cousin Sellers with Poppy (Sellers at almost 15 months, Ryder at almost 12) 

 

Someone apparently needed a diaper change.  Couldn't keep it in the pants.

True love.

Dreams and Things

Connie took Ryder and Gaines to Walmart yesterday.

Someone asked her if they were twins...

I would probably wonder too, they're only 7 months apart.

Speaking of Walmart - Can I get a price check?

FIVE FACT FRIDAY:

1. When the guest speaker at an event tells a joke or a story that is supposed to be funny, and nobody laughs, that is one of the worst moments...but for ME! I am that person in the audience that yelps out a laugh so that the speaker doesn't feel like an idiot. And then I end up looking like one.

2. I have the weirdest dreams, most every night. One thing I hate though - I always forget the best details by the time I get out of the shower and am ready to tell JM all about the craziness. I wish I would've thought long ago to keep a journal of my funny and wacky dreams so I could go back and read it and laugh. John Michael rarely has dreams, and when he does, they aren't very interesting. So this morning I was quite pleased when he said, "I just had the weirdest dream." He dreamed he was hired as the Handicapped Parking Coordinator for BankPlus. One dream I can't stand to have is when you are trying to do something, but you are just too weak. Like run from a monster and your legs won't move fast enough, or at all. Scary.

3. I have a challenge with umbrellas. Just a thought due to all the rain we've had this week..one thing that frustrates me about the umbrella - is there a certain trick to remembering which way to wrap the velcro ribbon once you have pulled the umbrella back together? Never fails, I wrap it the wrong way the first time, EVERY time.

4. If you shop at Kroger and use your Kroger card, you are well aware of the coupons that slide out along with your receipt. These are coupons that are similar to the types of items you normally purchase. A coupon for Rogaine came out yesterday while JM was picking up a few things for me... I'm wondering what products he has been purchasing during those routine trips to Kroger.

5. I used two new (to me) baking products last night. A sifter and shortening. I hadn't a clue what a sifter looked like (had to ask Connie since the cookies were her recipe) and I had always envisioned shortening to be similar to flour, or baking powder, or baking soda or anything of that texture. I was nearly knocked backwards when I opened that tub of shortening and it was more like a greasy whipped texture. I love to learn something new. And I'm most proud of my cookies from scratch, they are almost as good as yours Connie!

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John Michael, Ryder, Nanni, Grandaddy and I went to Bright Lights Belhaven Nights last weekend. I can't believe they made my 11 month old wear an "Under 21" armband, like he was going to try and sneak one or something.

Come on cops, he only needed a sip.

John Michael was so sweet he even puckered up at me while I was taking their picture :)

(please don't divorce me for this)

LOOOVE my family.

HELPFUL HINTS:

(found these on the Real Simple magazine website, thought they were fabulous tips!)

Vinegar. You can remove stubborn price tags or stickers using vinegar. Brush them with several coats of it, let the liquid soak in for five minutes, then wipe away the residue.

Aluminum Foil.

Wish I would've known this when we painted Ryder's bathroom.

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Rubberbands.

Place a rubberband on each end of the hanger to prevent thin-strapped clothing from sliding off.  Best idea yet!
Blog won't let me delete one of the hanger pics.

Corkscrews. They sliced corkscrews and glued them to the cabinet doors to mute the noise when they shut (great advice for moms like me who unload the dishwasher while Ryder is sleeping). I, on the other hand, will probably use the felt circles that we put under our dining room chairs so they don't scratch the hardwood floors. But I never thought to put them on the cabinets, great idea!

Dust baking soda under your arms to absorb body odor.

T-M-I, folks. Now this is a quick tip I will NOT be trying. Nor do I need to. But hey, you never know who is reading and might actually find this trick useful.

This is totally inappropriate but while on the subject of pits... Who watches Bethenny Getting Married? Did you see where her male friend had profuse armpit sweating issues and used to wear pantyliners under his armpits? I died laughing.

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Ryder loves the DAH (ball)...

As you can see with his mouth, he is saying dah.

Honestly, don't you have to be kind of strong to do this? Basketballs are heavy!

As I was washing dishes I heard alot of racket... only because Ryder was trying to make his way into my magazine holder. Success.

We went to get his table/chair set from Star Furniture... but apparently they are only good for pushing around the house. No sitting here.

And I'll leave you with this bundle of cuteness.

The Compliment & Five Fact Friday

Telling me bye bye

Sorry... I'm just excited about the hair growth.

After Ryder's bath tonight, I grabbed his towel out of the cabinet and spotted the robe he got as a baby gift.  I thought I remembered it saying 0-12 months on the tag so I thought I would try it out after I dried him off to see if it fit.

It doesn't fit.

Aren't robes made to hit the ground?

Who's ready for some FOOOOOTBAAALL??

This dude is...

And I bet you he wears his belt to every game

The case of the cabinets.  This has been going on for nearly a month now. 

It's his obsession.

So I felt real bad when he started playing with our newest purchase, (more Safety 1st cabinet locks). 

Little does he know his new "toy" will lock him out of all his favorite cabinets.

And his newest hobby... shutting me out of the room. 

And screaming bloody as soon as the door closes.

This has been a very busy four weeks for John Michael. Mortgage rates are down to the ground, so he has gone into work at 7 am'ish and stayed until 8 pm'ish, e-v-e-r-y-s-i-n-g-l-e-d-a-y. Well yesterday he decided he would leave early no matter what the work load was, because he needed a break...TO GO PLAY GOLF. What?  You mean he didn't want to use his only early day off to hang out with the fam?  Okay, I know it has been a stressful many weeks, so I was glad he could do something fun.

When he got home from golfing, I guess he might have felt a little bad and wanted to be really nice and compliment me... so here is the story.  Yesterday afternoon I told him that on Saturday I wanted to go to the furniture place in Star, MS that makes custom table/chairs for kiddies.  I guess he remembered last night because after he had been home for a little while he made the comment that we would do whatever I wanted this weekend, including go to Star to get that furniture.  Then he proceeded to tell me that since we would already be in Star, we could eat at Faith Hill's restaurant (??????)  And then I guess he thought he would make my night by telling me I sing just like Faith Hill.  And finally, he ended by telling me I look just like Faith Hill.  Nice try, Hun.  The things they will say to get out of the dog house.

FIVE FACT FRIDAY

1.  I am a really good impersonator.  I didn't know this until shortly after John Michael and I met.  Apparently, I impersonated alot of people, and he would tell me how much I sounded just like them.  Well now he makes me do it all the time.  i.e. If we are out to eat and have a waitress who is kind of "funny", JM makes me impersonate her when we get to the car, he thinks it is hilarious.  You never know, I might have impersonated YOU at some point!  If I type the word impersonate one more time I will barf.

2.  When I get home from work, I pick my mascara off my eyelashes.  I don't know why, but I guess it is what you would call a nervous habit (except I don't do it when I am nervous).  JM thinks it is gross.  He always tells me he doesn't know how I have any eyelashes left.  And to be honest, I don't know either.  But somehow I do.

3.  I don't relax when I am at home.  You will never EVER find me on the couch when I get home from work.  I am very jealous of people who can just chill, because I can't.  The only time I am off my feet is when I am asleep.  Daily routine:  When I get home from work I play with Ryder WHILE washing bottles, cleaning the counters, sweeping the floor, folding clothes, dusting, throwing the ball to Peanut, holding Ryder on my hip while I dust some more, pushing Ryder in his "car" while I am sweeping along the way, etc. etc. etc.  Ryder is not your average snuggler, so he would rather be on the floor playing with his toys than being attached to my hip any day of the week.  By the way, I know who I get this non-relaxation lifestyle from, and she is my mother. 

4. When I was younger, I thought it was really cool to have stairs in your house. Our first house had stairs, but I was too young to know how cool they were. Our second house didn't. I'm not real clear on the specifics of this babysitter situation, but I remember when I was either in kindergarten or first grade, a girl would drop me off at my house. Actually, she may have even babysat us so that means she had been inside our house.  I remember like it was yesterday, the first time she dropped me off I decided on the way home that I wanted her to think we had stairs. So, assuming she was still watching from outside to make sure I got in (like any good babysitter would), when I went inside the front door I squatted to the ground and did a fake stairstep. Like I crouched real low and walked myself higher and higher. I haven't thought about that in a long time, but it crossed my mind not too long ago and I thought it was really funny.

5.  I love to make someone's day.  Yesterday at work, I talked on the phone to a grandfather who was calling to get information on Mississippi College because he grandson will begin there in a couple weeks.  First of all, how cute is that?  He wasn't his daddy, but his grandaddy.  And he wanted to make sure his grandson was going to be in good hands here in Clinton.  I knew that asking him a few questions about his grandson would make his day.  And it did.  We talked for 15 minutes and you could hear in his voice how proud he was of that boy.  To hear a grandparent talk about his grandson like that made me so excited about the future of my children.  They are going to be (Ryder already is) SO LOVED by their grandparents!  I was never lucky enough to have grandparents who lived close by, but John Michael was.  I love to hear stories about how his granddaddy went to all his MC football games, even if they were 12 hours away.  John Michael and I are so happy to have both of our parents close by, so they will get to be such a part of our children's lives.

"Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Norman MacEwan

Eleven

The big One-One.  Eleven Months Old.  That's how old my baby is.  Tear, tear, sniff, sniff.  That's what I did this morning.  I'm seeing all these status updates and facebook pictures of people putting there little kiddies on the bus, and I'm like STOP!  It's making me so sad.  I couldn't decide between these two eleven month shots, so here are both:
 

This was taken yesterday after church, when he turned 11 months. 

This one was taken this morning.

RYDER'S 11 MONTH FACTS:

1. We are completely on real food.  No more baby food in our cabinets.  We actually ordered his first kids meal yesterday at Frog Head Grill.  A corndog kids meal with fruit.  He loved it.

2. He loves to open cabinets.  We finally put the safety contraptions on the cabinets last night, which we should have done a long time ago.

3. Every time he sees a ball, and many times any round object, he says aaaaDAHHH (for ball)

4. When he picks up the remote, he points it to the TV and then looks at us when it won't turn on.

5. He is drinking less and less of his bottle, guess he's getting ready to move on to the real milk.

6. Loves to ride in his little car.  If I turn my head for one second he's made his way where we "park" the car and he is pushing it around the house.

7. He grins so big his little eyes squint tight.  It's so cute.

8. When we ask him to give us kisses he puts his tongue on our face.

9. When he is eating and we want to know how much food is still in his mouth, we open our mouth and say "aaahhhh" and he will then look up at us, open his mouth and say "aaahhhh".

10. He still doesn't seem too interested in walking, although he will cruise all over the house. 

11. He clapped his hands for the first time a week or so ago, and has been doing it ever since.

12. He points.

13. Bathtime has turned into rapids on the reservoir.  I'm going to have to start wearing my bathing suit when I bathe him because he soaks me while I am sitting on the edge of the tub.

14. He hugged John Michael's neck this morning when he left for work and said bye bye.  He says bye bye all the time.

15. He has Albert Einstein hair when he wakes up from a nap if it's hot in his room (see photo below)

16. He is so darn cute, I cannot stand it!

Crazy Hair

Do you remember how terrible Ryder's skin looked a couple weeks ago when I posted those pictures?  Go back and read this post if you missed it.  Look at the difference his new medicine and lotion have made!  I am so happy!

Ryder and friends at church. 

Could life get any better?  I mean this is his favorite thing to do!

Speaking of church, John Michael and I finally joined our church yesterday, Pinelake Clinton.  We have been putting it off, although not intentionally.  It's mainly because they only hold Starting Point (class you take to join the church) once a quarter, and the dates haven't worked out for us in the past.  Because I grew up in the Methodist Church and I am now joining a Baptist church, I will be getting baptized!  Each year, Pinelake baptizes people at the reservoir and I want to do it there.  So, I'll be getting dunked in a couple weeks.

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When Ryder wakes up from his naps, he's usually zombee-like for about thirty minutes.  Especially the few times I have had to actually wake him up.  And Saturday was one of those times.  I didn't want him to be late for Isabella's 2nd birthday party, so I woke him up.  When we got to the party, he looked like this for a pretty good while.  Just staring at everyone, not smiling, and not wanting me to put him down.

Then he started warming up after the birthday girl gave him sugars.

Before I knew it, he didn't need mommy anymore.  He was having a blast!

He was sharing really good too.

This child is such a blessing to us.  Each day I am more and more thankful for him and how he has changed my life.  We've heard time and time again that the love we have for our children will never ever compare to the love Christ has for us.  And now that I actually have a child of my own, it's even more difficult to comprehend.  It is a wonderful feeling.  And even though everyone knows this verse, and we can repeat it by heart, sometimes I have to sit and really think about it.  John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

I hope everyone has a blessed week!