We're Back!

We're home! Jon got home Friday night; Savy and I got home Saturday afternoon. We came home to a flea infestation and have been spending all our time treating the house. The cats are getting a bath tonight....the dogs are still at the vet. I'll tell you guys all about the vacation soon!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I'm getting Savy packed to stay with her Mimi this weekend. She is very excited...she's ready to leave right this minute! She doesn't understand that we have to wait until Mommy finishes work.

Yesterday, Savy said "I love you" to me for the first time! That just made my day. I've been trying to get her to say it for the longest time, but she refused to say it to me or Jon. She has told Kallie "I love you" several times...just to mess with me, I think. It just melted my heart when she said it to me.

Wednesday Night Test Drive

I caught Savy and Vita playing together yesterday; Savy was pretending she was a dog. It was so funny...they even wallowed in the floor together.






Yesterday afternoon, Jon brought one of these home for me to test drive...



a brand new Dodge Grand Caravan. We drove it into town last night. We went to Barnes & Noble and Waldenbooks...I need plenty of books to read for my 8 hour train ride and 6 hour drive coming up. Savy absolutely loved it. I have to admit I liked it a lot, too. It was raining, so we got a chance to wear our new rainboots. Savy loves hers.



I feel like a super-hero in mine....you know how shiny plastic boots can make you feel invincible. So, this is my "Wonder Woman" pose. Sorry, I couldn't find my star-spangled briefs and red & gold bustier.


Savy was excited to go back to school today. Jon dropped her off this morning since he was driving the loaner instead of his "g-ride." She kept telling him "Hurry up, dada, it's time to go!" I'm glad she enjoys school, but it's very strange being here alone.

How To Treat Diaper Rash / Another Product Review

Time for another product review! If you have a baby or toddler, you need to keep these in your house at all times.



Savy had a few terrible cases of diaper rash when she was younger. Once it got so bad that I took her to her pediatrician...she actually had open sores (that was during the time she was in daycare). They told me to try all the usual things....A&D, Boudreaux's Butt Paste, etc. Those might be good for prevention, but when you already have a full-blown case of it, those don't do much to help it heal. It kept getting worse. I finally stopped using any kind of diaper rash ointment and started putting lansinoh (a nipple treatment for breastfeeding mothers) on her sores. It was completely healed within 3 days. It's great for healing small cuts and scrapes too. You can find lansinoh in the breastfeeding section of any store that sells baby products.



Resinol ointment is an excellent diaper rash cream. You shouldn't use it all the time, but if you notice any redness or beginnings of a diaper rash, apply resinol cream and it will heal it right up. This is absolutely the best stuff for diaper rash that I have ever used...I only wish I'd discovered it before we had several horrible rashes. Resinol cream is good for any skin irritation...just read the uses on the jar. This is not a prescription cream, but I do have to ask the pharmacist for it (it's kept behind the counter).



Update 9/1/08: While we were on vacation, Savy started getting a diaper rash. Of course, I couldn't find resinol anywhere. I decided to try the new Lansinoh diaper rash cream, and I am impressed. I put it on after her bath Wednesday night, and the diaper rash was gone by Thursday morning. I definitely recommend it!

Meet the Teachers

Last night we went to open house for Savy's preschool; we met the teachers, saw her classroom, and met her classmates. There are only two boys in the class; the rest are girls. She had a great time meeting new people and playing with new toys...she made herself right at home the minute we walked in. She took a special liking to one classmate in particular, Audrey. They sat in the rocker and rocked together, then they played chase and basketball. They took turns getting Jon to hold them up high so they could slam dunk the ball.
Audrey's parents seem very nice and fun to be around. We exchanged phone numbers...I guess that's the grown-up equivalent of "do you wanna be my friend?" I hope we can get together outside of school sometime since the girls played so well together.
Jon took lots of CUTE pictures, but I won't post them. I don't feel comfortable putting pictures of other people's children on the blog without their permission....and you don't want to start out a potential new friendship by asking "hey, can I post your kid's picture on the internet?"

This morning Savy was excited about her first day of school. Here she is before we left.



When we got there, I tried to get her to pose for a photo with her little backpack on. She couldn't wait to get inside, and she took off for the door without me. Her little backpack was so heavy, but she insisted on carrying it herself.




The teacher met us at the front door and took her inside; they ask the parents to say goodbye at the front door. Savy never looked back as she walked in with her little group. She went to the head of the line and was trying to open the door all by herself. I'm glad she's so independent, but I have to admit it made me a little sad, too.

A Good Little Mommy

Mom, you asked if Savy ever plays with the doll you gave her anymore....





I hope she'll be a pro when we decide to have a brother or sister for her. She's got the bottle feeding down...now we just have to practice changing diapers!

Biking and Sidewalk Art

We finally got to go for a bike ride this afternoon. It's been so long since we've done that; Jon had to air up all our tires. Savy loves it! She was telling Jon to hurry while he was trying to use the air pump. She's so cute in her little bike trailer. Jon said she's a lot heavier than the last time he pulled her...she wasn't too light the last time I pulled her either.



When we got home, Savy ran to get the sidewalk chalk. That's another of her favorite things. We ALWAYS have to draw the main characters from SpongeBob Squarepants.

SpongeBob

Patrick

Gary

Squidward


We branched out a little this time. Here's Max and Ruby

Wow, wow, Wubzy


And Jon's drawings

Saturday Night At TGIF

I worked today because Miriam and I switched out a few days. Savy got to harass Ezra today (I gave Kiki the day off); he was strangely tolerant of her today. He actually seemed to enjoy it when she covered him up for a nap.



We went for a late dinner at TGIF tonight...yes, we eat out a lot. Here's what I intended for Savy to wear. She wouldn't leave her belt on, so she had to change before we left.



And here's what I wore.



I did put on jewelry after taking the pics, but I didn't feel like taking more photos.

I have been dying to wear this sweater for months, and it has finally (barely) been cool enough to wear it. I love it...it's cashmere and soooo soft. The jeans are also new....my present to myself for finally reaching my goal size. I wasn't sure I could pull off skinny jeans, but I think it's ok. I thought I looked pretty good and that Jon would take one look at me and say "Wow, you look great." His reaction was, "Where did those come from?"

Caught Without My Rain Boots

Not too much to report today.....

1. Woke up and went for a run
2. Came home and showered
3. Went to get a haircut...saw David on the way in and waved
4. Came home, woke Savy, dressed her, and fixed her breakfast
5. Went to the office to pick up check stub...IT WAS WRONG AGAIN!
6. Visited with Rhonda, Sophia, and Catherine
7. Went to Costco

(Up until this point there was no threat of rain)

8. Came out of Costco and got completely soaked

And I mean the kind of soaked as in you get so drenched that you just give up and aren't even in a rush to get out of the rain anymore.
I wish I'd worn my new rainboots and raincoat today...or even grabbed my umbrella before we went into the store. Poor Savy got soaked, too; she was not at all happy about that. What the heck is going on? It's August...we NEVER get rain in August.

I started my apple cider vinegar experiment yesterday. It's day two, and I don't notice any difference in Vita, Kallie, or myself. I'll do it for two weeks just to give it a fair chance. I'll let you know how it goes.

I didn't get any pictures today, but here's one that Jon snapped of me trying to get Savy to go to sleep Wednesday night.



She refused to stay in bed, so I got into bed with her. I don't know what to do with her...there is a bedtime battle almost every night. It doesn't matter if she naps or not, if I get her up early, if she gets a lot of exercise during the day...nothing helps. Does anyone have any secrets to getting their child to go to sleep?

More Playtime

We went to the play area in the mall again today. Savy climbed, jumped, and turned flips






until she dropped.



When we got home, our rainboots were waiting at the front door. Of course the sun is shining and it's 90 degrees today. Savy loved hers, though, and had to put them on anyway.



I like mine, but I'll wait for a rainy day to wear them.

Jen, I Know How Much You Like Old Navy....

Just in case you didn't already know, Old Navy has their new fall children's clothing in. I got Savy the cutest outfit yesterday...I can't wait for her to wear it to preschool! I got this dress



And this cardigan to go with it



They have a lot of cute new things in. I love dressing her up...I'm so glad we had a girl!

I went to the Old Navy in Collierville yesterday; that one is new and has a bigger selection than the one in Cordova. It was raining, and I noticed that there were soap suds all over the town. That leads me to believe that they actually wash the city....now that's fancy.

Yesterday, Nanny and Lee Ottis came to visit; Savy got so excited when she saw them. We had lunch at S&P. Then they stayed home with Savy, and I went shopping for preschool clothes and supplies.




Late yesterday afternoon, Jon and Savy played ball. They got so tired that they had to take a nap. I know Jon will make me delete this pic when he sees it, but it is just so sweet I have to post it.


Yep, I knew he wouldn't like it. It was so cute...sorry if you missed it!

It looks like rain again today, and my rainboots still haven't arrived. I love this cool weather...it feels like fall. It's been in the upper 60's/lower 70's in the mornings. The change from summer to fall is my favorite time of year. I know this will not last long...it's August, after all. But I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

A Little Luck

Finally, a little bit of good luck yesterday! I actually still had the receipt for my battery (from almost 3 years ago), and it was still under warranty (expires in 10/08). So I got a free battery...can you believe that? Usually, things stop working a couple of months after the warranty period expires. Jon put it on for me, and my car is good as new.

Last night, Jon brought treats home for dinner. We had Chik-fil-a and Corky's (including some Corky's banana pudding). After dinner, he blew bubbles for Savy.



Savy started playing "mommy" last night. She put her twin baby dolls to bed, then she slept with them all night. As soon as she woke this morning, she put them in their strollers and wheeled them into the hearth room. Then she sat with them while she ate breakfast and watched cartoons. She even fed them some cheerios.



This is my last day of work on this 7 day stretch, and it is dragging! I hope we can go for a bike ride this afternoon when I'm done.

Hancock and Rotten Karma

Ok, my luck is just awful lately. Tonight, Jon and I traded out so we could see a movie. This means that he stays home with Savy while I go to see a movie; then I come home and he goes to see a movie. Tonight I went to see Hancock. I got there early, so I got the good seat...the one behind the handicapped row with the bar that you can put your feet up on. There were a total of four people in the theatre when I sat down. Four more walked in after I sat down. So that's a total of 9 people (including myself) in the theatre....that's practically empty. So this woman walks in with her two teenage daughters. Where do they sit? Right behind me, of course. That in itself bugs me. Why would you sit RIGHT BEHIND ME in a practically empty theatre? Have you ever heard of personal space? I will not sit within 2 rows of another person (unless I came in with them) in a nearly empty theatre. Just ask Krista if you don't believe me...remember how we had to change seats when we went to see SATC? Not only did they sit right behind me, but one of the girls kicked my seat periodically throughout the whole movie. Yes, I could have moved, but then I would not have been able to put my feet up.

What is it with me and movie theatre karma? I looked forward to the second movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy for a whole year. When it finally came out, the whole experience was miserable. There were two giggly, obnoxious teenage girls sitting right behind me who talked very loudly through the entire movie. There was a married couple sitting right beside me having an argument/shouting match. The woman got up and left the man sitting there. He then moved into her seat (to get further away from the annoying teenagers behind me) and took my drink with him. He took a drink before I could say anything, realized it was not his drink, and then tried to give it back to me! I finally got up in the middle of the movie and went outside to complain about the girls. I told the manager where they were sitting, then went back to my seat. The stupid manager went to the wrong side of the theatre, looked around for about 30 seconds, then left.

Back before theatres had stadium seating, the tallest person there would always sit directly in front of me. If there is anyone drunk, loud, flatulent, or just stupid in general in the building, they are bound to park themselves mere inches from me. I was nearly set on fire in a movie theatre back in 1989 when I went to see "The Burbs" with a friend. When I was very little, my parents took me to see Bambi in the local theater...something happened to the film and they were unable to show the movie (yes, Mom, I remember that!).

So, the movie ended (it was really good, btw) and I went to my car. The battery was dead.

It's a curse. And it's not the only thing I've been cursed with. Once upon a time, I stepped in gum at least once a day (usually 3 or 4 times daily) every single day for 5 days straight. There was a brief period where I got pooped on by birds for three consecutive days. And don't get me started on the condom curse (aka the huge grocery sack full of condoms that followed me across two towns)! Why do these things happen to me?

Jon is seeing Pineapple Express right now. I'll be seeing that one soon, I hope...the trailers look really funny.

UNpleasantville

What a crappy morning...it certainly made up for yesterday being really good!

I got up at my usual time this morning, went to let the dogs out, and it was still dark. There were lots of dark clouds, lightning, and it was just starting to rain. Needless to say, I did not get to go for a run this morning. I got back into bed to sleep for another hour before starting work.

When I got up, I discovered the storm had knocked out our internet and phone service, and comcast had no idea when it would be fixed. Guess what happens when I have no internet connection...that's right, I can't work from home. So I had to wake Savy and get her dressed, pack up the laptop, and go to the coffee shop in town (hoping their internet service was not out). Luckily, they had a connection, so I didn't have to go all the way to the office in Memphis. We had banana-nut muffins for breakfast. Thankfully, Savy was very patient and well-behaved again today...I was so proud of her!

Once our service was restored and I was back at home, I discovered my printer is out of ink. Now I have to go back into town to get a new cartridge.

I just recently bought myself a raincoat, and Mimi bought Savy a raincoat last weekend. I did have rainboots but returned them yesterday because they were too small. Jon's been making fun of me for getting prepared for rainy weather...asking if I think a flood is coming. Well, here you go, Jon. This is what our weather was like this morning.
Front porch view:

Back porch view:


You can see how the wind was blowing Savy's hair:


And the dogs definitely did not want to be outside:



I ordered rainboots for Savy and myself when we got home. These are Savy's


I almost got the exact same ones for myself (they have them in adult sizes). I decided that might be a little too cute for an adult, so I settled on these. They have cherries too, so they match Savy's boots but are more sophisticated....don't you think?


They should be here Monday. We probably will not see any more rain for another two months, but I'll be prepared when it comes!

Pleasantville

We had a nice, peaceful day today. Savy wasn't fussy or demanding; she was in a pretty good mood all day. We left the house after work for a quick shopping trip and went to the UPS store to send back the Wellies I ordered....who's ever heard of rain boots that run small for Pete's sake!

Savy is becoming a cat-person. Our cats live in the sunroom and have access to a completely enclosed outside area. I used to let her go into the sunroom to play with them, but she started crawling through the pet door and into the outside enclosure. Every morning Savy comes to me and says in her sweetest voice, "Can kitty-cats come in?" She clasps her hands under her chin as if to say "Please, oh please may I play with the kitties?" The way she says it is so precious...I really have to get her on video one morning.
Anyway, I usually let Kiki in first; she is more easygoing, and Savy's harassment doesn't seem to bother her too much. Ezra prefers to lie on my desk (on top of my paperwork) where Savy can't reach him. Savy spends hours crawling around with Kiki...pretending she's a cat I guess.




Tonight, Jon bought some cat toys. Savy found them and just had to play with them...maybe she's been spending too much time with the cats.