7 Quick Takes

Hello All:

Joining Jen and crew for this week's edition of 7 Quick Takes.

1.   The biggest news this week is that my in-laws came in town for a visit.  Joey was sick the whole time, so he was pretty crabby, but Mark was fully entertained and Joey was fully loved on.  Oh and Abel played fetch so much with his Go-Pa that he got a sore shoulder.  It was fun to have them in town.  Here as a couple of images from their visit.




2. Guess who has 2 teeth finally!?!?!  This little guy!  He's had them for about 2 weeks now, but I didn't want to post anything so that Grammy and Go-Pa could be surprised when they came in town!

3. While my in-laws were in town, the husband and I went out on the town for my birthday/valentine's day.  It was great!  He took me to the mall to buy new jeans (that I desperately needed since none of my jeans seem to fit anymore- in a good way and some new bright pink flats (because, doesn't every woman need bright pink shoes?) and then we went to dinner at a wonderful italian restaurant!  A big thanks to Grammy and Go-Pa for babysitting the cubs while we went out!  

4. Speaking of my birthday and bright pink... my mom bought me the most amazing camera bag!  I'm completely in love with it!  Thank you, Mom!!!!!  Here's the un-edited version of the pic since I haven't had time to edit it yet.  The brand is Cheeky Lime.  It seems to hold EVERYTHING!  If you are a photographer, go check out this company.  It's awesome! 

5. It snowed here this week and we ventured out in it.  Mark loved it (and spent Joey's entire nap time out in it). Abel loved it (he wanted to stay out in the snow all day).  Joey wasn't a fan (after his nap, we bundled him and took him out.  He was skeptical.)

 

 

6. I forgot to post this last week, but the theme for my photography link-up last week was "negative space."  If you aren't familiar with this term, it basically means having white space (not actually 'white' but empty space) that helps to emphasize the subject of the image in some way.  Here is the image I submitted.  I got TONS of comments and lots of very talented photographers added my picture to their favorites, so I take that as a HUGE compliment!   I took Mark and Joey out to the park and let Mark play with his umbrella.  No, it wasn't actually raining, but he's been begging to wear his new raincoat, so I let him. 

7. This week's theme was "wild card."  So we got to choose anything for it.  This is the image I submitted this week.  A picture of Joey with his Go-Pa.

8. Because I can't count this week.... a conversation with Mark (and Joey) at breakfast this morning:
Joey: "dadadadadadada yayayayayaya."
Mark: "Bubba tell me I should drop my yogurt on da floor!"
Momma: "Ummm. No.  No he didn't."
Mark: "Oh, sorry Bubba.  I misunderstanded."

Until next time, 

Janel

During Lent...

Hello All:

A little sidebar from the "mommy blog" to reflect on Lent for a few minutes....

During Lent, we tend to "give something up" as a Lenten sacrifice, but have you ever considered doing something extra too?  The Holy Spirit has been leading me toward the concept "Stewardship" for a while now and I'm finally trying to focus on the call.  

At first I wasn't sure what this meant in my life.  But then I came across a wonderful definition.  In the  1992 U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letter, Stewardship . . . A Disciple's Response, a steward is defined as a disciple of Jesus who "receives God's gifts gratefully, cultivates them responsibly, shares them lovingly in justice with others and returns them with increase to the Lord." Stewardship is a way of life that comes from seeing everything as a gift from God, changing the way we see things.  The disciple is motivated by faith and a deep sense of gratitude, flowing from their faith, to a greater sharing of his/her time, talent and treasure with the Church and other worthy causes.  Time, talent, and treasure are all shared as a gift, in a planned, proportionate, thankful, and sacrificial manner.

So what is it in your life that you can share with others?  Is it your time?  Is it your talents? Is it your treasures?  Or is it a combination of all three?  I feel like it's important for us to firstly, realize what God has blessed us with and secondly, share that with others.  Is there a way for you to focus on "other other" rather than "the self" for these 40 days?  We are blessed in some way, so it's just a matter of taking the time to figure out what it is that God is calling us to share and then doing it.   

Lent started on my birthday this year; A day that is set aside for me and me only, right?  Wrong.  Lent started on the day that I began to follow the Holy Spirit's calling to Stewardship.   I spent the day praying for others, figuring out what I could do for others and honestly, forgot it was my birthday for most of the day (except for the flood of well wishes and until the husband brought home an AMAZING chocolate cupcake that was the size of  Texas.)    So I hope you join me in this call to Stewardship, I'd love the company.

"The promotion of the practice of stewardship is important for the mission of the Church and for the spiritual well-being of each individual Christian. Everyone benefits from the sacrificial gift one makes of his time, talent, and treasure." -Pope Benedict XVI

Love,

Janel

7 Quick Takes

Hello All:

1. At mass last weekend, during the Great Amen, Mark was singing along by singing "Ironman" instead of "Amen."   I think he's got it.

2. This past weekend, Mark, Joey and I were headed out the door to the grocery store when Mark asked to wear his Batman muscles and mask (encouraged by Daddy).  I thought, what the heck... let's do it.  So we put on his costume and off we went to the grocery store.  You will be amazed at the double-takes you will get when you have a child in a mask, cape and muscles.  Here's a sample of how it went.  We had several people stop us and say how cute Mark was to which Mark responded "I BatMark.  I cute, I tough, I have muscles!"  Yes... yes you are, Marko.

3. Joey's newest trick is that he can climb up in the window seat.  He loves to watch the squirrels run around in the front yard.   I always wonder what my neighbors think...

4. Seriously... is there anything better than baby kisses?  Joey is very modest when it comes to who he will give kisses to.  So far, it's just Momma and on occasion Daddy and Big Brother (and sometimes even Abeldog's tail or foot), but when he gives them... they are passionate.  Slobbery, sweet, giggily and passionate.  

5. While making Mark's lunch the other day (I was making him a pepperoni and mushroom mini-pizza), Mark looked at a mushroom and asked what it was.  When I told him it was a mushroom, he immediately put it above his lip and said "Mustache.  Ok!" While nodding his head.  It was as if he was sure it was a mustache before he asked me, but then confirmed it when he thought that is what I said.  He is a hilarious child.

6. I'm sure none of you have heard, but Pope Benedict XVI is resigning this month due to health issues.  It is so crazy to think that at (almost) 28 years old, I will have already lived to see three Popes!  I'm trying to dig out some old pictures from when we were in Rome during the last change of Popes.  I wish we could be there again.  That was such an amazing experience!  For the official statement from Pope Benedict XVI, click here.  

7. The theme for this week's "This Is Our Life" photography link up was "Good Morning".  Here are the images I submitted for it: Joey in the morning and Abeldog anxiously (not patiently) begging for breakfast.

Love,

Janel

Genius: Everyone Wins The Nap Time Battle!

Hello All:

Dare I say it..... I think we all won the nap time battle.

If you google "toddlers and naps" you'll get many parents who are complaining about their toddler not wanting to nap, but really needing the nap.  On top of that, the parent needs nap time.  It's an hour or two without an audience to get things done or to sneak in a nap for themselves.  The reason I know this?  I googled it.  I was that parent.  I was desperate to find some kind of solution to get Mark to nap.  I followed every tip I found and NOTHING worked.

I found myself sending my husband texts while he was at work of "WHY WON'T HE NAP!?" over and over.  I tried to not make nap time a "battle" by being sweet;  I tried to be stern;  I tried to take away fun activities in the afternoon if he didn't nap;  I tried rubbing his hair until he'd fall asleep, but that only worked the first few times and then Little Brother would need my attention, so that wouldn't work long-term;  I tried bribing him;  I tried letting him not nap, but by 3:00, he was falling asleep in his high chair;  I even tried moving his nap time.  Nothing worked and I was starting to lose my mind and complain to my husband WAY too much.  It wasn't my best moment.  So I gave up on Google and took matters into my own hands.  Here's what I did:

I put some thought into why he wasn't napping.  He was tired and we didn't necessarily have anything exciting going on that he'd want to stay up for, so why wasn't he napping?  The only thing I could come up with is that it was a battle to him and he wanted to win.  Each day that went by when he didn't nap, he'd win and that would just add to the battle.

So how do I keep it from being a battle?  How do I stop making it my problem and make it his?  I think about teenagers or adults... we WANT naps.  But why do we want them?  We are tired.  He's tired too, but that doesn't seem to make him want to nap.  So what makes us nap, but not him?  I think it's the fact that a nap is enticing to us.  Naps aren't enticing to toddlers because they see it as something to win.  So my goal was to make naps enticing to him.

Toddlers like choices.  They thrive on choices and we always try to give Mark choices, but for some reason, I wasn't giving him a choice regarding nap time.  Or actually, I wasn't giving him the right choices.  I tried letting him choose between napping or not napping, but that just led to a very tired toddler by 3pm.  So I needed to change the choices.  I gave him the choice between sitting in time out during nap time (completely bored) or snuggling Teddy and napping (nice and cozy).  Each nap time I'd  tell him, "Ok Mark, you get a choice.  You can either go to sleep and snuggle Teddy in your cozy bed, or you can sit in time out during nap time.  What are you going to choose?  I hope you make a good choice."  The first day, he chose nap time, but then played in his bed and eventually got out of bed.  So I went back into his room and told him, "Ok, you had a chance to choose a nap but since you are just playing then you are obviously choosing to sit in time out" and I sat him in time out.  I had to reset him a few times in time out, but at least the battle was no longer in his bed.  The first day, he didn't nap.  The second day, was basically the same, but after about 20 minutes in time out, he was begging me to take a nap with Teddy and did sleep.  And by the third day when I gave him the choice, he said "I make good choice.  I take nappy nap with Teddy."  And it's been about a week of success!  Nap time is a choice, it's finally enticing and no longer a battle.  I am no longer frustrated, he is sleeping and we have a much better day/evening.

We all win!

Love,
Janel

Need A Pick-Me-Up?

Hello All:

If you are ever sad, just pull up this blog entry.  No words needed.  Just smile.

I snapped pictures of this little man for about 10 minutes while Big Brother was napping and got TONS upon tons of smiles.  He always has one available.

Love, 

Janel (And Joey) 

Teddy's Day In Surgery

Hello All:

Let me start off by saying that I had a successful surgery today.  And no, this isn't Jacob typing.  I had to complete my 2nd major surgery on Mark's beloved Teddy.  Teddy looks practically brand new (as you can see in the following picture), but he was feeling a bit self-concious about his recent weight loss over the past year.  He came into my office requesting a reverse-liposuction.  He wanted some filler in his nose, forehead, belly and arms.   I did my best to give him the six-pack abs he requested and the nice high cheekbones that he desired, so follow along and tell me if I succeeded in the procedure.

1. My patient on the surgical table under anesthesia (aka a lot of loving from his owner.)

2. Only the highest quality filler for our dear patient. 

3. My first incision into Teddy's cheek fur (or what's left of his cheek fur) and surgical tools in the background.

4. The patient's family in the waiting room.  Waiting anxiously... I mean, patiently.

5.  Filler completed, time to close up the patient.  Sutures and needles ready.

 

6. Patient's family in the waiting room waiting on an update from the medical team.  He was notified that the patient also requested a rhinoplasty and that the surgery would continue a little longer.

7. Patient's nose before rhinoplasty.

8. Patient's nose after rhinoplasty.  Black sutures used to avoid visible scaring.  

9. Original incision was closed with minimal visible sutures.  

10.  Surgery complete.  Patient being taken out of anesthesia after surgery.

11. Patient awake and responsive post-surgery.

12. Patient reunited with owner.

 
 

There's nothing quite like being back in the arms of those that love you.

Love,
Janel M.D. (Momma Doctor)

Potty Training Again...

I'm starting to think that potty training is 30% training the toddler and 70% training the parent. That is all.

Stay tuned for our adventures...