A Ban on Blue and Pink Trix Yogurt...

Dad has officially banned the triple cherry and wild blueberry Trix yogurt at our house. While it works wonders as a laxative - Matt has sworn off changing any more green/blue diapers. So no more Trix yogurt in our house until those eating it are potty trained.

It's The Little Things....Right?

So this week has been a week...that pretty much sums it up. That having been said, it's probably important for me to think about the small successes that have accumulated over the week - no matter how small.

1. Despite having a 15 month old who has woken up at least twice every night this week and will only go back to sleep if he is sharing a pillow with his mommy - I haven't resorted to testing shaken baby syndrome (although I can see what drives parents to it!) Instead, I've cuddled, soothed, fed, and hugged a wiggly, squirmy, twisting, turning sack of 27 lbs who has limbs that have a knack for finding his sibling's place in my belly. Which, coincidentally, results in me being kicked from both the outside and inside....sleep isn't going well this week.

2. I loved Mr. Potato Head as a child. However, it's not nearly as entertaining as an adult. Probably because John can't open the flap where the accesories are stored so I end up doing it about 9000 time a day, he can only put pieces in the holes because he isn't strong enough to pull them out most of the time, and I'm constantly locating teeth, ears, and eyes all around the house. Even with all this - I haven't hidden the toy in the special toy box under his crib that he never plays in - I've left it in the living room in his favorite spot. Extra mommy points are deserved for this!

3. Even with sleepy eyes, this mommy has enjoyed the last few minutes of my son dancing to the songs on Playhouse Disney. He is quite adorable. :)

Check out other mom's successes (probably bigger than mine this week) or share your own over at Faith and Family Live!

Our Trip to San Antonio During the Holidays

Grandma & Grandpa Garcia with their little Spurs fan!

Lunch with the family at Los Barrios

Mommy's Handsome Man on New Year's Eve

Success!

It's a snowy day here in the midwest. All the schools are closed, the neighbor has been by with the snow blower, the fire is roaring in the fireplace. I'm sitting here with a cup of spiced friendship tea (thanks Aunt Bo!), John is napping, and I'm contemplating my successes of the week. I feel like I should have so many (I've gotten quite a bit done) but none of them seem very significant. I guess that's why I participate in Small Successes - because I need to be reminded that the small things add up to one big triumph!

1. John went to the doctor this week and got a clean bill of health. (It should probably be noted that this is his success, not mine). I talked with the doctor about John's recurring ear infections and ridiculously loud snoring. My success is that I finally convinced her that we need to see an ENT. (It should be noted that I've inquired about this at least 3 times previously.) While we don't want to rush into surgeries with John, we do want to make sure that he's comfortable and getting good sleep at night - hard to do when your ear aches all the time and you can't breathe because of a constantly stuffy nose.

2. Matt and I put together 'Santa's big gift' earlier this week - a Fisher-Price Laugh N Learn House - while John napped. When he woke up he played with it for 4 hours. Over the course of the week John has developed some new talent courtesy of the house. For example, we now know he can ring a doorbell with his toes, open an door with one foot, and balance precariously in a rain gutter. The joys of toddlerhood!

3. Despite the copious amounts of not-so-good-for-you food that is around the house (read as: cookies, candy, sweets, snacks, etc.) I've managed to keep my unhealthy grazing to a minimum. This is a major accomplishment for a pregnant woman!

God Bless you in the new year! :)

If it's going to be this cold - it better hurry up and snow!

So, we sit, and wait....and wait...and wait. The snow is coming - it's inevitable - it's crossed the river into IL. We're stocked up on milk, bread and eggs. We've bought enough food for the next couple days. The fire is roaring in the fireplace. Purchased salt to throw on the sidewalk. All this for 6 inches of snow....

More importantly - we've done this for the 0*F weather that is approaching tomorrow and the -2*F weather that will be here on Friday.

Seriously, we knew it was going to be colder in the STL metroplex than it was in Charlotte....but -2? Here's to hoping I can find NO REASON to be outside for the next two days...

Christmas Celebrations

This week has been full of Christmas celebrations with family and friends. Between Monday and Friday we successfully navigated 7 Christmas parties/gift exchanges and had a relatively pleasant toddler at all of them despite the drastic shift in naps and bedtimes these celebrations caused.

John loved Christmas this year - unwrapping presents, playing with toys and even sitting on Santa's lap. He's now well stocked on bath toys, books, winter clothes, trucks, cars and much more! We've enjoyed watching him smile his way through all the gifts and excitement, even if it has meant a lot of cookies, candy and snacks.

Overall, the holiday season has been good to us. We got more than we could ever ask for or expect from friends and family. We were able to travel safely from STL to SAT on Christmas Day with no delays and all our luggage arriving with us. Despite having to deal with Ms. Stephanie getting bit by a pit bull on the morning of the 26th (and the chaos that ensued) we were able to happily celebrate her birthday that evening. It's great being around family!

Now we're nestled in at the Garcia household in San Antonio with family and are recuperating by eating more food and sweets, watching the random marathons that run on TV during the holidays and napping several hours each day. Life is wonderful!

Continued Successes...

It's that time of week again where Danielle Bean at Faith and Family Live! reminds us to celebrate the small successes in our week - because we all know that it's the small things that add up to one big triumph!

1. Most of our Christmas presents are wrapped! We have a few more to still wrap (and a few more to still buy) but we're feeling good about our progress.

2. I've survived my first trimester! Today is the official start to the 2nd trimester and I've done great so far. We've seen the little bean on an ultrasound, heard the heartbeat on a doppler, and I only got sick a few times... All of these are successes as far as I'm concerned. It's hard work making eyebrows!

3. I've done all of this with a sick toddler and my husband out of town this week. John has seen the doctor 3 times in 4 weeks. All with different outcomes....stomach bugs, blistered throat, ear infection and croup. So I've had a baby sleeping on my chest for the last week and a half who pretty much refuses to be set down at any point in time during the day.