Final Update!

My FINAL post on Memories As A Mom is a long one since it's been almost four weeks since my last big update, The J-Month!What's new with Logan these days? Well, he still likes me to sing to him, which is sweet.

Not sweet is that lately when I tell him that I love him he responds "Nope!" Such is the case with an almost two-and-a-half year old :p

A few weeks ago Logan took his first shower. He was excited to do what Mommy & Daddy do, so it went well, but we've only done it once since then (baths still seem best at this stage).

Logan likes saying our last name which is strange since -- until this past Monday -- he refused to say his first name!

In my last big update post I mentioned that I had been able to count to 13 at Logan's age -- well, now he can, too! We can hold up any amount of fingers (to that point), no matter what order, and he will tell us what number it is. Same thing for putting that number of items out, etc.

He likes jumping on the bed. . .I can't complain since I taught him that last year, LOL. We do it together while we're listening to music, usually on Tuesdays when Daddy's golfing :-)

For several weeks Logan kept saying "yeay!" every time he got his way. Joe and I couldn't help but laugh, but at the same time it made us feel like he was beating us at something!

In early July Logan noticed that he had his first mole! He was pretty proud since he notices them on Mommy & Daddy. (It's on his left arm.)For the past couple of months Logan likes me to pretend that I'm sleeping on the couch (he says, "Mama go shhhhh") and then he turns off the lights, brings me a pillow, and then cuddles with me -- it's so cute!

One day I walked upstairs to Joe & my bedroom and there was Joe & Logan sitting outside the window on the roof! I was so caught off guard that I didn't really react, but then that night I had a dream nightmare that I looked out the window and Logan was there by himself wearing only a diaper, and when I reached for him he toppled over so the last thing I saw were his legs and his diaper falling over the edge! I actually woke up because I was crying out loud (Joe woke up, too) so I was like, "Um, yeah, no more taking Logan on the roof!" Men, geesh.

Logan is at the age now where he'll no longer be seeing me naked. :p I had read once that it's fine until preschool-age so I figured that was three or four, not less than two-and-a-half -- but lately Logan keeps trying to grab my breast as he says, "Ball!" (No surprise since he is still obsessed with toy balls.) I keep telling him it is not nice to touch other people's private parts and have explained the whole private-part-bit to him but he doesn't seem to get it yet because he keeps grabbing my shirt and asking, "Can I see?" I always say "no" but have always taken showers in front of him and not been modest because it'd never been a problem in his life until last night I was changing my clothes and decided after seeing his expression that was going to be the last time. LOL, I didn't realize I'd be having to inform my son on how to treat women with respect at two years old -- man, it starts early!

A few weeks ago our new neighbors moved into the house behind us. We haven't met them; it looks like they have a couple of older kids. Meanwhile, the house catty-corner across the street from us now has an in-ground pool -- too bad we haven't met them, either, LOL.

Logan had shrimp for the first time on 7/14/10 and did well (in my post The Rest Of The Tidbits I mentioned that my half brother is majorly allergic to shellfish so I was hoping Logan wouldn't be).I wrote The J-Month on July 9th. . .that afternoon a guy came to seal the cracks on our house since we were still getting water in our basement after Joe tried to do it. Well that didn't work, either, so we're currently waiting for them to come back (glad our house is still under warranty).

I guess it's a good thing that this is my last update because my brain isn't working as well as it used to -- I'm drawing a blank as to what we did that weekend, or that next week for that matter! Other than I watched the entire Mad Men series in two weeks, LOL. A month ago I had never seen an episode and now I'm watching the new season live!

We had a bad storm on the 14th and our electricity was out for 3 hours. That week there was also the photography class that I'd been wanting to take for a year -- and it was free because we ended up buying a cheap, tiny camera so that I'd have something easy to take with me on my trip. Now I just need a new lens and I will be set to take some professional-looking photos :-)

It has been a super hot summer so we haven't spent much time outside at all the past couple of months. We tried taking a walk for the first time in a month on Friday, July 16th but it was only for 10 minutes and we were drenched in sweat by the time we got home. We haven't attempted it since. (Here's Logan watering our backyard tree.)
That evening we tried to go to the public pool for the first time but ended up at the one where we needed to have a membership and couldn't find the non-member pool! We are looking forward to getting Androids (our very first internet phones) in a couple of weeks, as we weren't able to look up the address/directions until after we returned home. Instead, we took Logan to the Splash Pad where he goes regularly now and acts like he was born there. I was glad I missed a sight that Joe saw: a group of handicapped adults were there and one of the men pulled down his pants and pooped on the splash pad. All I saw were people cleaning it up which was enough!That weekend Joe had to work, so it was just Logan and me. (Here he is helping me wash the dishes which he insists on doing every time I go to the sink.)On Monday, July 19th, Logan and I met Brooke and 15-month-old Kaelyn at the zoo. We had the best time ever!!! The zoo now has two playgrounds for kids which is a terrific idea and surprising that they hadn't gotten them before. We wished we'd had our cameras because our kids were having SO much fun that day, so of course us moms were, too. It was perfect weather but hardly anyone was there (the forecast had originally said it was going to rain all day) -- we didn't want to leave because everything about that day was ideal! (On a scary note, later that week two dead human bodies were found at the zoo after they'd been murdered and dumped!)

Logan went to Babysitter's on Tuesday the 20th and Wednesday the 21st, and helped me pack on Thursday the 22nd because I left on Friday the 23rd for Seattle! My friend Sarah (who I blogged about in Have A Happy Thanksgiving) turned 30 on July 25th so we felt it was the perfect time for me to visit her for the first time since she moved there six years ago. (Check out this picture I took -- doesn't it look like a postcard?)It was my first plane trip by myself which most of you probably don't think much of, but it wasn't something that was originally comfortable for me to do so I wanted to prove to myself that I could. I'd never previously feared flying -- I grew up traveling a lot with my parents and liked airplanes better than our road trips (I don't get motion sick or anything like that and understand the danger/death statistics as not being very high on a plane compared to everywhere else I am), but it seemed like there was often a problem of some sort (more than once our layover turned into staying at a hotel for the night) and so I was glad to always just keep my head in a book while my parents dealt with whatever they needed to.

After I married my husband seven years ago, flying pretty much came to an end. Joe did not grow up traveling and had never flown on an airplane when the whole September 11th incident happened, so it's no surprise that he had no desire to ever fly. His first plane trip was because he absolutely had to -- it was actually to Seattle in January 2003 because he had graduated from college the month before and didn't have a job. Microsoft had told him that he'd passed their first five interviews (yes, they are that strict about weeding people out) so then came the final interview -- which only happened there.

The interview was eight hours and each hour was "graded." Apparently he passed every hour but the last hour because he was so completely worn out by that point. You have to pass every hour to be hired. But it worked out for the best -- the next month he went to a job fair and met the company who hired him in Omaha.

Anyway, I went with him to Seattle and don't remember there being any problems, but it was the first time I wasn't entirely comfortable since he wasn't! Still, I thought that the more he flew the more comfortable he would get. So we went to Florida in April 2003 for our honeymoon. But I felt like I was pulling Joe's teeth. I think we had a plane issue which made my typically laid back, easy going husband very tense and stressed. For our next and final plane trip together, in October 2004, for his sister's wedding in San Francisco, Joe was so drugged up that when we got to our scary hotel and people started banging on the door, Joe was passed out! I kept trying to wake him up but it didn't work!

Needless to say, over these past six years I got out of the habit of flying and I guess Joe's nervousness rubbed off on me so that it became out of my comfort zone to do it by myself. I could tell myself logically that I was 30, a mother, and had flown a ton of times before. . .but it wasn't until the trip was over that I finally relaxed and now I feel 100% comfortable with the idea of doing it again (with or without anyone else).Joe had worked so much that week that he was able to take that Friday off and go with me to the airport. So he stood in line with me (I had bought my tickets through Midwest but flew Frontier) and we said goodbye at security. It had taken an hour to get my tickets because a flight the night before or that morning to Milwauke had been canceled due to the WI airport being flooded, and so those people were finally leaving Omaha. By the time I got to my gate I only had about twenty minutes so I was glad I didn't have to wait long.

However, after I took my seat on the plane (a window in the 4th row), they told us there was a delay. So we sat there for a half an hour before we took off! I was worried that I wasn't going to make my next plane because I originally only had a half an hour layover in Denver! The man next to me talked to me the whole time so that kept me from worrying or being nervous. He was in his lower sixties with five kids ranging from 43 to 17! He told me that he flies every other week, and was from Denver, so he was all ready to help me if I needed it, LOL. At first he didn't think I was going to make it, either, and so he said he was going to offer to help me find another flight or get me a hotel and transportation if I needed it! But thankfully our plane arrived with five minutes until my next flight boarded, and it came in at the gate directly next to the one I needed, so I was fine.

My flight from Denver to Seattle was the 3rd row but I was in the middle of two guys this time (the other plane just had two seats). One of the men was around my age and the other one was probably in his forties, but they kept to themselves so I got a lot of reading done!

I arrived to the airport at 6:30 (8:30 my time but it didn't feel like it -- I was immediately on west coast time). My bag was the second off the baggage claim so I didn't have to wait long, and then Sarah picked me up!I dropped off my suitcase at her apartment -- which had an incredible view of the city (as you can see from the above photograph) -- and then she wanted to go to her tanning salon so I got my very first fake/spray tan. Afterward, we went out to eat to Peso's Mexican Restaurant (I was starving because it was 9 pm by that time, 11 my time, so I hadn't eaten in twelve hours)! It was super good.

We chatted until 1 am and then went to bed. We both woke up early (during the 6 am hour) for some reason on Saturday, July 24th. That morning we watched The Big Chill (her DVD which I'd never seen before despite me being an 80's buff) and had leftovers from the night before. Then, we went to Seven -- a fancy salon to get our hair done. Sarah got her naturally curly hair straightened and I got mine in an updo. At first I really liked the salon -- they had a DJ and served drinks and everyone was dressed very classy. . .but my stylist didn't really do what I wanted. I told her I wanted the classic updo (guess I should have brought a picture) with lots of curls on top of my head. Instead, she pulled back my hair in, like, a bun with just a few curls. But, I still liked it so I didn't complain. . .until my head started bleeding! She'd put the bobby pins into my scalp! I had scabs which hurt for the next several days! After our hair appointment, Sarah got her make up done at Nordstrom. We also shopped a little (I bought a new pair of earrings which I wore that night, along with a little black purse) and then went back to her apartment to change clothes. Sarah wore a gorgeous teal dress and I finally decided to wear an outfit I used to wear back in 2002!

For dinner we ate at Serious Pie -- a scrumptious pizza and salad restaurant. Sarah was relieved when she asked what kind of pizza I wanted and I looked at the menu (seeing mostly non-meat pizzas) and answered, "One of the ones with meat!" A lot of her friends out there are vegans or vegetarians and always order non-meat items, so she's always telling them, "Dude, I'm from the Midwest, I eat meat." I once experimented with vegetarianism but I learned a long time ago it's just not possible for me!From there we had a glass of free champagne at a bar called List (thanks to the nice bartender), and then it was time to head to Twist. She had reserved a section called The Lookout (originally she'd tried to reserve a room but was told it was going to be $2,000 so she opted for the section which was $500 -- but they ended up waiving it for her)! It had a beautiful view of the sunset.

Most of her friends came so I was able to finally meet everyone I'd been hearing about for years! Some she'd met in her old neighborhood, others at her first job, others at her current job (when she moved out there at age 24 she was a bank teller, then a bank manager, and now a financial analyst), and others from an Iowa group that she joined last year.

We stayed up until 4 am that night and only slept until 7 am on Sunday, July 25th! That was the day of her REAL birthday and so we met her roommate (Audrey - who, by the way, buys Melaleuca!) and Sarah's closest friend there (Shea) (they hadn't been able to attend her party the night before) for the Mariners Vs Red Sox baseball game. First, we had lunch at FX McRory's and then went to Safeco Field (where the Mariners won).It was gorgeous weather at the game, as it was during my entire week there. We'd planned to go back to Sarah & Audrey's apartment to hang out afterward -- but as we were walking, we all had to go to the bathroom so we decided to stop at a place called The Central to use the restroom. Uh, eight hours later we left! :p It was fun chatting all of those hours with Sarah and her friends.

We ordered a pizza for supper and went to bed at 4 am again! Monday, July 26th we woke up at 8 am. (I was impressed that I felt great every day -- we proved that 30 is the new 20, LOL.)Shea (the blonde) had spent the night and Audrey (the brunette) went to work, so after picking up McDonald's for lunch we took Shea to her place which was kind of sad because that was her & Sarah's last time together since she is moving with her husband to California. Sarah is moving to Chicago next summer.

Sarah and I ordered in Chinese for supper and just vegged out that evening. I think we went to bed around 1 am and woke up during the 7 am hour.

On Tuesday, July 27th we went to Sweet Iron for breakfast where I had the best waffle I'd ever had in my life. At first when Sarah was telling me about the menu (with only a few options) I did not think I was going to like it. Brie cheese and bacon on a waffle??? It was incredible!Then we went to Alki Beach and walked around, where I took some great pictures of the city. We had lunch at Duke's Chowder House, splitting a soup sampler and crab dip/bread. We ended the evening at Snoqualmie Falls, another beautiful tourist attraction. (I'd visited all of the other main places back in 2003 with Joe, as well as with my parents on my first trip to Seattle in August of 2001.) For supper we ate Mexican food at a tiny little restaurant, run out of a sweet old man's home! It was really good. For dessert, Sarah told me about a popular ice cream place called Molly Moon's. Um, popular is an understatement -- we waited in line for an hour, and the line after us was another hour! It was indeed worth it. Not only was it very yummy, but it was all organic -- they make their waffle cones and ice cream right in front of you.

We went to bed around 12:30 am that night and woke up during the 8 am hour.

On Wednesday, July 28th we had breakfast at the same Mexican restaurant that we'd eaten at my first night. I'd never even heard of a Mexican place serving breakfast, but Sarah said that's actually what they were known for! Sure enough, my benedict was the best I'd ever had!From there we took the bus to the movie theater where we saw Salt, with Angelina Jolie. It wasn't bad. After that we went to The Seattle Art Museum which was awesome. They had a special Kurt Cobain exhibit as well as Andy Warhol. One of Sarah's friends is an artist and offered to paint her a picture of Chicago so she picked us up at The Public Market (after Sarah and I enjoyed mouth-watering chocolate from the chocolate store) and we went to an art shop to buy the canvass. Then she took us back to Sarah's apartment where we vegged out the rest of the evening. We went to bed around 12:30 again.

On Thursday, July 29th we had to get up at 6 am because Sarah was returning to work and I had to go to the airport! I got there around 7:30 and only had to wait twenty minutes again at my gate before getting on the plane (5th row). Just like my flight from Denver to Seattle, I was in the middle of two guys on my flight from Seattle to Denver. One seemed a couple of years younger and the other was in his forties -- both kept to themselves so I finished the book that I'd started on my way out there!

When I got off the plane in Denver I was worried about my layover because I only had twenty minutes and I was on a completely different floor than my next gate! I had to pee really bad so after going to the restroom I finally found my next gate and only had about five minutes before we boarded! Apparently Lady Gaga was there (at another gate), but I didn't see her.

Just like my flight from Omaha to Denver, my plane from Denver to Omaha was just two seats and I sat next to another talkative guy (3rd row). I actually had the aisle seat but I prefer window seats so since he wasn't there yet I sat down at the window :p When he got there he was like, "That's okay with me if you sit there" and then he spoke to me from then on. I never caught his name or how old he was (I estimate 24 or 25) but he's from Omaha and told me the name of his band so now I'm friends with his band on facebook, LOL.

I had to wait awhile for my suitcase at baggage claim, but Joe picked me up at around 4 pm. I was starving because I hadn't had a chance to eat one bite of food all day! Thankfully there was food at home because Joe's mom had stayed with him & Logan all week. She had to leave right away in order to make it back to Iowa to pick up her dog. Logan was napping so it was another hour before I was able to see him and kiss him for the first time in 6 days!!! (My longest time away from him.)

It felt great to be home. I had phenomenal time in Seattle but I knew on the plane when I heard a toddler behind me say that he wanted to watch his "choo choo movie" (what Logan says) that I was ready to be back with my boyz again :-)Logan did well, of course, without me. In fact, he seems to be acting even more independent since I returned. I don't know whether it was my being gone or just his age, but he hasn't even seemed the littlest bit shy around anyone since then. He's just been going up to strangers now and acting completely comfortable and chatty! He also doesn't want any help with anything for the first time in his life.

For the first 24 hours he tested me a lot -- I'd never had a problem with time-out in his life but he kept laughing and not staying put. I had never seen him act fiesty before but that was definitely the word to describe him those first couple of days as we got back into the swing of things. But he was easy for Sandi and took 3-4 hour naps each day. I think he's going through a growth spurt because he's since been sleeping until 9 am in the mornings! (I had to take him to Babysitter's yesterday since Joe was already at work.) My babysitter was on vacation last week, too, so Sandi kept busy taking Logan to the Splash Pad, park, grocery store, etc. Apparently one day at the grocery store (Joe was there, too), Sandi gave Logan a dollar bill to carry around. The next thing Joe and Sandi heard was Logan yelling, "Guy! Guy! Dollar! Guy!" and pointing to a man walking away. They asked Logan if the guy took his dollar and he said, "yes." so Sandi ran after the man but he'd already disappeared. What a jerk! Joe says that he thinks Logan probably dropped the dollar bill because he was tossing it around, so maybe the guy just saw it laying on the floor and didn't realize it was Logan's.

Sandi and Joe also worked on landscaping! We finally finished on Monday, August 2nd. . .just a few weeks shy of living in our house for three years! Joe did a good job, I am happy with it.

Anyway, when Logan first saw me he was like, "Hey Mama!", as if I'd just been there that morning! I was very gushy and excited to give him the two souvineers I'd bought (a book and shirt, as well as a shirt for Joe). On Friday, July 30th, my mom and stepdad came over so that I could get my hair done -- I'm back to brunette! That night they watched Logan while Joe and I went out to eat to Buffalo Wild Wings and then to the movie theater. We'd wanted to go to the Cinedine since we hadn't been since April, but we didn't think we could wait until their showtime to eat, so we went to our local regular theater instead. The guy on the plane from Denver to Omaha had recommended Inception so that's what Joe & I saw. WOW -- what a movie!!! We really liked it, but I'm going to have to see it again because it's one of those "using your brain a lot" films!

Saturday, July 31st we went out to lunch to Granite City with my parents and then they went back to Iowa. Sunday, August 1st and Monday, August 2nd I spent cleaning the house because today Joe's high school friend Andy and his wife and their two kids are spending the rest of the week here from Iowa. Also today (Wednesday, August 4th), I am meeting my friend Stacy's 3-week-old baby girl!!! (Olivia Raine)

Last night was the first storm in Logan's life that he's ever woke up during. It shook me up to hear his scream! At first I wasn't even sure it was him because I'd never heard such a long, blood curdling scream like that -- for a minute I thought it was an animal or someone outside. But there was a pause and then I heard it again. I raced upstairs (the dogs were already pawing at his door) and immediately turned on the light, asking "Logan? Are you okay? What is it?" He sat up in his crib and pointed to the window. I asked him if the storm was scaring him and he nodded and said yes. I picked him up and he pressed his face into my chest so I brought him downstairs and held him, trying to reassure him that the storm wasn't anything to be scared of. Joe had been golfing and came home at that point. Logan had originally slept for an hour but then was up another hour before we all went to bed.

Wow. . .that's it for my three-year day-to-day journal of Joe, Andrea, and Logan! As I said on my July 25th post, thank you to those who have read these past [now] 341 blog posts memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Andrea