Adventures of a Stay At Home Mom

Go Ga Ga

2009-10-22T09:37:00.004-05:00

We have been really encouraging Bam to talk lately. Holding things and encouraging a "Please" and "thankyou" response, saying the names of everything he points to, even including spanish words into some of the sentances and discussions I have with him...Last night I got a little scared.

I've heard that sometimes if parents put pressure on their kids to talk they revert back to baby talk. It's not a big deal except that it means the parents are pushing their child too hard. Yesterday in one of our discussions, Bam started to say "Go Ga Ga" Um...it sounded a little to close to goo goo ga ga and I thought "aw crap I've pushed him too hard." and of course in my overly dramatic fashion my mind wandered to him as a student, and worse a teenager who was pushed to excel by his parents and instead he rebels and becomes a member of a biker gang and smokes and all. I know I know Im dramatic, my poor husband.

Anyway...this morning it was the same thing while I was changing his diaper and getting him dressed for b'fast and he was saying it again "Go Ga Ga". I started to worry again. Have I made my 1 year old crack under the pressure of being pushed to talk and not only am I pushing him to speak one language but two...

Well my fears were put to rest once I sat him down for b'fast. I put on his favorite Yo Gabba Gabba DVD and he got so excited he was nearly jumping out of his chair saying "GO GAGA, GO GAGA!!"

OH thank GOD he just really wants his DVD. Thank goodness my child hasn't had a mental breakdown at the tender age of 1. Wait should I be worried that he is already fiending for TV is he watching too much? Ok Im going to stop before I scare myself :D

Bam reading

2009-10-22T10:06:00.001-05:00

100_1955
Originally uploaded by jmeridth

This is Bam cracking under the pressure of being my son. He likes to sit and pretend to read...he talks to his stuffed Curious George Monkey and looks at me while chattering away. :)

How's this for logic?

2009-09-24T10:52:00.001-05:00

I told Lucas last night that he couldn't grow anymore till after Halloween or his costume wouldn't fit...last night I am plating up chicken and veggies for dinner when he comes in to see what we are having. He quickly told me that he can't eat chicken and veggies because they would make him grow and I told him he couldn't. ...Thats our lawyer.

That's my boy

2009-08-12T13:19:00.002-05:00

How is this for priorities...Bam is eating lunch today, his new favorite Mac and Cheese, when he has an explosive diaper. Without batting an eye he continues to eat. He only cried when I took the food away to change him.

He is starting to be a picky eater. He only wants to eat hot dogs, anything dairy, and fruit. I can't get him to eat any veggies so far. He just spits them out. Tried peas, carrots, some cooked broccoli...so far all he wants is meat, dairy and fruit. I hope this phase doesn't last.

Bam's first word..

2009-08-01T22:12:00.002-05:00

Ever since Bam has been making noises Jason and I have been waiting for his first word. He says Dada, and Nana indiscriminately. Today he said "brother". I was taking Lucas out of the room to go potty and Bam pointed at Lucas and said "broba" as we walked out. It was awesome...It made Jason tear up a little. I love those moments. Lucas got so excited at it. He kept trying to get him to say it again and again throughout the day. In fact he did say it again, a couple of times whenever Lucas would play peek a boo behind the couch.

I love watching Bam and Lucas together. They love each other so much. I hope that this is something that continues. I may not have always gotten along with my sisters every waking moment of my life...but I appreciate them now that we are older.

Lucas has also discovered how fun it is being a kid. He hasn't been listening...wait...take that back. He hears people telling him not to do things (ie "don't spray the class with water", "don't kick your friend", "no running") he just chooses not to obey them. So he does whatever he wanted to do anyway....this means someone ends up wet, hurt, or running after him. When we ask him why he did it his response is always the same, because it looked fun. Today his answer changed a little bit. " I didn't listen to Uncle Josh because I am a kid."

Well there is our little logical lawyer. You can't blame him for finding the one thing you can't fault him for. His behavior has it's ups and downs. Here's hoping for more ups than downs.

"Your son is a little...Um...top heavy."

2009-07-31T08:14:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in a while...It has been a hectic couple of weeks. So forgive me if this is really long. :D

First of all, we solved the whole "crawling out of the crib" problem...he now sleeps in his playpen...which he hated at first but Bam has slowly gotten used to it. It only took a couple of weeks. He now goes to sleep without the whole crying for hours drama.

Secondly, and most importantly, Bam turned 1...It was a nice party at home. Bam had a cute cake that was way overpriced that I got emotionally suckered into by the saleslady (good job bakery saleslady, good job). I went to SAMS first because they are inexpensive and taste awesome. They didn't have what I was looking for. I wanted something that matched the invites but incorporated the luau decorations that somehow made complete sense when I bought them. The only cake that might work was called "Fun in the Sun". It was apperently so popular that they didn't have anymore of the decorations left for it. He had ordered more but wasn't sure if they would be in soon or not. "Why don't you place the order and call us Friday before the party. If they aren't in then we can work something else out."
Um....WHAT? the day before the party of 50 people you want me to call and see if my cake is going to be available or not?
So I left feeling really upset that the cake wasn't going to come out right and therefore the entire party would be ruined, scaring my son for life and making this the childhood memory that set the presidence for the rest of his life. (Bam is super dramatic that way. I don't know where he gets it) I went to The Cake Shop that looked like it had just opened. I thought I'll just look how much could a cake be. Well...now I know. I went and looked through their book, and still not finding exactly what I wanted. The woman said "Oh, well if you have a copy of the invite we could copy it or we could make it match that." And it was gorgeous BUT I was emotionally suckered into spending my entire decoration budget. I felt so stupid. Lesson learned and never again will I do that. If it is too much then it is too much. Because Bam had a blast anyway. Although he didn't want to get all messy with the cupcake I bought. he just poked it and scowled at it. He was passed around to everyone at the party. He is tall and lean and strong. He ended up taking a couple of steps without any assistance. He and his cousin Wade were hugging and when Wade was done, he turned and took off. Bam then took a couple of steps after him as if he was going to chase him. Then fell to the floor. My mother and I looked at each other and I started to cry. It was wonderful. The party was a blast even though there were people everywhere.

Now to his checkup. Dr Gibbs is an awesoem doctor. He is one of those you can call at 2am and he will help you till the morning. Then works you in even if that means that he has to stay later or come in earlier. I love it. Plus he is a Trinity U fan which helps in this family. :D Anyway...Bam is 29 inches long, weighs 20.5 lbs, and has a big head. Dr Gibbs and I were talking about how adn what to feed Bam, and discussing the changes that Bam was going to go through.
"Well Dr. What about putting him into a forward facing seat? Is he big enough?"
"Christina normally they recommend that your child be at least 20lbs and 1 year. Bishop meets those requirements but I think it would be best to put it off for at least 3 months. "
I looked at him puzzled. "Why? Is there something wrong?"
"Bishop is a bit...top heavy. He has a big head. It isn't abnormally big, or something I would be too concerned about. It's just that if you stop suddenly, with a large majority of his body weight in his head, he could get wiplash easily. So I would feel better if we waited a couple of months. Lets give him whole milk for fat, and he can eat everything ya'll are eating and see if that fattens him up a bit."

You know I have never thought of Bam as having a big head, I just thought he had a skinny body. Now when I see him I just see is huge melon. :)

...and he sticks the landing.

2009-07-16T22:33:00.002-05:00

Well I think that Bam Meridth is a good name for a gymnast don't you?

Let me explain...Saturday my niece Cassie came and babysat for us while we went out. She told my husband that Bam cried when she put him to bed and she almost went in but he stopped crying. So a couple of hours later she went in to check on him and he was asleep on the floor. This was weird to my husband and I because Bam has NEVER gotten out of his crib or attempted it to the best of our knowledge. Until today.

I put Bam in his crib as I do every morning for his nap. He usually cries but eventually settles down and falls asleep. This morning he cried and cried for about 30-45 min. I eventually decided to go and check on him, when I walked in my heart jumps into my throat when I heard him cry but couldn't find him. He wasn't in his crib. As I opened the door I could hear him, and found him behind our rocking recliner. I picked him up and calmed him down....how in the world did he get out of his crib. I called my husband so that he could share in my disbelief. The crib railing was still up and locked into position, there isn't anything that he could have used to make the drop to the floor easy. It worried me, and intrigued me. So I put him back down for his nap and closed the door to his room. Immediately he set to work.

While crying and screaming for me, he throws his stuffed animal onto the floor first, then he works his blanket out of the crib and into a nice cushy pile on the floor. This is where it gets scary. He jumps a little and hooks his ribcage onto the railing of the crib, simultaneously working his monkey toes up the slats higher and higher while bending his head over the rail. He then throws his legs up and over the bars, turning in air and landing on the comfy padding he lowered earlier bottom and lower back first...(I wish there was a way to put an emoticon right here. One that looks like it is about to puke with it's eyes bugging out.) It happened so fast I almost didn't believe what I saw....My 11month old is friggin scary....he has NO fear.

So if I don't blog as much as I used to please don't be upset...it is because I am busy trying to keep up with my daredevil 1 year old. I am thinking Olympic gymnast.

Smart A$$

2009-07-11T11:17:00.002-05:00

I come from a loud family of 6 girls and we all have this keen ability to be a smart ass. My dad once said that all of us girls married some outstanding, strong men but when we girls get together the boys tend to fade into the back. We girls are loud. Apparently this is a trait we are passing down to our children.

For example: One of my sisters has a 5 year old daughter that still occasionally sucks her thumb. One day last week they were in the car driving somewhere when my niece looks down at her thumb and says "Mommy, I have some dry skin on my thumb. It is itchy."

My sister looks back and says "Well honey, it's probably from sucking on your thumb. It's ok and it will go away if you keep your thumb out of your mouth."

"No Mommy I don't think it's from sucking my thumb. It's just dry and needs lotion."

"Well honey," says my sis trying to keep that cool calm parent voice, "Yes honey when you put your thumb in your mouth the skin will dry out."

"No Mom It's just dry."

"OK, when we get home we'll put lotion on it. Don't suck on it and it'll stop getting dry," my sister said starting to get a little annoyed.

It was quiet in the backseat and my neice looked down at the carpet. In a quiet voice my sister heard her say "You have dry skin on your feet but you don't suck on them."

My sister just about died holding in her laughter. She looked back and said "WHAT did you say?!"

"Nothing, Mommy."

That is it...the legacy we are leaving for the next generation of Armendariz girls. :)
My dad is so proud. :D

My Boys

2009-07-08T10:29:00.002-05:00

Lucas and Bishop have been busy lately.

Lucas is doing awesome in Tae kwon do. He absolutely loves it, once he gets out on the floor. His sensais are awesome. Miss Bernal is a mixture of tough and encouraging that Lucas responds well too. Mr Healy is good about coaching with patience. It is nice to see him out there kicking and punching and being so confident. Monday we had some difficulty getting him on the mat. He got nervous and shy all of a sudden for no reason, but once we got him out there, he was doing so well he earned a stripe on his belt. He was so proud and I cried. Lucas is awesome with his brother, other kids at school and we haven't had any more problems with him at school like we had.

Bishop's 1st birthday is coming up quickly. We are getting invites out and planning it. It isn't going to be huge. It'll be a nice party at home. Friends, family, hot dogs, pools, nachos, and cake. Simple. Hopefully. Bishop is working on walking, but he shows no desire to say any other words other than "dada" :( I can't wait to hear "Mama". We are working on it. :)

Is this the face of brotherhood or what?

2009-06-22T12:17:00.001-05:00

Is this the face of brotherhood or what?
Originally uploaded by jmeridth

And here is the temper. No Bam isn't being chocked by Lucas. Lucas is trying to keep him standing for the pic and Bam isn't having it. My boys. :)

All Smiles.

2009-06-22T12:16:00.001-05:00

All Smiles.
Originally uploaded by jmeridth

the boys are all smiles in this pic for Grandpa and Bobka. Oh how things go from wonderful to temper in a few minutes.

Ch-Ch-Ch-changes

2009-06-08T15:42:00.006-05:00

I know I am sorry I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks. Things have been crazy. Lucas graduated from preschool, Bishop started to walk, Lucas finally started to settle down at school (now if we could get him to stop bouncing off the walls at home) and I am getting over the worst cold I've had in a long time.

First Lucas...Lucas had a bad couple of weeks at school. We don't know why or how but he fell into a big slump at school. He wasn't listening, he was talking back, hitting, throwing things...it was horrible. I was seriously afraid that he was going to get kicked out. At home was even worse. He has a bad habit of getting really distracted when you talk to him. He never looks you in the eyes, his mind wanders constantly and he has no regard for what I say. If Jase gets after him he snaps to but if I say something I am bound to have to say it 3 or 4 times before an hour goes by. Grrrr...so frustrating. I know he is 3 but come on....I spend more of my time yelling than talking because that is the only way I can hold his attention. ( I know bad Mommy form). Jason and I decided that he needs a hobby. He needs something to teach him discipline, focus, and help boost his confidence. So we visited a Tae Kwon dojo.

He started out rough. Wanting to tumble and spin on the mats, not paying attention to what the teacher said. She was nice but she turned stern real quick when it came to getting down to business. She would say," Lucas hit my hand." He'd laugh and look at me. "LUCAS, HIT MY HAND." He would just stare at her blankly...In my head I was like, yea this isn't going to work, they are going to laugh us out of here. Then she took him by the hand and took him to where the classes were going on. He watched all the older kids do kicks and spins and play with the Ssahng jeol Bong (nunchuks). He yelled "WOW COOL." She brought him back in and we had NO problems after that. he was hitting and blocking and yelling "HIYA" right along with the teacher. They were surprised that he was only 3. I signed him up immediately and we left with his first gui. He was so happy..."I'm going to be like Kung Fu Panda." Then Monday came and it was time for his first lesson. I am ashamed to say that I was embarrassed. My son stared at the teacher like they were speaking another language. He didn't feel like kicking so he decided to run around and fall on the mats. When the teacher tried to show him the moves he looked at him like he didn't understand and then ran...I felt like it wasn't fair that the teacher had to spend so much time with my son. Thankfully there were two teachers so the younger one took Lucas and Jason into the smaller room and gave him private one on one time. That seemed to do better. Every student earns their white belt their first class...Well not Lucas. He had to earn it by making it through a whole class. Wednesday was his 2nd time and although he had a couple of times he flaked out, the teacher Mr Taylor was able to bring him back to focus....He did so much better. I was so proud when they brought out his white belt and were tying it around his little waist....Everyone clapped and cheered for him and he was so proud till he looked down and said " HEY i want the black one." I had to explain that he had to earn that one and he could do it if he works really hard and listens to the teacher every class.

He was very proud and couldn't wait to show Daddy.

Bam...Bam has been talking more. He is still looking thin but he has grown a couple of inches since his last appt. He has learned to walk behind a push toy. it was amazing when he did that all by himself. He was sooo proud and I love to see Lucas attempting to get Bam to walk to him. Jason's eyes looked a little bit teary when he watched him walk the first time. It's amazing that 6 months ago he was laughing for the first time, and 11 months ago he wasn't even here yet. I was preparing and growing impatient for his grand appearance. I was terrified of being a bad mom, and worried that something would go wrong at the last minute. I was writing farewell letters with my wishes should anything go wrong in delivery ( I know it is the strangest thing I felt like I needed to prepare, just in case. It sounds so stupid now.) Bam has my smile. He does it more and more. He will look at me till I look at him, then he wrinkles his nose and grins with all teeth showing. It's even a little crooked like mine. I love it. It cracks me up whenever he does it. Last week Bam was sitting in my friend Jean's lap and Lucas was sitting in front of him on the ottoman facing away and watching TV...Bam wanted to see his brother so he crawled out of Jean's lap and over to his brother and proceeded to pull on his shoulder to turn him around till he could see his face and smile at him...It was a precious moment. I love those moments. And I hope to be able to remember them when HE is running around the dojo not listening to the teacher. I hope I am able to relax more and remember hey he's three and it could be worse.

We took family pics also this past week. They came out nice I think. This is our family. We are a puzzle piece bunch, not perfect picture but we all fit. It feels good.

Bam's first steps

2009-06-01T12:30:00.001-05:00

Bam's first steps
Originally uploaded by jmeridth

This is one of three videos that can be found at www.meridthfamily.com. He is starting the walking process. I am so excited. :)

My Baby is growing up so fast. I can't believe it.

The Shortbus to Christieland update....

2009-05-24T20:50:00.001-05:00

I have posted a new blog on my Shortbus to Christieland. It is going to be an interesting ride hopefully. Want to follow along please check out my new blog at http://theshortbustochristieland.blogspot.com/

Oh No!! Woe to the World, BAM has my temper...

2009-05-21T10:28:00.002-05:00

My son throws a fit like I do.

He doesn't want to take a nap right now. So he cries and usually I am all about letting him cry it out. Just now I went in after the past hour of crying. He had thrown his blanket and toy out of his crib and he was crying because he is tired and doesn't have a blanket. He was trying to reach his blanket through the bars of his crib. So I covered him up and turned on his mobile. Now he is sound asleep.

I pity the world because the Armendariz temper courses through both of us. I pray that it doesn't take him as long to learn to control it as it has taken me. I have the urge to apologize to the world for this.

Bam's new peek a boo game

2009-05-19T11:06:00.001-05:00

Bam's new peek a boo game
Originally uploaded by jmeridth

This is too funny. He just started doing this yesterday. If it doesn't work go to www.bishopmeridth.com and it'll be the third video on there. It is hilarious.

I'm Published...

2009-05-15T16:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.schmap.com/sanantonio/activities_fun/p=20003/i=20003_49.jpg

The above website has published one of my photos. I know it isn't a big deal just a little exciting.
Check it out. :)

Christina

Lucas' Parent Teacher Conference

2009-05-14T22:34:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday the director of Lucas' school asked to have a parent/teacher conference to discuss some things about Lucas. I immediately went a little cold. Thoughts flew through my head of why she woud need to talk to me. We talked to him about the hitting, the spitting, and the asking to see peoples butts. What else could there be?

It was just a normal parent teacher conference much to my relief. Lucas is graduating to PreSchool class and he is ahead of the rest of his class in everything. He knows all of his letters by sight and 22 of 26 letters by sound. He has all the coordination down and the only concern they have is him getting bored because he is so far ahead. Also he is going to start having trouble finding friends to play with because he will begin to play differently then his peers. This is all good news. Of course this is the same kid who that very morning took an unusual interest in the color of his poop.

"What color is my poop today, Momma?" he asked. That was a weird question completely out of the blue. "Um...it is a little brown I think. Honey that is an interesting question, why do you ask?"
"I don't know I just want to know what color it is. Poop can be different colors, Momma. What color is Bam's poop today?"
"well it was a little green"
"Why is poop different colors?"
"Well it depends on what we eat. If we eat a lot of carrots then it is more orange, if we eat a lot of peas then it is green."
"What makes our poop black", he asked thoughtfully.

That took me aback. "I don't know but I will certainly look it up." (An excess of iron)

I love it. He is so inquisitive and curious. It's awesome.

Our 1st trip to the ER.

2009-05-12T11:32:00.005-05:00

Bishop (and Mommy) survived our first trip to the emergency room. I think I was more traumatized by it than Bam.

I have an island in my kitchen that has bookshelves on one side and cabinets on the other. On the shelves I have had my glass bowls and my cookbooks. Bam has become so much more mobile and I keep thinking that I need to move the bowls. But I inevitably forget and think about it again in a few days when it is even less of a convenient time to be rearranging cabinets. Well I have learned my lesson. I doing laundry and left my little speed crawler in the living room happily playing with his toys. Then next thing I know I hear a crash in the kitchen. I ran out and my son is sitting with a big broken glass serving bowl in his lap. He is surprised but not crying. I rush over and pick him up to expecting to see cuts on his legs. To my surprise, and relief not a cut on him. As I hug him tightly I see blood on his arm. He waves his arm in excitement and the blood comes pouring out of his little arm. There is a cut about an inch and a half long on top of his wrist. I freak. I start crying and panicking. ( I know I would totally not make a good nurse I freak too much) He starts to cry a little just seeing me cry. I grab a clean towel and an ice pack.

I try to stop the bleeding but every time he moves his little wrist it opens up and starts to bleed again. "Ok where do I take him? His Dr is across town, there is the Urgent Care Pediatric Clinic on Bandera and 1604 not far. I could go to ER? What do I do." I call Jason. Like he can do anything from downtown. He tells me to go to the Urgent Care Pediatric Clinic. I start to move him to put him in his car seat and it starts to bleed again. There is no way I can drive and hold the towel and ice pack on him. Jason calls me back just then to ask if he needs to come home. I decided that he was too far and by the time he got home it would all be over anyway. SO...I called my mother in law. Jason's mom sat in the back seat with Bam and the ice pack while I cried silently in the front.

Bam is laughing and giggling with Bobka in the back. This is weird shouldn't the injured infant be crying? Isn't it supposed to be me the Mommy comforting my injured son instead of him making me laugh?

Thankfully no stitches just some glue to keep it from opening up again. It wasn't deep just bleeding a lot. And it's his first cut. I panicked. I could have done all that at home but knowing my luck and grace I would have glued his hand to his face. And then we would have made the ER trip anyway.

He is fine if not just a bit tired. He's taking a nap and I...well I am rearranging my cabinets and sweeping my floor. Something that should have been done a while ago.

I'll post pics of our little patient as soon as I can. :)

PS. Thanks Mom Meridth for going and keeping us (me) calm.

"...but we don't touch the cakes, Mommy."

2009-04-28T14:07:00.002-05:00

Oh my, I had an "embarrassed Mommy" moment.

Lucas is learning to be a big boy and go potty in public places. A couple of days ago Uncle Josh took Lucas to the potty and my son, curious of everything, picked up the urinal cake. Now I am a girl and have never had the pleasure of being in a men's bathroom, despite any rumors that have been said, so I don't know what a urinal cake is. I can only guess it is as disgusting as it sounds.
Moving on...
My son announced while we were out to eat last night (thanks Mom Meridth for the gift cards to Olive Garden, it was yummy), that he had to go potty. So Jason got up and took him to the potty before he had an accident. And granted it is dinner time at the Olive Garden on a Monday, it wasn't packed but there were quite a few people around us. My little man comes running back to the table and yells at what seems to be the top of his little lungs, "Mommy the big potty flushes all by itself, but we don't touch the cakes, Mommy." I nearly spit out my water. Several people around us laughed and giggled at the innocent exclamation. I was so embarrassed but masked it by saying, "Yay son, you're right we don't touch the cake."

Later on the waiter asked if we wanted any dessert and before we could say no, my son told him, "do you have birthday cake? It's my Mommy's birthday." I quickly told the waiter that it wasn't my birthday. I hate when they sing. So Lucas serenaded me with a nice little song over a bread stick. It was sweet. :) Oh and PS...My father in law is starting the Meridth confidence early. If you ask Lucas "Are you good?" He will quickly respond " I am BETTER than good." That is the Meridth confidence for ya. Humility is not in the genes. I do love my boys though. Big egos and all. :)

9 months old...already?!

2009-04-27T11:24:00.002-05:00

Yup, Bam is 9 months old. We had our 9 month check up and he is gowing and changing right on cue. He is saying the basics, dadadada and gagaga indescriminately. When he is sad he cries with a loud wailing "Mooooooom" He has developed a shyness over the past month which thankfully he comes out of as he gets to know the person. He weighs 19lbs 5oz and is 27 1/2 inches long. He is still in the 50-75% for height but he has dropped to below 50% in weight. I am feeding him 8oz bottles 3x per day with cereal and either meat, veggie, or fruit at every meal. My doc suggested working in another 6-8 oz bottle in there sometime to bring him back up in weight. It isn't a concern or anything just a suggestion to see if we can bring him back up to where he was at. Dr Cortez said he should be eating 30-40 oz a day. Reflexes are good and his speech is on track. He is a sweetie.

He is also crawling on his hands and knees instead of the army crawl now. He started that yesterday. He loves crawling as fast as he can after Lucas. Lucas will run ahead of him and yell over his shoulder "Come and get me Bammie" And to that Bam will laugh and crawl as fast as he can. Then when he gets close Lucas just laughs and tickles him. We are lucky tht Lucas has not had the jealousy hit yet. I am not looking forward to that, but I am prayerful that when/if it does come that I know how to handle it well. Lucas can sometimes get lost in the shuffle but Jason and I are diligent to be sure to spend as much time with Lucas as we can when Bam is sleeping. We know how important individual time is to both boys. I am thankful to Jason's family. Since I am not working they help ensure that Lucas is able to go to a good school to get that individualized time. He loves being in his own place where he is just Lucas, not the big brother.

I know a lot of people are against day cares and all but for our family it works and I think that is what parenting is about. Doing what's best for your children and family. I am open about the fact that I am not wired to be a teacher. I try to put little lessons into things that I do with the boys but I am not a teacher. So for now day school works for us. :) Better go. I have a sleepy boy who is fighting sleep.

The Meridth Boys Easter pic from "Our365 Portraits."

2009-04-23T00:20:00.001-05:00

The Meridth Boys Easter pic from "Our365 Portraits."
Originally uploaded by jmeridth

Aren't the Meridth boys handsome? I love this picture.

In the hospital Our365 Portraits did our newborn pictures and with the package I bought we got a free 8x10. This is the one we chose. they came out and set up the pics in out living room, and took somem absolutely adorable shots. But the package was too expensive even the cheapest one was WAY out of our price range so unfortunately this is the only one we got. Love it. It is adorable.

My Little Gymnast

2009-04-21T22:58:00.001-05:00

My Little Gymnast
Originally uploaded by jmeridth

I don't know when or how he picked this up but it is the funniest thing. He thinks it's great to do this and make me laugh. My little ham will do anything for a laugh...sounds like me. :)

The Funny Things Daddy has Taught Him.

2009-04-21T22:57:00.001-05:00

The Funny Things Daddy has Taught Him.
Originally uploaded by jmeridth

Bam has learned the fun that can be found using his own body. Daddy came in the other morning while I was changing Bam's diaper and to keep him occupied he was thumping on his belly, then Bam would thump on his, and back and forth and they were both just laughing hysterically. Well, looks like Bam thinks this is the best thing.

What we have been up to.

2009-04-17T00:17:00.002-05:00

I am sorry I haven't posted in a while. I didn't know that anyone else was really reading this stuff. I figured that this blog was read mainly by me and maybe Jason it never dawned on me that anyone was really reading this...well tonight I got TOLD.

Jason and I dropped the kids off at Jason's parents for a couple of hours so that we could go and visit our friends Andy and Aubrey who just had a beautiful baby girl, Lyla Danielle. I have to say that she is a very beautiful baby. Not many kids can look that good after just being born but she wears birth well. So did Aubrey. She looked really good for just giving birth the natural way. Anyway....we are just oohing and aaahing over the baby and of course I can't help giving the usual unsolicited advice, I know it is a horrible habit I get from my dad, when Andy pipes up and said they missed my blog. Really, do ya'll really read this? That is great....I just found out I am interesting, or at least my blog is...or my boys are. Whatever it is all relative. :)

So just to catch ya'll up...Bam is 8 months and 3 weeks. He is crawling like an army guy on elbows and knees. I catch him crawling on all fours everyonce in a while but then he quickly gets down and crawls on his belly. He is very fast and loves to follow me into the kitchen whenever I go in there. My little free spirit however does not like to be put into a walker, exersaucer, or play pen for ANY duration of time as it limits his movements and doesn't allow him to do what he wants. My nightmare is being realized...he is just like me. Impatient and stubborn. He is a happy baby and is getting a couple more teeth in. That makes 4 on top and 3 on bottom...and he loves to use them.
Lucas is doing really well. We are potty training and aside from a few accidents here and there, we are doing well. Lucas tells us when he needs to go and will sometimes go on his own. He is however alson turning into a little three year old, grown up. He has a way that things should be done and when they aren't done exactly then he lets you know. He asks "why" for everything you tell him, and even after you answer he will continue to ask the same question. I know I should be more patient, but when you have answered the question "Why did you put my cup there, MOmmy?" for the 100th time. You start to run out of answers and I often catch myself using the old addage, "Because I said so." Ah...many a night was spent fighting with my parents and promising I wouldn't ever use that cop out of an answer...well I lied...that is now my go to answer for the unanswerable questions.
Also I have an announcement, we have a new addition to the family. I know it is soon to add a new member but I know that she is going to fit in well as long as she watches her manners. We have adopted a dog. I am not much for small yappy dogs. When they get to barking i just want to kick puppies, but a couple of weeks ago the cutest little long haired chihuahua wandered into my garage during a rainstorm and she has been a very well mannered little lady. She lets Bish crawl all over her, she puts up with Lucas' constantly bugging her, she is house trained (thank goodness). She is so sweet. I know she is goign to be a good dog. Plus she is older. Small, cute, older, and did I mention house trained. (I am doing good to have all 3 Meridth men peeing indoors right now I didn't need to train another animal)

So that is it, we are good. We are healthy, and surviving. So no worries.