Both Kinds Of Pool

Now that I have finished filling in the gaps on the last year, I can fill you in on the past week! :-)

Last Thursday, May 20, Logan and I went over to our neighbor Jenn's house for lunch. I worked on Logan's baby book while the other three moms scrapbooked and we had an awesome time chatting. Meanwhile, Logan was entertained by the other four kids that were there. Aside from Maren (Jenn's daughter) who is just one year older (but as the middle child in her family she is used to keeping up with the big kids), the three boys who were there were three years older than Logan so he doesn't really play with them - just watches. When they get too rowdy he prefers sitting on my lap (the last time he wouldn't eat lunch in the kitchen with them but this time he stayed there for half of his meal), but he doesn't act scared - I can tell that he likes being around them. Ever since he started going to Babysitter's when he was 11 months old, he loves being around boys who are in the four-year-old range!

On Friday, May 21, Logan & I met Brooke & Kaelyn at the zoo. Logan walked a lot more than usual (typically I push him around the whole time in the stroller) but he was very good, always staying right by my side (I haven't had to use a leash yet, LOL, but my mom bought me one of those monkey backpack ones that I see a lot of toddler boys with). Brooke & I had fun as always, too.

That afternoon Logan played pool. We went downstairs to our basement and he just crawled right up on our pool table as if he did it every day, and began using the stick to push the balls in the holes. He had a blast, but I told him it was a one-time-thing because I don't want him to damage the pool table!When Joe got home from work we picked up some KFC and went to the park for a picnic! (Where all of the artsy pictures in my previous three posts were taken.)

That night Logan stopped his record of not waking up in the night since Feb. I'd go into his room, pick him up, he'd point to the recliner for me to rock him, then after a couple of minutes he'd point to his crib to let me know to put him down - but then ten minutes later he'd cry again. When I heard his congestion I knew he'd come down with a cold. Thankfully that's all it was and it was gone on Wednesday - but while Logan slept well after Friday, and was happy and bouncing off the walls every day - Joe and I both caught the virus and were miserable for the next few days.

For some reason, we hadn't considered that we'd catch his cold. (Although I should just know that every May I get sick - last year was the fifth's disease, back in college I was always sick during final's week, etc.) Joe slept on the couch Sunday night and came home from work early on Monday so that he could take a nap. Monday night I tried to go to bed at 9 but my cold was in my head and so it took me an hour-and-a-half to fall asleep. I was so relieved to have my babysitter - Logan went three days this week (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday). Joe fees like today is the last day for his cold, while I feel I have one more day.

So, there hasn't been much else to report. . .just that on Saturday, May 22, I awoke to the sound of Joe mowing the lawn to which I thought, where's Logan? I looked outside and saw this adorable sight:On Sunday, May 23 Joe had to work all day, but it was 88 degrees outside (the hottest day of spring so far) so that evening we got out our pool and Logan went swimming for the first time since last summer (making this his third time in his life). We were happy that his swimming diapers and trunks from last summer still fit decently enough, so we shouldn't have to buy any new ones this year. Although Logan still stood up the whole time like he did last year, he played a lot more this time and for longer - and had a blast. In fact, on Monday, May 24 he went swimming again when Joe got home from work!

(Here he is after he just threw water on Daddy!)
A cute thing Logan does: whenever Joe or I get "an owie," he comes over and kisses it! A gross thing Logan did last week: he was feeding the dogs their food which was fine (I was washing dishes so whatever keeps him occupied) but a few minutes later I heard more-than-usual crunching. I turned around and Logan was eating dog food! This is not the first time and so I was shocked (I had thought the other time he would think it was disgusting and not try it again, but it must not taste as bad as I assume).

Tuesday, May 25 was final's night on American Idol! The best news of our week was last night - Wednesday, May 26 - when the season 9 winner was announced as my choice: Lee Dewyze!!!!! (Keeping my record of almost always predicting the correct winner from day one!) Joe & I (and even Logan who has clapped for Lee each week) were so happy because final's night was his only less-than-stellar performances, so we were starting to think Crystal might win. I wish them both a successful career in the music industry, but Lee is the only contestant of all the AI seasons that I've ever been interested in seeing in concert - so maybe that will happen someday! (And then I can see his amazing eyes in person ;)) WAY TO GO, LEE!!!!!

Terrific Twos!

It feels like forever since I've written an update! I have made a couple of exceptions since I stopped doing them in the fall, and so today I am as well.

The last time I blogged (aside from my fun & photo posts) was a few days after Logan turned two! So far the twos have been TERRIFIC!!!!! I hope this doesn't mean we'll have the terrible threes - because so far this is the easiest and best age of all! He has been sooooo well-behaved and fun and sweet and requiring very little from me. There haven't been any two year moments the past month. I joked to my friend Brooke that maybe this is God's way of telling me I can have another kid now, LOL.

Writing my post Change Of Plans For Baby #2 made me feel like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. Considering that last fall I was actually feeling the baby bug (but wasn't ready to make it a reality), I'm not sure what happened as Logan neared his second birthday last month - but I began having anxiety at the thought of getting pregnant this August or any month after as had always been the plan. But now that Joe & I have decided we'll try once in September and then not again until next May, I am looking forward to whatever happens. I'll be ready and at ease if it does happen this fall and I'll be ready and at ease if it doesn't happen until next spring. It's a perfect place to be.

In my post Elmo & Logan, I wrote about how happy & excited Logan was to receive an Elmo Encore Live for his birthday. As you may have read in his 2nd Year Summary, he has been glued to it the way he was to balls last fall/winter. He wants Elmo in every room and even in the car when we go places (strapped in his own seat). For awhile he was insisting that he sleep with it, but I kept waking up in the night because I'd hear it talking! So, we came to a compromise that Elmo can sit in front of his crib (where he can see it and touch it) but not actually in the crib with him. Although, surprisingly Logan never woke up during Elmo's singing, dancing, and telling long, loud stories :p (Logan has been sleeping again through the night every night since February because there have been no recent night terrors or nightmares.)

A couple of times recently we've heard him talking in his sleep - one time saying, "More juice, please" and another time "Cookie. . .cookie. . .cookie." Haha!

In that same Elmo post, I mentioned I was trying Arbonne (after my massage therapist gave me info on becoming a consultant; I had my next/most recent appt. with her on May 5th) - OMG I loved the body cleanser I tried! At first I was thinking, how good can body soap be? I've tried probably every brand and kind on the market because in the end I have never been able to tell a huge difference, so I've never had a "fav" body soap. I was even given some tiny samples of Arbonne a few years ago because my mom received them from a consultant she knew but I wasn't blown away - but maybe it was too small of an amount or a different kind of Arbonne's cleansers - because the bottle I tried from my massage therapist was FC5 Invigorating Body Cleanser. . .and WOW. . .that's all I can say. Taking a shower became one of my favorite parts of the day because I felt so incredibly good! I was bummed to have to give my massage therapist the bottle back (I had to remove it from my shower so as not to use the entire thing)!

The downside is that it is double to triple the amount that I usually spend on body cleanser. . .but if I become a consultant I can get a discount, so I'm trying their other samples and will decide if I think it will be worth it.

On American Idol we are down to the final TWO: Crystal and Lee - my fav since day 1 (and my hope for the winner as stated in my very first AI post, American Idol Season 9 )! This week Casey was eliminated, last week was Big Mike, before that was Aaron, and before that was Siobhan. This week Lee did phenomenal - I can't wait for him to come out with an album - I haven't felt like that since Daughtry (the last AI contestant's CD that I bought). In fact, I think Lee is my favorite of all seasons! (Not including Kelly Clarkson since I didn't actually watch it that year.) Lee is my favorite style of music out of all of the previous winners (and not to mention he's oh so cute! haha)! It's still possible Crystal could win next week, but in the beginning when the judges said it was going to be a girl's year, I didn't feel it was going to be - so my prediction is still Lee!

For news with us since April 21. . .on Thursday, April 22nd Logan and I met Lisa P and her daughters Lexi (3) & Riley (1.5) at the zoo and had a fabulous time. Logan & I arrived before the zoo opened, so I was standing around - and there was Brooke & Kaelyn! They were there, too, enjoying the nice weather that day. So we chatted, and then Kaelyn needed her morning nap (she sleeps in the stroller while her mommy goes for a walk) so we said goodbye.

Logan got out of his stroller that day and walked around a little bit with Lexi and Riley. It was a fun time for both the kids and us moms!Lisa was concerned because Riley had a rash on her - it turned out to be fifth's disease which they all had briefly, but thankfully none as serious as mine last summer (you can read about Logan & my experience on my post Fifth's Disease). Ironically, just the week before, I'd been contacted by a reporter asking if they could interview me for a story about it. But since I didn't actually receive the diagnosis from a doctor, I suggested that someone else would be a better source.

That weekend, Sat. April 24, Joe & I had planned on taking the photography class that I'd been wanting to take since we got our first DSLR camera last July (so that I can improve my hobby of photography). But, it was rescheduled - so we'll be taking it THIS July instead (on a Friday, which will be easy because we won't have to get a babysitter for Logan - he can just go to the at-home daycare where he goes two days a week). Joe & I had also planned to celebrate our 7th anniversary that weekend, but my mom & stepdad said they would watch Logan the following weekend, so we decided to do it then instead. Logan hadn't gone to their house since February due to several of my requests not being followed the past year when taking care of him, but we decided to give them one more chance. In June & July Logan will be staying with Joe's mom during the two weekends when we need a sitter (I'm going solo to Iowa to visit friends in June - I will take Logan with me to drop off at Joe's mom's house - which means my first 3 hr drive with him by myself) and the other is in July when I fly to Seattle to visit my friend Sarah. Logan does just as great with Joe's mom, but has only stayed there two or three times by himself, so it will be fun for her and Logan.

On Sunday, April 25 we went to Logan's friend Jaxson's birthday party! He had turned two the day before (the 24th is Kaelyn's birthday, too - she had her first birthday party with family). The theme was Sesame Street and his parents (our friends Matt & Stacy) had made scrumptious Elmo and Cookie Monster cakes from scratch. We gave Jaxson a tool bench because he loves tools, as well as a mini bowling set.

I enjoyed finally meeting baby Landen - our mutual friends' Jeff & Lisa's son who was born in February. We'd been emailing about a time for me to go over to their house while Lisa was home on maternity leave, but time went too fast! :( (She works at the zoo.) Landen was a doll; I look forward to watching him grow up and some day play with Logan!

Otherwise, the other guests were Matt & Stacy's families who are all super nice. Afterward, we picked up a pizza from Johnny Sortino's and vegged out the rest of the night.

Monday, April 26 was Joe & my real seventh anniversary. Matt & Stacy were kind enough to offer to watch Logan while we went out to eat to our fav Mexican place, Roja. Aside from his weekly babysitter of the previous 13 months, as well as my mom & stepdad and Joe's mom, there had only been one other time anyone had ever watched Logan since birth and that was for a couple of hours when he was 4.5 months old (a couple who was our friends at the time). But, as always, he didn't bat an eye when we told him goodbye. He was pumped to play with Jaxson and all of his new toys, and Stacy fixed spaghetti & meatballs for supper which is his #1 favorite meal - they said he ate more than all of them, haha!

Joe & I enjoyed our relaxing, quiet, meal where we actually had a continuous non-interrupted conversation - able to finish every sentence! LOL.

Earlier that day, Logan and I had gone over to Brooke & Kaelyn's and exchanged birthday gifts. For the past month we'd been going to the zoo each week for "stay at home mom day" but that day was cold and rainy so I was glad to have somewhere we could go. Logan always immediately gets busy with all of Kaelyn's toys. . .I'm wondering what she's going to think once she starts caring, haha!

Tuesday, April 27 was nicer weather and so Logan and I played outside all day - in the front, in the back, went to the park, the school playground, and for a walk. He can spot swing sets a mile away and even knows our neighborhood well enough to know where the school and the park are (he starts pointing and saying "wee" in the correct direction even before we can see them), as they are his favorite activity. He also enjoys the geese at a nearby pond.

Logan went to his babysitter's on Wednesday, April 28. . .and then on Thursday, April 29 we went to our neighbor Jenn's for lunch! Two of her other friends were there scrapbooking and we had the most fun conversations ;) I always have a blast with her group, and so did Logan playing with Jenn's daughter who is a year older.

That evening is when we met my mom & stepdad for Logan to spend the weekend with them. So on Friday, April 30 Joe and I took the opportunity to go to the Cinedine (which I'd mentioned we'd wanted to do in my post It's A New Season ) It was neat! We felt like we were on vacation. The buildings were brand new so they were big and very nice. The parking garage was free for three hours (which was how long we were there) so that made things easy.

It was a little confusing where to walk in (at least for us and the other two couples that arrived at the same time) but once we figured it out, we went up the escalater (there are four levels - one includes VIP seating which is for people who want to sit in comfy recliners!) and picked up the tickets we had reserved the night before. The movie we had selected was The Back-Up Plan which was just "okay" overall, but had several funny parts that made both Joe & I crack up (and would any one who has gone through a modern-day pregnancy).

We had thought that it might be distracting to have servers in and out of the movie theater, but because there is a wall around the tables, we couldn't see them waiting on others and the audio was loud (but not too much so) so we didn't hear any talking. We just pushed a button when we needed them to take our order or refill our drinks, etc. We ate sandwiches which were no more expensive than eating food anywhere else (nor was the movie any more expensive than a regular movie theater). So we plan to definitely return :-)

That weekend I had planned to stay in a hotel to write. But, hotel rooms all over the city and suburbs increased their prices to $200+ a night due to Warren Buffet's Birkshire Hathaway convention that weekend. I am still disappointed that my writing retreat keeps getting put off (since that wasn't the first time I had to cancel), but there was no way I could justify paying that much to stay in a hotel just down the street. SIGH. Maybe someday. . .

Instead, on Saturday, May 1st, Joe and I celebrated 10 years since our first date by keeping our tradition of eating pizza like we had on our first date (with the exception of one year) - by trying a restaurant we never had before called Oscar's. The pizza was just okay, but the wings were outstanding! Almost as good as my favorite wing place, Wing Stop.

Our anniversary gift to each other the weekend before was a bookshelf for our office. (Here is the one we bought at Nebraska Furniture Mart.) So, we spent all day on Sunday, May 2nd rearranging the room. Ever since we moved to our house over 2.5 years ago, I've been working on decorating. Thanks to the bookshelf (and curtains bought the following week), I have now completed our main level so now I just have the upstairs left and to finish landscaping outside.

Logan did great at my parents' house as always, even sleeping in until 12:30 (as in, after noon!) his first day (he went to bed at 9 pm that first night). I couldn't believe it! He's always slept in later over there for some reason, but not since his first week of life has he slept 15.5 hrs straight! Needless to say, he skipped his nap that day :p Joe joked that it was Logan's way of saying he was on vacation. So, we postponed picking him up until Monday evening, May 3rd.

On Tuesday, May 4 Logan and I had a fun day outside (that's when I took the sandbox pics in my post Mowing The Lawn With Daddy).

On Wednesday, May 5 I had a dentist appointment/cleaning. It was easy and quick.

Thursday, May 6 I had a scare when I finished blow drying my hair and realized Logan was gone. In the past, I've written that when Logan was born I would just set him in his carseat next to the shower when I'd get ready. When he became more mobile, I'd put him in the empty bath tub next to my shower and he'd play. Then, when he was able to climb out, I'd lock the bathroom door and he'd have the entire bathroom to play. Well, at around 18 months he wanted freedom to the adjoining bedroom, too. So, I lock the bedroom door and he plays in both the bathroom and bedroom where I can see him. However, now he can unlock doors and sometimes even get passed baby-proofing - which is what he did that Thursday. I figured he'd just gone downstairs, but when I got there he was nowhere in sight. Worse, I could hear the dogs barking outside (I hadn't let them out) and the back door was wide open. Knowing that he can also open the fence, I started to panic when I ran out there and didn't see him anywhere. I shouted his name and saw him peek out from below the deck. Thank God!

Lisa P and her husband recommended White Door Guardian Patio Door Locks which we are getting, as there is no way Logan can get passed those! Also, a security system was my Mother's Day gift which will help keep Logan inside :p

Friday, May 7 the dogs went to the groomer while Logan was at Babysitter's. He had started going two days in February during Joe's 70-hr work days but after May 7th I changed it from Wed & Fri to Tues & Wed. Fridays I'm usually fine break-wise because we're about to have the weekend (same thing with Mondays) but Tuesdays Joe doesn't get home until late due to his golf league so that is my longest day.

On Saturday, May 8, Joe's mom came over for Mother's Day weekend and we had a fantastic time. She brought us Blimpie's for lunch and then we went to The Amazing Pizza Machine for supper. She'd never been there and thoroughly enjoyed watching Logan have fun "at the casino for kids." I was glad I had my camera because the last time we went (in March for our last get-together with my friend Chris before she moved away), my camera card was left at home! I was so disappointed because it was our last time for hanging out with Chris and her fam - but she took pics which she promised to send me. . .

Sandi left on Sunday, May 9 after we ate breakfast at I-Hop. It was a relaxing day. . .Joe mowed the lawn, we ate supper at Don & Millie's (fastfood). . .that was about it!I can't remember anything to report on Monday, May 10, Tuesday, May 11, or Thursday, May 13 - but Wednesday, May 12 was Logan's first haircut!!! I went to the salon first to get my eyebrows waxed (and tinted for the second time) and then Joe brought Logan for a 7 pm appointment with Stacy (Jaxson's mom) who is a hair stylist there and offered to do it for free. Maybe it was because Logan knows Stacy - but he did excellent! I had expected him to act scared and cry, but it was an ideal first haircut experience for never having been to a salon before.We asked him if he wanted to sit on Daddy or Mommy's lap and he said "Dadda," and then didn't move or make a peep through the whole thing. He just watched Stacy in the mirror and enjoyed holding her spray bottle. He smiled when it was done and waved to everyone - several people commented that they would have never known a two year old was there. It was easy for Stacy and quick for Logan, and we were happy with the result. Stacy warned that now we'll probably notice it needs cut all of the time, but I plan to start going to her for my hair when she gets back from maternity leave this fall, so it should be easy to make all three appointments at the same time. On Friday, May 14 we met Brooke & Kaelyn at the zoo to see the new Madagascar Exhibit. Since we were able to go an hour before it opened, there was hardly anyone else there so we got spoiled feeling like we had the entire zoo to ourselves! (For anyone who doesn't know, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is one of the top ten zoos in the United States. It features the largest cat complex in North America, the world's largest nocturnal exhibit and indoor swamp, the Lied Jungle is one of the world's largest indoor rainforest, and the Desert Dome is the world's largest indoor desert as well as the largest glazed geodesic dome in the world.) The lemurs outside the new exhibit are really neat & cute because they come right up to everyone!

Logan enjoyed running up and down the ramp by the black bears - again and again and again, as well as up and down the steps. It was PERFECT weather that day, so us moms had a nice time as well. That evening Joe, Logan, and I went out to eat to Roja (seriously, I need to stop my addiction to that place or else I'll never make my goal weight of 22 lbs lost this year. :p I lost 6 in Jan, 4 in Feb, 0 in March, and 6 in April - but none so far in May which means I won't be making my deadline of my last six pounds by Memorial Day. I think I've hit the dreaded "wall" because I've been exercising more this month than the previous months, so during the month of June I'll be reducing my 3 cheat days to just 1 cheat day a week and hopefully I'll make my goal by July 1st instead. I've lost 16, though, since January)!

The next day, Saturday, May 15, my mom & stepdad brought my grandma (mom's mom) up from Kansas City for a belated Mother's Day celebration with my family! It was great to have my grandmother over, as she hadn't been here since Logan was 4.5 months old. (Here was our 4-Generation-Pic then and now.) The last time I saw her was Thanksgiving so Logan's already changed since then; she had fun talking and watching him. We met them for supper at Biaggi's Italian Restaurant (where Logan enjoyed eating lemons which he has liked a few times the past year). It didn't take long for him to warm up to his great grandma. He showed her his toys. . .the weekend went too fast! They left on Sunday, May 16 after we went out to lunch to Ryan's Bistro, a place we'd never been but Stacy had recommended it to us. It was an atmospheric winery and the food was great.

For the following couple of days, Logan kept asking about GiGi (great grandma) - it was so sweet. The day they left, as he was settling down for his nap, he said, "Papa, KK, GiGi" over and over over!

That reminds me, we had an eerie moment a couple of weeks ago. I was going through a box of random pictures taken over the years and Logan was pointing to everyone and everything and saying the correct names for each photograph. When he got to a picture of my grandpa's gravesite, I expected him to say "grass" or "flowers" or something. Instead, he said very matter-of-factly, "Grandpa." I said, "What did you just say?!" (My grandfather passed away in 2002.) Logan looked at the picture again and said, "Grandpa" and then went on to the next photo. I had chills! Joe tried to wave me off, but never has Logan called an object a person before or vice versa. . .it just reminded me of that time in January when he told me he was playing with grandpa (the anniversary week of when Joe's dad died).

Anyway, aside from getting my hair cut on Wednesday, May 19 for the first time since December, this week has been uneventful. When I wrote the summary post on Monday and re-read my blog from the past year, I saw there were other things to update - so I'll finish catching up in my next post!

It's A New Season

It's Tuesday's meme:Wow, so exactly a week ago I was writing the post about my new life and then over the weekend I received an e-mail from my brother that couldn't have come at a better time. Over the weekend he was talking to a friend of his out in Los Angeles - an editor of a magazine that closed in the 1970s but they are bringing it back this June and she asked him if he knew any writers in the Midwest. Even though the magazine is just in California, they want writers all over the US to write columns with different perspectives and info. Being the wonderful brother he is, he told her about me! When I found out that I'd be flown out there a couple of times a year for celebrity events/parties I couldn't refuse!

I'm still learning all of the info about the magazine. . .and am beginning to wonder if I'm really what they are looking for or if I'll even be able to write what they want, but after last week's post about going out of my comfort zone, I told them I'd give it a try! Maybe having this on my resume or meeting people from other magazines out there could develop into something that is my perfect fit!!!!

As for my update for last week: as I said in my post Fun At The Zoo, Joe took Logan to the zoo last weekend and then I took him with Brooke & Kaelyn on Monday, March 15th. That evening we bought him an early birthday gift - a kiddie table! He had started falling off the regular chair (while getting his arms or legs caught in the bars) so I am so glad he loved this right away and has since been eating all meals there. It'll work great for when his friends come over, too.On Tuesday, March 16th, I went with Stacy to a place where she could get me some hair stuff since I loved the Moroccan Oil but it didn't work out for me. I guess this stuff is similar but not an oil so hopefully won't make me break out. Because, only this week have I been able to finally return to my Sephora make up and cleanser since it took awhile for my face to clear up just after trying the Moroccan Oil one day one week.

On Wednesday, March 17th (St Paddy's Day) Logan came down with the second fever of his life. I don't know whether it was a virus or teething, but whatever it was started in the middle of the night because he woke up crying so we brought him in our bed and he was SUPER restless. In the morning when I was changing his diaper and clothes I gasped at how burning hot he was! I took his temp and it was 102. So no Babysitter's house that day. Despite giving him Tylenol every 4 hrs it just rotated between 101.5 to 102 all day. He cried every hour and needed me to hold him just as often. It was the second hardest day of his life! (The first being last summer when he was 14 months old because that day he had decided to try and destroy the house as well. :p)

He was always better once the Tylenol kicked in, and thankfully we had nice weather so we were able to play outside without a coat in the backyard for the first time since last Sept or Oct! I had the windows open for a little bit (for the first time since then as well), however since he was screaming so much that day I kept them closed for fear our neighbors would call child protective services, LOL, j/k.

Thankfully, he took a good nap and slept without waking up all night, but he still had his high temp on Thursday morning, March 18th and spent the morning crying again. So I had to cancel my plans with Lisa & Andrea who had planned to come over for pizza and a playdate with their kids that day :( (By the way, Logan officially turned twenty three months old that day!)

Before noon Logan's temp went down to 99 and never went back up! He still wasn't his normal chipper self, but being outside again at least prevented him from crying all day. I went on my old half an hour to hour walk with him that I used to do last summer (I didn't remember it being as hard, ahem) and he rode his big wheel a little bit and sat on our neighbor's driveway while Jenn's kids colored with chalk. I was so happy to have Joe's help that night - he was told that his 60/70 hrs a week is over sooner than expected - yeay! Logan spent the evening hopping, skipping, and dancing - happy as could be. So he was back to normal on Friday, March 19th to go to Babysitter's house (and has been in a great mood ever since); that was our friend Chris' last day at work as she is moving next week to Washington D.C. She had a goodbye party and my parents came on Saturday, March 20th to watch Logan. Joe and I took advantage of our time together and went to see Valentine's Day at the movie theater, out to eat to Hector's (a Mexican restaurant - we'd never been to their main location before, it was good - however Roja is still my fav :-)) and then stayed in a hotel that night. I didn't expect to LOVE the movie, but I did!!!!!!!! Good message. We came close to not seeing it -- we had hoped to go to the Cinedine -- a new place in Omaha where you can eat a meal while you watch a movie, but I just wasn't interested in any of the films playing. I kept trying to talk myself into one of them, but we finally decided to wait until there is something interesting showing so that we can enjoy the Cindedine to the fullest :-)

We also bought Logan a second carseat. Until now whenever he rode with Joe he was in the same one we took him home from the hospital! Chicco makes carseats up to 30 lbs and since I am a stay at home mom we only needed that one until Logan wanted to face front, then my parents bought us the Graco one he uses now when he was 14 months old (even though he was 24 lbs at a year old). We moved the Chicco carseat to the other car and this has worked for us the past 9 months, but Logan is now 28 lbs so he's been overflowing in it the past month! So, we bought another Graco like the one in my car, it faces front and goes up to 100 lbs so this should be all that we need to buy forever!

Anyway, back to the goodbye party - I can't believe that I only met Chris a year-and-a-half ago. She wrote me the nicest letter and promised to keep in touch. I'm going to see her, her husband, and 13 month old son one more time (this weekend). . .I'm sure I'll cry!

My parents left on Sunday afternoon, March 21; last month I had written that Logan wasn't going to be having the solo weekends at my parents' place anymore but thankfully everything went well with them watching Logan at our place.

That evening we went to a pizza party hosted by Logan's babysitter so that all of the families could meet each other. I can't believe this Wednesday will have been a year since he started going (8 hrs a week until last month, now he goes 17 hrs).

Everyone came (13 total children, but all are part time so the most she has in one day is 7). There is Ryder (5 - he'll start kindergarten in the fall) and his brother Hudson (will be 3 in May or June); Henry (5 - he'll start kindergarten in the fall) and his two sisters that just come in the summer Josie & Jackie (9 & 7); Ryan (almost 4) and his sister who just comes in the summer Maddie (8); Jackson (almost 4) - he'll have a baby sister in 2 weeks!; Mia (the youngest, 8.5 months, and only girl during non-summer); and brothers Abrahm (5 - will start kindergarten this fall), Cy (3), and Zay (will be 2 in July).

Logan didn't really care about any of the kids except his whole face lit up when he saw Zay! He even said hi, waved, and reached out his hand towards him. Both boys smiled so cutely to each other! Too bad they're moving, I talked to his mom and she said they moved here two years ago from Idaho and are hoping to move back next chance her husband gets with his job. But all of the families who go to Babysitter's live in our neighborhood, so maybe Logan will grow up with some other kid he meets there (if we stay)! Because, so far none of his friends are going to be going to his same school.

At first Logan was acting very fearful and shy and clingy but I think it was seeing everyone in an unknown setting (we were at Johnny Sortino's restaurant where I'd only been once before and it was with Joe when I was pregnant. I liked it, though, so we'll have to go back)! Babysitter said that often when she sees the kids out in public they become statues, like they can't comprehend her in a different environment, LOL.

But, I think it's also what I wrote last month about how he's showing insecurity for the first time :( I was hoping since up until the past month or two he's never shown any shyness or stranger anxiety that he would keep that confidence, but I think it's like my dogs - I remember that when Bella was a puppy I was amazed at how nothing scared her but then overnight it changed when she was about a year old - then she was scared of everything she should have been and a few extra things, haha. So I think fear is just a maturity thing, it's healthy & good for survival, so my hope is that once he gets used to the new feeling, he will regain his confidence at the appropriate times. I don't care if he's the shyest, quietest kid in public - as long as he's happy and secure. (He still didn't mind us leaving him with my parents.)

Monday, March 22nd was "stay at home mom day" at Brooke & Kaelyn's house. Kaelyn turns 11 months old this Wednesday and is walking all over the place! She took her first steps at 9 months old but still crawled until a couple of weeks ago, now she's given that up completely! It's been fun to see all of her milestones/stages since we've been getting together regularly since she was 4 months old. (It's also weird to think this is when Logan started running all over the place. His first steps were on March 15th, 2009 but he was walking across the room within a week and after that never crawled again!)

Logan and I spent the rest of the day outside, it was a little chilly because of the wind, but the snow is finally 100% melted for the first time since last October or November so Logan had fun drawing on our driveway with chalk for the first time and he even ran around the block with me chasing after him!Nothing else to report, other than American Idol is on tonight! Lacey Brown was the first to leave the Top 12 last week. I liked her, but she wasn't on my list for possible winners so I wasn't surprised. I loved-loved-loved my fav's performance (Lee) last week. So it's official, that's who I'm hoping is the winner! (Until now I've teetered between thinking it could be him or Michael.) I wish that I had put Crystal and Siobhan on my list instead of Aaron and Andrew, but oh well. I still like Didi for the girls, but have a feeling she's going to go, however Crystal or Siobhan - if not both - are going to make it into the top 3. Just as long as Lee is there, too :-)

Two For Four

I was two for four last night on American Idol. I was right about Todrick and Katelyn but wrong about Andrew and Siobhan. I was sad to see both Alex and Lilly go considering they were both on my list! I really hope they all have a successful future in music. This means the top 12 of American Idol are:

*Aaron Kelly
*Andrew Garcia
*Casey James
Crystal Bowersox
*Didi Benami
Katie Stevens
Lacey Brown
*Lee Dewyze
*Michael Lynche
Paige Miles
Siobhan Magnus
*Tim Urban

The ones with an asterisk are the ones I had put on my list (American Idol Season 9). However, I'm not as much of a fan of Andrew or Aaron anymore, but feeling more Crystal and Lacey. My favorites are still Lee and Didi.

While Logan's Napping. . .

. . .I'll write a blog post! :-)

I woke up this morning to SNOW. SNOW on the ground and SNOW falling from the sky. Yesterday - for the first time in several months - it was 99% melted. I thought today it'd be all gone and was hoping that'd be it, considering spring is supposed to be here in a little over a week. But no, we have been stuck inside all day today because it's so dreary out there.

On the bright side, Big Mike redeemed himself last night! (I had said last week that I was removing him from my hope-to-win American Idol list because although his singing has been great, he started acting like a jerk.) But, singing "This Woman's Work" (from the movie She's Having a Baby, the song is all about being in awe of a woman having a baby and being a mother) - I didn't cry like the judge Kara, but it definitely hit that soft spot in my heart and I was extremely impressed by how he pulled it off. For anyone who doesn't know the song, it's sung by a woman with a very high voice. I couldn't imagine a man singing it without coming across as corny. But not only did he pull it off, it put him back on my list!!!! (But am also still keeping Alex who I had replaced him with)

I still voted for my fav, though -- Lee Dewyze. Technically, who should go based on performances last night was Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly - however, I think Aaron has a huge fan base and so he will go through. That means, I predict that Todrick Hall will be the other to go. He did really well last night, but I think his past performances didn't connect with audiences to give him a large fan base, and also I don't think "performers" typically do well in the competition (aside from the year Taylor Hicks won). I hope that Todrick does end up on Broadway like Simon said, but he was right when he said he's not the recording artist type.

For girls, last week I was glad Joe & I weren't the only ones who thought the judges were brutal and also thought it was "opposite day." (We were actually getting frustrated until I signed on to Facebook and saw a ton of status updates saying the same thing.) They bashed Didi but we thought she did great, as well as this week which they were right about, so she's still my pick for girls. I predict Logan's girl (Katelyn) will go home based on her performance this week but am not sure of the other. Joe thinks Lacey Brown, which I can see but I like her voice (even though she's not on my list) so I'm thinking it could be Siobhan, although she has a funny personality.

Tonight will be the last week that 4 go home, meaning next week is the first week for the official top 12. I will make my prediction then as far as the winner. :-)

In other news, Logan and I had a blast with Stacy and Jaxson on Tuesday. She surprised me with lasagna & garlic bread for lunch and we sat and talked for 4 hrs while the boys played. I said this before, but they have such similar personalities it really makes it fun & easy. They play together so well and are so good with each other. Logan (as if his black eye over the weekend wasn't enough) ran into their island in the kitchen so hard that he bounced off. So a goose egg popped up right above his black eye! Needless to say, he was crying quite a bit, so it was sweet - Jaxson brought him a stuffed animal that played music and he also tried to hug him. That made Logan stop crying and he smiled appreciatively at Jaxson. Then, every time that Jaxson noticed Logan's "owie" he'd go tell his mom that he had an owie and point to that place on his head, so Stacy kept telling him no it was Logan that had it not him, haha!

She took Jaxson to the doctor after we left because he'd been waking up several times a night but hasn't had a fever or seemed sick. I told her about Logan over the weekend and how I was fairly certain it was because one of his two year molars popped through. Sure enough, their pediatrician was able to see that TWO of Jaxson's two year molars had broken through.

Anyway, she suggested we get together again next Tuesday (she works full time but has Tuesdays off) so next week should be fun with that planned, as well as the zoo with Brooke & Kaelyn on Monday, and I'm having Lisa P (with Lexi & Riley) and Andrea (with Drew) over on Thursday.

Nothing is planned for tomorrow or this weekend, except I don't want to procrastinate so am going to buy the stuff for Logan's birthday which is in a little over a month and order his cake. We decided on Elmo for the theme. He loves Thomas The Train (says "choo choo" whenever he sees a train) so I about went that direction, but nothing has quite the effect as Elmo. Aside from that book I mentioned on Tuesday being his favorite, he notices Elmo EVERYWHERE, even if it's the smallest picture a hundred miles away. His whole face lights up and he loves shouting "Elmo!" I think I'm going to splurge and buy him the real deal (Tickle Me Elmo). I'd considered it for Christmas because he couldn't get enough of it in the store, but it's expensive and I was afraid once I brought it home he'd lose interest since, until his Scout (which even that is only something he cares about during his naps or nighttime), he's never really cared about stuffed animals. But it just really goes along with "him" this year - like how Lightning McQueen was his thing last year since he was obsessed with his car. So even if he loses interest after awhile, it will always be special because it symbolizes his "year two."

We also decided not to do a "big" birthday party this year. As I said in my post titled Two Weeks Til Spring, I wanted to do it for #1 because it was his first, and from #3 on he's going to want one and have his own ideas (that's when I started having them), so #2 we'll just have family over. (Joe's mom has been in Florida since early January and gets back that week.) Family and Elmo :-)

Two Weeks Til Spring!

Happy March! We've almost made it through the winter! The sun has been out the past couple of days - yesterday I almost went for my first walk since November but it's still a little too cold, however we're on the homestretch now!

Last night Lee Dewyze did not disappoint (he's who I said in my post yesterday, American Idol Season 9 , is my favorite this season of American Idol)!

I'm not liking "Big Mike" so much anymore, though - I mean, he did well last night but acted like a jerk pretty much every time the camera was on him. I was very impressed with Alex Lambert and really want him to stick around - so I have replaced Michael Lynche on my list with Alex!

As for "real life" updates. . .since my last posts (Randomness and Only Two Months Until Two), Joe had to work most of that weekend (Feb 20-21), as I said will continue to be the case for awhile. :( I guess we have been lucky, though, that since graduating college in December 2002, he really hasn't had to work overtime very often. Maybe a total of 5 weeks over the past 7 yrs. But two months straight of 70 hrs a week feels like it's making up for that! At least he's getting paid for it (he usually doesn't since he's salaried), but you know how I said that if we ever move it's going to be within the next five years? Well I wasn't thinking in terms of it being possible next year, but a lot of things have changed in his job since 2010 began, so depending on how things go this summer, it could end up happening as early as fall 2011.

As I posted in 2 Mos, 5 1/2 Mos, 9 1/2 Mos, and 22 Mos Joe was able to take a break that Sunday evening to get together with our friends (Matt, Stacy, and Jaxson) for a playdate & dinner. It was fun to see Stacy showing now since the last time I saw her was mid-November before she announced her pregnancy! They found out this past Monday, March 1st that baby #2 is a girl - how exciting!!!! She was so convinced she was having another boy, but that will be so fun for them to experience the opposite next time. I'm happy I get to help her prepare (I'm going over to her house next Tuesday to start!) and see what a little sister to a son is like. The next day was Monday, Feb. 22nd which was "stay at home mom" day with Brooke & Kaelyn - Logan and I went over there and then they came over to our place yesterday, Tuesday March 2nd.

Last Tuesday Feb. 23rd was a very sad day for my friend Lisa P and her family. They had to put down their beautiful dog, Euchre. It was a complete shock to me after what we went through with Cosmo in November - their dog ended up having cancer as well. Only it was stage 4 and she went downhill very quickly. I cried a bucket of tears and still get choked up when I think about it. Euchre was such a good dog - in fact, she's always who I compared my dogs to when they were having their behavior problems. Lisa has two young daughters and Euchre let them climb all over her. . .whereas Bella bit Logan last summer because he slightly touched her. Numerous times I said to Joe, why can't they be like Euchre?! She was a great example of a dog. There's no way she's not in heaven!!!!

Wednesday, Feb. 24th Logan went to Sitter's while I had my monthly eyebrow wax. Still not done. Mr. Lefty (eyebrows seem male, don't ya think?) does not seem to want to grow very fast so I've made another appointment the end of March where my esthetician will also be tinting my brows for the first time since I went blonde in January and my eyebrows are black.

Later that day I met with my therapist, and then on Thursday, February 25th Joe & I refinanced our house. He heard about a phenomenal deal so we closed last week and are now saving several hundred dollars a month which is comforting. Maybe now I can get our carpet cleaned since we're a couple of months overdue! :p Logan went to Sitter's again because they came to our house to do the paperwork, so since he's also going Fridays now that Joe is working 70 hrs a week, it was the most hours he's ever gone (25.5)! Three days felt like too much, though, at this point - I don't know if it was that or it's just his age but he has been clingy ever since. He's reached 27 lbs now so on Monday I thought I'd seriously hurt my back because for the first time in his life he wants to be carried around all of the time! Leave it to me to have an independent child as a baby but now that he's almost two, and dependent babies usually want their independence, mine goes the other way :p

Or, it could be Joe being gone in the evenings. Every night around 7 pm Logan starts crying "Daddy? Daddy?" because he knows Joe is usually home by 5:15. We had to laugh last night, though, because on Monday Joe came home with Girl Scout cookies that he'd bought from a co-worker and gave one to Logan right away. Well then on Tuesday when Joe walked in the door Logan put up his hands and said, "Cookie?" Joe and I looked at each other like why would he think he's getting a cookie? Since we didn't react, Logan started crying "Please Dadda! Please Dadda! Please cookie for baby!" (I was glad to hear Stacy say Jaxson refers to himself as "Baby" too, LOL, because Logan never says "mine" or his name anymore! He calls himself "Baby.") That's when I realized that he was remembering the night before! So of course we gave in to his pitiful request and gave him a Thin Mint :pI know, he's getting too smart, we're going to have to toughen up, haha. Over the weekend he was running around the house with an orange slice in his mouth so I said, "No running with food in your mouth" and so he stopped, spit out the orange on the floor, and continued running. :p

But back to the clinginess - he's also been showing signs of shyness for the very first time in his life with others, so maybe it's just a natural part of his personality now that he'll be turning two in a month and a half! Because, I am seeing some signs of potential bossiness for the first time (which is a definite "two" trait)! Not with anyone else, but with Joe and me he will demand that we sit certain places (most often his playhouse) and he has definite ideas of what we should be doing at each moment. I was just starting to think that the nurses in the hospital had been wrong when he was born since they'd said he was the leader in the nursery (most often he has such a passive personality that I can't see him being a leader in his life) - but now that side of him is showing more!

On the day that Jaxson had come over was the first time I had ever seen any reaction from Logan as far as sharing toys. He didn't throw any temper tantrums or anything - but whenever Jaxson would have one of Logan's toys that he wanted he'd look at me like hey - that's mine and so I'd say, "Good job sharing with Jaxson" holding my breath, glad there wasn't any grabbing or pushing or anything! Thankfully, both boys have very similar personality types, neither one is very aggressive, so hopefully that will help them to continue to get along and be best buds :-)

Finally, it could be those darn two year molars (his final-final teeth) that have yet to pop up. He threw his first temper tantrum in a long time yesterday (or should I say threw several tantrums) because he didn't want to eat anything that I was offering him. I do think he's getting picky again - but also when he'd finally eat something he'd chew it and then spit it out! When I asked him what was wrong he pointed to his mouth and said, "teeth owie." Since he has all of his other teeth, I'm guessing the last big boys are coming soon.Last Friday night he cried in the middle of night for the first time since Jan. so I brought him into bed with Joe & me and two minutes later he coughed and then I felt something wet next to me so I thought he'd wet the bed! I turned on the light and there were a couple of wet circles of milk on our sheets - like he'd thrown up! He didn't act sick or have a temp (but he started crying and requested water to drink), but he has never thrown up in his life unless you count a couple of times as a newborn when he was overfed. I'm still not sure whether to count this because I think he just coughed too hard. . .it was weird to say the least. . .we changed our sheets and then all went back to sleep and he slept in until 10 am - the longest he ever has in his life!!! His eyes were nearly glued shut, though, with yellow gunk (which had also happened when he woke up from his nap at Babysitter's that day) and he complained of his eyes hurting the rest of the day. So I thought maybe it was going to be the start of pink eye, but thankfully it wasn't and he's been completely normal ever since!

On the evening of Thursday, February 25th I had a massage for the first time since December! It was great to be back. Although, I left in tears because she told me how her niece lost her 4 month old baby to SIDS! How incredibly awful!!!!! It didn't sound like there were any blankets or bumper pads in her crib (not using those with infants has reduced SIDS by 90% as I stated in a post I wrote when Logan was 4 months old titled Returning To Normal - Is That A Good Thing?) so they are wondering if it could have been prevented had her niece breastfed. I had no idea what she was talking about, so I looked it up when I got home and it's true - hardly any breastfed babies die of SIDS - in fact, many reports say there actually hasn't even been one "strictly" breastfed baby (meaning, any breastfed babies who have died were also being formula fed every now and then or they were found sleeping on their stomachs). Every site/source says that bottle fed babies are three times more likely to die of SIDS.

My fav doctor (Dr Sears) explains: "SIDS is less common in breastfed babies for several possible reasons. One theory is that nerves around the respiratory control center may be better developed in breastfed babies because breast milk is rich in omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA). These provide vital nutrients for myelin, the insulating sheath around nerves that help impulses travel faster. Breast milk is also kinder to tiny airways as babies are not allergic to mother's milk, and breast milk also contains immune boosters that fight against chest infection. Another perk is that gastroesophagel reflux (GER) -- which can often lead to stop-breathing episodes -- is less severe in breastfed babies. Finally, both experience and research has shown that breastfed babies sleep differently then bottle-fed ones. Breastfed babies awaken more frequently to feed, mainly because human milk is digested more quickly than formula. Could this easier arousability also "teach" babies to arouse from sleep when they have a need for air? Dr. James Mckenna, director of the Mother Baby Sleep Labatory of the University of Notre Dame has thoroughly studied arousability of breastfed babies, and has concluded that getting babies to sleep too deeply, too early, may not be in their best biological interest. In essence, sleeping deeper does not necessarily mean sleeping safer."

So next time you complain of getting up in the night with your breastfed baby, say a prayer of thanks!!!

On Friday, February 26th I had a hair appt. I told my stylist about my break outs with moroccan oil. . .even using it one day a week caused me to break out again so now it's been reduced to just special occasions. Unfortunately, it didn't take my hair long to go back to not looking as good, so I'll be going back to my natural/brown color this summer before I get pregnant. Oh well, I didn't mind that compared to when she informed me that I have my first gray hair!!!! :( My mom had always warned me that she got her first at 30 but I never would have known if my hair stylist hadn't told me because there are a few strands in the back underneath that were not there at my last appt. in January. Grrrrrr. Grrrrr. Grrrrr.

On Saturday, February 27th our neighbors Dave & Jenn invited us to a chili supper at their church. It'd been forever since we'd gotten together with them! We had a great time - Logan did excellent, it was fun to watch her four kids, and it was nice chatting with them. Their church is just down the street and everyone was awesome. I told Joe it's too bad that can't be our church community because it's so close, we have friends that go there, and the congregation is so much fun. Why can't we, you ask? They're Mormon.

Since all that I know about their religion is from Wikipedia and Big Love (okay Big Love isn't fair because it doesn't represent the LDS), we came home and read Joe's old college religion book about the Mormon religion. I actually agree with a lot of things they do. . .but not the main part (Joseph Smith) so we'll be sticking with our non denominational Christian church.Which reminds me, we finally went on Sunday, February 28th! After I last blogged about wanting to go, it was the weekend Logan was staying with my parents so we talked ourselves into taking our one opportunity to sleep in. The next two Sunday mornings Joe had to work. He still had to work this past Sunday but he did it later.

It was really great to be back (hadn't been in a year)!! Unfortunately, the whole reason why we haven't gone showed valid - Logan was fine through the music (the first half an hour) but then when the service started he was like, you expect me to just sit here and be quiet for the next 45 minutes? I looked around and there wasn't a single other toddler in the room. Joe took him out in the hall and said all of the other kids were in the nursery. I guess I was hoping because of that girl toddler I'd seen last August at my grandma's church (The End Of Summer) who had stood quietly still for an hour, that since Logan is better about that now compared to then at 16 months, maybe we could do it. But no, it's just not possible for most kids this age.

However, I don't like the idea of putting him in the nursery room at this time. If we'd been going since day one and he was comfortable there, knew everyone, etc. - then I wouldn't stress. But if we did that next Sunday? He'd scream the whole time! I want church to be a pleasant experience for him, not traumatic! A year from now (and all of the years in the future) he should be able to understand when I say "I'll be back in an hour" but right now he has no concept of time. So I guess Joe and I will have to take turns each Sunday taking him out when he gets rambunctious. At least it's a non traditional service so people (like him) can eat, and it's dark so he can play a little by our chairs in the back. He was just getting whiny this time (and a little scared every now and then of all of the lights from the band) so I didn't want him to disturb the message because - OMG - it was incredible! Talk about God making me go that morning - he knew it was going to be the perfect words for me to hear!!!!

For the past couple of weeks I've been struggling with the subject of joy -- I won't go into it because I already blogged about it last summer in my post My Update On My Writing. Well it was that exact topic! I'd had a huge conversation with Joe about it the night before, and then that morning there was the minister saying, "If this is you don't think it's a coincidence that you're here." Shivers!

I started reading the book You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay yesterday. It's super good!Nothing else is on tap for this week except my therapist appt. today (I won't be mentioning it on my blog anymore since it's every Wednesday) and then this weekend we're getting together with Chris and her one-year-old son Gregory. His twelve month birthday was on Feb. 12th but his first birthday party that was originally set for the 13th had to be rescheduled because his mommy & daddy were both ill. Since they are still in their apartment until they move next month, a co-worker was throwing it for them at her house. Unfortunately, then the co-worker's kids ended up getting sick last weekend (when try #2 was supposed to happen) so Chris decided to just skip the party idea.

Meanwhile, I can't decide if I'm going to do another big party for Logan this year. Birthday #1 was a no-brainer because it was his very first one, and from #3 on he's going to want one, so I feel like #2 is the only one I can get by with just having a small family get together! But then I think if I'm going to get a cake and decorations anyway (right now I'm thinking either Elmo or Thomas The Train) then I might as well invite all of his little friends, too. So we will see!

I just can't believe it's time again -- seems like just yesterday I wrote the post about his first party (Birthday Boy). But it's true -- just six and a half weeks away! That means I need to make his appointment for his two year old photos at Picture People for the first time (we're also going to try for another family photo since our 2009 ones didn't come out since I looked like Two Ton Tilly. I only lost 4 lbs during the month of February - I hate excuses but it was because I hardly worked out. The TV in our bedroom completely died, which is what I used for aerobics DVDs/videos and to watch while I did the eliptical machine. We've since moved another TV up there so no excuses for March as I still have 12 lbs more to go! The good news is that this makes a total of 10 lbs lost since the new year - putting me at exactly my pre-pregnancy weight for the very first time since last Feb (2009). I still have 6 lbs to go for my breastfeeding weight (i.e. what I weighed after giving birth to Logan thru January 2009) and then for the last 6 lbs it's been over four years! But I've still eaten plenty of junk food since 2010 began, so I'm glad I've even lost 10 lbs.)

Most important, though, is Logan's slideshow (last year I put together a 20 minute music and pic DVD of his first year and I want to do that again for his second year) as well as another timeline (last year's was my post titled Timeline-First Year With Son). But first -- my recommendations part 3 post -- coming this Friday!

American Idol Season 9

It's Tuesday so you know what that means: American Idol is on tonight!

The first time I saw an episode was during the season 3 auditions. It was the year 2004 and Joe and I were living in our apartment, a few months away from celebrating our first wedding anniversary. Previously, I hadn't gotten into any of the reality television shows. Never saw an episode of Survivor or The Bachelor - however, I did watch The Bachelorette with Trista & Ryan (that was the very first reality TV show that I saw in 2002). I'm still not a big reality TV person, but American Idol drew me in so I've watched several other reality television shows since.

I remember I was in "our office" on the computer (imagine that) and Joe was watching TV in our family/living room. He was cracking up laughing. It didn't stop, he just kept laughing and laughing. Despite my husband having a great sense of humor and being a funny guy, I rarely see him in hysterics so of course I had to come out to see what the heck he was watching. That was the year of William Hung - need I say more? Joe and I began tuning in each week (or should I say each night? LOL). When the actual contestants were chosen, we picked our favorite: Fantasia Barrino who ended up winning!

Season four was in 2005 and despite me never being a country fan, I LOVED Carrie Underwood - in fact, I hadn't actually voted the year before but as of that year I now vote most weeks :-)

Season five was 2006 and it was the first year my fav didn't win. Like most people, I was all about Chris Daughtry. I actually cried the night he was eliminated (leaving three left, including winner Taylor Hicks). It had been a bad day all around. I had taken Bella & Cosmo out in public for the first time by myself to the pet store. On our way to the car Bella escaped from her collar and ran onto one of the busiest streets in Omaha. Thank God cars were stopped at a stop light, otherwise she wouldn't have had a chance. I screamed for her to come back but she ignored me. Right before the light changed to green, a guy in one of the cars tried to get her to come to him which scared her and so she ran to me just as the light changed and all of the cars zoomed through.

Season six was 2007 and I was a Blake Lewis fan. He received second place; winner was Jordin Sparks.

Season seven was 2008 which will always make me think of Logan - we'd been glued to the show each week of my third trimester, but missed the week after Logan was born due to spending his first week at Children's Hospital due to his jaundice. I remember watching a few minutes of the April 23rd episode in the ER. My favorite had been David Cook who ended up winning that season! I watched the finale with my friend Sarah who was visiting from Seattle while Joe was gone on a business trip to Washington D.C.

Season eight was 2009 (last year) and my favorite (as I blogged about in my post American Idol Finale) was Kris Allen who ended up winning!

Now it is season nine - 2010. I like that Joe & I have continued to watch it over the years because this is the only show we have watched for this long together. In fact, it is the only show for the past couple of years that we have watched sitting on the couch side-by-side. It gives us something to look forward to in the evenings, and now that Logan is starting to take an interest in television he joins us for a few minutes here & there, so it is fun to think he might grow up with this show (if it lasts after this season since Simon is leaving).

So far, I'm loving Ellen DeGeneres as a judge. My fav contestant starting off is Lee Dewyze. Maybe because he reminds me of a standard Midwest guy? Haha! Last week was the first time I ever heard him sing a complete song and I could tell he has an excellent voice. I think he is capable of some great stuff in the future :-) For girls, my fav starting out is Didi Benami - her story touched me during the weeks past and her personality seems like a nice girl - but, like Lee, it's her voice that I can tell is capable of "my kind of music."

I also like Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, and Michael Lynche (and don't mind looking at Tim Urban and Casey James, LOL) as well as Lilly Scott and Katelyn Epperly - although the last one is only because Logan is smitten with her. I'm not kidding - he never cares about American Idol unless she comes on the TV - then he just STARES the entire time she's on, there's no getting his attention, it's hilarious!

Since last week was the first real week of the competition, it will take me a couple of more weeks to predict the one who I think should win, but I'm guessing it will be one of the nine names I just mentioned.

Ironically, my favorite winner of all of the years is Kelly Clarkson, who I never saw since I didn't watch the first two seasons. But, I LOVE every single song she has ever sung. Speaking of which, stay tuned for one of her songs for next week's Music Monday! :-)

American Idol Finale!

Yeay Kris Allen! I'm good - in my post, Catch Up Time I said that when American Idol announced the top 36 I picked my favorite three. They were Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, and Kris Allen. Those ended up being the actual final three this season! However, each week since the top 12, I only called in for one: Kris Allen.

All three guys were totally different and so I liked them equally because I could appreciate all of their styles. But Kris is the only type of CD that I buy. Hopefully they will all get recording contracts.

Adam was expected to win, with Danny a close second. Kris was kind of ignored for more than half the season. Maybe it was the resemblance to my brother, haha, or the fact that Kris just seemed like such a nice, good guy - but I wanted him to stay in. Despite so many people calling him "boring" or not even knowing his name - I didn't think he was getting enough credit. I thought he did flawless nearly each week. When the judges bashed him during "Apologize" I was shocked - I had been in awe during that performance! So, I called for two hrs straight the night he got into the top two and was happy that I only got through ten times in those two hours. Obviously I wasn't the only one rooting for the under dog.

Until then I had been convinced that Adam was going to win (and I would have been just as happy with that), but last night I had a feeling that Kris was going to be the surprising winner of American Idol. I am happy; I think Adam was destined for a record deal the second he made the show, but Kris might have gone unnoticed if he had gotten kicked off earlier in the season. He is what American Idol is all about: taking regular people, "the guy next door," and giving them a shot that they wouldn't have had otherwise. Now, because of this show, Kris gets to pursue his dream. If only we could all be so lucky!!!