Advice Please!

Okay, we have a situation on our hands...

Tate is having some "bedtime issues". We (at least for the last year) have been super consistent with bedtime. At least in the sense that (accept for a handful of times mostly at Mom and Dad's) we put Tate to bed at the same time every night, we don't go back in his room once he's in bed, no matter what. He sleeps with the same things all the time, we do the same bedtime routine at night. Lately, we have been super cautious about not riling him up for the last 45 minutes or so before bed. He's always rubbing his eyes and acting tired at bed time. We put him to bed and without fail, he is awake in his crib for no less than an hour and usually about an hour and a half...sometimes even 2 hours before he goes to sleep! He doesn't always cry, sometimes he does though for part of the time, but not for that long. He pretty much just squeels in delight running around in his crib and jumping and talking to himself with an occasional, "PUPPY!!!!!!" or "MOMMY!!!! DADDY!!!!" yell here and there. He doesn't have this problem for his nap, he goes right to sleep within 15 minutes or so and sleeps for usually 2 hours. At night, he gets to sleep by 10:00 or 10:30 (because he goes down at 8:30) and wakes up by 7:30 in the morning. That's only 9 hours of sleep at night and 2 (if we're lucky) for his nap. I don't think 11 hours of sleep a day is enough for a 20 month old is it?! He can't go without a nap, he did that one day and that was not a good idea at all! I don't know what to do. He no longer has an ear infection, so I know it's not that...plus, if he did, I would think he would be crying more and have trouble at nap time too. He is teething, but we've tried Ibuprofin and he still stays up. We gave him some tonight and he just started snoring about 5 minutes ago and it's 10:35! I have no idea what the problem is. What should I do? I need advice!

The last few days...

I've been finding it hard to come up with things to blog about. Also, I've been finding it hard to remember to take pictures! This week FLEW by which I am definitely not complaining about! We didn't do anything too exciting. Just a lot of hanging out at home in the evenings. Tate is so funny. He has many things that he really enjoys these days...coloring, playing with his "guys" (mainly the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters), playing with his "tactoes" and cars, dancing, praying (he seriously makes us bow our heads, fold our hands and pray about 5 times during dinner) and his new passion...cheerleading! Yup, we may have a male cheerleader on our hands. :) It's pretty funny...see the short video below. Ha.

I can't even stand it...seriously...look at that face!

In heaven playing with his "tactoe"

and his "guys"

and he is quite the artist as well...

relaxing with Daddy in the morning watching his "sows"...aka shows.

GO TEAM

Tonight we went over to Chris and Brenda's and the boys swam and played, we ate some chinese food (yummy!) and hung out for a couple of hours. Tate was having serious Bode withdrawals. Bode is truly Tate's best friend and it is about the cutest thing ever! All week, Tate was walking around with my old cell phone up to his ear saying, "Bode, Bode, Bode, Bode" over and over again. He was so happy tonight to get to play with him. He copies Bode's every move. I am glad they are getting along better than they did just a few short months ago.

This weekend, Mom and Dad are in town. We're excited to spend some time with them and just hang out and possibly do a little shopping! :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Daddy/Son Time

My day today was uneventful...I worked. SO, I am going to post about Sean and Tate's day! :)

Last year, I got the deal of the century when I bought a practically new bike trailer with room for 2 kids for us to hook behind a bike at Goodwill. It was $20!!!! Seriously, I am proud of this purchase. :) So anyway, Sean and Tate have been getting some good use out of it. They took it this morning for a few mile bike ride to a park and played there for a couple hours and then came home. Sean found a little splash pad at that park that he didn't know was there and plans to take Tate back tomorrow in the bike trailer and go there. Tate will have a ball I am sure! He loves the water. I am jealous! :( I am happy they are doing some fun activities though and getting some really important Daddy/Son time in because once school starts again for Sean, it'll be hard to find a lot of time. I am really dreading Sean going back to school in the fall! I just have to keep reminding myself that he's going to be done in LESS than a year!!! WOOHOO! Well, at least for a while...before he goes back AGAIN! Ugh...I am just blocking that out of my head.

Not a lot to talk about tonight. I have some pictures, but don't have them uploaded so those will have to be for later! :)

playing, dancing and being dramatic

Tate and I had a pretty low key day today. I did some organizing and putting away of his toys. He had so many toys in our living room upstairs that were baby toys. He would "play" with them occasionally, but I knew would never notice if they were gone. I was at my wits end tripping over and stepping on toys all of the time. We had to have a little more organization, so that's what I did today.

Tate and I then left to go to the park and as we were driving there, it started to sprinkle, so instead we headed to the play area at the mall. It was insane there. I am not kidding, at one point, there had to be about 40 kids in there all running around and screaming at the same time. Tate was right in the action as happy as could be! We stayed for about an hour and a half until Sean met us there when he got off of work. Then we stayed for another 20 minutes or so. Tate was in heaven.

When we got home, we danced and played and Tate rediscovered some of his "old" toys that were buried under all of the toys that I had put away this afternoon so he was happy to play with those. We had our nightly dance party and then played some more in his bedroom. It was a nice evening. Tate was being pretty animated, so I took some pictures for you all to enjoy! :) Also, I got a video that's not as dark as a lot of the others I have put on here. I will post that as well.

This is Tate doing "OH NO!" He did this the other night when we were at Cathy's and he was imitating me doing it and now he does it all the time! It's pretty funny.

I just think this picture is HILARIOUS. Tate is super into his dancing here...

Two of Tate's favorite things, "tactoes" and Mickey!

Tate was so kissy tonight...I love that! Here he is kissing his giraffe figurine.

a fun evening at home

Don't know what to post...so I'll ramble.

I was just thinking that I should blog. I have no idea what words are going to come out of me tonight, so I am just going to ramble the thoughts that are going through my mind.

I just watched Juno. I bawled. It touched Sean too. I just feel so blessed. And sad. And anxious. The movie made my heart ache for Tate's birth parents, made me anxious to experience the blessing of adoption again and just made me feel so blessed to have Tate. When it was over, Sean said, "I just want to go get Tate out of bed and hug him!" I know what he means. I just never knew this would be my life. I never knew I would be an adoptive mother. And now, I can't imagine NOT being an adoptive mother. It's one of those things that truly changes who you are. I feel it did for me. I know it did for Sean. It's something that (even though it's not realistic) you want everyone to experience even if it's just so that they completely understand you and what it does to who you are. I have blogged countless numbers of times about how blessed we feel and how amazing we feel adoption is. I know I am repeating myself. I can't help it. I can't stop. There are no words. None.

Moving on...

Here is my brutally honest (and random) paragraph...

I hate my job. I mean, I would hate ANY job. I miss my job as a stay at home mom. I am going to sound super high and mighty (remember...random thoughts and this is my "brutally honest paragraph"), but I feel like I am better than having to listen to people scream at me on the phone all day. I am not better than that. I know that. That is just not even right that I said that, but I am not with holding here...obviously. SO there's my thoughts on that. And no matter what I do, my house just cannot stay in order for more than a couple of days. It's a problem. I cannot get a handle on the laundry, cleaning, dishes, laundry, laundry, toys, toys, toys. It's kind of out of control. No matter how much I tell myself I am going to get it under control...it never happens. I just can't!

Moving onto more happy thoughts...

Though I complain a lot in life and on my blog. I really, deep down am content. I wish I could have a maid, a money tree, an electric car, a model's figure ;), a little boy who obeys my every word and cuddles me when I so desire Tater cuddles, a job inside the home, a husband who is off the same hours I am off. Truly, I DO know that these things are NOT what's important and though I forget that momentarily, I always am reminded. God always pushes me back to reality somehow. It's amazing how I would have dealt with my circumstances so much differently before I had Him in my life. I just don't know how people deal with hard times, sad times, happy times...anytime for that matter, without God in their life. It's like I don't remember what it was like before I had a relationship with Him. Maybe I just don't want to remember.

So how about that for a random post! Good Night!

Much Needed

I came down with some sort of flu bug yesterday (the 4th time this year!!) and when I got home from work I went right to bed. It was 5:15 last night. I just woke up at 6:50! That's 13 hrs and 35 minutes of sleep! WOO HOO! I think I needed it and I feel great today! I am sad though that I missed out on my evening with Tater and Sean. :( I wouldn't have been any fun anyway.

Cool Dude

So Tate discovered his love for sunglasses today. We have been trying to keep sunglasses on him for a while now and he will leave them on for about 2.5 seconds and then take them off. Well apparently today Daddy was wearing his sunglasses and Tate noticed and wanted to wear his too. So Sean gave them to him and he left them on until we went inside! Tate has this thing where he sneezes when it's too bright. It's pretty cute, but the sunglasses help stop that. So not only did Tate like wearing his sunglasses, he likes playing with them and holding them. He had an all out melt down before bed because we wouldn't let him bring them to bed with him...oh the drama!

It's about time!

We finally have our internet issues fixed...I think...I hope. Our internet has been going in and out for over a week. It's so frustrating. We have had 3 appointments with technicians and I think this time it worked! YIPPY! Although, I don't really have anything exciting on th Peakin Front to report. Sorry.

Our Father's Day

We had a good day today despite the fact that Sean worked from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m.. :( He had an hour long break at 4:00, so Tate and I went and visited him and we all went and ate at Pancheros for a super early dinner. We had a mini Father's Day celebration and gave Daddy his gift. Then Tate and I headed to Target and came home and played all evening. We read 1000 books and played with cars and balls. I let Tate stay up a little later than usual until Daddy got home from work so they could spend a little bit of time together. I got some cute pics and a video. Hope everyone had a great Father's Day!

Here Tate is waiting for Daddy to come out for his break in the lawn at his work.

Tate was so excited that he got to stay up late and wait for Daddy to get home.

Can't you just see his excitement?!!!

Tate lovin' up on his Daddy.

Here are Daddy and Tate doing the motions from Little Einsteins...one of Tate's new favorite shows. You put your hands way up in the air and say, "Blast off!!!"

Here is a video of Daddy and Tate doing the motions for Little Einsteins. For those of you who haven't seen it, the Little Einsteins have to "pat pat pat pat pat" to get Rocket revved up to go and then put their hands in the air and yell "blast off!!!". It's cute to see Tate doing it along with the show. At the end of the video Tate is doing some dancing as usual. You can't really tell in the video but there is an interactive song that is on that he's dancing to. It says to stomp your feet (which you'll see him do in the video) and then STOP (which he also does in the video). It just cracks me up. The instant we say, "dance" he starts to break it down...it's so funny! He has some serious moves that I need to capture in video sometime. This video is kind of dark and he doesn't do some of his "signature dance moves" in it. I'll work on a brighter video of him dancing sometime soon. :-)

Little Einstein

Do you think he's teething????

Tate is constantly chewing on anything that gets near his mouth and is drooling more than ever. Sean was lifting Tate upside down over his head and I was taking pictures. When Sean flipped Tate over and I snapped the picture, I realized Tate had grabbed on to Sean's shirt in his mouth mid flip. I just thought it was funny!

Tate might be a little dramatic...

Every time I tried to get a smiling picture of him, the red light on my camera went off before it took the picture and he reacted with this face...

Happy Father's Day, Sean!

This boy ADORES his Daddy! Whenever Tate is with Daddy, he is sure to be smiling, laughing and squeeling in delight. He can't contain his excitement when Sean walks in the door from work. He could just play on the couch with Sean for hours, or push cars in the hallway with him all day long. Tate knows, whenever Daddy is around, fun is to be had. Not only that, but Sean is often the one Tate runs to for comfort when he's hurt (or just being dramatic) or when he wants to be held. When Daddy is at work and the phone rings, Tate perks up and says, "Da Da!" It is so amazing to watch them interact....to see the love pouring out of both of them when they are together.

Sean, I couldn't have hand picked a better companion to be the father of my children! You jumped in whole heartedly from day 1 when we decided to be parents and Tate grew in your heart just as deeply as he grew in mine. You have never hesitated to do any of the "duties" involved in parenting (except that weird phase that you refused to feed Tate cereal) :) and have always given Tate a love that only a father can give! I cannot wait to witness the bond that you have with Tate grow as time goes on. I know that he will learn so many amazing things from you through the years (hopefully not any more of your dance moves though...just kidding! :)). You are such an amazing man and I am so happy that Tate has such a great, hard working, loving, devoted role model to call Daddy. We love you more than words could ever express!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Thoughts about my dad...

I remember when I was younger, I read somewhere that women tend to marry men that are like their fathers. I thought, I don't think that I am going to marry someone like my father. I will prove that statistic wrong. Not that I didn't love my father or think he was a great man. I did and DO! It's just that I was a teenager when I heard this and in my eyes, my dad wasn't "cool" like the type of guy I would have wanted to marry. He was my dad, he was, well...old. :) I was not the easiest teen either. I went through "a phase" of what many might call making "bad choices". My father was the one that was disciplining me and scolding me and I just was not going to marry a man like that! For gosh sakes, he should have let me do whatever I wanted, right?! :)

Well, fast forward several years. I still don't always make the right choices, I still may not be the easiest child in my parents' eyes, but I DO recognize now that my Dad is in fact, one of the "coolest" guys I know! I am so proud to call him my Dad. He is truly the hardest working man I know. He gives, gives, gives and then gives some more. He can tell a story better than anyone else. He will give a stranger the shirt off of his back. He can make the most serious person laugh until they pee their pants. He isn't the most vocal person when it comes to his emotions, but it doesn't matter...his caring, loving heart is something that speaks loudly through his actions, and actions definitely speak louder than words! Even when he doesn't agree with my choices, he is always a support to me...sometimes reluctantly :), but I know he will always be there for me no matter what. What girl wouldn't want to marry a man like this???

Turns out, Sean IS in fact a lot like my dad in many ways. The traits that Sean has that are like my dad's are the traits that I love most about him! Funny how things change in just a few years.

Thank you, Dad for being such an amazing father! Happy Father's Day! I love you!!!

A Birth Father's Love

This day cannot go by without thoughts of Brandon, Tate's birth father. Brandon is such an amazing person. He has an amazing, deep love for Tate that cannot be denied. The moment we met Brandon and the impact that meeting had on our lives will be etched in our memories forever. There are no words for the gratitude we have for him. The gift he gave us...wow. We think of him every single day. We thank God for him every single day. We will never be able to repay him. No matter how hard we try to express it, he will never know the love we have for him. Tate is able to see first hand the love that Brandon has for him...what a gift! Still, 20 months later...we are simply amazed. We love you, Brandon!

This boy LOVES books!

He might be up to no good...

Brusha...Brusha...Brusha...

BRUSHING TEETH

Tate loves to brush his teeth. He doesn't like me or Sean doing it for him, so after this video was taken, he had a freak out while we brushed them for him. As long as he's holding the toothbrush, he's happy. It's become part of his bedtime routine. After we brush his teeth, he walks into his bedroom saying "nigh, nigh" and "puppytag". He sleeps with his brown puppy and his taggie so that's what "puppytag" means.

Flood Watching

On Friday, we decided to go check out the flood at it's crest. We loaded up in the van and went down town. We put Tate is the stroller and walked down to the edge of the water. People were all over the place just walking, checking things out and taking pictures. It was like a carnival! Tate was in awe. I think he might have thought we were in Florida. ;) Anyway, we drove around and took some pictures. The second picture is of a building covered in plastic and sand bags. At the time, I just thought it was funny because it was literally several blocks away from any flooding. I made a comment to Sean that the owner may have gone a bit overboard with precautionary measures...so I took a picture. We laughed.

Well, it wasn't so funny today when we found out that in the middle of the night, a levee broke and that whole area is completely flooded! So I was wrong. The business owner did the right thing! It's crazy that the roads we were just driving on yesterday are now under about 6 feet of water!

Tate was pointing and saying, "woeeeeeee!"

This building is now flooded.

Tate just hangin' out as we drove around gawking.

I'm in trouble...

These last few days, Tate has been "acting up". I can't seem to figure out why or if it's just the start of a phase. I feel like he may be hurting or teething or who knows what, but he hasn't been acting like himself and by the looks of his soaking wet shirt, he HAS to be teething. Now I don't know if this is why he's been "acting up", but it's one theory.

He hits...only Sean and I though. I suppose this is a good thing. I mean, I don't want him hitting ANYONE, but if it's anyone, it's probably best it's us. He has been having serious tantrums that involve running around in a circle flailing about, screaming, hitting himself in the face and head and then either hitting his head on the wall, sink, chair, oven, door...pretty much whatever is near him or if nothing hard (that could hurt him) is within reach of his head, he will fall to the floor on all fours and just hit his head on the floor. Seriously...it this normal?!!! When he does this, I just try to walk away and not give him any attention because I think that's what he's seeking. When he hits or disobeys, we are really being super consistent with time out and it seems to work about half the time. I will continue to be consistent with that, but it is really hard when I go to get him out of time out for hitting me and I bend down and say, "Tate, you were in time out for hitting Mommy. You need to use gentle touches, we do not hit. You are a good boy, but that was a bad choice. I love you" and when I go in to hug him or pick him up from his time out chair...what does he do? He hits me HARD right in the face. Seriously, I know I am sensitive, but when he hits me with anger in his eyes...it breaks my heart! I can't help it. I have so much more heart break in the future I am sure. I am in trouble.

TGI Almost the weekend! :-)

I can't wait for the weekend! My day off on Tuesday was a little tease for me and now I long for another day off! The flood waters keep rising here...it's actually pretty terrible. Although, it is extremely bad in Cedar Rapids area. So sad! We are actually the fortunate ones.

Mom and Dad, Cassie, Paul and the kids are coming on Saturday. We look forward to hanging out with them. Sunday is Father's Day and Sean has to work. :( Boo. Tate and I plan to go meet him on his lunch and go out somewhere though. Then on Monday it's back to work. Boo again! Monday evening though, Brandon (Tate's birth father) is coming to visit and see Tate. We are really excited to get together for the evening. It's been since January that we've seen him!

Hopefully we'll have some fun pictures to document the weekend!

Nothing much else to report here.

Flood of 2008

Sean went downtown to take some pictures of the beginnings of the flood here in Des Moines. It's sad to say, but this (so they say) is just the beginning. Apparently the river is not going to crest until Sunday and will be at least 5 feet higher than it is in these pictures! These pictures don't even show the magnitude of this flood. I know that it is even worse in other areas of Iowa. It is so sad. We will try to get more pictures of it this weekend. With the continuing rains and water coming down to Des Moines from the north, who knows how bad it could get. They say that it is worse than the flood of '93. We are praying for the rain to subside.

A Family Day!

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take a personal day to have some family time since Sean and I work opposite hours. Yesterday was the day! We went to the zoo in the morning and then went home and Tate took a nap while Sean and I just layed around and relaxed. Then, when Tate woke up, we went to run some errands and ate supper at at the new Chipotle in West Des Moines. Eating there solidified the fact that I like Pancheros 1000 times more! It was yummy though! :) It was such an amazing, relaxing, fun-filled day! We were blessed with perfect weather and had a wonderful time just being together as a family!

Tate and Daddy at the zoo.

They currently have an elephant exhibit. Tate loves elephants, so he was amazed...although, for some reason, his favorite animals were the otters. He was SO excited about them and kept saying, "woooooeeeeee odduh!"

He also really, really loved the aquarium!

You would think we could have managed to get at least one good picture of Tate and Mommy, but no, this is the best one. Tate has this new thing that when we are taking pictures, he wants to press the side of his face against mine, hence, the "lazy eye" in this picture.

And it seems that every time we manage to get a decent picture, it's blurry!