Goodie Goodie Groceries

Today Jack and I went to the grocery store. You may be wondering why a trip to the grocery store would be worth blogging about. Well, I'll tell you why...for the past 4 days I have had the stomach flu or virus or stomach something. All I know is I haven't been able to look at food, much less eat it. It started on Monday (yes, it was a long illness) with a little abnormal tiredness. That continued on through Tuesday. On Wednesday, I found myself napping EVERY time Jack did and not waking up when he did. On Thursday morning, I woke severely nauseated which turned into a very ugly Thursday evening. That is when I fell apart and Clay had unexpected Daddy duty again! I spent the next three days in bed or in the bathroom. Between changing diapers, changing bibs, and changing Jack's activities, Clay was also trying to nurse me back to health. That is a lot of work for one Daddy. He took Friday off from work and took the weekend off from any leisure activities. He was a sport, as always! I on the other hand, moaned and groaned and thought I may be on the verge of dying. In 4 days, I ate 3 saltines, 4 pretzels, and a bowl of chicken broth...none of which stayed down...yuck! Occasionally, Clay would bring Jack into my dungeon of a bedroom to see me. Jack would smile and reach for me. I'm sure he was wondering why his Mommy was being so lazy. Then the boys would go downstairs and play. From my bedroom, I could hear laughing, giggling, and squeals...it was music to my ears...I wanted to join in so badly. Everyday of this illness seemed like a week. Cosby was a different story, he didn't leave my side. He had to be forced to go outside for bathroom breaks. I think he was trying to enjoy me all to himself while he could. I told Cosby he was the best "dogtor" ever...he is still my very loyal companion even after being pushed to number 2. Well, every gray cloud has a silver lining. And this cloud had two. #1... for the first time in 15 months, I actually saw my pre-Jack weight on the scale. It was very short lived, but I loved every minute of it! And #2...the dreaded chore of grocery shopping was actually fun again. Jack always enjoys it, but it's not on my top 10 favorite things to do. But, today it wasn't so bad. Jack looked around as if to say, "hey, I remember this place" and I looked at food and didn't even get sick. I was actually beginning to crave a few things...I guess it's so long to that number on the scale!

Trick or Treat

Okay, so I know my last blog was about Jack in his Halloween costume, but I couldn't resist showing it again. He is just so darling. Plus, these are from the official day. At 5:45 pm we met the entire Carriage Park neighborhood by the monument for the start of the annual neighborhood parade. Our whole family attended, Clay and I, Jack, and of course Cosby. Cosby is not too keen on costumes so he wore a Halloween bandanna and he still didn't really like that. As a matter of fact, Jack was the only Cibula in costume...Clay and I sported orange and black instead. We paraded around the neighborhood, kids showing their costumes, and ended at the clubhouse. As usual, Jack's eyes were a mile wide...he starred at everyone in amazement except for his own family...we were old news at that point. Pizza and punch awaited us at the clubhouse, which was great, because who wants to cook on Halloween night? After filling their stomachs, the kids were gone. Jack watched intently as each one disappeared with empty bags in hand. His head turned from one side of the stroller to the next and back again. If I could only read his mind I think he would have been saying, "if I could run, crawl, scoot, anything!". And I was thinking the exact opposite, "oh no, one day Jack is going to grow up!". At that point, we decided it was time to return home to make sure the kids had someone to get candy from. Jack helped us answer the door for a few trick or treaters and then he decided it was bedtime. Cosby helped us answer the door for all of the trick of treaters. Unfortunately his greeting was not quite as welcoming as Jacks. By about...umm...the 48th visitor, Cosby finally realized his efforts were in vain and he gave up. It was even mentioned that we deserved the scariest house award and it was not because of our Halloween decorations! That didn't deter Clay from greeting the costumed kids and passing out candy. I loved listening to the door open and Clay converse with the trick or treaters throughout the night...Jack is really lucky to have such a fabulous Daddy. And with no problem at all, Jack slept Halloween night away even with ringing doorbells, a barking dog, Daddy's greetings, and trick or treaters.

Halloween Baby Bash

Today Jack attended his first official Halloween bash. Costume and all, Jack and I arrived at Amanda and 15 month old Cole's house for the fun. Jack was one of the youngest guests in attendance. However, that did not stop him from enjoying himself. He was memorized by the mobility of the toddlers and their flashy costumes. We saw Allison and Dorothy aka Ansley, a bumble bee, two lions, a "T" Bird greaser, Elvis, a pumpkin, and a 5o's girl. The party started with some spooky snacks...monster cheese bread, creepy black nachos, orange cupcakes, and juice boxes. Unfortunately for Jack, all he got was a bottle. But, Mommy tried the gruesome goodies...yum! (Maybe next year Jack) That was followed by an attempt to capture a picture of all of the costumed babes. All the Mommies lined their little ones on the couch...that lasted, oh let's say...15 seconds. Babies fell over, stood up, layed on one another, cried, ripped their costume off, etc. I never could quite get a picture of all of the babies. Jack did actually sit still, only because he had no choice. One...he isn't mobile yet and two...a lion was laying against him, slightly weighing him down. Again, that didn't stop Jack from enjoying himself. He sat very content and soaked in all of the happenings. (He was probably planning his moves for next year!) The picture session was followed by play and lots of it. The guests traveled up to Cole's playroom for what they really came for...toys! Jack was in awe again...toys from wall to wall...if only he could craw!. However he plopped down in the middle of plastic balls, flashing lights, twisting tubes, and a talking Elmo. He was in heaven. He smiled, oohed, and giggled. I think he would have been willing to move in if Cole wouldn't have minded an instant little brother. But, Mommy knows best and it was nap time. So, my little sailor and I said our goodbyes and headed home for our afternoon nap. When I got home, I went straight to our "basement workman" and strongly suggested that Jack's playroom and the adjacent rooms be finished by the end of the week... especially now that Jack and I know what we have been missing out on!

Daddy Duty

This weekend is "Daddy Duty". Mommy is getting in the car Friday morning and heading to the beach to hang out with girls...no babies, no daddies, no dogs...just girls! Oh, my goodness, what am I going to do with myself? The first thing on my list is...sleep in! Yes, I am going to wake up when I want to, not when I need to. Now, every Saturday morning Clay let's me sleep in and he wakes up with Jack. The only problem is I really don't get to sleep in, it's more like "lay in". Don't get me wrong, I cherish my Saturdays and I appreciate Clay's gesture. But, it's not really sleeping. I lay in bed and Clay and Jack come in the bedroom, they ask questions, they get clothes, they brush teeth, they play on the floor, etc. So although I don't have to physically get out of bed it's not technically sleeping in. That's why my priority this weekend is to sleep past 7am. The next thing I am going to do is eat out...eat out without a highchair, without a diaper bag, and without scarfing down my meal in time to entertain Jack. I might actually get to taste my food and breathe in between bites...yum! The third thing I am going to do is spend my days talking to adults...not a baby and not a dog. My days are filled with one sided conversations. The upside to that are both Jack and Cosby agree with everything I say...makes life pretty simple. The downside is often the conversation goes no where. So this weekend, I am going to talk and relish in the sound of the voices that respond to me. And the last thing on my weekend to do list is to do nothing....no diapers, no laundry, no errands, no cooking...just plain ol' nothing! What will I do with myself? I can't even remember what it is like to be lazy or was I ever even lazy? Who knows, but I am going to be this weekend. Now, Daddy on the other hand has a completely different kind of weekend ahead of him. There will be no time for laziness, i.e football games, channel surfing, couch lounging..you get my drift. His job will be 24/7! He graciously volunteered to stay at home for a boys weekend while Mommy was away at her girls weekend. I know he will do a fabulous job. He loves Jack and Jack loves him. Unfortunately, when Clay volunteered Jack was feeling great. Things have changed, as of today's doctor's visit, Jack has a 2nd ear infection and bronchitis. So not only does Daddy have to remember feedings, naps, and diaper changes, but also when to give meds and breathing treatments. I have full faith that he and Jack will survive the weekend and maybe even do a little bonding in the mean time...I just hope our house can survive a boys weekend!