Hallelujah for Poison Control Center

I guess parenting wouldn't be parenting without the occasional frantic call to poison control. Abby gave me quite the scare tonight when I found a half-closed bottle of infant's liquid tylenol (with child-proof lid, of course) in my bathroom sink. She admitted to drinking more than half the bottle, and when questioned, she also confessed to drinking some of the "purple stuff" (Children's Sudafed, also with child-proof lid), about 1/3 of that bottle. She polished the medicine off with several of her daddy's glucose tablets that we keep on hand for diabetic lows. Luckily, Poison Control said she would have had to take about 3 times what she took for it to be toxic, but I still have to watch her all night for vomiting or not being able to wake her. It's going to be a long night. I think I may soon find my first gray hair. And, guess what, that medicine with the child-proof lids that was up on the highest shelf possible is going under lock-and-key TOMORROW!!! Anyone know where I can get a lockbox?

Our Sweet Boy is Really Two!

It's official! For the first time in 3 years, we have a two-year-old again! I held up two cake mixes for him to choose from today, a chocolate one and a yellow cake mix. He immediately pointed to the chocolate one and said without hesitation "I want dat one--chocolate". What can I say? This family loves all things chocolate! His sisters thought it would be fun to decorate his cake with his cars that they gave him for his birthday, and he thought the idea was an excellent one. He even added a few himself.

Nathan loved being sung to for his birthday. His face lit up when his Grandma and Aunt Angela told him "Happy Birthday" over the phone. He really is such a sweet boy, and a tremendous blessing in our lives. Karlie and Abby have always doted on their little brother, and he sure looks up to his two sisters. He follows them around and tries to do everything that they do. What a happy little family we have--what a fun day for Nathan!

Hi, I'm Julie, and I'm a Closet Blogger.

They say the best way to overcome an addiction is to admit you have a problem. Well, I'm a closet bloggger, and I mean that quite literally.
We all went to a fabulous 4th of July party at our friends, the Eastman's, house, and we had so much fun--yummy food, lots of water play, and fireworks, of course. We got home quite late, and the kids were exhausted and fell right asleep. I told Brandon that I was really tired and was going to bed, too. However, my blog was calling me. The next thing I knew, I found myself sitting in my walk-in closet with my laptop, door closed, and I started blogging and playing scrabulous on facebook. I was enjoying my sneakiness until I was busted! Yes, Brandon discovered me. While he understands my need for a creative outlet, I think he's disturbed by the hiding in the closet. So, to overcome my problem, I'm standing up and saying "Hi, I'm Julie, and I'm a Closet Blogger". And, if you happen to come over to my house one night and wonder where I am, you might need to knock on my closet door, 'cuz I'll probably be in there again.

You know your child is almost 2 when. . .

You catch him sitting on your cutting board at the top of the stairs preparing to sled down. It's moments like these that set your heart pounding, hoping he survives himself. Like today when we had to make the decision to put the bar stools in the attic for a season. We love these cute red barstools--they add a splash of color to the chocolate-brown kitchen, the girls love to sit on them for breakfast, and it's a great place to sit while using our laptops. However, out of the sheer fear of an impending emergency room visit, they have been put out of order. Nathan had decided that it was too much fun to jump from chair to chair, climb on the counter, and get on top of the ceramic stovetop and play with the dials. The more I discouraged it, the more he wanted to be on those barstools. So, for now, we say farewell to our barstools, until another day. We will miss you!

I've got blogitis or "Thank Heavens for Diet Coke"

Doctor, I think there is something wrong with me. I mean outside of all the normal complaints and kookiness. You see, my toddler has been sick for 5 days now with a fever that goes up to 103 degrees, extreme congestion, and overall general crankiness. The only way he sleeps (day or night) is if he is propped up on my arm or on my chest, and then he snores like a little old man, so then, of course, I can't sleep. Early this morning, at 2 a.m., when I had had about 15 minutes of sporadic sleep, and Nathan was finally sleeping peacefully after waking his Daddy up to give him a blessing, I should have finally been sleeping, right? I mean, any normal, fatigued mommy of 3 who hadn't slept in 4 nights would have zonked out immediately and gratefully. But, doctor, this is how I know that something is wrong with me, because, instead of sleeping, I lay awake thinking of what to blog next! Do you have previous reports of blogitis and how is it treated? Is there any hope for me? Should I stop sleeping next to the beautiful, shiny purple laptap my husband is probably regretting giving to me for Mother's Day? Should I stop drinking so much Diet Coke to fuel my days after so many sleepless nights (please say no, I don't think I could live without my stocked Diet Coke fridge in the garage)? Is there any help for my condition? I beg for your help.
Signed, Loopy Mother of Sick almost 2 year old

Let Me Explain. . .

Our little hula girls (and boy)

So, Brandon was concerned that my very first post sounded somewhat, shall we say, like a cryout for help (I swear I was not depressed, just thinking), so I decided I'd backtrack and talk about what brought me to knee surgery and a bit about our family trip to Hawaii.

First, Hawaii. . . . Shall we just call it Heaven on Earth and leave it at that? The one benefit to having your husband travel with his job is frequent flyer miles and free hotel stays. We decided when we opted to have him take this job that we were going to reap the benefits and take wonderful family vacations. Last year, we had a fun-filled week in San Diego, and, since the kids did so well on the plane, we decided to go a little further this time. So, we spent an entire week in Oahu, and it was so worth it! Now we're saving to go to Maui next year. Or maybe London.

Next, the knee surgery:

So, the surgery I was anticipating was only going to be exploratory arthroscopy, so the recuperation would have been just one day. Well, we all know that things are never so simple medicallly speaking when it comes to me, and this surgery was no different. When I got to surgery, the doctor found all sorts of things wrong with my knee, and now I'm looking at 4-6 weeks of physical therapy. I keep reminding myself that it is such a huge blessing to finally have it all fixed the right way, and it will all be worth it! It's just that I had knee surgery last summer, too, which put a damper on the kids' summer. I'm determined to still make this summer a fun one.

Why can't every day be like Hawaii?

So, I've decided to use my convalescence to start a blog. Why not, everyone else is doing it? But, in being stuck at home by myself, recuperating from what I hope to be the last surgery I ever have, I'm feeling a little blue. I'd much rather be at the movies with Brandon and the kids, even if I would be chasing Nathan around the theater, dealing with overturned popcorn, and possibly a daughter or two hiding behind me during the scary parts. Anytime I am recuperating from a surgery, I am reminded of how I take my everyday health for granted. I love being a mom and having fun with my family. And, this brings me back to Hawaii--the whole reason families should have vacations. Moms need to get away from the housework and outside responsibilities and be the fun mom that they really want to be. Vacations are all about just having fun with the people you love more than anyone else on earth. And, as I sit here at home, missing my family, doing my mundane leg exercises and spending far too much time online, my heart is where they are--Brandon, Karlie, Abby, and Nathan--lets get back to Hawaii.