Doggie Guilt :-(

I have been meaning to dedicate a blog to Brooklyn and Brixton, and I once again neglected them. But finally here it goes.
Since London came into our family, our relationship with our dogs drastically and sadly changed. Before I got pregnant they were so spoiled. They were always allowed on the couch, they slept in our bed, they were taken to the dog park 3-4 times a week, they got trips to petsmart, car rides, treats, and lots and lots of cuddles. There was never a time when one of them was not nuzzled in my lap (regardless of their gigantic-ness)
Brooklyn came into our lives in August 2005. Kary and I had just moved into an apartment together and we found it very necessary to add a puppy to our new life immediately. We drove to Chester, SC and Brooklyn picked me out. I fell instantly in love. The first few minutes home he pooped watery poo all over the carpet in the apartment and I even saw some worms in it (because he was just de-wormed) I kinda freaked out that he was going to be too much to handle (haha! nothing compared to a baby!) I remember him yelping in the middle of the night and us having to climb down a flight of stairs to take him out. We gave him filtered water and even dressed him in clothes. His first birthday we decorated the house and bought him a dog cake. One year we made him special dog biscuits and gave them to the neighbor's dog too in a treat bag. This year Brooklyn spent his birthday locked out of the living room and napping all day. He did get a few tugs and pulls from London and a raw hide, but nothing like the old days. Here are some pictures of Brooklyn in his younger days....

Brixton joined our family in April 2007. We were starting to feel guilty because Brooklyn was alone while we were at work and there is something about a boxer's eyes that always make you think they are sad about something. We searched a while online trying to find thr perfect sibling for Brooklyn. We contemplated getting a different breed but knew we just had to get another boxer. Then we found her, a tiny little squish-faced runt. Her online photo was her sitting on a creepy flowered couch. We laughed at her because her eyes were bugged out and really far apart. We read her description and it said she was the runt and much tinier than her litter mates. We knew we really couldn't fit 2 big dogs in our townhouse (we had moved in '06) so we called the woman and drove 3 hours to Orrum, NC to get her. We found her in a very back woods house and the owners sounded like they were playing the banjo. We seriously could not understand a word. We brought Brooklyn along and at first he didn't even notice her. A few hours together and they were in love.....

They used to have friends over too.

Obviously, we have way bigger priorities now and it's impossible to spoil them like we used to. London and I do take them out to run and free play almost every day. London gives them lots of tugs and kisses. I am just going to make a point to give each one a little cuddle time after London goes to bed. They are such good dogs and have adapted to London well. They deserve a little love now and then too. :-)

9 Months In, 9 Months Out!!

London turned 9 months on Tuesday and had his 9 month well visit. I was excited for this appointment because I was curious to see how much he weighs, his height and get the ok for him to try some "real" food. We met a little girl in the waiting room that was born the exact same day as London. The babies were touching hands and faces, it was adorable.
London weighs 21lbs and is 29 inches long. He is reaching all his milestones (even ahead on some) and passed the autism screening. He was given the ok to try tofu, lentils, black beans, and yogurt. He is also able to start stage 3 food and try some finger food snacks. Yesterdays' attempt to try stage 3 spaghetti was quite hilarious. Poor London was not a fan of the chunky texture and spent most of the meal gagging and dry heaving. I guess this is pretty normal, my niece did the same thing, but I am going to keep trying in hopes he might like it later. He tried some puffs and loves them. I think he just loves showing off his amazing pincher grab skills. He thinks he's cool when he can snack while I snack. We will be trying some other foods this weekend when daddy can be home to witness it too.
London moved into a bigger carseat this weekend and I think he's way more comfortable. It is sad though to move onto a new phase. He is growing so fast right before my eyes. Luckily, I get to see every minute being home with him. Our big goals for the summer are to work on continuing to pull up, work on clapping and waving and maybe saying "dada" and "mama". I have been reading, singing, and dancing with him so much and he's loving it. We also have crawling contests where we crawl towards each other and I tell him, "I'm gonna get ya!" He thinks it's quite hilarious. I think he's quite adorable. I couldn't ask for a better baby! Love him so much I want to eat his face off! Happy 9 Months my sweet London James :-)

No London! No!

London has been getting into EVERYTHING!!...and those chubby little legs are fast. He can get across a room and to a fireplace, electrical cord, blow dryer, etc in seconds. He also uses his crawling skills to crawl up my leg and crawl toward me while sobbing when I leave a room. Yes, London suffers from extreme separation-anxiety. It's bad. I cannot walk out of a room without him crying and trying to get to me. We currently have a gate blocking the living room and the kitchen and he will hold onto the gate and try to knock it down to get to me. I am actually quite thrilled that he is so attached, but sometimes I just need a break! Lately, he has been wrapping his legs around my waist and reaching for me when other people (including daddy) want to hold him. He is also having serious sleeping issues. Almost every night he cries hysterically at one point and he still requires a nighttime feeding. I know the pediatrician is going to bust me on that one because she told me at his 6 mos appointment to break that. I actually do just rock him back to sleep the first time he wakes up, but if he wakes up again I give him a bottle. I can't remember the last time he slept through a night, that's not good. Luckily, I am off work so it's not too horrible when I get no sleep. But work or no work, being tired sucks!...and being a mom is work~ hard work. I thought that I'd have so much extra time this summer but with Kary working long hours, I am lucky to wash some bottles, throw in a load of laundry, and catch a quick shower, all during a very unpredictable naptime.
London and I have been trying to keep busy this summer, but like always, money is tight with me not working so our options are limited. We spent a day with London's Tues. babysitter last week and it was nice to be around an adult but our conversation was interrupted every 30 seconds by her wild screaming children showing off in front of London and I. Plus, there is not much London can do at this point outside. He mostly sits on a blanket, sweats, and watches the other kids play. It's crazy to think that next year London will be a toddler running around. It's exciting but I am not ready for him to be out of the baby stage.
London is growing out of all his clothes. I mostly rotate a few onesies since it is so damn hot out, and it's not worth spending $ right now when he grows out of things after wearing them once. He will be 9 months on Tuesday and is already in 12 mos clothes. I am wondering if he will be a big kid, or slow down once he starts walking. I'm also very excited to see how much he weighs at his appointment. I am guessing about 25lbs. That kid can numb my arm in a few minutes.
London experienced his first fireworks last night as the neighbors were shooting them off. We carried him outside to see what he would thing~ bad bad idea. First, because they are loud fire in the sky, and second because it was almost 10pm, he had just finished a spazztic crying fit, and only napped that day for about 30 min at grandma and grandpa's. That is a very dangerous combination.
We have decided to put the whole house buying thing on hold. We have got to get our debt to income ratio down. And now I will go off on a much over-do rant...this may not be the place for this but I have to get it out! I spent 6 years in college, 4 undergrad, 2 in grad. I had a 4.0gpa, I busted my ass, I did not go to parties, I studied. I got a job in NC because the teaching profession is pretty hard to get into in PA. Being of high standards, I did not want a sub job. I didn't rack up 50K in student loans for that shit. I have been teaching 7 years, my salary has not increased in 3. I work 40 hours a week at school and about 15-20 at home. I write lesson plans while holding my baby and eating dinner. I work as a mom, nurse, psychiatrist, mentor, referee, educator to 20 kids a day. I get about half of my check taken out each month. I make enough money in a month to pay about 4 major bills I have. It is RIDICULOUS! I am a well-educated person. I am disgusted that anyone can get a degree in a few years or less and make double what I make in a year doing something meaningless. I guess I should have known, the world is just messed up and I am sick of putting my dreams on hold and not being able to even support my family on my salary (if you can call it that) Sometimes I just want to give up, scream and figure out what else to do with my life. For now I just hope things get better. I am grateful for what I do have and know that many people have it way worse. I am just so sick of living paycheck to paycheck....just one break...please!...before baby London and the dogs have to get jobs...ugh!

WARNING: Baby on the Move!!

Ok, so London is oficially mobile! He can get across a room in a matter of seconds and of course his favorite attractions~ DANGER! He is obsessed with the fireplace, computer cord, trying to fit his head under the couch, climbing under and around the papazan, and trying to pull up on the baby gate. So, no longer can I walk into another room to get coffee, it's time for constant mommy watch. He also has an incredible grip and trying to pry something out of his hand is quite difficult.
London has had a rough week. He has 5 new teeth coming in and last night he smacked his face on the floor in an exhausted attempt to reach a toy. When I picked him up his mouth was bleeding. He had hit his gums with his binky, making them even more sore. The poor little guy was up every hour on the hour and poking out his top little lip in pain. I rocked him, gave him tylenol and even let him sleep in bed with me for a bit (bad habit but he was miserable and hysterical)The teeth have pushed through and we are just hoping that in a few days or so the pain will be gone and he can just concentrate on cruising around the house causing ruckus!
London had another DOC band appointment this week. I was pretty annoyed with how the last appointment went so I was dreading another visit where they tell use he needs another band and that his head will be forever deformed. However, the tech said his head grew 2mm since last week and that there is enough room in his band for him to wear it about 2-4 more weeks. I have been crazy strict about the helmet and only take it off for maybe 15 min a day (we're allowed an hour) As much as I want to kiss that little head and play with his fuzzy blond hair, I have to get the most I can out of this helmet. The bummer part is that the elongated part of his head cannot be fixed and that was from the vacuum they had to use to get him out, which didn't even end up working. But, I think as his head fills out over the next few weeks and continues to grow, it may not be that noticeable. I think I am now just obsessed because my child's head has been analyzed so intensely over the past 4 months.
Some exciting news is that we have started thinking about buying a house! We were not sure if we wanted to stay in Charlotte or NC for that matter but for now we decided our best bet was to settle here for a bit and find a place where we can enjoy the amazing weather NC has to offer. We are waiting on a pre-approval from the bank (eagerly!) and if all goes well we will officially start our search. We have looked at a few neighborhoods that are very close to where we live now and they are super cute. Our main priority is a nice backyard for the dogs and baby (and US!), a family-friendly neighborhood with preferably a pool (playground would be a plus!) We'll just have to see what happens. Hoping to have some good news soon!

Stay-at-Home Mommy, Crawling, 5 New Teeth, Daddy's Day!!!

I am now home with London for the summer and I am LOVING it! When I had to leave him in January I could not wait to be together all the time again and now it's here! He is now a permanent fixture on my hip...when he's not crawling around and exploring of course. It seems like he waited for me to start doing all these amazing things. In just the past few weeks he is saying so many new sounds. He says "da da" and makes all kinds of other crazy sing-song sounds. He even sings along in the car if a good song comes on..haha. He is also starting to pull himself up on furniture and is finally crawling! We knew he'd be a little late on the mobility due to his chunkiness but he has it all figured out now. He is fast too and it's quite a wake-up call to parents who are used to placing their baby in one spot and him staying there.

He always lunges for stuff he can't have and now has started tantruming if we take it away. His tantrums consist of fake crying and jerking his head back. He also tantrums when we change his diaper, get him dressed, strap him in his car sear, put him in his high chair or put his helmet on. All these activities are keeping him from exploring and that pisses him off! The worst part is that he is so used to the helmet and slams his head back. This will be a problem when he gets his helmet off. It sucks when he gets hurt but it is so cute when he has a little lip quiver and reaches up for me. I snuggle him and do the perfect combination of, you're ok big boy and come here my sweet little injured baby face.

London has 5 new teeth. He is actually doing ok despite the pain. We are giving him tylenol a few times a day and the drool is insane. His sleeping has been pretty crazy too but we know he's in pain so I've been pretty lenient with the sleeping routine. I am a sucka! His new teeth are just in time to try tofu, lentils, and chunky baby food next month! We tried little finger food "puffs" but he is not quite ready and tries to swallow them whole. We'll wait a bit longer on those.

Sunday was Father's Day and it was Kary's first with London on the outside ;-) We woke up daddy with waffles, orange juice, and coffee. I ordered him a tie with London's picture all over it and a card that London signed. Unfortunately I had to work my online job a few hours in the morning so we didn't do anything too exciting :-( But Kary enjoyed his baby all day, despite the teething crankiness.

D-Band Update (and drama...)

I took London to his helmet appointment on Thursday. It has been a while since I have been there. We got a new lady that has never seen him before. I didn't really like her. She measured his head and informed me that his head did not grow at all in 17 days. Then she told me to feed him wheaties and laughed. Hmmm, considering he is 8 months old, I think I will refrain from feeding my baby dry corn flakes. And really?! He is not growing fast enough for ya, eh?! haha...the kid is HUGE! Anyways, the reason I am getting feisty is because she informed me that his head just isn't taking to the $3,000 helmet and that they recommend he get fitted for an additional helmet that will indeed cost another $3,000. Then she asked if I had a husband or something (not sure what something is) I told her I did, indeed have my child in wedlock and proceeded to inform her that he will not be purchasing another helmet. She responded that his head is wide in the back, a-symmetrical, and still slanted. Well, isn't that your helmet's job?! ugh! Anyways, I took some funny pictures of him as I had to entertain him for 20 minutes with a foam cast of his flat head on a stick...yeah pretty creepy. He still wears this helmet for about 2 weeks and then he "graduates." But apparently without honors since he'll still have an "imperfect" head. Rubbish! My baby is perfect!
Just another day in the life of London. He is Kary and my baby so it is a requirement to be high maintenance~ and cute, of course.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life...

I am trying to make this my motto...and it's always fun to sing along with Monty Python. "Life's a piece of shit, when you look at it, but always look at the bright side of life."...haha.
I have had a very emotional few weeks as far as my job goes. I have taught at the same school for 7 years and teach 2nd grade. I really do love this grade but was feeling ready to move on. While on maternity leave I was out 3 months and came back, jumped right in, and rocked it for the last 5 months of school~all while raising an infant and only sleeping a very few hours a night. I requested a change in grade level, and all I got was an 8th year sentence in 2nd grade and kicked out of my awesome, big, classroom that I have worked hard to make my own over the past 7 years. Yep. moving to a trailer classroom. I am not going to go any further with this topic because my motto is now, "always look on the bright side of life." Even though things aren't handed to me, like some people, I shouldn't be surprised and really prefer it this way. I always work for what I have and don't kiss ass to get ahead. Rebel at heart. Always. The most important thing I need to remember is that the kids I teach love me. I hold a special place in their hearts and touch their lives. Today was the last day of school and every single child cried when I showed them the special movie of memories I made for them. They kept telling me how much they love me and how much they were going to miss me. It is great to feel that important and always reminds me why I do what I do. I work with a challenging group of kids and despite all the stuff I deal with, I am always proud that I have a job that is so inspiring, difficult, and only a few people can do it successfully.
With all this said, I decided to stop being so negative about stuff, I mean, come on, I have the world's cutest baby, a great husband who spoils me, a good career that I love, 2 adorable boxers, and a place to live, food to eat, a nice car to drive and an amazing family. Besides, the name of my blog is "I am the luckiest." I am not going to let my resentment issues with my job get me down. I have the next 2 months home with my amazing son! I remember last year thinking ahead about how wonderful my next summer would be with a baby. He makes everything so much better. It is amazing to have someone make you feel so loved and important. When I am not with him I always picture his adorable little face and his squishy thighs and arms. Now I will actually be able to kiss and squeeze him whenever I want to! He is my everything.
We have noticed a lot of people commenting on how cute London is out in public and just this week a bunch of people have admitted to stalking him on my facebook page...haha. There is something really special about him and I'm glad the rest of the world sees it too.
London is zooming along in his language and motor skill development. He is making the craziest sounds lately and Kary swears he said, "Fred Savage" the other day. It is funny to take his sounds and translate them into random words. He is also now getting up on his knees and rocking...no actual knee crawling yet but he can get across a room fast with rolls. We are going to stock up on baby proofing supplies this weekend. This summer should be exciting and crazy! I am thrilled to be with him everyday to experience all these changes...life is good!