Biting footballs

Well, if you missed my last blog about issues with my boys you should go back and read it… I need advice.  And in case you were wondering, neither situation is any better!

Last week Ford had two soccer games.  I had to miss the first one since I had a class, but I made it on Thursday.  I think he was getting a little stressed that two of his buddies had scored goals and he hadn't.  Well, the problems with Ford and soccer are: he isn't too aggressive and he doesn't pay great attention.   When it was his turn to sit out I made him watch another little guy on his team.  We talked about how good he was playing and I suggested Ford play like that.  Then I even threw in some bribery!!!  Who doesn't love a good bribe?!?!  I told him if he scored a goal he could have an Octonauts or Wild Kratts toy.  I will have you know that he totally cranked up his aggressive status and he was after that ball.  No, he didn't score, but he plans to at the next game!

 Tighten those pants

 Bitty sort of hangs out or rolls around during the games!

 John Brantley is really talking a lot more.  Instead of 1 or 2 words we are getting 4 or 5.  You can actually piece together what he is saying a lot easier now.

Some of his words I wanted to document are: pete pete- pizza    doc doc- doctor     munk munk- Curious George    hup- help     chess- yes

 The other day we were visiting a friend who had an acorn tree in her yard.  He picked up an acorn and said, “cupcake”.  I’ll never look at an acorn the same again!!!

I tell my kids I love them ALL the time.  Ford and I have a little saying that my mom and I say: “I love you as much as the whole world and back again.”  When I tell John Brantley that I love him he said he loves me “big, tall”.  I’ll take that!!!

 Yesterday we made it to Oxford for our first Grove experience of the season.  Before we landed on campus we stopped by the VA to see my granddaddy and raise his blood pressure a bit.  My boys worry him to death, therefore we can only stay about 30 minutes.  They aren't little statues.

Walking to the tent

 Ford brought a football.  He found a friend and they tackled each other, rolled in the grass, and ran for hours.

 Bitty just pushed the stroller and occasionally tried to bite the boys if they weren't doing right!

 Fruit snack break

 Lamar family of 4.5 (Three, Sally, Cake) is growing

 John Brantley also spent a lot of time biting footballs.

 Watching the band

 Pregnancy Update:

I am going out on a limb and I’m going to say it.  This is bold, BUT I think my sickness is gone.  I pray that it’s gone.  I haven’t felt 100%, even 75% this week.  I had a sinus infection and between runny noses and watery eyes, I was sneezing and trying to stay awake while doped up on Benadryl. 

  When I would blow my nose I thought my hernia would pop right out.  That’s a lot of information to take in, but these are things for me to laugh about later. 

I’m 18 weeks pregnant.  I haven’t given into maternity clothes just yet.  I probably wear them 50% of the time.  If someone would come out with cute affordable maternity clothes they could make a fortune.  I tried on a dress for church today and I looked like I had on a purple bed sheet.  Serious outfit FAIL!!!  I didn’t look like a grape.  I opted for some nice black pants!

Hopefully in the next month or two little sister will have a name.  I just haven’t been too motivated to think about it, and I know I am driving folks crazy!!!  Sorry.  Until next time….

Sleepless Nights and Severe Anxiety

When my kids don’t act right I start to worry.  Now I am a worrier by nature, I’m a mom, but when they start acting odd I crank my worry up to another level.  You know what I mean?  Okay, so both of my children have stuff going on, and I am sort of at my “whit’s end” if you will.  Let’s start with Mr. Personality, aka Bitty.

Last week we transitioned from a baby bed to a big boy bed because he kept “falling out” (on purpose) of the crib, and I was worried he would break his neck.  Well, since that little stinker has been in that bed has hasn't been sleeping the way “I think” he should.  The first 5 nights or so he was up with the roosters between 5:00 and 5:30 AM.  This is no lie.  I could handle that because I get up about 5:15 to get showered and ready for the day.  Well, NOW he decided that the middle of the night partying is more his style and he’s transitioned to THAT!!!  That I am NOT okay with!! 

My sleep is some kind of valuable to me, and when a small ankle biter is yelling through the monitors or invading my room at obscene hours of the night it affects my daily performance majorly.   He’s more into waking up at the 1:00 hour now than the 5:00 hour.  Two nights ago we had a fabulous game of musical beds going on.  It started at 1:30.  Bitty cried and I sent Trey in to “talk to” him.  When Fancy left I could hear John Brantley crying for about 15 minutes.  THEN he came in my room hollering, “momma”!!!  Therefore, it was my turn to “lay down” with him.  We laid for 30 minutes and he wouldn't go to sleep.  Finally I told him I was going to bed which he replied, “Ford” (but he can’t say his r’s correctly so it’s super cute).  I put him in Ford’s bed and 30 minutes later he’s back in my room.  By this time I was exhausted and let him sleep in my bed.  I’m glad he slept well because Trey and I didn't.  And for the record, I had to WAKE HIM UP at 8:45 AM so I could make it to Bible study on time.  What do I do about this child??????

Like my shower cap????

 This my friends is the PERFECT example of hard headed and strong willed child.  He wouldn't put a tractor up and cried and wallered in the floor for 30 minutes.  Then he wouldn't sit in his chair at supper so he got to pitch one outside.

 A rare sleeping moment!!!!  Oh and he HATES covers.

Then there’s Ford.  Oh where do I even begin with Ford?  No, we aren't having sleeping issues with him, rather separation anxiety.  It’s bad people!  I am not exaggerating, and I don’t know where this has come from.  The child wants to be at home all the time and needs both of us here.  When there is the possibility of a babysitter he freaks out.  If I have to go somewhere he worries and I get about 20 hugs before I leave.  He begs to stay home from school.  He talks about bad people taking him.  It’s a situation and I don’t even know how to handle it.  He cries anywhere from 3-5 times a day!

Ford is a sensitive child and always has been.  He is more emotional than most, but he has stepped it up like 100 notches here lately.  What do I do???????

I decided to send his teacher a message over the weekend and offer to have a letter party.  They are studying the letter “Dd” this week and I thought having “Dd” snacks one day would be fun.  She accepted, and I, along with several other mothers, sent “Dd” things.  We had plates and napkins with “dots”, donut holes, Doritos, dum dums, and drinks.  The kids were all about this activity!

 Ford is the leader this week so apparently with that title comes the job of squirting the germ-x.

 D snacks!

Next stop was the park!  It was a really pretty day, but was rather warm if you were in the sun too long.

 The child loves the monkey bars.

All the cute 4K students in both classes

 See Ford up top....

And sleeping or anxiety tips for my boys are welcomed…. 

BIG boy bed

Milestones.  Yep that’s what’s happening at the Lamar Inn and Suites. 

We've been having a hard time with John Brantley staying asleep in his baby bed.  He would wake up in the middle of the night and cry or sometimes he would bail right out of his bed.  This happened several times until my sleepless nights were catching up with me.  We had all the goods and/or accessories for a big boy bed except the mattress and box springs.  I asked Fancy to buy some and he never did so I took matters into my own hands.  Last Monday was the day and a big boy bed was formed.

Goodbye baby bed….

 Fortunately, Bitty was onboard with the big boy bed.  I honestly think he was just excited to “hep” (help) take things apart and put things together.  I was also thrilled and had HIGH hopes of lots of good sleeping in this new bed.

 He was pleased

And we can’t leave Ford out of too many pictures…

I like big boy comforters that they can have for years.  I’m not much of a “theme” person so I think Bitty’s choice, sponsored by Puddin…thank you, was a good one.

 Ford does some good sleeping too.

 This would be “the uniform”.  No, not his school uniform, but his play uniform.  We are still slightly obsessed with the show on PBS called “Wild Kratts”.  Since Ford doesn’t have their official gloves and vest we have to improvise daily.  Ohhhh how I hope Santa will pull through and leave us some Wild Kratts attire.

 I had to take Ford to the doctor last week.  He had been complaining for a month that his stomach hurt.  At first I just wrote it off as he didn’t want to go to school.  Then I noticed he was complaining before church, soccer games, and birthday parties.  I didn’t think it was anything, but to be sure we headed to get checked.  After questioning and an exam it was determined he had strep throat.  I was baffled.  He had no fever and told me his throat didn’t hurt.  We got the “cure all” amoxicillin and headed home.  He hasn’t complained of stomach pain as much this week thank goodness.

His percentiles were:

Weight: 38.4 = 22^nd percentile
Height: 43 inches = 32^nd percentile

 I was 17 weeks pregnant yesterday on Saturday, September 20.  I went to the doctor on Friday and I am pretty sure I felt “Three, Sally, Cake” move while I was in the waiting room.

I gained 5 pounds this last months which puts me at a total weight gain of 8 pounds.  Ohhh how I can’t gain 40 again.  It was so tough getting it off after John Brantley.  The nurse had a hard time finding her little heartbeat, but after she did it was 140 beats per minute.

This last week was the first time I have felt better.  I am hoping the new Similac prenatal vitamins are giving me all that I need and that’s what’s helping.  I am not a good candidate for feeling bad.  Trey and I still haven’t discussed names.  I don’t think I want another double name.  Double names seem to confuse people, and poor Bitty is rarely called John Brantley.  I also don’t want a lot of opinions on the issue because I don’t want to feel swayed one way or another.  So hopefully we can come to some sort of conclusion on what little one’s name should be.

Yuck... a dove

Last week Ford’s school had Open House.  I do love an open house.  It gives me a chance to check everything out, make sure he’s acting like he has home training, and see some of his work.  We went to soccer practice, left early, and headed on over to see his classroom.   I’m guessing they have a “dog” theme going on because there was a lot to do with dogs in and around the room.

 They aren't doing the alphabet in order.  Last week was “O”.  Like his octopus???

 John Brantley spent his time at Open House playing in the kitchen.

My boys’ hair grows so fast.  We get haircuts every 5-6 weeks.  There’s never any complaining with this activity because suckers are involved.

Before

 After

 Soccer has begun.  This year we are the white team.  Not sure whose idea it was to make the entire uniform white.  Glad I own bleach!  Bitty thinks he is on the team too!

 Puddin and Pops came to support their favorite player!

 Who needs cleats?

 I’ve said it before, he’s my right hand man.  If you cook… Bitty is RIGHT in the middle of it for sure.  Licking the bowl is a huge plus!

 Yesterday was a momentous day for Bitty.  It was his FIRST time to ever wear blue jeans.  I am very anti blue jeans on my kids at a young age.  I think they make them look too old.  Once you slip those jeans on them it’s like love at first sight and any chance of a bubble, smocking, or john-john is LONG gone.  Well, since the weather is cooling off I pulled out the tubs of Ford’s old clothes and some jeans happened to be inside.  I let Bitty wear them and he immediately fell in love.  They had pockets.  Who doesn’t love pockets!!??  I think I had a tear… sad sad day!

Ford was trying to catch some fish at the McKellar’s house.

 And Bitty was watching...

 This weekend was the annual dove hunt at the McKellar’s house.  The boys and I walked down to see Daddy at the dove field.

Ford, John Brantlety, Douglas, and Larson

 YUCK.... a dove

 Douglas and John Brantley

Family shot in the dove field