The Gnome's Mom

That CRAZY New Diet

Lori — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:40 +0000

I’m not sure how it happened, but while I was pregnant my husband and I gave up all animal products in our diet. I mean, I kind of know how it happened but it wasn’t a conscious decision.

You may remember that my husband went vegetarian for most of last year. (Was that really just last year? It feels like forever ago.) When we moved to Oklahoma, he caved and we started eating meat again. Then in my second trimester, I couldn’t eat meat at all.

In January, we had our blood drawn for our insurance. We found out that Jason’s cholesterol was high and so was his blood pressure. He’s 27.

Considering that we generally eat pretty clean and we don’t do a lot of processed food (and we really didn’t eat out a lot either), we were really surprised. We decided to do some research and eventually decided to cut out animal products for a little bit and see how it went.

Jason before:

Blood Pressure: 135/84

Weight: 194

BMI: 30.5

Total Cholesterol: 218

HDL: 32

LDL: 159

Triglycerides: 133

Jason After (8 weeks later):

Blood Pressure: 110/69

Weight: 176

BMI: 26

Total Cholesterol: 152

HDL: 27

LDL: 100

Triglycerides: 126

Besides the fact that we both felt way better, the numbers don’t lie. Even though I was pregnant, my heartburn disappeared and my energy levels were SO much better than with my previous pregnancy. We decided to make this our lifestyle rather than a diet. And we both still feel fantastic.

It’s nice to know that we’re doing what we can to keep our whole selves healthy (we’re also running and staying active as a family). Since making the change, we’ve learned more about the impact that CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) have on our environment & the way animals raised for meat (or eggs, or dairy) are treated. It’s horrific. If you wish to keep your head buried in the sand (like I wanted to for a long time), I suggest you don’t research it.

We started this for our health, but the moral and ethical impact helps keep us going too.

I guess we aren’t fully vegan though, because we still eat honey and I haven’t gotten rid of all of our wool (diaper covers and wraps… and my Toms). But we do make an effort to make sure that new purchases fall in line with our vegan lifestyle.

So, there’s that.

Did I mention the food is delicious? Because it is.

If you do want some more information, check out the following books:

Engine 2 Diet (Also a documentary, available on Netflix)

Forks Over Knives (Also a documentary, available on Netflix)

Thrive (Great info on plant based diets for athletes)

Documentaries available on Netflix:

Engine 2 Diet

Forks Over Knives

Vegucated

A River of Waste (about CAFOs)

Come on now, be honest… what do you think of vegans? What type of diet do you and your family eat? If you enjoy reading about the gnome, the fish, & their family, like us on Facebook, add us on Google+, and follow us on twitter! While you’re at it… check out our Networked Blogs box in the right sidebar!

Can I Have An Extra Hour or Two, PLEASE?!

Lori — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:41:58 +0000

There are so many things I WANT to do.

I’m in the middle of a really intriguing book.

I’m 6 weeks postpartum so I just started running and working out again.

My 6 week old nurses constantly.

He also goes through cloth diapers like crazy.

Which means the laundry never ends.

And he doesn’t like to be put down.

I want to spend as much time with my toddler as possible.

I am committed to not letting electronics become my “out” for him.

We committed to eating no processed foods a few months ago.

This means EVERY meal & snack is prepared from scratch, six times a day.

Which means the dishes never end.

I like a clean & tidy house.

Which means the cleaning never ends.

I found a TV series I would love to watch online.

I’d like to shower, brush my teeth, and go to the bathroom as needed.

I want to blog semi-regularly.

Always multitasking!

There just isn’t enough time in my day. I have to keep reminding myself (and my husband) that it will settle down soon. But it’s hard, we both feel like we’re constantly on the go. Yesterday was a prime example. By the time we got our runs in, made dinner, got the toddler to bed (way late), and cleaned up – it was 11pm! So our day started at 6am and ended at 11pm. With 2 or 3 night wakings from the kids.

I have no idea why I’m not completely exhausted. I’m a little tired but mostly, I just want an hour or so a day to myself. To shower alone. To dry my hair. To read or (gasp!) veg out to a TV show.

I knew to expect it to be hectic for a while. Honestly, most days aren’t as bad as yesterday was. But it still feels like go go go from sunrise to bedtime.

Could you use an extra hour or two in your day? What would you do with it? If you enjoy reading about the gnome, the fish, & their family, like us on Facebook, add us on Google+, and follow us on twitter! While you’re at it… check out our Networked Blogs box in the right sidebar!

Fischer’s Birth Story :)

Lori — Sat, 11 May 2013 18:03:28 +0000

Because I have weird birth junkie friends who need ALLLL the details, I actually managed to keep pretty detailed notes up until about an hour before Fischer’s birth. This was written during the blurry week-long NICU stay (I stayed with Fischer the whole time and Jason brought Parker up to see us each day). Also, while I’ve always used pseudonyms for us in the past, it’s too much to keep up with now – so there are real names here!

Thursday morning (33 weeks, 5 days 3/21) I went to my regular bi-weekly OB appointment (34 weeks) and mentioned that I had been having some pretty uncomfortable Braxton Hicks contractions on a regular basis. My doctor asked if I would be okay with her checking my cervix and she determined that I was dilated to 2cm and 50% effaced. I didn’t think it was a big deal because I was at a 2 for several weeks with Parker.

Wednesday afternoon (34 weeks, 4 days 3/27) I woke up at 5:45am with a really painful contraction. I had a couple more painful contractions by that afternoon and a lot of Braxton Hicks that were semi-regular. My OB suggested that I go to L&D to get checked. I was hesitant to go in over nothing but eventually went in. By the time I got there, contractions had stopped. I was at 2cm and 60% effaced but nothing else was going on.

Friday afternoon (34 weeks, 6 days 3/29) I dropped Jason off at work after having lunch with him and headed home briefly before getting ready to meet Somer to go grocery shopping. I wanted to knock out grocery shopping at two different stores before we left to head to Texas Saturday morning.

I got home around 3pm and was standing outside talking to my neighbor while our kiddos fed the ducks and I felt a small gush. I thought that it was odd that I peed myself since, while I know that it’s a common occurrence in pregnancy, it had never happened to me before. And I was just standing there, it’s not that I had sneezed or was putting any strain on anything. I discreetly finished our conversation and went inside to change my pants.

I jokingly sent both Jason and Somer text messages that said, “either I just peed myself or my water just broke.”

Somer met me at my house and we decided to take one car to the grocery store. 15 minutes or so into our shopping, I felt another (slightly bigger) gush. I told Somer that it just happened again and she suggested I call my OB and ask if I should go in. I was hesitant to go back to L&D after what happened two days before so I put it off. I called Jason and told him that I probably peed myself again but to be aware that my water might actually be leaking. I called the OB’s office but it was a Friday and they had closed earlier than 5. Rather than page the on call OB, I just hung up because I was still convinced it was no big deal.

We finished grocery shopping at store number one but had taken so long (and stopped to eat some raw & vegan avocado chocolate mousse pie, feed the kiddos some snacks, and of course I had to hit the bathroom lots to clean up and to pee a million and one times) that we didn’t have enough time to hit store #2 before I needed to pick Jason up so I dropped Somer and Evelyn back off at their car and headed to pick up Jason. I was talking to him about what happened on the way back home and mentioned that my pants were wet, again. When we got home and walked in the house (around 6:10pm) I said, “feel this” and then as he was feeling, I felt another gush, just a little bigger than the one before it.

I decided to call the on call OB who suggested I head to L&D and get the fluid tested. I called Somer to see if she would take me in after we both got something to eat and I pulled out the things I would want for a hospital bag “just in case.” I threw a bunch of stuff on the bathroom counter for Jason to bring up to the hospital in case I wasn’t just peeing myself and then went to the kitchen and made myself some snacks. I made raw marinated stuffed mushrooms and had Jason slice a cucumber up for me.

We made it to L&D OB Emergency by 7:40pm. By now, my water was leaking pretty good. They checked me pretty much right away and I was still at a 2 but now 90% effaced. They started the test to see if it was amniotic fluid or urine and the nurse said, “it should take about 20 – 30 minutes so I’ll be back then with the results.” Less than 5 minutes later she came back to say that “the test lit up like a Christmas tree, your water is definitely broken.” I called Jason and my sister while the hospital worked on getting me admitted.

In hindsight, if I would have thought my water actually broke, I probably would have stayed home for another 24 hours to buy myself some more time to see if labor would start on its own. But I was convinced that this was a total overreaction and it was just going to be urine.

I called Jason and my sister and let them know what was going on. Both of them headed up to the hospital and seemed to get there REALLY fast. Jason brought Parker with him.

Friday, 9:30pm The on call OB started Pitocin. The Pitocin didn’t seem to do anything more than my body was already doing and it was making me uncomfortable to be continuously monitored. I was terrified of ending up with a c-section from the second my water broke before labor started.

Friday, 11pm My water completely broke while I was using the bathroom. I was dilated to 3cm.

Last time my water never broke. They broke it after I got my epidural. This time, it was like a constant gushing. I soaked through several towels and all kinds of fun stuff while I was walking and/or laying in the bed. It felt like I was peeing myself over and over and over again. Disgusting.

Saturday, 12:45am My sister, niece, Parker, & Somer all went to sleep. I asked the nurse if I could walk (I had free roam of the room but I needed to walk) and they said they’d have to turn off the Pitocin. Win. Jason and I started walking with intermittent external monitoring.

Saturday, 2am I started to get tired so we went back to the room for good and I got hooked back up to the monitors. 3cm & 100% effaced. I asked for them to stop cervical checks unless absolutely necessary because they were starting to emphasize the fact that my water had been broken for 12 hours and push to start Pitocin again.

Saturday, 3am Pitocin started again.

3:45am Pitocin up to 4.
4:30am Pitocin up to 6.
6:30am Pitocin up to 8.
7:00am Pitocin up to 10.

Saturday, 7:05am Baby’s heart rate started decelerating so we turned off the Pitocin. This is where things got kind of ugly. I’m not completely against Pitocin if it’s used appropriately and is working without causing stress to the baby. I am not willing to stress or injure my baby to fit into a doctor’s schedule. They wanted to restart Pitocin right away and I wanted to walk and wait.

Saturday, 7:30am Doctor came in to ask me to allow them to place an internal monitor (which would leave me bound to an area about 3 feet from my bed). I said no way to internal monitoring because I thought they were talking about the monitor that screws into baby’s scalp. She clarified that it was an IUPC (intrauterine pressure catheter that just lies near the baby and is able to better gauge contractions and stress on baby than an external monitor).

Doctor got all puffed up and scary about needing to monitor right now when I asked if I could try walking for another hour or so to try to get things moving (and give my baby a break from the Pitocin contractions). She finally agreed to let me be monitored in bed for another hour without Pitocin and then walk for 2 hours with intermittent monitoring before revisiting Pitocin and I thought that was the end of it. She was clear that she wanted internal monitoring before restarting Pitocin because she didn’t want to “go in blind.”

Saturday, 9am On call OB #2 came in to be big and scary about starting Pitocin and internal monitoring RIGHT NOW and I said no. The information that he got from on call OB #1 didn’t include the fact that I had already been on Pitocin twice and baby didn’t like it.

Saturday, 10am I “fired” on call OB #1 because she was a bitch and on call OB #2 agreed to take me.

Saturday, 10:45am After walking, I tried a breast pump to make some progress. Finally agreed to internal monitor and then restarting Pitocin.

Oh my fucking word. I will never ever ever ever agree to letting them insert an internal monitor without an epidural again. They suggested that it was going to be awful but that was the under-exaggeration of the year. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life.

While inserting the IUPC, the nurse realized that I had a band of scar tissue from my LEEP in April that was holding my cervix shut (so this is why I wasn’t progressing).

11:10am Pitocin upped to 4.
11:40am Pitocin upped to 6.
12:10pm Pitocin upped to 10.
12:40pm Pitocin upped to 14.
1:10pm Pitocin upped to 18.

Saturday, 1:40pm Pitocin upped to 20. I finally started to feel some intense contractions. Really intense.

Saturday, 4:15pm Dilated to 6cm, scar tissue still holding my cervix back.

Saturday, 4:25pm The nurse and a tech started getting the room ready for delivery and I could feel baby moving down. It was really strange to feel since I got an epidural really early last time and didn’t feel anything.

Saturday, 4:30pm Cervical check. I was at 8cm and scar tissue finally started to let loose.

Saturday, 4:45pm Spinal/Epidural placed. Nurse had me push a little while she massaged the scar tissue and helped my cervix dilate more. Used bed pan (oh yes, I managed to avoid a catheter even with an epidural)!

Saturday, 5:30pm NICU team and what felt like half of the hospital arrived in my room to wait for baby to make his grand entrance. The doctor showed up at some point too.

Saturday, 5:40pm Time to push for real.

Saturday, 5:50pm As I push for the very last time, I feel the infamous “ring of fire” and blurt out, “WHY CAN I FUCKING FEEL EVERYTHING?!” Too late to stop pushing now though.

Saturday, 5:51pm Fischer makes his big debut! 5lbs, 4oz – 18.5″ long. He had nuchal cord (cord was wrapped around his neck twice) and was sunny side up. The OB actually pulled him the rest of the way out after I pushed out his head and quickly removed the cord.

The NICU team checked him out and he did amazing. They noticed he was flaring his nostrils a tiny bit and decided to take him to the NICU for observation for 8 hours but I got to hold him first. On the way down to the NICU, they stopped in the waiting room and Parker got to meet his little brother (for the only time so far).

Fischer dropped his temp during the 8 hour observation period so they decided to keep him in the NICU until he could maintain his temperature. That was 6 days ago and we’re still here. I’ve been living on the couch in his room in the NICU to nurse him on demand. Jason has been bringing Parker to the hospital in the mornings (he can’t come into the NICU but I can come out and hang with them between feedings) and taking him home to sleep at night.

It’s been a brutal week. Temp dropping, isolette, jaundice, bili lights, lots of ups and downs. Missing my big boys so so much while I put one foot in front of the other and check temp, change diaper, nurse, pump, wash, sometimes sleep, repeat. Last night I lost it and couldn’t see the light at the end. Tonight (this morning? It’s almost 5am…) there is a light. We’re going to do the car seat test. And we only need to maintain temp for 6 more hours. I am cautiously optimistic that my whole family will be able to be together very very soon.

One week in the NICU has both crawled and flown. It’s been an emotional roller coaster. I’ve had to fight for my baby. I’ve had to be his voice. I’ve met some amazing women who spend their lives taking care of these teeny tinies. And I know how lucky we are to only be here a week (so far, but barring any setbacks, we’re leaving tomorrow). I know how lucky we are that Fischer is healthy and strong for 35 weeks. And I have a new respect for ALL NICU families, whether they’re here a night or months. This is hard work.

And I am so so thankful for our amazing support system. My sister & Somer who were invaluable. Our family that drove up from Texas. Everyone that came to visit. Playgroup that happened in the NICU waiting room on Tuesday to keep Parker’s mind off of things and so that Jay and I could visit Fischer together instead of having to come in separately. Everyone that has visited (those of you that kept me company in the wee hours of the night). Everyone that has called, texted, emailed, kept us in their thoughts – thank you. I am so overwhelmed with love and gratitude. Life is good today.

Did you write down the story of your baby’s birth (or babies’ births)? If you enjoy reading about the gnome, the fish, & their family, like us on Facebook, add us on Google+, and follow us on twitter! While you’re at it… check out our Networked Blogs box in the right sidebar!

Well, I WAS Pregnant.

Lori — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:01:57 +0000

Briefly.

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

34 Weeks

About an hour after my water broke (although I thought I just peed myself) at 34 weeks, 6 days.

I have no idea in what order to try to blog about everything that happened while I was gone. It was a lot. It got crazy. I’ll start by just introducing our newest addition.

This is Fischer.

Fischer came exactly 5 weeks early after my water broke when I was 34 weeks, 6 days. No idea WHY my water broke so early but after a week-long NICU stay (both of us, because I couldn’t bring myself to leave him there), he came home and he’s totally fine. I am hoping to get some answers at my 6 week postpartum visit today because The Gnome came early too (at 37 weeks 1 day).

Besides an entire pregnancy and birth, there have been a lot of other changes around here. I’ll try to get you up to speed over the next few days or weeks. We’ll start with birth. I know it’s been awhile, but if you remember, I tend to overshare. Because of that, I kept awesome notes during my labor. So I’ll have a detailed birth story for y’all next time. Boring, but detailed :)

How long were you pregnant? If you enjoy reading about the gnome, the fish, & their family, like us on Facebook, add us on Google+, and follow us on twitter! While you’re at it… check out our Networked Blogs box in the right sidebar!

A Mom’s Life

Lori — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:51:01 +0000

It’s been awhile.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to come back. But if I did, I wanted to come back with a bang.

This happened today.

Bang.

You’re welcome.

Come on, admit it, have you breastfed on the crapper? If you enjoy reading about the gnomes & their family, like us on Facebook, add us on Google+, and follow us on twitter! While you’re at it… check out our Networked Blogs box in the right sidebar!

(I realize I owe y’all a couple catch up posts… they’re coming.)

Man Cold?

Lori — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:29:29 +0000

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday hosted by Heather from 2 Sleeping Babies and Tara from Crunchier by the Day! Every ~~week~~ once in a while I link up blog posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives.

I swore I was going to keep up with my blog again. And last Monday I wrote about how sick The Gnome was. It started with Hubby and I actually made fun of him, calling it a “man cold.” The Gnome got it and he didn’t complain as much as his daddy.

And then I got it.

It wasn’t so bad for the first two days. But I couldn’t do what Hubby did and take Mucinex to dry up all of the nasty congestion. Since I’m pregnant, I tried to just ride it out. And then I woke up on Thursday and looked like I got punched in both eyes because they were so swollen. I made it until Friday before I ended up in the urgent care.

Today is day 4 on antibiotics (which I really, really, really wanted to avoid) and I am finally feeling human again. My face is still a little sore but it isn’t swollen anymore. I finally slept through the night last night for the first time in 3 days.

I even stayed off of Facebook for two days because it hurt to open my eyes. If that isn’t sick, I don’t know what is!

I will never, ever give my husband crap for his man colds again.

How’s your Monday going? If you enjoy reading about The Gnome & his family, like us on Facebook, add us on Google+, and follow us on twitter! While you’re at it… check out our Networked Blogs box in the right sidebar!

My Poor Baby Is Sick.

Lori — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:14:26 +0000

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday hosted by Heather from 2 Sleeping Babies and Tara from Crunchier by the Day! ~~Every week~~ every once in a while I link up blog posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives.

The Gnome is sick.

He’s got a horrific cough and all kinds of gross drainage. He’s handling it like a champ though, except for at night. He’s having a really rough time sleeping. We haven’t found a doctor here yet (his first appointment with the pediatrician we want is October 30th) so we’re trying to just ride it out.

He’s also teething.

Yay two-year molars. Not.

I am 11 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

Isn’t the all day sickness supposed to be going away by now? Ughhh. On one hand, I am thrilled because it means I am still pregnant. On the other hand, “omggggg I’m dying.”

It’s not all whining and complaining over here today though!

The Gnome pooped in the potty again today!

This is a huge deal, even though he is pee-trained and has been in undies full-time since the beginning of August, he didn’t actually poop in the potty until we moved in here on October 3rd. It’s still hit or miss but it’s an improvement and I’ll take it!

I contributed for our first ever Bountiful Basket today. I wanted to do it in Texas so bad but our produce was cheap enough that it didn’t make sense. The location closest to us was sold out but I managed to get one from another location that isn’t too far away. I’m hoping I get some fun stuff – because all I seem to be able to eat lately is raw fruits, raw veggies, and ice cream.

I’m going to crawl back into my hole on the couch watching Elmo with my sick boy now.

So, The Pregnancy Thing.

Lori — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 13:00:26 +0000

We tried for 15 cycles to get pregnant. I saw a naturopath. My last appointment with my OB in Texas (June 11th), he wanted to start me on Clomid. Since I was moving the next month, he suggested I find a fertility specialist in Tulsa.

I had given up.

We moved to Tulsa July 28th. I had an appointment with a fertility specialist scheduled for September 11th.

When we were looking at houses here (and that’s a whole other thing I need to update you on), I started ruling out smaller homes even though our goal was to downsize. I was preparing us to adopt. I didn’t want to be in a one or two bedroom home and be told that it was too small to be considered as adoptive parents.

Little did I know, I was already pregnant.

Based on my due date (because my periods are so unreliable), we conceived the first week we moved here (the first week of August). Because I hadn’t had a period since June, I took 2 or 3 pregnancy tests the first month we were here, but they were all negative.

In the beginning of September, I started spotting and I was super stoked that I was finally getting a period (would’ve been only my third this year) so that we could “try” again. I spotted for three days and then on the fourth day, nothing.

I’m not quite sure what compelled my to ask my sister to pick me up a pregnancy test from the store on that fourth day (September 5th), but I asked her. She brought one home for me and I took it a few hours later, just in case.

I was shocked when it was positive right away (this isn’t the first test, this is the second one that I picked up the next day, just to make sure). I couldn’t wait to tell hubby, but I felt like I owed him a cute surprise after the last time (I was also shell-shocked and just called him at work and blurted it out).

For 15 months I had been planning on getting The Gnome a cute “big brother” shirt to wear and then just letting hubby see it. Unfortunately, when I found out, I was at my sister’s house 25 minutes from even a Walmart. I knew I wouldn’t make it to the next day so we settled for making a shirt. The local store didn’t even have toddler-sized shirts so we ended up making me one to wear.

OVbunEN. Get it? My husband is a word nerd too so he got it pretty quickly. He was just as surprised as I was. But thrilled too.

Unfortunately, the spotting and even bleeding hasn’t stopped. I ended up in the ER that Sunday and we got our very first ultrasound. No pictures from that one, but everything turned out okay. I found out I was just a little over 6 weeks, and baby already had a strong heartbeat!

My new OB (I had to cancel my appointment with the fertility specialist and find a new OB!) has been keeping a really close eye on things since I’ve been spotting and bleeding pretty much the whole time. I didn’t bleed at all with The Gnome, so it’s been a weird adjustment.

This is from the third ultrasound, it almost looks fake right??? Baby was super active during this one too.

We thought we lost our little bean on Saturday morning. I woke up bleeding heavily and there were some chunks in there too. I had gotten used to the bleeding but the chunks were terrifying to see. BUT, at my appointment yesterday, we had a fourth ultrasound and baby was moving around like crazy with a super strong heartbeat. This baby is a fighter.

We still don’t know why I’m bleeding, but for the first time, I haven’t bled since Saturday. I am really hoping that chapter of this pregnancy is behind us.

I have had some pretty bad morning sickness the past few weeks. I am starting to feel better most days, but I found out I lost some weight over the last month at my appointment yesterday. No biggie, because I had gained a few pounds the first month.

What else?

I am 11 weeks pregnant, we aren’t going to find out the sex this time, and we can’t agree on any names at all.

It’s going to be a fun next 29 weeks, give or take.

If you enjoy reading about The Gnome & his family, like us on Facebook, add us on Google+, and follow us on twitter! While you’re at it… check out our Networked Blogs box in the right sidebar!

{this moment} – Still Doing THAT.

Lori — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:45:36 +0000

{this moment} – A Friday ritual, inspired by Soule Mama. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Catching Up.

Lori — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 02:20:58 +0000

I wish I could blame my lack of posting on the fact that we moved to a different state and things have been crazy but I can’t. We did move to another state and live in an RV (actually, two) for 2 months which was absolutely terrible. Seriously, I would not recommend it. But, living in an RV, I had plenty of time to blog – I just couldn’t find the motivation.

Instead of blaming it on the moving craziness, I’ll just blame it on the pregnancy. I’ve been sick, and tired but I’m starting to feel better. I’m only throwing up every other day or so now instead of every other hour or so. Oh yeah, I’m pregnant. 15 months of trying and I am pregnant. I had given up, isn’t that how it always happens? In case you’re wondering, I was already pregnant when I saw the naturopath… so yeah…

I posted about it on the Facebook page, way easier for lazy pregnant bloggers than actually blogging about it by the way. Hmm, what else? The Gnome is two. I have a freaking two year old! He turned two today. I’m still in disbelief.

He’s mostly potty trained. Been out of diapers for about 7 weeks. He still has issues with going poop on the potty but he rarely has any pee accidents.

He is utterly obsessed with Elmo. Hubby’s aunt and my mom are feeding his addiction, he has pretty much every single Elmo thing in the world. Except the ones that make noise. I may have caved on the licensed characters thing, but I draw the line at crazy obnoxious toys.

He has the cheesiest cheese face ever. And I adore it.

He talks up a storm now and knows exactly what he loves. Elmo, shoes, cheese, mommy, popcorn, kitties (we don’t have cats), and daddy are a few of his favorite things. He can say “wuv you,” which totally melts my heart.

I have a lot of catching up to do, but I’m going to try. Promise.