Look Out!

We decided to put Aiden in T-ball this spring and I AM SO EXCITED!!!!  It is so stinkin' cute.  He had his first practice last week and he loved it.  He seems to be right in the middle of the group, age-wise.  It's a co-ed team, but there's only one girl.  Aiden was really shy for the first 5 to 10 minutes, but then he worked his way into the group.  For warm-ups the kids ran bases.  When Aiden made his first way around, he ran directly to me instead of home plate.  After the warm-up, they split the kids into two main groups, one with the head coach and the other with the assistant coach.  Aiden ran back over to me a couple times.  Once to ask if I saw what he did and once to ask for water.  Travis was 30 minutes late because of work, but when he arrived he went out to help corral the kids.  After that Aiden did better about staying with the team.

This past weekend we went to buy him gear.  I sure hope he sticks with this for a while because sports equipment is expensive!  There are only 4 bats amongst all the players, so we bought a bat.  We also got a couple balls for us to practice with at home, cleats, socks, practice shirt, baseball pants and a Texans cap.  The team colors are red and black, so we got him the red Texans hat for him to wear to games, practices or just whenever.  The team name is the Lookouts.  As in, 'Look out!  There's a ball headed your way!'  Ha.

Practices are on Tuesdays.  Last week we picked up fast food on the way up.  I don't want to do that every week, so I made PB&J sandwiches for dinner tonight.  We have to go straight from the daycare to the practice because it's so far away, so I packed it this morning.  I decided to put him on a team up near where we want to move so Aiden has a chance to meet kids he might go to school with soon.  Or at the very least, to make friends in the area.  It's also easier on Travis since he works in that area.  He can make it to the practices after work since we come up to him.  If we put him in the league in Galveston, Travis would never make it to practices in time.

I can't wait for practice tonight!  I just wish it was a little warmer...

My Internal Battle

Last night I stopped at Walmart on my way home from work to pick up some items we desperately need for the week.  As I was walking through the store, I was sucked into the Mardi Gras display since we are going to the parades on Saturday.  Every year we go up to the Seawall in Galveston and hang out at our friend's RV.  There are other kids around so Aiden is entertained and of course there's lots of food and drinks.  Back to my trip to Walmart... I was checking out the random things you pretty much use once, then discard.  I  picked out a few items, mostly entertainment for the kids, and continued on my way.

At the checkout, I was standing in line and noticed the cashier.  He was over 6 feet, heavy set, balding, but with long, stringy hair.  My first instinct was, EEK!  Serial killer!  I quickly felt guilty because I do not know this man.  He might be a really great guy for all I know.  I loaded my groceries on the belt and stood in front of him while he rang everything up.  When I got closer, I realized his hair was stringy because he was sweating profusely.  Droplets were beading at his head, falling down the strands and landing on his shirt.  I had a little ick factor about the fact that some drops made their way to my reusable grocery bags.  He started to make some small talk about loading the bags and he seemed to be genuinely sweet.  I felt horrible about my initial reaction towards him.

Then he starts ringing up my Mardi Gras gear: shirts for the kids, stick on mustaches, a headband, light-up glasses.  

He said, "Oh ya.  Mardi Gras."  

I said, "Ya!  It really snuck up on me!  I totally forgot about it until my friends mentioned it a week ago."

"Ya, well, personally I think any city that celebrates Mardi Gras is similar to Sodom and Gomorrah."

Blink, blink.  "Really?  You think it's all bad, all the time?"

"Well, no.  God said if there is even one good soul left in the city, then it is worth saving.  But cities like New Orleans, it sounds like it's year round there, so..."

"Huh.  Well, that does sound sad..."  Give me my receipt, give me my receipt, give me my receipt...

He hands me my receipt, I give the woman behind me in line wide eyes and make a beeline for the door.

What the heck??  WHY?  Was he so socially awkward that he didn't see how rude he was being?  I was purchasing Mardi Gras items, which means I am probably going to celebrate accordingly.  Otherwise I'm convinced he hates everyone and takes any chance he can to judge and bring down those he thinks are doing wrong.  I'm not a religious person, but I know a few things, so please see here.  I felt a little bad for the guy though.  What was his upbringing that he became so inept at casual conversing? 

Clothes and Coffee

When Brenda was visiting she left money for birthday presents for all of us. We decided to make a day of it and go shopping on Sunday. I haven't been shopping (aside from the grocery store) in AGES. It was so fun!! Travis got a couple outfits, Aiden got some clothes and a turtle nightlight (we're hoping it helps keep him in bed) and we found several cute outfits for Mila. I'm going to look for toy we had in mind for her as well. (Brenda bought a really nice purse for me.)

I cannot believe we picked out these clothes for our daughter.

At the end of our shopping spree we walked over to look at some coffeemakers. I have been eyeing the Keurigs for some time now. This was a self-congratulatory gift for landing this new job as a safety specialist. We went with the Keurig Elite. It's not the fanciest version, but it's much more so than the pot I was using before.

I had my first cup of coffee from the new machine this morning. Travis opted for Chai tea.

Shopping Day

My boys

Friday was picture day at the daycare.  I actually got Aiden to wear a button up shirt.  He usually throws a fit, but he did it for Picture Day.  Friday night we ordered a pizza and watched the first Harry Potter movie.  Aiden was enthralled.  Travis was exhausted.

I think we got the bulk of our shopping done for Mila this weekend.  I would still like to get a new baby monitor (our original one was an old hand-me-down that's not doing so hot), some containers for storing baby/kid items and I have been buying a pack of diapers every time I go to the store.

Travis went shopping with me Sunday morning.  It was nice to have the help with Aiden and the cart.  Plus, we were able to take care of some heavy stuff that I haven't been able to take care of yet.  For example, at Christmas he got a basketball hoop from Travis' old boss.  Since he already had one, we exchanged it for a motorcycle that I have been eyeing for months.  We let Aiden choose which item he got.  There was no hesitation once he saw that motorcycle.

Aiden played dress up in Target while I looked for new sunglasses.

Could this store be more fun?

After Target we went to Babies R Us for everything we couldn't find at Target.  I've never been so disappointed with a trip to that store.  At BRU we got a going home (from the hospital) outfit for Mila, a Big Brother shirt and book for Aiden and a few other random items.  It was so fun shopping for baby stuff again.  I tried looking for an outfit for Mila at Dillard's, but good Lord is that stuff gawdy.  It was all too much for me.  I'm pretty sure they have a three-bow minimum for baby girl clothes.

BRU got a new ride with Aiden's favorite character

Aiden LOVES his new motorcycle.  He asked for it all day Sunday, but sadly we did not have time for it.  When we got home Monday evening, he played on it for a good hour.  It cracks me up because he's started being more imaginative with his toys.  The other day he got off his "4-wheeler" and started acting like he was taking stuff off it.  I asked what he was doing and he said he didn't want to leave his cups in the car.  Then Monday when he got off his motorcycle (he always parks his vehicles by the back door when we go in) he started pushing "buttons" and making noises.  I guess he was setting the bike alarm. 

I love having some daylight left when we get home at the end of the day.  I went grocery shopping Monday night so we ate sandwiches in the car.  I gave Aiden some yogurt when we got home, which he enjoyed outside while I brought the groceries inside.

Baby-Gear Shopping is Fun

As always, we had a BUSY weekend.  I really should have split up our Easter festivities over two days, but I had too much going on Saturday to fit anything else in.  I had an overdue oil change scheduled, shopping to do and a date night with Travis.  I had a coupon to Babies R Us and a play mat that I needed to exchange, so I took the opportunity to buy a new stroller/car seat combo for Mila.  A friend accidentally broke the handle on Aiden's stroller and his car seat was getting kind of old.  Travis and I agreed that we would feel better getting a new set.

I'm having a hard time flipping over to the girl mind set for baby stuff.  I actually felt guilty buying a stroller with pink on it.  Partially because I know Travis will be pushing it from time to time.  He didn't seem too worried about the pink though.  I settled on a newer version of the one we had for Aiden and honestly I can't wait to pull it out of the box!  I also bought a few other items while at the store (bottle drying rack abd plush elephant).  I couldn't believe my entire spending was under $200 between the coupon and gift exchange.  Very exciting.

After the oil change I went to Target to buy Easter goodies for the family (Aiden, Ariel, Robert and Travis).  I made sure to get a few extras for myself.  My current fave are Peepsters, by the makers of Peeps.  YUMMMM.  I also bought some pants and more muslin blankets for Mila (PERFECT for swaddling).  We seem to have a shortage of bottoms for that girl and I don't want her running around half naked!  And I would reuse Aiden's muslin blankets, except he still sleeps with him.  I don't want to take everything from him to give to the baby.

When I got home, I went through more baby stuff in the garage and then got ready for date night with Travis.  A friend at work gave us a gift card to Willie G's to promote one last date before the baby comes.  Since that restaurant is in Galveston, we left Aiden with Sue and headed off child-free.  It's always so funny going out without a kid.  When we were at dinner before seeing Pauly Shore a few weeks ago we sat down at the table.  We both announced to each other that we needed to wee before we got food and Travis told me I could go first.  I was about to tell him, no you go first, when I realized, "Why do we have to take turns?  There's no kid for us to stay at the table with!  We can pee at the SAME TIME."  Funny how parenting changes your way of life.

So, feeling like I was forgetting something, we made our way to Ariel's.  We left Mr. Lion there by accident on Friday and Aiden ALWAYS sleeps with him.  He woke up three times Friday night before waking up for the day at 6:30 and I wasn't up for another night of that.

Dinner was great.  We sat outside and enjoyed the water and making fun of all the sunburnt tourists.  We both ate seafood and we shared a giant caprese salad.  I even ordered a glass of wine.  That's the very first time I've imbibed alcohol in public while pregnant.  While my doctor assured me that one glass every now and then is fine, strangers tend not to agree.  I didn't really care that night.  The hot weather, combined with seafood, made a glass of cool white wine sound greatly appealing.  Travis had to finish it for me though.  Ha!

We were going to get dessert there, but nothing sounded very good.  Instead, we walked a couple blocks to the Nestle Toll House Cafe for cookies and ice cream.  OMG that place is amazing.  I told a friend we went there and she said she'd never been, but she did gain five pounds when she walked by it once.  I'd probably worry more if I weren't pregnant and still within the proper weight limits.  You really can't top a chocolate chip cookie covered in vanilla ice cream, fudge and nuts.  I'm so glad we live in a time when we can afford chocolate.

We sat with Sue for a little while before we took Aiden home.  I was thankful when he went straight to sleep when we got home. He hasn't been sleeping that well lately, so I really appreciated Sue wearing him out for us.

Seriously though, he FIGHTS going to sleep.  We put him down between 8 and 8:30 every night and he usually gets out of bed constantly until 10 pm when we go to bed.  And then he wakes up between 4:30 and 5 every morning.  That's only 6.5-7 hours per night!  It's not enough for me, so I can't imagine it's enough for a two year old.  What the deuce??  Does anyone have any advice on this situation?  I'm seriously contemplating giving him Benadryl.  Or maybe even melatonin every now and again so I can get ONE good night of sleep periodically.  But drugging him freaks me out a bit.  I should call the pediatrician and see what she thinks. 

Problem is I wouldn't get a GOOD night's sleep even without him waking me up constantly since I get up 1-3 times to pee.  I decided last night we are going to start shutting our cat Phage out at night.  He jumps on and off the bed frequently and it wakes me up each time.  When he jumps up, the jostle wakes me.  When he jumps off, the sound of him hitting the floor makes me wonder if Aiden is up walking around.  And by "walking around" I mean jumping off his dresser like he does from time to time (without my approval, of course). 

I really hope to sleep someday...

Making MORE Room

You know what's hard to do?  Pee while having a contraction.  Problem is, peeing frequently sets off a Braxton-Hicks contraction. Being pregnant is awesome. 

We had a full weekend.  Saturday morning I threw some corned beef in the crock pot and we left first thing for IKEA.  Sadly, we got on the road to Houston an hour and half later than I wanted because Travis had some errands to run.  We did stop for donuts and kolaches (which, down here, are basically pigs in a blanket) on the way up.  My new unfortunate craving is cake donuts and coffee.  Mmmm.  I now understand the purpose of decaf coffee.  I used to think it was a pointless invention.  I know better now.

Things went as well as can be expected at IKEA.  I always leave for this store hopeful and excited.  I leave really stoked about the new furniture we acquired, but I am tired from wondering aimlessly through the Largest Store On The Planet and the thought of putting together all that furniture is daunting.  Oh and this time we had Aiden with us.  I think this was his first time there.  I can't remember what we did last time we went.  Maybe he was there, but he was in a stroller?

Anyhoo, I had a game plan going in.  It is easy to spend the entire day at that store and I just wasn't up for that in my 7-months-pregnant state.  We had three pieces of furniture pre-chosen and then there were few items I wanted to keep my eye out for.  I was irritated to find they had discontinued the computer desk I chose online.  It was perfect for what we needed - small, with a hanging file drawer.  This was the first section we stopped in and the area we spent the longest in.  That was partly due to the fact that we had to figure out what we would get in place of the discontinued item and partly due to the fact that Aiden was dealing with some constipation that required two trips to the bathroom.  That place is a complete maze.  I can't believe I made it to the bathroom and back TWICE.

There were a few other minor hiccups.  They didn't have the fabric I originally picked out, and there were a few random items I was looking for and was unable to find anywhere.  Here is what we DID get:

• Wow.  Drawing a blank on the exact desk we chose, but I know we got the MICKE file drawer, a small lamp, a chair and a box to store bills out of sight.
• HEMNES dresser for our bedroom.
• ASPELUND wardrobe for the guest bedroom.
• Fabric for reupholstering the kitchen chairs.
• Two pots for plants on the patio.

I plan to take photos of everything as we complete it, but there's no telling when we'll get around to it.  I think I'm going to push Travis to help me put together the wardrobe this week.  It will probably take us several days, but as soon as that is together, I can start washing and bringing Mila's clothes in the house.  It's rough doing all this while I'm pregnant because I can't help with any of the heavy lifting.  In order to make room for the wardrobe, we need to move the computer desk out to the garage until a friend from work can come pick it up.  We may have to enlist a friend to stop by and help move that monster...

I am thrilled the ball is rolling!

The day that puts stores in the black

The rest of the weekend was great for me.  Sadly, Travis had to work all day Friday and most of Saturday.  Aiden and I had it off.  At the beginning of the week, I noticed that Aiden was acting really cranky and he had a little cough when he first woke up.  I was checking his temperature every morning.  Monday it was normal, Tuesday it was a degree high, Wednesday it was at 100 degrees.  When Travis was getting him dressed, he pointed to his ear and said it was ouchy.  How amazing is that?  He told us what was bothering him!  That has never happened!  In the past, we knew something was wrong because he wasn't eating, or he was cranky, or he slept a lot.  But we had to go to the doctor to figure out what it was.  Sometimes we never really found out exactly what the problem was.  He's totally growing up. 

I'm sure someone will frown on this.  I took him to daycare that morning.  I gave him ibuprofen before we left the house, but I had so much to do at work that I had to get in.  I was hoping they wouldn't call me before noon to come pick him up.  I got my wish.  I was able to get him after work and take him to Urgent Care.  I called that morning and his regular doctor's office was busy all day.  I'm not surprised, being that it was the day before a holiday.

We waited for about two hours I think.  It seemed like forever.  There was a woman in the waiting room with a little boy, 3 or 4 years old I would guess.  He was sleeping on a chair by the fish tank - Aiden's favorite area.  So of course every time Aiden went back there and would try to talk to me (talk, not yell or scream), the mom would shush him and say, "He's sleeping.  Shhhhh."  Gah.  I understand that sometimes it can seem so important that your child sleep, but geez lady.  He was just saying, "Fish, Mommy?" as he was pointing at the fish tank.  I tried to keep him out of that back waiting area from then on, but I didn't try too hard.

Sure enough, Aiden had an ear infection.  I'm so happy we were able to get medication for that before the 4-day weekend.  Thanksgiving could have been a lot more difficult. 

So!  Friday morning, I got up BEFORE DAWN and tried out a little Black Friday shopping.  It was my first time to go out the day after Thanksgiving.  Honestly I was a little nervous.  You always here about people getting trampled to death for a $10 toaster.  I didn't want that to be me. 

I only went to a few stores and only one of them was right at opening.  Shoe Carnival opened at 5 am and gave out $10 off gift cards to the first 100 people.  My friends and I made it in the first 100!  Plus, they were having great shoe sales.  I've wanted to buy boots since last winter, but could never get over the guilt of such a large purchase.  The cheapest boots I could find were $60 at Target.  If you went to a department store or DSW, forget it.  You'd be spending $100-200.  As much as I want boots, I'd rather have groceries. 

Back to Black Friday - I bought a pair of $60 brown boots (up to my knee) for 50% off, plus my $10 off gift card.  I got a pair of boots for $20!!  Can't beat that.  Totally made my morning exhaustion-caused nausea worth it.  After we all made our purchases, we went to the Sephora next door.  We also stopped at Walmart, but I didn't buy anything else.  I had what I wanted and was just along for the ride at that point. 

I was home, in bed by 6:45.  I had to be home by 7 because that's when Travis leaves for work.  I was sure that Aiden would wake up when I got home and I wouldn't be able to get anymore sleep.  But I was wrong!  I got to sleep in until 8:30.  Then Aiden climbed in bed with me and we watched Transformers.  The rest of the day was pretty lazy.  That evening we went to the Ramby's for dinner.  Alexa made a Thanksgiving casserole using leftovers that was absolutely amazing.  She heated up some gravy that we poured on top of each serving.  If I ever have enough leftovers to make that, I'll totally be doing it in the future.  Mmmmm...

More later.  I don't want to overwhelm you with my play-by-play's.  Cheers!

New World Problems

We have completed our Christmas shopping for Aiden!  Toys R Us is having a ton of sales through Thanksgiving Day, so we wanted to get him done first.  The trick is to keep all that stuff hidden for a month.  I'm sure that will get more difficult down the road.  Now we can focus on gifts for the rest of the family.  My dad won't be coming for Christmas.  He's going to try to come in January or February, but it depends on his work.  I'm not sure if Brenda will be able to make it - she's still up in the air.  Travis still has to talk to his dad, but he usually can't make it because he has plans with his girlfriend or he has to work.

My mom is planning to come for a month, so she will be here for Christmas.  With her, we always draw names out of a hat for gifts.  None of us are particularly well off.  That coupled with traveling for my mom and buying food for the celebrations for Ariel and I, makes for a very expensive month.  Drawing names out of a hat helps alleviate some of that.  Now that we have Aiden, we get to watch him open lots of gifts on Christmas morning.  That has quickly become my favorite part of the holiday.  I'm sure this year will be even better.  Aiden enjoys so many things now.  He will love everything he gets.

Travis and I usually don't get each other gifts for Christmas anymore.  We generally don't have the funds for it.  This year, we thought we'd be buying a dishwasher, but I think we might be able to postpone that until after the holiday season.  It's holding on at the moment.  Barely.  Com'on kitchen appliance!  Hold on for just a while longer!!

Travis bought an iPhone a week ago, but it's on backorder.  He is supposed to get it by Friday.  Only 50% of his current touch screen works.  We can't afford to get one for each of us at the same time.  I'm hoping to get one soon after Christmas.  It seems like my phone senses that I'm ready for a new one because it is going bezerk more often than it used to.  The number one reason I want an iPhone now is for a decent touch screen.  I CANNOT stand it when my touch screen doesn't work.  My current phone is so bad that it won't even recalibrate.  It frustrates me to no end.  I am thankful I bought a flip phone with an actual keyboard on the inside.  I don't even use the main screen of my phone anymore.  I go straight to the inside. 

Oh the problems in my life.  ; )

Parenting Stories

When Aiden and I get in the car in the mornings to go to daycare/work, I let him bring a cup of water and a snack cup of dry cereal.  He usually has cereal leftover that he eats during the ride home.  That way he's not miserably cranky when we get home and I have a minute to make dinner before a meltdown.  The water, however, is generally too hot to drink in the evening after a day baking in the car.  But the other day, he had Goldfish crackers for some reason and he was asking for a drink of water.  I felt bed for him with his dry, cracker mouth so I tested out his water.  It was cloudy that day, so the water was only warm.  I decided to go ahead and let him have a drink.  I handed him the cup and told him he could have a drink of it, but it was hot.

He took a drink of the water, took the cup out of his mouth and stared quizzically at it for a minute.  Then he looks at me and says, "Coffee?" 

The kid thinks any hot beverage is coffee.  Cracks me up every time.

Continuing with Aiden's tendency to generalize everything, he thinks all skulls are pirates.  He has a book about pirates and we've watched Pirates of the Caribbean a few times.  He's noticed the skull and crossbones on the black pirate flag, so now he associates it with pirates.  With Halloween being right around the corner, there is an abundance of skulls around.  He is constantly screaming, "Pirates!"  I look around for a pirate only to find a skull of some sort.  At least I know what he's talking about now.

He also wants to go to the store every day after daycare.  Sometimes when I need just a few items, I'll run by Target on my way out of town.  Aiden loves it.  I'm not sure why.  I guess we frequently stop in the toy section for a birthday present and he gets to play with everything.  Maybe that has something to do with it. 

To go to the store we have to pass a statue.  So when he gets in the car, he starts screaming, "'Tore! 'Tatoo!"  Most of the time, I have to say, "No, we're going to go past the trains and then go home."  Statue and store, or trains and home.  Funny what my life has reduced to.  ;)

Not All There

This past weekend I went shopping for groceries sans Aiden.  I've been able to do that the past two weekends and it's been fantastic.  Aiden is generally not difficult in the grocery store, but I still feel like I'm able to focus on comparing products better when he's not there getting bored with the lack of cart-movement.

Anyway, on this past trip, I was headed to the cash register with a cart load when I hear a baby start crying.  Shortly thereafter a woman starts yelling at the top of her lungs.  I couldn't really tell what she was saying, but she sounded angry.  I was getting closer to the source of the sound when I saw who it was.  They had entered the store at the same time as me.  It was a two-year-old girl and a woman I assumed was her mother, although she looked to be in her 40's.  Since it's not impossible to be a mother in your 40's, I was wondering if it was hers or if it was a grandchild.

The woman was walking around the produce section a little haphazardly while I was in the same area.  The little girl followed her, but the woman barely looked back to make sure the child was with her.  I was thinking about how I am constantly looking back for Aiden, until I start to get dizzy and I just take his hand.  At one point, the little girl grabbed an apple off the shelf and took a tiny bite.  I was waiting for the woman to notice, but since she rarely looked back to check on her, she didn't see the kid eating the apple for a quite a while.  When she finally did, she walked up to her, asked for the apple and took a bite.  Not quite honest behavior, but to each their own.

Back to my trip to the register and the screaming - I parked my cart before the aisle that the woman was in because I finally found the batteries.  (Why does it seem like every store has a different location for those?)  The child was upset, probably bored, and crying.  The woman was YELLING at her, "I know, I know!!  You're bored!  We've been in this store WAY too long!!  I'm trying to hurry but you're not helping me!"  None of those words were things that would aid the situation.  If anything, as the mother of a two-year-old, I know the yelling and screaming will just make the toddler more stressed and less likely to stop crying. 

At this point, I was starting to wonder about the mental capacity of the woman.  She picked up the little girl and was trying to get her into the cart seat.  She was yelling, "I'm going to put you in the cart!  I know!  You barely fit! But you want to sit here!!"  I really think the woman was not all there. 

That got me thinking.  Anyone can procreate.  Who gets to decide if the parents are well enough to care for a child?  Does anyone get to take a baby home from the hospital?  And then they are only reported for negligence when the situation occurs?  How sad.

Speaking of procreating, my fish is attempting to do so.  Forget the fact that she is the only fish of her kind in the tank.  She is moving one rock at a time out of the back corner of the tank and moving it to the front, creating a little divot for her eggs whenever they arrive.  There won't be any fertilizing of the eggs, since there is no male in the tank.  She'd probably eat them before they had a chance to hatch anyway.  She's a little hostile to any other fish I attempt to place in the water.

I actually just found out last weekend that Bubba is actually a Babette.  My friend Michelle has a tank full of red blood parrot cichlids and she noticed they had laid eggs.  She looked it up online to find out how to sex them.  Apparently the females have an appendage that differentiates them from their male counterpart.  I think the appendage only comes out when they are "in season".  At any rate, it should be interesting to see the whole process!

The Second Half

I'm sure you are on the edge of your seat wondering what I did for the last half of the 4-day weekend. Am I right? HA.

Friday night, we rented Grown Ups and laughed our butts off before bed. I recommend it. Did you hear that Adam Sandler bought each of his co-workers from that film a Maserati? NICE.

Saturday, we did a some shopping in the morning. Then we spent the afternoon tidying up the house and enjoying a little more couch time. That night, Jenna and Jandi came over for dinner. We sat at the table and ate Wing Stop boneless wings. Aiden loves Jandi, and vice versa, so when Jandi came to sit at the table, so did Aiden. Funny thing was he went straight for the chair directly next to Jandi - not his high chair. It was so cute that we let him sit at the table with us.

We liked having him in a regular chair like us, so I think we are going to break down the high chair into his booster seat. It will be nice to have that huge chair out of the way. The only nice thing about it is that we can fit more people at the table when Aiden sits in his high chair. So we'll probably keep the high chair component handy. Especially with the Christmas holiday around the corner.

Aiden was quite cranky that evening. He only took two short 15 minutes naps during the day, so he was on edge by bedtime. I think we put him down a few minutes early. He was out within seconds. And when we went to check on him before we went to bed, he was laying in the exact same position as we laid him down in. Covered up with his blankets and everything. The blankets are a big deal because those usually get kicked off immediately. And he's too young to be able to cover himself back up properly. He was definitely tuckered out. I think it helped that Jenna and Jandi were there. He always does better when we are around other people. I've decided that's a good thing.

Sunday we did even more shopping. It was our annual family Thanksgiving shopping spree. My dad likes to give each of us $50. We get to spend $40 on our self and $10 on whoever we draw out of a hat. This year, I had Robert and Travis had Alex. I was able to purchase a new pair of boots that I so desperately wanted. My chiropractor will be so proud that I am no longer walking on those worn heels anymore. Robert lost his wallet right before Thanksgiving, so I found him a replacement wallet. Travis bought a few things from Academy for himself (hooray for Thanksgiving weekend sales!) and two 80's comedies for Alex. We will have to wait to exchange gifts when everyone gets here for Christmas. It's easier than mailing them.

My dad likes to do this little shopping spree to get us thinking about Christmas presents for ourselves and others. It makes it easier to get an idea of what everyone would like each year. Plus, I'm always up for a paid-for-shopping-spree. ;)

After Aiden woke up from his nap, we played outside and then went for a walk. The rest of the evening went by entirely too quickly...

Forever Me

I have never considered myself a significantly fashion forward person. I do like to present myself as neat and clean, but in a way that is possible without having to buy a whole new wardrobe every year. For the past couple of years, I have found that it has taken me some time to adjust to the new styles as they come. It took me a year to accept flats, and another year to accept skinny jeans.

I have to admit that my wardrobe has seemed pretty sad ever since I've been out of maternity clothes. I've had to get rid of a bunch of stuff, solely because it was so worn down it seemed inappropriate to wear in public anymore. Then I noticed TWO pairs of my shoes have holes forming between the soles and the top of the shoe. I have never had that happen before! I have a third pair that is following swiftly behind in the holey-department.

A month or so ago, I broke down and had to buy some jeans. I wear jeans every day to work, so it is not exactly feasible to have less than five pairs of pants (one for each day of the week). After a month with just three pairs, I decided it was time to head to the store. I bought two pairs of jeans and one pair were skinny jeans! Can you believe it?! Nikki's moving up in the style world! I have tried them on before, but was never able to find a pair I thought I looked good in.

I got them home and quickly realized I didn't have much to wear with them. Since I have a fairly wide load, I want billowy shirts to help balance out the skinny lower third. Turns out I don't have much that fits the description. A couple weeks ago, Travis and I decided to head out for clothes again. My sorry wardrobe was in a much needed face lift.

I ran into Charlotte Russe while Aiden and Travis went into Lids. As it turns out, I do not understand the current trends. Most of the clothing in there seemed entirely too dressy to wear in a lab, and the few items that seemed casual enough were confusing. I couldn't figure out if the elastic hem of one shirt was supposed to go above or below my hips. Most of the shirts showed entirely too much skin for me. After the fact, I realize that many of those tops require a camisole underneath.

I gave up on Charlotte Russe and headed back to get Aiden and his stroller from Travis. I had agreed to trade turns with Aiden so Travis could focus on his purchase, then I headed over to Forever 21.

First of all, has anyone ever been to a Forever 21 aside from the one at Baybrook Mall? Are they all a complete MADHOUSE, or is it just this one?! Seriously, it is ridiculous. The racks are all packed so closely that only one person can pass between them at a time. There are at least 20 employees on shift at a time running around like chickens with their heads cut off and then there are 100 women skittering from rack to rack trying to find the best outfit in their size. Then there's the dressing room, where if you spend more that 2 minutes trying on clothes, the attendant sticks her arm in to see if anyone is still in there.

Gives me hives just thinking about it.

Add Aiden in a STROLLER to that and it's 10 times worse. I couldn't find anything. Mostly because I couldn't stand at a rack long enough to separate the hangers to see what the shirts looked like. Someone was always rushing by, which meant I was constantly shuffling Aiden's stroller around. From my view of the clothes from a distance, the one thing I noticed was the lack of color in this year's clothing lines. Everything was either a neutral black, grey or brown, or it was a muted color, like dirty pastel pink or vomit green.

FINALLY, Travis showed up to take Aiden. He even made a remark about how ridiculous that place is. It's like the women are trying to grab up everything before it goes out of style. And it almost spreads like wild fire, causing everyone else to do the same. I don't get it.

Amazingly, I found two shirts and a light jacket that I liked. I was even able to try them on without the attendant interrupting. I stood in line for 15 minutes, paid and fell out of the store to where my husband and son were patiently waiting. It was such a stark opposition to what I had just experienced.

No wonder I don't keep up with trends. If I have to do that every time, it will be years before I get back in there again. Probably whenever I have to throw out the rest of my holey clothes...