This Picture is PRICELESS!

This was such a fun day. Grant and his best buddy Jay played so well together! This picture is just way too cute for words!

Book Worm

I have been such a book worm the past couple of months and I LOVE it. I have discovered that reading is a passion of mine and it helps me fall asleep. There have been days that I read for the whole 2 hours that Grant is napping and I get nothing done at all! But that is my 'me' time and I am OK with that. I have also discovered that if I go go go too much for the whole day and do not take at least 30 minutes to myself then I start to get annoyed. My reading time is when I get in bed. I also have reading times during Grant's nap or when I am putting him to bed, should the day call for more relaxed time. Whenever I some time that I don't have to be doing something, I pick up my book!

I just finished Skinny Dip, which is nothing what it would seem. It was a really good book, easy read, and a romance/comedy. I took it from my Mom who said it was a fun read. Prior to that I finished The Help, Friday Night Knitting Club, Redeeming Love, Kite Runner, and The Shack.

So my new discovery is Half.com - it is such a bargain and a half for new or used books. I just order 5 books, 4 of which are hard bound, for $25.37 - including tax and shipping. They are all gently used, but like new books. I am so happy! Here are 4 of the 5 new books that I will begin reading today!

There is something about me that wants to own all of the books that I read. I kind of see it as a collection. So that is why I like to purchase my books rather than borrow or check out from a library. Being the frugal person that I am, I love that I discovered Half.com

Need to get back to my reading...

Study: Spanking Kids Leads to More Aggressive Behavior

Interesting article... And we do not believe in spanking...and we do not even really believe in "Time-Outs" - more about that later...Here is the article

By ALICE PARK Alice Park – Mon Apr 12, 1:50 am ET

Disciplining young children is one of the key jobs of any parent - most people would have no trouble agreeing with that. But whether or not that discipline should include spanking or other forms of corporal punishment is a far trickier issue.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not endorse spanking for any reason, citing its lack of long-term effectiveness as a behavior-changing tactic. Instead the AAP supports strategies such as "time-outs" when children misbehave, which focus on getting kids to reflect on their behavior and the consequences of their actions. Still, as many parents can attest, few responses bring about the immediate interruption of a full-blown tantrum like a swift whack to the bottom. (See pictures of the evolution of the college dorm.)

Now researchers at Tulane University provide the strongest evidence yet against the use of spanking: of the nearly 2,500 youngsters in the study, those who were spanked more frequently at age 3 were more likely to be aggressive by age 5. The research supports earlier work on the pitfalls of corporal punishment, including a study by Duke University researchers that revealed that infants who were spanked at 12 months scored lower on cognitive tests at age 3.

"I'm excited by the idea that there is now some nice hard data that can back up clinicians when they share their caution with parents against using corporal punishment," says Dr. Jayne Singer, clinical director of the child and parent program at Children's Hospital Boston, who was not involved in the study. (Read "Should Kids Be Bribed to Do Well in School?")

Led by Catherine Taylor, the Tulane study was the first to control simultaneously for variables that are most likely to confound the association between spanking and later aggressive behavior. The researchers accounted for factors such as acts of neglect by the mother, violence or aggression between the parents, maternal stress and depression, the mother's use of alcohol and drugs, and even whether the mother considered abortion while pregnant with the child.

Each of these factors contributed to children's aggressive behavior at age 5, but they could not explain all of the violent tendencies at that age. Further, the positive connection between spanking and aggression remained strong, even after these factors had been accounted for.

"The odds of a child being more aggressive at age 5 if he had been spanked more than twice in the month before the study began increased by 50%," says Taylor. And because her group also accounted for varying levels of natural aggression in children, the researchers are confident that "it's not just that children who are more aggressive are more likely to be spanked."

What the study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, shows is that outside of the most obvious factors that may influence violent behavior in children, spanking remains a strong predictor. "This study controls for the most common risk factors that people tend to think of as being associated with aggression," says Singer. "This adds more credence, more data and more strength to the argument against using corporal punishment."

Among the mothers who were studied, nearly half (45.6%) reported no spanking in the previous month; 27.9% reported spanking once or twice; and 26.5% reported spanking more than twice. Compared with children who were not hit, those who were spanked were more likely to be defiant, demand immediate satisfaction of their wants and needs, get frustrated easily, have temper tantrums and lash out physically against others.

The reason for that, says Singer, may be that spanking instills fear rather than understanding. Even if a child were to stop his screaming tantrum when spanked, that doesn't mean he understands why he shouldn't be acting out in the first place. What's more, spanking models aggressive behavior as a solution to problems.

For children to understand what and why they have done something wrong, it may take repeated efforts on the parent's part, using time-outs - a strategy that typically involves denying the child any attention, praise or interaction with parents for a specified period of time (that is, the parents ignore the child). These quiet times force children to calm down and learn to think about their emotions, rather than acting out on them blindly.

Spanking may stop a child from misbehaving in the short term, but it becomes less and less effective with repeated use, according to the AAP; it also makes discipline more difficult as the child gets older and outgrows spanking. As the latest study shows, investing the time early on to teach a child why his behavior is wrong may translate to a more self-aware and in-control youngster in the long run.

90 to 19?

So I have been in DESPERATE need of some new jeans lately. I don't think any of my friends have experienced the body change that I have, or at least not as drastic. My pregnancy took a huge, major, crazy toll on my body and it has not been the same ever since. And I am not talking about a typical change that all women go through. Oh no! First of all, I gained 77 lbs with my pregnancy....see if you know any who can top that! Don't get me wrong, I am not proud of that or anything. My body stored so much water that within the first 10 days of giving birth I lost 35 pounds. Take that Biggest Loser! Hahahaa. But seriously my body just needed water and so I drank around 10 bottles of water a day when I was pregnant- crazy. Anyhow, back to the point. Though I have lost much of the weight, my body is crazy different. I lost a ton of muscle in my legs - I used to have super strong legs. I also used to have a pretty good backside, junk in the trunk, butt,.....whatever you want to call it. I say that only to now say that I have a 'flat mom butt'. It is so weird. And it BUGS me! Jeans just don't fit me anymore. Jeans have never been easy for me to fit into. My legs were a bigger size than my waist and it was difficult. To put it plainly, I had an athlete's body. However, there were certain brands that always fit and there was no problem. So to get back on track, I had to go jean shopping recently - (obviously the second most exciting thing to do next to going to Disneyland!) I got a pair from Express, a favorite place of mine to buy denim. Score! And I also found a pair at GAP, however I did not buy the GAP ones because they were not on sale...such a cheapo! Well, Lance and I went to the Outlet Mall over the weekend and I was going to go the GAP there to get my jeans. I decided to stop into to the Lucky store because Lance's mom always wears Lucky jeans. (She has fantastic taste in jeans) Well it was a special day because I found a great pair of jeans that fit me very well. AND I also happen to fall upon a pair of jeans that were marked down from $90 to $19! Yep, I got both pairs! And so that is my ridiculously long story, with unnecessary details, about how I got lucky at Lucky!

Something New

We have 2 new things around our house....

My friend Carrie is letting us borrow this table and chair set for children, thanks to our other friend Brandy who gave it to Carrie. Anyhow, Grant has really been enjoying sitting at smaller tables with chairs his size. Lance and I have actually been talking about getting a set, but we just have not pulled the trigger yet. The day I brought this home from Carrie's Grant was in heaven. He wants to have lunch at it, color on it, and just sit. It is really cute to watch. He thinks he is big time for having his own table and chairs.

The other new thing we have is a set of plates that have dividers in them. ($1 each at Walmart) I actually wanted to get these after I was at my friend Amber's for lunch. She had them and I loved how she was able to separate the food. It is actually a good reminder for me to give Grant at least 3 different food groups for his meals. He is also very excited to use them. I can tell he thinks he is more like Mommy and Daddy because we use plates too. Surprisingly, it is more fun for me to prepare his meals because I am using something new as well and it makes me feel good about what i am feeding him because I try harder to be sure he gets healthy and nutritious food!

No Words Needed !

Zapatos

Grant got 3 new pairs of shoes lately. I love shoes! I have not had a chance to splurge on shoes for myself, but I can live with that. Instead, Grant really did need some shoes and so he got some zapatos! (shoes in spanish) All three pairs actually came from Nordstroms. That is the best place on earth to buy shoes for children. Now, I realize it is a bit more expensive there, so maybe try Nordstroms rack. Anyhow, the Vans are just adorable! I love them. I had to buy some orange and brown shirts to match, because you cant just wear them with any outfit, at least in my opinion! The Crocs are freaking awesome!!! Grant can wear them no matter what the weather because you just put socks on and they are like regular shoes! However, the Crocs are the best because they are so wide and comfortable. Grant has such wide feet that they fit the best. The Puma's we found on the sale rack at Nordy's while we were in downtown Chicago for the day. We could not pass them up. Lance went through a faze in which he had 3 pairs of Puma's and those were the only shoes he ever wore. In fact, he just got his red ones out of the closet because they are practically brand new. Funny story behind the red Puma's, but you can ask Lance to tell you that one! Anyhow, I love all of Grant's new shoes and highly recommend that you check out Nordstroms children's shoes!

The Giving Tree

I read this article today :

"The man who gave us all The Giving Tree is posthumously giving us even more poems to enjoy!

HarperCollins Publishing announced that a untitled collection of 120 to 130 new works and poems by Shel Silverstein will be curated by the author's longtime editor Antonio Markiet and released next year. This marks the second release of work from Silverstein since his passing in 1999."

Very exciting because I love his work and I love books!

Growing Grant

Some things Grant has been up to lately:(as of the past 2 months)

• feeding himself with a spoon and fork
• Carrying around his blankey after his naps
  
• repeating animal noises - he knows the lion, the elephant, the dog, and the duck
• stepping up small stairs and trying to walk up regular stairs
• sitting in booster seats at restaurants
  
• helping clean up his toys
• he has 12 teeth - all 4 molars!
  
• throwing things in the garbage can when asked
• talking on his cell phone all the time
• giving presentations and announcements
• cleaning the floors and walls with paper towels (I don't know why!)
• standing on chairs at the table
• throwing tempers for a diaper change :(
• grabbing my purse and telling me "bye bye"
• loving all of his shoes
• saying "more" after we tickle him
• wiping his own face after meals
  
• learning to say some new words - spoon, done, book (that's all I can think of right now)
• understanding almost anything we tell him
• running to mommy and daddy's room when he wakes up

Parenting is so much fun and we are really learning a lot. We are trying to teach Grant that it is not Ok to hit when he gets frustrated. He is not necessarily hitting us, but the wall or the floor, and occasionally us. He knows it it is not Ok but it his frustration of not yet having the communication with us that he wants. However, it is so neat to see him learning so much so fast. We actually went to dinner as family on Fri and Sat night this week and Lance and I almost forgot he was there both nights. He just sat in his booster chair and ate his dinner and then played with his crayons like such a good boy. Lance and I really enjoyed talking and sharing things with each other. That won't happen every time, but he is becoming more independent and it is very special to watch happen.

We won't be the best parents ever, we will make mistakes, and there will be very difficult moments. We will learn things we like from other parents and things we don't like. We will make adjustments to make things work for our family.... But we are having so much fun going on this journey and watching Grant grow.

It's true...

We have some exciting/sad/happy/difficult (and many other emotions) news! We are moving back to California! Lance got a job offer with a new company and we will be moving back to San Diego. We are very excited about this for many reasons, but we also have some sad feelings as well. We have lived in Chicago for over 2 1/2 years (by the time we leave) and we have loved every minute of it! Lance and I moved here 3 months after we got married. We both agree that it was the best thing for us. We were off on our own and we grew in so many ways. We really became each others very best friend out here, even more than before. We did not know anyone and so it was up to us to find things to do, explore, have fun, and go on this adventure together. It was really so much fun to do it with each other and no one else!

It will be very sad to leave some of our friends. We were very blessed and made some friends pretty quickly and got involved in a great church and a small group. I can say that I do not look forward to our last night hanging out because I do not want to say goodbye. Well, maybe I don't have to...HOPEFULLY they will come out to California and visit us!!

Chicago is where we decided to start a family and buy our first home. Chicago is where we learned how to live in the snow and stay away from the mosquitoes. It is where we went to the Cubs, Sox, and Brewers stadiums. It is where we bought our first pieces of brand new, real furniture! There are so many first things we did out here and all of them were very exciting!

We lived in such a perfect area. We are very upset to be leaving the Naperville/Oswego neighborhoods. Downtown Naperville is so much fun and so 'us'. We love the restaurants, the river-walk, the park, the fountain, the bars, the coffee shops, the chocolate/ice-cream/cookie dough stores, the book stores, and all the other wonderful aspects of downtown Naperville. We would love to pick up downtown Napes and move it to Ca with us.

Lance will be traveling back here to Chi about once or twice a year. I am sure he will set up dinner with his buddies and will be excited to see everyone! I will be excited to get a phone call from some of you telling me your vacation to Ca is coming up and you need somewhere to stay!! I will also be excited to follow blogs, get Christmas cards, catch up on FB, exchange stories, and talk with my friends out here. It will be very hard to leave the friends I have made. They have all had an impact in my life in some way. Whether it is being a parent, being a better friend, being a wife, or being a better me, you have all helped me grow!

We are still here and look forward to more memories. We are probably moving in late May, but it could be June or July. Lets focus on the time we do have together!

Valentine's, food, and wine!

Our Valentine's Day was wonderful! We woke up and immediately got showered and dressed. Before we left the house we let Grant open his Valentine's Day gifts. Lance did all the shopping for Grant and I was so pleased with what he got. It was simple and not overdone. He had this super cute monkey Valentine's bag with red tissue paper. Grant thinks tissue paper is pretty fun, so that was perfect! Grant got a gardening set with a shovel, rake, hoe, and watering can. He was very excited to get them out of the box and play. He also got a chocolate basketball and a chocolate football, which I ate most of!

Then we headed out the door. We made plans to go to the Pancake House, a very popular breakfast restaurant. The wait was over an hour, however we planned to go there because Lance's friend from high school works there on the weekends and she got us a seat with literally no wait at all. I could not believe it! It was very generous of her. Grant had pancakes and eggs, and Lance and I had the biggest omelets you can imagine! We were stuffed!

After breakfast we decided to drive around the Ranch Bernardo and Poway areas of San Diego looking for communities in which we want to eventually buy our second home in. We are still a ways away from doing that (we need to sell our Chicago house before we buy, and that could be a few years) but it was still fun imaging ourselves in each community and talking about the positives of each location. That is where the semi cheesy picture comes in of our wedding rings. We were just having so much fun driving around. Grant was being so silly in the backseat and we kind of had one of the moments where you look at each other and say " I love you so much and always will!". Cheesy, but so sweet and deep.

Later in the afternoon Lance's grandma and her husband came down for our very Italian early dinner. If you did not know, Lance is 25% Italian......yes he looks likes a Luigi or Giovanni when he has a mustache! Anyhow, Lance's mom made some over-the-top delicious manicotti. she made a red sauce with meat and a pesto with veggies. I will get the recipe...you have no idea how good they were! Anyhow, it was such a beautiful day - I think it was mid 70's - so we ate outside and Grant got play in the backyard all day. Grant also go to open some Valentine's gifts from Non and Grandpa. He got a super cute Valentine's Spongebob book. Lance and I also got some super fitting gifts that we love. I got a new book, always a perfect gift for me. And Lance got a bar of soap! Ok, I know what you are thinking - that is the most outrageously weird gift for an occasion! And yes, perhaps it is if it were a bar of Coast or Dove soap. Have you ever heard of Kiehls? It is a skin care brand carried by Norstroms. If you are picky with you r skin care products or have sensitive skin I HIGHLY recommend Kiehls. They also have the very best chap-stick known to man! Anyhow, they also carry an oatmeal bar of soap that feels so good on your skin. Lance I love the oatmeal bar. So, that is all to say a bar of soap as a gift can really be a wonderful gift!
Later that night we put Grant to bed and enjoyed some wine! Lance's dad is a wine lover. He gets all these fancy bottle from all over the place and knows a lot about wine. It is so fun to sit around, hang out with the fam, and enjoy a couple bottles of wine!

We really had a perfect Valentine's day. It was relaxing and we didn't have to stress over anything! We hung out, ate a lot of good food, and enjoyed our family!

5 little ducks went swimming one day...

One day when we were in San Diego we went over to the Duck park. This is a huge pond with a tone of turtles and ducks. We had such a good time. Grant loved that the ducks would come right up to him. One even pecked his shoes - they got a little too friendly! I was so happy to capture the cutest pictures of Grant with Lance's parents. We had such a fun day and we will definitely do that again!

San Clemente Superbowl

Hanging out

Lance and I

Let the games begin...

Petty and Randy playing washers

Grant wanted to play as well

Busch family - prom style

For Superbowl 2010 we went up to San Clemente to Randy and Candi's house on the beach. Right when we got there Lance and Randy went to the airport to pick up Petty and to go do the grocery shopping for the day. It was such a beautiful day, high of about 75, that Candi and I took the little munchkins for a long walk and to play at the park. (Let me back up and say that Sydney Rose was born in the beginning of December and so this was our first time meeting her! She is beautiful!!) We had so much fun walking and playing at the park. Grant even met a little friend to play ball with on the grass. It was cute watching them learn how to share the ball. Just as we were walking home the guys got back to the house with Petty and the groceries.

Food: Candi is a very good cook and so we had freshly made chili, homemade pulled pork, and freaking awesome burgers! We also had veggies, guac, cookies, and all the other typical dips and treats for a party. Ya, we ate a lot!!!! But I will say it was delicious!

Games: We all love playing games and we do it in good fashion....with bets of course! The guys started with a game of washers, a new favorite game we discovered when Randy brought his homemade set out to Vegas. After this game Petty coined the phrase "Guys, we are mature adults and do not participate in childlike activities". This was all because Randy and Reid would not hold up to their end of the bet - doing a handstand in their underwear! Kind of one of those moments you had to be there for, but we seriously laughed really hard about it for about 3 hours! We also played a ton of card games, the Superbowl pool, and some other silly bets. I almost forgot to mention that Grant won the Superbowl pool!! 40 bucks!

Grant learned how to climb up on things at the Busch's. He was trying to get up on the cooler and he succeeded! It was then a game - climb up on the cooler and stand on top. He loved it and was very proud of himself.

Almost everyone was cheering and pulling for the Saints and so we were hooting and hollering all 4th quarter. That was such a fun game to watch and such a cool story for the Saints to finally win! We had a great Superbowl Sunday.

PS- did you know they are thinking of making it Superbowl Saturday?

Grant's Favorites

Here are a few things Grant has been doing and or liking lately

• Blueberries and "Nana's" - Grant loves eating them
• Saying his first two word phrase - "Mo Nana" - More Nana
• Trying to step up stairs while standing
• Understanding two part commands -ie, Get the keys and give them to Mommy
• Trying to say Thank you - "Thu Thu Thu"
• Calling the kitty - Wiggles his fingers and makes kissing sounds
• Sleeping in his own big boy bed
• Playing in his sensory bin
• Playing with his Golf clubs
• Wanting lots of horsey rides on our backs
• Wrestling with Dada
• Skyping with Grandparents
• Communicating very well with gestures and sounds
• Dancing to music all the time
• Walking backwards
• Saying 'Boo" for peekaboo
• Turning in circles
• Blowing kisses

That's all I can think of for now - I lost my list somewhere. It is just incredible how big he is getting and how fast he is growing! I can barely stand it, he is getting so big!

We just love him to pieces!

No More Monkey Sleeping In My Bed

Good News everyone - Grant no longer sleeps in our bed! Yes, make your comments and judgements all you want, but Grant was sleeping in our bed from about 9 months - 14 months. We learned our lesson and probably will not do it again with our next baby. However I will say there is something so sweet and precious about having your angel sleep right next to you! But Lance and I were both ready to get him out! For some reason I was calm about the whole transition. I figured he would wake up in the middle of the night once or twice for a few nights and that would be it. And that is exactly what happened. By the 8th night he slept all through the night! He has since been waking up a bit, but that is because he has pneumonia and a bad cough. We did not put him in his crib however. Grant sleeps in a big boy bed, our futon. I like it because it is low to the ground, so if he wakes up and tried to get off, he can without falling off the bed. As of now, he does not get out of bed on his own. He waits for Lance or I to get him from a nap or in the morning. Well, I guess one morning he came in my room, but Lance was traveling and I heard him wake up so I called him in. Anyhow, Lance and I are so happy to have our bed to ourselves, And truthfully, we are so darn proud of Grant for being such a big boy and transitioning to his bed with ease!