Birthdays and Checkups

Last Sunday, we celebrated my mom and cousin Emily's birthdays. They share the same birthday and we always celebrate them together. Mom has always said that Emily was her 37th birthday present from her brother Tommy. She was actually in the delivery room filming (from the waist up) when she was born. I won't say how old mom is, but Emily turned 21 so... you do the math!! Aren't they both beautiful?




Wonder if I could get Andy and Kadi to give me a niece for my 37th birthday! Huh, I'll be 34 in May and they get married this August, so that gives them 3 years... plenty of time! I think I'll put that request in and see what happens :)

Trace and Nalin are patiently waiting (as patiently as two toddlers can) to blow out the candles and get to the cake and ice cream.




Thursday, we went back to my old school, Woodmore Elementary, to celebrate my friend Penny's 5oth!! She was such a sport. They announced her birthday over the morning announcements, had a banner on the door to her classroom, put black "over the hill" balloons on her desk, she wore a tiara and a button all day, and probably answered 5 millions times that day how old she was. Nothing makes you feel better than hearing repeatedly "Wow, you're even older than my grandmother!" Trace and I took pizzas and met them for lunch. He loves going to school and seeing all the children. He was really in awe when all 75 sang happy birthday to her!

We also had Trace's 2 year checkup this week. Yes, we were a little late but this was Dr. C's first available appointment. My little munchkin weighed 30.6 lbs and is officially 3 feet tall!! He's in the 75th percentile for weight and 90th for height... growing like a weed!

It's silly, but it made me sad when he hardly fit on the mat they lay them on to measure their height, it only goes to 36 inches. It seems like only yesterday he was so small and didn't even cover a third of it. This was also the last time they measured his head, I'm assuming they were content with it's growth!

I remember going there when he was 2 days old and jaundice wiping everything down, including him, like a lunatic. Now he runs around in his diaper, lays on the floor (yikes), and touchs everything possible.

One particular toy they had in our room was bordering on obnoxious, and after an hour and 10 minutes of waiting in an 8 x 8 room with a very active 2 year old, I decided this needed to be a new torture devise used in prisons. Forget solitary confinement, they outta try this out and see what happens to the crime rate!

Adding to the drama, you could hear babies screaming from the other rooms while they were getting their shots. Trace wanted to go see them, and attempted several times to flee the room in his diaper to go check on the "nying babies" as he calls them.

By the time we saw the doctor, Jimmy and I were the ones that needed a shot of something and our blood pressure checked! But, we were very thankful he got a wonderful, healthy report.

Pet sitting and pictures

Well, it's been a pretty ho-hum week... not much going on. It was spring break, and while those two words as a teacher, used to be music to my ears, now, as a mom, they just mean no Mother's Day Out or Friday Mom's Group/Bible Study.

We had no big plans but spent a lot of time outside and had some fun taking care of my friends cat and fish. If this week of "pet sitting" taught me one thing, it simply confirmed the fact that I truly have the highest maintenance pet in the world.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Ginger and pray she is around for many more years, but she is truly a diva in every sense of the word. When my friend was leaving for vacation and asked me to take care of her cat, Scooter, and her daughter's fish, Henry, I was honored (she adores that cat!!) When I asked her what I needed to do she told me bring Henry home, plug him in and give him 3 pellets of food at bedtime...easy enough. Scooter needed to have his food and water refilled every other day, don't let him outside because he's declawed, and not to worry about cleaning the litter box. She said we probably wouldn't even see Scooter when we were there because he likes to stay under the bed. SERIOUSLY... that's it?

Do you know the list I would have to leave for "maintaining" Ginger for a week?

Dear ______,
Thank you for agreeing to keep my dog while we are on vacation. Go ahead and pack your bags and just live in my house while we are gone... trust me, it will be easier!

1) pet, hold and/or snuggle in lap at LEAST twice a day, preferably while watching TV on the sofa
2) feed a scoop of food only once a day, but snacks are needed on an every other hour basis
3) after eating and snacking, she likes to nap (preferably on our bed, with a pillow under her delicate head and her "baby" beside her)
4) must be let out NO less than 5 times daily for bathroom and yard snooping expeditions
5) upon returning from the yard, check thoroughly for any remnants of dead animal she may have rolled in... if smelly, then proceed with a bath
6) if a thunderstorm and/or fireworks begin, rush home immediately and hold her in your lap until the noises stop
7) make sure all of Trace's diapers are securely placed in the outside garbage can because she can amazingly get them off of counters and out of tied up grocery bags, and will shred and eat their contents (she counts that as one of her many snacks throughout the day)
8) she enjoys daily car rides if possible and is most comfortable laying in the passenger seat so that the air conditioner blows directly on her face... occasionally she will climb onto the drivers side and peer out the window but eventually curls up into a ball in your lap
9) lastly, at night, she likes to sleep in the bed (preferably the middle) with ample room to move around and roll over when needed... she's never been much of a "doggie bed" type of canine

And I wonder why we just take Ginger on vacation with us whenever we go!

I joke about her, but she is the sweetest, most loyal dog I have ever seen. She (and our other Brittany Spaniel Chase, who we had to put to sleep in May) came as a package deal with Jimmy and I can't imagine my life without her! It was kinda like dating a single mom with kids, except he was a single dad with 2 dogs. He told me later that the night I met them, was the biggest test of our relationship... if I didn't like the dogs or they didn't like me, I was out! Glad I passed!

Here's Trace admiring Henry and the different lights his tank makes.

He loved trying to get Scooter out from under the bed, but we only saw the phantom kitty cat once!


Isn't he beautiful? He has huge green eyes and the softest fur! I believe he was probably scared for his life at this point, with Trace calling "c'mon ooter" repeatedly at the side of the bed. Can you tell he's grown up living with 2 toddlers?


Trace has discovered the world of worms. He loves digging in the sand pile in the backyard and with the rain last week, it is good and muddy. Here he is waving bye to the worm as they bury it back in the dirt.
Maybe he'll be a fisherman yet!! He doesn't seem to mind handling the worms on his own. I could never stomach baiting my own hook... yuck!
This morning, Jack came to visit while his mom and dad moved. We had so much fun with him. I love to watch toddlers play together. They play around each other and stop and watch each other but don't interact all that often. I love to watch little budding friendships and I hope these guys will be buddies forever.

Closet Cleanout CHAOS

Well, it all started with the Family and Friends Event... 4-days only, 30% off entire purchase (even sales and clearance) Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic (thanks Sherry). Even in the torrential downpours of yesterday, I felt compelled to drag myself and my poor child out to see what great deals I could find. I really have a problem with getting great bargains and just can not allow these type of deals to slip by unnoticed.

After Old Navy (2 pairs of CHEAP capris) and Gap (1 cute top), I didn't have it in me to drive across town in the pouring rain to see what Banana Republic had, but on my way home I started mentally going through my closet. I was trying to remember what color capris I had and if they still fit (trying to make myself OK with the fact that I just bought 2 more).

Big Mama does a post on her blog every week called Fashion Friday. This week she said in order to know what you have and what you need, you must take everything out of your closet and try it all on! So... when I got home, it began.

I took out all of my clothes, hangers and all, made 3 piles (keep, Goodwill, clean/alter), and tried everything on. I literally spent 4 hours in my bra and panties in front of HGTV trying on every article of clothing in my closet. Luckily, it was a nasty, rainy day and my little munchkin slept for nearly 3 hours despite the sucker, goldfish, and yogurt melts, I had to ply him with to keep him in his stroller while I shopped. I guess that's one positive thing about being 2 and so active, he burns off sugar in record time once he's out of the stroller and free!

About 3:00, Jimmy got home from his fishing tournament (yes, he got up at 5:30 a.m. and sat in a boat in the pouring rain for 8 hours trying to catch fish). After 5 years of marriage, I still haven't figured out if he's crazy or just very dedicated.

He came in SOAKED through 4 layers of clothing (poor thing) and really wanted a long, hot bath and to lay down in his warm bed. This is what our bed looked like when he got home... sorry honey!
I tried to overlook the fact that he took off all 4 layers of wet clothing and made yet another pile of clothes in the middle of the bedroom... that I would eventually clean up. Sometimes it's just better to bite your tongue and keep sorting... you know, one of those "What Would Jesus Do?" moments. :)

Poor Ginger couldn't even find an inch on the bed to lay down and watch all the commotion, so she just picked a pile (and I wander why every piece of clothing I own is covered in dog hair).



At 10:00 last night, I finally finished and had everything hanging perfectly in my closet!! My side looks so much better and I got rid of things I had had WAY too long, or had literally not had on in years (until yesterday that is).

Putting everything on the bed was great motivation to get my little project finished, knowing that we could not go to sleep until it was cleaned up... if not, I could have easily turned this into a 2-3 day ordeal.

He doesn't know it yet, but tonight, we are doing Jimmy's side!

The pajama saga continues

OK, I thought we had moved on and I really had no intentions of posting about the pj dilemma again, but sweet Andi assured me that inquiring minds DO want to know. Just wait Andi, Addi will be doing this before you know it!

I went to get Trace the other morning and this is what I found...
I couldn't help but laugh out loud and run to get my camera. You can tell from the pictures, he's not quite sure if he's in trouble or not. But between the paci, bedhead, and pitiful look, who could get mad at that face?

Ironically, I have been searching for days online trying to find a dress for my brother and Kadi's rehearsal dinner and wedding in August, and had come across several one shoulder dresses. My cousin got married a few years ago and wore a one shoulder wedding gown and looked GORGEOUS in it. I just wasn't sure I could pull it off, but apparently my 2-year-old son can! According to "Fashion Police" on E! the one shoulder look is really popular right now... he's just keeping up with the trends (wouldn't Joan be proud)!

Once I got him downstairs to change his diaper, I suddenly discovered... there was no diaper. Very confused, I ran back upstairs and tore his bed apart looking for it but found no trace of one. My mom and dad bathed and dressed him for bed the night before and I thought to myself "surely they put a diaper on him." Papaw has been known for putting diapers on backwards or inside out, but never letting him go commando.

When I got back downstairs, I pulled his right leg out of the pjs and realized his left leg was HUGE. If you look closely at the second picture, you can tell. He had slid the diaper off his little tushy and all the way down into the leg. He managed to do all of this without ever unsnapping or unzipping his pajamas. Oh...never a dull moment!

A day with the cousins

Today, my cousins, Casey and Carrie, their kids Abram, Lucas and Drew came over to play, along with my Aunt Gail (Gigi) and my mom (Nana). We haven't gotten the kids together since Christmas and since Casey amd Drew were in from Atlanta, we decided to make a day of it. The kids had a ball, and they all played together really well.

This one of Abram was hilarious. We decided he had the makings of a triatholon (or is it triathelete?), except for the garden shovel... 2 out of 3's not bad.
Drew loved riding in the "fire fruck", as she calls it. Apparently blends ending in "r" are hard for her to pronounce. She calls her grandparents "Framma" and "Frampa" and herself "Frew".

We let the kids do a parade and Bobby the Big Dog led the way. Isn't it tradition that a parade always begins with a fire fruck and dog?

Uncle Andy (or Olgie, as Trace calls him) stopped by for lunch and quickly became the entertainer and babysitter. The women all gathered in the kitchen and chatted while Uncle Olgie tended to the wilduns... we figured it was good practice for him!

I probably delayed becoming an aunt for an extra 5 years in just one short afternoon. I think he was quite ready to return to work.


No matter how many toys we had scattered among the floor, the boys always seemed to congregate in the pantry. They had a ball playing in Ginger's food and reorganizing the many juice bottles, paper towels, and coke cans on the floor. Hey... at that point, whatever keeps them entertained!

Here is baby Lucas, who amazingly slept through the entire thing. The noise level at times was deafening, but this precious baby peacefully slept in our arms (he got passed around a lot).

Can't you tell he's a second child? There was no muting the TV, taking the phone off the hook, or covering the doorbell with tape... he slept through numerous duck and turkey calls, whistles, toddlers shrilling with delight, and a parade! Sweet, sweet boy!


We had so much fun guys... can't wait to do it again! Love you all!

Morning #3 and #4

Well, I know many of you have lost sleep wondering whether Trace escaped his pajamas and diaper once again hee-hee... well, wait no more!

I thought to myself, "Heidi, do you think people really care about the antics of your toddler when our economy is in the pits and things such as global warming and world hunger loom over us?" But since I have mostly forsaken the traditional "baby book" (I was so good in the beginning, I don't know what happened) and will one day show this blog to Trace to let him know that I really did write these things down and remember his babyhood, I wanted to have this memory.

Hopefully he will get a big laugh out of it and not have to seek therapy that his loving mother broadcast such things on the internet. At least there are no pictures of him naked in his bed or pee-peeing through the railing of his crib sitting next to a huge, nasty morning diaper. After all, these are the things memories are made of!

Morning #3- The night before I put his regular pjs on him with the snap at the top that covers the zipper. To my delight, the next morning he was still in them! However, while I was feeding him breakfast (I always change his diaper first thing but he climbed up in his seat and repeatedly said "eat, eat, eat") I noticed the zipper was down to his bellybutton but the snap was still closed so he apparently tried to get them off but couldn't figure out the snap... little stinker.

Morning #4- Last night, I put the 2 piece pjs on that snap at the waist. HA! Jimmy went to get him and proudly reported over the monitor that he was completely dressed and amazingly still snapped. So... apparently I have fooled my little MacGyver, at least for a little while.

Still looking for more of those middle snap 2 piece pjs with the feet in them if anyone knows where to find them. Several people has said they have trouble leaving a comment for some reason, so if it won't let you and you know where these pjs are, please email me! Thanks! hbcofer@hotmail.com

Morning #2

Bare Naked Baby... take 2. This morning, while I was checking my e-mail and making coffee (my pre-Trace routine) I heard T talking and singing on the monitor in his room. I envisioned him up there in his bed, the morning light flooding his room, with his feet propped up on the rails singing to himself... completely naked.

I know it's time to get him when I hear the words "mommy, out" or "mommy, juice". Those are my clues, he's ready to begin the day. This time, as I was rounding the corner on my way up, I hear in a very loud, proud voice, "I poo-poo!" (so much for all the cheese he ate yesterday). Now, knowing he is more than likely naked in his bed amongst all of his blankets, pillows, sheets, and bumper pads, I tore up the stairs in record time. Maybe my new membership at Studio 360 is paying off!

Sure enough, he was sitting in his crib, with his pjs in the floor and his 15 pound diaper perched on top of the headboard. Luckily, he still confuses poo-poo and pee-pee... much to my relief. He had pee-peed through the railing of the bed and onto the carpet... at least he was smart enough to know to aim out instead of all over his blankets and pillow! Amazing that I was able to find the bright side, huh.

Since yesterday I laughed (sometimes you just can't help it, toddlers are so darn cute!), I knew today I needed to discourage this. With my shocked and sad face I told him "no, no we don't take our pjs and diaper off in the bed." Well, we will see what tomorrow morning brings!

I have scoured Belk, Target, Children's Place and Penney's trying to find pj's that snap around the middle and are 2 pieces in the attempt to squelch his new hobby. Found tons of ones that are two pieces but none with the feet in them. I'm just not ready to give up the little footed pajamas for the big boy kind with no feet... call me crazy, but he's still my baby!

Thank you Uncle Olgie and Aunt Kadi

We had a very eventful day today. I first found Trace this morning in his crib COMPLETELY naked, diaper and all. He had been awake for about 45 minutes but he likes to sing and talk and have a little "me" time before actually beginning the day. Apparently somewhere in the midst of his "me" time he discovered how to undress himself. I knew it was coming because several mornings this past week, I have gone in to get him and found that his PJs were laying in the floor. I now know the real reason for the little tab that closes in front of the zipper at the top of the footed pajamas. I thought it was to protect their little faces from getting scratched by the zipper... nooo, it's so they can't unzip and climb out of their pjs without adult supervision.

The diaper laying beside him in the crib could have easily knocked a fully grown man to his knees, those morning diapers are like lethal weapons. Trace looked so proud of himself and greeted me with a big smile and a "hi mommy" the minute I walked in the room. He had that sly look on his face (a look I am starting to see more and more of) kinda like... "am I going to be in trouble for this?"

We headed off to the Creative Discovery Museum. My brother Andy (Trace calls him Olgie for some reason) and Aunt Kadi got us all passes for his birthday. Trace and Jimmy had never been. It was funny going back there with 1 child when you have been used to going with 20+ for years. I told my mom later that when I was teaching and would take my class there, I would always think, "OK, you moms and your little kids move out of the way, go play in the Little Yellow House, can't you see we are trying to educate future leaders here.

Now that I'm the mom and there with my little future leader, I found myself wondering " when can we come back when all of these school kids on field trips won't be here. They sure are big and take up a lot of room!" Boy, how times change... I guess I need the lesson in sharing more than Trace does.

We had a great time and although Trace was too small to do (and of course understand) everything, he loved running from room to room and touching EVERYTHING in sight.
We climbed the tower, something I never had the nerve to do with 20+ rough and rowdy first graders and looked out over Chattanooga. T was much more taken with the construction zone going on beside the Museum than the scenic overlook the tower provided.


After the museum we went to Genghis Grill (sp?) and had lunch. We filled our bowls FULL of all kinds of meats, veggies, rice and pasta. Trace ate... cheese. Of all the many choices I put on his plate, he ate 2 cupfuls of shredded cheddar cheese. I give up! The child probably won't poop for a week.

We had a wonderful family day. We loved the museum so much we talked about getting a yearly membership so we can go whenever we want to. Thanks Uncle Olgie and Aunt Kadi for the great gift. Next time, you'll have to come with us!