I ♥ This Age!!!

This is my first time for participating in the meme, Random Thoughts Tuesday, created by The Un Mom. So here I go! :)In my post All Caught Up, I explained that I was taking a two week blog break. However, I ended up posting a couple of times last week, one to ask if anyone had a suggestion for me, and another to explain how I was scammed. So I will be extending my blog break, then I will start "the new version" of this blog. For today, though, I decided to participate in the meme which means here is one more update after all (which I won't be doing with the new version), since it's been since August 13th. We had a good weekend in Iowa for Joe's HS friend's wedding on the 15th. Joe gave his first (and probably only) best man speech which went well and was funny (the guy is easy to have stories about, lol). Of course all year I'd told Joe I'd help him write it as long as he didn't wait until the night before. So what ended happening after the rehearsal on the night of the 14th? Joe wrote his speech. :p I did end up helping him a little. :)

Logan did really well on the trip there and the trip home. We decided to put his old carseat back in my car (it's been in Joe's car since we got him the facing front one at 14 months; before that we only had one so when Joe would take Logan to his babysitter's where he's gone 8 hrs a week since 11 months old, I would have to drive Joe's car to his office and get my car back to pick Logan up) - because he will sleep in the facing back carseat but not the facing forward carseat (except for like 10-15 minutes). So both 3-hr trips he slept 1.5 hrs. The other half of the trips he was happy, except for a brief time before I got into the backseat because we were stopped in traffic on the interstate on the way home. We didn't move for a half an hour due to construction! I talked to some moms at the wedding and they all said car rides improve around 3 years old, but prior to that they are work! He seems to like listening to his two CDs (since he was 6 months old we've listened to them many mornings while I'm getting ready in the bathroom/bedroom): Baby Einstein's Lullaby Classics and Leap Frog's Learning Rhythms (a free disc that came with one of his Leap Frog toys).

Not much happened the following week, except Chris invited me to go with her to a Omaha writer's gathering that Wednesday night (the 19th). I didn't even know she liked to write, but she admitted to being a closet writer (non-fiction). We met several others at Scooters Coffee House and chatted a bit about writing, but basically the point was to have an excuse to get away and write! So I worked a bit on my novel and might join them again sometime. (They were all unpubbed, unlike the writers group I was a member of 2005-2008 where most were published.)

On the same day that I found out I was scammed (Tuesday, August 25th), I did have a dose of positive. I heard back from the publisher that had been interested in seeing my full manuscript (I first wrote about them in my post My Update On My Writing). They are willing to consider me. . .if I take out all of the flahsbacks and re-submit. This is going to be hard because to meet their word count I'm going to have to replace those parts with new scenes. Essentially this means I'm re-writing my book which is just as hard as starting over, especially since I wrote it 2.5 years ago and have now moved on to a new story. :/

You can read my writer bio here, but I'll give you a quick recap: The first book I submitted to Harlequin in 2006 was well-received by the editor, however because it didn't perfectly match their guidelines for any of their lines, she suggested I write something new that did. I was very eager and desperate, so starting over didn't bother me at all. I was active in my local Romance Writers Of America chapter and with help from my critique group who knew editors personally, I cranked out another manuscript in 2007 that did fit a new line of Harlequin. When I learned that I was being considered for a contract, it was a dream come true! But my "high" abruptly ended when I learned that the line had suddenly closed, discontinuing the publication of all books not yet contracted.

I was pregnant at the time and so at least I had something to divert my attention, and my son's first year in 2008. In 2009, however, I decided to see if there were any other possible publishers for my almost-published book. Unfortunately, the line of books I wrote for was unique - the style isn't the typical romance novel (i.e. the flashbacks) so it did not appear that I was going to have much luck finding another company to submit to, since all of the publishers I came across had strict guidelines that meant my book would need to be re-written if I wanted to submit. It would be easier if I had an agent, which is a goal of mine, but I can't really complain because I haven't done what is necessary to get one! I was just about to bury my manuscript in my closet and just focus on my new book (a general fiction novel that should fit most publishers of that genre) - when I found a romance publisher that seemed similar to the line I'd originally written for.

I submitted my synopsis and first three chapters, and in June they requested my full manuscript. However, now it appears I'd have to rewrite it after all. At least they are giving me a chance. . .most publishers won't if it doesn't immediately appear to fit what they want. Will I ever get there???

Aside from the writers group that week, I went to my massage therapist on Thursday the 20th.

On Friday the 21st we took Logan to The Amazing Pizza Machine for the first time! :) This is Omaha's step up from Chuck E Cheese. Joe & I were really impressed. The building was huge, very nice, and like a casino for kids! One half was the buffet and there were 4 huge movie theater rooms you could choose to sit, each with their own fun theme. The buffet was more than just every type of pizza you can imagine - there were also tacos, all different types of meat, a salad bar, a pasta bar, a dessert bar, and a ton of drink choices.

For the games, not only were there video games and activities I remembered from my childhood back when there was Showbiz Pizza (skee-ball and the moles that pop up through the holes that you hit, etc.) but there were bumper cars, go carts, and a carnival ride! They didn't have my childhood favorite - the cage with plastic balls (I think I heard that is too dangerous, which I do remember it being when I was a kid because you could get trapped under the balls and kids could jump on you) but there was a climibing playground that Logan saw and took off right up to the top like a monkey. Joe looked at me and was like, "who is this guy?!"It was free since he is under 3, so we will definitely go again. In fact, it seems like the perfect thing to do on some winter afternoons when it's just him and me (not to eat, but to go in and run around). Here he is on our way home taking a quick snooze:For that weekend (August 22-23) those who read my post The End Of Summer might remember me mentioning that I was going on a weekend getaway by myself to write. But I'm going to have to do that some other time because we had to purchase & plant our trees that we were required by our two year deadline of living in our house (August 29th). We really like them, we have a korean pear in our front yard and a sugar maple in the back. We're not into landscaping, but we came up with an idea for rocks, plants, etc. this past Saturday the 29th to hopefully complete this coming weekend. (On Sunday the 30th my parents stopped by on their way home to Iowa from a vacation out west, they only stayed a couple of hours, we went out to eat at 370 Grill, then Logan wore his Chicago Bears jersey for the first time and watched the game on TV with Joe) But back to the weekend of the 22nd - I bought the rest of the items to complete our kitchen decorations! So now only two rooms left of my downstairs (my new years resolution). For those who know me personally, I will post pictures on Logan's photo site.

We also went to Babies R Us and bought Logan his first legos and a toddler toilet! :) For the past month or two he has shown an interest when I go to the bathroom. Most recently he lifts up the lid for me, claps when I go, hands me my toilet paper, flushes the toilet, waves to it going down the drain, and then puts the lid down. So even though I hadn't planned to start potty training until he was 18 months old, he's clearly showing signs that he's ready now at 16 months. He caught on to the toddler toilet immediately - now when I sit down on my toilet, he sits down on his. During the first week (last week) I just let him keep his clothes on. He waits until after I'm done peeing, then he grabs toilet paper, pretends to wipe, and puts it in his toilet. Then he flushes it and puts the lid down. This week he has started pulling his pants down, and so the next thing will be when I can tell he's pooping I'm going to run him to the toilet so that he can go in there to understand that is his potty. I would like to hope that potty training won't be hard with him, especially since he's always been a self weaner (and it only took me 2 months - I was trained by 22 months old. . .but I'm a girl). I don't plan to ever be forceful with him or try any of the drastic measures some parents go to (like letting their kids walk around naked all day). Judging by his history with everything else so far, he's going to want to give up his diapers so that he can move on to the next level - when he's ready.

For news last week, Logan came down with virus #4 this year (or #7 for his 16 months). I was supposed to get together with Stacy one day and Brooke another but am seeing them both today instead. At first I was worried - when I scooped him out of bed the first morning his breathing was super raspy. None of his colds have ever been in his chest before, nor had he ever had a phlegm sounding cough - but this time he did. Thankfully it went away once the day went on (and I gave him lots of orange juice!) and the rest of the week all he had was a runny nose. Hopefully he'll be back to normal by the end of this week. Only one day (last Tuesday) did it seem to bother him - that's the only day he's been fussy during month 16. (So we went to the library for his second time, you can read about our first time on my post The End Of Summer, there weren't any toddler programs this time but he could still play with a few of the toys and I bought us a library card.)

As I mentioned in my post, All Caught Up, month 15 was awesome - Logan was perfectly behaved (obeying everything I said and was not interested in doing anything wrong) and happy every minute except for two days (no temper tantrums). Month 16 has been the same except only the one fussy day so far. He has been so easy and such a joy!!! All he seems to want to do this month is help me and make me smile. He puts his toys away in his toy box when he's done and then claps for himself. (Even though I've never even been consistant telling him to pick up his toys.) He doesn't mind me washing dishes (for some reason since he was a year old he has screamed bloody murder if I wash dishes in front of him. Maybe it's linked to his fear of water that we noticed at 13 months old when he suddenly stopped loving baths as he always had. He has been getting better about bathtime lately so hopefully next summer we'll be able to go swimming more than the two times we did this past summer.) He's been acting so polite and sweet!!! Seeing him like this every day is really a confidence booster as a mother. Yeay, I've been doing something right!

I have been in "mama heaven," finally feeling again like I did last year when I thought I'd found my niche. I don't want this phase to end!!! Of course the past two blissful months have caused me to think, hmm, maybe I'll want three kids. . .which is crazy if you read my posts during month 14 (the hardest month of Logan's life) when in Everything-3 I contemplated staying at just one! But even on my worst days I remind myself that it's not an option for me to just have one child. I talked about this in my post, 8 Months Old (because I was raised an only child, and even though I was okay with it, it's still not as good as having a sibling. My old neighbor (an only child) once said "having an only child is the worst thing you could do to a child." I wouldn't go that far - I think there are a lot of worse things!!! - but even if an only child has the best life possible, it's like a single parent family (which I also had): they can be happy but there will always be a void in their life.

But some parents obviously shouldn't even have one child and so an only child might be the best case scenerio. For my husband and I, we've felt we'd do our best with just two, so our plan has always been for him to get a vasectomy after baby #2. There are two of us, so two makes sense. But during Logan's excellent months like July and August I start to think about my post, My Update On Writing, when I explained that I can never do anything permanent. Well, a vasectomy pretty much is! So I'm not sure I will like the idea of knowing I can never have the option of having another child. That there is no changing my mind, no going back. That once baby #2 reaches the toddler stage I will know for sure that I will never again experience the baby phase.

I don't mean to be morbid but what if my two children are together in a car accident and die? It's very possible I will be too depressed to ever consider having another - but what if I decide I would like another chance to raise a child? Or what if when Joe & I die (or we grow old and just need help), they will be able to work together, not have 100% fall on one person - so the more siblings the better.

Or, most simply, what if I have two boys? I always imagined myself with one of each, but ever since I got pregnant I have been perfectly fine with the idea of never having a daughter. That was magnified once Logan was born. Boys are the best! But, for example, at the wedding there were a ton of little girls, all wearing cute little dresses, bows in ther hair. . .I started thinking that I really do want both experiences. Even if I have a girl next but she's easier (including the pregnancy) it's possible I could talk myself into still getting pregnant a third time.

Plus, I've learned so much about pregnancy and motherhood since getting pregnant and having my son - I don't have any regrets with Logan (I feel I've done a good job with him so far!) but I'm glad I'm at least going to have one more child (God willing) because there are a few things I want to try with baby #2 that I didn't even know about/consider with Logan.

Finally, I know Joe. . .he's not going to get a V unless I make the appt. and pretty much drag him to the place. However, he's very set on two children being it for us. But if he doesn't make the move on his own to get a V then he can't complain if we get pregnant with a third :)

We'll still plan on having just 2, and I'll treat my next pregnancy/baby like it's my last - but maybe I won't make Joe get a V, and since I can't be on birth control due to the side effects then I guess nothing is for sure!

Thankfully I wasn't pregnant like my dream freaked me out about in The End Of Summer, which is good because even with Logan's easy months I still want to wait until next summer before I get pregnant with baby #2. I think it was just because August is the month I got pregnant with Logan and then last month I was late, which I wrote about in my post, Much Better Day.

Here is a pic of Logan engrossed in one of my books :p It's really cute, every day he picks up one of my books, climbs up on the couch, opens it and pretends he's reading!A funny - but gross - thing Logan did recently was when the dog dishes were out (I try to keep them up when he's around but sometimes am late getting there) - I found him drinking the water like the dogs! I had to laugh under my breath.

Speaking of my dogs (Cosmo is in front and Bella is in the back of this pic, taken on Aug 21st after their recent haircuts. The girl I've been going to for 4 years opened her own business a couple of months ago so it's 20 min away from me now) - a situation I was hoping would not happen occured on August 26th. In my post, A One Year Old And Two Dogs, I told the story of my oldest maltipoo, Bella, biting Logan. I had hoped it was a one time thing. She had spazzed out getting groomed at PetSmart that same week (thus why I opt for driving 20 min away so that she can go to the same groomer she's gone to since she was a puppy), so I thought maybe something weird was going on with her and it was an isolated incident (she's never spazzed out before in her 4.5 years of life). Bella is my easier dog; it's Cosmo that usually annoys me and who I don't have as close of a relationship with. So I began making more time for her (obviously that hadn't been happening as much since Logan was born 13 months prior) and I began taking her for walks again (something that the Dog Whisperer recommends to improve dogs' behavior).

I was optimistic - as I wrote in my post, The End Of Summer, "Bella has been letting him pet her whenever he wants - a first - and he also throws the ball for her which she loves, so she has definitely come around!" In that same post, I talked about how she's always been my ideal dog, worth the wait of never having a pet for 25 years. However, I'd no longer make a clone of her. Just like how Cosmo was easier than Bella as a puppy but then they reversed as adult dogs, in this area Cosmo is definitely the better dog. He's never once showed aggression to Logan, even when it would be warranted (like yesterday Logan was trying to run Cosmo over with his ride-on truck and actually did hit him before I stepped in and told Logan that was unacceptable).

Last Wednesday morning Logan was eating rice puffs. The dogs are always right by his side when he eats because he often drops his food :p. He even feeds them on purpose which is another reason why I thought maybe Bella has seemed much more friendly towards him the past three months.

I was sitting on the couch (Logan and the dogs were on the other side) and so I didn't see what happened but I assume that Logan was feeding them and then decided to take his food back. I heard Bella snarl the same sound she'd made when she bit Logan back in May. Both times with that bark she curled her lips back and snapped at him.

Logan burst into tears. I grabbed Bella by the neck and threw her in the basement. Words can not tell you what I felt when I looked at Logan and saw his head bleeding. It was a small wound, but still - the worst injury he has had in his 16 months of life came from my dog! It was worse than the first bite in May that had left teeth marks on his hand but hadn't punctured the skin. Every time I look at Logan and I see the scab on his head I want to cry. I held him as he cried a cry I rarely hear - I think it was a mixture of fear along with the injury. After a couple of minutes he stopped and then went back to playing (and has acted the same around her since), but I left Bella downstairs for awhile. I needed time to think about what I'm going to do. The first time it happened I was willing to forgive. This time I did not.

The problem is, I don't understand how to prevent it in the future. She is not mean to him at any other point of any other day. She goes to his crib and kisses him when he wakes up from his nap. She lets him push her around. She chases him when he grabs her toy. These two occasions have come without warning. I can't keep my eye on her and Logan every second to step in if I am able to tell she's getting annoyed in the future. I had hoped that she realized after I threw her across the room last time that her behavior was unacceptable (since I'd never done anything like that with her before). Obviously not.

So as hard as it is, Joe and I are trying to get comfortable with the idea of giving her to someone else. She's perfect with anyone over the age of 6. I wish that I could have just frozen her in time when Logan was born and then unfrozen her once our kids reach that age because then she wouldn't have missed out. I know that she misses the way things used to be when she didn't have to share me. We were best friends. I thought I'd be able to keep it that way once I had Logan, but it's been impossible. She has never been just a dog to me - she's been closer to me than a lot of people. I know that's where I went wrong. . .she knows I'm the dominant but she thinks she's dominant over everyone else. I just never would have expected with a maltipoo I'd have to consider giving her up. We're not talking about a dog that can attack. Not only is Bella 10 lbs (Logan is over twice her size and will continue to grow) so she doesn't have the ability to cause serious harm, but also does not have the personality to injure - she is a friendly dog, she's not trying to injure him (she's not going to continue to bite him once he's down), she's merely doing what they do in the animal kingdom to those they love (they put other dogs in their place by giving them a quick bite).

So yesterday I called our vet to find out if she has any suggestions. She explained that Bella considers Logan a part of "the dog pack" and that she sees herself as the pack leader. She said that a dog behavior expert might be able to help by teaching Bella to be submissive to Logan, however they are pretty expensive. We are considering it, though, because maybe he/she will also be able to help with both of my dogs' barking - and if a bite happens a third time, three strikes has to be out. Bella will have to move in with my dad and stepmom. My dad is retired (she needs someone who isn't going to leave her alone all day), they have a yorkie (she would do fine as an only child but if someone has a dog then it needs to be her size), and she is familiar with them (they have dogsat her many times and she's always excited to see them). That way I will be able to see her again since I will have an extremely hard grieving process if I do have to give her up, and maybe this way it won't have to be permanent. But I really hope it doesn't come to that. I haven't written much about my dogs except when there's something to complain about so they probably come across as bad dogs, but I haven't written about the other 360 days a year when they are truly angels sent by God. They are no worse than most other peoples' pets. They have brought me nothing but comfort, joy, love, fun, and every other wonderful feeling in the world. But Logan comes first; Bella is a dog. . .I think she even killed a baby bunny on Saturday; I'm sure most people probably think that's a good thing, but even though I'm not a PETA person - I know it's necessary to kill animals and it's the way God designed us for survival and evolution, etc. - I'd prefer to leave that up to others. In the spring my husband & I found a baby robin limping around our yard and helped it, and when we saw the bunny's sibling we made sure that the mom came back and got it (which it appears so, here is a picture of the one that lived). Onto other things. . .I've decided that snacks like puffs, yogurt bites, wheals, mum mums, gold fish crackers, etc. are now going to be only for when we're out in public or in the car. Because Logan has started getting picky with food for the first time. Now he's wanting to eat those things instead of real food! But after staying at the same weight for 5 months (24 lbs) he has finally reached 25 lbs this month!

A few weeks ago (when he was 15.5 months old) we decided to take down the baby gates. He'd learned how to open and close one of them and so it was pointless to have them up anymore, especially with him needing a lot of area to run around. The good news is that last month and this month he has been playing by himself! I finally finished reading The Discipline Book which I will do a post over sometime like I did with The Fussy Baby Book (my post was titled Attachment Parenting), and it explained that healthy kids aren't capable of really playing by themselves until 18 months old (prior to 6 months old which Logan did doesn't count, lol). So I am happy that he started a couple of months early because that is part of why 2009 had been a lot harder for me than 2008 (because he required me to move at his pace). There's a part of the book that said something like, hang in there moms of 12-18 month olds, you will get to rest again! (For me it was age 9 to 14 months.)

Month 15 and 16 have been an amazing difference as far as I'm concerned. It also helps that I've been finding my own personal happiness again (which I wrote I was striving for in My Update On My Writing because I'd somehow lost it around the new year).

I finally started progesterone cream on Aug 29th. (I have written a few times before that I think it may help with my severe period cramps, which began in 2004 and stopped in 2007 when I got pregnant but returned for 10 days every month since Logan turned a year old Apr 2009. It also might help keep my mood great every day like it was when I was breastfeeding. I spent the month of February depressed, I believe because of a drop in my hormones once I completed breastfeeding, I hope not to have a month like that again.)

I've narrowed down my cleaning service to two, so that is still a possibility.

Yesterday I began the 5 Factor Diet which I first wrote about in All Caught Up because after I stopped producing milk on February 1st, I gained 15 lbs which has remained on me even though my hormones have been back to normal since my son was a year old in April. I lost 3 pounds during the month of July because I spent the summer going on an hour walk each day, but then in August we had two weeks of humidity and so I took a break and guess what? Those three pounds returned - plus an additional 2! Ugh! Which means now I weigh more than I ever have not pregnant (the 15 had put me at two other times in my life but now it's 17, so my goal is to lose 20). A friend of mine lost 40 in three months so I bought the book on August 21st, spent the next week reading it, loved it, and so I made a menu, bought the food, and now we'll see how it goes!

Joe and I were going to start our photography class together this month, but just as I was going to hire Logan's first nighttime/weekend babysitter - he started crying when Joe or I leave! (Like, when Joe goes to work or I go to the grocery stores.) This had never happened before (as long as Joe or I was with him Logan was fine) and so I decided to hold off another month. The Discipline Book explains that things are easier and go smoother if you wait to change something until after they are done with a certain phase. Otherwise their insecurity will escalate and this will cause more problems for everyone in the future. Logan has always had pretty mild separation or stranger anxiety so I have a feeling that this will pass soon and hopefully having his first babysitter (not counting the one he goes to 8 hrs a week) will go well.

We were going to have her come over just to meet Logan and play with him, and then the next day Joe & I would go to a movie. If everything went well then Joe & I were going to take our class which means she would come over one day each week. (The movie I wanted to go to was The Time Traveler's Wife. I read the book a couple of years ago and liked it. It wasn't one of my favorites, but I liked it the same as Twilight which I wrote about in All Caught Up. So hopefully I'll be able to see it soon.) I haven't seen anything good lately. . .I'm still renting television DVDs when I get the chance. . .most recently I watched the first three seasons of 24 all during the month of August)!

Speaking of Logan's babysitter that he goes to 8 hrs a week - she said that it is good that Logan is a risk taker. In her experience the kids who aren't are the ones who actually get hurt more seriously. It's the children who've had the freedom early on who learn how to avoid serious injuries. I hope so because Logan seems to hurt himself every day. A few times he's been running on our couch and can't stop himself and so he flies over the side head first! This is awful as a mother to see. But Logan is so tough - he cries for like 10 seconds and then goes right back to what he was doing!He understands being hurt, though. One day I had a headache and I was just mumbling, not expecting Logan to answer, and I said, "Does your head ever hurt?" Logan stared at me for a moment and then began slapping his head and saying, "Owe!"

Whenever he touches something warm he says, "Hot!" So I am impressed by how he's comprehending cause & effect. He has a toy that says, "Bubblewash" and so whenever he sees the toy he points and says, "Bub-ble-sh!"

One day I asked, "Are you wet or is that sweat?" He said, "Wet!" I was caught off guard on that one, lol.

Now at 16 months old he is finally saying mama when I ask him to!!! He still hasn't said it like trying to get my attention (which he does for dadda and the dogs), but at least I know now it's coming soon :)

This past Saturday (Aug. 29th) Joe was taking a shower and Logan was playing in our bedroom. When Joe got out he heard Logan say, "Uh-oh." Then Logan walked over to him and handed Joe a handful of ibuprofen! I was like OMG! There was a bottle spilled out on our bed and I have no idea where it came from, I was so worried he'd eaten one or more but it didn't appear so, thank God! That's another good thing about being 16 months opposed to even 12 months!

I don't think I've ever mentioned here that he's always had the cutest yawn. Even back when he was 4 months old - he puts his entire self into it and makes that fake yawn sound ("ahhhhhh").

In a previous post I mentioned that he blows kisses. He'll do this at random times and it melts my heart! The other day when I picked him up from Babysitter's, I was holding him and talking to her and he was just staring at me grinning so adoringly, and then leaned in and kissed me!!!! (Can he please look at me like I'm the best forever?!)

I was sad not to get a picture of Logan with the three older girls who he loved playing with over the summer. They are all back in school now. I brought my camera two weeks before school started but they were on vacation so we never got to say goodbye. Now he's back with all boys, so here's a pic I took in mid August.Matthew & Joshua (the two boys who Logan played with on Tues & Thurs mornings when he first started, until their teacher parents were home with them in the summer) aren't returning. Matthew started kindergarten and since Joshua is 14 months old now they decided it'd be more convenient to take him to the daycare at the school they're all at since the daycare is for those older than a year. Another boy, Ryder, also started kindergarten so now there is only Henry (4), Jackson (3), Ryan (3), Abram (4), Sy (2), and Zay (1). Zay is the only one younger than Logan (by three months) - he's brothers with Abram and Sy. None of them are there every single day.

On a completely different subject I am missing the following 3 things:

1) My phone charger. Back in January I bought a new phone, a regular charger, and a car charger. I used the regular charger once in my "office" and then the next time I needed it, it was gone. I knew it was obviously in my house so I figured it would turn up by now. Nope. So every time my cell needs charged I have to take it out to my car. Losing things is my biggest pet peeve so this is really irritating.

2) Logan's diaper bag. On Sunday, August 9th Joe took Logan to the zoo, as they often do for their father-son bonding time. He had the diaper bag. I can't remember whether I used it or saw it by Wednesday the 12th when I realized it was gone. Prior to being pregnant I knew every move I made. I was so deliberate, so concious, so organized! I didn't realize that even 16 months after pregnancy our minds still aren't the same. I hate not being able to say for sure whether Joe lost it on that Sunday or whether I put it somewhere on Monday or Tuesday that I have no recollection of. But if I did, then just like my charger why haven't I found it by now? Why would I put somewhere that I never look?! If I don't find it soon then I'm going to need to buy a new one because, for example, on Friday night (August 28th) Joe and I went to Godfather's and Logan suddenly peed through his diaper. Luckily we were done with our pizza so we could just go home, but I like to always have emergency pants, diapers, wipes, towels, etc. At least I finally put a box with everything in my car which is shocking that I only now did (this was a plan of mine when Logan was a newborn).

3) My keys. On Monday, August 17th I can't remember where I was going, but as I was putting Logan in his carseat I noticed a stack of books next to him that for awhile I had been meaning to take to my half price bookstore. I decided I would do that that day (which actually turned out to not even be productive because the place I have been going for 6.5 years went out of business)! At that point I did something with my keys. Usually I throw them to the driver's seat. What I do know is that I turned around, found a sack on a shelf in our garage, put the books in there, threw some items in my house, and then was ready to leave. No keys. They weren't on my seat so I thought maybe they'd fallen off but I looked around and didn't see them. They weren't in the back with Logan, they weren't on the shelf where the sack had been, and they weren't in the doorway where I'd thrown the items I didn't need. I really didn't think it was a big deal because I'd just had them so I got my spare out of my purse and figured I'd look harder when I got home and Logan wasn't waiting for me in his carseat. However, it's been two weeks now and I'm still using my spare. Joe has looked hard, I've looked many times, and still no keys. So then I had the thought - what if I put them on top of my car and then drove away? Who knows when they would have fallen off, and that would mean I'd never get them back. On my key chain there are keys to our house, my mom's house, my dad's house, a spare key to Joe's car, our mailbox. . .ugh! :( I reported them missing to our neighborhood association, but it's the same thing with the diaper bag - if I don't find them soon then I'm going to have to get some spare keys made.

(Here Logan is plugging cords into the TV which he LOVES to do.)I'll end this post by talking about a mystery that first occured on August 18th and then again on August 23rd. Both mornings when Logan awoke for the day Joe went to get him out of his crib. The next thing I knew, Joe was beside me saying, "Andrea, come in here and look at this."

He doesn't normally wake me up so I knew something was wrong. At the time, Logan was in Joe's arms smiling like it was just a typical day. However, when I got to Logan's room and looked at the sheets in his crib they were covered in blood! I was horrified! We searched his body but there wasn't a cut or scab on him! There was no dried blood anywhere on his body, no sign at all where it had come from. . .it was scary!(We used Baby Ganics organic detergent and the sheets came out spotless. I use all of their other cleaning products as well because they are safe around children and they seem to work well.)

The theory was maybe a nosebleed but I wasn't convinced. Neither Joe nor I have ever had experience with nosebleeds - us, or anyone in our family. And, from reading online, although it is very common in children (especially during the night), it most often happens in the winter because of the dry air. August in the Midwest is about as far from winter as you can get. I decided that if it happens a third time I will immediately take him to his pediatrician. It's hardly ever serious, but it could also be a broken blood vessel in his nose (which can easily occur since they are so small in toddlers), allergies, or a medical problem. Or even part of his virus that he ended up coming down with (except, then why when his nose ran was it was a normal color?)

Knock on wood, it hasn't happened since, and I'm starting to lean away from the nosebleed theory (also because I have never seen it happen during the day). Instead, I think the blood may have come from his ear. The day after the second time this happened I noticed he did have a few scratches in his ear. I'm wondering if his ear had hurt a little prior to his cold, and he'd scratched it enough to bleed. The only ear infection he's ever had was at 8.5 months old, but I know when I'm sick I usually have more than just a cough or runny nose, so maybe he had a brief and mild ear ache. Crazy stuff!