Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Photo Dump

(I also posted another post before this if you want to check that out)

I've been very neglectful again. I'm still having a hard time wanting to write. I make no excuses. I just don't wanna. It makes me feel bad because I wrote so much when Colin was little, and now I'm writing so sparingly. I hope that Ben doesn't look back on this and feel neglected. Sorry, Benny, you guys wear me out. By the time I sit down at the end of the day I'm too exhausted to put a coherent thought together. I love you the same amount as Colin. I promise.

Let's cut to the chase here. Pictures of summer. Go.

We met baby Josie, and Ben loved on her. He loves to hold her and can't get enough of her.
  
 Ben's favorite books are: Ten Little Ladybugs, books about diggers, and The Very Hunger Caterpillar
Ben rode in the Boba and helped Daddy mow the lawn.
Sleeping on the floor after we took the rail of his crib off
 Building
 On the train at Como Town
 Playing with water, one of his favorite things to do.

 Eating a hot dog at the St. Croix County Fair. It was all of the boys' first time. I was the only who had been there! Can you believe that?
 Colin and I riding the bumper cars at Como Town
 He told me, "You go in and make supper. I'll watch Ben." Okay then...
 Playing with the sled
 Colin reading a book to Ben
We went to watch Kevin's grandpa fly his model airplane, but it was too windy for him to fly it. All's well though, because I got this picture out of the deal.
 Sitting on a motorcycle at Como Town (I adore how Ben is holding on so tightly)
 Fun Fest parade. He was in a funk, so I told Colin that they don't pass candy out to kids who smile.
 Riding the Scrambler at the St. Croix County Fair
 Doing the ice cream truck dance. We love the ice cream truck!
 Grandma J. bought him a kangaroo at Como Town. He loves that thing.
 More water fun, thus the toplessness.

Whew. I know pictures are way more fun to look at than words are to read, so there ya go! Summer's not over yet. Maybe I'll find another opportunity to share some more pictures soon.

WAHOOOOOOO!

If you've been following our credit card debt pay off, you know that we took charge of the situation way back in June 2010. Since then, we've lived on a strict budget and have spent very little on "entertainment" and other extras. In the beginning, it was a little rough not getting what I wanted when I wanted it. But with that, we've learned some great lessons.

We've learned to live frugally. We've learned to entertain ourselves for free or very little money. We've learned that it's not about "stuff." We've learned we can make ends meet even when life throws us huge curve balls. We've learned not to rely on credit. We've learned that in the future, it is truly best to save up and pay cash.

Kevin woke up on Saturday morning and one of the first things he said to me was, "I'm going to pay off the last credit card today." I mean, I knew we were going to pay it off this month, but I thought we were going to wait for our DMP payment to go through at the end of the month and pay for the rest after that. Nope, Kevin decided he wanted to pay it now to avoid a service fee for the DMP. So he did.

Today is the day that we can officially say that our credit card debt total is....(drum roll please)....$0! Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Nuffing (<--colinese p="">
I emailed the lady at Family Means and told her our last credit card was paid off. She's sending us some closing paperwork in the mail and that's that. We're done! I was hoping for a little more fanfare, but oh well. It doesn't matter. :)

Next steps:
Pay off the Explorer. Goal end: November
Pay off 2 student loans. Goal end: January

Then we can officially be truly debt free (except the house...). But this? This is a great start.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

And just like that... (2nd edition)

Ben decided to assert his independence on Independence Day by climbing out of his crib on Wednesday night. Not once...multiple times. Then on Thursday morning, I heard him calling for me and a moment later, I heard his door handle jiggle. Thursday's nap was also a battle to keep him in his crib. So...

We took the side rail off and now he's sleeping in his crib-converted-to-toddler/daybed. He's doing okay so far. He definitely likes to experiment with getting in and out before he goes to bed, but generally we can't complain.

I busted out our "baby crack machine" last night. I turned it on and the music playing over and over and over and over and over and over and over.... lulled him to sleep. Same with nap time today.

So I guess that's it.

No more breast feeding, no more crib. The next thing...no more diapers! Wouldn't that be grand?

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

And just like that...

Ben has officially stopped nursing.

About a month ago, Ben always asked for milk before bed.

About 2 or 3 weeks ago, Ben had a choice before he went to bed: milk or books. He usually chose milk, so I nursed him. I could tell he was getting ready to wean because he would spend about 10 minutes "nursing" while smacking me in the face and frog kicking the arm of the rocking chair and trying to talk to me. He didn't always nurse on both sides either. After nursing, Kevin read him books and he went to bed.

Then about a week and a half ago I just asked him if he wanted to read books with me. He nodded his head yes, and didn't ask for milk. We read books, then Kevin read him books, and that was that.

I thought I'd still be producing enough to make things a little uncomfortable, but nope! Our weaning process was so gradual there haven't been any moments of discomfort.

I am so happy that I was able to let Ben decide when to stop. I don't have to feel guilty for cutting him off, because it ended on his own terms.

I'm grateful for all of those hours we spent so close together. In time, he won't remember ever nursing, but I believe the bond we created will last a lifetime.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Ben: 18 months

Ben is 1 and a half already! 

Ben's newest words:
Blankie = "Geeky" :)
Where did it go? = "Go" with the palms of his hands facing up
Moo
Pig snorts
Water = "wawa"
ummmmm (when he's thinking)
please = "meeeee," in addition to the sign
help = "ow"
baby = "beebee"
mine
ni-night
No (sometimes it's a very adamant, shall I say...snotty?...tone)
out = "ow"
more = "mo"
cracker = "kaka"

He's shown a little bit of interest in potty training. For now, we occasionally ask him if he wants to sit on his frog potty. Sometimes he says no, but sometimes he says yes. He peed in it one time a couple of weeks ago. He hates getting his diaper changed, so I'm hoping he's willing to be potty trained early :) He definitely knows what the potty is for, so we'll see!

Ben loves going for walks and bike rides (he rides in the Burley). If we're going for a walk, he makes sure we don't forget Rocket! He likes going to the parks and going down slides and swinging and doing whatever Colin is doing.

He also loves to wrestle. If he's in the mood to roughhouse, he'll bring you into his room, point to the floor and say "down." At that time, you are to either lie on the floor, or sit on the floor and he'll push you over. Then he'll climb all over you and spit in your face and jump on you. Good times.

Unfortunately, he's battling an ear infection again. Summer is supposed to be sick-free! He's had quite a few ear infections (about 6) in the last year, so if he gets another I'll probably make an appointment with an ENT to discuss our options. I'm hoping to avoid tubes, although I hear they're wonderful.

His current favorite books are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Ten Little Ladybugs, and a touch-and-feel animal book. He still nurses before bed, but only for a few minutes. Then we read books, and Kevin reads books. Truthfully, he can be kind of a challenge when he nurses. He hits me, pokes me, sticks his finger in my mouth, frog kicks his legs against the arm of the chair, and talks to me instead of nurse, so his interest is waning. I still love the time with him, but many nights I've told him that I'm not going to give him milk anymore if he isn't nice to me. Ideally, I still want him to decide when he's done, so it'll be interesting to see when he'll quit. I can be gone at his bedtime and he'll go to sleep without me, and my body doesn't care either.

Knowing that Ben loves the water, hopefully we'll be able to go swimming a lot this summer and let him be a little fishy. He loves his baths, and even lays his head back and "floats" in the bathtub (with my hand under his head of course). He's so relaxed when he's floating, which I think is pretty cool.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Pediatrician Appointments

This afternoon Colin had his 4 year well check and Ben had his 18 month well check.

Colin:
Weight: 40 lbs (81 %ile)....holding steady at the 80th
Height: 41.5" (3' 5.5") (69 %ile)....3.5 inches taller since June 2012

Everything looked good :) Per my audiologist's recommendation, I had Dr. C. send in a referral to the audiology department to get Colin's hearing test done so we have a baseline to refer to in the future.

Ben:
Weight: 32 lbs 13 oz (100+ %ile)....holding steady around this weight for about 6 months now.
Height: 33.75" (2' 9.75") (88 %ile)...grew 1.25 inches since March

Another healthy boy. Dr. C. noticed that Ben's front tooth is chipped a little bit. I hadn't noticed. How horrible is that? He said there's a 50/50 chance it will turn black and die. Awesome. Let's hope we're in the "good" half, shall we? Dr. C. has this "trick" that he does. He turns on his light and has his little patients "blow it out" while he flips the switch. Ben watched Colin do it, so when Dr. C. told him to blow it out, he did. And then he let out the best belly laugh. Dr. C. said it's so fun to see an 18 month old interact like that.

Then it was shot time. Ben I wasn't worried about. He cries when he gets poked, and then I pick him up and give him a hug and he's fine. Colin, on the other hand, is a bit more dramatic and hadn't had a shot since he was two. When I told him he had to get a shot, he immediately closed up. I put him on the table and he crawled all over me to get up, but eventually we pinned him down and got it done. He clung to me for a little while before we could leave, but the rest of the night he was fine.

We made things happier by going to McDonald's for supper. A rare treat, so we went all out and Colin and I got a chocolate shake to share :)

The worst part of these appointments is getting those two to be QUIET while Dr. C. and I are talking. I should have learned my lesson by now and do the appointments separately. That would be a lot more productive. We're both distracted and the boys go nuts. Ben opens the door and runs away, Colin is (trying to get attention?) loud, etc. Not cool. Someone remind me in December not to bring Colin with us, okay?

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Debt: 90%!

We paid off our 4th credit card! Now we only have 1 left, with a balance of about $3000. It WILL be paid off in August. With my summer school checks and the payment we already pay towards it, it will GONE. That is going to feel so great!

It's still so hard to imagine our past life when we owed $35000 to our credit cards and now we're only down to a measly $3000. And soon...$0.

I look forward to my next debt update, when I'll be screaming it from the rooftops and doing a little jig :)