Whoo... boy!

Allow me to tell you about my hour and a half from hell this morning. I hope you laugh as much as I have started to now... it was not funny (well, not very) while it was actually happening!

A little background... We got a TiVo upgrade as Christmas presents to each other (Jeromy and I) this year, but in order to make it work like it's supposed to you have to have a cable card installed. We called and arranged for the cable company to come out here today. They said they would call and give me a heads up that they were in the area on they day they were supposed to come. We also use a cleaning service that usually comes every other Thursday, but being as that is Thanksgiving they bumped us up to Tuesday this week. They told me they would be here between 11 and 12. We also had a semi rough night last night... Gus woke Gracia up twice and Jack needed to eat around 2 in the morning but wouldn't stay awake for it so it took two hours for it to finish (instead of the ususal 30 minutes) between the two of us falling asleep. That brings us to this morning.

We were all up and going this morning around 7. That's 4 hours for me to get things decluttered for the cleaning people and for me to get a shower. I figure I'm in great shape. I'm in no real hurry, I get Gracia breakfast... I get me breakfast... I play a little with Jack. The biggest deal is the kitchen and I figure that that will take me an hour to get the dishwasher unloaded, reloaded, everything put away, and the three pots I have dirty from last night washed. Gracia and I get done with breakfast and now it's Jack's turn. I turn on some Sesame Street for Gracia and sit down to nurse Jack. Next thing I know, Elmo's world is on!! For those of you not in the know about Sesame Street, it's an hour long show and the last segment is called Elmo's World and that's the last 15 minutes of the show!!! Gack!! I've now lost an hour or, more accurately, two because it took us an hour of piddling around to finish breakfast. So now it's 9.

All right, I decide not to panic... I can still get things done, I'll just have to hurry. Jack is still looking sleepy so I decide I'll go and swaddle him, rock him and see if he'll go down for a real nap. That will make cleaning the kitchen go faster. We get all comfy in the rocker and he's okay for a minute and then starts to squirm. I feel him tense and then his bum vibrates rather loudly. Well, I'm not putting him down for an hour in a dirty diaper, so I go to change him. HE'S POOPED UP TO HIS NECK!!! There is no choice, he has to have a bath. We head into the bathroom and I get the water running which summons Gracia. She figures out Jack is going to have a bath and would like to "help." That essentially means standing around babbling and pretending to pour soap in her hands and then rub it on me as I lean over the tub. Fine... at least I know where she is. I get Jack out of his soiled clothes and into the tub and Gracia stands by us for a bit. Then she wanders off... then it get's quiet... TOO quiet. I look over my shoulder and she's investigating Jack's soiled clothes and, because she's gotten something wet and gooey on her finger, is deciding if she should taste it. There is much yelling of "NO!! YUCKY!!" on my part and we wash her hands. We finally get Jack (who is poo free) out of the tub, dried off and in a clean diaper.

Then the phone rings. It's the cable guy, Al, and he's been knocking on my door... am I home? I responded by telling him that I was sorry but there had been a diaper explosion and we were in the bathroom and I hadn't heard him. Meanwhile I'm thinking "Weren't you people supposed to call first??" I head to the door to let him in. I'm very surprised that he kept his reaction to the sight that greeted him to himself. A woman who hadn't showered, in a tank top with her nursing bra exposed more than she would care for, in her pajama pants, holding a baby in a diaper with a wound 2 year old starting to freak at the top of the stairs because there is a stranger in the house. I had to clear a path to the television because Gracia had spread her distruction around (meaning every book was off the bookshelf and littered on the floor along with a few toys and dolls). He comes in and looks at the set up and says that he has to do somethings to the cable box outside first and that he'll be back. Great.

It's 10 by this point. I still have to declutter. I get clothes on Jack and then put him down for a nap. Next, I go to the kitchen and unload the dishwasher and reload it. Then everything that's small and left on the counter goes in a paper bag and gets set out on the deck, along with the 3 pots from last night. I quickly round up as many books as I can and start putting them back on the bookshelf. Gracia helps until 90% of that is finished. Then she wants to read. So she starts pulling them back off the shelf! I never thought I'd tell my child to please stop reading and just watch this movie for a minute!!! I get all my decluttering done and it's 10:30. I figure that I can have a 5 minute shower. I head that direction, taking Gracia and her movie with me. I can hear Jack starting to stir so my sense of urgency is increased. I get the water running, and get all my clothes off when I hear "Ma'am?" CRAP!! I throw on a pair of pants, a shirt and a jacket and go see what's up. This looks like it's going to take more than just a minute. Jack also decides he's done with napping. I go get him, turn the shower off, and spend the next 20 minutes answering questions from the cable guy and reassuring Gracia that just because I've left the room doesn't mean I've left her!

The cable guy finally leaves and I take the fastest shower I've ever taken in my life (3 minutes... yep, 3) I'm drying off and praying that the cleaning ladies are going to be on the later side of their window of arrival time (that never happens). I was very lucky today. They didn't show up until noon. So I was able to have 15 minutes to nurse Jack without any hulabaloo going on in the house.

So that was my morning. I hope yours was better! I can hardly wait to see how many more days are going to be like this... Cannon Family Chaos... yup, that about sums it up!

Gracia's awesome chalkboard and some videos

We finally got Gracia's chalkboard up. SHE LOVES IT!! Giant kudos to Aunt Sarah for getting it. It's fabulous. When I tried to get video of her drawing on it... well, she, of course, refused. So I have a picture of said chalkboard and you can tell she'd been drawing on it.

I also have some video clips. One boring one of Jack... he had been talking and it was really cute, but the minute I turned the camera on... well, you get the idea. However, we are really excited he's starting to bat at things, so hooray for him on that front. The other video is of Gracia just being Gracia. This is how most days go. She's a fruit loop and we love her. Please don't mind the disaster in the corner of her room, I was in the middle of sorting and cleaning (in a rare mood to do so) when she started being really cute. Hope you enjoy!

A typical dinner at our house...

Yep... not a lot of exciting things happening here, so I just thought I'd show you the mundane. This is pretty much how dinner works at our house. Gracia in her high chair or booster and Jack in the bouncer on the table. Mommy usually wanders around trying to keep everybody entertained or refilled. Don't mind the jammies on Gracia... it was laundry day and I wasn't putting her in clean clothes just so I'd have another load to do sooner!

Found the camera...

Posted the pics in the previous post. Go look and see! I also forgot to mention the AMAZING books Aunt Sarah got. Abby Cadabby's Look and Find is a *HUGE* hit here. I also forgot to mention the lovely outfit Great Grandma Hopkins sent. It's a really cute purple cordoroy jumper and turtleneck... it will be beautiful colors on Gracia! Thanks again to all of you!

Gracia's b-day party

We had a wonderful time and I will say that my child made out like a bandit! She got a Radio Flyer tricycle from Pa, an easel with a chalkboard on one side and a magnetic white board on the other from Bella, a Magnadoodle from Mommy and Daddy and a whole bunch of cool stuff from Aunt Sarah! The coolest of which was peel-and-stick chalkboard pieces for the walls in her bedroom. We haven't put them up yet, but I believe that's coming tonight. I can hardly wait! I believe that this will be a great "no-you-don't-have-to-nap-but-you-do-have-to-stay-in-your-room-for-an-hour" entertainer! She also got cool 3D chalk, an eraser, a bracelet, and a train whistle (because nothing else made noise!) from Aunt Sarah. I think that she has officially marked her place as the "fun" aunt. May God help me when Gracia starts wearing make-up or wanting her ears pierced!

I do not have pictures currently, because I have misplaced the camera somewhere... but I know that I will find it and then pictures will be up!

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Ta da!! Pictures!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACIA!!!

Wow... She's 2! That's crazy to me. The other thing that's fun? I'm learning that I like toddlers far more than I thought I did! Or... at least my toddler. ;)

She had her 2 year appointment today and is a perfect little girl. She weighs 29 pounds and is 35 inches tall. If she keeps this trend up she'll be 5'9"-5' 10" when she reaches her adult height! That's as tall as Jeromy! Crazy. Must be getting that height from Uncle Rob and Bella and Pa... cause it sure as heck isn't coming from her parents!!!

We're having a small family party tonight with just the 4 of us and then we're having a party with family on Saturday. And as my Gramps always used to taunt... "Boy, Gracia, are you gonna like what you're getting!!" I'm hoping that I remember to use my camera more this year than I did last year!

Halloween was a bust!

Well... at least half a bust. I would love to put up pictures of Gracia in her costume looking cute, but I don't have any! And that's not because I forgot to take pictures... nope, our darling daughter refused to have anything to do with her costume when it got right down to it. The two dress runs were fine, but not the final performance!

However, we did have a marvelous time decorating pumpkins. Gracia and Bella had cinnamon rolls at the table while Mommy and Daddy carved their pumpkins and then Gracia got markers (permanent at that!) to color her pumpkin. I had pretty much figured that we'd wind up with a tattooed little girl after the permanent markers, but she was GREAT with them! She got one mark on one finger and that was all. I was kind of proud to be honest.

She did get a kick out of answering the door with Daddy. Every time the doorbell would ring, she'd get excited and do her tippy-toe dance and head for the door. The part that she was not so keen on was giving the candy away! She kept wanting to eat some and we wouldn't let her! Talk about letting the whines loose... WOO! She's good (or bad, I guess) at letting those whines speak for her frustration!

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a bunch of pictures of our Halloween day!