Continued Toddler Antics.....

Just so you know before you read below, these are his "Tadoodles" for the bathtub. Notice how closely they resemble the "Tadoodles" regular crayons, which is the bottom image. So just why am I telling you this? Well, Weiss decided to get artistic on Thursday.....

Weiss has been good about keeping his coloring on paper and his art easel, but this has changed quite recently. He has only been coloring with "big boy" crayons, but Logan got out his big, round, chunky ones (Crayola Tadoodles) that you grasp with your entire palm. I guess these reminded him of his bath crayons (they are identical except one is especially for bathtime), which he IS allowed to scribble all over the bathtub and tub walls (it comes off super easy with water). Anyway, our front door is completely white. I guess he found this to be a great canvas for his art! I was in the kitchen, putting up lunch. I walked back in the living room, and Weiss said, "Purple door, Mommy!" Sure enough, the door was purple. Thank goodness for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. The crayon marks (and there were many) came off easily. However, this happened AGAIN when I was in the laundry room taking the clothes out of the dryer, despite a spanking and "no no" the first time around. There was even MORE color (blue, yellow and purple) and also coloring on the side windows around the door, which, I might add--looked pretty cool. (Very creative, Weiss!) He also only used his Tadoodles, so Logan and I are both thinking he makes the association: Tadoodles = color on bathtub walls OR front door/windows.  So I had to unfortunately repeat the discipline process. Later on Thursday, we took a meal to Mike, Maria, Marin, Mason, and baby Mallon Murray (say THAT five times fast!). Baby Mallon is precious and Maria was bubbly, as usual. We then took dinner out to Kingsland and ate with Dickey and Cinda (aka "Mia" and "Grappa"). Logan was out for the evening for a work meeting/dinner. Weiss enjoyed seeing them and had fun riding around in his little tractor with Mia pushing him and Lola, their French bulldog puppy, in the trailer behind him. It's pretty funny to see!

On Friday, I taught McKenna piano lessons and my parents arrived early afternoon. Weiss was waiting at the door for them! We went to the new Lowe's and Weiss had a good time. I got some MORE plants and Mom did, also. Logan came home and we went to the Marble Falls Chamber banquet out at the Horseshoe Bay Marriott. It was fun and we got to see many new and some familiar faces. There was a band and a fun photo booth. Logan wore crazy pigtails and I wore a Viking hat and an eyepatch. Fun, fun! The pictures turned out cute!

On Saturday, Lexy and I went running, after a LLOONNNNGGG hiatus for the both of us. At about 6 AM we drove out to her friend Sherry's beautiful new home in Spicewood. Man, I got a workout! There were lots of hills and beautiful homes to look at! But it was great to be back running again; me, Lexy, Sherry, and some more running buddies are running in the ZOOMA half marathon at the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop, TX on April 4th. I'm super excited, because you don't get a medal for finishing; you get a silver necklace! Cool, huh? Something to actually USE! 

Anyway, Logan went out of town with his parents to see his granddad, who just had more skin cancer surgery, and to get fitted for a suit from a tailor in Midland (his parents got him the suit for Christmas--it's the same guy who does George W. Bush's suits....cool, huh?). Mom, Dad and I just hung out with Weiss and cooked steak and zuchinni Perinni. Yummo! We were all too tired to watch a movie, so I went to bed at about 10:30. I had to be at church early, so Mom and Dad took care of Mr. Pookie Bear and got him ready for me since Logan was gone. They left after lunch because Dad got busy in the funeral home. (Yes, it is a fact of life, folks.) Weiss and I worked out in the yard, pulling weeds in the front and back. We planted two camellia bushes and a star jasmine climbing vine. (For those of you that don't know, I have grown to love plants over the years, especially since Logan and I have been married. His family really enjoys plants/planting, and I guess I picked up on it.) Weiss pushed around his bubble lawn mower and "helped" me pick up weeds. I am glad to know he loves to be outside, because I really love to work in the yard. I find it stress relieving AND best of all, calorie burning. (And you can get a tan when the weather's nice...) We came inside and gave Zoey a shower because she romped all day outside, sniffing who knows what. Well, actually I had the water running and stuck Zoey in the shower to get her all nice and wet. I brought Weiss in the bathroom to help, and opened the shower door. Weiss saw her and freaked out. With all of her hair, she really looks different sopping wet, so maybe that was it. He was screaming like "The Exorcist." It was really disturbing. I'm not going to let him see Zoey get a shower any time soon.

Weiss's New "Pets"

For quite some time, I have been wanting to get Weiss some fish. Something simple, no tank involved. So a few weeks ago, we got two betas at Walmart. (Even the cashier told me, "Next time you buy, go to the fish store down the road. These won't last long from here....") Anyway, "red fish" and "pink fish" are their names (self-explanatory, since a two-year-old named them). They live "side by side" in a double beta plastic tank, with a little blue plastic divider you can raise so the betas can see each other through the clear plastic and "puff up." The tank is small enough Weiss can carry it around, but big enough he could drop it very easily. The betas now reside on a high perch, since Weiss cannot be content with just watching them; he has to carry around the miniature tank. I do, however, get the betas down when I feed them for Weiss to look at. This afternoon, the fish were eating their food where Weiss could see, and I walked over to the back door, in deep thought about where I was going to plant my spring flowers along the fence line outside. (I could see Weiss if I turned slightly, but I was "deep in thought...") 

I heard him saunter down the hall and saw he had the cover to the tank. I looked, and saw there was no "red fish" in his side of the tank. I went over to the table the fish tank was on, and lo and behold, red fish was flopping on the table top. I quickly put him back in the tank. I believe he escaped from this episode unscathed, albeit traumatized. I'm sure that was quite a blow to his little fishy ego. "Pink fish," his tank mate, got a kick out of that one, I'm sure. Frankly, I'm surprised Weiss could pick up, let alone CATCH---one of those slippery, squirmy things. Ahh, the interesting daily episodes we have!!! And this is only with ONE child!!!! 

Pay the Postman...

The weirdest thing happened today, or at least I thought it was bizarre. I thought if someone didn't have the right amount of postage, the mail wouldn't go through, right? If the postage was off, it would be returned to the sender. Or, sometimes the incorrect amount of postage sometimes makes it through. Anyway, on with the story. The postman here around Meadowlakes usually runs very early. Saying this, he can run anywhere from 11 AM to 1, but usually before we lunch. Anyway, it was a dreary day outside and it was 2 o'clockish, and I had Mr. Weiss in my lap in the chair for an attempt at a nap. As a mom, it is frustrating when the doorbell/phone rings during the precious naptime hours, especially if it is something as mundane as the mail or, if it's the phone, a telemarketer call. Oh--the Austin American-Statesman calls all of the time, too. ANYWAY--the postman rang the doorbell, which he usually does when he delivers something that won't fit in the mailbox, which is often. Then, he began to knock on the door. (He knew I was home because he could see my feet reclining with Weiss in the chair through the side window of the door.) So I got up, answered the door. 

He asked, "Do you have 41 cents?" 

I was sort of in a daze; I had been catnapping while Weiss was humming to himself. 

"The postage wasn't correct on this card." (It was a singing Elmo Valentine's card my parents sent to Weiss. Mom typically gets the postage right; they have a computerized postal scale at work and a postage machine.) 

"Yeah, let me go out to my car." (Spare change in the console)

Anyway, I've never had the postman ask me for change when the mail gets through. Mom had put a 59 cent postage note on the card, but he still needed 41 cents EXACTLY. Anyway, I just found this funny. 

When I went out to the car, the postman waited, while Weiss opened the front door and came out on the porch. We went back in the house, and sat down, trying to get him to nap AGAIN.

He begins to doze off, when the doorbell rings AGAIN.

It's the UPS man. Weiss bolts awake.

So much for the nap. I just gave up.

Our Weekend Plans Changed...

Since the last post, the week went fairly smoothly. All of the normal activities: choir, Mom to Mom, et cetera. The weekend was "supposedly" going to be a girl's weekend with the Austin Marathon/Half-Marathon on Sunday (I was only going to do the half this time). On Friday, I decided I would head back to San Antonio for MOPS at Community Bible Church, our old church. Weiss stayed with Logan (thank you so much!) so I could get some things done. The day was just for me. Leaving town, I got Starbucks. I first went to Kohl's, since they open early, and got some things for Weiss and Mike and Maria Murray's new baby girl, Mallon. 

I arrived at MOPS, had a great time, saw my friends, and heard a great speaker. I then headed to Nordstrom, where I had scheduled a time to shop with Marta Bloch, who always knows EXACTLY what I like! (No, seriously, she's great!) I was there until 3:00 (crazy) and got some great things. This was AWESOME because I haven't been in a "shopping" mood in a while. I also found Logan some Valentine's stuff and Cinda her birthday present. I grabbed another coffee and a fruit and cheese tray before leaving Nordstrom because I just didn't have an appetite. My throat had been a little sore. 

I drove to the Painted Plate in Stone Oak (really the reason for leaving Weiss behind---who can paint pottery in a store loaded with breakables with an impatient toddler???) I had a piece that had been in the store, unfinished, since we had moved. I used to go to the Painted Plate with Denisse Warshak and the other ladies from our MOPS table on Monday nights to have a girl's night out and paint pottery. It was always so much fun, and I miss it! One of the many things of San Antonio I still miss! However, hitting the nasty traffic on 281 coming into town and 1604 made me thankful again for small towns.... Anyway, I finished up this beautiful pitcher with a cross on it and flowers. I am excited to see it after it is fired, glazed, and finished.

After I finished painting, I hopped back on 281 and headed back to Marble Falls. I had to run by HEB on the way home to get a candy thermometer; I was "attempting" to make Logan some homemade Valentine's candy--some chocolate covered caramels I found a recipe for. I got home, and Logan didn't want to eat leftovers, so we ordered a to-go order from Chili's. When the food got home, I just didn't have an appetite. I attributed it to eating later in the afternoon, but I started feeling sore. I thought this was from the kick booty P-90x workout Shelley, Bridget and I did (core synergistics will get ya good!). Just in case, and since I had the half coming up on Sunday, I called Dickey to get me a vitamin C IV. A vitamin C IV is the best thing to cure whatever is getting your goose. Taking a whole bottle of Vitamin C cannot do what one IV of C can. Thank goodness my father-in-law always has  on hand when you need it. Dickey said he would come in to town, but they had been on the road all day, so after my caramel reached 248 degrees--yes, the recipe was that specific--I hopped in the car out to Kingsland. Dickey hooked me up and I drove back home. I told them I would be running unless I had a fever, which is a big no-no to run and overheat combined with a fever. After the IV went through, Logan unhooked me and I went to sleep. In the middle of the night, I woke up, thinking I would be just fine. (Denise Rhodes and I planned to leave for the Marathon Expo early Saturday afternoon...) I also dreamt in the night Dickey put two cans of Fanta orange soda in the IV, and it gave me the boost to make me 100% well! (Nuts, I know....) Maybe the dream came from vitamin C---orange, orange---orange soda? I don't know....

So I woke up about 5 AM, ready to pack. I really felt good, and felt like I had completed a tough workout. (I know---we runners are sadistic.) I still was not convinced I was sick. However, I decided to take my temperature because I had been sleeping under a quilt and mounds of blankets. (Even without a fever, the IV tends to make people cold.) Darn. 102.5 degrees. I wouldn't be running on Sunday. Happy Valentine's Day.

At 8 AM, my fever was 101.2. I texted Dickey, saying I would need another vitamin C. I later talked to Denise, telling her the situation. I was BUMMED with a capital "B." The last of the series of races I was to do, with people I knew, and man, I'm sick. Anyway, I spent Saturday and today recooperating in bed. My fever broke today about noon. My appetite is back as of last night, and I am feeling better. Logan and Weiss went out to Kingsland yesterday to get out of the house so they wouldn't get sick, and because Cinda made Valentine's dinner. When Logan pulled up to the house last night, I was salivating, waiting on my steak. (A rare steak is one of my FAVORITE things....yes, it must be mooing and bleeding.) Anyway, I am going to check up on the girls that ran yesterday: Denise, Deanna, and Mindy. I was really looking forward to getting a finisher's shirt, so hopefully one of the girls "snuck" one for me. So much for the weekend plans!

Picture Update....

Wow.....He's actually smiling. But Daddy is tired, so he's not.

Showing his pearly whites.

Coloring with his cap and passy.

Posing this afternoon.

Okay, I know I need to be better about adding pictures. Here are some from quite recently, including today. Weiss does not take a "passy" anymore, but occasionally he will ask for one to chew on. (And, quite frankly, I think he looks so cute with a passy in his mouth--there's not much "baby" left in him!) So the last time he asked for a passy, he also asked for his "hat," a hunter's safety orange Abilene Zoo hat. This is so bizarre, but so funny.... He did the same thing today. So I caught a few pictures of him with his passy and his hat.

Fun Weekend!!!!

Well, Logan, Weiss and I have had a fun weekend.... Weiss got to stay with Mia and Grappa, while Logan and I enjoyed some downtime together and date nights!!! Friday evening, Logan and I went to Alamo Drafthouse in Austin have dinner and a movie. We both had never been before, and it was so much fun!!! We saw "Gran Torino" with Clint Eastwood, which was one of the best movies we had both seen in a long time. I mean it. It was great and very moving. Although there's some rough language, it is very true to life. It's worth seeing. We some falafels, pita and tziki, a bleu cheese burger with fries, and a chocolate malt. I had organic root beer and he had a Shiner Bock. It was a fairly decent meal (for theater food!) and we had a great time to boot! I loved the "indie" feel of the Drafthouse; they showed old '60s previews before the movies that were very retro. The entire feel was VERY Austin indeed. 

We got to SLEEP IN on Saturday morning!!! Because I naturally get up early to do my exercising/getting ready before Weiss gets up, I bounced awake at 7:30. I went for a quick run with Zoey dog---I baled from my running group earlier in the morning because I had a nasty cough, so I had to stop and walk quite often due to my constant hacking. I got home, got dressed, got all of my homework done, while Logan snoozed. After he woke up, I fixed bacon and biscuits with coffee. 

After the late breakfast, we headed to IKEA...I had been wanting to go for quite some time to get some ideas for Weiss's "big boy room" and other parts of the house we are changing. Logan looked at cabinets for their temporary office. And, as always, IKEA is AWESOME!!! I get an adrenaline rush just walking in the store!!! AHHH!!! We didn't buy much but got lots of ideas---the whole purpose of our child-free trip. We did get an awesome rug for our bedroom, though. We then went to REI next door and looked for a long time, each finding something in the store to take home. We then drove straight to Kingsland to meet the Cochrans, Slykers, Nails, and Carters for dinner at Tamale King!!! YUMMO! It was great because FBCMF was having a Parent's Night Out and doing childcare, so they all came without their kiddos, too. (Tamara did bring their teeny guy, Grant. He was perfect, though! So cute!) We ate dinner and then went back by Dickey and Cinda's there in Kingsland to check on my Pookie Bear. I was missing him! He, however, was having a grand ol' time. He was playing on a new holstein "tractor" with an attached trailer Grappa had assembled this weekend. Mia was burning up because she had been pushing him all around the house! We visited with Logan's parents and headed home.

On Sunday, we got up and went to church--still childless! After church, we went to the new Lowe's--it had been open only since Friday! It was spotless and full of fun home stuff... We stayed for awhile and looked at everything we each wanted to look at; we weren't rushed by Mr. Weiss or by any time table for the day---NICE. We went home, had some chili Cinda had fixed, I played the Wii for a while and Logan took a nap. We then went driving around and to see Logan's temporary office, which is all sheetrock at this point. However, it is coming along! We then got a Frosty at Wendy's and met Dickey and Cinda to pick up Weiss. Logan stayed with his parents because they were going to meet with the builder to discuss some things. Weiss and I went home, and I made spaghetti with homemade meatballs--it was the first time I have ever done my spaghetti like that. (I normally just use ground round in little pieces in the sauce--not individual meatballs.) The meatballs were more labor-intensive, but I think Weiss and everyone liked them. Anyway, Weiss and Daddy played before he went to bed. He is talking up a storm and now pretty much repeats anything you say--or tries to. It is so precious! He's beginning to get a good sense of humor, which I love! He laughs at silly things with this hearty belly laugh. I just adore it!!!

This Just Blew My Mind....

I haven't posted an article yet, but this one was so heartwrenching. It really makes those on both sides of the abortion issue stop and think. This article was published today, February 5, 2009, via The Buffalo News.

FLORIDA DOCTOR INVESTIGATED IN BADLY BOTCHED ABORTION
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO
Associated Press Writer
Eighteen and pregnant, Sycloria Williams went to an abortion clinic outside Miami and paid $1,200 for Dr. Pierre Jean-Jacque Renelique to terminate her 23-week pregnancy.
Three days later, she sat in a reclining chair, medicated to dilate her cervix and otherwise get her ready for the procedure.
Only Renelique didn't arrive in time. According to Williams and the Florida Department of Health, she went into labor and delivered a live baby girl.
What Williams and the Health Department say happened next has shocked people on both sides of the abortion debate: One of the clinic's owners, who has no medical license, cut the infant's umbilical cord. Williams says the woman placed the baby in a plastic biohazard bag and threw it out.
Police recovered the decomposing remains in a cardboard box a week later after getting anonymous tips.
"I don't care what your politics are, what your morals are, this should not be happening in our community," said Tom Pennekamp, a Miami attorney representing Williams in her lawsuit against Renelique (ren-uh-LEEK') and the clinic owners.
The state Board of Medicine is to hear Renelique's case in Tampa on Friday and determine whether to strip his license. The state attorney's homicide division is investigating, though no charges have been filed. Terry Chavez, a spokeswoman with the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office, said this week that prosecutors were nearing a decision.
Renelique's attorney, Joseph Harrison, called the allegations at best "misguided and incomplete" in an e-mail to The Associated Press. He didn't provide details.
The case has riled the anti-abortion community, which contends the clinic's actions constitute murder.
"The baby was just treated as a piece of garbage," said Tom Brejcha, president of The Thomas More Society, a law firm that is also representing Williams. "People all over the country are just aghast."
Even those who support abortion rights are concerned about the allegations.
"It really disturbed me," said Joanne Sterner, president of the Broward County chapter of the National Organization for Women, after reviewing the administrative complaint against Renelique. "I know that there are clinics out there like this. And I hope that we can keep (women) from going to these types of clinics."
According to state records, Renelique received his medical training at the State University of Haiti. In 1991, he completed a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Interfaith Medical Center in New York.
New York records show that Renelique has made at least five medical malpractice payments in the past decade, the circumstances of which were not detailed in the filings.
Several attempts to reach Renelique were unsuccessful. Some of his office numbers were disconnected, no home number could be found and he did not return messages left with his attorney.
Williams struggled with the decision to have an abortion, Pennekamp said. She declined an interview request made through him.
She concluded she didn't have the resources or maturity to raise a child, he said, and went to the Miramar Women's Center on July 17, 2006. Sonograms indicated she was 23 weeks pregnant, according to the Department of Health. She met Renelique at a second clinic two days later.
Renelique gave Williams laminaria, a drug that dilates the cervix, and prescribed three other medications, according to the administrative complaint filed by the Health Department. She was told to go to yet another clinic, A Gyn Diagnostic Center in Hialeah, where the procedure would be performed the next day, on July 20, 2006.
Williams arrived in the morning and was given more medication.
The Department of Health account continues as follows: Just before noon she began to feel ill. The clinic contacted Renelique. Two hours later, he still hadn't shown up. Williams went into labor and delivered the baby.
"She came face to face with a human being," Pennekamp said. "And that changed everything."
The complaint says one of the clinic owners, Belkis Gonzalez came in and cut the umbilical cord with scissors, then placed the baby in a plastic bag, and the bag in a trash can.
Williams' lawsuit offers a cruder account: She says Gonzalez knocked the baby off the recliner chair where she had given birth, onto the floor. The baby's umbilical cord was not clamped, allowing her to bleed out. Gonzalez scooped the baby, placenta and afterbirth into a red plastic biohazard bag and threw it out.
No working telephone number could be found for Gonzalez, and an attorney who has represented the clinic in the past did not return a message.
At 23 weeks, an otherwise healthy fetus would have a slim but legitimate chance of survival. Quadruplets born at 23 weeks last year at The Nebraska Medical Center survived.
An autopsy determined Williams' baby - she named her Shanice - had filled her lungs with air, meaning she had been born alive, according to the Department of Health. The cause of death was listed as extreme prematurity.
The Department of Health believes Renelique committed malpractice by failing to ensure that licensed personnel would be present when Williams was there, among other missteps.
The department wants the Board of Medicine, a separate agency, to permanently revoke Renelique's license, among other penalties. His license is currently restricted, permitting him to only perform abortions when another licensed physician is present and can review his medical records.
Should prosecutors file murder charges, they'd have to prove the baby was born alive, said Robert Batey, a professor of criminal law at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport. The defense might contend that the child would have died anyway, but most courts would not allow that argument, he said.
"Hastening the death of an individual who is terminally ill is still considered causing the death of that individual," Batey said. "And I think a court would rule similarly in this type of case."

So I've been a bit lazy lately....

Okay---I know I've been getting lazier on posting to the blog. But honestly, not much exciting has happened. Just same old, same old here. I'm sure there will be more going on in the weeks to come (and when it is WARMER again), but we've been relatively "low key" here lately. Logan and I had the opportunity to be "childless" Friday evening (Dickey and Cinda kept Weiss) and have an evening with Matt and Kelley Homeyer. We went to eat at the Texas Pizza Company in Burnet, to Starbucks, and then to see "The Reader." It was a fun evening. Saturday I had the pleasure of sleeping in (until 8:30 AM--woo hoo!)... No "long run" on Saturday morning. I have been very LAZY since the marathon and have not been doing any kind of exercise whatsoever. Not good.

Anyway, Weiss and I spent the afternoon together after Cinda returned him home and Logan and I watched "American Gangster" with Denzell Washington that evening. It was great. Sunday was church, and I was feeling down with allergies, so Logan played with Weiss and took him outside while I moped around and did nothing but sneeze and snort. Yesterday I was feeling better (besides the sneezing). Because Logan is out of town on Monday evenings, Weiss and I went to Karen and George Gurganus's home to keep their two kiddos, Clayton and Anna, while they went to see the MFHS production of "Music Man." We had a good time, and I'm glad we kept the kids. It really perked up a boring Monday. Weiss and I came home and he went right off to bed. 

This morning was CBS Bible Study at Kingsland, as is every Tuesday morning. Weiss really, really loves his teachers there, and they are absolutely great with him. I always look forward to the study, as well. I love my core group and how much I learn from a collective study with others. We are studying Genesis, and it has been so very interesting. He's napping as I type, and we are heading to Home Depot when he wakes to buy paint for our bedroom. Yes, I am finally getting some stuff accomplished around the house!!!! 

I know it's a "play by play," but that's really all of what's been going on.... Ahh---the glorious life of a mommy/housewife/cook/cleaning lady...... Those "Real Housewives of Orange County" don't have nuthin' on me!!! haha