Leavin on a Jet Plane

Tomorrow morning at approximately 7:50 a.m. my girlfriends will be picking me up in my driveway and taking me away! I cannot wait to spend 4 freezing days in New York City!!!

I'm sad to leave my boys. But boy, oh boy, I think I deserve a weekend away! I'll be back in touch on Sunday. Or Monday.

Plea Answered!

Just as I suspected, the belt came from a friend who is equally as obsessed-no, maybe more obsessed-with MamaBargains as I am. Perhaps she is more obsessed because I never even saw the belts come up. Thanks, Ashley! We really appreciate you thinking of Kingston. He is, as we speak, as I type, walking around and around the living room with one end in his mouth with the rest dangling in front of him. Good times.

On another note, Kingston had his best day yet at Ms. Cindy's today! He screamed when I left this morning but he apparently settled down and had a big day playing, eating and napping. She even had to wake him up from his nap! She heard him say "uh-oh", "Able" and "book" throughout the day as he jabbered away without his pacifier in his mouth. (We are trying to limit his paci-time) Hooray! I'm so proud of him.

Makes me not worry so much about leaving him for the other 2 days this week while I'm in the Big City. Did I mention I'm going to NYC this week? Oh. OK.

Pictures and a Plea

I realized after taking some pictures this afternoon that I have taken a few pics over the past week and haven't posted them. The time is now.

Kingston's table is still in the living room. He likes to put stuff on it but he never really sits on the benches, he more likes to sit on top of it. Real safe. So far, only one header off of the top while jamming out to some music too close to the edge!

Can't remember why he was so tired but he obviously was. He still ate his peanut butter and jelly sandwich, just mostly with his eyes closed. Quite funny!

A really good sandwich I made for dinner Sunday night. Grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, avacado, tomato, lettuce, mayo on a Kaiser-like roll. SO good but hard to eat. It all tried to come squishing out the sides.

It was pretty chilly today but Kingston and I needed to get out of Dad's hair (he didn't say it out loud but we felt the vibes!) so we took the wagon into the backyard and did a few spins. It was fun. We played Try Not to Run Over the Dog Turds.

And now comes our plea. Kingston got a package in the mail today. We LOVE getting packages. This one came from MamaBargains.com so we were really interested since it is one of my favorite web sites and I swear I haven't bought anything in a long time. I swear I haven't! (Have you been there? http://www.mamabargains.com/ Get addicted. I sure did) I opened the box to reveal a really cute belt for Kingston with skateboards on it! We love it! We don't, however, have any clue who sent it to us. Well, I have a guess but I'm not really sure. Kingston obviously loves it and it will be really cute on him once he sits still long enough for me to actually put it on him! So far he has just walked around the house carrying it in his hand and trying to wrap it around Able's neck. If you sent Kingston this really cute belt, please show yourself! Please? I'd love to thank you personally.

Tomorrow is my first and last day of work this week! Please tell everyone you know to come to High Cotton for lunch tomorrow and tip the waitress lots and lots of money! It will be my last chance to make some extra cash for my NYC trip. Have I mentioned that I'm excited about my trip? Well, I am.

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.




Finally! I have finally participated in Not Me! Monday for the first time in weeks.

I have totally NOT been slacking on Not Me! Monday. I have NOT been ignoring it for weeks just because I can. I never act like that. I would never not do something just because I am supposed to do it and love to feel the power when I don't do it! Did that make sense? Probably not. As I like to tell Nigel, "Don't worry about it. It makes sense in my head."

I am NOT so excited about my girls' trip to New York City that it is all I can think/Google/dream/email about. I am definitely NOT borrowing a bunch of really cute, really warm clothes from 2 of my friends in order to stay warm and hip in the City!

I am NOT sitting here looking at my disaster of a living room and pretending to ignore it. Those toys and books aren't going anywhere.

I did NOT go to 3 different places yesterday afternoon to get a Virginian Pilot newspaper in order to get the coupons out of it, only to find that they had all sold out by 10:00 that morning. I was NOT going to try to do some serious coupon clipping and I did NOT break down and buy a USA Today only to find that the national papers don't have coupons. So now I am NOT $1.00 in the hole as far as couponing goes.

Kingston is NOT excited about going to daycare tomorrow. No, really. He probably really isn't excited about it.

I'm a Slacker!

Forgive me Bloggers, for I have sinned. It has been nearly a week since my last post. I really have no excuse. Well, that's not true. I always have an excuse! Let's see. . . Well first of all, I was reading a really exciting book earlier in the week so any and all of my free time was spent reading. Don't get excited-it wasn't anything that you even would want to know about and I honestly can't even remember the title of the book. I like to read all sorts of books. The favorites that circulate around High Cotton are usually crime/suspense books. That is the sort that I was reading and I got a little too into it! I waited tables 3 full days this week and was tired after I got home, made dinner and put Kingston to bed. That's excuse #2. To round things out, I really wasn't ready to post about how bummed I am about Kingston's transition to daycare. I think I'm ready now.

Tuesday was a good day at Ms. Cindy's for Kingston. He ate, he napped, he played pretty good. Thursday was not the best. He had a good morning but then only took a 35 minute nap and was a mess the rest of the afternoon. Today he needed a small nap this morning (about 30 minutes) because he was super fussy and then slept for an hour this afternoon. He seemed to have a pretty good day except for the fact that Kingston would pitch a fit every time Ms. Cindy would try to touch another kid while she was holding him. When I went to pick him up he was in her lap and another of the little boys came up and hugged me. Kingston immediately started screaming. He didn't like it! What in the world would make him that jealous? It is crazy and I don't like it. Any ideas on how to make that stop? I know he never really has to share my attention with another child but how did he learn that he doesn't like it? Silliness.

Daycare has been working out as good as it can, I guess. I'm a little disappointed that Kingston hasn't adjusted a little better. I know he has only been going to a few weeks but I don't like to worry every time he goes that he is going to have a bad day and make Ms. Cindy's day bad, too. I really just wanted him to slip right into the new routine and be no worse for the wear but it's been a bit tricky. Life at home is different, too. Kingston is even more clingy than usual and no one but me (and Nana) can make him happy. It is a bit frustrating and I hope this phase passes soon.

Next weekend should be interesting. I will be leaving for New York City on Thursday morning and won't be home until Sunday evening. Nigel and Nana are in charge and I hope they survive! Kingston will be going to daycare as usual on Thursday and Friday because I don't think we need to disrupt the current schedule and then will probably spend Friday night and Saturday with Nana and Grandpa. Wish them luck!

I hope tomorrow Kingston and I have a good day together. And I hope he will share me with some other people!

Right On Target

Nana, Kingston and I went on an exciting adventure today. We went to Target! For those who don't know, we live at least an hour from the nearest Target. That is both a good and a bad thing. I love Target, and I find it to be very affordable. I don't, however, need a Target close enough for me to go to every day and spend a bunch of money I don't have!

I am very excited to announce that I am going to the Big City at the end of the month! (This is big news for a girl who doesn't even get to shop at Target on the regular!) I am going to New York City with 6 other girls for a long weekend. I could not possibly be more excited about this trip. It will be my first weekend out of town without Kingston, and Nigel's first weekend at home alone with him, so we will all be out of our comfort zone a bit. I'm looking forward to it. Of the 6 girls going, one is a friend whom I have been friends with since I was about 3 years old. I know 2 of the other girls through this friend, but haven't spent much time with them socially. I've never even met any of the other girls. It should be an interesting trip. I'll describe my upcoming trip in more detail another time. This post is more about our trip to Target and what we purchased.

The reason I brought up the trip in the first place is because I had to do some shopping today in preparation for said trip. I needed new underwear. If I am sharing a room with a few strangers, I could not possibly let them see the rags I've been wearing for the past few years! I am still wearing the parachute-like drawers that I wore while pregnant! If you saw me when I was sporting the extra 55 pounds that I gained while preganant, I hope you will wonder how I can now even keep those underwear on my body! So I got some new ones. I still need to get some new bras but I have decided to go somewhere where they actually help you with your fit instead of continuing to buy the wrong size. Wish me luck on that one.

We shopped for more than just undergarments today. Since Kingston and I have been venturing into the backyard on every warm day that comes our way, I decided we should look into getting some backyard toys. Target didn't really have a whole lot to offer in that department, but we did find a really cute sand/water/picnic table that Nana purchased for us. Thanks, Nana! We can't wait to play outside when it warms up!

Kingston "helped" us put the table together tonight. Between slipping all over the seat while we were trying to assemble it and then climbing on top of it before it was finished, let's just say it took a bit longer than expected, but we finished it. Oh, Able "helped" put it together, too. Another really helpful helper.

This last shot is showing how tired and worn out all of the day's shopping and building made Kingston. He is in bed now. I'll admit-I'm not far behind him!

Ear Infection and Fifth Disease

Took Kingston to the Dr. this morning. (Good to see you Nurse Karen! Thanks for taking such good care of Kingston!) After being examined, the doctor said he has an infection in his left ear. As for the rash that mysteriously developed overnight, she thinks it might be Fifth Disease, which seems to be going around. Kingston is now on a steady regimen of Motrin and Amoxicilin. Hopefully this will clear up any and all illnesses!

Needless to say, he did not go to Ms. Cindy's today. And I still had to work. And Nigel had work to do, too. Nana to the rescue!!! She is the best Nana ever. She left school early and came to take care of Kingston. Thanks, Mom! You are the best. Your devotion to my family does not go unnoticed. I think Kingston had a good day with Nana even though he felt pretty rotten.

Kingston is having a late nap and then Nana and I are going to take him out to dinner. Today is Grandpa's birthday! He is usually in Miami at the Boat Show on his birthday with a friend but they decided not to go this year. Instead, he decided he wanted to go out on the town with a bunch of friends. Nana just dropped Grandpa, Nigel and Uncle Mark off at the Black Pelican to meet up with a crew to "celebrate". Yikes! Nana, Kingston and I will have a much less eventful evening, I'm sure!

Happy birthday, Grandpa! And happy healing, Kingston. Feel better soon sweet boy.

Steak Dinner

We had Ribeyes on the grill (1/2 price at Harris Teeter-wooohooo!), asparagus and mashed potatoes for dinner. Yum!

That was the best part of our day. Well, that and the fact that I was pretty busy at work today and made good tips. I made enough to pay for Kingston to go to Ms. Cindy's tomorrow, too, and pay for part of next week.

Kingston had a pretty good day at daycare today. At least he had a good morning. He played, ate a snack, ate a good lunch, napped for 2 hours. Then he fell apart. He fussed for the rest of the afternoon. Ms. Cindy suggested I take him to the Dr. to get checked for an ear infection, just to rule it out. His eyes were droopy and he seemed sluggish, even though he had had a good nap. So I whisked him down to his doctor to get a quick peek in the ears. Too bad I got there at 4:45 and was informed that they closed at 5:00 and that I could bring him back at 8:30 tomorrow morning to be seen. Huh. Not a happy mama. I almost cried. And it takes a lot to make me cry. (Nurse Karen, if you are reading this, I looked for you but didn't see you back there! I think Kingston is fine. Please don't worry.)

On the way home Kingston seemed to perk up. He has been pretty good this evening and I am back to feeling like it is just the molars giving him heck. I bought some Baby Orajel to try tonight and I'm still going to pump him with Tylenol and see how he feels in the morning. Thanks for all of the suggestions, friends! I plan on getting some Popsicles and/or frozen fruit and some Motrin for future tooth/fever issues.

The bad news came when I checked my email a bit ago and had an update from my Core 4 friend, Mere. Remember Mere? She's the one who just had a sweet baby girl 2 short weeks ago. Well, Mere's husband just got laid off from his job as a lawyer that he has had all of 1 month. They had relocated their family less than a month before the new baby was born for this job. Mere left her favorite nursing job ever to make this move. They left good friends and moved into a rented house for this job. Thank goodness they didn't buy a house like they had originally planned to do. My heart goes out to Mere and her family as they try to put the pieces together and figure out what to do. I know everything will work out for them. It just makes me sick to think about how hard this must be for them. Please say a prayer for them.

So I will focus on the good. My steak dinner sure was delicious!

Molar Update

They are still there. Glistening white when he cries. Which is often. He had a fever all day today and was pretty much a mess. We are hoping for a better day tomorrow. Kingston will be at Ms. Cindy's and I will be serving BBQ to construction workers and office employees who's lips are dry and cracked due to the lack of pork grease in their diets while High Cotton has been closed.

Anyone have any molar teething remedies? He is pretty much on an every 4 hour Tylenol routine. What else works?

Wish us all luck tomorrow. We ALL need it.

Aha!

Kingston slept until about 3:30 a.m. at which time he woke up and started singing and talking and playing. Nigel and I agreed that at least he sounded happy and not miserable! So we let him play. For over an hour. I finally went in there and patted his back and held his hand until he drifted off again. And he slept until his usual 7:30. Not bad.

When I was attempting to get him to open up to brush his teeth this morning he started wailing. During one of his open-mouth wails I noticed a spot in the upper left side that looked a little suspicious. After a much needed breath, Kingston opened up again for a big one and I got my finger in there long enough to feel the gigantic molar tooth that is starting to poke through his gum.

Aha! Problem solved! Well, at least problem identified. I gave him some Tylenol and now we are eating breakfast. The cereal/yogurt/craisin combo must feel good to the sore gums. No wonder he has been eating us out of house and home. How else can you scratch your itchy gums?! Let's hope that baby pops on through and leaves us alone!

And let's look on the bright side. Now Kingston will be able to really get to chomp on those fish sticks and fritos at Ms. Cindy's!

Poor Little Fella

Kingston went to Ms. Cindy's today. He seemed a little sluggish when we were leaving the house this morning but I chalked it up to just being sleepy or something like that. When Nigel and I went to pick him up the kids were playing outside. Kingston was standing at the picnic table, holding on, and sort of whimpering. Ms. Cindy said he had had a hard day. She said he ate like a teenager-lots of chicken nuggets and applesauce and tons of snacks-but didn't sleep a single minute. No nap! At all! Yikes! She said he hadn't walked at all and hadn't even crawled much either. He felt pretty warm, too.

When we got home Kingston was still pretty fussy and warm. I gave him some Tylenol, fed him dinner and put him to bed. Yes, at 6:30. We are hoping he sleeps all night-and he should, considering he didn't sleep a wink all day. He is cutting at least 1 tooth that I can see, so maybe this is just a teething issue. I haven't checked in the back, so maybe a molar is the culprit. He doesn't seem to have any other symptoms and he definitely still has a hefty appetite so I don't know what the problem is.

Regardless, I feel sorry for my poor little fella. He doesn't feel good and it makes me sad. I hope he feels better tomorrow after a really long night of sleep.

A Child at Play!

A local girl that is a member of Mommy and Me has created a non-profit organization that is dedicated to organized and free play for children ages 7 and under called Children at Play. She is currently looking for a location to permanently house the play area but since real estate is expensive and hard to come by for a not-for-profit, she is holding open houses in various locations just to get the word out. Think The Little Gym, My Gym, or Gymboree, only without the corporate/franchise financing. I really hope she finds a location and can get the funding to get it started. It will be a great addition to our area.

Having said all that. . .

Kingston, Nana and I went to the Children at Play open house this morning for some indoor, warm playtime. It was so fun! Kingston really enjoyed playing in the aquarium ball pit. He even figured out how to get in and out by himself!

Kingston really liked to drive the cars, too. He could only go backwards, his hair was sticking straight up because of static, and he fell through the bottom a few times! Good times.

Shopping at the store was fun, too.

The best pictures came from the tunnel! It took him a minute to decide that it was safe to crawl through but once he figured it out, he had a big time!

I love the idea of a place to play when the weather does not allow you to go outside. I really hope Alyssa finds a good place to set up the gym permanently. I would really enjoy taking Kingston to something like this on a regular basis. He really had fun and so did Nana and I!

We are hoping for nice weather tomorrow. The weather man says it will be in the 60's. I'd love to see it.

Honorable MckMention

Obsessed as I am with the My Charming Kids blog, I have again participated in a Name that Photo contest. And I got mentioned on MckMama's blog! Hooray! I have arrived.

So having said that, I feel the pressure to write a really fun and exciting post, seeing as how she linked to me on her blog, which means I should get some new traffic. Hello and welcome new friends! Come back again if you are interested in reading about pretty much nothing of great consequence.

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Kingston participated in his second day of daycare today. Ms. Cindy called at about 10:30 to report that he had stopped crying by the time I had gotten in my car this morning! He did great all day. She said he needs to learn to stop freaking at diaper changing (oops) and to realize that he can't always get his way (he can't?!) but other than that he is a very good boy. She said we should be very proud of him, and we are. A good report card. Whew!

He was totally exhausted when he got home, signing over and over that he was hungry. I think when he gets tired he thinks he needs to eat to keep himself awake! We will work on that one, too. He is currently in bed and has been since 7:15. I think that is the earliest he has ever gone to bed! Worn out for sure. He goes back on Tuesday and should do just fine again.

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On a totally and completely other note, you should see the burgers that I made on Super Bowl Sunday! I could have cared less about the game but really wanted some "game day food" so I turned to a burger. I have recently gotten into reading The Pioneer Woman blog for some good food inspiration and ideas. The burger she cooked and described last week had me intrigued, so I went for it. Check it out! Her picture was much prettier, but I added homemade sweet potato fries, so I think I get a few points for that, right?

It was huge and delicious! It really hit the spot. I recommend it for a different sort of burger, although I will admit I do love a plain old cheeseburger, too. I've already eaten dinner but I really wish I had one of these burgers right this minute, and I'm sure you do too!

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An update on daycare and a picture of a good burger. Pretty fun and exciting, I think. I hope you enjoyed. That was the best I've got. And that was me showing off.

Kingston's First Day

Kingston woke up about 20 minutes early this morning. I have been convinced for the past few days that he senses that something is about to change. I brought him into our bed where he promptly pointed to the TV. Our morning ritual is to turn on cartoons for about 15 minutes while laying in the bed. Today, about 2 minutes into Handy Manny, Kingston gave me the "hungry" sign by touching his fingers to his lips paci. So off we went to have a whole bowl of oatmeal and get geared up for daycare.

We left the house at about 8:45 and arrived at Ms. Cindy's right on time. I took him inside and set him down and off he went to play with the toys. I probably stayed a little too long watching him and he started to get suspicious as I inched toward the door. Ms. Cindy told me to go ahead and leave so I did. I heard his screaming all the way out to my car and until I shut my door and turned on the radio. The poor little fella had a hard time when I left. Ms. Cindy said he stood at the door and fussed for about 20 minutes, then went with her and sat on her lap to watch his favorite movie, Surf's Up, that he had taken with him. He then climbed down and went to play with the toys again. She said he didn't eat much lunch and refused to sit in his highchair for snacks or lunch. When I peeked in the door at 4:00 this afternoon Kingston was sitting at the big boy table, eating a snack, looking happy as a clam. (I'd be happy too if I was eating Fritos and Froot Loops. I said Ms. Cindy was really sweet. I didn't say she fed the kids the healthiest foods!)

Ms. Cindy said that he did a lot better than she expected him to. He still has a ways to go, but she thinks he will adjust very quickly. For now, he will be going to Ms. Cindy's every Tuesday and Thursday. Hopefully he will grow to love it. I am sure he will. It will be so good for all of us.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Thursday will be even harder for Kingston than today was. He would not even let me out of his sights this afternoon for anything! I'll bet he starts to fuss as soon as we walk in the door to Ms. Cindy's on Thursday. We can do it, though. I just keep reminding myself that this will be so good for all of us.

This will be so good for all of us.

Everyone is Home For the Day

Which means. . . Kingston survived his first day at daycare! Details later!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Yikes!

Today is Kingston's first day at daycare. Wish us luck. We went by to play yesterday afternoon and whenever I got more than 4 feet away he started to cry. Oh, it could be a long day. For Ms. Cindy, for Kingston, and for me! Is it possible to cry yourself to death? No. But it may be possible to be attacked by 3 boys under the age of 4 because you simply will not stop crying. Yikes.

Wish us luck. A few prayers wouldn't hurt either.

Raffle-Raiser

Remember the Raffle-Raiser I mentioned a few weeks ago where someone will win a fancy camera while the family is raising money to fund their international adoption? Well, later they decided to give away 2 camera packages if they reached $5,000 and they are really really close. Today was supposed to be the last day but they have extended it to Thursday to see if they can meet their goal. Tickets are only $5.00 so what are you waiting for? And remember, if you already have a really nice camera, I would be happy to refund your $5.00 entry in exchange for the camera prize if you win!!!

Get to it. I love watching people make then meet their goals. I'm sure it will happen today. And I can't wait to see if I won! Thanks, and have a great day.

Oh, No!

We passed the sickness on to Nana! Sorry, Nana. Kingston spent Friday night at Nana and Grandpa's house while I went to a friend's house for girls' night in. Nigel was coming in off the road for work. Kingston had a big time with Nana and Grandpa. Too good, perhaps. Sorry again, Nana. It is no fun. Feel better soon.

It is a pretty day here today and it doesn't seem to be as chilly as the past few days. The Family Haynes is looking forward to spending the afternoon outside. Maybe a bike ride. Perhaps a trip to the park. Anything, as long as it is outside. And together.

And then I think there is some big sporting event on tonight. A tennis match or something. No, I think it might be football. We might tune the TV to the appropriate channel and pretend to watch it. Or at least watch the commercials. Go team!