What a week...

And not necessarily in a good way. The great potty training adventure officially began, and also ended nearly as quickly. Lauren's obviously old enough to do it at 2.5 years old, but she just isn't interested at all. No really, she ran away from us when we put on the big girl undies. After two days of screaming and fits when she had to sit on the potty, and lots of messes for Chris to clean up, we decided to give up for now and try again in another month or so. Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to says you can't do it unless they want to, and she DEFINITELY doesn't want to. We were all really happy when it was time for her to go to school this morning...Lauren included.

In happier news, we eliminated Evan's 11:30pm feeding last night, and he still slept till his normal time! Woo hoo! Chris is ecstatic because now he doesn't have to stay up late to feed him, and I'm happy because we're moving a little closer toward total bottle-feeding. Breastfeeding is great for lots of reasons, but it's so hard to keep it up after I go back to work. I'm also going to Dallas for a weekend at the end of June, and I don't want to pump while I'm there, so we need to start getting him off the boob.

The little man has also discovered how to work his hands, so now he's grabbing toys and fingers and necklaces and pretty much anything that comes in range of his grasp. The boy's also strong...he can support his weight on his legs with hardly any help from us. I have a feeling he's going to be an early walker.


Tavis Smiley stopped by Nationwide yesterday. Nationwide sponsors the On Your Side Tour with Tavis to promote financial literacy and wealth planning. He was a great speaker, and I got a free copy of his new book, Accountable. The concept behind the book is great: our elected leaders (especially Obama), make lots of promises on the campaign trail, and it's our duty as citizens to help make them great leaders by holding them accountable for the promises they make. The book has a chapter for each of 10 major issues, and at the end of each one there's a checklist for you to keep track of what the president, congress, state government, local government, and you are doing to further progress in that space. Gotta add this one to my stack of books...

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Random thoughts

Just some things running through my head this week...

--Why don't we own more than one umbrella? And why isn't one of those non-existent umbrellas in my car? I got drenched walking into work this morning. Nothing like starting the day looking like a drowned rat. And why does it always rain on days when Chris is home with the kids?

--American Idol--yea, Kris Allen is in the final! Although Adam Lambert will likely win, his performances have gotten a little over the top. I told Chris his rendition of Aerosmith's "Cryin'" reminded me of what Aerosmith would sound like if they turned their music into a Broadway musical, a la "Mamma Mia!" One more week, then on to So You Think You Can Dance. I love my trashy reality TV.


--Bought a couple of new books. Not sure what I was thinking since I don't really have time to read. One inspired by an interview on Fresh Air on NPR (Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman) and the other because I really want to understand more about cooking so I can do more than just follow a recipe (I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown). Both look promising already.

--I'm getting really sick of all the Twitter talk. Twitter isn't new. It's been around for awhile. All of a sudden it's all you hear about on the news and talk shows. Wonder what the next "new" thing will be. That being said, I'm not on Twitter, but I am on Facebook. It helped keep me sane and connected when I was home on maternity leave. It's also helped me reconnect with a lot of college friends I had lost touch with. I wouldn't say it's a substitute for real human interaction and personal relationships, but it's the next best thing.

--We're starting to contemplate what we might need to do to possibly get the house ready to put on the market. I sound pretty confident in that, don't I? We're definitely outgrowing our house, but the thought of going through the home selling/buying process scares the bejesus out of me. In any case, it can't hurt to take care of a few little things, even if we don't end up selling.

--Back to work four days a week starting this week. This morning was rough getting up, even though I slept almost 8 hours. I think it's just a matter of getting used to a working mom routine, instead of a stay-at-home mom routine. It's crazy how fast the days go when I work. I get home with Evan around 5pm, then it's on to dinner, bath, and bed. I'll get used to that eventually.

--Looking forward to spending some time with family over the next month. And a trip to Dallas for a weekend at the end of June for sorority stuff. Hard to believe June is already here.

Over and out...

Happy Mother's Day!

Just to get it out of the way, happy mother's day to all you mamas out there. Thanks for all you do for us! Alright, now on to an overdue update.

I'm honestly not sure where the time goes these days. Lauren has been in daycare for over a month now, and absolutely loves going to school. We're also into the swing of all the school activities...attended a chicken noodle fundraiser and muffins with mom breakfast. Lauren also went on her first field trip to the zoo. She's adjusted really well, and even naps there now on a pretty regular basis. By the time the weekend hits, she sleeps in a little, until almost 8. We really like that. Grandma Darke is going through some withdrawal, but at least she has the little man to cuddle with 3 days a week.


I've been back at work for 2 weeks, and it's really great to be back. Being out allowed me to get out of some of the work I really didn't need to be doing, so I'm starting with a clean slate. Evan also started sleeping until around 5:30 on a regular basis, so I'm going back to work 4 days a week instead of 3 starting this week.

The little guy had his 2 month check-up, and his first round of shots...5 shots and 1 oral vaccine. He did great, and he really is a big boy. He's in the 95th percentile for height (24.5"), and off the charts for weight (14 lbs. 12 oz.). No wonder his 0-3 month clothes don't fit him anymore. He loves interacting with anyone, and is gaining coordination in his hands and arms. We can also prop him up in the corner of the couch now, so hopefully he'll be sitting up on his own before too long. He's also reaaalllly close to rolling over...he almost rolled off of the examining table at the doctor's office!

Spring has officially arrived, so we're working on getting the yard back in shape. The squirrels really do a number on the grass. I may even get some flowers planted this weekend. Chris is happy because he can get out to golf on a regular basis without having to bundle up.

We're also gearing up for the latest visit by Grandma and Grandpa Bilek. This one mixes business with pleasure, since Grandma is in the Columbus Arts Festival. She did great last year, so hopefully this year will be just as successful. Come on out and check out her beautiful pottery June 5-8 near the CCAD campus. She'll be under the "A" of the big "ART" sculpture.