The Chicago Chapter

Birthday pancakes at Egg Harbor

2012-02-14T13:41:00.001-06:00

Birthday pancakes at Egg Harbor, a photo by lilbitfromks on Flickr.

Birthday pancakes at Egg Harbor

Pretending to sleep in the laundry basket

2012-02-14T13:12:00.002-06:00

Pretending to sleep in the laundry basket, a photo by lilbitfromks on Flickr.

Pretending to sleep in the laundry basket

Keaton Cuteness

2012-02-05T21:48:00.001-06:00

Tonight when I was rocking Keaton before bedtime, he put his head on my chest and he said, "Boom, boom!" so I asked him if he heard my heart and he said, "Uh huh! More heart, please?"... this child melts my heart daily. :)

Not sure if I included this recently, but here are some of the new (rather cute) things he's said in the last few weeks. He calls the microwave "Mikey-wave", thinks a question mark is a "Mousekatool" (thanks to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), and has gotten really excited to see things lately. For instance, he will walk into a room, see a toy/blanket/etc he hasn't seen in a day or so, and yell, "It's Panda!! Hi, Panda!!" or "Airplane blanket!!!!!!!" or my favorite, "We're home!! Hi, home!!" LOL... he'll even enter the room and say, "Hi, Mommy! Hi, Daddy! Hi, Keaton!" Now that he knows that his grandparents are coming soon for his birthday, he keeps saying, "Nana hold me, Keaton". He says it multiple times a day. Needless to say, he's pretty excited about family coming for his birthday next week.

Next week, what? How the #&!! did that happen? Two years ago on Superbowl Sunday, I was in 'pre-labor', and now I have a kid that gives me a running monologue about everything that's going on. :) I love it, but I can't believe how fast it has gone. So many people I know keep saying, "It's time for the next one!" and all I have to say is, the next on will get here whenever it's supposed to! :) Apparently it just hasn't been time yet. And I'm okay with that, because Mr. K is keeping me on my toes! I also think he will be an awesome big brother when the time comes.

In other news, yesterday Keaton got his first real haircut at Kid Snips. His hair was finally long enough to cut on the top and sides, so we went for it. He did not do very well- kind of cried/whined most of the time, and moved around enough that the stylist accidentally cut a little more off one of the sides than the other. As I've found through experience, though, it grows fast enough that I bet we won't be able to tell in a week or two. It looks really cute... he looks like such a little man now! Pictures to come soon, hopefully!

Today the boys and I went to the Arboretum. Even though most of the plants are dead and there aren't any cool fountains, etc due to the cold weather, I am happy to report two things: 1) I was able to take quite a few pictures for a big assignment due on Valentine's day for Intermediate Photography, and 2) we bought a membership so Keaton and I can take full advantage of the place when Spring and Summer arrive.Which I have been ready for since... last month. :)

That's enough blabbing from me. We're watching the recorded version of the Superbowl now and I'm having more fun watching Casey fall asleep sitting up while attempting to watch it. That must tell you how exciting the game is. This guy is pretty entertaining.

Time for me to drag my husband to bed now. More later!

-Ashley

The Picture

2012-02-01T14:27:00.000-06:00

Here's the edited picture that goes along with my last entry...

Notice the pajamas on the floor... along with his blankets and stuffed animals. Not sure why he likes throwing everything out of the crib now when he's done sleeping, but it's just another quirky thing that goes along with toddlerhood!

He's currently on a 2 hour nap... I took him to Grounds for Hope this morning and we had fun playing with my classmate Janine and her son Dawson. Poor guy is tuckered out! (So was I, I came home, folded some laundry, and took a nap myself!)

That's all for now... more later!

-Ash

Keaton's Natural State

2012-01-31T15:34:00.001-06:00

Last night I laid Keaton down for bed, as usual. Everything seemed to be normal until Casey and I heard a strange noise over the monitor... Keaton was awake again, and standing up doing something, so I decided to go investigate. When I walked in, there he was in all his glory: Stark naked and holding his diaper, pjs on the floor. I turned the light on and he got this huge, proud grin on his face and said, "Keaton naked!! Diaper off!!!" Oh. My. Goodness. And being the totally inappropriate parent I am, I started laughing and called Casey in to witness it. He laughed, too. I'm sure that didn't help us as far as trying to teach Keaton not to do things like that anymore, but it was too funny not to. Casey took a picture (which I may add if I can edit it a little... don't want it coming back to haunt Keaton too much when he's older... Haha!! Friends have suggested to put his diaper on backwards at night (if it becomes a problem) and safety pin his pjs. More fun to come, I'm certain! LOL... parenthood.

That's all for today- I got out of class early so I've been running around like a maniac trying to get things accomplished while little man is at school. I picked up the house a bit, vacuumed, cleaned the guest bathtub/shower, threw in a load of laundry, and got photos picked out for class on Thursday. All in all, a pretty productive (and slightly tiring) few hours to say the least. Just thought I would fill you in on our little nudist while I had a chance. :)

-Ash

Letting it out...

2012-01-23T13:05:00.000-06:00

Another Monday blog... At least I'm consistent at something right now! Another week has gone by, and we are still fighting this cold. The three of us sound like we smoke a pack a day with all our hacking and coughing. Keaton is getting better (we're going in today for a recheck on his ears... hopefully the newest meds are working!). I am either completely in denial that he's almost two, or he's just going through a really strange phase right now. The other night he had what we think was a night terror- woke up screaming and thrashing around, would not calm down for over 30 minutes, and would barely respond to anything I tried to do. He kept saying, "Keaton go go!! Keaton go go!!" and whenever I would ask him where he wanted to go, he'd stop crying. Other than that, he was screaming at the top of his lungs, hitting himself in the head, and throwing himself backwards. It was scary, to say the least. He's also not been going to bed very easily, and will throw everything out of his crib (which should teach me not to put anything in it!)... last night he decided he didn't want to wear pants, so he took them off twice and started to take his diaper off when I intervened and changed him into footie pajamas. We laid him down around 6:30 because he was obviously exhausted, but he didn't settle down and actually go to sleep until after 8:30. Today is the first nap he's taken where he laid right down and didn't fight it. I'm at a loss. People say not to go back in the room, and that's what I'm going to try to do, my concern is that he's trying to climb out of the crib now. I'm not quite ready to get him into a toddler bed, but I also don't want him to climb out of the crib and hurt himself, so we'll see if he settles down and stops his attempts.

I'm not going to lie, parenting has been really tough lately. I can't help but feel like I have no clue what I'm doing right now. My patience level is at an all-time low, and I'm not sure what I can do to make that improve. I do know that it's not fair to Keaton when I lose my temper or can't control my emotions when I'm overwhelmed, it's something I have to get a grip on. I just feel so incompetent lately!! Casey has been very supportive and encouraging, I just need to find a way to calm down, breathe, and reassess the situation. Easier said than done, but I think it will help everyone in my family if I can make it happen.

In other news, I'm trying my best not to be intimidated by my photography classes. I'm not exactly pleased with my pics on the first assignments (being stuck inside the house is not helping me come up with good topics to shoot!) and I'm a ~~little~~ lot nervous to show the rest of my classmates what I've done so far.

Enough of this negativity... sounds like Keaton is waking up now. Thanks for letting me vent!

-Ash

In Repair

2012-01-16T12:15:00.000-06:00

So far, 2012 has seen a lot of sickness for the Hetricks. Keaton got his first ear infection in both ears (which we are still fighting), and Case and I can't seem to shake this cold we've had for about two weeks. Things are looking better, now it's just time to get the littlest Hetrick back in good shape. Today his nose is running and he seems pretty tired, but he's in much better spirits and slept better last night. So did I, finally. I keep waking up around 3 a.m., though, wide awake.. then poor Casey's been so congested that he's snoring and I can't get back to sleep, so I go sleep out on the couch until he wakes up. Swiss Cheese sleep for me once again... it's starting to wear on me a bit. Hopefully tonight will go well, though, because tomorrow is my second week of class, and Keaton's second week of school.

Last week, with the exception of our first big snowfall, went well. Keaton actually took an hour nap on his cot at school on his first full day, which shocked me. He played well with everyone and apparently followed his teacher around all day. I enjoyed both of my Photography professors and look forward to a very fulfilling semester! They are both very passionate about what they do and I'm excited to learn from them. I haven't really figured out when I will get to actually take pictures for class, but we'll have to see if Keaton can accompany me on our 'off' days and make it work. Should be a fun semester- when we finally feel up to par!

I think that's about all for now. A few Keatonisms, though: The other day he said, "Daddy loves me" which made me smile, because that means he hears that phrase often. Not sure if I mentioned that he overheard Howie Mandel say "Jock itch" on Ellen a week ago, so he started running around the house saying, "Jock itch, hahaha!!" over and over... LOL... he also thinks everything is his now, and often tries to steal my bowl of cereal in the morning. Yesterday when Casey was getting his haircut, Keaton kept saying, "Keaton haircut! Keaton haircut!!" which made me laugh because I know if we would have sat him in the barber's chair he'd probably freak... and I am still looking for a place that doesn't charge ridiculous amounts of money for a child's cut. There's not much to cut! If only you could pay for the amount that is taken off... we could save a lot. Oh well.

Think that's about all for now... time to try and be productive around this house!

-Ash

Firsts

2012-01-09T21:16:00.000-06:00

This is a big week in the Hetrick household. Tomorrow, Keaton starts his first day of school at Cosmic Montessori. Thursday, I start my first day of classes for the semester. And to top it all off, today we found out that Keaton has his first ear infection... in both ears. It's only Monday, but it looks as though this week could be an interesting one.

The ear infection thing explains a whole lot about the 40+ minute meltdowns Keaton's been having every day this week. He never had a fever, but he's been extremely grumpy whenever he wakes up. Yesterday he cried for over an hour, and Casey and I were at our wits end as to what to do to help him. When I picked him up, he wanted down. When I put him down, he screamed bloody murder because he wanted up again. If I turned the light on, he wanted it off. Everything was the opposite, and nothing made him happy. It was rough. I think, though, that if I would have realized that he just didn't feel well, I would have been a bit more patient with him. It seemed as though he was just starting to express his opinion and figure out what lines he could cross with us. I hope the Amoxicillin helps him and he's back to himself as soon as possible.

I am pretty anxious about the school thing, on both our parts. I am really excited to start my classes, and less excited to leave Keaton all day long... but it will be good for both of us, and we feel like he is ready. Tomorrow he will go from 9:30-11:30 a.m. for a trial run, and Thursday he'll go from 9-5. It will be interesting to see how he does at nap time, etc. I'll try to give a full report Thursday evening or Friday.

Just wanted to keep you up to speed on what's happening around here... never a dull moment!! Our little boy is growing up too fast.

-Ash

New Year, New Chapter

2012-01-06T13:07:00.000-06:00

It was brought to my attention over "Christmas Break" that I need an outlet for stress, and while I've known that blogging is basically that outlet, I have not held up my end of the bargain and followed through with it. So, here's another shot. Another year, and lots of stress currently... but it's something I need to work through. Here's a snapshot on life right now:

We are still visiting schools for Keaton. We actually saw 2 more this morning, and we have to make a decision on them by next week. Stress level rising. We are looking at Montessori schools now, and while they are interesting, I'm not sure they are quite the right fit yet. We shall see. Casey was going to visit another one over lunch while Keaton came home with me to eat and take a nap. Lots of things to discuss with Dr. Hetrick this evening. This is such a tough decision!!

To add to it all, I was granted my chargeback (or co-op) agreement yesterday with the College of DuPage, so the college in my district is agreeing to pay the difference so that I am considered in-district at COD. Which is AWESOME. This means that I could basically take two classes for the price of one. I hope to take 6 hours this semester; Intermediate Photography and Tools and Techniques of Digital Photography. Let's hope this all works out. I've been on the phone with various people at COD to let them know about the agreement and find out if I have to make the hike to the school in person or if I can just send everything via e-mail. Classes start next Thursday, so I hope everything goes through in time! It's going to be down to the wire, but that seems to be the only way I get things done around here. Another thing I hope to learn this semester: Better time management!!!!!!

I guess that's all for now, but there's so much more to write! We just spent 12 days in Kansas for Christmas and New Years. That flew by, and we had fun, but it was so busy it almost feels like it didn't even happen. Keaton is pacifier-free now... I could write a whole entry just about that. I will attempt to write more often from this point forward, and hopefully that will let out at least a bit of the stress I'm feeling currently! For now, it's off to clean the house while Mr. K sleeps!

More later,

Ash

School Daze

2012-01-06T12:56:00.000-06:00

The thought of really getting to the core of my degree (or possible certificate... to be decided...) is starting to become a reality now. I am finished with all of my Gen Ed classes, and now I can dust off my Canon and figure out how much I've forgotten in 2 years since my last photo class. I got a bit lost in the idea of finally jumping in and accomplishing this goal- now, it's real. But in order to make school a reality for me next semester, that means little man is going to have to start, too (or we'll have to find a daycare/nanny). We hit the ground running (no thanks to me) and had two interviews today with two different schools. Just to clarify- we were interviewing them.

We started the morning off at The Goddard School. We met several people, and basically got to observe what the place was like. I was impressed from the start- everyone knew everyone else's name. It was clean and very organized. They had procedures, but had fun with them. The people were engaged with the children, and answered all of our questions. In general, I really liked it. But it was the first place we'd gone, so I didn't want to get my hopes up, especially since we hadn't seen a price tag yet.

We had another appointment this afternoon at another school, which I won't name, mostly because I highly doubt they will get our business. The vibe from the principal and staff was nothing to get excited about. It wasn't the cleanest place, nor was it as well organized. The student/teacher ratio was 8:1, which is tough with toddlers! So I think we figured out where we don't want to send Keaton. We have one more visit tomorrow afternoon, and then hopefully we'll make our decision. I'm excited for Keaton to have more structure, and I can tell he's excited to learn.

And that, my friends, was a blog entry I started on the 19th of last month... it's now January!!! Time for a new one!

-Ash

End-of-Semester Stressors

2011-12-06T10:48:00.002-06:00

Yep, it's December. Which means I didn't hold up my end of the bargain and update again before November ended. Thanksgiving was great with Nana and Papa Hetrick here. We got some awesome Black Friday deals without waking up super early or staying up super late. I feel like the rest of the time has been spent on school; It's crunch time now, and I have just over a week left until class is over. It's a bittersweet feeling right now. I have really enjoyed this class, not only for all of the things I've learned/become more aware of as far as the environment is concerned, but I've met some wonderful people that I hope to keep in my life long after class is over.

I've been pretty stressed out lately. Understatement. I had to take a trip to the doctor right before Thanksgiving as all the stress took a toll on my body. No worries, everything is fine now- just a reminder that getting a better grip on stress is something I should take more seriously! Most of my stress was due to all of the things that were happening yesterday in class- I had to take a test, which I probably didn't do so hot on since my attention was diverted to the oral presentation and 5+ page paper my group and I had to give. Our schedules never seemed to match up, so every time we would agree to meet, it never worked out that we could all be in the same place at the same time. On Sunday night, my friend and lab partner Aaron came over (same Aaron that provided the epic pre-birthday celebration with Lindsey) and we spent over 8 hours making our presentation. Our third groupmate, Emily, got called in to work and could not join us. We finally got finished with the presentation on Sunday evening around 11, and then went to school early yesterday to practice. We weren't even able to get all the way through it once before we had to present it, which was extremely nerve-wracking... not to mention the fact that I HATE public speaking in general, so I am fairly certain I shaved years off my life preparing and stressing over it. BUT, it turned out really well based on the feedback we have gotten so far. After our presentation, our classmate Mike told us a that he is glad we went later in the semester because we would have set the bar too high for everyone else. I should mention that the majority of my class doesn't give a shhhhh about doing anything- they don't read, don't take the quizzes, don't study for tests, play on Facebook the entire time, and I have as sneaking suspicion about 3-4 of them come in stoned half the time. This made giving the presentation a tiny bit less intimidating since I figured no one was really listening anyway. Nonetheless, I was still nervous to speak in front of everyone, so I got tripped up here and there and ended up reading most of the notes directly from the presentation instead of making it conversational (something Aaron excelled in, and I'm pretty sure he carried Emily and I because he made everything much more personable and interesting). Anyway, it's over now, so after doing a few finishing touches on our paper, we will be D-O-N-E. [Sigh of relief]. Now it's time to look into next semester and see what's in store for me. It looks like I have all photography classes from this point forward! Woo hooooo!!

So that's that. As for other aspects of life, Casey is tying up loose ends at work in order to start his new position (same building, different group/title/job level) in January. Keaton is running around everywhere, talking about everything, and keeping me very, very busy. In a good way, of course. He now sings the majority of Row, Row, Row Your Boat (too cute, I need to videotape it ASAP!). He screams whenever I have to get him dressed, and has started pulling his shirt up and flashing people regularly. I told him I didn't have any Mardi Gras beads for him so he's gotta stop. He is very motivated by M&Ms and "pops" (that's my kid, future sugar addict... oh boy) and he has been a bit more cooperative on the potty-training front. Very slow process, and I'm definitely not trying to rush it. He loves this video and song so much right now, I feel like I play it 300 times a day. While watching it yesterday, I asked him if the hamsters and robots were dancing, and he said, "They shufflin." He absolutely kills me!! He goes out of his way to make you laugh, which I love. He also will correct you if you call our new IKEA couch a "couch"... it's "sofa". Get it right, Mom. We finally got rid of the old, tired, ugly yellow couch (much to the dismay of several friends and family who thought it was so comfortable). They never had to break a sweat putting on the huge slipcover to hide the ugly underneath! I don't miss it at all! We gave it to our new neighbors down the street. :) Keaton is kind of obsessed with the IKEA ~~couch~~ sofa now and loves laying on the chaise. I do, too.. it's been great when I have to read for Biology- I can just stretch out and relax. (Wait, did I just say relax? Nevermind. Maybe someday!!) I promise to post pictures sometime soon, too- Casey took some of Keaton's first haircut over a month ago and asked me to help teach him how to edit, and we haven't gotten to sit down to edit them yet because we've both been too busy. I can say that I hope this month doesn't go the way November did, but I know it will, especially with the holidays. I promise to try and update again very soon!

-Ash

Oh!! One more cute Keaton moment and I'll leave you: Whenever we play the video above, or whenever Keaton sees the hourglass or circles that come up when something is processing, he says, "It's thinking". So the other day I asked him what he was doing, and he said, "I thinking." I asked him what he was thinking about, and he said, "I thinking... Mommy!" and now he says, "I thinking Daddy!" which is adorable. I tried to get it on video this morning, but he always clams up when I record him. I'll try to get that and the other fun things he's doing on video very soon! I'm such a slacker!!!!

Thankful... Turkey Day 2011

2011-11-24T19:32:00.000-06:00

So much to be thankful for today, and every day. This year has been sort of a tough one for us, through transitions with work, parenting, marriage, and life in general; I think it was a pretty good wake-up call to me that there are things in my life that need changing, and so I've started the very slow and not-so-easy journey of self-improvement. Who isn't doing that? Or trying to, at least? But I think there have been some moments in my life lately where I realize that I'm not who I want to be. What better time to figure out who you are than when you turn 30? Who knows... it sounds good right now. So here I go... as I started to feel like I was 'losing' myself lately and couldn't really figure out what made me "me"- I'm not just Casey's wife and Keaton's mom... but what else is there? Well, I don't know exactly, but I know I'm working on it.

I think part of blogging for me is a therapy to try and figure out just what's going on in by brain... and although it usually just comes out as a play-by-play of what we did for the day, someday I can look back at this time in my life and remember it for just a tiny second. Life changes so quickly these days that if I don't write it down, I'm afraid it will be lost forever. (I say this and realize that I have only written a handful of times this month... but it's the thought that counts, right?) I do know that I am thankful for the blogs I've written previously: My Experiences in America and most of all My Experiences in Japan because it allows me to go back and experience it all over again. Lots of words, lots of time, and someday, lots of fun stories to tell Keaton. (And maybe some to leave until he's much, much older...lol...)... Anyway, I'm thankful for all of it.

I am also thankful for all the people that have stuck by me, watched and helped me grow, and dealt with my very random and sometimes manic thoughts, emotions, or actions. If there is something I've also realized lately it's that there are certain people that come into your life to make you realize what living is all about. I feel totally blessed that I can count those people on two hands.

I guess that's all for tonight... hopefully more to come before the end of the month.

Love,

Ash

And...30.

2011-11-14T13:50:00.000-06:00

What an incredible end to my 20s. My best friend of 25 years surprised me on Thursday by flying up to Chicago for a few days. I was able to go out and celebrate with her and have some girl time on Friday night at a bar/restaurant where my friend and classmate Aaron works, and they treated us like VIPs. It as nothing short of an epic night with great food, terrific company, dancing, and drinking. Oh, and did I mention that my husband volunteered to make the 40 minute drive to drop us off? Amazing. Saturday, Casey threw a birthday party for me. It was great seeing local friends and I really enjoyed watching all the kids have fun together. Lindsey flew back home Saturday night, and then Sunday was spent with my boys. We had a great brunch and spent some quality time together. Casey helped me clean the house while Keaton took a 2.5 hour nap (and just woke up from another 2 hour one just now!). We went shopping and I refreshed my very tired wardrobe. Awesome, awesome birthday weekend.

That is a very short recap, but I wanted to write it before I get sidetracked again! So far, turning 30 has been very very good!! :-D

-Ash

End of my 20s: A look back. And Forward.

2011-11-09T10:34:00.000-06:00

Only four short days left in my 20s. Um...what? Where did that go? How did that happen? And what do I have to show for it?

I have an amazing husband and adorable little boy. I have a family who continues to care for me and support me, even though I have never stayed consistent with what I want to do with my life. I have amazing friends who support me and listen to my ramblings, worries, and many insecurities, and still stick around. I've got a car that runs and a house in a great neighborhood. I've got a job that may not pay money, but it pays in slobbery kisses and even the occasional "I wuv you". And that's just right now.

So much has changed for me in the past 10 years. Colleges, majors, living in a dorm. Being engaged. Moving home. Working for photography companies. Getting married. Moving to South Carolina. Getting Charley Brown. Working for the University of South Carolina. Living in Japan. Supporting Casey while he got his Ph.D. Moving to Illinois. Owning a house. Becoming a mom. Losing Charley Brown. Going back to school again. Man, what a ride!

As I look ahead, I have no idea what to expect. More losses and new beginnings. Jobs and schools and new adventures. Obstacles and bumps in the road. But one thing I've always had- and with care, I hope to continue to have- is a loving and supportive group of people around me who are there through it all. If you are reading this, you are most likely one of those people. Thank you for being some part of this journey, no matter what role you might play.

-Ash

And then it was November.

2011-11-03T14:10:00.001-05:00

I officially reached an all-time low in October for 3 total blog entries. Seriously, that month was insane! And I doubt this one will be any less crazy, but I think it's better that way. Here are some highlights: Time with Grandma De was great. Halloween was awesome. (Keaton loved trick or treating, even if he was a bit tired and shy- but he said "please" and "thank you" at almost every house! He also thought that the kids that came to our house were supposed to give HIM candy, so when a little girl came to our door and he tried to take candy from her bag, he was kind of upset and confused because she wouldn't allow it... haha! He caught on quickly, though.) I know we did a bunch of things just since the last entry, but I can't really remember them. Luckily I have taken a bunch of pictures during that time, though, so just check out the Flickr pics if you'd like to know what we've been up to.

Keaton is starting to put two and three words together, and is starting to tell little 'stories'. He is also a tattle-tale among our little group of friends, and tends to rat out anyone who isn't doing what he thinks they should do. I can't help but laugh... I think he comes by that honestly. He is a bit stranger shy these days, but it really doesn't take long for him to warm up to people. Once he feels comfortable, he starts chatting away. Last night, my Biology class was canceled for the second time this week, so the boys and I went out to dinner. Casey had been requesting a trip to Hooters for awhile now, and I always had some decent excuse not to go... until last night. Wouldn't you know, the second we opened the door, Keaton saw the hostess and then looked directly at her chest. I couldn't help but laugh... he is a GUY, after all. LOL... I'm in for it with this one. He continued to pour on the charm with all the waitresses. He even got a balloon and a free rubber duck out of the deal. What a little flirt! (Glad it was him and not his Daddy! Just sayin'!) :-)

What else is new... hmmm. I turn 30 in 10 days. I am trying to figure out what to ask for and am coming up empty handed thus far. I would love to have a better flash for my camera, but the ones I am currently looking at cost almost as much as the camera itself. Is it worth it? I'm not entirely sure. I have so much more to learn about this photography stuff! I am also looking into classes to take next semester. It appears as though my luck has run out with the classes I can take close to home, and I'll have to drive the 40 minutes to main campus in Glen Ellyn from now on... which may mean preschool/daycare for Mr. Keaton next semester. There are so many things up in the air right now that I'm having trouble sitting down and really looking into it because I first want to find out what is going on with Casey and job opportunities he is looking into. So far it looks as though we are staying put, but I'd hate to enroll and then end up backing out due to moving, etc. So, I'll wait a bit longer. Semester doesn't start until mid-January, so I have a bit of time. I've said it before, and I'll say it again- there is never a dull moment around the Hetrick household anymore! I do think it's better that way, though... it tends to keep me a little more motivated.

Mr. K is awake now, so it looks as though my break is over. More later!

-Ash

Toddlerhood... a sign of things to come.

2011-10-23T19:53:00.000-05:00

Keaton is not tiptoeing towards two... I would say he's running at full speed at this point. Sprinting. Hurdling. Today was one of those days that, as a parent, you sit back with a glass of (fill in the adult beverage) and think of days to come... "terrible twos"... the puberty/teenage years... all of those times where you wonder what the heck you are doing, and when this phase will end. And it will, eventually. Heck, I'm sure he'll probably wake up tomorrow and it will be totally different. Today was just...eh.

He had so much fun with his Grandma Hetrick this past week that I think maybe he's just starting to come back to reality. Tomorrow is going to be interesting, though... I'm sure he'll ask where "Nana" is first thing when he wakes up. We have music class tomorrow at the library, so hopefully that will make him happy. It is also supposed to be beautiful again tomorrow, so I plan on spending as much time outside as possible.

On a happier note, we had a very fun time yesterday with De/Nana/Grandma Hetrick at the Lincoln Park Zoo. We got to wear our Halloween costumes and heard lots of people talk about our little Yoda (Favorite comment was probably, "O-M-G, that is the cutest thing I've ever seen!!")... lol... I was a little embarrassed because people kept coming up and wanting to take our picture, but in all it was a very good time. Here's a pic! More to come... I have a ton to edit (about 6G, actually) so at some point before Christmas, you should see pictures from Fall 2011. I hope.

Halloween 2011- Lincoln Park Zoo

I think that's about it for tonight. Tomorrow is a better day!!

-Ash

MOA Trip

2011-10-17T22:28:00.002-05:00

Here's a recap of the last... 1.5 weeks since I wrote last? Yikes. I am seriously slacking on this.

I stare at the calendar and can't remember what the heck we've done lately. Ummm... Friday we left for Minnesota and met Keith and De at the airport in Minneapolis, then headed to our hotel and then Mall of America. We ate dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. I ate a pound of crab legs (which could have been more, honestly), and Keaton was slap happy and obsessed with the shrimp mascot Bubba and got upset whenever Bubba walked away from him. I'm glad he hasn't gotten to the stage where mascots freak him out... in fact, the two times we went to restaurants with mascots, he was super excited to see them. He didn't want them to go out of his sight. Again, just glad he's not screaming bloody murder or anything. :)

The next day, we went back to MOA and shopped til we dropped. Or at least until Keaton was ready for his nap... then we went back and shopped some more. I am now the proud owner of a pair of gray UGGS, something I never thought I would get, and honestly never wanted until I tried them on last year. It was an early birthday gift, and I haven't really taken them off since Saturday. They may not be practical, but they sure are comfortable and easy to get on and off, unlike the lace-up boots I've been wearing since 2008. Man, I need to revamp my wardrobe. I digress.

Casey is away this week at the AIChE conference in Minneapolis, so De came back to stay with us, which has been great. I am very lucky that I get along so well with my mother-in-law, because not many people I know actually like their mothers- or fathers-in-law. I lucked out with both. She has been great, and very helpful with Keaton. Tonight I had my third Biology test (*technically 2nd for me, since I was sick for the last one) so it was nice to be able to focus on studying today and not worry about Keaton. We are doing little projects around the house this week, and she's giving me nice insight on my husband. Which, really, is never a bad thing.

So I guess that's really about it. I mean, I know it's not. I know I'm forgetting tons of things Keaton's doing/saying. OH, like this one! We were checking out the Microsoft store at MOA, and watching a big group of young people play one of the dancing games on XBox. Keaton of course loved to watch them dance, and kept wanting to go up and dance with them, but I kept holding him back. Another lady near us encouraged me to let him go, so I did. And within a millisecond of letting him go, he ran right up to the TV and pushed the power button on the XBox, completely shutting off the game. Oh my goodness, I was so embarrassed. A bunch of people got up and left and were obviously not very happy about it, but then, he's a little kid and didn't know better! And I'm sure some of them were thinking, 'Where was that kid's mom?' Well, she was standing back with her jaw on the floor. I would also like to note that after going through MOA and the Minneapolis airport with that little man, I completely understand why people have 'leashes' for their kids... that may be one of the only ways I can keep my sanity since he's tiny and all over the place! Oh, and he hates holding our hands, so that makes it a little more complicated. Am I complaining? Sorry... I'll stop. I am just tired... that's not a complaint, it's a fact!! :)

I think that's all for the evening... I hope to write again sometime soon! :)

Love,

Ash

Reflections

2011-10-07T13:29:00.003-05:00

Oh, October.

It snuck up on me. I adore this month- the leaves changing, the crispness in the air. Even football. Maybe I like the excitement that other people have about football, but it's contagious excitement nonetheless. I love hot chocolate (esp. salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks), chili, s'mores, hooded sweatshirts. HALLOWEEN!!!

October brings back so many memories for me... Bugging my Mom to death as a child about what I was going to be for Halloween, and then wishing it was more than just one day so I could show off whatever awesome costume she made. [The toilet costume in 4th grade (the absolute best costume of my childhood, no doubt!) and the Spartan Cheerleader costumes she made Casey and I as adults were my faves. I will say it again- I only hope I can make Halloween as exciting for Keaton as Mom made for me!] Taking a walk with my Dad around our neighborhood as a kid and picking up all the pretty leaves, then coming home and pressing them between sheets of waxed paper... Swinging and listening to music for hours and hours... Going out for pizza and to haunted houses with my swimming teacher Pam and her husband Thomas (and stealing all the mushrooms off his pizza at dinner, and burying my head in his chest at the haunted house because I was too freaked out to open my eyes...lol...)... Going with friends to the haunted houses in Kansas City and nearly peeing my pants when a midget jumped out at me... I could go on and on.

Grandma, Mom, and I- May 2000, my high school graduation

I can't talk about an October memory, though, without remembering October 6th, 2000, the night my Grandma passed away. I will refrain from recapping that night, because even though it's been awhile, it still hurts just as much if I allow myself to remember. I just want to acknowledge the impact that she had on my life. I learned so much from her, and wish that I would have realized how special she was when I had her around and actually told her how much she meant to me. I was just out of high school, and really didn't realize the value of much of anything. If only my almost-30-year-old self could go back and give my 18-year-old self a little talking to... I definitely would have done things differently. But what I take away from this experience is that you have to realize what is right in front of you, and enjoy it to the fullest while you can, because there is no promise that it will be there tomorrow. I cherish each and every memory I have from Octobers past... and the lessons I've learned from them.

I wonder what my 40-something-year-old self would say to my almost-30-year-old self?

-Ash

Mommy & Fangs

2011-09-25T20:34:00.002-05:00

This weekend went so fast, I really don't know what the heck happened... I am trying to think about what we even did this weekend. And wouldn't you know, I am right smack in between two very long weeks where Casey is doing training activities at work, and working late nights. We have been so spoiled the last few months- he'd been home by at least 4:30 every night. I will get through this week... I will I will I will.

A few things to note about the last week: My sister-in-law Leslie got engaged on Wednesday night! I can finally called Mitch "Uncle Mitch" soon! We are so excited for them!!

Speaking of new names, Keaton decided, almost one year to the day that he started saying "mama", that he would graduate me to "Mommy" this weekend!! He just started calling Casey "Daddy" in the last week, too. I can't help but smile whenever he says it. :) Heck, I even smile when I hear him say "Daddy"! When I ask him, "Where is Keaton?" he now points to himself! He also attempts to say "Trick or Treat" which sounds like "tee teet", and can kind of say Yoda... I figured it would be good for him to know who he is going to be for Halloween. :) I ordered our costumes yesterday. Then I just need to make a light saber for Keaton out of glow sticks... wow, I'm a huge nerd. And... no one is shocked by this epiphany.

Keaton also gained his two upper canine teeth in the last week, which would explain why the week was soooooo long! He was pretty moody a lot of the week. Hopefully the bottom two will come in soon, and then we'll just have the 2 year molars to look forward to (ha, right!) and we'll be done.

Speaking of done, I thought I had more to write, but alas, it's 8:30 and I need to read some more Biology before I sleep. More later!

-Ash

Oh, I totally forgot!! I got a B on my first Bio test!!! That is quite a bit higher than I expected. THANK GOODNESS. I am still frustrated with class, but that makes it a bit better. :)

Odds and Ends

2011-09-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

Hello... it's me again. I have not dropped off the face of the planet, I assure you. Life is BUSY. The last 2.5 weeks have consisted of Casey's birthday and surprise arrival of his family, and then the arrival of my parents for just shy of a week. Now it's Wednesday, and I think that being spoiled by all the people in our house recently has made me very aware of how lonely it can be when everyone leaves. It is making me the tiniest bit burnt out this week, but I think that's mainly because 1) I am frustrated with Biology class, 2) Casey has a conference going on and has worked later than normal since Monday. It is a two week conference, and I am already ready for the two weeks to be over. He spoiled us by getting home early so often in the last few months, that when he comes home after 5, it feels like he's been gone forever. Moral of the story is, I need not to be spoiled.

The last two weeks have been a lot of fun, minus Biology class. After that darn Bio test, I am struggling to be motivated to do anything in class. We should get our grades tonight, and I am definitely not looking forward to it. This should motivate me to do better on the next one, the problem is, I am not really sure how to study for the next one. I was very confident and sure of myself going into the test, and it totally took me by surprise- in a bad way. I doubt our teacher is going to be very happy with the outcome, but maybe he will take another look at the way he's giving us the material and do it differently. I hope. Not that he's totally to blame, but he certainly isn't helping the matter. Anyway, enough complaints. I just need to keep up with my reading, review a lot, and understand the concepts. Sounds simple enough.

In other news, I am trying to get Keaton's costume idea nailed down and figure out if I'm going to buy it or make it. At this point, making it seems to be the less expensive solution, but I don't know how to manage housework, schoolwork, parenting, being a good wife, and making a costume. I was able to make it last year, but that was a totally different time in our lives- Keaton wasn't walking yet, was still taking 3 naps a day, and I didn't have classes. [Chelsea Bartel, if you are reading this, I need to channel some of your awesome motivational energy ASAP!!]

Just thought I would let you know what is going on in Hetrickland at the moment... more to come... hopefully sooner than later!

-Ash

Weekend, and words

2011-09-06T12:06:00.001-05:00

What a weekend! I actually felt like I had a weekend this time, which was nice. I normally feel like I blink and it's the start of a new week. When I woke up thinking today was Monday, it was a nice surprise to realize that it had come and gone already. It's not only the folks in the working world that dread Mondays... I know I'm not the only S@HM that thinks this!

We packed our weekend full of various things like home improvement projects and socializing. We now have a new fan (with a light!!) in our living room. It really adds a lot to the room, and I enjoyed it so much more last night when I was getting my homework done. (Thank you for installing it, Casey, even though you will probably never read this!) I'd also like to thank my husband for making so many improvements to our yard, which is looking better all the time.

We went to Last Fling on Saturday in downtown Naperville, and had lunch with Kelley, Tim, and Nolan at Egg Harbor Cafe. I love that place!! Kelley and her mom have taken us there a few times now. They have Red Velvet pancakes, which sounded too sweet even to me at first (being the sugar addict), but they were amazing! We are definitely making that a common place to take friends and fam when they come visit. After lunch on Saturday, we took Keaton to the family events they had at Naper Settlement. He got to ride a horse for the first time, and I think he enjoyed it. I enjoyed it up to the point that the horse decided to bend down and eat some grass, and Casey had to grab Keaton so he didn't fall off the front of the horse! Yikes. Momma heart attack.

Sunday we continued the social festivities by attending our neighbor's Labor Day/birthday party. Keaton went swimming with Casey, and I got to hang out with the neighbors. It was a lot chillier on Sunday, so I showed up to the party in my bathing suit and turned right back around to put on jeans. What a weird weekend as far as weather is concerned. It was hot and rainy Saturday, then blustery and cold Sunday. Luckily it's been beautiful yesterday and today. We've got a few errands to run this afternoon to tie up a few things for Casey's birthday. So far it looks like it will be a good one! Keaton and I are taking him out to dinner on Friday night (with a surprise or two up my sleeve). We are having a few friends over Saturday afternoon to celebrate as well. I hope he has a good one! I'll write details after the event, just in case he does actually read this. :)

As far as Keaton goes, we've had a few rough days over the past week. He is really struggling to find his independence, and BOY is the kid independent! He wants to feed himself now with utensils, which means the dining room table is an absolute disaster area when he flings apple sauce, Gogurt (his current fave), or whatever all over the place.(I'd like to note, before I forget, that I made meatloaf the other night, and he actually really likes it! He ate more last night for dinner. Hooray!!) He gets pretty upset when we try to help him with things. Some days he doesn't know what he wants. Last Thursday he was really moody all day long, and cried more than he has in a long time. He wanted me to pick him up, then he'd push me away. He didn't want to play. He didn't want me to read to him. No clue what was wrong, but I guess Casey could hear the frustration in my voice, because he brought flowers, wine, and dessert home with him after work. It really helped brighten up one of the toughest days I've had since Keaton was a baby. I couldn't even peel potatoes because Keaton was tugging at me so much that he almost pulled off my pants! LOL... so glad that day is over.

This weekend we had another tough time with him because he kept doing things we would tell him not to do, and then when we sat him in Time Out, he thought it was funny. (Nothing frustrates me more when I'm upset with him and he laughs.) I realized that he doesn't learn anything by sitting in Time Out by himself, but if I sit him there and hold him still, he gets upset and realizes he's in trouble. He said he was sorry and gave me a hug. He wouldn't nap, and we spent 2 hours trying to get him to, because he was obviously very, very tired, and CRANKY. Oh, and I should also mention that his new favorite word is "No". I say that word more than I would like to, but I have really tried to keep it at a minimum. I try to divert, or say, "Let's not do that" or something along those lines. Now he hears some of his older friends say no, though, and mimics them. It was bound to happen eventually.

In happier Keaton news, he now says "please" (sounds more like 'peese') quite a bit now. He can tell me what he wants for breakfast, whether it's O's (Cheerios), faffles (waffles), me-mul (oatmeal), or go-got (Gogurt). He basically repeats the last word in any sentence we say, and luckily only a few of them become words that he remembers and uses regularly... I say that mainly because I said "bitchin" the other day and he repeated it. Mommy fail. He hasn't said it since, and we didn't make a big deal out of it, so hopefully I won't hear him say it (and won't say it myself) for a long, long time!

I guess that's all for now. I got my homework done last night, and got some cleaning and lawn watering done this morning, so I felt like relaxing a bit before he wakes up from his nap. He's been asleep since about 10:45- maybe if I'm lucky he'll go for a 2 hour stretch today!

-Ash

Busy busy busy

2011-09-01T12:08:00.002-05:00

My motivation is super low today after attempting to wear Keaton out so he would take a good nap. The nap part is going well (although knowing Keaton, he will wake up when I'm blogging, as he tends to) but my motivation to get anything done around here is next to nothing.

I don't have class again until Wednesday, thanks to Labor Day, so reading and taking online quizzes for class really doesn't appeal right now. I am working on watering the lawn since we had it aerated yesterday and they put new seed down. Watering the lawn and having an almost 19 month old has its limits. I need to find a way to get him to help me with it, and then maybe it won't be such a hassle. :)

There is a lot going on around here lately, so I haven't taken much time to do anything other than study, sleep, and of course hang out with Mr. K. The house is a mess, and I'm working on that slowly, but we had mulch delivered last week and I knew better than to vacuum the floor for a few days as we tend to track some of it in with us everytime we are outside. We have been outside a LOT since the much arrived, and my husband has been working his tail off to make sure our yard looks better than it ever has. He's done a really great job, and I'm thankful for that, because I just attempt to do small things out there and end up making a mess. I did not inherit my Dad's green thumb. I think at one point in my life, I actually liked digging in dirt and didn't mind being covered in grass... but now, since taking the time to take a shower has to be pretty much planned out having a little guy around, it's not as easy. I guess I could stand to relax a bit, too, and just get dirty once in awhile.

Yesterday, Keaton and I went over to Kelley and Nolan's, and the boys played for about an hour in their back yard. Keaton got soaking wet in the hose, and then went down the small slipper slide about 20 times, and had grass all over him. I threw him in the tub and then laid him down for a quick nap before I had to leave for class last night. In the 2 hours I was gone, he got totally dirty again (sweating from head to toe while racing- as in running, which he learned to do recently- our neighbor Tyler) and we had to give him a second bath last night before bed. Between dirt, mulch, chalk, and grass, I don't think an inch of him has stayed clean for more than 20 minutes (unless I keep him in the house, of course). I realize our days of playing outside in the warm sun are numbered now, so I'm letting him do it as often as possible. Casey and I purchased a bike trailer last weekend, so now we can tow him around and go for a ride. (Hindsight: That would have been wise to do earlier in the year, but oh well.) I see some nice cool evening rides ahead of us in the near future, as soon as my bike is aired up... I haven't ridden a bike since we lived in South Carolina! Casey took Keaton for a little ride around the block last night in the trailer, and Keaton loved it.

I guess that's about all for now. I'm planning to actually make dinner tonight- something I have slacked on this week- and look forward to spending a nice evening with my boys. Tomorrow is Friday, and Casey has Monday off. Woo hoo! Good things ahead.

-Ash

AHHH!! Before I forget!!! Keaton heard my heartbeat the other day, so I asked him, "Do you hear it go, 'boom, boom'?" From that point on, he would put his hand on his chest and say, "Boom boom heart! Boom boom heart!" Last night he listened to Casey's heart, and it was neat to watch his facial expression as he heard it. His eyebrows went up, and he sat up and said, "Heart!" I heart watching him learn every day. :)

School Days

2011-08-26T14:11:00.000-05:00

What a week it's been... I am so glad it's Friday. This time last week I was getting ready for my quick trip to Topeka to celebrate my best friend's 30th birthday! It went very well, and very fast. I think in the 30 hours I was away from Keaton and Casey, I have never wanted to be two places more in my life. But I made it through, and cried only happy tears. Hard to believe that was almost a week ago now!

I survived my first week of Environmental Biology. My professor is a very nice older man, probably in his 60s, who is very open-minded and encourages us to challenge the things he says in class (and happens to have a very thick accent, which makes listening and taking notes a little more challenging!). He wants to learn from us as we learn from him, which I respect a lot. It is nice to have someone who is will to teach and learn in return instead of professors like I've had in the past who think it's their way or the highway. I feel like I'm going to learn a lot in this class, and it's interesting and very applicable because there are topics related to it almost every night on the news. (Not that I watch the news that much anymore... it can be so depressing! But now I'm a little more interested thanks to the class.)

I am only the second oldest in the class- I was a little nervous about being the only one that wasn't right out of high school. Luckily a guy I met on the way into class the first night is right there with me. He and I agreed to work together if we have projects and things throughout the semester. We already found out about a paper and presentation we have to give, but if I understand it correctly, we won't have to give ours until almost the end of the semester because of the topic we chose. (We got very lucky on that one, because I chose the topic, only to find out later that groups will give their presentations when the topic comes up in class discussion- ours is slated for the end of the semester, in late November. Woo hoo!)

Mr. K is awake now, so I guess it's time for me to go. I'll try to update again soon!

-Ash

Before I forget...

2011-08-17T13:04:00.000-05:00

Last night after Keaton got out of the bathtub and we got his pajamas on, he was walking out of our bedroom and very loudly passed gas. Then he turned around to Casey and I and said, "Big toots!" LOL... I couldn't believe my ears! He is such a little boy...

The last two days he's been waking up at 4:15 in the morning. No bueno. I have given him something to drink, a little bit of Advil, and put him in bed with me... he ended up sleeping almost 2.5 more hours each day. He also talks in his sleep now. He is so much like his Daddy.

Speaking of, Keaton's waking up from his nap now, so I should go. I'm headed back to Topeka this weekend- solo- and look forward to celebrating my best friend's 30th birthday Saturday night. Then I'm back home Sunday evening and start school Monday. Am I ready for this?? I'm sure I'll let you know next week. :)

-Ash

I'm a student again...!!!

2011-08-15T14:59:00.000-05:00

I'm officially enrolled in Biology 1110. Holy crap, what am I doing!?!?

Class starts NEXT MONDAY and I am freaking out. But kind of excited. But mostly freaking out.

My class is every Monday and Wednesday night from 4-6:20, and the best part is that it is only 10 minutes away from my house, so Casey got permission to get off work early and be home to watch Keaton. Yippee!! I sincerely hope I can do this... I don't want to be pessimistic before the class even starts, but... BIOLOGY. OHMYGOODNESS.

Here goes nothing. I knew I just had to jump right in and do it, and I'm having such a productive day today that I thought... DO IT. Just do it.

Alrighty... I guess Mr. K is not going to nap this afternoon, even after waking up at 4:15 and then again at 5ish this morning, and taking a fairly short nap around 10. Maybe we'll go outside and enjoy the nice weather.

Biology. OHMYGOODNESS.

-Ash

Little man, growing up

2011-08-11T12:57:00.001-05:00

Upside: Keaton has been in a very pleasant, happy mood today, and woke up after 6 (second day in a row! Woo hoo!) Downside: After two rather long attempts, he is still not taking a nap for me. He's been up for over 6 hours now. I think he has finally settled down (he isn't standing up in his crib, or singing, or throwing things out on the floor) but he's still awake. I really hope for at least a 2 hour nap from him since he's waited so long. (Maybe I can actually clean the bathrooms!!)

He just ate some steak and corn casserole with me for lunch. He is almost refusing to drink water now, and seems to only want "moke" all the time. (I guess it could be a lot worse, right?) He said "I wan jello" while sitting at the table- in a regular chair, mind you. He doesn't seem to want to sit in his high chair anymore... think it's time for a booster. Yesterday at lunch, he shocked me by refusing to drink from his sippy cup, and would only drink out of a glass, without a straw. I still haven't gotten him to drink from a straw at all, I guess maybe we will skip that for now and work on the cup by itself. I have to hold it for him, but he does a good job drinking and not spilling it out the sides. He sure is growing up fast.

Tomorrow, he will be 18 months old. A year and a half. That is insane. He is talking even more than ever, and likes to point to just about everything he sees and tell me what it is. Books are a lot more fun now- he can point to everything in Goodnight Moon when I read about it. He especially likes the bowl of mush...lol. (I think he just likes saying "Mush".

Words, words, and more words:

Milk- "moke"
Grapes- "bakes"
Strawberries- "Staw-ah-ees"
bubbles
chalk- "cock"... I'm really working on that CH part with him!
clock- same as above...lol
color- "kee-ya"
watch
phone
sunshine- "suh-sine"
heart
star
remote- "mote"
Jello sounds a lot more like jello now!
bear- "bee-ahh"
tree- "tee"
flower- "Fow-ah"
Purple sounds a whole lot like purple. I also think it's his favorite color, because he will pick out the purple crayons in the box of 100+. Maybe if we have another kid they will like blue and red. ;)
yellow- "yah-yo"
George (as in Curious George)- "Joh-J"
Cat is "Ca" or "Meow meow"
Duck
cracker- "caca"... lol... I will not tell him what that means in Spanish...
Nutrigrain Bar- "Bah"... it sounds like he has a Bostonian accent
"Scoot"- when he wants to scoot off of a chair or the bed
book
night night- "nigh nigh"
booty- "Bye-ey"
Neighbors names; Scott "Cott", Mike, Nina, Barbi "Bye bi", Tyler "Ty-lah", Nolan "No" or "Nos", Emily "Emmy", Robin "Rahbi"
Bambi- "Maym-bi", which he now wants to watch 5 times a day!
Grandma- "Gahmah"
Grandpa- "Papa"
cloud- "cowd"
airplane- "bay-payne" lol... you have to see what he's looking at to translate that one
door- "doh"
shoe

There are a lot more, but I think those are the most common these days. He is absolutely, completely blowing my mind.

He's finally asleep- time to go clean something!

-Ash

Anxiety... Enemy #1

2011-08-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

Oh, anxiety, how you plague me. I just started really looking into going back to school... again, only a few weeks before school STARTS, but I digress... and my anxiety is on the rise. I think it's the thought of really going back and leaving Keaton with someone that makes me nervous. Or maybe it's actually getting something completed that has me on edge, I don't know for sure. Either way, this little voice in my head keeps telling me to give up, but I can't listen. I've listened to that voice more than enough and have nothing much (academically) to show for it.

One thing at a time. First, I have to figure out if the college still has me in the system, or if I've been gone too long and have to reapply. It's only been 2 years... but that seems like forever ago! Last time I was there, I was 7 months pregnant and waddling up and down the hallway to my Photoshop class. Now, I can't even remember what my username/password combination was to sign in and see what classes I have taken. Mom Brain? I think so. I hope so. But I honestly sat here for 2 minutes trying to remember the semesters I was even IN college last. 2008? 2009? Did I go from Spring to Fall? Sadly, I can't remember. (Maybe I blogged about it... hmmm.....)

Anyway, I am really trying not to listen to that annoying little voice in my head, and actually push through and get this started. I know this is the hardest part. But those "What Ifs" Shel Silverstein talked about are crawling inside my head and making me second guess everything.

-Ash

The Future

2011-08-06T12:59:00.000-05:00

Well, we are not moving to Ohio anytime soon. Things just didn't add up for Casey to take the job in Toledo, so we are staying put. I think the situation turned out for the better for us, as we have plenty to do with our own house before we start worrying about another one. In the next few weeks we are going to try to tackle some of the things we haven't yet, and I think in the long run it will be best for us so we can sell it in better condition than we got it, eventually. It's the smart thing to do.

For me, at least, all this talk about possibly moving made me realize that I need to get my booty back in gear and try to go back to school soon. I need to get at least a few classes under my belt again. It would be good to dust off the cobwebs and relearn some things about my camera, too. Hopefully in the next week or two, I will be able to set up a meeting with an advisor and figure out what classes I still need to get a degree or certificate. (Of course I kick myself now, as classes start again soon, and I am just now seriously thinking about this... but then we didn't know we were NOT moving until yesterday.)

Thinking about school for me also makes me realize that we should probably get Keaton into some type of school-like environment... which is probably something else I should have thought of previously. How does that sneak up so fast? I guess it's easier since I stay at home with him and I am not concerned about going to work, etc., because then he would've needed a place to stay during the time I'm not home. Hopefully we're not too late in the game and we'll be able to get him started somewhere, even if it's just for a few days each week.

Lots going on in the future. For now, Mr. K is waking up from his 2+ hour nap now, so off I go. More later!

-Ash

Cooling off

2011-08-04T11:46:00.000-05:00

It has finally cooled off in Chicagoland. I think the high the rest of the week into next week is supposed to be in the mid to low 80s, which sounds like perfect summer weather to me. This has been a weird season, mainly because it was cooler and wet in the beginning, and now it is just too bloomin' hot. I remember long winter days when we were stuck in the house, and now I will think of the long summer days when we're stuck because it's too hot to go outside. Poor Keaton just wants to play with his bubbles. (All the time.) I dread winter, but I wouldn't mind if Fall made an appearance sooner than later, as long as it stuck around for awhile.

That makes me think of Halloween... I would normally have already thought about it in more detail, but this year is a little off. If Casey gets/accepts the job in Ohio, we will be moving by October 1st, which means we would be in a totally different place for Halloween. I guess I don't want to think too much about that right now, because there is nothing I can do about it... just wait and find out what's going on. I hate being in limbo... I feel less motivated than normal. (That's almost scary!)

Now it's time for Keaton's Words of the Week:

Scott (Cot)
Mike
Robin (Rah-Bi)
Milk (Moke)... I think he's been saying this for a few weeks now, but not sure if I mentioned it before.
Jello sounds more like "Jel-Do" now and less like... dildo. LOL...
Please (Pees)
Thank You (Tah Kah)
Sorry (Sah-he)
Block
Phone (Fon)
Money (I guess you can't learn that one too early, right?)
Bambi (mam-ee)

I know there has to be more. Really, he tries to repeat everything, so I should try to write this down when Casey and I are having a conversation, or when I'm on the phone, if that were possible. Earlier this week, I asked him to sing a song. I love asking him this because he gets his 'song voice' and starts singing inaudible things, but occasionally you'll hear "Melmo" or "Mama" or "Dada". It is too cute! And somewhere thrown in there are letters- E and I seem to be his favorites. When I ask him to sing the ABCs, it normally sounds like, "B... I... E... C... O..." or some combination of things. Love that kid... he is hilarious.

Speaking of him, he's taking a good nap right now, and we are supposed to meet my friend Kelley at the park at noon. Not sure how that is going to happen at this point, but I would rather have him sleep since he was wide awake at 5:15 this morning! I guess it worked out well, because we had to take Casey in to work since he hit a deer on the way in yesterday morning. His car is getting fixed, and insurance is paying for a rental, so I guess this was our first and last morning taking him in.

Little man is up now... gotta go!

-Ash

Chi-town Adventures

2011-07-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

Today Casey, Keaton and I got all touristy and went to downtown Chicago to visit the Willis (Sears) Tower. We decided to take advantage of the time we have in the Chicago area, just incase we decide to move, and do something we've wanted to do for awhile. We had a really good time, and didn't have an agenda, so we took our time and relaxed as we walked around the SkyDeck. It was a beautiful day, so we were able to see just about as far as you can see from the top of the tower. (I also found out that the tower is 368 Ashleys tall. Neat.) We also decided to stop by Garrett's Popcorn that we've heard so much about. We bought a tin of popcorn (and actually got it all the way home before eating any... we're saving it to share with the neighbors tonight). It was a really fun time roaming around downtown with the boys. I took quite a few pictures that I will need to check out soon. Check out Flickr in a few days and there should be something new and fun. :)

After we got home, we put Keaton in his swim suit and went over to our neighbor's pool. It was a lot of fun just hanging out with all the neighbors... and of course Keaton loved all of the attention. :) We have been going outside about once a week at night to sit and chat with the neighbors, which has been fun. This is the closest we've gotten to them, and of course that happens right before we may move away. Or not. I'll let you know how that works out later. It's a nail biter in the Hetrick household right now... so much to think about. I don't envy Casey right now!

More later...

-Ash

Til It's Gone

2011-07-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

I hate how clear things can be in hindsight. I know I have talked about this before, but it seems to be a theme in my life... and that is just becoming more apparent to me in the last week.

There is a chance we could be moving. To Ohio. And it didn't hit me until the realtor showed us houses in the Toledo area on Monday... we've got so much work to do if we move. This house has been terrific, especially for our first home. We really got lucky with the house, neighborhood, and price. It also amazes me how much different the housing market is now, and how much more house we could have in Toledo for the same price that we paid for this one, which we are outgrowing. We could easily get a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with finished basement and a lot of other perks for the same price we paid for our little 2 bedroom ranch in Plainfield. It's hard not to get excited about something like that.

Still, though, thinking about moving has put a lot of other things in perspective for me. The friendships we've made here. The places I wish we would have gone more often. The classes I should have taken. Things I wish we would have done to the house that would have made it much more pleasing to the eye if we have to sell it. Hindsight, like Karma, is kind of a bitch. Why couldn't I have seen these things before?

Nothing is set in stone, and we probably won't have any decisions made until sometime next month, but it still makes you step back and realize the things you have that you didn't even notice until you might not have them anymore. Sometimes I think life is all about perspective... I really need to find a new one and take advantage of what I have right in front of me before I don't have it anymore.

And with that, I am motivated to go clean something. :)

-Ash

Things I'm thankful for today...

2011-07-24T20:04:00.000-05:00

Driving in crazy weather and making it to our destination (Toledo, OH) without any problems.
The hotel and area we are staying in is nice, clean, and friendly.
The baby monitor reception reaches all the way downstairs to the restaurant/bar, so we can sit and relax after Keaton goes to sleep!
Keaton is asleep!
There is a pretty decent sushi restaurant right across the street from the hotel and we went there for dinner.
I realize I haven't yet talked about why we are here... Casey has a job interview on Tuesday. We are here checking out the area. There is a decent chance we won't be moving and Casey won't change his jobs (at the Naperville location, at least), but he is keeping his options open. Thus, we took the family road trip here today.

I think that's about all for now. I really hope Keaton sleeps better than he has the past week. Darn those teeth!! All he can talk about is "wah wah"... he even says it in his sleep. Operation "Eliminate Pacifier" will begin shortly after this trip is over.

Random: I am sitting by a window at the restaurant right now, and Casey is sitting outside the window with a glass of wine and a cigar. For people that don't know we are married, we probably look strange as we keep looking at each other and "talking" back and forth. I always wonder what people would think in situations like this if they observed us without knowing our situation. As someone who does that with other people, I would find it humorous. Anyway... more later. :)

-Ash

Scaling the walls.

2011-07-20T12:19:00.000-05:00

I just saw Keaton climb up on the couch by himself. Yay for scary milestones! As long as he doesn't try to climb out of his crib, I think we will be okay. Right?? One of my friends has a little girl named Harper that was born on the same day as Keaton, and she and her husband had to transition the crib to a toddler bed recently because Harper figured out how to climb out. I sincerely hope Keaton decides to wait for awhile... I don't know how we will ever get him to go to sleep when he realizes he can get out by himself and play instead!

Last night he woke up crying at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 to almost 3, and 5 a.m., before waking up at 6:30 for the day. He is pretty tired right now, but he doesn't act like he wants to sleep at all... I hope he gives in soon so I can get something done around here! Luckily he's not in a bad mood (like he was most of yesterday). His tummy was upset part of the night, and at 5 I decided to let him come sleep in bed with me- something he rarely ever does anymore. It seemed to calm him down a bit, and we both got a little bit more sleep. Hopefully he'll decide that a 2 hour nap sounds good. I could get a lot done in that amount of time... the floor needs to be mopped and the kitchen is a disaster! The bathrooms could use a good cleaning as well. Looks like he is slowing down a bit right now, so instead of blog, I'm going to get a start on getting the house clean. If any other milestones come up, I'll be sure to let you know. :)

-Ash

Down for the Count

2011-07-19T19:44:00.001-05:00

Keaton is finally asleep for the evening, so now I have some free time on my hands. I figured that I could spend one night uploading photos/video from both cameras and my phone, so I should have a decent amount on Flickr very very soon. It is way too hot to go outside and chat with the neighbors, so I will hermit myself in the house for an evening. Or two. :)

This morning I saw that it was 86 degrees outside, but the heat index made it feel like 102. Really? I'm not sure how that works, but that was before 10 a.m... YUCK. Kansas is getting hit pretty hard, too. It's tough because of course my child only wants to go outside and play with bubbles. Seriously, I told my parents recently that if I had a nickel for every time he has said "bubble" recently, he'd have a pretty good start on his college education fund. Bubbles, Melmo, and Wah Wah, followed closely by Mama and Go. He cracks me up and really knows what he wants, and will not hesitate to say it over... and over... and over... until you distract him or give in. (I try hard to distract first and give in only occasionally, otherwise he will learn to play me like a fiddle!) Oh, and his favorite snacks are "Jel-do" and "Goga" (jello and gogurt).

Speaking of words, today I took him to Barnes and Noble because I wanted to get a Scrabble Dictionary. I have been playing Words with Friends (the internet version of Scrabble) lately and I find that there are so many times I have the letters q, x, z, or v and I have to wrack my brain to come up with words for them. I figured a little studying wouldn't hurt. Then there are the people I have played in the past who definitely cheat... you can always tell who they are when every word they play is something like "xylyl" or "ywis". Who the hell knows what those are? And if you do, I mean really do, then don't play me. I feel like an idiot. LOL...

Anyway, while we were at B&N, we just happened to be there right before Storytime started. I used to take Keaton before he got super mobile and wouldn't sit still for more than a few minutes. I was reminded of why we don't go anymore as he wiggled out of my lap and ran up to the little 'stage' where Megan, the B&N employee and storytime hostess, was reading to the kids. Keaton decided it would be fun to run around with another little boy who was 19 months old, and the two took turns walking up and down one of the big steps on the stage. Trouble is, we are still working with Keaton on going up and down stairs (which would help if we actually had some in our house, besides the wooden ones in the basement that we don't play on), but when he saw the 19 month old step up and down it without a problem, he decided to try it out himself. All I could do, short of chasing him around the stage, was sit back and hold my breath. And that's exactly what I did until he fell down and smacked his head on the floor. Luckily he did not get hurt, or cry, but it was still a nerve-wracking situation all the way around. Boys will be boys, right? I wish parenthood came with either a book (i.e. Parenthood for Dummies) or some free anxiety medication.

The kid was super tired and a little cranky when we left B&N, so I figured he'd come home and take a nice nap for me. That was at 11:30 a.m. He didn't actually take a nap until 1:45 this afternoon. I should also mention that he woke up at 4:30 this morning! He has had some really strange sleep habits lately, I assume because his darn teeth are being so mean to him. I hope the final 4 come in quickly and we can get this part over with!

I guess that's about all for one day. On to edit photos...

-Ash

Turns out there were more videos than pics this time- check out YouTube.

Time for a Change

2011-07-15T10:21:00.002-05:00

I can always think of so many things during the day that might be blog-worthy. Then, when I actually have a free moment to sit down at the computer and blog, nothing. Oh well. I guess it'll be more Keatonisms or something... or whatever topic my brain lands on.

How about... Productivity. It has been on my mind a lot lately. I look around my house and get overwhelmed with the amount of things I need to do. The problem is, I'm not doing anything. I must scare myself into submission because I feel paralyzed when I JUST cleaned up all the toys, or JUST swept the floor, and it's a mess again. That said, I managed to get quite a few things done yesterday, and it felt good. Sometimes I wish I had the energy to do it when Keaton goes to sleep, because then it would be clean for more than a few hours! Oh well. If I can ever convince Casey that we need a maid, I will stop complaining about my house. So pretty much... never. ;)

It looks like Dr. Hetrick and I may actually get a date night tomorrow night. I found a babysitter at the last minute, so we may take in dinner and a movie. We need to do things like that more often. I get so wrapped up in being Keaton's Mommy that I tend to forget about being Casey's wife. So we're working on that. I am super glad it's Friday, and I'm ready for the weekend (minus that dentist appointment in the morning to have a cavity filled...). Not sure what we have planned this weekend, but I hope to take in every minute of it. The weeks seem kind of long right now, probably because Keaton and I tend to do the same things every day. Wake up. Watch Curious George. Eat breakfast. Clean up. Play with toys until Keaton wears out. Nap (sometimes I do, too.). Eat lunch. Clean up. Play with toys- especially the beloved BUBBLES. Haha! Eat a snack. Wait for Daddy to get home. Eat dinner. Keaton goes to bed, then I clean up again. Seriously... over and over and over. Time for a break in the schedule! But before long it won't be summer anymore, and I will miss days like this. I just need to remember that I am the one that can change things around here... so I should. And I will.

That's enough from me for today. Time to go do something!

-Ash

Casey and Keaton drew this on our driveway last night. The little pink squiggly lines were all Mr. K.

More Keat

2011-07-13T11:01:00.001-05:00

Newest Keaton words/phrases/activities, etc.:

Tyler (Ty-lah)... our neighbor who is 6 months older than Keaton
Peek-A-Boo- I forget how he says it, but you can tell what he means. He loves to jump out from behind a curtain or peek out from where ever he's hiding and say it... I need video!
Peaches- he now says it clear as day
Cat- previously it sounded more like "Ca" (which is also his word for 'car', so it was nice to hear that distinct T at the end. He saw a cat yesterday at the Farmer's Market and became instantly obsessed.
Cracker (cah cah). I think I wrote about this one previously, but today he was having a meltdown because I wouldn't give him a pacifier, so I started showing him videos of himself on YouTube. We got to the one with the graham cracker, and he stood up, said, "Cah cah" and led me to the pantry. Kid knows what he wants!
Back (Bat)... he found this little plastic tool you use to massage your back, and I showed him what it was for. Now he will say, "Bat" and rub my back with it. While I feel guilty and almost as if I'm crossing some sort of child labor law line... it still feels good and I'm not going to tell him to stop if he wants to. LOL.
Sweep (Seet)- he loves to sweep and he always tries to grab the broom whenever he sees it. Again with the child labor thing... but he WANTS to! I'm not going to stop him!

Looks like I'll have to cut this one short, as little guy is standing up in his crib right now, sweetly saying, "Mama... mama." One more thing, though- he figured out how to climb up on the couch today. He used one of his other toys to do so, but I have a feeling our little Curious George is about to start making this a habit. Oh boy.

-Ash

More Keatonisims

2011-07-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

He said so many things this weekend... really. I can't remember them all. He's also been singing a lot. Yesterday he said "E I E I O" (after a few tries) and he helped filled in the blank to the theme from Elmo's World. I just sang the "La la la la, la la la la" and paused, and he said, "Melmo!". That was pretty awesome. :) Today when it started raining, he was looking out the window and I said, "It's raining!" and he started doing the hand gestures to the Itsy Bitsy Spider. LOVE. IT.

This morning, Keaton "tooted" (that's our word for passing gas in the Hetrick household) and I said, "Keaton, did you toot?" and he smiled really big and said, "Toots!" LOL...

Sometimes he will look at me and said, "Mama, I wan wah-wah." He even throws in the little doe eyes and blinks them at me. Then he moves on to "Mama, WAH-WAH." If I don't give it to him by then, meltdown ensues. We're working on it.

In other news, we had a great weekend. The weather was nice and hot, so Saturday afternoon we went for a swim in our neighbors' pool. Our neighbor Rob and his 4 girls were all there swimming, too, so we had a great time hanging out with them. They invited us to dinner that evening, so we went to Old Country Buffet (I think the last time I was there was in high school?) and got to witness what it was like for one guy to try to feed 4 girls under 10. It was pretty chaotic. I don't even know if he was able to eat anything, because as soon as he would get one girl settled, another one would ask for something. Sidenote, I will never have 4 kids.

So after watching Rob be Super Dad at dinner, we invited him over to sit outside and have some drinks once the kids went to bed. It was great catching up with him. A lot of crap has been going on in his life (read: soon-to-be EX wife is being a complete moron and is causing a lot of drama for him, his kids, and people on our street). Casey and I didn't realize how much had been going on around here or how far we were out of the loop until speaking with him. It was refreshing to see someone with such a great head on their shoulders, working his ass off to make sure his kids fare as well as possible in that type of situation. I still don't understand how a guy who has 2 jobs has to give up 60% of his paycheck to his wife who cheated on him (numerous times), among other things. It is just ridiculous. Anyway, I shouldn't air someone else's dirty laundry in my blog, so I apologize.

Well, little man is waking up now, so I should go. Time for lunch!

-Ash

Early Morning Update

2011-07-08T06:12:00.000-05:00

Some early morning thoughts for you today. I am up before the sun, and before MY son, which is very very rare. Casey and I managed to be in bed and asleep by 10 last night, which is also rare. So I am awake, and luckily Mr. K is not... yet. I figure he will sense I am blogging so he should wake up anytime now (although I would absolutely LOVE it if he slept past 6... he hasn't done that for me at all this week!).

I got a haircut last night. I decided to switch is up a little and had my stylist part it on the opposite side. We'll see if I can tolerate the change... I just needed something different. Casey didn't even notice, which kind of cracked me up. I looked at him, pointed at my hair, and said, "... nothing?" Then he looked me over and couldn't figure out what was new. LOL... I think that must be a mean joke to play on a man...not many guys I know would have noticed, either. I think it's drastic, but I also analyze myself in the mirror on a pretty regular basis, so I shouldn't expect him to know what's different right away. It's not like I dyed my hair blue or shaved it off... I think he would notice then. I think. ;) (Just kidding, babe... if you ever happen to read this.)

In other news, we just got back Tuesday from another quick trip to Topeka. We had a lot of fun- maybe too much- because it went so fast that I barely remember we were there. Keaton absolutely LOVED all the attention from everyone, and has take the rest of the week since we've been back to kind of 'detox' from all the attention. He's also getting at least one, maybe two of his canine teeth, which has actually not gone well at all. He has been probably the moodiest he has ever been, and super clingy. Needless to say, I am very thankful today is Friday. I am ready for a weekend without many plans. I am ready for Casey to be home and to help mellow Keaton out a little. I also think I will finally cash in my massage that the boys bought me for Mother's Day last year. I have never made time to go, which is sad. Oh well... hopefully it'll work out.

I also have a dentist appointment in the morning... yay.

In other (good) news, we got a Dyson vacuum a few weeks ago, but didn't actually get to use it until last night. Boy, was it worth the money!! I just did a once-over in the living room and hallway, and the amount of crud the thing sucked up was incredible!! Our central vac still works, but we needed something a little more heavy-duty. I highly recommend it! We got the one without the ball (Casey read better ratings on it) and so far, so good. Woot woot.

What else, what else... I guess I should attempt to remember things we did in Topeka. Actually, I'll do it with pictures, since it's been FOREVER since I posted them on here. Here you go!

Surprised De at the lake for her 50th birthday!

Keaton and Evelyn had a play date!

Spent quality time with family!

Look at this boy... growing up so fast...

Quality time celebrating July 4th with the fam


Fun with Fireworks (and photography)

We also went out to the lake on the 4th, and Casey got to ski. Keaton and I got to swim in the lake, which was fun. Speaking of Keaton, he is awake now... and it's after 6! Yay! Happy weekend, everyone!

-Ashley

Mush in the Brain

2011-06-29T21:36:00.001-05:00

I think I will probably depend on this blog when I need to reference things Keaton has been doing lately. And if the little guy would be more consistent about his nap schedule, I might be able to blog more often. Or more consistently. I think a theme for my blog thus far has to be my consistency of being inconsistent. Ugh.

Mr. Keaton is one busy little guy. When he's awake, he does not sit still. If he does, he is either 1) leaving me a gift in his diaper, or 2) doing something he shouldn't. If I am doing something in another room and 30 seconds go by and I haven't heard anything out of him, I know to go find him and see what he's getting into. Usually he's hoarding silicone oven mitts from the kitchen, stealing remotes ("mo"s), or sneaking into my bedroom and playing with Casey's belts in the closet. When he's really tired, sometimes he will walk around the house and point out all the things he is not supposed to play with. This morning he went up to the electrical outlet and said, "No!"... then he walked to the trash can and did the same thing. (I think someone needs to put a shock collar on me and buzz me every time I say 'no' to him, I must say it a lot. Bad Mommy!) I try to say, "Let's not do that" or at least distract him with something else, but that doesn't always work. And what about the times he does something he is definitely not supposed to do (touch outlets, twist himself up in the curtains, or other things that could seriously injure him)? When I try to correct him, he laughs at me. I am sort of at a loss as far as discipline goes for a 16 month old. It's tough to be genuinely upset/concerned about the kid and he's cracking up!! (Sigh)... it's just a phase... just a phase.

I am so ready to go home this weekend!! I think I just need a change of scenery. We (Keaton and I) have gotten stuck in a rut lately and I feel a bit burnt out- it will be good to see family and be in a different environment for a few days. Bring it!

Sorry, I will try to write more later. For now, I need to get to bed... my brain, or what's left of it, is mushy. :)

Love,

Ash

A Good Cry

2011-06-24T11:41:00.001-05:00

Two posts in a week... what is the world coming to?!

I knew today would be a bit tough, as it's the anniversary of Charley's passing. I'm going to include something I wrote just over a year ago, before Charley passed away. Truth is, I probably won't even read it- it's tough. But then again, maybe I will... I could kind of use a good cry about him right now. It's nice to get it out once in awhile, and being a woman, I haven't had a 'good' cry in a long time. (Anyone that knows me should know I'm a crier, so saying that it's been a long time actually means weeks- maybe even months. That's a long time for me!)

Here goes nothing. I'll try to end on a happy note again at the end.

*****
May 7th, 2010

This is just so hard. You grow so attached to something, knowing that it won’t be around forever. But something so special… Charley has been nothing short of amazing in the almost 6 years we’ve had him. Everywhere I go, something reminds me of him. When I drop food on the ground, no matter where I am, I always think of him and how he’d be right there to clean it up if he could. French fries will probably always make me think of him because it was something he always begged for and always got. I will miss the way his butt wiggled and how he could never walk straight because he was always so full of excitement and joy. He was by far the happiest dog I have ever met, and I’m really glad to say he was mine. He never met a person he didn’t like… except for maybe that one creepy guy at the park in South Carolina. I remember the man calling to Charley, but he didn’t leave my side. He never barked or growled at anyone. In fact, he only barked and growled in his sleep, unless his Kong fell under something and he needed to get our attention. Never growled, though. And he only bit us when he was a puppy. Even when his ears were infected and it hurt to clean them out, he never bit. His spirit was like a magnet- people would just gravitate toward him, even if they were scared of big dogs. He has always acted like a puppy, and most people wouldn’t believe he was almost 6 years old… the only give away was the gray in his muzzle.

Charley’s favorite things were:

1) Peanut Butter (which we had to say in code, otherwise he would start drooling)

2) Kong, which he would drop in our laps or on the bed, covered in Charley Slime

3) People food. I will thank Grandma Harding for that one. ;)

4) Walks

5) “His People” at Petsmart

6) The dog park in South Carolina

7) Anytime we would say “Go” or “Bye bye”

8) Getting his butt scratched, especially when you were in the bathroom because he knew you’d be sitting down anyway so you might as well scratch!

9) 3 Dog Bakery in Columbia, SC. Always had a blast there.

10) Doing tricks. Sit, shake, wave, high 5, low 5, dance, stay, leave it… hide and seek.

11) White rice, especially Japanese sticky rice.

12) Whipped cream

13) LICKING. Some people didn’t like to be around him because he would lick so much, but usually it was an endearing quality about Charley. He was such a friendly guy.

Some favorite memories:

1) Charley coming out of the door, the first pup to greet us when we were picking one out at the breeder. He picked us. And I will always be thankful for that.

2) Thinking that something was wrong with him when I first saw him, but finding out later that the reason his fur was matted on his head was because he’d gotten into tree sap.

3) The first night he was home with us, and he was crying in his crate. Casey had to hold me outside the door to his room because I had a hard time hearing him cry. Funny how similar it is now with Keaton.

4) The first time he climbed up on the couch. He wanted SO badly to be up there with us, and we kept yelling, “You can do it, buddy!” Then he made it up there and curled up with us.

5) The kid learned tricks so quickly that I forgot how I taught him things. I think ‘shake’ was his first trick. He was so excited when he did it and got praise for it that he would do it all the time.

6) He loved chasing lizards on our screened-in porch. I think I still have video of him playing with them.

7) He ate a pecan and it got stuck in his tummy. We had to go to the vet, and they had to go through the ‘back door’ to see what was happening. I am pretty sure I cried when he did… his little eyes bugged out of his head. Mine would have, too.

8) The time our friend Jose gave him beer… he ended up peeing on my friend Jenny’s foot. I remember walking into our house to see my puppy’s face in a Dixie cup, slurping up the beer. He’s never had it again, but always wanted some whenever Casey was drinking it.

9) The way he kept sliding on the floor of our kitchen in our first house in SC, and would end up bumping into something and scaring himself.

10) Scaring himself at Swearingen while chasing a Palmetto bug and barking at it, then flattening out on the ground when his bark echoed and sounded like a bunch of other dogs barking. He was so freaked out!!

11) Playing ball with him in the courtyard at Swearingen.

12) Taking him to visit Casey in the lab, and having him run up and down the hallway. He scared so many of the foreign students. One Chinese student wouldn’t come out of the bathroom until Charley was gone.

13) Having him sit in the front seat of the VW, and pulling up to stop lights. People would always glance over at him and laugh or smile.

14) The way he scared a girl at Sonic, and she refused to bring us our food because she thought he would bite her.

15) Having brunch with Casey and Charley at The Gourmet Shop in Columbia.

16) Charley’s first plane ride to Kansas. Leaving him with my parents while we were in Japan was one of the hardest things I’ve done so far, next to this. It was really hard to say goodbye to him. I feel that pain again now.

17) Seeing his daily ‘puppy dreams’.

18) The way he and Melanie, our neighbor’s daughter, would get so incredibly excited when they would see each other! “Charley Brown” was one of her first phrases.

19) His soft coat. We would get compliments on it all the time. He really was soft, and I think it happened even before we started giving him peanut butter.

20) I never knew dogs could get allergies until Charley came along.

21) The way he would walk up to the baby’s swing and push it with his nose, or give my pregnant belly little kisses before “Peanut” was born.

22) Last night, hanging out with my boys on our bed. Keaton had his hand on Charley and looked like he was really feeling Charley’s fur. He also smiled at him while in his bouncy seat last night.

23) The talent show at Three Dog Bakery where Charley decided not to do any tricks. He still got second place. 

24) Running circles around him when he got fixed because the huge cone around his neck hit the ground and scared the crap out of him… he literally would not move. I had to walk him into the house one paw at a time.

25) Sitting with Charley and Casey on our porch swing in SC, getting him through his first thunderstorm.

26) “Blue”, the toy octopus. He went through at least 2 if not 3 of those. Ripped them to shreds.

27) Getting trapped in bed between Charley and Casey, both of whom were snoring.

28) How high the kid could jump!!

29) Charley in Charleston… afraid of the waves.

30) Charley being in love with Mya… and running in circles for 3 hours the night before he got fixed.

31) Charley running to the door or window whenever I say “Daddy’s home!”
*****

I don't blame you if you already stopped reading this. I made the mistake of reading it and am barely able to see the computer screen through my tears. But you know what? I am just thankful that he was in our lives, and I'm thankful he's not in pain anymore. BEST DOG EVER.

Well, I think that's more than enough emotion from me for one day. Here's a happier note for you- one of my favorite pictures of Charley and Keaton together:

Remembering Chuck, and the Ice Cream Dance

2011-06-23T14:31:00.001-05:00

This could be a super short entry, but it's been awhile since I've written and I felt the need. Keaton is napping and should be up any time, so I guess I'll blog until he wakes up!

We've been so busy lately! Last week Casey was in Vancouver (and witnessed the hockey riots first-hand). Of all times for him to go to Canada! He survived, and got some pretty crazy photos of the police in riot gear. Crazy stuff!

I wish I could remember what's gone on since I wrote last. Keaton's saying a new word every day, which is funny, and a little scary at times (only because I really need to work on cleaning up my language). So far he hasn't said any cuss words yet... that we know of... but he does have a tendency to spout out a bunch of things when he's trying to get you to understand what he wants. I guess I'm glad he does that instead of just point and yell. Yesterday he said his version of cracker (kakah), shovel (sounds a lot like bubble), and today he was cracking up at lunch when I was saying "edamame". He calls it "damommy". LOL! Too, too funny. Last week he said pineapple "piyappah". I can now understand why my Dad found it entertaining to say big words and have me repeat them as a very young child. Now the trick is to remember his version of them so I know what the heck he's talking about! Most things are still lost in translation.

Well, on a different note, tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of the day Charley Brown passed away. I cannot believe it's been a whole year without him. It is definitely getting easier now, especially to talk about, but it doesn't make me miss him any less. I still think about him at least once a day, sometimes more. I can remember so many details about a year ago... on the 22nd of last year, we had to take him in to get fluids. It was the night of my first appointment with the counselor, and I remember Casey telling me that Charley wasn't doing well, and racing home to take him to the vet. I also remember the 23rd, because I woke up thinking that Charley would have passed in his sleep, but he ate a ton of food and was up and walking around again that day. Good thing, too, because the tornado sirens went off and we had to go to the basement. He stayed right by my side- he was so nervous! I remember being surprised that he was up and moving around. It almost seemed like things were improving, until the next day- the 24th. I have blocked out a lot of that day, and don't care to recall much of it now. Anyway, I guess I just wanted to acknowledge the significance of tomorrow, and the fact that Chuck is still here with me every single day.

I hate ending this entry in that way, but Mr. K is stirring and I need to go tend to some laundry. I got to write a lot more than I thought I would! If you need a pick-me-up after that last part, just watch this:

Love,

Ash

Serenity Now!!

2011-06-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

I posted this as my status on Facebook today, but for good reason: How do you teach patience when you need some yourself?

1) I absolutely adore my child, but he was in rare form today. He was super moody, and hyper, and doing things he knows he's not supposed to (like touch electrical outlets, climb on toys/furniture, throw things from his high chair, and put random objects in his mouth, to name a few). It wore me out. I also know that he knows he's not supposed to do these things, because he will look at me as he is about to touch said electrical outlet and say, "No!". I have to laugh about it now, or I may go crazy!!

2) Top this off with the fact that (sorry in advance) I got my period today for the first time in two years. That's right, for the first time since before I found out I was preggo with Keaton. Nursing until he was 15 months old made it stay away longer, and so I guess my body finally got back in sync again. I really didn't realize how much your body changes before and after you have a child. Will it ever be normal again? (Was it ever normal??) Anyway, all the PMS symptoms are back in full force, and I just want to crawl into bed and sleep. Wah wah wah... tomorrow is a better day! Thank goodness for Excedrin PMS. :)

So if you add up these two factors alone, my patience level is lower than normal. I find myself being frustrated over the tiniest little things the past few days. I have zero energy and really have to push myself to get anything done. I mean, moreso than normal. Then I've got this little boy who is super curious and into everything, and I have to step back and say, "Breathe. It's not his fault you are in a crappy mood." And all is well again.

Sorry to be a downer. I don't like writing entries like this, but I also have to get it out. Tomorrow will be a better day! I hope to wake up with energy, and motivation, and lots and lots of patience! :)

-Ash

A B C...

2011-06-14T16:03:00.002-05:00

Keaton is indeed trying to sing the ABCs lately... it sounds at least somewhat like the song. It is pretty cute, and I really need to get it on video, but all my attempts are in vain because he seems to get camera shy. I'll keep trying, though. :)

I'm sort of in a list mood today (even downloaded a task list for my phone so I can check things off throughout the week and try to keep myself motivated) so I thought I'd keep with the pattern and make an alphabetical list of what's up in our world right now.

A- Aunt Leslie & Aunt Valerie came to visit Keaton this past weekend. Fun times!
B- Beautiful weather the past few days!!
C- Canada. The current location of a conference for awesome people that understand catalysis.
D- Drama- what's happening on our street lately. It's turning into Jerry Springer around here! (Neighbors are getting a divorce and it's getting pretty ugly.)
E- E-mail, something that is not working well on my phone at the moment.
F- Father's Day is this weekend! I'm still working on the gifts... which brings me to
G- Golf clubs- something Casey wants for Father's Day. How cliche! :)
H- Headache... something I have had for the past few days. Darn birth control!
I- Italian food. I have had a lot of it lately, and seem to want more. The perks of living in Chi-town.
J- Jumping. I showed Keaton how to do it today, and his imitation was HILARIOUS!
K- Keaton, who never ceases to brighten my day. :)
L- Lists. I can't make enough of them lately... and can't check them off fast enough, either.
M- Monkey. My son is turning into one... he's starting to try to climb on everything. Ahhhh!!
N- "Noon-ul"- Keaton's version of the word "Noodle"
O- O's, Keaton's name for Cheerios
P- PMS. Nuff said.
Q- Q, a letter that really trips me up while playing word games.
R- Rabbits- they are taking over our yard!!
S- Sleep... you can never get too much, in my opinion.
T- Traveling- something Casey is doing a ton of lately.
U- Understanding. Something I need to do more of, for both my boys.
V- Vacuuming, something the house really needs right now!
W- Washington (State)... where Casey will be headed soon for training.
X- X and Q are both letters I need to look up in the dictionary, so I can remember more words that start with them when I play Scrabble.
Y- Yelling. My neighbors are doing a lot of it!
Z- Zoo- We went to the Brookfield Zoo last weekend with Casey's sisters. I'll upload pics soon!

-Ash

My Talkative Tike

2011-06-07T15:53:00.000-05:00

Life has been super busy lately. I don't even know where to start! I guess I'll start where I left off, with the dog search. We have put it to a hault right now because we found out that the starting price for an Invisible Fence is over $600. Tack on the $300 adoption fee, and we have spent a lot more money than we had planned. So, looks like we will put the search on hold for a little while, especially since there are a few details about Casey's job that are currently up in the air. I won't get into detail, but something is going to change probably sooner than later, so we don't know what all that will mean for us. Of course I'll update whenever I find anything out that is noteworthy. :)

Casey, Keaton and I just got back from a trip home for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. The trip went way too fast, and now we're back home, trying to get settled in again. Traveling always seems to screw up our sleeping habits around here, so I've been trying to get Keaton back into his nap habit, among other things. He's had some tummy troubles since the night before we left for Kansas. He got sick 3 times that night, and I was up with him from about 12:30-3:30 in the morning. I had to wake Casey up to help me clean up his bed sheets, change his pajamas, and then clean up the crib. Shortly after cleaning him up and laying him down, the whole thing happened again. It wasn't as bad as the first time, but we went through another set of sheets and more pajamas. I still don't know what was wrong, but he's been eating less and having and upset tummy every day, especially at night. I don't think there's anything new that we're feeding him for dinner that is causing it, but we'll see how tonight goes. This morning, he woke up just before 6 a.m., and I had to put him in the bathtub first thing because he had a blowout. I think that's enough of that topic... you can only talk about poo for so long before people stop listening. I get it.

In other news, he's been talking a TON lately, especially when we were home! He said something that sounded like "Grandpa". Here's another list of words he says on a regular basis now... probably some repeats from the last list, but who's keeping track?

Pooh (as in Winnie the ....)
bubble (buhbuh)
down (daun!)
up
no (there's no mistaking this one!)
something that sounds like "airplane" (ahh-peen)
something that sounds like "grandpa" (gah-pa)
boat (bow!)
O (as in Cheerio)
owl - he saw one at a toy store in Lawrence and pointed at it, saying "Owl!" (sounds more like Ow)
Go
baby
shoe (sounds a little bit like the s-word if you don't know what he's talking about... LOL)
doggie

He is such a talker!! Most people don't really believe that he's saying all this stuff, but I have witnesses! He is really good at trying to show me what he wants if I don't get it. And I normally don't. :-P

Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I'm making lasagna tonight (yes that's right, I'm actually cooking...) and staying indoors because it is incredibly hot outside... not to mention I am nursing a weird looking sunburn from our trip to the lake with the Hetricks on Sunday. We reapplied sunscreen, but apparently we forgot my shoulders and the back of my neck... I have little weird circles of red on them now. I should also mention it was worth it, though, because I got to go tubing for the first time! (Behind a boat, at least... there was that terrible incident in Columbia when we went floating down the river on tubes and I flew out multiple times and bruised my back, in addition to getting a pretty bad sunburn. Doh!) Anyway, we had a great time at the lake, and look forward to going back July 4th weekend.

More later,

Ash

Dog Search

2011-05-28T21:26:00.000-05:00

Today the boys and I traveled to Ringwood, Illinois, to a place called Boxer Rebound. It is a great non-profit organization that takes in Boxers in all kinds of situations (from families going through divorce who can no longer take care of their Boxer, to situations of abuse/neglect) and rehabilitates them so they can find a loving home. We sent in our application on Monday, May 16th, and got a call that Wednesday to go for an interview/meet & greet today. At first glance, they are pretty picky about your living situation, etc., but after some of the things these dogs have been through, I have a much better understanding about their need for information about where the dog might live. There really are some morons out there that treat animals like garbage, and unfortunately some of those animals never have a chance at a happy life. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to be able to help out a dog that would never know what it's like to receive love and affection otherwise.

Anyway, we arrived for our appointment and met with Jeanette, who is the president of the company, and two of the volunteers. They sat with us for about 10 minutes and we discussed our living situation, talked about Charley Brown (a lot, in my case...), and what our expectations were. At first it almost sounded like there weren't any dogs that would fit our situation. I think they were a little concerned about having such a big, normally rambunctious breed around a little guy like Keaton. They learned very quickly that Mr. K can hold his own. :) As we were talking and they were trying to brainstorm about dogs that we could meet, one of the ladies perked up and mentioned a new dog, Noche, that had arrived earlier in the week. They said she might be too scared because she was a bit timid when they first got her, but we decided to give it a shot. One of the volunteers went to get her, and soon there was this little black/brindle 3-4 year old Boxer coming in to greet us. She was a doll. She came right up to all of us and gave us tons of kisses on the face. She was very gentle, and very sweet. Keaton really enjoyed getting kisses from her (and we probably didn't help the situation since he had just finished a PB&J in the car ride up there... I'm sure he tasted pretty sweet) and he would giggle every time she came into contact with him. They were very cute together.

We found out quite a bit about her in the 1.5 hours we got to spend there. She was a "Mill Mama" (as the volunteers called her), so she had a few litters of puppies previously. She was small- just over 40 lbs, which is the smallest Boxer I've ever seen. They figured the puppy mill didn't keep her around to breed more since she was so small. They thought her name might have been Chloe at the mill, but she didn't seem particularly attached to Chloe or Noche when we talked to her- she just enjoyed love and treats. :) We also found out that she really likes to climb, and recently climbed a 6-foot fence! Tiny but tough, I guess! They said if we decide to get her we would have to invest in an Invisible Fence. She also never learned how to sit, so she tends to jump, but she listens well and seems eager to learn, so I think with a bit of work we could get her trained in no time. She never jumped up on Keaton- she was very cautious and gentle around him, which was the main concern Casey and I had in finding a dog that was right for our family. So far, it seems like she would fit well here.

Now we have to decide what to do. She is older and smaller than we had anticipated when we initially thought about getting a dog, but it almost seems like that is better for our situation right now since she is fairly calm. I *think* she is potty trained, but I'm not 100% on that. If not, I doubt it would take much to teach her. I think she just never had the opportunity to experience any formal training. She didn't seem like she knew what to do with toys, and one of the volunteers seemed to think that she may never have played with them before. One good thing about that could be that she wouldn't chew up Keaton's toys like a younger dog would. We would have to invest in an invisible fence, so we have to look into cost and everything. We are required by the company to do obedience classes with her, so that should take care of the potty training/jumping situation. We are supposed to contact them again about our decision and/or scheduling another visit with her. (They like to have at least two visits before they allow a dog to leave.) I'm going to let all the information marinate for a day or two and discuss it more with Casey, and then maybe by early next week we will have a decision.

I love and miss Charley Brown so much, and I know I will never find another one like him. I found myself comparing Chloe/Noche to him a lot, but had to step back and realize that she will be a totally different character than he was, and that is okay. Until recently, I have found it tough to wrap my head around what it will be like to add a dog or a kid to our current situation, because I don't know how I could love anything more than I love my boys. (I tend to mix kids and dogs in the same sentence- just wanted you to be aware that I do indeed know they are two completely different situations.) Sometimes I feel guilty that I wouldn't be able to divide my time very well or that I would in some way neglect Keaton/Casey if a dog or baby were thrown into the mix... could I balance it? I am then reminded of so many people I know who have multiple kids, multiple pets, etc.- You love them all, and each one is totally different than the other, so you learn a different type of love. I don't even know if that makes sense, and I think I am probably not wording it the way I'd like to, but the point is that I am slowly realizing that I will be able to accept another dog into our lives without feeling like they are replacing Charley, just as I will welcome another baby to our lives (not in the next 9 months, FYI) without feeling guilty or thinking that it is taking something away from Keaton. Technically, a dog or baby may take away a bit of time or attention that would otherwise be spent on him, but in the long run it will help him grow as a person...learn to share... learn to be gentle... etc. This is a good situation, and I finally feel like the hole in my heart that was created when Charley passed away is finally mending back together. The scar will remain, but the pain is subsiding. I guess I couldn't ask for anything more.

Anyway, that's plenty for one night. I am spent, and I have way too much to do tomorrow to continue rambling on and losing precious minutes that could be spent catching Zs.I just hope I can slow my brain down a bit and actually go to sleep instead of thinking about the logistics of a new dog, etc. But that's what I do when I get excited about something. :)

Until next time...

-Ash

Week In Review

2011-05-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

Here I go again- a recap of the past week. I kind of annoy myself with posts like this, but that never seems to stop me from writing them. So... here it goes:

Qiang arrived last Thursday, and we had fun having him here. He was pretty busy with conferences and visiting other friends, but any free time he had was spent playing with Keaton. Keaton enjoyed having him around, too, and seemed disappointed when he looked for Qiang on Sunday morning but he wasn't here anymore. He especially liked carrying Qiang's cell phone around the house while it played music. We couldn't pry it out of his little hands.

While Qiang was here, we had some delicious food, went shopping in downtown Chicago, and visited our friends Dongxia & Qingbo, and their daughter Vivian. Keaton really loved playing with Vivian, who is five years old. They played in the park together, and he watched her ride her tricycle... he really seems to wish he was an older kid. All in good time, little man. I feel like he's growing up too fast as it is. This week's favorite words have been "Bang!" and probably his all-time favorite, "Go!". He also said something that sounded a lot like "Baked Bean" during dinner this week (while we were eating baked beans). Check out the funny video HERE. I should add that Qiang thinks Keaton speaks Chinese. No wonder I can't understand him!

Casey and I celebrated our EIGHT YEAR wedding anniversary on Tuesday night. We had a great date night, and my former co-worker Michelle babysat Keaton and successfully put him to bed! That was the first time anyone has put him in bed besides us, so I am very glad it worked out. Check one more anxiety-inducing milestone off the list. :) The next one to tackle is having someone watch him overnight... I think I will only trust our family with that one. No offense to Michelle- I just know I will be a bit more high-strung if I don't see Mr. K for 10 or more hours... and probably the only other people that can tolerate that level of anxiety from me are people I'm related to.

Anyway, our date was excellent! We went to The Melting Pot, which is only a few blocks away from our house. Every single time I go there, I eat way too much food, but it is worth it. We had a four-course meal, a flight of various wines, and a glass of champagne at the end. Needless to say, we were both a bit tipsy, but it was fun kicking back and relaxing together, enjoying some delicious food. Oh yeah, and the dessert was kind of amazing, too... I won't even go into detail because if I list it off I am going to get too hungry, and it's already almost lunchtime...

Hmmm... what else. Oh!! We got a phone call last Friday from a woman at Boxer Rebound. They got our application and I basically did a phone interview with her, which seemed to go pretty well. We couldn't go meet any dogs last weekend because Qiang was still in town, so we have an appointment at 1:00 p.m. this Saturday. There are no on-the-spot adoptions, so we will spend at least an hour there, meeting dogs that the staff think would be a good fit for us. If we really like one (and the staff feels like we would be a good fit for them) then we will make another appointment to go back soon. Hopefully that will not be complicated by the fact that we are flying back home on June 2nd to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary! I am super excited to go home in one week... I don't know if it can come fast enough, but I know the time there will go way too fast. It always does. We are going back again for the 4th of July, though, so at least I won't have to wait so long in between visits. How the heck is it already almost June!?!?!

I think that's really about all for now. I will try to blog again sooner than later. Keaton's nap schedule has been pretty wacko recently so I either nap when he does, or I run around like a chicken. Today my nice big cup of caffeine is going to help motivate me to do... something instead of sleep. Too bad the cold, rainy weather isn't helping me, though.

Enough from me. It's almost the weekend!! Woohoooo!!!

-Ash

One Talkative Tike!

2011-05-18T10:01:00.001-05:00

Before I begin with the regular recap of what's going on with us since my last entry, I wanted to share this link: Salon Nine. All of the pictures on this site were taken by yours truly! I just found out when I went to get my hair cut last week that the site was up and running. Pretty exciting! I got a free haircut for taking them. Can't beat that!! :) That is the end of my self promotion.

In other news, Casey just left for an overnight stay in Tulsa. Our friend Qiang is flying in today from South Carolina to stay with us until Sunday morning. It should be a busy couple of days, so I thought I'd take the time to blog now since I doubt I'll get to before next week.

In Keaton news, he is doing so much lately that I am sure I will forget half of it before I'm able to get it written down. He is talking up a storm, which is nothing normal... but he's been repeating what we say more frequently the past couple of days. (Watch your mouth, Mommy!) No, he hasn't cursed yet... that I know of. Yesterday he said "bear" after seeing one in a book we were reading, and Daddy taught him "speed" last night. Appropriate, I think. I still feel like I need a translator half the time when Keaton talks, but he does really seem to have something important to say. People get a kick out of him when we're out and about, and always stop to talk to him. He is a total ham. Last night while we were in line getting dinner, Keaton really took to a couple that were standing directly behind us. He started showing them all the things he could do, like point at the fan and then make a circular motion with his hand so they knew how a fan works. He showed them his belly button. He clapped his hands. He waved. He went on and on, and kept pointing at the man to make sure he was watching. He's one entertaining little guy! This morning, Keaton took one of his little water bottles and decided his Sing-a-ma-jig needed a drink. I wish I could have gotten a picture or video of it... he kept putting the water bottle up to the toy's mouth. I guess he thought all that singing must have made it pretty thirsty. :) Oh, before I forget- last night we went with Casey while he donated blood. After he was finished, he came out and sat with Keaton and I while he drank some water. After he was done with one of the bottles, he gave it to Keaton and we asked him to go put it in the recycling bin. I was a little skeptical because he hasn't seemed to want to do it at home for me, but to my surprise, he walked right up and threw it in! And this morning he helped me fill the diaper stacker with diapers. Such a great little helper. :)

Today I am taking him to my friend Kerra's house for a play date with her son Jonah. Danielle and her son Blaine are coming, too. I haven't seen any of them for almost two months now, so I am ready to get Keaton out and let him wear himself out with the boys. Hopefully the weather will get nicer around here so we can do it more often!

I think that's enough for one day. Not sure what all is going on this weekend, but hopefully the weather will be nice and we can take Qiang out to see the sights. More later!

-Ash

15 Months

2011-05-13T13:16:00.000-05:00

Heaven help me, my kid is 15 months old already! His appointment was this morning, and we found out he is in the 40th percentile for height... or was it weight? All I know is that he's not gaining much weight, and he's not as tall as I thought he would be. Hmmm. I could swear he's been on a bit of a growth spurt lately... but then I'm no M.D.

Casey and I were trying to figure out how many words he can say now on a pretty regular basis:

Mama/Mom
Dada/Daddy
Hi/Hey
Bye bye
Baby
Nana (as in Banana)
No
Yea/yes
Uh Oh!
All Done! (It sounds more like "Ah Daaah" but we get the point. :)

He has been mimicking things we say a lot, and my favorite this week is "Hippo". Keaton's version sounds more like "hippopo" which is pretty adorable! Of course he will not say it for other people, and he never seems to say it when the video camera is on, but hopefully I'll catch it one of these days.

It has officially been one full week since I nursed him, and he has FINALLY taken to whole milk in a sippy cup!! Time for Mommy to celebrate with a nice, big margarita. I am really glad we didn't have to wean him off the bottle (although sometimes it would have been a lot easier than having him come up to me and try to pull my shirt down...) but I wish it wouldn't have taken so long for him to be okay with sippy cups. I am just happy we are finally at the point where we can give him the cup and he doesn't throw it across the room or spit the milk out.

Tomorrow we have family pictures, and I am still trying to find something cute to wear. Mr. K will be in a red polo, and Casey will probably wear a black one. Do I go with black, or gray? I have a gray polo that is okay, I was just hoping to dress up a little more. Honestly, I am having such a hard time figuring out what would go well with the two of them that I am stressing myself out. I think I have searched every single rack at Kohl's two times this week, without any luck. Maybe something cute will magically appear in my closet overnight...

I guess that's about all for now. I am SOOO glad it's Friday- I am ready for more time with my boys, and finally getting some family pictures taken tomorrow!! :-D

-Ash

Puppies and Productivity

2011-05-10T13:13:00.001-05:00

Keaton has been asleep since 10:30 this morning, so I figured if I signed on to blog, he'd wake up. Yes, that's right, the lady who complains about her child not sleeping is now thinking of ways to wake him up. I am very glad he's taking an awesome nap- I'm still not sure if he's really transitioning to one big nap per day, but it would appear that way. Then again, it's hard to tell. Oh, parenthood... you always leave me with so many questions!

I have managed to be pretty productive the past 2 days. Dusting, laundry, sweeping, mopping... I'm not sure what's going on with me, but hopefully it sticks around. I think the warmer weather, and the fact that my house was an absolute disaster, helped push me to the edge and get some motivation. I will take whatever I can get. I even had enough time during Keaton's amazing nap to spend a large chunk of time online looking up various things. We are still on the search for a dog, so that is a daily search on Petfinder and other local rescue websites. There is one that keeps coming up in our searches named Slater, and this weekend the animal shelter he's currently at is having an adoption day not far away from us (normally he is at least a few hours away, so it's tough for us to go see him). We will hopefully get to meet him, and if we are lucky, he and Mr. K will hit it off. Keaton really enjoyed meeting puppies last Friday night, but we decided both puppies were not for us, even though they were adorable. It's hard not to get a little attached when the pup lays his head on your arm and cuddles with you. He really enjoyed playing with Keaton, too. Keaton actually seemed to get a little bit jealous when Casey was holding the puppy, which was surprising to us. (I also think Keaton was not himself over the weekend- he was more moody than normal. Teething? Testing his boundaries? Who knows. Again, so many questions.) He's been great today, though... he really is a goofy little guy sometimes. Speak of the devil.. he's stirring. I knew blogging would do the trick!

-Ash

Awkward... to say the least...

2011-05-09T20:53:00.001-05:00

When I last left you, Keaton was waking up from a nap, and the repairman was here installing our new garage door opener. I got Mr. K dressed, and headed to the kitchen to fix us some lunch. As I was passing the door to the garage, I decided to peek outside and see if the guy (named Simon) needed anything. When I opened the door, I noticed that Simon was sitting on the floor of our garage with his back to us. He stood up quickly, and I saw that his hands were in his pants. He turned toward me and I realized that his fly was down and belt was unbuckled (no worries, I did not see any flesh, just underwear). He continued to turn toward me as he zipped his fly and buckled his belt, not really hiding what he was doing. He seemed startled, and I was pretty embarrassed, so I just backed into the mudroom and shut the door. I put Keaton in his high chair and texted Casey, unsure of what to do next. I couldn't get a hold of him, so I called my neighbor Cathy and let her know that the guy was here, and what had happened. As I chatted with her, I went around and locked all the doors, just in case. At that point I didn't know 1) what the heck he was doing out there, and 2) if we were safe, or what would happen next. After getting off the phone with Cathy, I called Casey and told him what had happened, and he told me to go out front with Keaton and try to see what the guy was doing, that way we wouldn't be stuck in the house if anything did happen. (I should mention that the garage door had been up the entire time, so anyone could see inside.) Cathy called back, and shortly after I switched over to talk to her, Simon knocked on the door to tell me he was finished. Cathy told me to stay on the phone with her. I grabbed Keaton and we went out to the garage, Cathy walking up just as we walked outside, so we wouldn't be alone. I shut the door behind me... accidentally locking us out of the house.

So there I stood, with a dude in my garage who had been doing whatever the heck he was doing with his pants unzipped, and we were stuck outside. I also left my wallet inside the house, so I wasn't able to pay him. I gave Casey a call (again) and he said he'd be on his way home to let us back in... meanwhile, my friend Kelley, who had been walking around the block, happened to walk by our house. She stayed with me while Simon packed his stuff and left, and until Casey came home to bail us out. It was a nice day out, so I was thankful that this didn't happen in the winter... we got a nice little play date with Kelley and Nolan while we waited.

After Casey got home, we thought it might be a good idea to call the company and talk to a manager about what had happened. There were three numbers to call, so I dialed the first one and asked for a manager. A familiar voice said, "I am the manager"... it was Simon. I got freaked out and hung up the phone. He called right back, but I didn't answer because I didn't know what to do. Casey and I were discussing what we should do next when he called again. Casey talked to him, and calmly and politely told him what the problem was. His explanation for what happened was that he was up on the ladder and his belt got caught, and he recently lost a lot of weight so he was sitting on the floor readjusting his belt when I walked out. I guess I was still a little skeptical because I wasn't entirely sure 1) why he was sitting on the floor to adjust it, 2) why his zipper was down when he was doing that, and 3) why he didn't zip up, etc., while he was turned away from me. It was not like he tried to hide much- he zipped and buckled his pants as he was facing me. Anyway, I don't know. I would like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, because in reality, he was very professional otherwise. After Casey got off the phone with him, Simon's office manager called us and apologized for the incident. He said he had worked with Simon for a long time, and he'd never had any complaints. I really, sincerely hope that he was indeed just adjusting his belt, or whatever. All I know is that it was awkward as hell, and I am still glad I went with my gut instinct. You really never can be too careful when strangers are in your house. Ugh... what an afternoon.

I guess that about sums up my day. I went out this evening and had a few spare keys made, too... something that we should have done long ago. I guess I'll probably never know if I did the right thing, or what was really going on out there, I just know I hope nothing like that ever happens again!

That's plenty for one day.

-Ash

Mother's Day, numero dos

2011-05-09T11:41:00.001-05:00

My second Mother's Day has come and gone (if you don't count the ones I spent with Charley Brown, who would have been 7 years old yesterday), and I can say that it was a complete and total success, thanks to my boys. I woke up to two very adorable cards, and inside one was a little slip of paper that had an appointment date to get family pictures taken next weekend! It is something I have wanted for awhile now, we just hadn't decided when and where. So next Saturday, the boys and I will head to Sears and hopefully bring some smiles with us. (I'm talking to you, little squeaky Hetrick!) The boys also gave me a gift card to Kohl's to get some spiffy clothes for the shoot. :-D I am excited!!

Okay, as usual, I start blogging and Mr. K wakes up... I may have to cut this short. We have a repairman here working on our garage door which busted this weekend... it was after 9:30 p.m. on Friday night and Casey and I heard what sounded like a wooden baby gate falling to the floor, which scared the crud out of me. We found out Saturday that it was one of the huge springs flying off the garage door. What the?? I learned a few interesting things about said garage door today, too. The repairman told me that we could actually sue the person that inspected our house before we bought it, because the previous owner had the sensors installed above the garage, rendering them useless, and it is illegal to not only install them that way, but to sell a house that way, too. Interesting...

It's good to know that Keaton was tired enough to sleep through the majority of the guys pounding and drilling, though- he's been sleeping for over an hour. Alas, he is awake now, so time for me to go. More later!

-Ash

I can't get no sleep in a quiet room...

2011-05-06T10:36:00.000-05:00

My child refuses to sleep. I am staring at him in the monitor right now, banging his pacifier on the sides of the crib like he's in prison or something. I believe he's going through yet another growth spurt, and he's getting tall enough now that it's hard for me to hold him, especially when he wiggles! I don't see this getting easier, but I sure hope for a miracle in that regard!! I'm one worn out Mommy right now.

He didn't sleep well in Galveston, either. I didn't know how he'd do in the Pack 'N Play, since he is normally only in them when we travel to Kansas or when I'm doing something around the house and need to keep him contained for a few minutes. Casey and I didn't really think about how difficult it would be to share a room with him, but we found out quickly on night 1 of the trip. We turned off the lights, turned on Keaton's sound machine, and laid him down. Seconds later, he was standing up staring at us, wondering why we were still in the room. Casey and I ended up hiding on the other side of one of the beds until he fell asleep. In retrospect, we should have gotten him his own room. We got through the first night, but decided we would try to get a room next to ours for him so we could all get sleep. At that point we were on the 2nd floor of the hotel, and we were lucky enough that the monitor allowed us to go all the way to the business center downstairs, so we had a bit of freedom after Keaton fell asleep, normally around 6:30 p.m.. The next evening, the manager told us he could move us to the 4th floor where there were two rooms next to each other. Yay! We gathered our stuff together and moved it up to the 4th floor, only to find out that the room we were supposed to move into had a dead card reader. The manager told us he would get it fixed right away. About 45 minutes later, we hadn't heard any news about it yet, so Casey went back down to see what was going on; They couldn't fix the door after all. The manager offered to let us have a room farther down the hallway, but I vetoed that idea after hearing a story about the hotel losing power earlier in the week. I couldn't help but worry about Keaton being in another room, in a place where multiple people had access, and the power going out. (I found out later that the rooms would still unlock if the power was out, but at the time, it wasn't something I was willing to risk.) We gave up and decided to try sharing a room again. He still woke up every 3-4 hours, but it was managable. Saturday night we went to bed super early- probably 8:30- and I'm glad we did because the power went out around 11:45 p.m.. I woke up to the sound of sirens and people yelling in the hallway and the room feeling like a sauna. I woke Casey up to tell him what was going on, and he went out in the hall to find out what to do. Turns out the fire trucks were there because people got stuck in the elevator when the power went out. Casey was able to fall back to sleep quickly, but I couldn't, and ended up listening to some teenagers in our hallway playing around, screaming, and slamming doors until about 1 a.m.. Luckily it didn't wake Casey or Keaton up at all. Keaton woke up around 1:30, ate, and then went back to sleep. I had just drifted off when the power came back on, around 2. What a long, long night. I was thankful that Keaton had a decent night, though... until we switched hotels on Sunday. He ended up sleeping in bed with us the final 2 nights we were there because he absolutely refused to sleep. I guess I don't blame him... that Pack 'N Play doesn't look comfortable. Here's a picture of him passed out in our bed the morning we left to come back to Chicago:

Alright, I am done complaining about lack of sleep! (At least for this entry, anyway...) We did a lot of fun things while we were in Galveston, including:

Eating amazing food
Playing on the beach
Feeding sting rays
Seeing our friends Beau & Caroline and their two adorable daughters
Going to the Houston Zoo
Swimming
Went to see dogs at Bark in the Park in downtown Galveston

I know I am forgetting something. We drove to basically every side of the island and saw a ton of boats, birds, beach houses, and oil refineries. :) In all, it was a really nice trip with my boys. Probably my favorite evening was when we went to Benny's On the Beach and ate outside. I had crab claws (crab season started while we were there... hooray!!!!) and stuffed myself while Keaton chased seagulls. Then the three of us went for a walk on the beach. I took this picture, which I believe is my favorite recent pic of my boys. Aren't they adorable??

If I remember any more details I'll try to add them to the next entry. Now I am going to rest my tired brain and hope that Keaton sleeps better as the weekend goes on... especially for Mother's Day! That would be greeeeeat. :)

Love,

Ash

The land of the living

2011-05-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are alive! We survived our first real family vacation! Since Mr. K has impeccable timing and always seems to wake up as soon as I start blogging, I'll have to save all the fun details for later. It was a great trip, but I think we are all glad to be back in our own beds. (Especially Keaton... the kid didn't sleep well at all on the trip, so neither did I! He passed out for a nice 2 hour nap as soon as we got home yesterday.)

If you'd like to get a better idea of our trip, you can check out the photos HERE.

Videos to come... I have to get a bit more free time before uploading them. :)

-Ash

Photography, Molars, and Easter.

2011-04-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

I'm fairly certain that if anyone out there reads this blog, you probably get as bored reading a recap of my week as I do writing it. However, the past few days are worth recapping. I'll try to make it less play-by-play and more... worthwhile? **If you just can't stand reading any more, at least look at the picture at the end. :)

I am getting the days of the week confused, but I guess being sick/tired/out-of-it kind of tends to throw one off. Thursday (I think), Keaton and I went out with my friend Kelley, her son Nolan, and Kelley's Mom to take pictures of Nolan for Easter/Father's Day, mainly as a surprise for Kelley's husband Tim. The weather was pretty cooperative, as was Mr. K, which was a nice surprise because I was a bit nervous about how distracted I might be with him there during photo taking. Thanks to Kelley's wonderful mother, he was entertained the entire time, and enjoyed a nice stroll around the Riverwalk in downtown Naperville. The photo session went well, and although I didn't get as many smiles out of Nolan as I would have liked, I definitely enjoyed running after him and capturing some fun moments. Man that kid is quick! I was 100% exhausted afterward, as was Kelley. No matter how tired I was, I was reminded yet again about how much I enjoy taking pictures. I really don't think I have much of a method, besides patience and flexibility. And a quick camera... which helps immensely when you are taking pictures of a toddler.

I was able to play around with Photoshop again since Thursday, and it reminds me that I have barely scraped the surface of that software and have a whole hell of a lot to learn before I can even claim to be a 'pro'. Not that I have- others have mistakenly labeled me that, and it is far from a reality. Right now, at least. You have to start somewhere. I look at pictures I have taken five and even ten years ago that, at the time, seemed flawless to me. Now that I have taken even a few photography classes I can look at those pictures and see room for a lot of improvement. I guess that's how every 'artist' grows, and it makes me look at the pictures I've taken more recently and wonder what I will think of them in ten years, and what more 'seasoned' artists think of them now. I guess that's why I wear my art on my sleeve, if you will, and frequently admit that I have a lot of room for improvement. I think as long as I strive for the improvement part, things can only get better. I don't ever want to come off as arrogant about my work because there is always someone out there that is better than you... in the end, all I really care about is the feeling I get when I present pictures I have taken for someone and they are as genuinely excited about them as I am. It's like Christmas every time.

While my intention for this entry was not to strictly write about photography, I feel this desire growing in me more and more to pursue it and get more serious about it in the very near future. I keep feeling like I have lost track of what I am doing with my life. I am a wife and a mother, and couldn't be happier about either of those things. I feel very blessed with Casey and Keaton, and would never change my role for anything in the world. That said, who am I beyond a wife and mother? I can't really give you a definition right now. I do know that I tend to lose focus frequently and easily, so sometimes the small, random moments of clarity are my best motivation. What does that mean for me exactly? More school. Maybe a degree. But beyond that, I only have tiny glimpses and 'dreams', if you will, about what I will do with it. All I can do is DO it. I've heard it more than once lately... actions speak louder than words.

***

On another note entirely, the last week has been pretty rough for Mr. Keaton. Last week he started the coughing/sneezing bit, and while it seemed to get better over the course of the week, it never totally went away. Some days he'd have a runny nose, others he would be totally clogged up. To complicate the matter, I am in the final stage of weaning him, which has not been an enjoyable process for either of us. Throw on top of that the fact that he got not one, but TWO molars over the past week and a half, and you have one uncomfortable, unhappy little kid. He has been squealing like a teapot the entire time. I felt pretty lucky that with the cold symptoms he didn't have a fever... until 2:30 this morning. He woke up crying and when I went in to check on him, he was burning up- 101.5 degree temp. I gave him ibuprofen, nursed him (which concluded our one feeding a day), and put him back to bed. He woke up again at 5:30, but this time his fever was completely gone. I am still stumped about what happened, exactly, but I am glad it was quick. He wasn't in the greatest of moods most of today (and yesterday, for that matter) but he hasn't spiked a fever again, and his cough sounds better as of this evening. The poor kid needs a break!!

Lastly, Keaton got to meet the Easter bunny yesterday, and for a little boy who wasn't having the greatest of days, he was a total rock star. He walked right up to the Easter bunny and didn't even think about crying. He may not have smiled, either, but he let us know exactly what was on his mind- those darn teeth. See for yourself... that tiny little tongue points right to the culprit. (Sidenote... doesn't he look so grown up in this picture? I mean, even next to an 8-foot tall bunny?)

And now, the weekend is over. This week is going to be good, darn it. It has to be an improvement from the last one... right? :) We are headed to Galveston on Thursday. I look forward to spending some quality vacation time with my boys, and maybe even getting some sun. Until then, I'm just going to work on getting Keaton healthy... and maybe taking some more pictures. :)

-Ash

Rough start to the week.

2011-04-20T13:19:00.001-05:00

Week so far:

1) Keaton and I have been sick since Monday. He's been sneezing and coughing up a storm (luckily no fever, though!) and I have been congested/dizzy/exhausted during that time. The weather outside has been crappy so I guess we're not missing much, but it's making the week go rather slooooow....

2) We are still trying to find the next four-legged Hetrick. Casey's made a few phone calls and while we can't actually get a dog until after our trip to Galveston next week, it's exciting to think that we'll probably have a new family member by the end of next month. :)

I am trying to think of something else to write, but unfortunately I can't think of anything. That's how exciting this week has been. If we are lucky, Keaton and I will both feel better tomorrow and I will be able to take pictures for my friend Kelley of her son Nolan for Easter. That is good motivation to feel better quick!

I'll write more later, hopefully it will be a bit more exciting. :-)

-Ash

The Next Hetrick

2011-04-16T17:57:00.000-05:00

No, don't get all excited... I am NOT pregnant. I'm talking about the next 4-legged Hetrick. I wonder if anyone's heart rate (Mom, Dad) went up reading that title? Not very nice of me... ;)

At any rate, we recently found out that our friend from South Carolina who lives in Illinois now happened to find a 4 month old American Bulldog, and he wondered if we were interested in taking her because his apartment complex had some issues with it. We (read: Casey) did extensive research on the breed, and found that while they are very loyal and are generally good with kids, they tend to have a bit of dog aggression. We were looking into other options for our friend because we didn't want to just turn him down, but it turns out that it worked out for the best- in the week he and his girlfriend have spent with the pup, they have gotten attached to her, and she to them. So instead of meeting up with them tomorrow to see how she did with Keaton, etc., we are going to meet up with them and just visit and let Keaton play with her for fun. All this talk about dogs has gotten the ball rolling for Casey and I, and I think we are almost ready to get another one.

During this process, I have realized a few things. 1) My feelings about Charley Brown have been just below the surface, and it didn't take much for them to appear. 2) I highly doubt we will ever find another dog as special, loving, and perfect as Charley was to us. I miss him SO, SO much, and I think about him every single day. Lately, though, it's been a little tougher for me. Going on a walk for the first time when the weather warmed up was hard because it reminded me of our family walks with Mr. Brown. Walking into PetsMart was especially tough because just about everything reminds me of him. Today we went into Two Bostons, a local pet boutique, where we used to take him. We didn't know they were having pictures with the Easter Bunny at the shop, so the place was packed with people, kids, and dogs. It was a bit chaotic, but so much fun to watch Keaton get excited about all the 'doggies' everywhere. Then a woman came in with a beautiful Boxer named Max, and wouldn't you know, the tears start flowing. I had to step aside and contain myself. That is the first Boxer I have been up close and personal with since we said goodbye to Chuck. Even writing about it now is hard for me... but I realize I need to deal with these feelings and sort of embrace them so it will not be as difficult next time. (Sigh.) I hate being so Emo sometimes. But it is what it is.

Casey and I are thinking about looking at the local Boxer rescue site this evening. It would be great to give one a good home, and maybe look into getting one that is already potty trained, etc. so it will not be as difficult (hopefully) having a toddler and a young dog around. I also don't think potty training a kid and a dog is something that sounds very enjoyable to me. Just sayin'... I have enough on my plate! ;-)

I guess that's all for now. I will update more on our doggie endeavors as they progress. In the meantime, I am enjoying a nice weekend with my boys... one of whom has already passed out for the night. (Second night in a row that Keaton's been asleep by 5:30!) I think we might go to sleep early tonight as well... the weather is crummy and Case and I both didn't sleep so great last night, but I'm glad he's back from his L.A. trip, even if he did get home about an hour later than expected due to a flight delay. R&R time starts... NOW.

-Ash

Sleeeeeeep.

2011-04-15T19:37:00.000-05:00

For the past few days, I haven't really been in a writing mood. Nothing interesting to say, I guess. Keaton continues to amaze me every day... nothing new there. (That's such a Mom thing, isn't it? "Yeah, my kid is awesome. No big deal." LOL... today he put one of his shape toys into the correct hole (there has to be a more intelligent way to say that...) and continued to be a goof ball, as he has recently. He really likes to be goofy with me, and now he loves when I chase him! I am paranoid to do so because I'm afraid he'll face-plant again, but it is pretty cute when he sees me coming toward him and squeals because he wants to be chased. Today he would 'run' (walking quickly at a forward angle with his arms out... if that makes any sense) and fall into his beanbag chair. Such a nut. I'm sure I'm forgetting something... I'll add it later if I remember.

He and I have been really tired the past few days, too. I think the weather has something to do with it, but I also think he's going through a growth spurt. (I wish I was, too!) He fell asleep yesterday at 1:45 p.m., and ended up sleeping until almost 4:30!! I wouldn't have let him sleep that long but I fell asleep, too. Then he went to bed at 6 last night, woke up at 4:30 to eat, and then slept until 7 this morning. He took another long nap from 10-12:15 pm, and went to bed at 5 tonight. That is a LOT of sleeping for Mr. K! I have a feeling he'll wake up pretty early in the morning, so I'm going to attempt to get to bed early tonight so I can get up with him and not be a zombie. Casey is on a two day work trip to L.A., and should get home sometime early Saturday morning- probably before 2 a.m.. I have a feeling he'll be pretty exhausted so I need to be ready for it!

Blah blah blah. Not much else is going on around here. We took my friend Michelle to lunch yesterday for her birthday. Really, not much more to report. See why I didn't blog the past few days? Yep. :)

-Ash

Nap time for Keaton = Blog time for Mommy

2011-04-12T12:57:00.000-05:00

Oh, yesterday... one for the books. I should have called it Medical Monday. Mom's surgery was in the morning, and ended up going great, thankfully. She is already on the mend and sounds very upbeat, which is nice to hear! (I doubt it's the pain meds talking, although I'm sure that helps a little!) :-D I've chatted with her 3 times since the surgery and she sounds better each time. Woo hoo!

In other news, Keaton did not have the greatest afternoon yesterday. He woke up from his (two hour!) nap and we came out to the living room to play. Suddenly he took off toward the kitchen, and going a slightly faster speed than he usually does, ended up going too fast and face-planted on the hardwood floor in the dining room. Instant bloody lip. The hardest part was trying to calm him down and see if he had just split his lip open or if he'd knocked any teeth loose or out. Luckily it was just a cut, but it took me forever to try to hold him still, clean off the blood, and figure out what the damage was. He cried for almost 10 straight minutes. I ended up calling Casey, and the pediatrician, just to tell them what happened and to see if the Ped thought we should come in or not. He didn't pass out or get sick at all, thank goodness... just had this horribly puffy, bright red and purple lip for the rest of the day. He wouldn't let me put ice on it, so I ended up giving him so ice cream to take the swelling down. We went outside awhile later and one of the neighbors gave him a banana popsicle, which took the swelling down even more. He loved it, of course. His lip looks much better today. What a scare, though! I think I did pretty well, all things considered, and managed to keep calm(ish) during the whole ordeal. It made me think about something worse happening, and how I would get him into the car and to the ER if I needed to. Hopefully I never do, of course, but I went through a procedure in my head so I can have a game plan if it ever does happen. And if he takes after my husband (Love you, Babe!!), I'm sure we'll be at the ER at least a few times during toddlerhood.

Today we went to Keaton's music class at the library, which is a lot of fun. Keaton and his friend Nolan are the second youngest kids in the class, and while they can play a few instruments and occasionally clap and dance, they are pretty much in their own little worlds the majority of the time. Both boys became more interested in pushing around a little blue chair near the end of class, so Kelley (Nolan's mom) and I ended up spending our time chasing the little guys around instead of singing. My kid became slightly obsessed with another little boy (young enough to be in a carseat almost the whole time) and after each song he would walk across the room to babble at him. It was pretty cute, but it ended up wearing me out trying to wrangle him and take him back to our spot in the circle after EVERY SINGLE SONG! I guess I can just be glad that he's social. :)

We have our last swimming class tomorrow... I'm a little sad, but I know we'll have plenty of opportunity to swim this summer, and we may enroll him in another class where they teach water safety instead of staying at the Y. I will miss our instructor, though... and the fabulous family pool. :-/

I guess that's all for now... hopefully no more injuries to report in the near future!

-Ash

I Love You, Caffeinated Beverage.

2011-04-11T15:00:00.003-05:00

This one was strongly encouraged by Dr. Casey Hetrick... we always talked about what a fun picture it would be but I never got the camera out to actually take it... until Sunday. Thanks babe!!

I am a rarely motivated person, but it is amazing what a Medium Caramel Frappe from McDonald's will do.

After grabbing that glorious drink and a few chicken nuggets to share with Keaton (the nuggets, not the coffee), he and I met up with some friends in Naperville this morning for an event called "The Wonderful World of Wheels" put on by the Naperville Park District. It was a parking lot full of different types of vehicles- police cars, fire trucks, trolleys, moving vans, etc., all open for kids to sit in and walk through to their hearts desire. Oh, and they could also honk the horns or turn on the sirens. Needless to say, it gave our eardrums a bit of a wake-up call. Some kids could tolerate the noise, but just about every other kid that was there had their hands over their ears. And I don't blame them... yikes. In general, I think Keaton had a good time, but I didn't really feel like standing in a long line to see everything, so we didn't stay long. I also slacked on taking pictures because that is difficult now that he wants to walk everywhere... life has certainly changed now that he's mobile.

Speaking of life-changing events, my Mom had her gallbladder taken out this morning. The surgery went well, and quick- it took about 20 minutes. She is already home recovering now. The poor lady has been through so much the last few years, but I think now she is on the mend... both her cataract surgeries went well (she can now see 20/20 in both eyes!) and if she takes it easy, she should recover nicely from this surgery, too. I hope her body decides to give her a break now and that she doesn't have to have any additional surgeries... EVER. She is so tired of going to the hospital, seeing all kinds of doctors, taking a ridiculous number of medications... she really does need a break from all this. I really don't know how she keeps all her doctors appointments and medicines straight. That is one tough lady, though, and I know she will get through it all... she just has to try not to drive herself crazy having to stay in bed for awhile. Even Superwoman had to rest sometimes, you know?

Other than that, I have managed to throw dinner in the crock pot (sweet and sour pork), clean up the kitchen and dining room, and start some laundry. Thanks again, Caramel Frappe- don't know what I would do without you! (Probably a whole lot of nothing.)

Love,

Ash

Just one of those days...

2011-04-06T14:08:00.000-05:00

I'm changing it up today. Here goes nothin'...

What A Day

I woke up this morning and rolled out of bed,
I couldn't get rid of the fuzz in my head.
For the first time in ages I got plenty of rest
But wanted to sleep more, which is what I do best.

I tried and I tried to keep my eyes open
And Keaton was playing, I guess he was hopin'
That I would play with him, but alas, I could not.
My eyelids were heavy... but I gave it a shot.

I sat on the couch and watched Keaton play...
I thought, 'Just keep moving... it's better that way.'
But just as I started to wiggle my feet
I dozed off again. This sleep's got me beat!

I thought maybe Keaton would take a nap, too
As he rubbed his red eyes, I shouted "Woo hoo!"
So I laid him down, and I laid down as well.
But from his crib, I heard Keaton yell.

So into his room I went with a rush.
"It's time for sleep, little man... please hush!"
But he refused, and I realized at last...
My time for a nap had officially past.

I got us both ready for our swimming class
And chugged some hot coffee, hoped the feeling would pass.
Then I looked at the clock, oh my gosh, we are late!
That is what happens when I procrastinate!

We hopped in the car and were on our way
To the state-of-the-art Plainfield YMCA.
Into the building we ran in a hurry
But the line to check in was so long... now I worry!

Will we have enough time to get ready for class?
Will I hurry too much, slip and fall on my ass?
No, that can't happen. I just have to be quick.
I have to be careful, though the clock goes 'tick, tick'...

Then the line started moving and we flew down the hall
Past the daycare and people playing basketball.
I opened the locker room door and I ran.
I got Keaton ready as fast as I can!

We opened the door and went out to the pool
But got stopped short... it was going to be cool!
And not as in 'neat'... the pool's pump was dead.
We must swim in the old, cold, deep pool instead.

We stepped in and gasped, "Oh my GOSH, it is COLD'!"
And we tried our best to do as we were told.
We sang all our songs and jumped up and down
But the water was deeper- I thought I might drown.

Luckily, though, we got through the class.
We got out of the pool and then my little ass
Went as fast as it could to get towels and get warm.
To the locker room we went, as the norm.

Then a lady with three kids we see every week
Stood in front of her locker, but did not speak.
And Keaton walked over and started to play
With the lock on her locker, so I pulled him away.

But the lady looked angry, I didn't know why
She threw open her locker and let out a loud sigh.
And the locker door was only inches away
From hitting Keaton in the face while at play.

I looked at her, didn't know what to say.
Maybe she too was having a bad day?

She continued to throw things around and I froze.
She is lucky I didn't punch her in the nose.

I thought of the kids and what they would say
So I bit my tongue... it was better that way.
But I wondered... it bugged me... what crawled up her butt?
I asked my friend, "Wow, was she rude, or what?"

We stood there in silence, then I picked up my dude.
"Don't be like that lady, bud... man, was she rude!"
We left the building, but I just couldn't shake
The rudeness of people and the impression they make.

I drove us both home, the chick still in my head.
How should I have handled that? What could I have said?
It's a tough situation when it comes to your child.
I have a tough time not getting too riled.

I'm sure if I'd napped I'd know just what to say
But my brain is all mushy... it has been all day.

I hope there's no next time, so I don't have to guess.
Then my head will be clearer and not such a mess.

To the rude little lady-hope your day gets better
Hope you get to get out and enjoy the nice weather.
Hope everything today goes off without a hitch...
Just remember, dear woman; Karma's a bitch!

I think I can...

2011-04-05T12:58:00.000-05:00

More Keaton milestones:

Finally drank from the silicone sippy cup by himself... after... 6 months? I hope that lasts!
Had his first music class at the library and LOVED it! He walked all over the conference room during class and did not want to sit down at all... hopefully the novelty of walking will wear off at some point and he will sit still! I will not hold my breath. He also danced and marched during some of the songs, and played instruments... this class is going to be fun!! Yay for free entertainment for toddlers!

Not much is going on around here other than all the new Keaton accomplishments. Casey is busy with work, continuing to build his new computer, and hanging out with us whenever he can. While we were gone, he deep cleaned the entire house. I can't tell you how nice it was to come back home to that. It made me feel guilty about letting it get so bad, but then again, Casey is very good and thorough at cleaning, so I appreciate that he took the time to do it. It's hard to keep the house clean and picked up with a toddler... but I could do much more to keep it that way. Maybe, with some luck, I'll have more opportunity to do things now that Keaton is more independent.

I guess that's about all for now. I always think of things to write about when I'm away from the computer, and now that I'm here, I can't remember what they were. Oh well... I'll probably remember when I sign off... :)

Until next time,

Ash

There's No Place Like Home

2011-04-04T12:53:00.000-05:00

Where do I start? It's April now. My kid can walk. I just spent a week in Kansas. KU lost to VCU in the Elite Eight. That's the short recap... now for some details!

My father-in-law called on the 23rd of March and said he could come up and get Keaton and I to come home for a bit. My mom was having cataract surgery and I wanted to be around for it, and I also was a little homesick, so the timing couldn't have been better. Mr. K was feeling better at that point (although he still had a 'smoker's cough')... so we packed and were headed to T-town. I didn't really let many people know I was going, so we could have a more relaxing week.

We arrived late on Thursday night, in a thunderstorm. It was one of the more nerve-wracking landings I have been a part of, but pretty amazing at the same time- there was lightning all around us as we descended into Topeka. Luckily there wasn't too much turbulence, but it's still a little scary in a 6-seater plane. We made it to the Hetricks and were too wound up to sleep. I think Keaton and I both stayed awake until around 10... he didn't even nap on the plane! He must have known he was going to see his aunts and grandparents, and was too excited. I was, too. :)

Friday night, my mom, Mitch, and his parents all came out to the Hetricks to watch the KU game. It was a good one, and they made it to the Elite Eight. During the game, Keaton took a few more steps as he cruised the furniture. He was pretty proud of himself and proved to be an excellent source of entertainment. Between dancing, laughing at the dogs, and cruising non-stop, he was a very busy little guy. He enjoyed all the attention from the family, of course. Saturday we went out to Mitch's parents house to watch the KU game. This one was not as good... they played terribly and the officiating was horrendous! Needless to say, it was a depressing end to the season. To add insult to injury, when the game was over, it started snowing. I thought I went south for warmer weather, and instead I got snow! I was pretty bummed at that point. I was thankful that Keaton was around to cheer me up, though... he was a little ball of energy and joy, and helped us all get through a tough loss.

Mom's eye surgery was on Tuesday morning, so I spent the first part of the week at the Hetricks so I could go to my parents the second half to help my parents if they needed it. (Although I think they helped me more than I helped them by chasing after Keaton and keeping him busy.) Mom's surgery went well, thankfully. On Wednesday morning, Mom had to go back to the doctor for a recheck, so Keaton and I drove her to the appointment. For some reason the doctor was running behind, so we spent the better part of an hour trying to entertain Keaton... he was pretty restless and I did my best to preoccupy him so he wouldn't get fussy and bored. I think it worked for the most part. He showed off for people in the waiting room. Man, does this kid love attention!! He did really well when Mom was in getting checked. Her eye was already at 20/40 one day after surgery, and she is still doing well, with little pain and only a few irritations. She is having her gallbladder removed on the 11th of April, so she is gearing up for that now. I worry about her because she tends to push herself too much (like picking up Keaton and bending over, etc., when she was told not to) and this next surgery will be a lot more risky, especially if she doesn't relax like they told her to. My mother is not a person who sits still long (maybe that's where Keaton gets it??) so I know she is having a tough time thinking about having to stay in bed for an extended period of time. I think as long as she tries to stay positive, everything will go better than she thinks it will. But those are just my two cents.

Wednesday, while Mom and Dad were hanging out with Keaton upstairs and I ran down to the basement to throw in a load of laundry, Keaton took 9 steps. In a row. Unassisted. And I missed it. Of all the times to do it, he did it the 3 minutes of the day I wasn't with him. Joke's on me, I guess. But he walked, and from that point on, he took more and more steps. He took his first independent step on Monday, March 17th, and started walking on March 30th. I need to jot this down in the baby book.

We got to see a decent amount of people during the trip back: I got to see Lindsey and Sara twice, Jeremy once, both sets of Great Grandparents, my friend Sherry (who is expecting a baby boy this summer!), and spend quality time with my parents and Casey's before we headed back home this past Saturday night. I am so thankful that we got to go back- it was a nice, relaxing time. We also got to go to the zoo with Keaton last Friday, and enjoy some wonderful weather... it was in the upper 60s on Friday, and upper 70s Saturday. I actually got a tiny bit of sun!! Then we came back to the chilly Chicago weather... but it was so nice to be home with Casey. Keaton greeted all his toys with a squeak (which was hilarious- it was like he hadn't seen them in a year!) and enjoyed time with Daddy.

I am sure I'm forgetting tons of details, especially about Keaton's milestones... so I'll try to remember a few I may have missed. He is in LOVE with my parents dog, Yuki, and said "doggie" quite a few times in reference to her. He loved playing with her and cracked up anytime she played with her rabbit toy or licked his fingers after a meal. We probably need to look into getting a dog sometime before next winter... he is completely enthralled with them. Again I will mention that Charley Brown would have LOVED this stage... and I know Keaton would have loved having him around, too. But I guess I shouldn't dwell on that, and look forward to the next dog that will become a part of our family, whenever that may be. I don't know that I'm ready for a toddler and a puppy. I guess we'll see!

Other Keaton moments: Saying "Hi Doggie!" to a barking dog at Great Grandparents (Hetrick), saying "fish" while feeding fish, learning how to take snacks out of the small plastic snack holder, mimicking noises like Grandpa Harding and repeating them if asked later, coloring with crayons, going down a water slide (not by himself!) at the YMCA pool, opening and shutting any door he could get his hands on, cutting yet another tooth (bottom one, finally!),... oh my gosh, I know I'm forgetting plenty. I will try to remember and recap later. Today, he has taken 2 naps already this morning, and has been eating a lot today- another growth spurt? I think so. I think he also got more hair while we were in Kansas! Who knows what else. The kid is blowing my mind.

Anyway, that is way more than enough for one day. Now I am going to work on organizing all the photos/videos I took while at home and updating Flickr/YouTube so I don't lose any of the moments I caught while we were away. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often and not have a crazy, jumbled, long entry anytime soon... I'm sure it's not all that fun to read and pretty unorganized. On that note, more later!

Love,

Ash

Update on Mr. K

2011-03-21T14:44:00.001-05:00

Keaton and I just got back from the Pediatrician. They think he has a virus- there are a lot going around- and it should run its course in the next day or so. We are supposed to come back if his fever isn't gone by mid-week. I'm glad we went, just so I could be certain it wasn't an ear infection or any other nasty thing. He didn't even have a fever when we went- isn't that always the case? Kids feel better when they go in for a sick visit, and the parents look paranoid. Well, I'd rather be paranoid (and I fully admit that I am!) than find out that he got worse because we didn't take him to get checked. I think it's $20 well spent for a copay, darn it.

Not much else is going on around here. Mr. K is napping (thank goodness.. he really needed it!) and I just got done eating lunch. I have plenty to do around this place, although it could look a lot worse.

I canceled my second photo session tonight at the salon since Keaton is sick, so hopefully I'll be able to do it one night this week instead. I just don't want to leave the house if he's not feeling well- he seems to prefer being in my arms when he doesn't feel well. I think I prefer it, too, because then I know how he's doing all the time and don't have to keep going in to check on him or staring at the video monitor. Casey has his own things going on with the computer he's building and various things that aren't working, so I would rather focus my attention on Keaton and let Case figure out what's going on with his stuff. I know he will be much more relaxed and happy when that all gets worked out. And I will be when Keaton feels better and we can get a decent night sleep again. Last night was not one of those times! He was awake at least once an hour, so I finally brought him out on the couch with me around 1:30 and finally got him to settle down around 2 or a little later. He moans and groans when he has a fever, and between that and the coughing, he didn't get much sleep at all. I propped him up next to me and I think we got about 2.5-3 hours of sleep before he woke up again at 5:45. No fun for anyone in the Hetrick household.

In other news, KU beat Illinois last night so we are headed to the Sweet 16! That made the night a little better, for me at least. We play again at the end of the week. I can't help but get a bit nervous/anxious during this time of year; every game makes my blood pressure rise. I just want to see another Championship game and not have to hear about how the team 'chokes' in the early rounds. Some people on Facebook can be pretty harsh (not you, Chelsea!) and it takes all my energy not to say something to them or block them completely when they start the trash talk... but I normally stay out of it and just fume in silence. I get tired of hearing how KU fans are not classy and how we throw things in other teams faces. I think everyone does it the same- KU fans are no exception. Anyway, I am glad the team pulled through last night, with an amazing performance by the Morris twins! They were pretty spectacular.

I should go be productive now. More later!

-Ash

First fever.

2011-03-19T20:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I knew this would happen eventually... Keaton has his first fever. I am glad he's gone 13 months without one- I think we got pretty lucky so far... hopefully he has his Daddy's immune system. Last night when we took his temperature it was around 99, and it basically went away this morning, so we decided to go out and run errands. He was in a good mood and doing fine until this evening, and his fever went up again. When I took it about an hour and a half ago, it was at 101. He's been moaning and rolling around a lot in his crib. I hope this doesn't last long... I hate seeing him like this. There really isn't much I can do, which sucks because all I want to do is fix him. Poor baby boy. Hopefully the ibuprofen and sleep will get him back to his 'old' self soon. He's been coughing a little bit, but not consistently. Not really any other symptoms to speak of, which is why we haven't called the Pediatrician yet. Again, I hope this is over soon!

In other, happier news, I am watching my husband act like a kid on Christmas morning as he builds his 'dream computer'. We went with him today to pick up various parts for it. I really wish I liked going to places like CompUSA and other computer/electronic stores... really, I just wish someone would knock me out so I didn't have to walk up and down aisles of computer parts. But watching Casey right now makes it worth it. He is in a perpetually awesome mood because he is so excited to build this thing. He had fun telling our neighbor Rob about it, who works on computers for a living. He and Case were speaking another language entirely while talking about it... apparently Case made some great decisions about it because the neighbor is pretty stoked to check it out. All I care about is that Case is happy and gets what he wants. He's wanted to build a computer like this for almost a year now, and has been doing hours and hours of research (maybe even days at this rate) to find out exactly what he wants. I look forward to the final result.

I got something fun today, too. A very large piece of White chocolate macadamia nut cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. That made my day. Nuff said.

Well, I guess that's all for now, but hopefully I'll have better news about Mr. K soon. I'm going to go check on him again. I have a feeling it's going to be another night of swiss cheese sleep for me... I just can't sleep knowing he's sick. (Sigh).

-Ash

Feedback

2011-03-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

I just spent a solid hour reading various friends' blogs and Facebook stalking to see what people are up to. I'm not entirely certain why, but it hit me... people post on Facebook, and blog, and Tweet, because we thrive on feedback. Or maybe just hearing ourselves 'talk'. Either way, we hope someone out there is going to read what we write, and while positive feedback is normally preferred, some of us will take what we can get.

I am no exception. It's like Christmas for me when someone comments on a post or photo. I'd like to think that I don't fish for comments, but occasionally I will find myself contemplating for a ridiculous amount of time about what to write in my status update, thinking about the feedback I might get from it. For this reason, I have considered making a Twitter account recently. I realize this is probably a terrible idea for several reasons... there are plenty of things I should be doing instead. I am already involved in enough junk online. But the idea of people actually 'following' me, and being somewhat interested in what I'm saying, makes it very tempting. I talk myself out of it on a regular basis because I am convinced that only certain people can stomach comments about Keaton, the weather, etc., before they block or un-friend me. But there's another part of me that wants to write out the random thoughts I have to see if anyone else can relate. Are we all just trying to feel 'normal'? Maybe that's why I do it... I'm not sure.

There are people in the world like Charlie Sheen who are insane, and society thrives off watching/listening to him become even more of a train-wreck... that's why he broke the world record for most Twitter followers in the least amount of time. But he is famous- something I never hope to be. Do people care what he's saying? Probably not- they just want to hear him rattle off crazy stuff. But he is doing it because he thrives off feedback, too. Did I just compare myself to Charlie Sheen? I'll let you be the judge. (Keep in mind, positive feedback is preferred...) ;)

Alright, that's enough for one day.

-Ash

Quick Update

2011-03-16T13:45:00.001-05:00

My "conversation" with Keaton yesterday:

Me: "What does a doggy say?"
Keaton: "Woof" (or something like it)
Me: "What does the wind say?"
Keaton: "Whooossshhh" (mostly blowing air out of his mouth)
Me: "What does Mommy say?"
Keaton: "Huh uh."

LOL... smart kid. I feel like all I do is say 'No' or 'Huh Uh' these days... he's into EVERYTHING! Today he threw a fit because I took something away from him... he is very independent and opinionated lately! He has also decided that he is scared of the bathtub/taking a bath. He did just fine at swimming today, so I have a feeling I freaked him out when I put that bubble machine in the tub last week. Dang it!! I tried bathing him last night and he wouldn't sit down and held onto me for dear life. Hopefully this will pass soon! Today he figured out how to unroll the toilet paper in the bathroom. I can't help but laugh right now... it is a little frustrating sometimes, but the kid is learning tons of things and it's fun to watch him become more independent. Usually.

I know I have a ton of things to update, but I just spent the last hour uploading photos I took yesterday at my Salon for their new website. I just sent them to get feedback... hopefully they like them! It's been awhile since I've taken pics and I always get a little anxious beforehand. Anyway, if they like them, I'll be going back soon to take pictures of the employees. I get a free haircut out of the deal! :-D

That's all for now. Mr. K should wake up soon and hopefully we'll make it to see our friends at the park at 2. Today is BEAUTIFUL outside... can't wait to go get some Vitamin D!! :-D

-Ash

The End

2011-03-11T21:10:00.000-06:00

... of winter (I hope!), a crappy week (for Dr. Hetrick), and nursing.

Keaton and I went to the park this afternoon. The temps were in the upper 40s, which is like a heat wave around here, so we took full advantage. Keaton got to swing and play on a few of the little kid's toys, and also got to play with bubbles, which made he and his friend Nolan pretty happy. We came home and thawed out a bit, and then Keaton fell asleep in my arms, which never happens. He is either getting sick or growing or teething... who knows... but a few things are indicating that he is not himself right now. 1) He cried when I put him in the swing at the park. 2) He was scared of this bubble machine that we put in the bathtub that our friend Lucas had... I thought he would LOVE it, but he actually got scared enough that he refused to take a bath tonight! He never gets scared of things (besides the garbage disposal)... weird. 3) He just woke up a bit ago, about 30-45 minutes after we put him down for bed, and was pretty upset. I'm not sure if he spit up because he was crying, or cried because he spit up. Everything is a big question mark right now... so I guess we'll just wait and see how he is tomorrow. He didn't have a fever or anything, thank goodness. Hopefully he'll wake up happy so he and Case can spend some quality time together.

Case has had a pretty craptastic week so far. Things at work went from bad to worse, and it's almost like he's doing two or three people's jobs right now. Between that and meetings that run late, he goes into work around 4:30 a.m. and has not been home much before 6 each night this week, which doesn't allow him much time with Keaton. I have tried to be understanding about his schedule and time at work; I know it hasn't been easy for him. The guy works his tail off, and sometimes I think instead of people realizing that, they just take advantage of it. Here's hoping the guy gets a break in the very near future!

Finally, I had an urge to blog earlier about this topic, but I will forewarn you- it's about breastfeeding. Those of you who don't care about it or don't want to know that much information about me, please consider this the end of this entry. For the rest of you (anyone? anyone?), here is my dilemma.

I never thought I would be so attached to breastfeeding. I mean, in the non-literal sense. LOL... okay, I'm done. Anyway, since we are going to start weening Keaton in the next few weeks, I didn't realize how difficult it would be- emotionally. I will not miss the nursing tanks, or having to make sure I wear a shirt that is easier access when we go places just in case I need to feed him (which hasn't been quite an issue lately since he basically eats what we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner).We had such a tough time in the beginning to get him to start nursing, but once he caught on, life was so much easier!! I started to enjoy having quiet time with him, and rocking him when he woke up in the morning or before bed at night. It was like our bonding time. I guess I just never processed what it would be like NOT to nurse him anymore. I really thought we'd be done with it when he got his first tooth... now, 8 teeth later, we're still going strong. I dunno. I guess part of me (the illogical part... a big chunk) feels like for some reason he won't need me anymore. I know that's nowhere close to true, but I can't help but feel like my duties as a Mom to provide for my child have been a bit truncated. Is that as ridiculous as it sounds? Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about? I know it's not like I will suddenly fall off the face of the earth and not be important to him anymore, but the thought of this bond we have coming to an end makes me emotional. Ugh... who knows. Here I go getting all Emo on you. Sorry. Maybe it'll be just like it was at the beginning- tough, but better for both of us in the long run.

Well I guess that's enough for one day. I should probably hit the sack soon since, if this week is any indication, Mr. K will wake up at least twice tonight. I sincerely hope that my will power increases in a very short amount of time, or this is going to be tough.

-Ash

Bumming Around

2011-03-11T11:55:00.000-06:00

I am currently being a bum and uploading videos to YouTube. My username is lilbitfromks13 if anyone wants to look it up. I am trying to get all my videos in one place so it'll take awhile to upload them, but I have so many that I wanted to share! I really should be doing something more productive. Keaton's napping right now so I figured instead of cleaning like I've tried to do the rest of the week, I would sit here, watch TV, and upload videos. Man, I am pathetic.

I will say I've been glued to the TV this morning since I found out about the 8.9 earthquake in Japan- I have a lot of friends there that I haven't heard from and am worried about. Hopefully they are all okay... it is devastating. At least with a hurricane or typhoon you know it's coming, but an earthquake is one incredible, unpredictable force of nature. Scary, scary stuff.

Today is supposed to be beautiful here... finally... so I think my friend Kelley, her son Nolan, and Mr. K and I will head to the park later. I sure hope this means Spring is coming soon!!

-Ash

Proud Mama

2011-03-08T21:28:00.000-06:00

Not entirely sure why, but right now, this minute, I have this overwhelming sense of joy and pride for my child. I am so proud to be his Mom, and so excited to watch him grow up right before my eyes. Yesterday he took his first step, and today he stood (a few times) without support. He also brushed his own hair! I love to hear him chatter to himself and watch him point to things to identify what he wants or where something is. He is just such a neat little kid. It all sounds cheesy when I write it out, but I really don't know if the English language can satisfy me when it comes to trying to describe how I feel about Keaton. He is just a wonderful, smart, amazing little man. I feel so lucky to be his Mom.

That's all for tonight... just had to let that out. :)

-Ash

Baby Steps

2011-03-07T09:27:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to write quickly and document that Keaton took a step by himself today!! He was cruising around under the dining room table (his new favorite place) and I was sitting near him, and he turned around by himself and then took a step toward me! He's getting a lot more daring these days. I wonder what I will be able to document by the end of this month...

More later!

-Ash

I took this picture as it was happening, sort of by accident! Wish this was a video instead of a picture... but it's still a milestone!!

Brain Drain

2011-03-02T22:09:00.000-06:00

My mind right now is a mess of random thoughts. I mean, more random than normal, if that is possible.

Keaton now says the word fish. It sounds more like "Isthhh" but it is still cute and noteworthy. He will not do it on demand right now for anyone but me, but I promise to try to get it on video somehow.
I love Wednesdays. Keaton swims, and normally naps for well over an hour afterward. Except today. After swimming was over (at 11:30) he stayed awake until 2:30. I think we may be down to one big nap a day now. I'm a little bit sad about this because I love my naps. I am more sad because that means my little guy is growing up. I suppose I got the memo about this awhile back, but I am holding onto the idea that he's still a little baby and it's hard to let that go. It's also hard to hold onto that when he's cruising on everything and becoming so independent. I could probably do an entry just about this, but I will keep short. For now.
Keaton listened to the birds chirping outside this morning and tried to imitate them. Sometimes I wish there could be a documentary crew around so I could be sure not to miss anything. I try to give Casey a rundown when he comes home at night, but it's just not the same.
For the second day in a row, Keaton took his pants off while he was supposed to be napping. I can't help but laugh. I do realize that next he will figure out how to take his diaper off, which will mean future messes and probable streaking around the house. Crazy times ahead, people. LOL...
There are too many talented people on Idol this year. I predict a girl will win this time... just not sure which one yet. I think Lauren will go far... only time will tell, though!
It was almost 40 degrees today, so we went on a family walk around the block this evening. We had to thaw out after we got back, but it was fun to get out again. I can't wait for Spring!!!
Charlie Sheen is a d-bag, and needs to stop talking. What a train wreck. I sincerely hope he gets help before he does something more idiotic than he already has... he's obviously done enough drugs to completely fry his brain.

Speaking of brains, it's time to let mine rest a bit. Until next time...

-Ash

Birthdays, Phones, and Milestones.

2011-02-28T11:08:00.001-06:00

Wow... it's been awhile. Keaton is going through a phase right now (at least I hope it's a phase...) where he takes over an hour to settle down and take a nap. Lately whenever I finally get him down for one, I am exhausted myself, so instead of blogging or doing other things, I nap, too. This morning I decided that I would have a cup of coffee (Eight O'Clock Hazelnut rocks my world!!) and so far it's making me much more productive than normal. I already have one load of laundry done and two put away, and the dishwasher is done running and ready to be unloaded. I have a ton of cleaning and picking up to do, but I figure that can wait... until when, I'm not sure. I need to hire an assistant. For real.

In other news, I guess it's been almost a week since I wrote last, so I'll try to remember what's happened since then. Sprint happened... a lot. I went to the Sprint store too many times in the last week. In that time, I got to upgrade my phone old phone to a new one (the Samsung Intercept), went back in to try and get the pictures from my old one (with no luck, unfortunately... they wouldn't transfer to the new one so they are gone). Then I went back in a few days later because my new phone was freezing and I decided to exchange it for a new one (the LG Optimus). After that, Keaton and I went back again so Casey could upgrade his phone. I have been there so often, I think I know all of the employees by name. I really hope I don't have to go back anytime soon, because it takes sooooo freaking long every time we go! Glad to have a new phone, though... it's a little addictive and I have to try and control myself in how much I use it to surf the internet or check my e-mail. :)

In other tech-ish news, we decided to get a video monitor for Keaton's room so we could keep an eye on him since he's cruising so much right now. It is nice to be able to see what he's doing without having to guess what each noise is. I watched him for almost 30 minutes this morning as he walked around and around his crib. Some days are better than others, but the last few have been tough. I went to a birthday party Saturday night, and it took Casey almost 45 minutes to get Keaton to settle down and go to sleep, even though he was exhausted. It's like his little legs just want to keep going and he can't make them stop. Lord, please let this be a stage!!

The last 3 weekends in a row have been spent going to first birthday parties... first Keaton's, then our friend Blaine's, and this weekend it was Nolan's turn. All the boys are so close together in age that we had to coordinate when we were having the parties because we didn't want any to overlap. I can't believe Keaton (and all his buddies) are ONE now. We had to miss out on our friend Lucas' party this past weekend because of Nolan's. What a good month to be born, apparently! Our little guys are growing up.

Speaking of that, here are a few more milestones that Mr. K has reached lately:

He can say "owl" but only does it when he wants to (it sounds like "ow" so I was confused for awhile and thought he was in pain. Haha!) He can also point to the owl picture for the "O" on his alphabet toy.
He likes to share... he'll hand us toys when he's playing, and tries to share his food with me while he's eating. He thinks it's pretty hilarious to try and put food in my mouth, and one day spent 3 straight minutes intentionally dropping the food before it got to my mouth because it made us both laugh. He's such a goofball!
He can throw and kick a little bit now- he loves to try and lift his foot to kick a ball, and gets really excited when he actually makes contact!
He points to his belly button now instead of being obsessed with mine. Yay! (See picture above.)

I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting, but I wanted to be sure to update a bit so I don't forget. Once again, I still have a few pictures left on the 30 Day Photo Challenge... which has turned out to be the 45 or 50 Day Challenge at this point... but I WILL finish soon! For now, I'm going to relax a bit while the kid is asleep so I can have energy for our lunch date with my friend Michelle. More later!

-Ash

A Few Things

2011-02-23T12:55:00.001-06:00

I've learned a few lessons recently.

If you decide it's a good idea to buy Valentine's Day candy on clearance at Walmart, and you decide you can't wait until you get home to eat it so you open it and it spills all over the car seat, consider that Karma telling you to save your money next time... keep it up and your money will go straight to your dentist anyway!
Keeping a child up past their bedtime does NOT mean they will sleep in the next morning. In fact, it means they will most likely get up even earlier than normal.
Allowing said child to play a computer game on your laptop may be cute at first, until the child hits a button and your computer goes crazy and now boots up in a totally different way. (I have no idea what Keaton did, but I no longer need a password to start up the laptop, the icons on my desktop are in a different order, and Windows had to reboot just to open a Word document. Uhhh ohhhh...

-Ash

Short entry, long nap.

2011-02-21T14:00:00.000-06:00

I'm fairly certain I am about to jinx myself, but Keaton has been napping for over 2 hours right now. I wonder if he's going through another growth spurt, or if this is starting to become a normal occurrence (in which case I could get a lot more done around the house, I think!)... only time will tell. People frequently ask me what his sleep schedule is like, and I found myself saying different things all the time- he is kind of unpredictable. Today he woke up at 4:30 a.m., ate, and slept until 7:30. He fell asleep at 11:45 a.m. and is still going. OH... until now. There's my Keaton alarm! Hopefully he'll be good to go until bedtime tonight. Yay for longer naps!!

Moving On

2011-02-20T17:11:00.000-06:00

I got a new cell phone yesterday!! So far I like it a lot, and have probably spent a bit too much time playing around with it so far, but it is pretty awesome. :) The not-so-awesome part is that they weren't able to get the photos from my old phone, so all the pics of Charley, Keaton, etc., are gone. I forgot to remind the guy helping us last night to take them off, but I called them this morning and my old phone was still there, so I went in to see what they could do. The guy tried hard to help me, but for some reason my new phone would not accept photos from the old one, and in order to get them off myself I would have to buy an adapter for the old phone, hook it up to my own computer, and hope for the best. I didn't see a point in buying an adapter for a phone I don't have anymore, to get pictures that wouldn't be very good quality anyway... but the sentimental part of me is pretty bummed right now. I wish there would have been a computer there to borrow, or equipment I could have used, but alas it was not to be. Oh well... I have tons of pictures of both the boys anyway, so I will try not to think about it anymore- what's done is done. Now I have a nice new phone with web access, so if I get any good ones I'll be sure to put them on Flickr or something ASAP! Lesson learned. Hopefully.

That's all for now...

-Ash

1 Year Appointment

2011-02-19T15:27:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge: A photo of your favorite subject in school:

Is it possible that I can say 'Photography' for the 4th or 5th time during this challenge? Broken record. I'll at least post a different pic this time...

Keaton did well at his 1 year appointment yesterday, in spite of getting 4 shots... he even showed off for the Dr. by crawling over to him and begging to be picked up! He is 29 inches now (1 more inch to go until he's half my height!), and actually 'lost' some weight (which seems weird, but they were judging by his weight in December when I took him in for a sick visit and they weighed him with his clothes on). He's stretched out quite a bit with all this crawling and cruising, so I'm not totally shocked by this, and I won't be worried unless it doesn't change.

Last night my boys took me out for a nice dinner at one of our favorite sushi restaurants. Keaton showed off yet again by eating an entire dumpling by himself, and allowing Casey to feed him with chopsticks! Weird, but he really liked the 'gyoza' and enjoyed a different feeding method. It was a nice date night with my boys- we even dressed up for the occasion! We were out later than we had intended to be, and Keaton didn't get to bed until almost 8, so I was surprised when he woke up this morning at 5:30 and did not go back to sleep until almost 9:15! He's currently on a 1.5 hour nap, and counting. I'm so glad he's started sleeping longer recently. Now I just have to get my ass in gear and get something accomplished while he's doing it.

In other news, it looks like I might get a new phone today. Casey and I went to the Sprint store and checked out our options. My phone is a piece of... you know what... and I am excited to upgrade and get something decent that has a GPS and internet access! Now I just have to figure out which phone is right for me... they are all so big and bulky that I don't want to feel like I'm carrying around a small laptop. We'll see what happens today, but I'm thankful that Casey has been so helpful in the process. I think he realized that I get myself lost often enough and our GPS is so out of date that this might be the solution.

Well, little man is waking up so time for me to go. More later!

-Ash

Photo Catch-up

2011-02-17T20:36:00.002-06:00

Hellooooo, it's me again. Who else would it be? Ha. Anyway, I decided that since I am spending time cleaning up the DVR, I should also catch up on the 30 Day Photo Challenge since I am pretty far behind.

Day twenty-three: a photo of something you want to do someday.

Photographer... of some kind. Day 24 is similar: A photo of what you want to be when you grow up. We'll just use the same pic. Again, I have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but that's my goal!

Day twenty-five: a photo that inspires you:

This photo inspires me for several reasons. It was the first day of our lives together. I love how we look like little kids... and in a way, we were... but it reminds me of how far we've come. We are still together all these years later, and I am inspired by the love we have always had. I like that we are still kids at heart, and hopefully we always will be.

That's all for today... just felt like writing again. :)

-Ash

Recap

2011-02-17T13:24:00.001-06:00

Hard to believe that Keaton's birthday was almost a week ago! I have been so busy with family in town, recuperating, and trying to get back to a normal schedule that I have slacked on the blog. Not sure where to start, but I guess the birthday is as good a place as any.

We had a great time, and great turnout. Way too much food, though. We are still eating pizza every day to try to get rid of it all. Having it at Lou Malnati's turned out to be a good decision- a little pricey- but it was nice not to have to clean up the house or cook for the event. The waitress was great and made sure we had plenty of what we needed. Keaton was teething and was a little on the grumpy side, but luckily he didn't really cry or anything. He really wondered what the heck was going on when everyone sang to him! He wore his adorable shirt that Chelsea sent him for his birthday and got some cool gifts.

(I should mention that Valerie, Leslie, and Mitch helped decorate the owl cupcakes on Thursday night after the Hetricks arrived. it was a fun assembly line and they turned out super cute!)

After the party, we headed back to our place and he took a nice, long nap. When he woke up, we opened more presents and then gave him a smash cake. Someone (probably me) accidentally put his smash cake in the refrigerator, so it wasn't as 'smashable' as we wanted it to be, but it turned out to be a good thing because he just sucked on the cold frosting until it got mooshy. I think you can even make out a little smile in this one:

Sunday we went out for breakfast with the family, and then the Hetricks had to head back to Topeka. We got back to our house and had to get ready for another party with a few neighbors in the afternoon. There were only girls this time, so Keaton enjoyed flirting with all of them and showing them his new toys. We busted the Owl pinata and the girls enjoyed their candy, and the owl cupcakes. He took another awesome nap after the party, and the rest of us relaxed a bit, too. That night Casey and I went out for a nice Valentine's Day dinner (a day early) and my parents stayed home with Keaton. We enjoyed fondue and nice conversation at The Melting Pot. I stuffed myself with delicious food and almost didn't have room for dessert... even my 2nd stomach that is completely dedicated to sweets couldn't make much room. Sad, but true!

Monday I went shopping with my parents while Case was at work, and we got Keaton a nice amount of new clothes at the Carter's and Osh Kosh B'Gosh outlets. Monday evening we watched parts of the KU/KSU game, which ruined my mood since the #1 Jayhawks apparently didn't show up and play, and lost to the Wildcats. I will not comment any further... I avoided Facebook for a few days afterward because I didn't want to read status updates about the game. Needless to say, it didn't really set a great mood for Valentine's day. Oh well, I'm just glad Case and I went out the night before.

My parents left Tuesday morning, and Keaton and I spent most of that day vegging out at home. He was pretty sleepy and cuddled with me a lot... I think he may be going through another growth spurt. I enjoyed spending so much cuddle time with him, though... I will really miss that when he decides it's not fun to do anymore! For now, I'll take as much as I can get. :-D

I guess that's about it. Besides swimming yesterday and walking at the mall with friends this morning, we haven't really done much. We will be working on all the food my Mom made for probably another week or so, so we'll most likely stay inside (even though it's 60 today... but raining). Keaton's got plenty of new toys to keep him occupied.

I've got a ton of pictures to catch up on with the 30 Day Photo Challenge, but I'm going to wait until next time... that's plenty for one entry.

-Ash

What a Difference a Year Makes...

2011-02-12T09:35:00.000-06:00

One year ago right now, I was in the Labor & Delivery Unit, pushing harder than I ever have before. And at 9:57 a.m. one year ago, God blessed me with the greatest gift I have ever been given. Keaton Alexander Hetrick was born, and changed our lives forever. He has been the most amazing, exciting, hilarious, curious, beautiful little man a Mom could ever ask for. It has been an incredible year- one that has come with challenges, and a lot of learning. There is so much left to learn about him, and I can't wait. Well maybe I can wait for parts of it...haha (potty training? learning to say 'no'?) but every day is a new adventure to see what he will do... I love to watch him learn!

Here's to one amazing little man... he's going to open a lot of presents today, but I think Casey and I got the best gift of all. :-D

Proud Mama,

Ashley

My Shadow

2011-02-08T21:03:00.002-06:00

Day 22: A photo that you associate a good memory with...

In Creative Writing class in high school, we were asked to write a story about our shadow. At the time, I associated it with being the opposite of who I was, but I realize over the years that was not what the assignment was about. It was more about who you would be if you didn't hold yourself back. Your shadow is the person you wish you could be, if there were no rules... no 'social norm', even.

I think about My Shadow now and then after taking that class. She would have done cartwheels up and down the aisle of the plane on the way to Japan when the movie function broke and there was nothing to do for 12 hours. She would sing at the top of her lungs and not care who is listening. She would be more gutsy- honk the horn when someone cuts her off... tell someone they were being rude instead of keeping her mouth shut. She would take charge and not worry as much about what people thought or if it would upset someone. That person is who I wish I could be, but never allow myself to for fear of losing friends, making enemies, or being a bitch.

My shadow is the girl in the picture, dancing her butt off and not worrying about what other people are thinking. I hope to be like her again some day.

-Ash

Days 20 & 21

2011-02-07T16:26:00.000-06:00

Day 20: A photo of something you ate today.

So technically I ate this on Saturday, but I had to 'cheat' a little. This is one of the Koala Bear cookies I found at the Asian Market on Saturday... I used to get these all the time in Japan, and was stoked to see them again! There were quite a few things I found at the market that we used to have in Japan, and I look forward to going back there to grocery shop and stock up soon. They even had some of the coffee we used to get in the vending machines! I miss Japan so much... it was fun to bring back good memories of the place.

Day 21: A photo of somebody you find attractive.

Of course!! Oh, and:

:)

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Keaton's taking a great nap right now. I attempted one, but then Case called and said he was on his way home, so I decided to stay awake so I can sleep tonight. Hopefully. That's still pretty hit or miss- mostly miss- for me. I am exhausted every night, but don't end up actually falling asleep until 10 or later. Never fails. I'll try a bit harder tonight.

Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday. I can't help but think of where I was last year at this time- getting 'kicked out' of the hospital because my contractions weren't strong enough, and having 5 days of Pre-labor. So much has changed in a year! Anyway, we didn't go anywhere yesterday because the game was so late, so we ended up cooking most of the day. I made tempura and rice, and Casey helped me with some miso soup. Then he took over and made some chili for dinner. It was good- I was a little concerned about the chili because of all the hot things he was putting in it (jalapenos, chipotle peppers, among others) but it turned out just fine.

Well, little man is waking up now, so time to go. More tomorrow!

-Ash

Homecoming 2000

2011-02-05T20:41:00.000-06:00

Day 19: A photo of your favorite thing from school...

This one is tough. Which school? I've been to a lot of them. We'll go back to high school for this one:

Homecoming, Topeka High, 2000. Dean Smith graduated from good ole THS, and my friend Tiffany and I just happened to get a picture with him. (Sidenote, why am I always wearing something strange- antennas, pigtails, etc.- whenever I meet someone remotely famous?) Homecoming was such a blast back then... we had a great time working on the Senior float, and the football game was fun as always. We just had our 10 year reunion last Fall... it blows my mind that time has gone that fast.

Speaking of time flying, have I mentioned that my kid is going to be a year old next week?! Or that I'm freaking out? Yep... it's true. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Tomorrow I'll be sure to tell you all about the Asian supermarket we went to today... it brought back a ton of memories of Japan... I can't wait to go back! (To the supermarket, or Japan for that matter!)

Love,

Ash

Off day

2011-02-04T10:21:00.000-06:00

Day 18: A photo of your town.

Unfortunately I don't have any cool pictures of Topeka, or Plainfield, so I will do my 3rd 'town', Naperville. This pic was taken on the riverwalk in downtown Naperville, very close to the hospital where Keaton was born. :)

I'm having a rough day today. Maybe I can chalk it up to a rough week.. I dunno. I guess I just feel kind of off today, and I have for a few days now. I don't know if I'm trying to get sick (I hope not!!!) or if my hormones are changing again or what, but I just don't feel like myself. Maybe this cold, snowy weather is making me a little depressed. It will pass. Just helps to write it out sometimes because I tend to dwell on it, and that's not healthy.

I suppose that's enough for right now- I may write again later. It does not feel like Friday, but I'm SOOOO glad it is!!! Can't wait for Casey to be home and the weekend to officially start!

-Ash

Little Monkey

2011-02-03T21:28:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 17: A photo from a trip you'll never forget.

I will never forget when my Mom's coworkers flew me back to Topeka for her retirement party. She had no idea I was in town, and I remember having to sneak around, and even called her from my cell phone while up the street from my house and had to pretend I was at work. I was so nervous as we made our way to the party... then some of the girls from her office brought out a huge box and had me get in, and they wheeled me into the party. The look on my Mom's face when she opened the box was absolutely priceless!! It was one of my favorite times going home. I am so glad I was able to be there for her party and celebrate the fact that she was free from a job that caused her way too much stress for one person to take on. So glad she's retired!!!

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Keaton and I ventured out into the white, cold world today. It was interesting. There are definitely some idiots out on the road... sometimes I think I'm one of them, but I try to be extra extra careful in the snow/ice. I had some colorful language at times (oops!) but we made it to my haircut appointment and back without much trouble. I just hate it when people pull out in front of you and go 2 miles an hour. Especially when it's icy, and when they had plenty of time to pull out previously, but they decide to wait until you are right there... you either have to slam on your brakes or change lanes. Casey and I were talking about that the other night, and I said, "Do they just not see you or something when they pull out in front of you like that?" and he said, "It's hard to see when you've got your head up your ass." So true... so true. LOL...

Keaton and I took 2 naps together today, mainly because 1) he's wearing me out, and 2) he would not sleep in his crib! He's doing fine right now [crosses fingers while knocking on wood] but today he would not lay down and stay there! I spent 45 minutes trying to get him down for his afternoon nap, and finally just gave up and napped with him. I've got to have more will power for this to work. And more energy! But enough of that... I have a feeling he will be walking on his own within a month. Of course I said the same about crawling and was wrong, but he seems pretty determined to move now. Maybe that's because all of his buddies are crawling and cruising now, and he wants to keep up with them during play time. Looks like Case and I will be shopping for more baby proofing material this weekend... Keaton tried to climb up his bookcase today! He stood on his tiptoes and started pulling up with his hands... we may have a little monkey after all! Just when I thought I couldn't worry about anything else, the kid tries climbing. LOL... I'm in for it.

I guess that's about all for now. Tomorrow's Friday!! Woo hoo!!!

-Ash

Who ticked off Mother Nature?

2011-02-02T22:30:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 16: A photo from my childhood

That's me! I think it was at age 2...? I always wonder if Keaton will get curly hair like I had. I also think those were meant to be ankle socks instead of knee socks. :)

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We survived "Snowpocalypse 2011". It was, in a word, insane. It sounded like the roof was going to blow off. It looks like we got a total of 19 inches over the 2-day period. It was tough to tell because the snow drifts were all over the place and were all different heights, but I think if I stepped off the back porch, I might not be found for awhile.

Our amazing neighbors helped clear our driveway. It was kind of neat to see everyone come outside and help each other dig out. You could hear the buzz of snow blowers (something we need to invest in for sure now!) and the scraping of shovels up and down the street. It was also nice to finally see neighbors again- we all hermit in our houses during the winter. Can you blame us, though? It's fricking cold here. I miss South Carolina. PS: I just saw on the weather that we are supposed to get snow for 4 days straight starting this weekend. Get me the hell out of here.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think the crazy weather had an effect on Keaton, too. He seemed more active than normal, and even woke up at 3 this morning and would not go back to sleep for over an hour. He's so much more active now, in fact, that we had to lower his crib again today because we were worried that he might tumble out if he got too overzealous. It's become much more difficult to get him to go to sleep now that he knows he can move around. He pulls himself up on everything, and cruises around furniture like it's nothing. I am not going to lie; this sudden burst of activity is really wearing me out, both mentally and physically. Mentally because I am not really prepared for it, and physically because he uses me as a human jungle gym. I got pretty overwhelmed at one point today because he was all over the place, and I couldn't keep up. Sometimes I wonder how I'm going to handle the next stage when he starts walking. Some people say it will get easier, because they will become more independent. If that's the case, I think I do look forward to that, but I think I also am mourning the 'loss' of my little baby boy. I just can't believe how much he's changed in the last few weeks. He does so many things each day that I tend to blog more frequently so I don't forget any of them, and I know I already have! My little guy is growing up... I guess that's just what they do.

Well, I should probably get to sleep now since Casey has to go back to work tomorrow, and I'll need all the energy I can get with my little cruiser! Glad we made it through the 'Blizzard of 2011'... I hope that is the first and last one I ever see.

Love,

Ash

Mi Madre

2011-02-01T12:40:00.003-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 15: A photo of you and a family member:

Mom and I, May 24th, 2003

It seems appropriate that this category happens to fall on this day, because my Mom has been on my mind a lot the last 24 hours. She went in this morning to have cataract surgery, and I am happy to report that the surgery went well and she's back home with Dad now. She has to go back tomorrow to get her eye checked, and I'm not sure how that will happen with the weather the way it is, so hopefully everything will work out fine and she and Dad will travel safely. Of course I worry because I'm so far away, but glad that she called this morning to let me know everything was fine. She sounded chipper, too, so that helps my nerves. I can't imagine what hers were like this morning, having to travel in the nasty weather to have surgery... I would probably be on edge, too.

On that note, I haven't heard from my husband yet, so I'm anxiously awaiting his phone call or text to let me know when he's coming home today. I hope they let him leave early- the storm is supposed to pick up here around 3, so I really hope he makes it out before then. The wind is pretty ridiculous here right now, but it's not snowing very much. We are supposed to have 'thunder snow' today... I always thought that was strange, but then this weather is pretty crazy anyway. Not excited... not excited at all.

Happier note: Keaton likes to play this new game with us... it's his own version of "Marco/Polo" but he says "Hey!". He says it, then we say it, then he says it, and so on. It's pretty funny- he gets really into it now! We had to play it yesterday at Walmart... and in the car... and during his diaper change... lol. He's really a funny little guy. This morning he was also playing with his little piano toy that has a microphone, and he started singing into it again (there is an older video on Flickr). He started bouncing up and down on the bed to the beat of the song, too. He loves music!!

Well, now I play the waiting game.. waiting for Case to come home (or call), waiting for the crazy storm to arrive, waiting for all hell to break loose, or whatever. Hopefully we just get to enjoy time at home with each other, and stay nice, safe, and warm inside the house. More later...

-Ash

Prepping for "Snowpocalypse" 2011

2011-01-31T17:39:00.002-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 13: A photo of one of your favorite movies:

This one is difficult because 1) I watch a lot of movies, and 2) I have trouble making decisions, so deciding on one movie is tough!

Fright Night! Word on the web is that they're remaking it, and Colin Ferrell is playing the vampire neighbor. I think that may be the only reason I watch the new one, because I love the old one so much, I am sure the remake will not do it justice. Either way, though... I love vampire movies and this is one I could watch over and over again!

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Day 14: A photo of your best friend(s):

Lindsey, Sara and I at Ben's wedding a year ago... (I was 4 months preggo at the time). I always have fun with these girls. Lindsey and I have been best friends since we were 5, and Sara and I became friends in middle school... then the two met, and are now inseparable. They always make me laugh, listen to my rambling stories, and are always there whenever I need them. I miss these girls a ton and I wish I lived closer to home so I could see them more often. Seeing them over coffee whenever we go back to Topeka is one of the highlights of my time at home!

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In other news, "Snowpocalypse" is apparently making its way to Chicago in the next 24 hours. They are predicting up to 2 feet of the white stuff, and I am NOT excited at all. I decided to go to Walmart this morning, along with all the other crazy people, and stock up on a few things before it hits. I drove around for almost 20 minutes just looking for a parking place! I expected nothing less than the chaos I witnessed there, but I wish it wouldn't have taken 2 hours to get what I needed. It was not a fun trip.

By the time we left, Keaton was long overdue for a nap. Napping was another story today. In the past few days he's figured out how to sit up, pull himself up to standing, and then cruise around his crib. Since he's not able to sit himself down yet, I have to go in multiple times to lay him back down, which breaks his little heart. Then a minute later, he's up again. I ended up giving up and had him nap with me in our bed so he would finally settle down. Then late this afternoon, it took me 45 minutes to get him to fall asleep, and he didn't get there until almost 5 p.m., so I don't know what I'm in for tonight. It's just a stage... just a stage.

Here goes nothing. I sincerely hate snow right now. I feel bad for Casey because for months now he has looked forward to the Avenged Sevenfold concert tomorrow night in Moline, IA... I highly doubt it's going to happen at this rate. I hope for his sake that they reschedule it so he doesn't have to miss out. I also hope that my Mom's cataract surgery goes well tomorrow morning. Mother Nature is not being very accommodating right now! I hope this gets it out of her system so the weekend of the 12th is snow free... I would hate to have to cancel Keaton's birthday party or have our family's travel plans get screwed up! Grrr... Mother Nature!

-Ash

Me again...

2011-01-29T22:12:00.001-06:00

Okay, so much for 'not blogging' this weekend... LOL... a few things before I hit the hay...

Keaton has enough hair now (finally) that Casey gave him a tiny mohawk during lunch today... here is the result!
Keaton enjoys laughing when others laugh now. We were visiting friends and having a funny conversation, and Keaton just joined in laughing like he got what was so funny. LOVE it!
Tonight he tried beef, shrimp, and tofu, and liked it all. Yay!
He figured out how to stand up in his crib today, and now he won't stop. I had to go in twice this evening to lay him back down after he was supposed to be asleep. I will probably regret saying this, but it was kind of funny to walk into his room and see his little head peeking over the crib. He gets so excited about his accomplishments, too! What am I in for now? I guess we'll find out!
He started dancing and bobbing his head when our 5 year old friend Vivian was playing piano... haha!
He is really remembering a ton of things this week! I can show him something, wait a few minutes, and then quiz him on it and he will point to it. He also says Hi all the time now. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy this stage?

I think that's all for today. And maybe this weekend. I just can't blog enough lately because he's doing so many things, I don't want to forget anything!! (Did I mention tooth #7 came in last week? We now have 5 on top, 2 on bottom.. and working on a bunch more.) Until next time...

-Ash

Day 12

2011-01-29T11:14:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 12: A photo of when you were happy:

Saturday May 24th, 2003. I can't believe it's been almost 8 years now! Time sure does fly. We've had ups and downs, just like all married couples do... I'm just so glad that we've gotten through them all and now have a beautiful little boy to share our life with, too.

My parents are celebrating their 50th anniversary this June. Fifty years!! That is a wonderful accomplishment, and something they should be proud to share, because not many people get to that point- especially in today's society. I am excited for them, and hope to be able to say the same someday. :)

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Little Man is asleep next to me in bed right now. I don't like letting him nap in our bed much these days, but he was super grumpy and would not settle down to sleep, and it was the only thing that would work. So here I am, stuck in our room. Might as well blog, right? I think we screwed up his schedule last night- we went to Red Lobster for dinner, and didn't get home until about 30 minutes after his bedtime. He went to sleep fine, but woke up an hour earlier than normal this morning, and refused to go back to sleep until about an hour ago. He also figured out how to pull himself up on his crib this morning, so during the first attempt to get him to nap, he stood up, cruised to the end of his crib, and started playing with a full-length mirror that was propped up there. I heard a banging noise and came in to discover him standing there, squeaking at me in delight at his accomplishment. That was the final straw- Case lowered the crib a few inches. Luckily it's not too low for me- yet. Unless I hit a growth spurt of my own, the next one's going to be tough.

We let Keaton eat bits of our food last night at RL- he really liked the chicken Casey had. Didn't try giving him shellfish, just in case he has an allergy, but he liked the Cheddar Bay biscuits (who doesn't?), broccoli, and mashed potatoes, too. It's fun to be able to give him what we have. He's growing up so fast!! This morning for breakfast he had yogurt, and finished almost 1/2 a pear all by himself. Then he saw Casey eating a banana and had to have some of that, too. He saw me eating a cupcake the other day, so I gave him a tiny bite to prep him for his birthday cake in a few weeks. A few weeks?! Ahhhhhhh!!!! Breathe, woman, breathe!!

Alright, I guess that's enough for one day. It seems I have gotten the writing bug again because I really thought I wouldn't write until next week, and I've posted 3 times since then. Is anyone else still reading this (besides my parents?)... LOL...

-Ash

My Stupid Mouth.

2011-01-28T21:08:00.000-06:00

Great John Mayer song, and pretty much sums up my evening.

Don't you hate it when you have very good intentions, but the perception gets completely screwed up/taken out of context, etc, and you end up feeling like a complete idiot? That's how I feel right now. I won't get into specifics, but it's one of those times I wish I had that good ole Remote Control for life and I could either pause and rethink how things could be taken, or rewind to say it differently... or fast forward to the part where everything has blown over and my stupidity is only a memory. Until the next time.

Maybe I'm being too dramatic. It wouldn't be the first time. But I really am flustered at the fact that I can so easily get myself into trouble when I talk. Sometimes when it happens, I picture myself stepping in a big pile of poo, with cleats on. That's what it feels like to me, because it is not an easy clean up. It's not an "Oh, I'm sorry, I said that wrong" kind of moment. It's an intricate, complicated moment. Like an onion. It's got lots of layers and it gets stronger and smells worse the deeper you go. Enough smelly examples... you get the idea.

That's my night in a nutshell. I think I should quit while I'm ahead... start fresh tomorrow. Fresh sounds good after referencing piles of poo and onions, don't you think? Hahaha...

-Ash

The Perfect Cheer

2011-01-28T16:31:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 11: A photo of a night you loved

Halloween, 2005: It was about a week before we left to live in Japan (4 months for me, 6 for Casey), and was probably my most favorite Halloween ever. Casey and I learned a Halloween cheer that we found online that was from one of the SNL skits (which I just searched for to share with you, but to no avail). Everywhere we went, people would ask us to do the cheer, and after we finished people would buy us a drink. Needless to say, by the end of the evening, I could not remember the cheer very well. Casey rocked it out, though, and we had a blast! He really let loose and had fun with it. My Mom helped us make the costumes. Great night with great friends. :)

Keaton took a great nap after mall walking this morning, but pretty much refused to sleep for the last hour and 15 minutes, even though he was showing all the signs of being sleepy. I think he may actually (finally) be asleep now... after a long bought of hiccups. Are hiccups really a sign of growing in babies? He's gotten them at least once a day every day this week. Just wondered. We are actually going to lower his crib this weekend... for the second time this week, I put him in the Pack N Play and ran downstairs to get laundry out of the dryer, and when I came back up, he had pulled himself up again. He was pretty pleased with himself. I am still unsure why he hasn't figured out how to do it in his own crib yet, but I'm thankful (and so is my back) that he hasn't so far... but now is the time to lower it. :-/

I am ready for the weekend. I am ready for Casey to be home, and to go to Downers Grove tomorrow and visit our friends who are celebrating the Chinese New Year. I look forward to some delicious Chinese food, and getting to see a few friends and their kids. They are both girls, so Keaton should be pretty happy about that. :) I may not blog for a few days, but I'll be sure to update the 30 day photos next time.

-Ash

Curious George and Owl Cupcakes

2011-01-27T15:58:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 10: A photo you like for any reason

My little monkey watching Curious George. :)

He is kind of enthralled with Curious George right now. Every time he sees CG on TV, he squeaks! I normally let him watch a 15 minute episode every day, especially when I need to do something like switch out the laundry or take a shower. I normally put him in the Pack N Play, but he gets so glued to the tube that I come back a minute or two later and he hasn't moved... at all. I may not win any kind of Mother of the Year award for letting my kid watch a little TV before he's 2... but I kind of doubt I'm screwing him up, either. If he's anything like his Daddy, and we all know he is already, then he's going to have an affinity toward all things electronic... I'll just be sure not to overdo it.

So I gave the birthday cupcakes a test run the other night, and finally uploaded pictures. Here's a preview:

I didn't realize how difficult it is to break Oreos apart without screwing up the frosting in the middle. The commercials make it look SO easy. Jerks. It's really not, unless there's some kind of trick to it that I don't know about. I went through a bunch of mini Oreos just to get a few that looked decent, but even then I think these owls look a bit cracked out. LOL... I may have to go for Plan B- white icing. I thought the Oreo idea was brilliant when I saw it on a recipe online, but I am no Martha Stewart, and don't have a great track record when it comes to making things look super nice. I'm glad to have done a test run, though, so it should make the real thing go a bit easier.

It's snowing again. It's supposed to snow the next few days, too. Keaton and I watched the snow today while we ate lunch. Last night I made teriyaki salmon, sticky rice, and edamame. Keaton enjoyed trying all 3 items, and seemed to like the salmon the best, which surprised me! At lunch today I gave him some more rice and edamame, and he ended up chewing the edamame into little bits and sucking on them for almost 45 minutes. He would just hold the pieces in his mouth for a long, long time, and I wouldn't realize he was still eating them until he would laugh or talk and a little green piece would fly out of his mouth. Silly kid! I guess Case did something similar with his food when he was a kid, so I shouldn't be too surprised. Still, though, I wish he would just swallow it because I always worry about him choking while he's playing! Not to mention the fact that he leaves a little trail of edamame chunks all over the place when he crawls around.

He's also been chatting up a storm the past few days. I'm trying to only give him the pacifier when he's about to take a nap, so he's not as dependent on it. So far it's working. He has been doing long strings of babbling, mainly saying Dada, Mama, and babababababahhhh! Today we played an extended game of 'Where's the ___?' He's really getting good at knowing where things are, and pointing. I think this may be my favorite game so far... he's learning a ton right now! Such a neat little kid. :)

Well, this Mommy's going to try and take a little nap while Keaton's asleep so I can get some bit of energy for tonight. I've been doing housework in the evenings while Casey works, and today will be no exception because I am super tired, for some reason. More tomorrow!

-Ash
I

Little Me, Day 9

2011-01-26T13:06:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 9: A photo of yourself when you were a baby

Grandma Billings and I. I'm not sure how old I was in this one, but I'm guessing ~1 month. I am starting to see a resemblance between Keaton and I when I look at pictures of myself as a child. I wonder if he'll have curly hair like I did?

This morning we had swimming lessons. Keaton was tired, but he still had a blast in the pool. All he wants to do is splash now when he's in the water, which makes it hard for people to want to stand next to us because everyone gets wet, if he has his way! I took a shower yesterday, but last night when I was giving Keaton a bath I basically got another one... he splashes constantly and wouldn't stop until I gave him a toy to distract him for a moment or two. It's hard to bathe a kid when you keep getting water in your face! He also keeps pulling himself up on the side of the tub, so I have to be extra careful with him and make sure he's got a good grip. Needless to say, maybe I should wait until after his bath before I take a shower, because I got soaked pretty well in the process. I should have taken a picture of myself last night after his bath... I looked like a wet dog. Second thought, maybe it's good that I didn't... haha...

Poor Casey got home around 11 last night. I'm glad he didn't have to pull an all-nighter, but it's still too bad that he had to stay so late. This morning when he got up for work, Keaton woke up, too. We hung out with Casey as he got ready to leave, and helped make his breakfast, etc. Keaton enjoyed seeing him, and couldn't really figure out why he had to leave again. When Casey was about to walk out the door, Keaton squeaked "HI!" and reached out to him. I know that made it harder for him to leave, because he came back in and hugged Keaton one more time. I think it's going to be even harder when he learns to say "Bye bye" or if he starts to get upset when one of us has to leave. And Casey knows he'll get an excited "HI!" when he comes back home tonight... that probably makes it worth it.

Not much else is going on here. I am ready for the weekend again... which seems sad since I don't go to work or anything. It's just nice to have Casey home, and to enjoy time as a family. I look forward to days when Case actually gets to relax and not think about work. Hopefully his current project will go better than it has been lately, and he won't have to be at work babysitting equipment or running tests. It's almost like Grad school again right now- I know he is really stressed. It would be great if things start slowing down soon and he is able to take a little bit of a break.

I'm in another writing slump today, so I think I'll end for now. Sounds like Keaton is going to wake up soon anyway- he slept for at least an hour after swimming... YAY! His naps seem to be longer these days, which is nice. I just need to take more advantage of the time I have, which is hard to do after swimming because it wears me out, too! More later, of course. :)

-Ash

Pointing and Pictures

2011-01-25T22:14:00.001-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 8: A photo of something I enjoy doing

I think this one may be obvious, but for those of you wondering... I like to take pictures!! Anyone who has ever visited my Flickr site should know this. Heck, anyone who has ever met me should know it, too. I love hiding behind the camera. I still have a ton to learn, and I have some trouble keeping the technical details straight sometimes, but it is definitely one of my passions in life. I look forward to continuing my education in photography, and maybe someday start my own business. Who knows?

Not in much of a writing mood tonight, I wonder what's wrong with me! It was just a typical Tuesday. The highlight of today was Keaton (as it tends to be)... he is pointing at everything now! I can ask him where things are and he'll point his cute little finger in their direction... most of the time. (He sometimes gives up and just points at whatever he thinks looks interesting.) He can point to all the owls in his room. He points at the clock and the light all the time now. He can show me where different animals are on his crib sheets, different pictures in books, and even where my belly button is! This stage is too much fun!

Tomorrow is Swimming Day- hopefully our instructor is back because Keaton always seems to learn a lot with her. Other than that, we don't have much planned for the day. Guess that's about all for tonight!

-Ash

Catching Up

2011-01-24T14:12:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 6: A photo of someone you love

Casey and Charley Brown. Today is the 7 month anniversary of the day we had to say goodbye to Chuck. I thought it would be appropriate to include both my boys before Keaton came along, as Keaton has had a lot of the spotlight so far in the 30 Day Challenge... for good reason, of course! This is the first picture of Casey and Charley together. <3

Day 7: A photo of something I stand for.
This one is stumping me. What do I stand for? How many almost-30-year-olds have a solid answer to this one?

I guess this one would work: Being a Mother. If I had a business card, it would be my title. I think I have always been a bit of a "Little Mama"... especially when I worked at USC and had my summer REU students- I was known as the "Den Mother" around the Chemical Engineering Department. While I don't know if I fully answered the question of 'what I stand for', this is what I would define myself as... a Mother. Hardest, most rewarding job I have ever had. :)

Now for the update. The weekend flew by, as it always does. Now it's Monday again, and 5 more days until I get to spend time with Casey again (for an extended period of time). Since he spent half of Saturday at work, I guess I feel like this weekend was even shorter, because I don't think I define it as a 'weekend' until he's home. Yesterday was the Chicago Bears/Green Bay Packers football game, so we drove to Evanston to see our friends Misael & Aidaris and their daughter, aka Keaton's girlfriend. He is absolutely in love with her, and it's cute to watch them together. She just turned 2 last month, so she can obviously run circles around him, but I think she likes interacting with him... and I know he loves attention from her! Last night she gave him little kisses on his cheeks and head, and fed him rice with a spoon. (Why did I not get that on video?! It was so cute!!) He grinned from ear to ear every time she spoke. He always wanted to be where ever she was. He also fell in love with her walker, and decided that he would not walk, but almost jog with it. This is the most he has ever walked while holding onto something... he was probably motivated because she is a very active child, so he has to work hard to keep up! All that exercise wore Keaton out, so he passed out in the car on the way home. I did the same not too long after we got home. And with that, the weekend was over.

Today Keaton and I went to my Orthodontist consultation. He did great, and enjoyed watching all the hygienists in the office (probably because they were all women) and did his share of flirting. I found out that I do not qualify for Invisalign like I'd hoped, but I can get braces with the help of Casey's insurance. It should only take a year. We'll see how it all pans out.

Well the kid is awake now and calling for me from his crib, so it's time for me to go. More later!

-Ash

Day 5/Numb

2011-01-22T12:01:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 5: A photo that makes me laugh:

I call this one "Saftey first, spell-check second". It was taken at a construction site in Columbia, SC when we lived there. I still cannot believe someone printed this without knowing that it was spelled wrong! Hahahaa...

So going through 3 hours of pushing during labor really puts things into perspective. Take this morning, for example... I had to get 4 fillings. I thought it was only going to be two, but I was wrong. My mouth is still numb with Novocaine... so glad that's over. I look forward to getting feeling back in my face so I can eat some lunch eventually! Anyway, labor really puts other pain to shame!

I've got a very cuddly little man today. Whenever I put him down, he crawls up to me and needs to be in my lap. Maybe he knows the morning I had and wants to give support, I dunno! It's cute, but tough when I have to use the bathroom or something because he gets upset when I put him down. Not sure why he's like that today, but hopefully he'll want to do the same with Casey when he gets home from work (yes, on a Saturday... poor guy) so I can take some ibuprofen and a nap.

More later!

-Ash

Thinking warm thoughts... Day 4

2011-01-21T16:15:00.001-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 4: A place I would like to go visit:

On this bitterly cold, dreary Chicago day, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be in the Galapagos Islands. They never have to worry about -20 degree wind chill. Or snow. Or... anything, or so it seems. As Liz Lemon would say, "I want to go to there!" I don't know why I've been thinking about it so much lately, but I can't help myself... I'm obsessed. Absolutely beautiful!!

In other news, Keaton decided that today would be the day he pulled himself up in his crib. He hasn't figured out how to sit up on his own while laying down yet, but we are too close for comfort right now, so I think Casey is going to have to lower the crib this weekend. I knew this day would come, but now the toughest part comes for me- getting my kid in and out of his bed. 1) I'm super short. 2) He's on the heavy side. It is hard for me to get the leverage I need to put him in bed without dropping him, or pick him up without a step stool... so that's my only option, unless Casey puts hydraulics on the bed or we get a lever/pulley system going. Since those are highly unrealistic, I will have to resort to the stool. It's too bad I can't still get a growth spurt.

Well, laundry calls, and Keaton's taking a pretty good nap right now, so I'll take advantage. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow to get a few fillings... yay. Can't wait. Blah! Oh well, it's better to get it over with. Then I meet with an orthodontist on Monday morning to see what can be done... hopefully everything will work out and I will have straight teeth in the very near future!

-Ash

Day 3/Weird start

2011-01-20T21:21:00.000-06:00

Day 3: A Photo that makes you happy. (I have to pick just one?!)

This picture makes me smile every time I see it, so I think it qualifies... but there are so many more I could add to this category! If you look at the picture at the top of my blog, that qualifies, too. And if you go on my Flickr website... well, there are about 10,000 and counting, and a ton of them qualify. So I think I've got this category covered.

Today started out pretty strange. After Keaton woke up around 5 to eat, he fell back to sleep, and so did I. I set my alarm to get up so we could go mall walking. Next thing I know, it's 7:30, and we are both still in our pajamas and are supposed to be at the mall in 30 minutes. I rushed around the house, and by the time I got us both in the car, it was 8:15. Then I couldn't find my keys. I found them (in my coat pocket) and then backed out of the driveway- and into our trash can. I guess I forgot to take my anti-idiot pill this morning!

Luckily the afternoon went better. After 3.5 hours at the mall, walking and shopping, I came home and Keaton took about an hour nap. Case came home around 5, and I made Peachy Sausage Bake for dinner. Other than that, just a typical cold evening in Chicago. I don't think we're going to leave the house tomorrow if we don't have to, because the high is supposed to be 9. The HIGH. 9. I need to move to a warmer place. Galapagos Islands, anyone?

-Ash

Milestones aplenty!

2011-01-19T20:19:00.001-06:00

Today Keaton:

Fed me a Cheerio
Sang into a microphone after watching me do it once
Kicked his feet during swim class
Took a 2 hour nap!!
Drank from a sippy cup, and liked it! Not much, but it was noteworthy.
Pulled himself up on his airplane, and later walked with it on his own! (He also fell over it, but we're talking about the good points, right? He didn't cry, though!)
Clapped after watching Casey do it

I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something, but really, that's enough. He had a really good day today! I can't believe how much he's learning right now! There I go again with those darn exclamation points!!!!!

-Ash

Day 2

2011-01-19T13:41:00.000-06:00

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 2: A picture of myself at least a year ago.

This is one of the last pics of Charley and I (posing every week of the pregnancy) before Keaton was born. Speaking of Keaton, he is doing great in swimming this session, and is learning a ton. Today he started kicking! He must have used a lot of energy, or the lack of sleep from last night is catching up with him, because he's been sleeping since noon and it's almost 1:40 pm right now! Yay!!

Another random note... I use exclamation points too much. All the time. It's bad when I annoy myself! There I go again.

That's all for now... I'll probably write more tonight.

-Ash