3:00 A.M.

Micah: Mooooma, I mnmnmnununungcucgmn my bed.
Me: (with one eye open) You peed in your bed?
Micah: No, I mnhjnbhgfthbnhguhunmn my bed.
Me:  You pooped in your bed?
Micah:  No, I minunubvbghftgyhnbjkm my bed.
Me: You threw up in your bed?
Micah: No, I minuhynmnfutchnjium my bed.
Me: (really listening now) So this has nothing to do with poop, puke, or pee?
Micah:  No, I fell out of my bed!
Me:  Well, go get back in your bed.
Micah: Okay.

It is 3:00 A.M. in my bedroom, welcome to my world!

Don't Ask Why!

Micah:  Mommy you know why I can run fast?

Me:  Why?

Micah:  'Cause I got gas in my butt!

Budding Artist

Me:  What happened to the wall?
Micah:  The marker draw on wall.
Me:  Who was holding the marker when it drew on the wall?
Micah: Me
Me:  Well, you are going to have to clean it all off.

...I proceed to give him a magic eraser...

Micah:  Oh man! Awesome! Cool!

...I come back several minutes later to find Micah drawing on another wall...

Me: What are you doing?
Micah: Need more marks on wall.

...I guess the punishment was a little too fun...

Poison Control

Micah:  Want candy!
Me: No, you can't have any candy.  Go play in the toy room.
Micah:  Awwwwww

He wasn't happy with me but he did what I asked and went to go play (or so I assumed).  In the meantime, the older boys wanted to go to the shop where Joe was working.  I called Joe and stayed on the phone with him while the boys walked back to the shop.  When I was sure Joe had sight of Noah and Jonah, I hung up the phone and went in search of Micah.  I thought it strange that the door to the toy room was closed, and when I went to open it I could not.  Someone (Micah) had pushed the desk in front of the door blocking the entrance.  The boy's toy room is linked to their bedroom by an adjoining bathroom so I walked through their bedroom to enter the toy room another way.  As I got to the other door, I was greeted by Micah with a look of pure guilt all over his face.  I bent down to ask him about the door being blocked and I could smell grape candy very strong.

Me:  Have you been eating something?
Micah:  Yes
Me:  What did you eat?
Micah:  Candy
Me: Show me what you ate.

Micah leads me into the toy room and I see an empty box of Tylenol sitting in the corner.  It was the meltaways for children 6-12 and he had chewed through the paper backing to devour eight tablets.  I immediately picked up the phone and dialed poison control.  Having three boys, I sort of know the number by heart.

Poison Control:  This is Poison Control, how may I help you?
Me:  My two year old just ate half a box of Tylenol.
Poison Control:  'Mam what is your name, address, and telephone number?

Now I understand why they ask all of that stuff.  They need to know in case they have to send out an ambulance or in case we get disconnected...but I always feel like such a bad Mom as I am admitting who I am and what I have allowed my child to do.  I also wonder if they aren't secretly pulling up my file and saying, "Oh, it is her again!"

Anyway, turns out there is a rather large margin of error that is allowed when dosing out Tylenol and they told me that Micah was going to be just fine.  In the back of my mind I was sort of thinking that at least he (and we) would at least get a good night's sleep...but once again I was wrong.  Turns out that an overdose of Tylenol actually makes a two year old hyper.  He did not go to sleep until after midnight and was wide awake at six the next morning.

As for poison control, I am really glad they are there.  It saved me from a trip to the ER just to calm my nerves and assure me that my child was going to be fine.

Did Not

My two year old did not walk all the way from our backyard and nearly a quarter of a mile down the main road to the neighbors house unnoticed by either of his parents.  There is certainly no way that he did it while wearing only a diaper.  Joe and I are much too responsible for that.  We know who is watching each of our children at all times and never lose track of any of them.

My seven year old did not inform me that my two year old was standing in the middle of the road while I was sitting on my neighbors front porch visiting.  I did not start screaming like a lunatic and trample the neighbor's flower beds trying to get to him when I realized that said two year old must have followed the seven year old and I as we walked to the neighbor's house earlier.

My husband did not calmly say, "Oh, I thought you knew he decided to go with you" when I called him to tell him what happened.  It did not take emptying my stomach contents and nearly an hour to stop shaking.

Nope, none of this happened today.  I refuse to believe it.

Expecting

We had Micah's birthday celebration here a few weeks ago.

We had chili and cornbread,

and a baseball cake.

Micah enjoyed opening presents,

but still managed to give us a few classic "2 year old attitude" poses.

It is a well known fact that Micah was born exactly nine months after my Mom and her husband kept Noah and Jonah overnight for Joe and I to have some alone time.  Since then every time we go on a date there is endless teasing.  We decided that on Micah's second birthday it was time to turn the tables. 

As soon as all of the family arrived, Joe and I stood side by side in the kitchen and asked to have every one's attention.  I put my arm around him and said, "I'm sure all of you know that two years and nine months ago Mom and Pa kept Noah and Jonah for Joe and I to have a date....and here we are celebrating Micah's second birthday.  I'm sure most of you know as well that they kept all three boys for us to go on a date a for valentines day, and now I want you to know that WE ARE EXPECTING.......you all to have as much fun today as we had on that date!

The looks on their faces were priceless!  I think it may have been the best joke I have ever pulled off.  Most of them were so shocked that I said we were expecting that they did not even hear the rest of the sentence.  Ahhh, fun times!

Micah

Throwing balls, blowing kisses, and pinching strangers.

Eating dog food, digging holes, and playing in the mud.

Boot loving, truck driving, and stick wielding.

You fit into our family perfectly, blue eyes and all.

We wouldn't have you any other way.

Happy Birthday to our new two year old!  We love you!

Spoiled

There is nothing like being awakened by cries of "Mommy please" at two in the morning by a nearly two year old just so he can get a foot rub.  Nope, my kids are not spoiled at all.

My Baby...

...is not such a baby anymore!  When did this happen?  Where did this toddler come from?

***Please excuse the lack of sound, I think I had the video on mute.

$47 Peace Of Mind

Micah has been trying to cut his one year molars for months now.  I thought I caught sight of one peeking through one day, but it disappeared the very next day.  Then he developed these nasty looking bruises on his gums that would not go away and they started swelling.
When we went to the Pediatrician for Micah's 15 month check-up, he noticed the swelling and bruising and suggested that we take him to see a dentist.  I had been concerned about his gums for some time, but after the pediatrician was concerned as well, I really got nervous!
The appointment was today, and I was terrified that they were going to have to cut his gums in order for his teeth to come through or that there was something wrong with his teeth.  Turns out he has Eruption Hematomas where his teeth should be coming in. It sounds much more serious than it really is!  They are perfectly normal and usually go away on their own.  Because of Micah's fair skin, his look a little worse than usual.  There is no need for any type of intervention at this point.  The dentist said that he thinks the teeth are just about to come through.  He wants to see him again if they have not broken the surface in six months.  We are praying that they come on in on their own before that time.
So today I basically paid a Doctor to tell me not to worry...and let me tell you, it was worth every penny!

Walking

Sixteen months of wondering when it was going to happen...

Now we begin wondering when he will slow down!!

Guess this means I have to get him some shoes now?

Wordless Wednesday

 

A Boy And A Chick

I guess the fear of chickens is not hereditary!

Birthday Cake

Last post of the day!  If you have not already done so, scroll down to view the other "birthday posts" that I have put up today.

First birthday cake is always so much fun, and Micah certainly enjoyed his!  BTW, I am so proud...I took all of these photos by myself!

Yummy birthday cupcakes made by Linny.

He is not really sure what to do at this point.

Notice that he started with the bottom!!!

Oops!  Now how should I get that off?

I'll never use a napkin again!

If I smile may I have another?

What a happy end to a happy birthday!

Micah Joseph Givens

To Micah...my unexpected blessing from God,
I can't believe that it has been one year already. I will never be able to put into words what a joy that it has been to have you in our lives this past year. I knew as soon as I saw your first smile that you were going to be a charmer.
This year you have learned how to roll, learned how to crawl, and learned how to pull up to a standing position. You still have no desire to walk, but that is fine with me. I love seeing your cute little self crawling cross the floor faster than most people can run.

I love the fact that you were a cuddly baby and still are the cuddliest of all of my boys. Your chubby little arms wrapped around my neck has to be one of the best feelings on earth. I look forward to watching you grow this next year.
Happy Birthday to my beautiful blue eyed baby boy!
Mommy loves you!!

Circus Fun

Instead of a traditional 1st birthday party we decided to take the family and a few friends to the circus to celebrate Micah's big day. The kids (and adults) had a great time and thankfully my Mom took lots of pictures. I had great intentions of taking pictures. I brought my camera and even figured out how to turn it on, only to realize that the internal memory was full and I had forgotten my memory card. I could not decide which pictures I wanted to include here, so I made a slide show of all of the favorites. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Micah!

:(

My baby is growing up and it is so bittersweet. I have been trying to write this post for a long time now, but it has just been too hard. I know that Micah is thriving and for that I am grateful, but the thought of no longer having a baby in the house is a little sad for me. He is turning one Saturday and that means time to wean. He is doing great with the weaning. I on the other hand am having a difficult time. Not only is it physically painful and an inconvenience, it is also wreaking havoc on my emotions. I am going into this knowing that this very well may be the last baby that I ever nurse. It is possible that I will never again know that feeling that I am providing every need for a baby.
Don't get me wrong, by no means am I saying that our family is complete. I have been very vocal about the fact that I would like another baby. Joe on the other hand is not quite there yet. I don't think that a baby is really something that one spouse should deliberately surprise the other spouse with. Joe has perfectly valid reasons why we should not have another baby right now and I can't say that I disagree with any of them. However, as much as I may agree with his reasoning, that does not change my desire.
We have decided to wait for a year and then discuss having another baby. I know full well that he may still feel the same way in a year and after one year I may have changed my mind. I think that is why I am having such a hard time with Micah turning one. I have been in "baby mode" for so long now that I don't really know what it is going to be like to not have a baby in the house.
I will enjoy longer periods of sleep, but boy will I miss those middle of the night feeding and cuddling sessions. I am going to enjoy watching Micah take his first step, but I know that I will miss the sound of him crawling through the house at top speed. My baby is growing up and it is so bittersweet.

Way Back When-sday

Can he really be turning one next week?

Where oh where has the time gone?

Micah

Micah had his nine month old well child visit this week. He of course is as healthy as a horse, and weighs nearly as much too! He weighs twenty one pounds and some odd ounces!! He got a little stick to check his iron levels and they turned out fine. He now has four teeth, is crawling like a champ, and is pulling up on everything he can find. He has learned how to drink from a sippy cup and feed himself finger foods. The sleeping through the night is still a work in progress, but I think we may be getting there soon...at least I hope so!