Staycation #2

Our mini staycation was awesome! Emerson loved the amusement park and riding the bigger rides. We still took him through Kiddieland, but put him on all of the adult rides that he was permitted to get on. It made it so much more worth going. We were there for about 4.5 hours. He was absolutely beat by the time we left. The heat was enough to exhaust all of us. We got on some water rides, but that only cooled us down for about ten minutes. Afterwards, Emerson napped until about 5pm, which was nice for me. I was so tired, taking a break at home was necessary. I let him stay up late since we were off the next day, so we played in the yard until almost 8pm after dinner. The next day, Em slept until 9am. He must have been really beat. The only plans we had were to swim at my parent’s house. We had a great time. It was nice not having to spend any money, but still getting to do something fun. Em napped again until 5pm. We headed out to the yard after dinner. It was much cooler at that time too. Em swam and played in his sandbox, then had a bath, before bedtime. Today, it’s back to reality.

Tomorrow, I’m working from home. Em has his 30 month check-up, so we’ll be heading there at 3pm. We don’t have much planned for this weekend. My nephew is supposed to FINALLY come home, so we’ll be spending time with him. It looks like rain in the forecast, so I think our waterpark plans will be canceled. Funds are pretty tight for the next week, so we’ll probably just hang at my sister’s house and inside for most of the weekend. I’ll take Em up to the mall play place just to get out a bit, but otherwise, that’s it. I don’t want to spend any money at all. We’ll still attempt the waterpark on Saturday for as long as we can in between rain/storms. We have passes, so if it rains, it really doesn’t matter to us. Maybe we’ll get lucky and actually be able to log a few hours there.

We have a fun few weekends coming up, so I’m excited about that. We can toss in a couple of boring ones here and there. Em starts to drive me nuts at home though. He can only stand being cooped up for so long before he gets whacky. You’d think with all of the toys we have that it wouldn’t be an issue. I think we’ll do some pudding painting this weekend and some other things to pass the time. We haven’t done that in forever, but we’ve been on the go and out and about. I’ll put together some good sensory activities, so that we can curb the cabin fever a bit. I can even fill the water table up with some pasta, or beads for him to play in. If I scatter enough activities throughout, we should be good cooped up for the weekend if it rains.

Can everyone say a prayer though that my nephew really does come home tomorrow/Saturday. I am so worried about this. His dad hasn’t purchased his airfare yet. You know how that’s going to go too. Flights are going to cost an arm and a leg! I also worry that they’ll be overbooked and my nephew will get bumped. That’s typically what happens when you purchase last minute. It happened on his trip out there. I just don’t want his dad to pull a fast one again saying that he can’t afford to send him home. He was supposed to be home on Monday. Well, Monday came and went. We already knew he wasn’t going to be home then, so we’re all on edge that he won’t be home with this new proposed date. My sister file a court modification, so they now have a court date for August 17th, which is the day before his birthday. I don’t know what’ll happen if he doesn’t fly out for it either. If he can’t afford to fly my nephew back and forth, then he needs to just admit that and stop doing it.  I know it sucks because he wants to see his kid, but it isn’t our fault. He made that decision to move across the country. He even admitted that he made a mistake and it isn’t working out the way he had hoped. Well, then come back! He moved out there for a girl and her kids, but never mind the fact that he left his own kid here. He can no longer afford his child support, and is barely scraping pennies together to fly my nephew back and forth. I’d call it a loss now and purchase myself a one-way ticket back home.

Alright, that’s all I have for now. J

Post date like 3 days..whoops

This weekend turned out to be one of our best all summer. Saturday was a bit of a bust, but we made the best of it. We got to the waterpark around 1pm. We swam for about an hour, then got out to have lunch. While we were having our picnic, someone came over the loudspeaker to tell everyone the park was temporarily closed and to exit the water. There was some lightening in the distance. The storm rolled in. We waited it out for about an hour. Once it stopped raining, it was sunny, but the lightning and thunder persisted, so they weren’t allowing anyone back into the water. We ended up just calling it a day at that point, visiting my parents, then heading to my sister’s house. We didn’t get home until after 7pm. We had a good time though just hanging out.

On Sunday, we packed up bright and early to head to the lake. My sister picked us up at 10am. We got to the lake just shy of 11am. I surprised everyone with a canoe trip! We took Emerson out on the water and he loved it. I was so shocked at how well he sat. I was afraid he’d tip us over, or fall out, but he sat so well and enjoyed the ride. Today, my arms and shoulders are on fire! I did most of the heavy paddling and steering from the back of the boat, so I knew I’d suffer today. It was such a great time though and I cannot wait to do that again. We’re going to take my nephew when he finally comes home, so that will be fun. I’m pretty sure all four of us can get into one canoe together without an issue, but I guess we’ll have to see.

After we finished up canoeing, we hit the lake and swam all day. All three of us are fried. Emerson buried himself in the sand, which was hilarious. He loved being able to run in and out of the water at his leisure. We were right behind him the entire time, but he still had that freedom. It was just an all-around great day. We left the lake around 3:15pm. A storm rolled through shortly after, so we left in the nick of time. I put Emerson to bed early last night. He was exhausted and so was I!

My nephew is due to come home this weekend. I believe Friday is his flight, but we probably won’t see him until Saturday. We’re just taking the kids to the waterpark this weekend and swimming at my parent’s house. They bought a ton of new rafts and stuff for us to use, so that will be fun.

Tomorrow, we’re off, so we’re heading to the amusement park. Emerson and I are going to see if we can have our ac in the car checked out first thing in the morning though. I’m hoping it just needs recharged and there isn’t a bigger issue. I haven’t had ac in my car all summer. My dad is actually paying for me to get it recharged. I hope that isn’t a long process either. Our local oil place does it, so we’re going to be the first in line when they open the door!

On Wednesday, we were going to do the animal park, but because it’s going to be 95 degrees, we’re just going to swim at my parent’s house for the day. We hardly have done that all summer, so it’ll be nice to not spend money either. I don’t feel like dripping in sweat to see the animals though. We’ll wait until it cools off more.

Emerson has his 30 month check up on Friday, so we’ll be doing that, then grabbing take out for dinner since we’ll get home kind of late. That about sums up our week. I’m excited for my nephew to come home. It’s been a long  5 weeks. feels longer than that though. He hasn’t seen Emerson swim, or anything like that, so he will absolutely love  that he can swim with him without Emerson needing to be held.

Alright, guys. I hope you all have a great week!

Weekend plans

Well, we decided to shake things up next week when we’re off of work/daycare. We’re going to the amusement park (Kennywood) on Tuesday with my sister. This will be our third trip. We’re going to take Emerson on some of the bigger rides though. Obviously nothing crazy, but it’ll be fun to shake it up a bit and to let him experience the whole park outside of Kiddieland.  I am really excited!! Emerson absolutely loves riding rides, so I think being able to expand and have more options will be nice. My sister likes riding too and never gets the chance because my nephew refuses to ride. She will get a kick out of take him on some bigger things. I’m pretty sure we can take him on at least 6 of the bigger rides. Maybe we’ll even get on a water ride towards the end of the day if it is really hot. The perk to buying these tickets is getting FREE admission to the Holiday Light show that they have during Christmas time. Emerson is free already, so I won’t even have to worry about it when the time comes. We couldn’t go last year because I honestly couldn’t afford to. It’ll be nice to not even worry about it this year.  To afford this amusement park trip, I had to take something else off of our bucket list, but that’s okay. We were going to visit an indoor/outdoor water park next weekend, but we can do that when all of the waterparks are closed for the summer, or even when it’s cold this winter.

Remember how I said my belly has been bothering me? I feel so odd today. I can’t even explain it. I feel sort of out of it. I hate that feeling. I have no idea what is going on with me, but hopefully it resolves itself soon. I don’t feel sick, but I don’t feel right. My belly hasn’t really been bothering me too much today. A couple of pangs here and there, but nothing like the last two days. This sounds crazy, but I almost think it’s all of the Ramen I’ve been eating. I’ve eaten it for lunch the past ten days. I know, I know. It’s horrible for me, but it’s so cheap. The less I spend to feed myself, the more I can do with Emerson. I think I’ll just make a big casserole to divide up for lunch next week to see if that makes me feel any better. Ramen is so cheap, but I’m sick of feeling this way.

After work, I have to go to the grocery store. I’m making a chicken bacon ranch pasta salad for our picnics this weekend along with black bean chicken roll-ups. Sounds good, right? We’ll pack some pretzels, Chex Mix, goldfish crackers, and a couple of lunchables for Emerson if he doesn’t like what I make. We’re going to the waterpark tomorrow, then the lake on Sunday, so we definitely need to bring a picnic with us. I usually find some stuff in my cupboards that I can also make to take with us for a bit of variety. It’s not bad. I try to make some different things, so it’s not so boring packing our own food. It makes wanting the park’s French fries and not getting them hurt less. LOL We plan on packing some stuff when we head to the amusement park on Tuesday. That’ll be the worst because all of the food smells so good. The lure of going to the park is to get their food, but I don’t want to spend any more money than necessary.

Alright. That’s about all I have. I hope everyone has a super weekend!

Mommy's Promotion!!

This week is flying by. I cannot believe it’s already Thursday! We haven’t done much at all. Last night after work/daycare, we went to get ice cream. It was a nice mid-week treat and not something that we do often. I thought it would be a nice way to break up the week though. We haven’t even played in the yard in about a week. It’s so hot that I can’t even bear having to go sit out there. We can play out there tomorrow after work though and Emerson can swim. I just need to clean the pool out. I’m being lazy about doing that.

Yesterday, I received some major news. I did not receive the job that I had interviewed for, however I was given a promotion within my department anyway. I’m happy that I am being recognized for working hard. It made me feel good and was certainly motivating. I know I hardly write about work in here, but work makes me feel whole. Yes, being a mom does too, but this place gives me a different feeling and one that I am very proud of. I’ve been asking for the opportunity to grow and develop for about a year. I’ve maxed myself out in the role that I currently hold and it’s just time to pass the torch onto someone else. That was recognized yesterday. It was a good day and now I am just excited to see what the future holds!

This week, I jumped back onto the workout bandwagon. As a result, I am so freaking sore! Last night, I had to take a rest and not workout. My stomach has been bothering me for a couple days. That mixed with muscle soreness sold me. My stomach is still bothering me today though! I just want to stay motivated, so that I can get in a workout tonight, then clean the pool out. We’ll see what happens, but cross your fingers for me. I don’t want to fall off already after just a couple of days in.

This weekend, we’re going to the waterpark on Saturday and then going to the lake on Sunday. It’s going to be 90+ degrees out! Hot, hot, hot! I need to get Emerson some water shoes for the lake. He did NOT like the way the sand felt on his feet last time, so I think this will make it a lot better. The best part is both excursions are free. We just need to pack a lunch for both. I usually cave and buy Emerson ice cream at the lake though. It’s only a couple of bucks, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

Next week, Emerson and I are staying home on Tuesday and Wednesday. My nephew was originally supposed to come home on Monday, but now that’s been moved to Friday. On Tuesday, we’re just going to the spray park and we’ll probably swim in my parent’s pool. On Wednesday, we’re going to Living Treasures to see all of the animals. That’ll be cute. Em loved it last year, so hopefully he loves it just as much this year.  We’re checking off more things from our bucket list!

Emerson has his 30 month appointment next Friday. I am hoping he has a great check-up. I changed his pediatrician, so I ‘m curious to meet this new doctor, and see the facility. I just had a meeting with the child development specialist who is overseeing Emerson’s therapy. She said he is doing wonderfully with just 3 months under his belt. The therapists are reporting great things from him, and I am also seeing a big amount of improvement myself. We have another evaluation in October and I also have a transition meeting to move him from 1-3 to the 3-5 development. The only downfall is we lose our therapists. We’ll get new ones, but I am sad. His OT and Speech therapists have been AMAZING! I could have cried when I was told, but we still have 6 months with them. He might not even qualify for additional services after this expires. Let’s all hope for that because that’ll mean his therapy put him right where he needs to be developmentally.

Okay, that’s all I have. My poor stomach is REALLY bothering me L I cannot stand this at all. My sister was actually in the emergency room on Monday from extreme stomach pains. She thought it was her gallbladder, or her appendix. Turns out, it was just indigestion. I can tell you now, I do not have that. I know what that feels like. I have no idea what is going on, but I cannot stand this. Two days of this. I’ll see how I feel tomorrow before I jump the gun. Ugh. Have a good day, all.

Save the drama for your mama

I don’t even know where to begin with this weekend. There was more dramatic episodes than I’d care for, but thus is life. I guess I’ll just go in order and break it down by day, so bear with me….

On Friday, I worked from home. My sister picked Emerson up, so that I could leave on time to make it to Beerfest. I took an uber down and back with my friend. We met a group of people down there. It was REALLY fun. It felt nice to get out for a while kid-free, which is something that I hardly do. I don’t really drink, so sampling so many different beers had me like WHOA. No joke, it hit me out of nowhere. I wasn’t  a mess, or anything, but I definitely was in no shape to drive. After ubering to my friend’s house, I slept for a couple of hours before going home. The downfall is I failed to tell my sister this. Whoops. She was so worried about me when I didn’t come home in a timely manner. I felt extremely bad, but it was just safer for me to stay for a while before trying to drive home.  That was one part of the weekend drama. She was none too pleased with me and actually thought something happened to me and was in panic mode when I didn’t answer. This isn’t typical for me at all and I would never just not answer my phone calls, or text messages. I wasn’t overly concerned I guess because I knew she was sleeping at my house anyway and that Emerson was well taken care of. In any event, it wasn’t some drag out situation. I walked in, said I was sorry, and that was that.

Something stupid happened at Beerfest though that was unnecessary drama and really annoying. I went with my friend who lives pretty close to me. The funny thing is when my sister didn’t know where I was, I was literally just down the street! Anyway, while we were there, we ran into his co-worker and her boyfriend. I guess this girl must have a “thing” for him. I’m not sure. It really isn’t my business. She was so rude to me. I was actually kind of shocked that she was so openly rude. She wanted to know who I was and didn’t ask in a very nice manner. After we walked away, he explained who she was and that she has a “thing” for him even though she is in a relationship and her boyfriend was there with her. Odd. I let it go and we continued along the way sampling. After Beerfest was over, we all headed down to a bar to get something to eat. It was fairly early and only about 11pm. Of course, this guy tells his co-worker and her boyfriend where we went. Why? I mean, the girl was openly irritated and not being very nice to me, so why are we creating drama and an awkward situation?  Everyone we were with told him to not invite them over to our table, or even acknowledge that we were there. What did he do? He walked right into the restaurant, told them where we were sitting, and invited them outside. WHAT THE HECK?! It was someone’s birthday in our group too, so it sorta spoiled it for her. His co-worker and her boyfriend were so rude to me!!!!!!!!!!! It was absolutely awkward sitting there being drilled by people who I don’t even know. The weirdest part was the boyfriend was doing it too. I guess he didn’t realize that his girlfriend likes another guy. After enduring that for a while, we finally left. The one thing that irritated me is my friend never told them to stop it. I didn’t want to be rude, or make the situation worse, so I just sat there and endured it. Everyone we were with felt so offended by these people. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time, but I just don’t understand why someone would purposely create that situation. I think he liked that this girl seemed jealous that he was hanging out with another girl. Ridiculous. I just don’t roll that way. It’s extremely high school. I mean, it is what it is and I don’t really care now, but I don’t think anyone should allow someone to openly continue to disrespect your friend in front of a group of people. That’s just my two cents.

Saturday morning was a bit rough for me. The color run started at 9am. We had to drop Emerson off to my parent’s house around 7. All the while, I feel like death. I made it through somehow and we all had such a blast. It was AWESOME. There were 8 of us, which made it even more fun. I love doing stuff like that in big groups. Afterwards, we all planned to meet up at the waterpark. It was AMAZING! We were there for about 5 hours. Emerson had so much fun.  Probably the most fun he’s had all year out of all of our visits. He passed out so hardcore in the car. It was almost 7pm by the time we got home, so I made him wake up. I fed him some dinner, gave him a bath, then he was out cold until 9am the next morning!

We had a late breakfast on Sunday and hung around the house until about 1230pm. We got ready and headed up to Toys R Us, so Emerson could use his gift card. He ended up getting a really cute safari toy set with all types of animals. Afterwards, we headed to my sister’s house. Oh boy…Dramafest again….

My nephew is supposed to come home on Monday, the 25th. We’ve been waiting for this kid to come home. Well, his dad texted my sister and told her that he can’t afford the airfare from California to Pittsburgh, so Isaiah wouldn’t be home until a few days later. What?! Who doesn’t purchase a round-trip ticket from the start?  He admitted that he made a mistake and was in over his head. California is  a lot more expensive (duh) than he anticipated. Well, he shouldn’t have flown my nephew out there knowing they aren’t financially able to support the cost. It is really expensive! They always wait until the day of to purchase tickets too because they never have the money before then, so it’s twice as expensive. I am sure it wasn’t easy for him to admit that. I just think if he is miserable and knows it isn’t working, he should buy himself a one way ticket back. The problem is he’s married now and his wife has two kids living there with them. I’m sure he doesn’t just want to leave her, but it was her bright idea in the first place. I just think that my nephew is suffering because of their stupidity. This kid has been counting down the days to come home and has been agonizing over being there. My sister is flipping out beyond belief, which is understandable. I guess the good thing is that he is safe and being taken care of. It sucks and it isn’t right, but I am glad that it isn’t intentional. He will be back before we know it. In the meantime, she can work on trying to modify the custody agreement to say that he has to have proof of roundtrip airfare first before my nephew can go again. I mean, that seems pretty reasonable to me. If he can’t afford it, then Isaiah just can’t go. She says that it costs money to modify the agreement, which I am sure it does, but there is no use complaining and freaking out if you aren’t going to at least modify it to work better for you and your kiddo. The good thing is he probably won’t fly my nephew out for Christmas. He didn’t last year. Instead, they all came here. I’m thinking she will be good for the remainder of the year and can work on getting this modified with funds from her income tax. It’ll all be handled before next summer.

After all of that, we headed to my parent’s house to swim. Emerson and I had the pool to ourselves. We were having such a good time until we heard a girl screaming bloody murder for help. Her boyfriend must have been beating her pretty badly, then we saw him try to toss her out the window! My mom called 911. The police weren’t immediately dispatched. We were told to call back in 5 min if it got worse. What?! They finally came. I’m not even sure what happened because they didn’t tell us, but the girl stopped screaming. It was scary as heck and ruined our pool time. I wasn’t sure if this guy was going to come running down the alley, so we got out of the pool just in case.

We went home a couple hours later for dinner and to just relax after a busy, but fun weekend. It was nice to do some things on my own, but it was even better to spend time with the kiddo. I need a break from doing my own excursions though! I don’t know how I constantly did that stuff before I had Emerson.

This week, we have absolutely nothing planned. I’m probably going to take Emerson for ice cream one night after work. The trampoline is supposed to come in tomorrow, so we’ll play in the sensory room. Both therapists are on vacation this week, so they won’t be in to see Em. I want to make sure we do some stuff at home to compensate. We haven’t been in the sensory room in about a week. We’ll make sure we get down there this week. He hasn’t seemed like he’s been seeking that input as much. I think because I’ve been incorporating enough activities into our typical routine for him to get what he needs.

This upcoming weekend doesn’t seem too lively. We’re doing the water park and will swim at my parent’s house. I was thinking of trying to shake things up a bit, but I’d rather save money for when my nephew comes home. We’ll see though. I might nix some things, so that we have a little more wiggle room.

Alright, that’s enough from me! Have a good week.

Another staycation

We’re taking another mini staycation in August. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I have a lot of things planned for us. I know I’ll be beat by the time I go back to work on Tuesday.

There is a Super Hero cruise the first day of our staycation that I’m considering taking Emerson on. He is free because of his age. It’s $22 for me, which isn’t too bad. We have to pay for snacks/drinks on the ship, which I’m sure will cost an arm and a leg, but I’m not 100% sold yet. I’m not sure if Em is old enough to really appreciate it though. He doesn’t seem like a big fan of characters in costume, but I know my nephew would enjoy it. If my nephew is into it, it might sway him. It would be cool to take him on a big boat though. He’d probably like going up onto all of the decks. It’s only a 2 hour cruise. They have activities and such for the kids. We can wear super hero tee shirts too. He has a Spiderman costume that would be cute to put on him, but it might be hot for all of that. I think I just talked myself into this. LOL Sometimes, you just need to think things through.

On Sunday, we’re going to Jellystone Park! Yes, Yogi Bear themed. It looks absolutely adorable. I believe Emerson is free to get in and it costs $15 for me. The only downfall is you aren’t allowed to bring your own picnic if you aren’t campers. We’ll have to purchase there, which I’m sure is NOT cheap. I hate when places force you into having to buy food from them. I like packing our own snacks and lunch. It’s a cost I’m willing to absorb though considering the place is adorable.

On Monday, we’re just going to the waterpark free with our passes. That’ll round out our mini staycation. I know I’m going to be completely wiped afterwards, but it’s nice to be able to get out and do some things. We still have some additional things on our bucket list, but I’m considering taking some things off.  We’ll see how things go. It’s going to be really boring once all of the pools shut down after labor day. Not going to the waterpark every weekend is going to suck. I know it’s a bit early to worry about that now, but it’s nice having a free place to log hours every weekend. I honestly forget what the heck we did before summertime!

I’ve jam packed our entire summer full of awesome activities. It’ll be hard coming down from that. I guess we’ll just switch to indoor things after that. Trips to the Children’s Museum,  The Science Center, Mattress Factory, Heinz History Center, The Aviary, and the Conservatory are on my list. Emerson should be free at all of those places too.

My nephew is coming home in 13 days. He’s been in California since the end of June. He went to Six Flags with his family and to the beach a couple of times, but other than that they haven’t been doing much. He constantly says he’s bored and wants to come home. He is counting down the days and has been since he got out there. We’re saving all of our bigger excursions for when he finally comes home. My sister set up a welcome home party for the day after he gets here. It’s a Tuesday. I took that Tuesday and Wednesday off, so we can spend some time with him. It’ll be nice and I know he’ll like actually going out and doing things.

On Friday, I’m going to a beerfest with my friends. I know, I know. The color run is on Saturday and it’s early in the morning. I don’t really drink at all, so I’m not worried about it. It’ll be fun just to go and hang out kid-free, which is something that does NOT happen very often. My sister is going to babysit Emerson for me at my house. That way, I don’t really have to worry about what time I come home because she will put him to bed. The only issue is the start time. It starts at 6:30pm. We’ll probably head down around 545ish, which means my sister will probably have to pick Emerson up from daycare. I feel bad asking her to do even more considering she’s already babysitting for me. I haven’t asked her yet. Hopefully, she will be okay with it. EEK. She will work all day already, so to not even get home from work before being on duty makes me feel bad. I don’t ever ask though, so hopefully it’s okay and she isn’t annoyed. I’m going to ask her tomorrow. LOL I don’t know why I’m so afraid to ask. She is really nice, always helps me, and is my best friend. I’m so weird with this stuff. I guess I just kind of feel like a bad mom when I make plans that do not involve my kiddo, which is why I never do it. This weekend, I feel spoiled. I get to go out on Friday AND do the color run on Saturday. It’s like a momcation. I know I deserve this time though. I just feel bad. Emerson absolutely loves my sister though, so he’s going to get a kick out of spending Friday night with her.

Alright, I am gonna head out J

Our weekend

This weekend was really nice. On Friday, I made a fruit pizza and a regular pizza for dinner. My parents came over to pick up Emerson’s old crib to give to a friend of my moms who is having a baby. When they left, we ate dinner, then headed down to the sensory room to play and to watch Frozen. Em played so well! I lost track of time and before I knew it, it was 9pm! I guess it didn’t matter because the next day was Saturday.

On Saturday, Em snoozed until 9am! We had plans to head over to the waterpark around 1pm. We played in the sensory room for a while that morning after eating breakfast. I have to tell you, he was an absolute angel at the waterpark. He even let us break for lunch without a fight! We were there from about 1-430pm. We would have stayed longer, but they closed the Wave Pool portion, which was the last stop on our tour, so instead of getting back into the regular pool, or walking all the way back to the kiddie pools, we decided to just head out. When we got home, Em was crashed, so I put him in bed. He napped until about 530pm. I woke him up though. I wasn’t risking ruining bedtime. On Saturday night, we had a movie night in the sensory room. We watched The Lion King and made popcorn. Em has never had popcorn before. He tore it up! Man, that movie is violent and sad! I forgot all about the actual plot. It’s not all “Hakuna Matata”. He didn’t seem bothered by it, but I felt some kind of way about letting him watch it. We have some milder movies that’ll be a lot more appropriate to watch. He enjoyed it though. He started to get a bit out of hand towards the end, but it was pretty late and he was tired, so up to bath, and bed he went.

On Sunday, we headed over to a cute donut shop for breakfast. Afterwards, we headed to the mall for Emerson to Build-a-bear. He loved it! He built a stuffed puppy that barks. It was pretty cute. We named his puppy “Cole”. He is so adorable. Em took him to school today. I hope the teachers don’t forget to put him in his cubby. After the mall, we headed to my parent’s house for our weekly visit. Emerson terrorized my dad and ate all of their cheese. It was a pretty typical visit. After we got home, I cleaned Em’s pool and let him swim for the rest of the day. We went had takeout for dinner, watched cartoons, then he had a bath before bed. I was exhausted and ended up passing out on the couch.  Overall, it was another great weekend.

This week, we’re playing it low key. Em’s pool is freshly clean, so he can swim out there. I’m finally going grocery shopping tonight, so we’ll be all stocked up again. It’s been slim pickins at our house, which is why we ate out last night. It isn’t something we regularly do. This weekend, I’m doing the color run, then we’re hitting up the waterpark. I’m excited because my friends who are running with me are also bringing their kiddos to Sandcastle. Em will have some kiddos to play with. We were invited to a grad party on Sunday. I’m not sure if we’ll go. We don’t really know the person. It’s a friend of my sisters. I ended up ordering the trampoline from Walmart because it was cheaper than using the toys r us gift card. I’d end up spending more money at toys r us. We still have the gift card though, so on Sunday, I’m thinking we’ll head up there to pick something else out. We can swing past my parents afterwards to swim.

Alright,  all. I hope you have a fabulous week!!!!

2 days post date

After work yesterday, I picked up a ball pit and a bean bag chair for Em’s sensory room. I set it all up last night. My sister is giving me a Toys R Us gift card to use towards the mini trampoline, so we’re going to get that this weekend. I spoke with Both the therapists last night and they assured me they do not see any red flags for Autism, or anything serious. He just is a sensory kid, so feeding that will be beneficial and something that will resolve itself. That made me feel so much better considering I’ve been agonizing over this. They did recommend that I have an Ophthalmologist do a screening on his eyes just to rule out any visual problems. They said he crashes a lot at daycare and seems stunned when kiddos run up to him. When we go to the ped early next month, I’m going to ask for a referral over to a Pediatric Ophthalmologist  just to be safe. In any event, I feel so relieved knowing that they do not see any major red flags outside of his sensory issue. We all know how worrisome anything like this can be, so hearing that was major. I’m still going to discuss everything with hi Pediatrician just to get a medical standpoint on it, but I think everything is okay.

The room looks adorable though. He hasn’t seen it yet. I’ll take him down there tonight to check it out. We might go to dinner with my sister, so we’ll see. The big unveiling might just be tomorrow if we get home too late. I think the idea of these rooms is to not let the kiddos play it them all of the time, so they can’t get bored with the sensory tools given. That’s why I moved all of the toys/tools down into the playroom in the basement. We hardly use that space at all. It’s just easier for me being upstairs because I’m typically cleaning, or cooking. I wouldn’t let Emerson play down there alone without my supervision. At least not at this age. It’s the perfect location for a sensory room though because it is set out of the way, which means I can control when those items are utilized. Of course, I will let him play down there frequently, but he won’t become bored with them because they won’t be in his face all of the time. It’ll be a nice change of scenery too having another room to play in.

I ran this morning, but sadly, I don’t believe I reached my 2.8 mile goal. My phone was just about dead, so I couldn’t even track my miles, or time. I covered more ground than usual, so I do think I did more than my regular 2.5, but fell short with my goal. No biggie. Getting out and moving is #1. After slacking for nearly a month, I’m proud of myself for working out FOUR days in a row! I plan on doing a shoulder/back workout at some point over the weekend. If I have the energy, I’ll do it tonight, so that I can relax on Saturday and Sunday.

It was supposed to storm SO BADLY today, but hasn’t. Instead, it’s absolutely gorgeous out. You know what that means, right? Tomorrow will probably be all rainy and we’re supposed to go to the Waterpark. Gah. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m already mentally preparing myself. If that’s the case, then we’ll do Sundays plans on Saturday. We can go to the Waterpark for a bit before the grad party on Sunday if the weather isn’t crap. Again, I hope I’m wrong!

Alright, I am wrapping things up.

Have a great weekend!

Much better!!!

When I picked Emerson up from daycare, his OT left her notes/report in his cubby. I couldn’t wait to get home to read it! Emerson was back in the baby room, so I went back there to get him. When I opened the door, he screamed “MUM, MUM, MUM, MUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and ran over and grabbed my hand to leave. After telling his teachers “Bye” 25 times, we finally made it out of the door. He is funny. It was so hot at home, so I decided to just do an easy dinner. We had scrambled eggs, yogurt, and bananas. Random, but it didn’t really require me to use the stove for too long. We hung in the house because it was so hot outside. Em’s pool needs to be cleaned out. I knew if we played in the yard, he’d definitely try to jump in. The grass was cut yesterday when we went home, which was nice. That’ll be great for the weekend. They hadn’t come to cut it in over 2 weeks. I was starting to get worried.

Anyway, I had to make snack for school, so I ended up making cookie monster bark and sending chocolate chip cookies in too. Man, it came out so adorably. I hope the kids and teachers enjoy it. I haven’t done a cute snack in quite some time, so we were due. I’ve been sending in lame stuff like bananas, or crackers. Easy, fast, and cheap. I wanted to do something nice for them though. Everyone has been working so hard with Emerson.

When I finally had a minute to sit down, I read over the report. The OT said all great things. Em transitioned nicely from activity to activity. He even sat and did his craft for EIGHT whole minutes. That’s a lot for him. He was cooperative too. She left some notes for me and suggested that we use a stability ball at home. That tickled me pink considering I had already incorporated the ball into our living room and he was using it! It made me feel good that she suggested things that I had already researched on my own. He was a bit rough with the dog last night, but he was tired, and hot too, so his behavior was a little restless. We used the stability ball for a while, and he even used some pillows on the floor to crash into. The OT suggests that we do these activities prior to transitioning to another activity like bedtime, bath time, or even leaving the house to go out. We’ll try that. It might make him a lot more calm when we’re out for activities.

This morning, I went to the gym to lift. I took a break from running.. Tomorrow, I set a goal to run 2.8 miles. I’m trying to close the 3 mile gap in a progressive manner. Let’s hope I can do it. I feel so much better this week now that I started to work out again. My eating needs to be cleaned up, but I’ll handle that after I do our weekly grocery shop. We need to finish the food we have in our house. If that means I’m eating outside of my meal plan-so be it. I am not a waster! I usually have to get the exercise portion back on track before the food falls into place. It’s too hard getting those two things to align at first, so I’m not worried about it. I’m headed in the right direction.

We have such nice plans for the weekend! I’m excited. On Friday, I’m ordering Emerson’s mini trampoline. It sucks that I can’t just go buy it, but I looked at the store last night and they had NONE. I don’t feel like wasting my time and gas trying to find one at another store. I’d rather just order the discounted one I found online. We should get it by next week though. Saturday, we’re heading to Sandcastle in the afternoon. We typically go right when it opens, but I decided to change it up this weekend. We can do our grocery shopping on Saturday morning, then hang at home for a while. Going later in the day will eat up some time, so when we get home, Em can have dinner, watch some tv, get a bath, then head to bed. Sounds good to me!

Sunday, we have quite a bit going on. I forgot that we had a graduation party to attend at 3pm. That sort of threw a wrench into our original plans. Now, we’re going to breakfast in the morning, then heading over to the mall to Build-A-Bear, so Emerson can build a bear-duh! I’m so excited. The mall has a pretty nice play place too, so we can let him play in there when we’re done. I hope he likes building a bear. The nice thing is we should be able to get out of there fairly cheap. He isn’t going to care about dressing his bear, or accessorizing. Stuffing it and adding in the heart will be thrilling enough. I’m pretty sure they have bears that start out around the $15 mark too. It’ll be a cute activity for us to do. Something different. I don’t know where breakfast will be. I am not too keen on sit down restaurants because Emerson is usually not into that. I’m going to look to see what coffee/donut shops are around the mall. This isn’t a mall we frequent often, so maybe we’ll stumble upon something new. If not, then we will go to Dunkin Donuts beforehand, which we have coupons for.  Afterwards, I’m hoping Emerson takes a nap, then we can head over to the grad party.  That should pretty much round out our weekend!

I don’t know if I mentioned this, but my nephew has been in California for the last three weeks. He comes home on the 25th! My sister organized a surprise party for him on the 26th, so that should be fun. I took off the 26th and the 27th. On the 27th, the plan is to take my nephew to Sandcastle. I don’t think he’s done too much in California. They did go to Six Flags over the weekend and to the beach one day, but that’s about it. We’re trying to save all of our bigger excursions for when he comes back.  I hope he is excited to do all of the stuff that we have planned.

Alright. That’s about all I have for today.

Have a super Thursday!

Much better

Yesterday, I had an interview for a promotion within my team. I think it went well. I know my supervisor has several more interviews to conduct before narrowing it down before the second round of interviews begin. I really hope I get this position. It would be a bump in pay, which is obviously one of the main factors that I’m applying, but it would be a challenge and an opportunity to grow my career. This would be a major stepping stone for me that would open more doors down the line. Cross your fingers and toes, please?!

Emerson’s occupational therapist contacted me yesterday with positive feedback. She said that she sees a lot of growth with Emerson and that he is progressing. That made me feel better considering I was feeling frustrated yesterday. Last night, he behaved perfectly. He had no aggressive outbursts at all. I put a yoga ball in the living room. He was bouncing on it, while eating snack and watching t.v. It’s funny to watch small changes occur just from offering a sensory outlet in our living room. I’m sure a lot of you are shaking your heads and thinking I am full of crap, but I don’t care. You don’t live in our home, nor do you personally know my son, or see his struggles. I can tell that this type of therapy is beneficial, so I am going to forge ahead with offering more sensory options in our home in hopes that it really aids in what he is seeking. The ball is a bit on the large side though, which makes it difficult for him to use properly. He does have fun climbing and falling off, but having something he can sit and bounce on would be better. I’m keeping my eyes out for something smaller. On Friday, I’m picking up a mini trampoline. I think he’ll enjoy that a lot. The one I found has a handlebar for safety. The price isn’t bad at all. I found it at Walmart for $26. I hope they have it in store, or I’m going to have to order it online, which sucks. I don’t want to have to wait for it to be delivered. I’m also going to pick up a mini handheld massager. Apparently kiddos seeking this type of sensory output like the vibrations. This makes complete sense now because he is obsessed with holding my electric toothbrush. They are fairly cheap and fall somewhere around the $6 mark. Between the trampoline, ball, and massager, we should be in good shape for a while until I can get the other things that we need for our room.

It was pretty incredible to watch last night though now that I am more aware of what is going on in his mind.  I picked him up from my sister’s house because she had to grab him for me from daycare. We hung there for a bit before heading home. When we walked in the door, I let the dog out to pee, then turned the tv on. It was already 7pm, which meant bath and bed were looming. He watched tv for a bit, while bouncing on his ball. He walked over to his toy area, grabbed all of his Little People and his Little People Plane, then played quietly in the living room. I guess he got all that he needed from the ball, was content, and able to move onto some quieter play. Typically, he is extremely wound up, cannot calm himself down, and will become very aggressive towards the dog. Yes, he will watch tv and play with toys intermittently, but he still has that aggression through kicking, gauging, and hitting. He directs this towards me at times too, or he will want to rough house. I have a no rough house rule when it’s that close to bedtime either. I don’t like getting him wound up. He usually cannot calm himself down and then it spirals from there. I had to do nothing last night. I gave him the tools that he needed and he handled the rest. Do I think it’ll always go this smoothly? No, but I am happy that I am putting forth the effort and he is being receptive to it.

I just want to clarify something. Emerson is a completely normal kid. If you met him and saw him in action, he’d steal your heart. He is a cute patootie, so loveable, and silly. He has a wild streak though, which gets him into trouble. He gets overly excited and his affection can quickly turn to aggression. All we’re trying to do is show him ways to calm himself down, and to get what he is seeking in a healthy, safe way without potentially harming himself, or other people. If you saw him, you’d say “He’s being 2”, but now that I know what is going on, I can say “No, he is seeking <insert sensory issue here>”. Once he has that need met, he calms down, moves on, and is fine.

He has a therapy session today with his OT. She is going to pay close attention to see what triggers the excitement in him, which is really driving the aggressive behavior. We’re thinking if we can catch it first, then we can try to prevent it, or at least control it more. I’ve been doing the same at home. I think what gets him excited is me. I am a naturally loud person. I am extremely silly and I’ll burst out into song for no apparent reason. I think he feeds off of my energy. Once he is so far gone, that’s it. Last night, I was sure to stay in a calm manner. I wasn’t overly excited, or loud. I kept my sillies to a normal level.  Anyway, I am going to continue to do what I am doing, take tips from the OT, and just be positive that the changes we’re making will help Emerson to better process his senses! More to come.

The last two mornings, I’ve ran before work. I did 2.5 miles both days. I really want to push for that third mile. I’m going to give it a whirl on Friday. I used to do 3 miles with such ease. It’s crazy having to climb back up. I enjoy running a lot. I’m not trying to run marathons, or anything, but I do have a goal of being able to run at least 5 miles. I know it’ll take me some time to get up to that, but I’m going to work towards it. My plan is to drive to work on Friday, so that I can have even more time to run. That way, I can still have enough time to shower and get ready at the gym before work. Right now, running 2.5 miles and getting ready for work is putting me at the 45 minute mark. I’ve been taking an early lunch, which only allots me 45 minutes. I’ll need a little more time if I’m pushing for that third mile. Right now, it takes me about 8.5 minutes to run 1 mile. Sometimes a little less. The last two mornings, It’s take me about 21-22 min to run 2.5 miles. Adding in another half shouldn’t take me too much longer, but I’d like some extra time just in case. LOL.  I really want to lose the pesky pounds I’ve put on over the last few months. It’s only noticeable in my bum and thighs, which is so annoying. Everything else stayed the same for the most part. I half want to blame it on all of the lifting. I know those squats had A LOT to do with this. I just don’t like it. I’ve stopped squatting and have cut my leg days down to like nothing. I’m doing extra cardio now, which is why I’ve picked up more running. I think this will do the trick. I can get the stronger, leaner legs back that I had before I decided to get into heavy lifting. I miss that. I’ll continue to lift to work my upper body. I love my arms and I don’t mind that they have so much muscle. Running should lean out the rest of me though, which I won’t be mad about. I need to clean up my diet though. I fell off pretty hard the last month. It feels good to have ran the last two mornings though. I forgot what that felt like. It’s very addicting, but in a good way.

Alright, that’s all I have for today. I do feel a lot better today though J

Ugh

The weekend was pretty nice. On Saturday, we went to the animal farm and spray park. Admission was free, so that was one of the best parts. We’re scraping the bottom of the barrel this week, so free was the only way to go over the weekend. Emerson had a nice time. We were there for a couple of hours. Sometimes, I wish the activities lasted longer. His attention span is pretty good, but obviously not as great as an older kiddo. I always set out to make these plans a whole day thing, but it usually doesn’t end that way. Anyway, afterwards, we didn’t do much. We visited my parents, then hung at home the rest of the day.

On Sunday, we went to the waterpark using our passes, therefore we spent $0. Afterwards, we went to my parent’s house for our 4th of July cookout. Emerson was driving me nuts. Actually, no. My dad was driving me nuts. He gets too paranoid. If Em even walks 50ft around the grill, my dad starts FLIPPING. Chill! It is just so hard to relax when someone is that paranoid. Trust me, he isn’t a dummy. He didn’t touch the grill not one time. Then, anytime he’d go near the screen door, my dad would have a cow saying that he was going to slam his fingers in the door. Seriously, drives me insane. Anytime he took a bite of food, “He’s gonna choke!” What?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So then I start getting mad at Emerson and telling him to stop when he isn’t even really doing anything wrong. It was just a frustrating day when it was supposed to be relaxing. It was too cold for us to even swim, so that made it worse. We had nothing to do in their yard. They have no toys. We ended up staying until about 630pm. We did fireworks when it was still light out.  We still had fun, but it was aggravating at times.

On Monday, Emerson and I headed to the mall. Yes, I know. It was the 4th of July, but it was rainy out, so no pool time. I found a gift card in my wallet, so I took him to Giggles and Smiles to play. He had a blast! He also played in the mall play place too, then we went to lunch.  It turned out to be a really nice day. I put Em down for a really late nap in hopes that he’d be refreshed enough for fireworks. He was! We headed to my sister’s house after cooking out at hour house to light sparklers. Fireworks started around 930pm. We had an amazing spot. Em was cool for the first half, then he started to get wild. He didn’t feel like sitting anymore. We kept passing him back and forth between our laps though and he made it all the way through. I’m sure he’s tired today from being out so late. My sister is picking him up from daycare because I have to work late.

This week, we’re not doing much. I don’t get paid until Friday. We don’t have much planned over the next two weeks either. We’re going to the waterpark and swimming at my parent’s house. That should be okay though. The weather will be much hotter this weekend, so going to the waterpark will be better. I barely even got into the water on Sunday.

I’m trying to put together a sensory room for Emerson. Emerson has Proprioceptive and Vestibular sensory needs. I’m trying to create a sensory diet for home, so that his appetite is fulfilled enough to leave certain behaviors behind. The aggression and constant movement are driving me absolutely insane. He is so rough with the dog and kids at school. On top of that, it is extremely hard for him to sit still beyond any normal level. You can see the change in him when we’ve been hanging around the house too long. I’m talking 3 hours into a morning and he’s a nightmare. Punching, hitting, kicking me/the dog. Extreme unruly behavior mixed with unsafe movements like climbing and jumping. I cannot even begin to think about what life will be like in the winter time. At least now I can take him out to do some things. I realize there are a lot of things lacking in our home to fulfil what he’s seeking. He has a ton of toys, but most aren’t really geared to what he needs. He needs the physical aspects. Playing with trucks and cars isn’t going to give him that. He needs to be able to crash/jump without getting hurt, and to swing/climb in a safe manner. I’m hoping once we have the capabilities in our home, then maybe he will get enough of what he is seeking. Working with the OT has been great, BUT she only sees him once a week. I haven’t adjusted anything in our home since he began his therapy, and I know they haven’t adjusted much at daycare. If we aren’t updating the way we approach this situation, then he isn’t ever going to overcome it. While it is extremely frustrating for me, I need to accept it and embrace the change. Some kids have too much sensory stimulation, while others have too little. He just isn’t getting what he needs daily.

Trust me, it has been extremely hard for me to come to terms with this. No one wants to see their child struggle, or to admit that they do have an issue. I chalked it up to typical 2 year old behavior, but I am seeing that it is not. I can’t play the blame game on his age all of the time. For some things, yes, but this is not one of those circumstances. Sometimes, I ask “Why me and why my kid?” but then I realize that all kids struggle in some way. I’m glad that we’re working with him now while his brain is so malleable. Hopefully we can teach him better ways to cope. I just wish I’d see major improvement already. I did notice that his speech is coming along more, but it is still very much behind. I know he becomes so frustrated when he has to repeat himself just for me to not understand. Trust me, I try. It eats me up daily that I can’t understand my own kid. I know he will get there, but it still hurts to watch.

His three month evaluation is due at the end of this month. I am curious to see what the therapist have to say about his growth. I thought we’d be a bit more ahead of where we are now, but I guess some change is better than no change at all. He is definitely giving his mama a run for her money. My ideas for the sensory room are pretty basic. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. We already have a big, yoga ball and a tunnel that he can crawl through. I want to get a toddler trampoline, some kind of a rocking chair, a small scooter, ball pit, and a couple of bean bags that he can crash and jump into. As we go along, I’m sure I’ll add some other things that’ll aid in what he’s lacking. Pinterest has been my best friend lately. I’ve gotten so many great ideas from there. I just hope this helps. I plan on purchasing the trampoline this weekend. I found one on sale that has a handlebar for safety.

I am sure a lot of you are reading this thinking I am nuts, but he isn’t your child. You aren’t with him to see the struggle and to see him in motion. As moms, it is our duty to help our kiddos. That’s exactly what I plan on doing. I’ll update you all to let you know how things progress.

Summer bucket list

Yesterday, I planned an impromptu trip to Kennywood (amusement park). They had a superhero event that ran through yesterday. My company was still offering discounted tickets, so I bought one for myself. Emerson is free, so it made sense to go. It was super fun! I left work a little bit early, so that we could make it there before 5. We stayed for about 3 hours. Emerson had a great time riding all of the rides. The lines were so short too, so there was no wait.

Afterwards, we stopped at my parent’s house, so that I could borrow some stuff from my mom. I accidentally left my gym bag on the bus yesterday with all of my make-up, deodorant, curling iron, hair brush, gym shoes/clothes, all of my Tupperware containers from my lunch, and my magic bullet cups too. I was so upset. My phone charger and sun glasses were also in that bag along with my gym towel. My mom gave me some make-up, a hair brush, and deodorant to make it through today. When I got on the bus this morning, a woman told me that my bag was found and turned in. I called port authority today and they have my bag. Emerson and I will pick it up tonight. It sucks to have to make a trip after work, but it is what it is. I have to get my stuff.

After yesterday’s trip to Kennywood, we’re poor until payday next Friday, July 8th. The good news is we have some nice, free things planned for the weekend. We’re doing the spray park on Saturday and Sandcastle on Sunday. With our passes, we won’t have to pay any money at all. That’ll be enough excitement to get us through.  We have a lot of other fun things planned coming up, so it’ll be fine. We can’t do something every day. Sometimes, you just have to enjoy what you already have.

Our bucket list is coming along so nicely though. Below are the items we’ve checked off already.

Kennywood (twice)

The Zoo

Our Local Spray Park

The Lake

Sandcastle Water Park (twice)

Kerber’s Dairy

Sarris Candy Factory

Mt Washington Overlook/South Side fountain

Upcoming adventures include:

The better Spray Park

More trips to Sandcastle

Idewild Amusement and Water Park

Living Treasures Animal Park

Indoor/Outdoor Water Park

JellyStone Park

The Wave Pool

Boat Cruise

Build-A-Bear

The Regatta

The Bubble Run

The Color Run (Emerson isn’t doing this one with me though. This is just for mommy)

I’m excited.  We don’t have much planned over the next two weeks though. We’re doing Sandcastle a couple of times and the Wave Pool. The Color Run is on the 16th, so we’re organizing a trip with friends to Sandcastle for after that are running with me. I think I am going to sneak our Build-a-Bear trip in somewhere. It’ll shake things up a bit and I think he will really enjoy doing that. I am just trying to make sure that we have some fun things planned periodically. I want Emerson to have a fun summer, but this is also for me too. I do get joy out of doing all of these things too.

I was having a bit of a heated discussion with someone the other day regarding doing things for me. They assume because I am not going to a club/bar, that it means I am not doing things for myself. All of these excursions just aren’t for Emerson. Its things that I want to do too. I like going to the pool, zoo, amusement parks, etc. It’s fun for me. I could do more things without him, but I prioritize and I realize that we do not have funds to do separate things all of the time. I am happy I get to do the color run with my sister and friends. That’s a treat to myself this summer. I do things after he is in bed though. I rent movies, read a book, etc. I also consider anytime that I work out just for me. I have been slacking MAJORLY on that lately. I need to get back into it. I had planned on running yesterday, but skipped lunch to leave early for Kennywood. I have no running shoes today because I left my bag on the bus last night, to today is ruined too. I’m shooting for tomorrow though.  Anyway, I don’t think drinking defines having a good time, or doing things for yourself. I just don’t feel like spending my money, or time in that manner. I’d rather go see a movie, hike, do something outdoorsy, go to dinner, etc. All things that have nothing to do with being out late with drunk people. It doesn’t interest me anymore and I think a lot of people have a hard time grasping that. I am not the same person that I once was. I was very social before, and loved going out. I had the luxury of being that way. I had my time and it was great. I fully experienced my 20s, but now, I am at a different part in life. It’s great!