Talking the A-Team to the Zoo

Last Saturday, we decided to take the A-Team to the zoo. We had talked about it on and off, but we decided to just go. We took Todd's niece Holly, who is older than me :) so we call her "Aunt Holly" as she loves to spend time with our kids, often saying "I'm not having any of my own so yours are mine!".

It turned out to be a beautiful day, but getting ready to go we realized that as great as my Mazda 5 is for toting the two kids around, probably not quite roomy enough for good travel...Holly did fit in the third seat with two strollers, but nothing else was going to and the only way she could get out is if we took Abbey's carseat out first!

We stopped at the Denny's next to the zoo first (we've been hitting them up since Butler's started picking up the trash :) and got to the zoo about noon. Low and behold, we were not the only ones who had the grand idea of heading to the zoo in sunny and low 70's weather! We nabbed a parking spot after a little roaming and headed in...Abbey did fall asleep and Todd leashed Adam to him. Holly was pushing an empty stroller for a bit :)

It was busy and a little crowded, but we just headed for it. First off, Adam loved the NEMO fish at the beginning...as Finding Nemo is a movie he does like. After that, he loved animals that were the size of dogs...calling them dee-dees :) In this first picture, he's looking at lions which he seemed a little wary of. Definitely bigger than Bailey!! He had fun walking through all the indoor areas with his Daddy...going right up to the glass and looking. True to his nature, he was so curious. He wrinkles his brow and gets this great look on his face that shows how hard he is really taking in and processing what he sees. Todd wrinkles his brow too when he's reading something and thinking about something...so cute he looks like a minature version of his Daddy! It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling to see them together to be honest :)

Once outside, it was pretty warm...we had to take off his top shirt. Then we hiked up the trail part, which was, of course, less interesting to Adam because the animals were far off and often hard to see. It seemed to be siesta time, after all. And being in his stroller now made it hard to see. But near the end I took him out to see a few large animals and a couple times he said "hi!" in his cute little high voice reserved for his and byes :) Pretty cute. He did get pretty hot and tired, as you can see. And Abbey woke up just as we started the trail part, crying until we got on the uneven wood planks...they calmed her down and made her happy. But you can see in this pic she wasn't particularly thrilled with us!!!

We all had fun and Adam was so tired he WANTed to sit in his stroller near the end, something he had resisted by bucking himself forward whenever we stopped. He didn't fall asleep on the way home however, he was just too excited. He did take a nap when we got home!

I really love doing stuff together like that...there wasn't much chance for this stuff when I was kid. I always wanted to take my kids to see as much as possible...to help them to live life and expose them to so many things so they can find and explore their own interests.

The Adventures of a Double Stroller & Saphires

Next week, Todd and I are thinking about going to Atlanta, Georgia so he can go to a Garbage Man's Convetion (OK, officially a Waste Management Expo!). One of the things we decided we needed was a double stroller; I know Todd is particularly concerned about me not being marooned in a room while he is meeting with brokers and smoozing/hob-knobbing with waste management peers...so I set out on Monday to Babies-R-Us to purchase the one I had picked out after much research.

Originally, we had thought the front to back style would be best so Adam couldn't torture his sister side by side. But, after I looked around, these have a much lower weight limit. Like most are around 35 pounds per kid...and Adam, well, he's closing in on 33 pounds...so...not worth it :)

Todd called me in the morning and asked me if I could pick up a birthday gift for his stepmother on behalf of his father, who is sick and has a hard time getting around. I asked are we talking card level, plant level or jewelry level? Todd said jewelry...and I was happy to oblige. I love shopping for gifts and I like to tell myself I'm pretty good at it. And I was happy to have the chance to so something for Charlie as since the first time I met him, he has made me feel welcome and like part of the family, something I really appreciate.

So I got the big idea to combine the two...buy the stroller at Babies-R-Us and then go over to Carousel and use it...give it a test run before I try hitting the streets of Atlanta. I got the stroller I needed and of course, as I was checking out, Abbey started screaming and Adam, in his attempts to get her to stop, started throwing everything in the cart at her. It didn't take long to realize she needed a diaper change. Undeterred, I headed to carousel and parked under the two story lot next to Best Buy. Of course, she had completely crapped her clothes. Fortunately, I had a back-up as this has become her habit. I fed her for 15 minutes and then put her down and got out. And together, in concert, both kids started crying as it was nap time for Adam. But if you know me, I don't like giving up easily. So I pulled the box out the back and pulled out the stroller parts. I was determined to be Mc-Girlver. But...I needed a screw driver.

OK. Time to come up with another plan as it was Kathy's birthday that day. Well, I had to pick up Abbey's portraits at JCPenney, too. And I recalled they have a huge jewelry department there. So...I drove over as close to the door as possible and put Adam in his umbrella stroller. Then. It started. To Rain. But I was not giving up...and Adam seemed to like it anyhow :). So, I pushed him in the stroller with one hand and carried Abbey in her carseat in the other. Luckily, she stopped crying and fell asleep as we started to move. It was awkward, but it worked!

One person shut the door in my face on the way in, but another was nice enough to open it. I hobbled to the jewelry counter and told the woman I needed nice earrings made with gold and gave her a ballpark budget...and warned her that one or both of my kids could go off at any time. She was great...showed me a couple of displays. I love the look of solitaires emeralds and saphires...and love genuine saphire more than created because the color is so nice. I found a pair that were marked $229 and ended up getting them for close to half that with the sale and my coupons. I was excited.

I hobbled to the elevator and went upstairs and picked up my portraits. Both kids in decent behavior...Abbey sleeping under the blanket and Adam attracting his usual attention by flirting with women as they walked by. (Oh, he's so cute! Look at those eyes! Those curls! He is going to have fun in high school.) I even got a diaper change in the bathroom done (poor Adam, he practically sags some of those changing stations!)

The only concern afterwards? Did she have pierced ears?? I told Todd not to worry, I'd keep them if she didn't :) and run to another store later for her. But she does. So hopefully she liked them, she'll never know the adventure I went on to get them!!!

Happy Belated Birthday Bethany!

Bethany Coe Simmons turned 34 On April 17 (yeah, there are two Beth's out there and yeah, I had to say your age). As has become tradition, I took her out to lunch, this year on the Friday before. She was brave enough to be the first one besides Todd to go to a restaurant with the A-team (though Tammy did volunteer :) and it went pretty well.

We headed over to the Ruby Tuesday in town and Abbey slept the whole time through. I got her "The Last Lecture", the same book Pam bought me for Christmas (no, I didn't give her my copy) which I had read in the all the time I spent in the doctor's waiting room and loved the lesson.

On my birthday, Tammy gave me one of the best presents I ever got. She talked about how great I was :). Seriously, it made me feel so good when she reminisced about us and what I meant to her, that I thought I'd take this chance in the spirit of that to talk a little about Bethany.

Bethany is one of the truly nicest people I know. She genuinely cares about other people and is always thinking of ways to help others. When Chris left, she was one of you that really helped hold me together and move forward...one of you that never tired of my tears and fears.

Bethany lived across the street from me when we moved into our home on Calkins Road when I was 11. I had met her before that through the church my mother had us attending at the time...and when we moved in to our very first house there she was...a ready made summer "buddy". We had our adolescent ups and downs, but somehow she managed to look past all the arguing going on in our home and all the anger and tears that was ever present and still wanted to hang out. She was my pool buddy, my bike buddy, my walk the mile to the gas station and buy a soda buddy. She was with me the first time I stole wine from an old bottle my parents had (yeah, we mixed it with Pepsi!!) and the first (and only) time I egged a house. The first time I was allowed to wear earrings "off my ear" (yeah, mom was strict) was a set of teeny tiny colorful hoops we split from Woolworth's. On one of our exciting ride our bikes to town excursions! We helped hang each other's laundry and make our siblings lunch. We shared a love of cats and Precious Moments. She was much thinner than me, but hey we even managed to co-own a pair of patterned footless tights! We even spent a year fighting over some snob to be our best friend...haha we have laughed at ourselves since!

We had some of our own friends in school, with some overlapping. As we got older, she was involved with her men and me with mine....(OK, she introduced me to Chris but I forgive her hahahahaha), even giving me and my senior dinner dance date a ride when no one else would (Martin, the oh-so-cute German exchange student who was madly in love with me and I totally took him when Chris refused to go). She even lent me the high heels to wear since I didn't have the money to get any!

We both eventually transferred to SUNY Oswego, where she let me drive (her and Tammy I have to thank for FINALLY getting my license when I was 21!) That was when I first really saw how thoughtful she was.

Right before Bethany got married in January 2000, I took her up to the mall to celebrate as she was having a small private ceremony...out for a drink to Ruby Tuesday and some lingerie from Sears (yeah, I'm a BIG spender). Devin was 7 months old and poor kid...didn't feel well and threw up on the way home. She felt bad, but it didn't bother me at all. Hey, I had had a brother and sister!

Since then, I feel as adults, our friendship has only grown. She has participated in every major milestone of my life and I cannot picture her not being a part of things. (Tammy and Pam remember she was the one after my surprise party that ran across the street to see if the porn shop was open???) She is such a great mom and loves being one....she will graduate next year with her Bachelor's degree in elementary education after many years of hard work. Bethany's major fault it's that she juggles so much and takes care of so many people, she forgets to take care of herself!

Happy Belated Birthday Beth-n-bee (my sister Sarah called her that when she just a pre-schooler and it stuck a little :)

XXOO

Walking Miss Abbey...and Adam

On March 31, I took Abbey for her first walk, dragging Adam along, too. We walked around the block and things went well enough where when I asked Adam, he seemed excited to walk once more...! Afterwards, of course as you can see, he was excited to go up and down our steps a couple of times! It was slow going as I held his hand and pushed the stroller...Abbey slept through the whole thing.
We've been on a few since, including a couple of weeks ago when I got cocky and decided to walk TWO blocks. It was sunny and gorgeous and...as we turned the corner on 7th street across from the fort, just after some elderly ladies on a porch said an ominous "I hope you get home before it rains", a wicked wind like I had only experienced on campus in the winter whipped up. It knocked Adam over and he couldn't get back up, covering us with dirt and sand. That day I had gotten so confident, I had decided even Bailey could come...so she was freaking out attached to the stroller. I finally have to bend over and pick my son up, who stopped crying and instantly put his face up to catch the wind. That's my son!

Abbey's blankets were getting whipped around and I tried to keep her covered. She didn't cry at all, despite the sand I found on her face when we got home. For a few moments, I literally didn't know what to do. I could not move in any direction and I thought about calling Todd. But it died down enough for me to finish that stretch very slowly and round the other end of the block, carrying Adam and pusshing Abbey into the wind...oh yeah, my back was killing me.

I made slow going walking up 6th street towards our house, but the neighbor Brenda across the street came running towards us. I saw her and I thought, is she coming to me but dismissed it. I had already passed two men in their lawn who didn't blink at watching my struggle.

But she had. Brenda had seen us leave and was worried when the wind came up and knocked over her pots on her kitchen counter. She took Adam...carrying him a bit then putting him down as he killed her back haha. By then the wind was more manageable as we were a block from the lake. It was a nice surprise that she helped out.

Overall, my kids didn't panic and neither did I...I mean, so what if we ended up Over the Rainbow??haha

I took them again for the first time since today. But, poor Bailey got left behind. AND I conquered just one block...and it took 18 minutes. :)

Monday

Yesterday morning Adam pushed his ride-on Thomas the train and his big dump truck Uncle Bobby gave him for Christmas out of the room that will be his room...once we get it painted and carpeted....then he did something new...he lined them up and began pushing the dump truck from behind with his Thomas. He was immensely proud of himself!

He's lovey with his sister these days...he even shared one of the phones he swiped from Daddy with her (yes, Daddy has two cell phones and there are one of Adam's prize thefts!!)

Abbey is getting so big. Her newborn clothes definitely do not fit anymore....although I've yet to find a sock that stays on her skinny feet. Somehow Todd and I produced a child with thin feet and long, thin piano fingers...hmmm such features must skip a generation.

This morning I packed them into the car to ride back up to Babies-r-us. When I was there a week and a half ago to buy a pack and play I got to the counter, excited that I was saving money by using a coupon AND buying the floor model, I could not find my 20% off coupon. Abbey was screaming Adam was yelling so they informed me if I came back before the expiration date with the coupon, I could get the money back (Like $24!).

So I went back today...Monday mornings are always a little empty for me because I have Todd home all weekend...so I thought it a good time to do something else. And I needed a few more clothes for them anyhow (OK clothes shopping for my kids is my weakness). Abbey needs to wear things with feet unless it's warm as her socks come off and Adam needed a couple of shorts. I did get my money back...and bought what I think will get Adam through the summer now and Abbey through this size of clothes. I try to resist to buy her anything ahead because I have things for every size and I don't know when she'll fit into what. It's hard there are soooo many cute girl clothes!

Needles to say, Babies-r-us should be sending us a thank you note for all the money we've spent there since the first trip I took there with Tammy two years ago to register when I was pregnant with Adam....! Tammy took these pics on that trip...already long entrenched in her scrap booking mania....I'm glad she did they capture the excitement I felt at such an amazing time....so happy that I was expecting the child I never thought I'd have!
These are the first two items I ever bought Adam....the bib with Todd in mind and overalls off the clearance rack that Adam didn't end up fitting into long but I remember as the pants he was wearing the very first time he sat up on his own...in the spring of 2009 sitting on the lawn while Todd mowed. And of course, I had to stand in front of the expectant mother parking sign! In the past, I had seen that sign while shopping for others, feeling sad inside that I would never get to park there. HA! What did I know???

P.S. Had to get Dam a $7 sand bucket as we are hoping to travel to the ocean again this summer :)

P.P.S Baby Butler number 3?? Not for a few years....!

It's Almost Time for Todd's Alarm to Go Off

It's 5:50am. I am going to go back to bed; Abbey has gotten her late night snack and stretched her little back with her clenched fists over her head and passed back out on my shoulder. Watching my DVR'd Project Runway with way too much on my brain to fall asleep easily. Tim Gunn's turtlenecks and voice do help lighten me up a little...but I can't stop thinking about things that I guess in the grand scheme of things aren't really important. Sometimes its hard when little things are bothering me to let it go...harder then a big thing.

Today, Abbey was in her papasan chair and I lifted Adam up and I said it's your sister! She smiled at him this smile that lights up her face and said "hii" in his cute little high voice reserved usually for "dee-dee" and for the occasional hi/bye he chooses to bestow on people. A nice moment.

Adam had to go to the doctor today for skin issues...his eczema has gotten bad and I didn't even know it...he has a painful boil, too. Guess I won't be getting mom of the week...doctor said to treat the eczema with a steroid cream and also, the boil was infected and Adam got his first antibiotics ever as it appears as though he has a skin infection. Caused by what, who could ever guess? I dragged both kids and they did OK; figures this is the day that we waited a long time. Adam was moody, but he snagged a stethoscope hanging from their cart and was very pleased with himself. Watching him run around the room shirtless with it was funny...he kept laughing at himself! Hopefully, the antibiotics will work...as he tried to squirt most of it out of his clenched mouth when I gave it to him...

A Daddy's Girl Reflects on Marrying a Good Father

My dad's health is on the fritz again and for nearly 15 years, it always creeps into my mind, will this be the end of Bob Duttinger's nine lives? (Although I'm certain this time he will be fine) I'm an acknowledged Daddy's girl, so it makes me think about what makes my dad near and dear to me. After all, I made him my Man of Honor! The main things...he never judged me and he never ever insulted me or called me names. Not to say he never got angry with me as a child, but he never made me feel that he was angry with me beyond the moment. And he always believed in me, encouraged me to follow my dreams...and to see the world. And I always knew...and know...that if I really needed him, all I would have to do is ask and he would be there.

And that makes me think about how lucky I am to have a husband who makes such a great father...I knew the minute I started dating Todd, even before I got pregnant with Adam, that he would make a great father...just a few of the reasons that come to mind....

*After the umpteenth time watching Shrek, I said to him "How am I ever going to read all the fairy tales to my daughter about finding Prince Charming" (In these movies, Prince Charming is a dick). He told me that I tell her the story of Shrek...about how sometimes Prince Charming is a bald ogre who is fat with crooked teeth. One of my favorites!

*Every day that he goes to work, I know he works hard. But since we had Adam, he is focused on making his business as solid as possible so that he can provide for all of us and I can follow my dream and be able to be home with our children. He also wants to make sure his kids have a business to run if they want

*He's been planning our trip to Disney World since before Adam was born :)

*When he travels for work...he wants us with him. Many men would see it as a chance to "get away", but my husband doesn't want to "get away" from us! (usually :)

*I once asked him if he wanted a "man room". His reply was that why would he want to be away from us when he's home with us?

*I said once that if Adam ever wanted to take dance lessons, I'd encourage him to take jazz instead of ballet so that the other kids don't pick on him. Todd's response? "My son will do what he wants...he can take ballet if he wants...I'll just teach him to beat the other kids up who make fun of him!" Hmm...not sure if I want my son slugging everyone, but I loved the idea anyhow :)

*He is already intent on protecting his daughter from weirdos and pervs...already very protective and keeping and eye on her!!

*He volunteers to change poopy diapers!

*He takes us all out at least once a week because he knows Mommy needs to get out of the house!!!

*He takes care of his wife so his kids can have the best mommy they can have...

And I know that Todd wouldn't be the Dad he is if it wasn't for his own father!

I guess this is an early Father's Day tribute, but it's what's on my mind, and hey isn't that what blogs are about?? HA!

Shopping With the "A-Team"

I tackled Wal-mart this past week with Adam and Abbey, a.k.a the "A-team". I had him in the front and her in her seat in the back. I had this fab idea of putting a hand basket in the bottom part and piling things in it. Shopping filled that basket and every available space, including some precariously placed Life cereal and a pair of Todd's jeans on top of her carrier...and of course, when I stopped for some um personal items, Adam threw stuff out. Some nice young man came back to help me pick stuff up and realized what I was putting in the cart and turned red. *sigh*

I was able to get it all back in and as I wheeled my cart out, the alarm went off...! Apparently they security tag the hand baskets so that no one steals them! At least it was like 11am on a Thursday and not busy! I sighed and resigned myself that I couldn't be completely independent. I told them there was no way I could get the stuff out myself and the cart fetcher wheeled things out.

The Friday before, Tammy helped me take them to Carousel Mall for the first time. I don't have a double stroller yet as Abbey is too tiny to sit in one (although after navigating the mall, I don't know how effective a giant double stroller would be!). Adam needed new shoes and as his feet are double x wide the only place we can get them is Stride Rite. Also, he's got a nice cute belly the only pants that fit him well are at The Children's Place. Add Macy's, Gymoboree and a couple of stores for clothes that fit me *sigh* and the food court (Adam wouldn't eat anything I got him!) and we got a lot done in a few hours. Especially as two people who always enjoyed shopping slow together :). Abbey slept and when she finally woke, I went out in the car to feed her as Tammy kept Adam occupied in the mall.

All in all, I got what I needed...and I couldn't have done it without Tammy's help! She is so good around kids...she is one of the few people I ever met who doesn't have kids but still doesn't get flustered when they act up or there's an issue (yeah, Adam peed through his pants). And Adam loves her! Hey, she's the fun aunty :)

These pics are my kids on our way out...Adam is exhausted and did actually fall asleep on the way home.

Abigail Meets Pam...Finally!

To end our busy Easter weekend Saturday, Pam came by with her mom and daughter Katie. Pam is one of my best friends and even Todd said...hey, she hasn't met Abigail yet?? Of course, Mrs. Rusho can't be left out when there's a baby involved and Katie, who is 11, loves babies, too. Incidentally, Adam fell in love with Katie instantly...didn't want her out of his sight. Just like her mama...who always had boys fighting over her as we were growing up! (I still run into the occasional boy from high school that are all like ooo how's Pam?)

Abigail took to Pam instantly...Mrs. Rusho was holding onto her; she was overtired and fussy from such a long day...she got her calm and then once Pam took her and walked around with her, she passed out. I wasn't surprised. All you have to do is look at her daughter Katie to know what a good mother she is.
I always admired how she dedicated herself to her the moment she was born...moving to Buffalo for her husband's job, thus being isolated while raising her young daughter, only to take odd evening jobs to make ends meet. Now that I have two babies, I appreciate even more what it took to do that and stay sane!!! She even put off finishing her degree. And I never once heard her complain about giving anything up for Katie. She just wanted..and still wants...the best for her daughter. Pam is one of the people I think about as I strive to be a good mommy!

Horses, Donkey & Dogs...And Driving Daddy

After visiting the Easter Bunny, Todd suggested we swing by his brother Chuck's horse farm. I think we thought if the big bunny didn't do it for him, let's find an animal that would! HA

Chuck's daughter Jillian and her husband Danny run a horse business...but there's also a miniature donkey walking around. That's right...Pedro wanders the barn and the yard along with the dogs and the barn cat. Adam met him a year ago...but as he LOVES donkey from Shrek, Todd thought this would be a great treat. And Adam LOVED the barn...the only fear he showed? When the barn cat brushed against him!!!


He looked at horses with his daddy, pet the donkey (though he wouldn't sit on him), stole bridles and ran around with them, tried to pull the dog (or DEE!! as Adam said) out from under the bench and went outside with his Dad and Uncle.

Meanwhile, after checking out the horses with Daddy, Abbey cuddled her cousin Jillian, even falling asleep in her arms.


We headed up to the house to see the purebred puppies Missy had...Todd let Adam sit on his lap and "drive". THIS was the highlight of the kid's day! He absolutely GRINNED! This was the look I imagined on his face when I dragged him to the Easter Bunny...I was so excited for him. And then he took "driving" very seriously!!

He liked the puppies at first...but three of them jumped his head and licked his ears!! Todd had to pull them off...after that, Adam was very wary of them...loosening up enough to chase them before we left.

The Easter Bunny...!

So this past Saturday I dragged my family to see the Easter bunny at JCPenney in Oswego. I had picked up the flyer casually the week before and as time went on, I got it into my head that Adam would LOVE to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap. So, of course, Abbey had to, too. And of course Miss Abigail had to have a dress to wear and OF COURSE Adam's shirt had to match her!

We started out the day with breakfast at Wade's with Todd's dad and stepmother Kathy. We went home and Adam went down for his nap with little problem....asleep just past 12:30! None of us were in the best of moods, but this was something I had my heart set on as an event for the family. I timed Abbey as best as I could feeding her all early afternoon and finally getting her to fall asleep. The Easter bunny would be hopping away at 3pm so at 2:20pm, I did the unthinkable....I WOKE UP ADAM.

Now I tried by opening his door. Usually any noise or activity with an open door would get that kid going. But, of course, not that day. So I went in and began to rub his back. He instantly dissolved into tears and sobs. Great. Guilt heaped on. I held him and then it was time to get him dressed. But wait...Abigail, who was sleeping peacefully on the dining room table in her car seat burst into tears. Soon, I followed with own tears....exhausted and frustrated...and guilty. But we pulled together...and got to the Easter Bunny just shy of 3pm.


She...and I know it was a she because from behind her hair stuck out over her neck tattoo and pink tank top straps...was standing in the front of the store handing out candy. IDK why, but I pictured the bunny sitting in a chair with a line behind velvet ropes...you know, like Santa...and like the picture of my sister Carolyn that was taken before I was born and I always coveted. But adapt and adjust!

I walked Adam over and he was not interested in getting too close. Todd eventually took over 'cause of course he knew that I HAD to get out my camera. Adam eventually walked up to the Easter Bunny holding both of his Daddy's hands...after Abbey was in the big bunny's arms. He was more interested in the basket...but when Daddy tried to get him to let go and stand with him...there was NO WAY.

So he forgave me for waking him up by the time we left...and I still believe Adam liked it..hey, he didn't cry like most kids! (pics coming). Abbey seemed pretty comfy in the bunny's arms....and Todd tried to reassure me by telling me that Adam will probably be old enough to appreciate Santa in December. All in all, I'm glad we went....it was the first holiday cheesy family thing we've done all together :)

Swishy Pants

Last week, I put Adam in these pants I bought on clearance at Target. They are really winter pants...but they were $3! I put them on and saw they were too long...but they were this material that made noise when Adam walked...He was impressed! He started walking in circles to make that swishy noise :) Pic coming...