What's Wrong With My Little Man?

This weekend has been stressful. Davis has been sick off and on since last week and I don't know what's wrong. Last Wednesday night, he woke up throwing up. He only threw up once and then went back to sleep shortly afterwards. I kept him home from daycare on Thursday to make sure he was ok. He acted fine all day, except that he didn't eat as much as he normally does and had one super messy diaper/pullup in the morning. Since he was fine for the rest of the day and night, I sent him to school on Friday. He was fine in school on Friday, except that he again didn't eat as much an usual. He was active Friday afternoon and evening after school, acting like his usual self. Then Friday night he woke up around midnight again throwing up. This time, he threw up multiple times but eventually went back to sleep. Saturday came and again he was fine except for eating a bit less than usual and two super messy diapers/pullups in the morning. Oh, and when I got him dressed I noticed a small rash on his belly. Today, he was fine all day. Seemed to be almost eating like he normally does, was active all day, etc. Then about an hour ago, I came into the room to check on him and found that he had thrown up and gone back to sleep. I had my cousin, Alec come pick him up and move him to the couch so I could change the sheets. Davis barely woke up during that process and is now back in bed sleeping soundly.

What the heck is wrong with my kid?!? I'm so confused. He's not showing any other signs of illness, no fever or anything.

I had thought, maybe it was an allergic reaction to something but I can't figure out what it would be to.

I don't know. I'll be keeping him home from school and calling the doctor tomorrow. Hopefully, we can find out quickly what's wrong.

Getting to Know YOU Sunday

1. If you accidently knick a car in a parking lot..Do you leave a note or do you get the heck out of there?

I've done both. It mostly depends on whether or not there is anyone else around.

2. Love your body or plastic surgery?

Neither, I'm too much of a chicken to actually get plastic surgery. But there are things about my body I'd like to change. I guess I should really start doing something about that.

3. What about your favorite blog(s) continues to drive you back?

I like blogs that I can relate to, are honest and funny.

4. What percent of your blog is BS just to make your life seem more interesting than it really is?

That'd be 0%. My life really is this crazy mix of interesting and completely boring.

5. If you had to give up one type of meat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I'd love to become a vegetarian since it's probably much healthier, but I do not have the will power. I could do without bologna though.

6. How often to you eat out?

Probably more often than we should. We've been trying to eat at home more though to save money. My aunt and uncle have 2 kids in college this fall plus 2 younger kids, plus myself and Davis. It's expensive for us to eat out.

7. Skinny jeans or boot cut jeans?

Boot cut.

8. If you caught your spouse cheating would you forgive, divorce, or plan your kill?

I've been cheated on before (not by David) and it sucked. I'd have to say after all I'm doing for David right now though, I'd plan my kill

Boost My Blog Friday and 30 Days of Truth - Day 4

Question for the day.....
What's the story behind your blog's name?
I created this blog to write about my son and the craziness that goes along with being a mom. I thought of a few others first but I just liked the way this one sounded. Although, I only realized I had spelled madness wrong about a week or two ago. I've fixed it but I guess it's just another example of the "mommy madness" taking over my brain.


Day 4 of 30 Days of Truth

Something I need to forgive someone for... that's hard. I know there are people that a lot of others feel I should forgive but I'm not sure that I can. I'm the type of person who holds a grudge for a long time. There are a lot of people who have made snap judgements about David based on his past. I guess I should forgive them for that since it's a mark of the way society is more so than anything else. It would be easier though if they were willing to give him a chance rather than just judging him and then hating him based on a few facts that don't even really tell who he is now.

My Phone Fell Where?

Last week, most of my family spent the week at Camp Sunshine which is a retreat in Casco, Maine for children with life threatening illnesses and their families. My aunt, uncle and cousins have been going there for several years because my cousin Lindsay has Lupus. She has aged out of their program so she now goes as a volunteer to help the younger kids who go there.

Anyway, my cousin Bryan, Davis and I were the only ones who stayed at home and we decided to drive up for the day on Wednesday. We packed up some snacks for the ride, bathing suits and all the paraphernalia that go along with taking a toddler anywhere. I made myself a cup of coffee for the ride and off we went.

Bryan was driving since he has been there before and knew the way. So five minutes into the ride when Davis dropped the book he was looking at, it was up to me to squirm around in my seat and attempt to pick it up off the floor of the back seat. I didn't manage to get that book, so I handed him another. As I did so, I got coffee splashed on my leg. Thankfully, it wasn't extremely hot and I thought nothing of it.

Until Bryan and I looked down and wondered aloud...."why is the coffee bubbling like that?"

And a second later....."where did my phone go?"

Aww CRAP!!

Yup, my phone had slid off my lap and into my coffee cup.

The bubbling was the liquid replacing the air inside my phone.

Needless to say, Thursday was spend buying myself a new phone. Thankfully, I was due for an upgrade so it didn't cost nearly as much as it could have. And now I have a cute purple phone.

Oh yea, and we had a great time at camp. I forgot to bring my camera though so I need to borrow my uncle's and snag some pictures from it before I can post about the rest of the trip.

30 Days of Truth - Day 3

Day 3.....Something you need to forgive yourself for.

There are many things I feel I need to forgive myself for, mostly little things. I tend to feel guilty for far too long over little things that I need not feel guilty for at all. I often find myself saying things and thinking back over them later and wincing because I'm positive I've offended someone. Then if I bring it up to them, they've forgotten I ever said anything.
The biggest thing I blame myself for though is my current situation. I'm living with family because I am unable to support myself and my son without their help. Partially this is because I don't have a college education so I am really only qualified for lower paying jobs, partially this is due to the fact that my fiance is currently in prison. Either way, I feel like it's all my fault. Well, not his being in prison, that's a combination of mistakes he made in the past, mistakes he made recently (which totally do not warrant 5 years in prison) and unfounded accusations made by my mother.
One of the biggest reasons I blame myself is that I had a job, and I quit. I worked in a bookstore for almost 5 years and I really enjoyed it. The pay was crap and they cut my hours often, but it was a job. I quit because they kept giving me more and more responsibility but refused to give me the title or pay to compensate for that. I often feel like things would be drastically different if I hadn't quit my job. And now I'm having no luck trying to find a new job. Though I will be starting school next month so at least I'm moving in the right direction. It's still hard and I think in some ways, I'll always blame myself.



Head on over to Angel Believes if you'd like to join in the fun.

30 Days of Truth - Day 2 and I Got an Award!!

Sorry for the unexpected absence on here. Life has just gotten a bit crazier than usual around here but I should be back to posting more regularly now.

Day 2...Something you love about yourself.
My creativity. I'm not a wonderful artist, but I love to create using found objects and make collages. I do love to color and draw but I'm not very good at it. I also love to write and have been writing short stories and poems for years. If I don't have some kind of creative outlet, I drive myself a little nuts.


Head on over to Angel Believes to get more info if you'd like to join in.




In order to accept this award, I must answer the 10 questions below and pass the award to six fellow bloggers.

Dee over at Homesick Cajun gave me this award. Thanks!! Everyone should go check out her blog. It's got a little bit of everything, yummy recipes and laughs. It's great

.
1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now? I blog publicly and so far I've had no reason to regret that. ((knock on wood))

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.
The best example I can think of right now is the fact that almost a year later, I still won't talk to my mother unless I absolutely have to. I also won't see her or let her see my son unless it's for a family function because she had my fiance arrested and because she lied on the stand he went to jail for something he didn't do. She knew he didn't do it, but it was a he said, she said case and because he's got a record, he didn't stand a chance. She only did it because she didn't approve of my relationship with him.

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the face in the mirror?
My brown eyes and lots of freckles.

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?
Peach iced tea. Or for the adult variety, a frozen strawberry margarita

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?
relax and read a good book.

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?
Get a college degree. I start classes September 8th towards my associates degree in paralegal studies.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school? Describe who you were if not one of these.
Definitely the shy one. Also a band geek, though I was in colorguard not band.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?
My son being born

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?
I find it easier to write about myself and my son than other people.

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?
Definitely reading, I'm a bookaholic!

I'm just going to do what Dee did and give this to the last six followers of my blog that I can find blogs for...

Fabulous Finds by NimblerGrove
Mommy Katie
Mommy, on accident
The Daily Dose of Reality
News From the Land of Anoz
Candid Utters

Ten on Tuesday

Steph over at A Grande Life started a new linky thing today and I've decided to join up. So here's my Ten on Tuesday...

1. I'm impressed with myself, I actually completed more than half of my to do list today, almost 3/4 of it actually. That's HUGE for me, I'm such a procrastinator usually.

2. I'm really jealous of the bloggers I see posting that their kids are back in school already. My little man goes to school year round (because he's only 2 so it's actually day care) but my teenage cousins are still out for summer vacation, they don't go back til September 7th.

3. I'm not really looking forward to taking little man to the grocery store later when I pick him up, but it's that or he gets the same thing for lunch all week.

4. I want a new cell phone....one with a full keyboard because I text A LOT and texting on a regular keypad is getting annoying.

5. I'm enjoying the quiet in the house while the rest of the family is away.

6. Davis is obsessed with drinking milk lately! We actually had to stop at the store on the way to school this morning and buy some to put in his sippy cup so he'd have some for lunch.

7. How the hell am I going to study and get my homework done for school when my day care voucher is getting cut down to part time? Apparently, I'm supposed to be able to do classwork while taking care of a 2 year old because they're going to give me day care for the times I'm physically in class only.

8. There was a moment of panic earlier, I was looking for baby photos of Davis and couldn't find them on the computer.....then I remembered, we didn't get this computer til last year so all the baby photos are on discs from the old computer.

9. Thinking of ten things really shouldn't be this hard, my brain is just all over the place today.

10. And on that note, it's time to pick up my little man from school.

30 Days of Truth - Day 1

In my bloggy wanderings , I came across this challenge and decided to join in the fun... Head on over to Angel Believes for the info, but in the meantime...here's my entry for the first day.

Day 1... Something you hate about yourself.

I hate that I'm such a procrastinator. I try really hard to be more proactive and get things done in a timely manner; I make lists, I write myself notes, I gather the things I'll need to complete a project.....and then I find something to distract myself.

It suddenly becomes imperative that I rearrange Davis' dresser...again.

Or I decide today is the perfect day to alphabetize my DVDs. (Just an example, I'm soo not that organized.)

Next thing I know, 3 hours have gone by and I've gotten nothing useful accomplished.

So what do I do....I start creating another list of things to do tomorrow so I can cross things off my to do list from today.

Just as an example of my extreme procrastination, this post has been sitting patiently as a partially written draft for two days waiting for me to finish it and post it.

If Mama Ain't Happy Monday

Well, it's that time of the week again so let's see why I'm not happy this week..

~Mama ain't happy that it's time to clean the fish tanks again already....it's a gross job but Davis just isn't old enough to do it yet.

~7 weeks and still no fan for my sweetie. I tried calling on Friday and got voicemail. No one has called back and I really don't expect them to. Plus, when I talked to David earlier, he said the property officer is on vacation this week anyway so that means he won't get it this week.

~Davis may have to take a couple weeks off from school because the payments won't be made from the 23rd til the first day I start classes. I get financial assistance paying for his daycare so I guess I shouldn't really complain, but he LOVES school and will get bored and irritable quickly at home unless I come up with plenty of activities which means I'll be exhausted.

~Mama doesn't like being hung up on by an automated system. I tried to call today to apply for unemployment and was told I had to call back another day because they are now scheduling callers based on their social security numbers...then the system hung up on me. This process is so frustrating because I've tried going into the office in person twice now and both times I've been told their list is full for the day so I have to come back. Apparently I need to be there by the time they open to get my name on the list for the day. Oh well, I'll just have to try again tomorrow.

~ I'm really annoyed by this fly that won't go away.

~ My aunt, uncle and cousins (except Bryan) all left tonight for Camp Sunshine. I will miss them and so will Davis.

~It's been over a month since Davis and I have gone to visit David, I just haven't had the money.


Okay, so now on to the good things..

~I feel like I'm getting better at this blogging thing, little by little.

~My aunt, uncle and cousins are all away at Camp Sunshine til Friday which means Davis, Bryan and I have the house to ourselves and I won't have to listen to the bickering Alec and Tommy for several days. Camp Sunshine is a retreat for children with life threatening illnesses and their families. My family has been going for years because Lindsay has Lupus. She's there as a volunteer this year, helping out with some of the younger kids.

~Davis showed me a bunch of his art projects in his classroom today. He seemed so proud and went around the room pointing out all the projects he had done.

~I got to talk to David on the phone! It's always great to actually hear his voice.

The Monday Minute

It's time for the Monday Minute from The Daily Dose of Reality and co-hosted by Kimber

If you could have plastic surgery, would you? If so, what would you get done?
No, probably not.

What laws have you broken?
Umm....speeding and I shoplifted as a kid. That's all I'm willing to admit to here.

What is your quirkiest habit?
No matter what I do with my hair, I can't leave it that way for more than an hour. If it's down, I'm sweeping it up into a ponytail or braiding it, if it's braided, I'm taking out the braid and letting it down...etc.

If you only had 3 songs to listen to for the rest of your life what would they be?
That's tough...

When you say nothing at all by Alison Kraus and Keith Whitley
The Tension and the spark by Darren Hayes
This ain't nothin' by Craig Morgan

How often do you have sex?
Well, the last time was sometime in October of last year and the next time will be sometime in early 2015 when my fiance gets out of prison. Under normal circumstances though, I'd say it was about twice a week give or take depending on our schedules.

Did he just say .... ?

Every day while driving Davis to and from school, he tells me the things he sees out the windows.

One day last week, we were driving along and he was talking away, "trees, mailbox, car, big truck, red car, mailbox, house, trees, bush, bacon car, doggie, bike........"

Wait, I said to myself, did he just say, "bacon car"?

Yup, he did.

And just as a police cruiser drove past us too.

A couple months ago, on the way home he was doing the same thing with my cousin Alec in the car. When we drove past a police car, Alec tried to get Davis to say "police car" but he wouldn't.

So Alec tried, 'cop car'.

Still nothing.

Then, 'po po'.

Nope.

'Piggy'

Nothing.

Finally, 'bacon'

"BACON CAR," Davis said loudly.

He said it several more times on the ride home that day. I thought he had forgotten about it, unfortunately not. He's back to saying it for about 1 of every 3 police cars we see.

Let's just hope I can discourage this habit soon

Or at least avoid getting pulled over with him in the car until this passes.

Getting to Know YOU Sunday

1. What kind of athlete has the hottest body?
I'd have to say.. gymnasts. They've got muscles but aren't too bulky.

2. Are you a planner or a procrastinator?
I try to be a planner, I write out all kinds of lists and everything....but then I procrastinate and don't get the list done.

3. Diet or regular (soda)?
Definitely diet soda, although I'm trying to drink mostly water these days.

4. What's your one "must have" for Fall?
Hmm, just one, that's tough. It's a tie between a nice comfy pair of boots and those cinnamon scented brooms you can buy in the grocery store...they make great decorations and they make the house smell fabulous.

5. What's your favorite fast food restaurant?
Burger King for their onion rings or Taco Bell for being so cheap and delicious

6. What do you think is the sexiest profession for a guy?
There are many but I'd have to say, construction worker. They really work hard and most have the muscled bodies to show for it. (And it doesn't hurt that my fiance was working as a construction worker when we first met, lol)

7. Did you wear braces?
Nope, though I have horribly crowded teeth with a heck of an overbite.

8. Would you rather have a guy that's super sexy or kind?
Kindness lasts a lot longer than sexiness.

Morning Routines

I just came upon a great giveaway. Wanna Win a $100 Visa Gift Card? It's a part of the Fall 2010 Kellog's Love Your Cereal Program. This week they're all talking about their morning routines, so here's mine.

I've never really been a big morning eater, I usually have to force myself to eat something so I'm not starving by lunch time. I love breakfast foods, I just don't feel like eating first thing in the morning. I also have a tendency to sleep through the alarm or hit the snooze button too many times and get up with not much time to get ready. Therefore, I usually go with light things which are easy to grab and eat on the go. I've found cereal bars are great for this.

Now that I have a toddler to get ready for school in the mornings, I have started to get better about taking time to get ready and allotting time for him to eat before we leave. I'm still usually rushing around getting other things ready while he eats so I'm still sticking with the grab n go routine.

Davis needs to eat in the morning or he's extremely cranky. The good thing is he's not a picky eater. He'll eat pretty much any cereal I put in front of him, which is what we usually go with on weekdays when he has to get ready for school. He also loves pancakes, waffles and eggs which I try to make on weekends, although usually we opt for breakfast for dinner with those things. If we're running late, granola bars, cereal bars or pop tarts are other breakfast foods that he loves.....but only the blueberry pop tarts.

So, if you want to win a $100 Visa gift card, head on over to Mannland5 and read up on the rules for the giveaway.

If Mama Ain't Happy Monday

I always feel bad posting my complaints online for anyone to see but since there's a reason, thanks to Mommy In Suburbia, I guess I'll get some things off my chest...

~Mama isn't happy about sitting and waiting in an office for an hour and a half to two hours just to be handed a slip of paper and told, "call this person and make an appointment" when I can plainly see that others who are also "walk-ins" are getting called in to meet with people....and those same people go there after me.
~It aggravates me that my cousins at 15 and 11 years old, still cannot do things around the house without it coming down to a shouting match and threats.
~It aggravates me that they get away with it so much.
~Mama isn't happy that it's been six weeks since my sweetie put in his order for a fan and he still hasn't gotten it so he's sweating 24-7. By the time the DOC actually gets the fans to those guys, the summer will be over and they won't need them anymore.
~I hate that I procrastinate so much, on everything. I know it'll be easier to just get it done but I still find myself finding other things to do instead.
~I think it sucks that so many college students are having trouble getting financing to go back to school this fall. My cousin Lindsay is halfway through a 4 year program to get her nursing degree and is struggling to find financing to finish. If she doesn't finish, she's stuck with $50,000 of student loans to pay back which will be almost impossible while working a minimum wage job which is pretty much all she'd be able to get.
~Mama doesn't like it when my little man gets sick. He had a less than 24 hour bug over the weekend, he woke up Saturday night puking, was up til about 1:30 and then fell asleep. When he woke up Sunday morning he was fine. So I guess it could have been worse but still, no one likes a sick toddler.

I think that's it for now. I'm sure I'll have more next week.
Now to balance it all out.....here are some of the good things that have been happening...

~My little man is all better now and is back at day care today.
~I registered for all my classes for the fall semester so I'm officially a college student again. I can't wait to start, I love school.
~I actually got all four of the classes I wanted too....English Composition 2, Computer Applications, Introduction to Paralegalism, and Practical Logic.
~Last week, I won the local library's adult summer reading raffle. They gave me a $25 gift card to Mann Orchards, a really great farm stand type place that makes fresh lunches daily. We love them so it was perfect.
~I love that Davis actually loves to help clean up and do stuff around the house.

Photos Of the Week

These are actually from a couple weeks ago, but I haven't taken any pictures this week and I like these.......Davis was playing catch with my cousin Tommy...I think he was trying to get into a catcher's squat here.

Just him being a ham.

And here he is climbing the pitch-back. Definitely not meant for climbing but he does it anyway. I need to find a cargo net to add to his swing set.

I got this idea from Mama Kat's Blog. So swing on by her place to check out more photos of the week.

Writer's Workshop Thursday

The Prompts:
1.) If you could do it over again…
2.) If you were put in “time out”, where would you want to be placed and why?
3.) Steppin outside the box (describe a time when you went way out of your comfort zone)
4.) A long drive…
5.) Describe the first date you went on in a boy’s car.


Reading over today’s prompts from Mama Kat, I discovered several things…..
1. There are many things I wish hadn’t happened in my life or I wish I hadn’t done but I’d be too afraid to change things for fear that it would change the good things in my life too much. For example….if I had done better in high school and gone to college right after, I wouldn’t have discovered that I really want to study paralegal studies and I just would have gone for an English major. Not that it would have been a bad thing, but I’m not sure what exactly I would have done from there. Now I have more direction in my goals. I also would not have started working for the book store where I met my fiancé. All in all, any of the bad decisions I’ve made have resulted in some good…sometimes even great things happening in my life.
2. I can’t think of a single thing I’ve done that was dramatically out of my comfort zone. I tend to just go with the flow of life and don’t think of anything I’m doing as taking chances. Though I guess you could say that becoming a mom is outside the comfort zone for most people as you can never really know what to expect or get prepared for it.
3. The longest drives I take lately are to visit David. And I kind of miss the days (or nights mostly) when I used to take off in the car and drive around aimlessly. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends…..either way it was a great way to spend some time either thinking or talking.
4. The first date I went on in a boys car was so forgettable that it wasn’t until I started typing this sentence that I remembered it had even happened. I actually started to say that my first date in a boys car wasn’t appropriate to write about in such a public forum….then I remembered the dates I had with a senior in high school when I was a freshman that weren’t really dates. He later “clarified” to me that we were just friends.
5. So that just leaves time outs. I’d love a time out in the form of a beach vacation, laying on the sand in some tropical paradise with a frozen margarita and a good beach read. But only if I can take David along with me so that will have to wait a few years….maybe we can make that fantasy become a reality then but in the meantime, I’ll just keep swimming, just keep swimming

Nature Walk

Davis, Lindsay and I went for a nature walk over the weekend and he loved it! Davis is an adventurous little boy and loves being outside so it was the perfect way to let loose some of his energy. The picture above is him dancing down the trail.



And then he ran away.....but he didn't go too far.


This is one of the pretty flowers along the side of the trail. Lindsay took this picture.


And Davis had to investigate everything along the way.....I don't remember if this is the time he stopped to look at an ant or the time he wanted to pick up all the rocks.



This is probably one of my favorite pictures of him ever. He had gotten tired by the end of the walk (which is why we brought the stroller) but he still had energy to be a goofball.


I meant to post this several days ago but, I broke the ring finger on my right hand to typing is not very comfortable right now. It's getting better though so hopefully I can post more frequently again soon.