tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11912013420318172672024-03-13T20:27:59.351-07:00Coleman Clan CandorCaseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-32419550996561527702013-11-15T09:31:00.001-08:002013-11-15T09:31:18.912-08:00The quest for a Little Free Library
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve recently had a windfall in our household. A $100
windfall, to be exact. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About six months ago, someone on Facebook turned me on to
Little Free Libraries. Are you familiar with those? They’re these miniature
libraries that are located at a house or business. Only, you don’t check out
books, you trade books. No librarian, no fines, no cards. Just you and this
little library in a box. What a fantastic idea! Turns out, they exist all over
the country! There are quite a few of them here in Lincoln, including the one
that I frequent: The Losh Free Library. </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/loshfreelibrary"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">https://www.facebook.com/loshfreelibrary</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b33ehJYf6Zg/UoZZuQegswI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/AC7IJ6caEdU/s1600/1374672_10151641088635754_803970664_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b33ehJYf6Zg/UoZZuQegswI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/AC7IJ6caEdU/s320/1374672_10151641088635754_803970664_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After visiting the library a few times and following the new
arrival updates on Facebook, I expressed interest in starting our own. This was
really just a “wouldn’t that be fun” type of interest. But, someone was
listening (or reading, rather). On October 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>, Ben and I received
an anonymous letter from a “friend” of the Little Free Library program who
lives out of state and wants to see this project grow. That anonymous letter
included a crisp $100 bill. “Here’s your push,” it said. This letter was similar
to the anonymous letter than the Losh Free Library received that same day with
a $200 donation. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wow. Really, wow. So, here we go. Our first purchase was an upcycled
Little Free Library that was being auctioned off at the Common Root Fundraiser.
Although I paid way too little for it, I’m happy to have some of that donation
left to purchase an official Little Free Library stewardship and name plate! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S62n85lzEMs/UoZZucynrbI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/m7GF7CpVHqk/s1600/561994_260715284079703_99633503_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S62n85lzEMs/UoZZucynrbI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/m7GF7CpVHqk/s400/561994_260715284079703_99633503_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EYHlk3n_tko/UoZZuk7z-nI/AAAAAAAAARA/9EwtvDrRVK0/s1600/1452904_10151719097515754_983567386_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EYHlk3n_tko/UoZZuk7z-nI/AAAAAAAAARA/9EwtvDrRVK0/s200/1452904_10151719097515754_983567386_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next step? Building the post for it to sit on, stocking the
library, and making it official! Speaking of official... we need a name! Taking suggestions!</span></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-80281037362600272502013-10-08T14:24:00.002-07:002013-10-08T14:24:23.279-07:00Busy. Yes, very busy.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s been busy in the Coleman house. Very, very busy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VcD5NR6FgHk/UlR3qbtrAKI/AAAAAAAAAQY/AFnfHA9NnEA/s1600/1237540_10151589509555754_2011890937_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VcD5NR6FgHk/UlR3qbtrAKI/AAAAAAAAAQY/AFnfHA9NnEA/s320/1237540_10151589509555754_2011890937_o.jpg" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The kiddos are great. Sullivan is exploring the world – and our
house! No corner is left undiscovered and no shelf is safe. He’s a raptor
testing the fence. The first sign of a non-baby-proofed area and he’s all over
it! He’s trying to convey his emotions and not having a very easy time. We hear
A LOT of screeching from Sully. When he’s frustrated, he often stares straight
into our eyes and gives us little pinches on our arms. We’re trying very hard
to break that habit. (The time-out corner is well-used in our living room.) That
said, he’s using his sign-language more and having a great time leading us
around by our fingers, instead of just demanding that we come by yelling!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Scarlett is just a precocious wonder. The type of stuff that
they’re learning in school and that fact that she can reason just as well as an
adult just amazes me. I was giving her a quiz the other day about every-day
things and I asked her, “What do they call soccer in England.” Thoughtfully she
answered (in her best British accent), “soc-cah.” I pretty much lost it!
Scarlett is also testing the fences. We’ve caught her telling little white lies
and therefore, she has been spending a little time being grounded. While I
really don’t think that kind of stuff is a huge deal, I really want her to feel
like she should be honest with us at all times. I feel like we’re doing well
when she randomly tells me, “Mommy, I want to tell you the truth…” and then
launches into how she really doesn’t like that juice, even though she drank it
not to hurt my feelings. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div>
In addition to the other activities that divide her time, she got to participate in a twirling clinic, ride the Zamboni at a Stars game, and go to a Husker game!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IsuQCOHjf8o/UlR3ktQ_rZI/AAAAAAAAAQI/DI8A-0nEaWE/s1600/1387745_10151645869480754_1808561296_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IsuQCOHjf8o/UlR3ktQ_rZI/AAAAAAAAAQI/DI8A-0nEaWE/s320/1387745_10151645869480754_1808561296_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PQR6EQatLSI/UlR3o4aYZfI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/oc6OYZedqpo/s1600/1371766_10151632723140754_640492818_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PQR6EQatLSI/UlR3o4aYZfI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/oc6OYZedqpo/s320/1371766_10151632723140754_640492818_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ben has been busy starting a Lincoln chapter of the Ancient
Order of Hibernians, which is a club of-sort for Irish men. He’s belonged to
the Sarpy County Division for a couple of years now and wanted to find
something closer to home. Nothing existed, so he’s starting the very first!
They’ll have their first meeting in a week or two, so he’s been very
preoccupied with the planning stages. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aLclQigPbBo/UlR3tySY3FI/AAAAAAAAAQo/VaZbFpPIhF0/s1600/1372490_10151645865175754_1498078848_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aLclQigPbBo/UlR3tySY3FI/AAAAAAAAAQo/VaZbFpPIhF0/s320/1372490_10151645865175754_1498078848_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TOL7GaLPtss/UlR3r42iJSI/AAAAAAAAAQc/rKOlAIsG0is/s1600/1369189_10151645826885754_105287960_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TOL7GaLPtss/UlR3r42iJSI/AAAAAAAAAQc/rKOlAIsG0is/s320/1369189_10151645826885754_105287960_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wish I could say that I was just holding us all together
and riding the wave while all this is going on, but alas, I’ve been just as
busy. Work has had me a bit stressed, but pretty happy. I recently took on a
liaison role between Admissions and Recruitment. What that really means is that
I’ve been doing my own job, plus part of another one. It’s been very rewarding,
as I’m seeing some of the projects that I’ve been involved in from the
ground-up come to fruition. Stressful, though, because Recruitment is down a
player and we’re all stepping up our games. With that added responsibility, I’ve
seem to become more visible in the office. All the years of volunteering for
EVERYTHING have paid off. When someone needs help on a project, I’m one of the
go-to people. While that is stressful in its own right, it feels good too. I’ve
also recently gotten my notary public certificate, which comes in handy in our
office. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lastly, Scarlett’s mom has become a Girl Scout Troop Leader!
I didn’t really want to do it, at first. After some other friends came on, I’ve
warmed up to the idea. It takes a ton of training and a lot of planning, but we’ll
have our first Brownies meeting in two weeks! No more collapsing on the couch
when the kids go to bed, that’s when the GS planning begins! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All of this, and I’m wondering whether I can scratch my
back-to-school itch, too. I don’t think I can handle it with everyone else, but
the desire is there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stay tuned!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-47776797324239833242013-07-30T14:13:00.001-07:002013-07-30T14:13:10.325-07:00Roller Derby Summer<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQBAK12VmYA/Ufgp-vyXrQI/AAAAAAAAAPM/NK71ij19slo/s1600/1056938_10151473226015754_1431093006_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQBAK12VmYA/Ufgp-vyXrQI/AAAAAAAAAPM/NK71ij19slo/s320/1056938_10151473226015754_1431093006_n.jpg" width="234" /></a>This summer, Scarlett has been very much into the Roller Derby. She went to her first game when she was five, and has gone at least twice a season since. <br />
<br />
I don't necessarily think that she's interested in the game, as much as she is interested in the women who play. Scarlett's favorite part of the night is at the end, when she goes down to the floor and gets her program and shirt autographed by the players. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tiq5lAclhuc/UfgqBfqBBJI/AAAAAAAAAPc/HlEXNk5eAc4/s1600/975291_10151450230550754_382081992_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tiq5lAclhuc/UfgqBfqBBJI/AAAAAAAAAPc/HlEXNk5eAc4/s320/975291_10151450230550754_382081992_n.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
<br />
They started a junior derby this year, which Scarlett is dying to try. It's pretty expensive and time consuming, but looks like a lot of fun. I personally think she's a little too delicate and sensitive. One little girl at the bout kept getting knocked down by the blockers and spent the rest of the game crying. I can imagine Scarlett doing that.<br />
<br />
My favorite player is Kobra Kai. I LOVE her name, because it reminds me of old times. She is one badass chick, with arms full of tattoos and lots of flair. Sadly, this year is her last as a derby girl. <br />
<br />
Scarlett's favorite is Flash Gloria. She sports shorts with yellow trim and a lightning bolt on the rear. She used to also sport a lightning bolt on her cheek. Flash is very much the star of the show, so it's no wonder that Scarlett attached herself. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CeIOEfTvuKk/UfgqEe3grMI/AAAAAAAAAPw/AERVQSwCsJE/s1600/1060035_10151473226505754_1745280812_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CeIOEfTvuKk/UfgqEe3grMI/AAAAAAAAAPw/AERVQSwCsJE/s320/1060035_10151473226505754_1745280812_n.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uvoaCJf904E/UfgqCpTqeBI/AAAAAAAAAPk/RiUUd-kPItw/s1600/1056804_10151473226330754_33277695_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uvoaCJf904E/UfgqCpTqeBI/AAAAAAAAAPk/RiUUd-kPItw/s200/1056804_10151473226330754_33277695_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlett and her favorite derby girl, Flash Gloria!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It's a great place for kids. They've got kids-size merchandise and coloring tables. In fact, each time that we've gone, Scarlett has colored a poster for at least three of the derby girls! Kobra Kai put hers up on her Facebook page!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gfh7ixx02Fs/Ufgp9PwXGZI/AAAAAAAAAPE/_-ZtKcvXgH8/s1600/992779_10200745251891151_1072071592_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gfh7ixx02Fs/Ufgp9PwXGZI/AAAAAAAAAPE/_-ZtKcvXgH8/s200/992779_10200745251891151_1072071592_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KrAv2QXSDgQ/Ufgp_2T5OJI/AAAAAAAAAPU/mtXdSTlchRM/s1600/1062147_10151508481480754_1085747647_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KrAv2QXSDgQ/Ufgp_2T5OJI/AAAAAAAAAPU/mtXdSTlchRM/s200/1062147_10151508481480754_1085747647_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQKexinXDEc/Ufgpxx-X5HI/AAAAAAAAAO8/BEXRiEwtNgs/s1600/973316_10151456641365754_996222294_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQKexinXDEc/Ufgpxx-X5HI/AAAAAAAAAO8/BEXRiEwtNgs/s320/973316_10151456641365754_996222294_n.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UmXSIxjWv00/UfgqFvKVeYI/AAAAAAAAAP0/DUWD7l_wUR0/s1600/1063318_10151456641960754_673938393_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UmXSIxjWv00/UfgqFvKVeYI/AAAAAAAAAP0/DUWD7l_wUR0/s200/1063318_10151456641960754_673938393_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlett went to Paint Yourself Silly for Derby Night. All proceeds went to No Coast Derby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Go No Coast!Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-55877590235865931172013-07-26T14:28:00.001-07:002013-07-26T14:28:18.750-07:00The poxNot just a thing of the past, folks. In the past few weeks, Sully has had a rash (ha!) of bugbites. Chiggers, we thought, since they appeared mostly around the diaper area and around his neck and upper arms/back. Well, when he developed one on his eye, I started to worry. One quick call later and we were on our way to the pediatrician. <br />
<br />
Turns out, Sully had developed chicken pox. I seriously didn't think that kids got those anymore! After all, he had been vaccinated! (Or at least he's had the first dose.) The pediatrician explained that even vaccinated children can get the pox, although it's usually much milder and clears up quicker. Even so, he had only seen one case in his 10 years and that was from a Chinese child that hadn't been vaccinated!<br />
<br />
Well, itchies be damned, everything is speeding along, as usual. Sully is starting to clear up, Scarlett is thinking about going back to school and we're trying to fit all of the remaining summer still into these last few weeks!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kyf1TVYj8Yg/UfLpsOJqBtI/AAAAAAAAAOs/o-CqnFLjhuA/s1600/imagesCAX68ZUL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kyf1TVYj8Yg/UfLpsOJqBtI/AAAAAAAAAOs/o-CqnFLjhuA/s1600/imagesCAX68ZUL.jpg" /></a></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-73643082056109386862013-07-09T14:31:00.002-07:002013-07-09T14:31:28.352-07:00Argh Summer!
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wow, long overdue. I would never have thought that summer would
turn out to be busier than spring. In my crazed mind, I was picturing a
leisurely summer, dotted with various activities. Scarlett was going to take
the summer off from three of her activities, so that would mean more free
nights, right? Ha! Scarlett may have more time to play outside with her
neighbors, but we have been anything but free. It’s been a whirlwind of
traveling, birthday parties, recitals, household projects, library visits, and
catching up with friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The whole family traveled to Colorado to visit Timmy in
June. This was Sullivan’s first big road trip and to be honest, I was dreading
it. I love him to bits, but he doesn’t let me hit the easy button on anything.
Surely the 8 hour drive was going to be rife with screaming, crying, arching and
general displeasure. It really is what I expected. I was genuinely surprised
when the ride passed with very few hiccups. We left very early in the morning
so that the kids could sleep in the car. After a little mid-morning nap, we did
a little eating, reading, playing, singing, movie-watching (Scarlett) and
before we knew it, we had arrived! Not to say that there weren’t a few
screeches, but they were all for very specific reasons and not just for the
hell of it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tlNpkqEq7PA/UdyACt1VOLI/AAAAAAAAAOE/zUIP6yRpZPs/s1600/1063321_10151461348110754_1485200945_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tlNpkqEq7PA/UdyACt1VOLI/AAAAAAAAAOE/zUIP6yRpZPs/s200/1063321_10151461348110754_1485200945_o.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ltW1cXCGSVI/UdyAD_FDJKI/AAAAAAAAAOM/l4Rs9jj6EBY/s1600/1058246_10151461433340754_1474644736_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ltW1cXCGSVI/UdyAD_FDJKI/AAAAAAAAAOM/l4Rs9jj6EBY/s200/1058246_10151461433340754_1474644736_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sully even tolerated getting in and out of the car within
the next few days with little complaint. I didn’t think that he could match
Scarlett’s ease, but I was very pleasantly surprised. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pt2fb2NhKBc/UdyAuUmjJ0I/AAAAAAAAAOU/71fRitSkhak/s1600/983519_10151458945295754_90278339_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pt2fb2NhKBc/UdyAuUmjJ0I/AAAAAAAAAOU/71fRitSkhak/s320/983519_10151458945295754_90278339_n.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben, Scarlett and Sully throwing coins into the fountain at Casa Bonita.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last weekend, Ben and the kids accompanied his parents to
Ohio. I’m a little ashamed to say that I was looking forward to a little time
alone. Of course I was going to miss my babies and my husband, but the thought
of getting some long abandoned projects done put a big smile on my face. (I
hope that those of you with children can relate. If not, I’m a total jerk!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">According to Ben and his parents, Scarlett was a phenomenal
backseat companion. Sully was pretty good, although he did hone his screeching
tones on the long car ride back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4E46Baj02I/UdyAv-8Q7DI/AAAAAAAAAOc/zLvbX0spXfA/s1600/1013865_10201632176350884_1610412210_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4E46Baj02I/UdyAv-8Q7DI/AAAAAAAAAOc/zLvbX0spXfA/s320/1013865_10201632176350884_1610412210_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlett and Sullivan with their cousins, Micah and Lucy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m hoping to get back to a more regular blog posting
schedule soon. Sorry for the delay!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-63019077444702000052013-05-30T12:58:00.002-07:002013-05-30T12:58:35.174-07:00Bye-bye bottle!We've finally done it! Our house is void of bottles, bottle-washers, bottle drying racks and cooler bags! NO MORE BOTTLES!!<br />
<br />
Can you tell how excited I am about this? Having said that, though, I want to point out that it was far from seamless. <br />
<br />
Between day care and our house, the bottle had become a crutch. Sully is upset, get the bottle. Little bit of a fussy-pants? Get the bottle. I've got to trim his nails and clean his ears - get the bottle! As you can see, we had to learn new methods of coping to accompany our lack of bottles. <br />
<br />
My plan was to wean down the bottle feedings to morning and night only for a while, and then go from there. Well... that didn't really happen. How could it when we were using it as a bandage to fix every little issue? I would say to myself, "Sullivan is only one; we've got plenty of time. I won't let him suck on a bottle when he's two." It's probably true. The clincher, though, was hearing my co-worker talk about weaning her son off of the bottle within a week or so. With no fight and no fuss. What? He's not even one-year-old!<br />
<br />
Okay, we're doing this. Cold-turkey, the bottles were gone. We didn't wean and we didn't temper down, we just thrust a sippy cup in his hands and let him figure it out. We did it that way with Scarlett and she was fine. But this is Sully we're talking about. Our boy, our fusser, our whiner. The one who never does ANYTHING the easy way. Nope, he wanted nothing to do with it. He would willingly drink from a sippy cup, unless it contained milk. Sully pitched that crap right back to us, literally pitched it, in an often violent and emotional throw.<br />
<br />
No worries, we've finally reached a comfortable stage. Sully started drinking milk again within a week, this time from his sippy cup. He doesn't love the idea of waking up to no bottle, but I rest easier knowing that he will soon forget that he even had a bottle.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i1xr3dTllPI/UaevCBfVgMI/AAAAAAAAANo/X5XWH_1Xwzk/s1600/975418_10151408107120754_640092356_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i1xr3dTllPI/UaevCBfVgMI/AAAAAAAAANo/X5XWH_1Xwzk/s320/975418_10151408107120754_640092356_n.jpg" width="233" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6bQ5m0_3YHo/UaevDymHg6I/AAAAAAAAANw/n9FQ4LO3rPI/s1600/979596_10151418420210754_420009291_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6bQ5m0_3YHo/UaevDymHg6I/AAAAAAAAANw/n9FQ4LO3rPI/s320/979596_10151418420210754_420009291_n.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-34859973940365946162013-04-12T14:56:00.000-07:002013-04-12T14:56:16.638-07:00One-year goals: An updateWell, things are chugging along. Our first goal, with Sully's one-year birthday come and gone, was to establish a good bedtime routine that wouldn't involve us lulling him to sleep each night. I have to say that things are going better than I thought they would, although it is far from perfect. <br />
<br />
Sully has milk anytime between 7:30 and 8 p.m. If he falls asleep while drinking, we usually let him be and just carry him up to bed. If he is still awake, we carry him upstairs to go to bed. A book is read, the light turned off and his musical monitor is on for one song. We leave the room, regardless of whether he is standing in his crib and crying or ready to sleep. For the first week or so, there was a consistent 5-8 minutes of crying, although it was the whiny crying, not the scream my head off, trouble breathing crying. Within two weeks, we were down to 2-3 minutes of crying and occasionally not at all. Now, we can consistently put him down without tears. <br />
<br />
Like I said, it's far from perfect. He does sometimes still cry. He does sometimes still wake at night, although we usually got 3-5 days of full nights of sleep. I'd like to chalk that up to teething or some other random issue, but I just don't know. However, I can handle this. I'm a lot less tired during the day and a much happier mommy!<br />
<br />
Bring on the bottle! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UKSGEZwaJ44/UWiC-v0_YFI/AAAAAAAAANM/98P369Mq0RU/s1600/908244_10151339308625754_1460509010_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UKSGEZwaJ44/UWiC-v0_YFI/AAAAAAAAANM/98P369Mq0RU/s320/908244_10151339308625754_1460509010_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-58897328177339485362013-03-25T13:46:00.000-07:002013-03-25T13:46:00.064-07:00The official one-year stats
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CvNj6PXzsEo/UVC3IyW0zFI/AAAAAAAAAM8/bTXL6D3-axc/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CvNj6PXzsEo/UVC3IyW0zFI/AAAAAAAAAM8/bTXL6D3-axc/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Height: 33 in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Weight: 30 lbs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Head: 19 ½ inches<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All in the 97<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> percentile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our to-do list is to phase out the bottle and heavy-duty
sleep training (establishing a strict bedtime routine). The doctor suggested
phasing out the pacifier too, but I don’t think anyone in our house in ready to
give that up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This all is very new territory for us. We did very minimal
sleep training with Scarlett and at a much earlier age. She seemed to get it
after a few nights. I know that it won’t be that easy with Sully, which is one
of the reasons that we’ve been putting it off. Eliminating the bottle was
equally easy. I gave her a sippy cup with milk in it on the day after her first
birthday. After handing it back to me a few times, she just accepted it and
moved on. Lastly, Scarlett was never into binkies – as much as we wanted her to
be!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll keep you updated!</span></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-17518576371634074962013-03-20T12:58:00.002-07:002013-03-20T12:58:58.843-07:00Happy First Birthday Sullivan Patrick Coleman!Yesterday was Sully's first birthday! I can't believe the long and hard year it's been (insert joke here)!<br />
In the scheme of things, this first 12 months was just a little hill in the very long and winding road of life. I know this is true, as I experienced it with Scarlett, so I tried to remind myself as often as I could to stop and smell the roses. I took time to gaze at Sully, remembering every line, crinkle, crease, and dimple of his face. I tried to sigh a little less every time I extracted him from the stairs, knowing that in a couple of short months, he'll be able to climb the stairs by himself. Most of all, I try to enjoy when he won't let me put him down. I'm sure the time will come when he won't even want hugs from his uncool mom!<br />
<br />
Here's a little photo blog of the last twelve months.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7X0PG_jNSqU/UUoUhUXgkjI/AAAAAAAAALo/UZvqxAx6o54/s1600/521658_10150652984310754_1809116188_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7X0PG_jNSqU/UUoUhUXgkjI/AAAAAAAAALo/UZvqxAx6o54/s320/521658_10150652984310754_1809116188_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb4gXUWyC2U/UUoUghmplrI/AAAAAAAAALU/9-ojxUoKX2g/s1600/318225_10150609891570754_1767098493_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb4gXUWyC2U/UUoUghmplrI/AAAAAAAAALU/9-ojxUoKX2g/s320/318225_10150609891570754_1767098493_n.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RQVj6H37njY/UUoUhXdiGXI/AAAAAAAAALs/kY4LpU0gAVU/s1600/427945_10150675915985754_582005761_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RQVj6H37njY/UUoUhXdiGXI/AAAAAAAAALs/kY4LpU0gAVU/s320/427945_10150675915985754_582005761_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V6FHMww8VT0/UUoUghKNSGI/AAAAAAAAALY/85Gy_XjBFb0/s1600/246519_10150811931405754_1376108453_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V6FHMww8VT0/UUoUghKNSGI/AAAAAAAAALY/85Gy_XjBFb0/s320/246519_10150811931405754_1376108453_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BS_-Z5m9PbI/UUoUgrONbxI/AAAAAAAAALc/i1UFqWFB4iE/s1600/165949_10150925753935754_852428888_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BS_-Z5m9PbI/UUoUgrONbxI/AAAAAAAAALc/i1UFqWFB4iE/s320/165949_10150925753935754_852428888_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0I5L0vxh1Tg/UUoUh-kAHqI/AAAAAAAAAL0/mzmwY7R7N2o/s1600/552350_10151090684560754_1950074219_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0I5L0vxh1Tg/UUoUh-kAHqI/AAAAAAAAAL0/mzmwY7R7N2o/s320/552350_10151090684560754_1950074219_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sPcPbVc60_Y/UUoUh-6w3GI/AAAAAAAAAL4/PXzwKzCRq8g/s1600/539350_10151024457960754_1150622343_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sPcPbVc60_Y/UUoUh-6w3GI/AAAAAAAAAL4/PXzwKzCRq8g/s320/539350_10151024457960754_1150622343_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lPXTrkcEbA8/UUoUh5481_I/AAAAAAAAAL8/7K8wgjCQfAA/s1600/540862_10151069721525754_1564989638_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lPXTrkcEbA8/UUoUh5481_I/AAAAAAAAAL8/7K8wgjCQfAA/s320/540862_10151069721525754_1564989638_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uYOSL0C424w/UUoUhLvw6yI/AAAAAAAAALk/lQ695w0GYcc/s1600/397397_10151213079130754_496571048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uYOSL0C424w/UUoUhLvw6yI/AAAAAAAAALk/lQ695w0GYcc/s320/397397_10151213079130754_496571048_n.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sGOLLSilrcg/UUoUitZ-zHI/AAAAAAAAAMA/ljot4Tog7nc/s1600/710988_10151146177575754_1418271817_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sGOLLSilrcg/UUoUitZ-zHI/AAAAAAAAAMA/ljot4Tog7nc/s320/710988_10151146177575754_1418271817_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBGRroW1qYo/UUoUillVaII/AAAAAAAAAME/3Cj5NMTyGfk/s1600/804065_10151323256300754_1593364445_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBGRroW1qYo/UUoUillVaII/AAAAAAAAAME/3Cj5NMTyGfk/s320/804065_10151323256300754_1593364445_n.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r_9xzJORF_o/UUoUixyQVaI/AAAAAAAAAMI/7KhUCVWqJsY/s1600/861595_10151324081025754_1742447628_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r_9xzJORF_o/UUoUixyQVaI/AAAAAAAAAMI/7KhUCVWqJsY/s320/861595_10151324081025754_1742447628_n.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-29122633323011703262013-03-04T14:50:00.004-08:002013-03-04T14:50:56.851-08:00It's getting hectic in here!
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been a hectic
week. In addition to our normal events, lessons, and activities, we’ve had some
extra excitement (and stress) this week! Girl Scout cookie sales are in full swing and we've been stepping over boxes for a while now. If you need any, let us know. I'd love to move them out of my house!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Scarlett also participated in her second science fair for Hill
Elementary School. This is never something that I expected Scarlett to get
involved with. I wasn’t a science-y kid and I’m not really into science now.
She must have gotten those genes from Ben! So over the course of three weeks,
Scarlett and her friend Abbi worked on their Solar System project together.
They colored and painted planets, read interesting facts about each one, and made
their own bubble letters for the title. In the end, the came up with a very
colorful interesting display. Below are some pictures.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bRI25aB1fFo/UTUj77znxmI/AAAAAAAAALE/RNcxUU78dME/s1600/404931_10150562886100754_2018286668_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bRI25aB1fFo/UTUj77znxmI/AAAAAAAAALE/RNcxUU78dME/s200/404931_10150562886100754_2018286668_n.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hh9OC1wkjpE/UTUjTLwZIyI/AAAAAAAAAK0/yj9UB7OW9ik/s1600/861904_10151285831720754_1114120494_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hh9OC1wkjpE/UTUjTLwZIyI/AAAAAAAAAK0/yj9UB7OW9ik/s200/861904_10151285831720754_1114120494_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At left is Scarlett’s Science Fair project last year. The photo about is of her and her partner this year.<o:p></o:p></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sully has had his own big adventures this week. He’s been
standing on his own more often and taking a step or two when he feels like it.
He is a bit lazy, as he won’t walk if we get near him. (Nor will he hold his
own bottle for long, the little brat!) He’s quite adept at holding his sippy
cup, however, and no longer eats baby food. Sully also loves puzzles and is
working really hard at stacking blocks. He excels at knocking them over!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On an interesting note, he’s been finding private places to
have bowel movements. I know that some professionals find that toddlers that
hide have problems potty training, but I hope that’s not the case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xq1LF5GpSEU/UTUjVWCqbLI/AAAAAAAAAK8/KOGYjkTO9tU/s1600/711463_10151245398685754_1506427579_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xq1LF5GpSEU/UTUjVWCqbLI/AAAAAAAAAK8/KOGYjkTO9tU/s400/711463_10151245398685754_1506427579_n.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-41833161904291015702013-02-15T14:43:00.003-08:002013-02-15T14:43:55.728-08:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hey all! I know it’s been a long, long time since I’ve last
blogged. I don’t really have a good excuse. Life just happened, you know? The
holidays are an especially busy time for us with numerous Christmas
celebrations and Scarlett’s birthday. Work is also extremely busy during that
time of year, so I use my breaks to work instead of blog!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_PEVnpB3oWw/UR66Ba77ivI/AAAAAAAAAKk/8o60bWuHahE/s1600/Bundle+of+Joy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_PEVnpB3oWw/UR66Ba77ivI/AAAAAAAAAKk/8o60bWuHahE/s320/Bundle+of+Joy.jpg" width="239" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sullivan, who is now almost 11-months-old, has been growing
like a weed and is still going strong. He now wears 18-month clothing, so it’s
getting hard to keep up with his constantly changing wardrobe. He has also gone
from army crawling to doing a one-legged crawl to bear crawling. It’s hilarious
to watch and he gets around very quickly! He also walks along holding furniture
and has even ventured a few seconds of standing by himself. I don’t think it
will be long before he’s taking his first steps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No full words yet, but he’s getting very close. He
constantly babbles and roams the house saying, “te, te.” I’m convinced that
he’s trying to say “kitty!” (That would be incredibly appropriate, since
Scarlett’s first word was “ducky.”) My mom is convinced that he’s saying tea.
Who knows!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Scarlett is also growing up quickly. She had her 7<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
birthday, which included gifts that she donated to the Salvation Army. She’s
way more mature and good-natured than I was at that age. Scarlett also enjoys
school and her many activities. At some point she’ll have to pick and choose,
but for now she likes being so busy!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wN2MsLTJa9w/UR653EDFz5I/AAAAAAAAAKc/SqHfLYvD91w/s1600/scsmile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wN2MsLTJa9w/UR653EDFz5I/AAAAAAAAAKc/SqHfLYvD91w/s320/scsmile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-15131758928063655642012-11-09T14:55:00.003-08:002012-11-09T14:55:42.560-08:00Days 7 and 8<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pardon once again the double up of entries. Blogging is a
little harder than just dashing off a quick sentence or two and posting on
Facebook (perhaps that’s what I should have done). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week, I’m very glad for the democratic process. Aside
from party lines and partisan issues (face it, we’re all tired of those), I
just feel very blessed to be able to vote. It’s easy to forget that 100 years
ago, women weren’t able to vote. Women’s Suffrage was 150 years in the making
and man did we have to work at it. I’m thankful every day that I’m allowed to
have some part in the legislative process, even a small one. I vowed early on
that I’d never let that go to waste.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Going with the woman-hear-me-roar theme, I’m also thankful
to be surrounded by strong, powerful, inspiring women. I work in an office that
is comprised of 75-80% women. The roles of leadership are held by mostly women.
Glass ceiling be damned! Even in the University, I don’t have to look very far
to see powerful women. Now, I just have to choose to be inspired and not feel
like I’ve been left behind in the academic/career world. </div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-60011469985875461442012-11-06T14:36:00.001-08:002012-11-06T14:36:45.015-08:00Today’s Thanksvember entry is sponsored by antidepressants!
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which means that
I have uncontrollable and sometimes irrational anxiety about things
(ranging from individual issues to a big-picture type of anxiety that I can’t
pinpoint). It's also usually long-term. I have probably had this for a good portion of my life, and most
likely will be medicated for the rest of my life for it. In my case, I tend to
obsess over minute details. For instance, I may say something to a co-worker while
joking around. The other person may forget that we have even done this and just writes it off as part of their day, but I
will obsess over this instance - maybe something particular that I said –
replaying it for weeks in my mind. I’ll think of every way that my comment may have been interpreted, which would then lead me to worry over hurting
someone’s feelings or offending them. I’ll think of every possible way that the
situation could have or should have gone and then every reaction to every scenario in each
instance. It’s dizzying, isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This anxiety also tends to disrupt daily life. A lot of
people know that I didn’t start driving until well into my 20s (actually
nearing my 30s). What most people don’t know is that crippling anxiety prevented me from ever getting my license. I could never even figure out
what it was that I was nervous about, but I was terrified to take the test, buy
a car and to drive every day. Even today, I don’t love to drive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once I decided to get help (I don’t even really know what
prompted me to do so), I felt the difference very quickly. While I still occasionally
have generalized anxiety and anxiety attacks, they happen at a very low
frequency and aren’t as devastating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been off of Lexapro for about two weeks, inadvertently,
while my mail-order medication place coordinates with my doctor’s office. Man
can I tell the difference. I’m irritable, weepy, unhappy, anxious and restless.
I formally apologize to my family, friends and co-workers for my weakened
emotional state! ;)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not embarrassed that I have to take anti-anxiety medication.
I’m thankful every day for this wonderful medicine that lets me navigate my
life without feeling on edge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-85622868061436313832012-11-05T14:45:00.000-08:002012-11-05T14:45:59.927-08:00Thanksvember Days 4 and 5I'm sorry to say that you might see more of these smushed together posts, since I'm not great at carving out time to write at home. Maybe it's a blessing, since I'm guessing most of you don't want to see a blog post EVERY SINGLE DAY from me!<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
***</div>
<br />
Scarlett is involved in Girl Scouts, twirling, ballet and tap dance, soccer and sometimes swimming lessons. At this point, she is equally interested in and good at all of these activities. I know that the day will come that she'll have to choose between some of these activities, although I'm guessing that we will have to choose for her.<br />
<br />
Now, such a large amount of activities takes very careful and specific planning. As you can imagine, it sometimes gets away from us. I think it would be very easy for me to take it to the next level... stage parenting. I really think those parents start off with good intentions. Everyone wants the best for their children and for their children to try their very best at everything they do. It's just so easy to lose sight of the important things or for priorities to shift. My priority? Scarlett needs to have fun. The second that things get too heavy and she stops having fun, we're done. <br />
<br />
At a twirling competition we attended on Saturday, we were surrounded by stage parents. As Scarlett's group performed their dance to the Mario theme song, I could hear some of the parents behind me start to pick apart their dance. I don't think I heard one positive thing come from their mouths. And these were their children out there! Granted, their dance was a little rough. However, it was clear that the children were having a blast and that the crowd was thrilled to be whisked back in time with Mario and Luigi! How could you focus on the negatives of that?! A stage mom I am not. I'm thankful for that.<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
***</div>
<br />
Yesterday we spent the afternoon at a Girl Scouts event. The girls and their families got to go on a hayrack ride around Pioneers Park. We then convened around a campfire making smores and drinking cocoa. It hit me then how lucky I have become, through my children. Not only have doors been opened to countless opportunities and events through all of the different activities that Scarlett has been involved in, but I've also made some great mom friends and acquaintances through her friends. I hope the same happens with Sullivan.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ugOTnLfrFpo/UJhA1YHVNDI/AAAAAAAAAKI/ugifDvUnoOE/s1600/GSparty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ugOTnLfrFpo/UJhA1YHVNDI/AAAAAAAAAKI/ugifDvUnoOE/s320/GSparty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-15167606368544608132012-11-03T22:29:00.000-07:002012-11-03T22:29:00.514-07:00Thanksvember Day 3I could fill an entire post, every single day with stories of wonderful sisterdom. Today I'm extra thankful for my beautiful Scarlett. We put an overtired Sully to bed and as soon as he realized that we weren't coming back, he started to wail. Ben and I went about our business, intending to give a few minutes before we tried to put him to sleep again. Pretty soon I hear this tiny voice over the monitor. Scarlett was telling Sully that it was time for bed and if he would only lie down, he'd fall right asleep. Since he didn't stop crying (which is pretty unusual for his reactions to her), she ran downstairs to get us. When we explained again that sometimes babies have to learn to put themselves to sleep, she started to cry.<br />
<br />
The idea of Sully crying just bothered her much. Not only is she concerned for her brother, she's just a sensitive empathetic little girl.Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-59375733515359166502012-11-02T14:54:00.001-07:002012-11-02T14:54:58.398-07:0030 Days of Thanks, Days 1 and 2I've seen quite a few blogs and posts on Facebook about giving thanks. Of course, it's the month of Thanksgiving! I'm a little late, as always, to this party. However, better late than never!<br />
<br />
It's been a crazy couple of months and I've been way too focused on the negative. I have a great life, but it's hard to remember that in the heat of the moment. So here goes my attempt at being thankful for things that I have. <br />
<br />
<strong><u>Day One</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
First and foremost, I'm thankful for my family. I have the cutest kids and the greatest husband. Even more, my extended family are some of the most loving and supportive people I know. I'm thankful to be a Nutter and a Coleman! Sometimes I take that for granted, but I shouldn't. Neither should you.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Day Two</u></strong><br />
<br />
I'm thankful for the great new friends I've made. I had a bad falling out with some of my friends a few years back. I'm so thankful that I still have friends, for one, and those friends are incredibly supportive. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G1wCue5liFk/UJRBBDjP2BI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/fKc0ZR7opjI/s1600/NutterClutter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G1wCue5liFk/UJRBBDjP2BI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/fKc0ZR7opjI/s400/NutterClutter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-64783433558214962262012-10-16T14:35:00.002-07:002012-10-16T14:35:52.043-07:00Sleep: The Follow-Up<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The mournful pleas from a tired mommy weren’t really
successful in their call for help. Although I did get a lot of camaraderie from
other mothers who had been there and are still there, there were only two suggestions
from the last blog: let Sully cry it out and try playing music. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for crying it out, I’m a little leery. I see that more as
a “going to bed” solution, rather than a “wake up in the night” solution. I’m
worried that an early morning wail session might lead not only to an exhausted
mom and dad, but a tired and grumpy six year-old. While Scarlett does manage to
sleep through most of Sully’s midnight feedings, I’m afraid that his prolonged
crying would wake her right up. I also think it would make her feel bad for
Sully. We tried this method a couple of times when he wouldn’t fall asleep in
his crib. Even though we had prepared Scarlett for this method by explaining that
Sully was okay and that we would check on him and soothe him along the way
while he learned to fall asleep on his own, she looked at me with a pained
expression as he wailed from his room and asked “Are you going to save Sully,
Mommy?” That just about broke my heart. I haven’t had the desire to try that
again in her presence. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other suggestion wasn’t quite as pervasive. Sound is a
constant in Sully and Scarlett’s lives. I’m not proud of it, but we’re
television people. We don’t necessarily use the TV to placate our children
(although I think it has its place); we just function most days with background
noise. Sometimes it’s music – more often than not it’s music from the music
channels on television – other times we listen to sitcoms, the news or cartoons.
We try our best to have moments when we don’t turn on the television, but most
of the time we cave. Negative connotations aside, Sully is used to hearing some
sort of sound throughout the day. So, having Sully fall asleep to music is a
great idea, and one that we already utilize occasionally. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What we ended up with was something very much out of our
comfort zone. We got Sully some amber teething beads. I personally have a
natural skepticism of homeopathic healing. I don’t think that it doesn’t work
for some people; I just don’t really believe that it would work for me because
I don’t believe in the general idea. However, we have several friends that use
teething necklaces on their young’uns’ and they’ve all raved about them. So, I
took myself down to the neighborhood natural parenting store and bought a set.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The idea behind amber being a soother for teething pain isn’t
a new one. It’s been used in folk medicine as a healing agent/crystal.
Apparently, the amber resin warms with the body’s temperature and releases
oils, including succinic acid. This acid was historically used to treat aches
and pains and is now used as a sweetener in food. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In conclusion, Sully has slept through the night for almost
a week now. Coincidence? Probably. Do I care what it was that finally worked?
Nope!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PhAOKIDcanI/UH3TD0FxXBI/AAAAAAAAAJo/EmXGXYkBvXA/s1600/necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PhAOKIDcanI/UH3TD0FxXBI/AAAAAAAAAJo/EmXGXYkBvXA/s320/necklace.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-25776905064526146522012-09-28T13:29:00.001-07:002012-09-28T13:29:30.136-07:00The Business of Bedtime
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps it’s because Sully’s getting older or maybe it’s
because he’s teething, but going to bed isn’t the easy laid-back routine it
used to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I used to be able to tuck his little arm under mine, turn
him to the side, pat his bum and give him a pacifier. Two minutes and he would
be out! I knew in time that I would have to redo our bedtime routine, but I
really enjoyed our little quiet time with him staring into my eyes as they
drifted closed. I love the idea of me being the very last thing he saw at
night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There was also a period of time, at about two months of age,
where Sully was nearly sleeping through the night. I say nearly because he was
waking at 5:00 or 5:30 a.m., but I really think that counts. A lot of people
start their day that early, although I’m not one of them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Starting about 2 months ago, things started to go downhill.
Even though we started solid foods, which should be filling his little tummy,
he started to wake up more and more. (He eats about six different solid food
meals, including a snack right before bed with his milk.) And suddenly, he wasn’t
content to fall asleep to mommy’s rhythmic patting or even while drinking milk.
How dare! In fact, he’s been downright fussy up to an hour before bedtime. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For a while I blamed it on teething. I’m sure it was the
cause of his distress for a while, since two little pearly points broke
through. But how long can I blame this lack of a full night’s sleep on
teething? I feel like I’m making excuses. I’m not sure why I’m embarrassed about
him not sleeping, as a lot of my friends have babies that don’t sleep well or
kids that never slept well when they were little. I think it may have something
to do with Scarlett. She was nearly the perfect baby. I can remember exactly
two times where she was fussing uncontrollably and she was sleeping well
through the night since about three months old. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After dealing with that perfection, people warned us that
the next one was going to be a hellion. Scarlett slept well, so the next one
wouldn’t sleep at all. Scarlett is gentle and polite, so Sully would be
rambunctious and tiresome. A lot of our friends and family have been good-naturedly
waiting for this time. That’s probably why I don’t want to admit that we’re
having trouble with bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Going to bed isn’t really what’s driving me crazy. It’s
keeping Sully asleep. Right now he often wakes at midnight to eat and then
again at 3:30-4 a.m. Sometimes he wakes up a few times between them and I’m
able to pat him back to sleep. BUT MOMMY NEEDS SLEEP!! I cannot function this
way for much longer – sleep deprivation is truly torturous! So that’s why I’m
asking for help. I’m open to pretty much anything. Please don’t hesitate to
make suggestions and I’ll do an update blog in a week or two letting everyone
know the results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-35TcIExPDh8/UGYIFNtFNKI/AAAAAAAAAJY/aJmdOfwXoj4/s1600/DSC_0438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-35TcIExPDh8/UGYIFNtFNKI/AAAAAAAAAJY/aJmdOfwXoj4/s400/DSC_0438.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks Dave Vrbas for the ultra-cute naked Sully shot!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-65141257693025314742012-08-30T14:36:00.002-07:002012-08-30T14:36:30.390-07:00Size differentialAlthough this post is a month overdue, I'm going to write it anyway! <br />
<br />
I've managed to dig up Scarlett's old growth chart. I thought it would be fun to compare Sullivan's size to Scarlett's at the same age. To my astonishment, the actual numbers aren't as far off as I expected. It's amazing that at such a young age, an inch or two makes such a huge difference in percentages. <br />
<br />
Scarlett Sullivan<br />
Height: 25 in 27 in<br />
Weight: 13.3 19.5<br />
Head Circum: 16 1/4 17.5<br />
<br />
So that's the 75th percentile in height verses Sully's 100+. Scarlett's 50th % in weight verses Sully's 100+ (the biggest difference) Lastly, Scarlett's 60th % in head circumference verses Sully's, again, 100+. Notice in the pictures below that we still had to use a car seat head guard for Scarlett at 4 months old. Sully's legs hang off of the end of that same car seat and his head grazes the top.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGUJIsGk_4c/UD_aJX82skI/AAAAAAAAAI4/gOLE51znTS4/s1600/Scarlett+4mo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGUJIsGk_4c/UD_aJX82skI/AAAAAAAAAI4/gOLE51znTS4/s200/Scarlett+4mo.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FizcT8pgu_U/UD_aYO1UTCI/AAAAAAAAAJA/upOeGeK3auk/s1600/Sullyswing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FizcT8pgu_U/UD_aYO1UTCI/AAAAAAAAAJA/upOeGeK3auk/s200/Sullyswing.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
<br />
On a side note, Sullivan is no longer sleeping through the night. Boo! First it was the teething that kept getting him up. Now it's the rolling over and getting stuck. I'm getting jealous of other mom's I know with babes his age (or younger!) who are sleeping through the night. I know it's a phase because Scarlett went through it too and she was an extremely good sleeper. It's hard to remember that when I wake up looking at the clock through bleary eyes at 2:30 a.m. <br />
<br />
He's also up on all fours rocking quite a bit. He's given up on scooting forward (which we were counting as crawling) and has now resigned himself to working his way backwards across the room. It's quite surprising to find him underneath the coffee table or near the front door when I leave the room!<br />
<br />
Here's another picture of Scarlett, which shows her skinny little arms and legs!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pMe2rJkOmno/UD_co3muB2I/AAAAAAAAAJI/79FZ0rjKo2M/s1600/Scarlettsmall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pMe2rJkOmno/UD_co3muB2I/AAAAAAAAAJI/79FZ0rjKo2M/s320/Scarlettsmall.JPG" width="297" /></a></div>
Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-26778272239560731642012-08-23T14:34:00.000-07:002012-08-23T14:34:05.467-07:00Happy near Friday from a happy baby!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tZPQ48sto3Q/UDagjIbycII/AAAAAAAAAIo/turRG8frMYg/s1600/photo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tZPQ48sto3Q/UDagjIbycII/AAAAAAAAAIo/turRG8frMYg/s320/photo1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't really have much to share lately. <br />
<br />
It's been a whirlwind of activities this summer, for both Scarlett and Sully. We've been shuttling Scarlett to and from event and clubs, which has put a little bit of a bend in Sully's routine. Our niece is also staying with us, so that's been a scheduling challenge too. <br />
<br />
Overall, Bacon has handled the change of pace nicely. In between naps, he's worked in two teeth and a bit of crawling! Things are happening very quickly!Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-18506068329218020062012-07-13T12:41:00.000-07:002012-07-13T12:41:12.326-07:00Routine?It's been nearly 4 months since Sully was born. I've had four months to "settle in." Yet, I still don't feel like we've hit a routine. I'm not sure if that's due to the busy Summer months or maybe just the fact that we have a baby. When does it kick in? At some point I feel like we should get to the point of following nightly routines and schedules - normalcy, but nearly every night I feel overwhelmed. Like this has all just happened. It's a strange feeling. It's somewhat like being on this roller coaster or Speed-like bus that hasn't slowed down enough for me to jump off!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D5Eod5PV-Co/UAB5XeSUuSI/AAAAAAAAAIc/8w40oJJnjno/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D5Eod5PV-Co/UAB5XeSUuSI/AAAAAAAAAIc/8w40oJJnjno/s1600/photo.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Updates: <br />
* I'm still producing a little milk, which makes for fun shirt fronts if I forget to wear the little protective pads. <br />
* Sully is now sometimes eating 7 and 8 ounces at a time. It's clear that he's going to eat us out of house and home. <br />
* My hair is still coming out, a little less now. Enough to make quite a hairball, though, each time I shower. <br />
* We recently had family portraits taken. I seriously have the most gorgeous children known to man. <br />
* After seeing my co-worker's 3-week old baby, I now have newborn fever. I know, I know... I have a baby! He's so tiny though! No, Casey! This is it!Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-43589600097085501142012-07-03T13:01:00.000-07:002012-07-03T13:01:06.772-07:00Post-partum suckiness<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My hair is falling out. Not just a few strands, but entire
clumps. Every morning I pull a small rodent-sized mass out of the drain. That’s
just one of the many <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fun </i>things that
have happened to my body post-pregnancy. (And post-pumping)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hair loss</span></li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ginormous breasts (Insert smart-ass comment by Ben)</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Leaky breasts</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Weight gain </span></div>
</li>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That nice weight loss that I experienced after birth and next two months has gone away. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">L</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Super hungry and still eating the same amount as when I was pumping. Ugh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<li><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Attack of the hormones! </span></div>
</li>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy? Yes! Crying? Yes! Pissed? Yes! All at once!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<li><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Extreme fatigue<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lugging around the baby, getting up at night/early morning, hormones etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Night sweats<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gotta love all of these changes!<o:p></o:p></span><br />Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-75875308248735278142012-06-26T13:06:00.002-07:002012-06-26T13:06:32.161-07:00Facing the inevitable<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, the day has come. The lake has dried up. The cups aren’t
runneth over. I have run out of steam. Idioms and cliches aside, the breast milk has
come and gone. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I didn’t last this long with
Scarlett and my supply has never been strong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve known that I was getting close to the end for about two
weeks. No matter how much water I drink or how regularly I pump, my production
was taking a nose-dive. The last few days I only pumped about one ounce per
day, which we all know, won’t feed my little piggy! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So… I’m done. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On one hand, I’m sad to be done so soon. I liked the idea of
giving Sullivan a little of my milk every day. It made me feel a little closer
to him – a little more bonded. I also liked the thought that the little bit of
milk that I produced gave us a little bit of savings in the formula department.
Formula is insanely expensive and we don’t have the hookup to cheap formula
that we did with Scarlett. Things are tight around our house with two daycare
payments and all of the formula to buy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the other hand, I’m experiencing a new freedom that I
haven’t known with Sully. I’m not tied down to anything or any time, which is
really nice. I don’t have to shut myself into an empty office at work and spend
three 15-20 minute stretches shirking my work responsibilities. I don’t have to
worry about the effects of anything that I eat or drink, which means… BRING ON
THE MARGARITAS!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So on this day, my first day of not pumping, I both mourn
and celebrate. I did what I could for Sullivan and I feel good about it. I may
regret this decision once I start to get engorged and sore!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39KDB4-WagQ/T-oVm5KwvsI/AAAAAAAAAII/KRCagICzoqM/s1600/cute-cow-feeding-calf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39KDB4-WagQ/T-oVm5KwvsI/AAAAAAAAAII/KRCagICzoqM/s320/cute-cow-feeding-calf.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-46089377067644189652012-06-22T14:55:00.000-07:002012-06-22T14:55:10.584-07:00The Michelin Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmeZXAxIugo/T-TpBjNX_yI/AAAAAAAAAH0/jSgPkfThURg/s1600/Sully2.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmeZXAxIugo/T-TpBjNX_yI/AAAAAAAAAH0/jSgPkfThURg/s320/Sully2.5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFqWoiX_P5E/T-TpqRiTsVI/AAAAAAAAAH8/T0-1-Ld8ajQ/s1600/sullysleep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFqWoiX_P5E/T-TpqRiTsVI/AAAAAAAAAH8/T0-1-Ld8ajQ/s320/sullysleep.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Continuing to grow - both up and out! Our sweet little baby is sleeping well (from about 9 to 4:30 a.m.), eating well and delighting us with smiles and giggles! Scarlett never ceases to amaze me with her patience and pleasure with Sully. We are truly blessed.Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191201342031817267.post-45656462062421874832012-06-07T13:40:00.001-07:002012-06-07T13:40:56.856-07:00Survivor’s Guilt<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to put into words
the complex range of emotions that I’ve been feeling. I’m not entirely sure
that I’ll be successful doing so. However, I’ve always found writing to be
cathartic, so I hope to just get it out of my head onto paper (or into the
blogosphere, as it were).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On March 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, I gave birth to a perfectly
healthy baby boy. Sully really has been a pure joy in every way. He tops the
growth charts at the 97<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> percentile because of his healthy eating
habit and already seems to be on his way to sleeping through the night, maybe
also due to the large appetite. We were extremely lucky with both of our
children, as they have so far remained healthy and happy. “So what’s the
problem,” you ask?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few of our friends and family have been plagued with
misfortune when it comes to young ones. In one instance, a sweet little baby
boy passed away after only 10 weeks and a grim prognosis. In another, a little
girl passed away after a couple of years and a late diagnosis. Most recently,
there’s a little one-year-old baby boy fighting to gain weight, losing his
energy and burning with fevers every day. I know that the families don’t see it
as misfortune; they’ve each been blessed to know their child as long as they
have and are sure that the passing (or in the last case – illness) was part of
a larger plan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can’t read about these situations or view any of the
pictures of these precious little ones without extreme sadness and extreme
guilt. I feel guilty celebrating my son’s healthy, flaunting it almost, while
so many have had such heartache. On the other hand, it’s certainly not fair to
Sully or to Scarlett to underplay their achievements and successes. I can’t
find a balance between being elated that nothing awful has happened to my
children or guilty that they are healthy and that I feel happy about it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right now, the best I can do is hope for the best for little
Carter and remember Samantha and Lucas fondly. Tonight my babies get extra
hugs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Caseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538919581735963288noreply@blogger.com3