Andrew

Clever title, right?

I wanted to do a little post about our first baby before the 2nd one gets here - in.. ahem.. exactly 2 weeks! Things are moving so fast with him and I don't want to forget anything. Plus, if Daddy ever has time to check this little ol' blog, I'm sure he'd love the update :)

He is all too inquisitive lately. Simple answers are no longer acceptable to his questions. It's a lot of fun ;)
We just had to chat for about 5 minutes about why most school buses have stop signs but his toy bus does not have one.
We also just got done washing his hands and we talked all about how the water comes OUT of the faucet and DOWN the drain. Big long conversation about that. But then he wanted to know what those little holes are on the side of the sink. I have no earthly idea why those are there, actually. But I'd better find out!
We have talks like this is the car - (we were on our way to Trey's dad's work)
A: Where's Grandad?
Me: He's at work.
A: Where's Grandad's work?
Me: Just down the road a little big. We're on the way.
A: Where's Grandad's truck?
Me: It's at his work?
*1 minute pause*
Repeat conversation all over again. Twice.
Me: Please stop asking me that over and over again. We'll see him in just a few minutes.
A: Where's over and over again?
Ahhhhhh.. LOL!

He's getting more and more independent. Perfect timing, right? Let the angels sing over that one for a minute.
He plays on his own for longer periods of time. He's okay going to his playroom by himself (that was a battle for a while). He will go upstairs on his own if he wants to get something like his teddy bear or blankie.
He wants to do more on his own, for sure. He sometimes doesn't want your help whatsoever. I'm seeing this a lot with hand washing, getting dressed and getting into the car. I'm hearing a lot more of "No, Andrew do it". Which for the most part is much appreciated, but he's really gotta get better with dressing himself. He's not capable, but wants to be. Can make for some frustrating mornings.
He doesn't mind when I leave him for a bit anymore. As longs as it's not for bedtime apparently. That has always been our biggest battle. He wanted to be with me at all times and would NOT be pleased if I left him for even a few minutes. Now, he'll give me lovens and wave to me as I'm walking out the door. I won't lie.. that's nice! And it makes me even more excited to come home to him!

He's getting real smart and creative when it comes to going down for a nap. Where I used to be able to just give him a few minute warning, then we'd go up with no problem, now he knows what he can do to extend that just a little bit. Things like all of a sudden deciding he would like some milk, WANT to clean up his toys, or spend a few minutes saying goodnight to the dog and his toys. Really, your pickup truck needs hugs and kisses?

He's so smart. He's known all of his letters and numbers for a while, but now he's putting sounds together with the letters. He'll sound words out and tell me what they start with. At first, it was only words that he was familiar with. Now he seems to be able to do it automatically.. except the tricky ones. We had pears with lunch today and while sitting at the table he said, "Pears starts with P mommy". It blows me away each and every time!
He knows where all the letters are on the computer and knows the enter, space and backspace buttons.
He'll count things and do it correctly.
He's great with his opposites.
I just hope that he always has a love for learning!

I think he knows that his baby brother is coming soon. He's very interested in him all over again. And now he'll touch my belly and tell me he wants to feel baby Wes. Or he'll tell me he can't wait to share his cars with baby Wes. He'll excitedly talk in the car about how Wes will sit right next time him. Hopefully, that will keep up once the reality hits that this little person is in our lives to stay. Fingers crossed?!

He's doing better than I thought with Daddy being gone. He talks about him ALL. THE. TIME. But it's not in an angry or sad manner. Just matter of fact and lovingly. Like, "Daddy says, Alright big guy". Or, "when Daddy comes home we'll play outside/go to the park/play with trucks". Or, "Daddy is far away working, helping people". Stuff like that. And always with a smile on his face. I was so afraid that he was going to start acting out and get angry. He seems to be doing very well though. I pray that when Trey gets home, they will just fall seamlessly back into their relationship!

That's about all I can think of for now! Hopefully, I'll have lots of cute brother posts coming up soon :)

Distraction

Here's what I really want to talk about -

I'm moving in 2 weeks. Is this really my life? Is this for real? Do I really have to say goodbye to my husband for an undisclosed amount of time? Is he really going to tuck his son into bed for the last time in a while and I'm really going to have to watch a grown man cry? This can't be real.

I'm having a hard time keeping it together. Don't get me wrong, when he's home, he's home and we're enjoying every minute together as a family. And that part is wonderful. But, please, pay me no mind if you see me out alone and have random tears in my eyes. Or better yet, come up to me and assure me this will be over before we know it. Sitting by myself at the hospital lab, for instance. It's just that I can't get the image of my husband hugging and kissing my son for the last time out of my head. That's enough to drive anyone crazy, right?

 Jaci Greggs Photography

I could keep this blog post all on one neat, tidy topic and end it here, but I don't want to leave it in a place of funk. So let's talk about something else. Something happy. Let's talk about Andrew and what he's been up to. *Don't look surprised, you know it's my favorite subject*

So this is what I'll talk about instead - 

First of all, I'm able to work on this post in my favorite element (coffee nearby, jammies still on, the early morning sun peaking in through the blinds, and it's dead SILENT) because it's 7:15am and he's STILL SLEEPING. Do you hear the choir of angels singing?? This is unheard of. So, thank you baby!

Moving on...

He's talking up a storm. That's such a given at this point, even. When he first started, I was keeping up with a list to see how many words he had. I was able to do that for about 2 weeks before it became useless and I couldn't keep up. I ADORE the fact that he talks to us like a regular little human.
Full, complete sentences with his own little mixups added in:

• He refers to himself as "you". Funny story to go with that. Our friend Fritz was over playing in the backyard with him last week (God love him). They both came in and Fritz was confused thinking that Andrew wanted him to have some water. Probably because Andrew looked at him and said, "get you some water please". No, he really meant himself. Get Andrew some water. 
• His favorite show right now is Super Why. Sidenote: this is such a great show! He calls it Super Why-er and I think it's adorable. 
• As is the way he says noodles. "noo-noos". I've yet to correct him and, in fact, that's what we now call noodles in our house. 

Then he comes out with these big sentences/words that are said perfectly. It sounds so funny/adorable coming out of his little mouth.
We were at the doctor the other day when the doc asked him what he did this morning. He looked at him and said, "I went to the playground yesterday".
Right now he's drawing with my pencil. He just said, "I draw a submarine". Oh.. okay hun.. draw on!

Some of his key phrases lately have been:
"Oooh what is that?" (100 times a day.. I know he knows what that tree is!)
He'll mumble something that you can't understand, then say, "don't say that", while scrunching up his face and laughing.
"Uh-ohhh". Anytime something even remotely is a little off or goes wrong. 
"Loves you Mama/Daddy". Melt.
A big hearty, "OKAYYY", when we ask him if he wants to do something that sounds appealing to him.
Whenever he hears music of any kind (from a show, radio, commercial.. etc.)  he gives us this astonished look at says, "come out a feekers (speakers)".

He gets real excited when he's telling us "long stories" and starts to stutter a little. I can tell his brain is just going 100 miles an hour and he can't keep up! And it's less of stuttering over the beginning of words and more of putting, "uh uh uh's" in between words.

His imagination is becoming evident. I've always watched him play and wonder what in the world he was thinking. You know, as he's driving his cars around, flying his planes in the air, or building towers upon towers of blocks. Now, he's talking to himself as he's playing and I can catch a glimpse into that brain of his. Usually he's just going somewhere in his cars or planes. He'll look at us and say, "Bye, see you later, going to the (fill in the blank.. usually the PX, Commissary, or playground... you can tell what we do with the majority of our days). He's also starting naming his friends house, saying he's going over so-and-so's house. It's pretty cute. He'll drive his cars along the couch and yell out things to himself along the lines of, "NO NO NO, PLEASE, NO NO, STOP!!". Who knows what's going on there, but it's entertaining.

He loves to play this strange "game" about 10 times a day. He calls it "stinky feet". He asks to get in our bed and then says, "smell feet". He sticks his feet in our face and waits for us to gag uncontrollably because his feet are "soooooo stinky". I have no idea where this came, but I'm quite sure my husband started it.
Another favorite pastime of his is to type numbers and letters into Word. He loves for us to help him spell certain words and switch the colors on the letters. Seriously, this kid is going to be bored to tears in Kindergarten.


I'm sure I'm missing things, but I realize this may not be as interesting to all of you like it is to us. You already know I like to keep up with this stuff though to have to look back on. This is a running joke among myself and Trey and also a few of my friends, but I have to say, this is definitely my favorite stage. The joke is that I say that about every single stage :)

Andrew's Wish List

I hope this isn't tacky, first of all! I needed a place to keep everything we've had our eye on for Andrew for Christmas. Instead of writing it all down on paper, then having to email the list to family, if asked, I figured this would be easier. This way I could include links. So here we have a one-stop shop for us all!

Little People (we're big LP fans!):

Amazon

Amazon

Legos of any kind :)

Sold Here

Amazon

Amazon  - Daddy just got him the Basketball Hoop :)

Amazon

 

Amazon 

(A little toy tape measure would go perfect with that.. he's loved playing with Daddy's real one lately)

Books are always welcome. We just bought him Contrary Mary, I Don't Care! Said the Bear, and The Accidental Zucchini: The Unexpected Alphabet. He hasn't been into reading lately, which breaks my heart.. I'm hoping he's just bored with the same old books.

Again, I hope this doesn't come off as pushy or tacky. This is mostly for ourselves and family who already plan on buying him a gift and need ideas (aka - mom, dad and brothers!) I'd actually really enjoy hearing about what you plan to get your kids.. maybe you'll give me even better ideas! So SPILL IT :)

Finding the good

First off - I've had a few new followers lately (Heyyyy) and it makes me sad that you don't have your "reply to" email set. I want to connect with you, I really do ...I won't call anyone out.. hey Sarah and Derek.. woops ;) but it makes it hard for me to respond to you when I can't email you. And there have been so many things I've wanted to respond to!

Moving on -

I saw this on Pinterest the other morning, and it really was exactly what I needed to hear at the moment:

Source: encoreuneminute.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

We have had some really hard days around here lately. Starting Saturday afternoon and it really just hasn't stopped.
Andrew was sick over the weekend. The only way I could tell was that he was BURNING up (got up to 103.5) and would lay still for a ridiculous amount of time.. for him. I wasn't sure what was going on until Monday morning when I woke up with a sore throat and some congestion (nothing the sinus rinse doesn't help, but still.. I imagine that's what was going on with him). He woke up fine though, and all should have been good, right? Wrong. If it were just this, we wouldn't be here writing this post.

I don't know what on God's creation is going on with him. The only thing I can think of is that the ugly "Terrible Two" monster has reared it's ugly head. The one thing I DO  know for sure - I'm going to lose my ever loving mind. Soon. Everything out of his mouth is either said in a finger-nails-on-chalkboard like whine or he just skips right over the whining and goes right into full blown tears. Sometimes even throwing himself on the floor to do so. W.T.H....

I'm handling this in three ways.
One - I insist he talk to me like a big boy. He has the vocabulary. I KNOW he is capable. So when he comes to me whining, I just make him repeat it in "his big boy voice". And he does most of the time and we can move on. The crying and tantrums, while more difficult on my state of mind, are just about handled the same way. Make him use his words when he's just crying and grunting, remove myself from him if he refuses or while he's throwing a tantrum. He knows he can come find me when he's done throwing himself on the floor and we can work it out, but .... sighhhh....
Easier said though, my friends. I do all of the above, but like I said, I'm going to lose it. Just because I remove myself, doesn't mean I can't hear it. Lord help me.

The second thing I'm doing is praising the heck out of the good behavior. That child has never heard so many, "good jobs", "good boys", and " great listening". I pray that this works. This is the more fun way to handle it!

So the third thing I'm doing that I feel will get ME through this.. it will not help him in the least, I'm afraid.. Is finding the good in every day.
Just because my child has lost his mind and is trying to make me lose mine, doesn't mean I have to let him win. The first two days I found that I was a miserable person to be around by the time Trey got home. (he called me one afternoon and I may have even dropped the "f" bomb while talking about our son and told him I was going to Walmart to sell him  :/ )  He doesn't deserve to come home to that and really, it's no fun for anyone. For the most part, I can choose my attitude. It's up to me.

I've started a little notebook and every time I find myself especially thankful for a certain thing, or I notice something beautiful, or we experience a special little moment, I'm writing it down. I figure it has to help change my thinking and make me more calm and appreciative, right? I'm also telling Trey one thing I love about him every day or one thing that I especially appreciated from him that day. I think that will help to keep my day's frustrations from spilling out on him. Or at least if they do, will balance things out.. ha!

Also, I need to pray for some patience! I think I'll need the patience of a saint to get through this phase and that's the only place it's gonna come from!

The Big Boy Bed

Right before Trey left for NTC, we decided that when we all got back into town we were going to make the big move. Transition Andrew from his crib to a toddler bed.

He was showing no signs of being ready. No climbing out of the crib or anything like that.. so I was nervous to say the least and am still trying to calm the nerves. So why move him if he was content?
I want to use the crib for the new baby. I want nothing to do with buying a new one. I still could have waited a few months, but he was so many changes coming up later in the year. We move in November and he loses Daddy for 9-ish months. Two months later a new baby will be intruding into his every day life. I didn't want to take his crib away in the middle of all that. I wanted him to already be comfortable in his bed.

So we ripped the bandaid off. All in one sitting he watched us Trey disassemble his crib and set up the new bed. (I really did help with that part!). He was super excited and when it was all put together with the bed set he picked out (Cars, of course), he looked at me, gasped, and said, "Ohhhh Awesome".

Great, I think. We're off to a great start. We read some books, but when I tried to leave the room, he freaked. Needless to say... there was no nap. Attempt #1 - FAIL. That's where I doubted everything. How we handled it mostly. Maybe I should have put the bed together, but kept the crib in for an option. It was obviously traumatic for him. I was beating myself up a little to be honest.

Last night was better. He cried all the way upstairs, but settled down once we got up there. He went right to sleep! I couldn't believe it. However, when I checked on him at 9:30, he was still asleep.. but on the floor. Picked him up and he went right back to sleep. Started screaming at 11 and I couldn't get him to calm down. I had to bring him down to have a little cup of milk. After that, he went straight back down all the way until 5:45am, which is when he decided he was up for the day. Painfully early, but he did better than I thought he would!!

Nap went well today. He screamed going up again, but was fine once we got up there. I tried to lay in bed with him and read, but he told me to "close the door". Which is his nice way of saying get the hell outta here. Talked himself to sleep and slept for almost 2 hours. Score! (note to self: remember that he can get out of his bed now. I swung the door open and the doorknob knocked him in the face! I forgot that was a possibility!)

There weren't even any tears tonight!! I'm so excited. I feel like I may be jinxing myself, but this is going so much better than I expected. I'm so glad we bit the bullet and just went for it. I'm mentally preparing myself for any setbacks, but so far so good! He's constantly talking about his, "boy bed". I think he's pretty proud of himself. Another milestone down!

2 YEARS

Yesterday, Andrew turned 2 years old! I could ramble on about all of the cliches (time has flown, how is that possible, just yesterday he was my snuggly newborn), but I'll just leave you with this thought:

Days with a 2-year old can be long, hard and exhausting. You can find yourself wishing time away until they can just get over :this: stage. Or could just learn :that: behavior instead. But one of the biggest things I've learned over the past two years, is that whatever you are wishing ahead for, it will be here before you are ready for it. Every stage will go by in the blink of an eye. Your newborn will be 2 years old and you'll find yourself scratching your head, trying to remember all of the sweet details that were a part of your everyday life what seemed like just yesterday. (And you won't, btw.. you won't remember everything) Before I know it, my 2 year old is going to be a 5-year old that doesn't need me so much anymore. He won't be with me every second of the day and he's going to enjoy the fact that he doesn't have to spend an entire day with me (well, this happens with most kids anyways, I'm not so sure about Andrew.. ha!) I've had two years with him to myself so far and I'm going to continue to soak these moments up!

These have by a long shot been the best two years of my life. The joy that this one little person has brought into our lives is quite literally indescribable. I'm so incredibly thankful that this little boy made me into a mother and my husband into a darn good father. He forever changed our lives for the better... so much so that it still takes our breath away at times... and that is what we celebrate on his birthday! Happy 2nd birthday sweet boy!

Here are some stats to remember:
You are 29.4 pounds (66th percentile)
Exactly 3 feet tall (91st percentile)
You are still in diapers and wearing a size 6.
Size 7 shoes.
2T - 3T in shirts, depending on the brand.
2T in shorts.

You are still a great eater, but your favorites are pasta, mac 'n cheese, waffles, green beans, grapes, rice and beans, pizza and any kind of cereal. You do very well with your vegetables and fruits still (the only thing you won't eat is broccoli), but you are not a big meat eater at all. AT ALL.
You still want your warm milk every morning and night and still drink it cuddling in my lap. You can't drink out of a sippy cup forever though, and I'm dreading the time where we can't or you don't want to do that anymore!

You love to be outside whether it's at the park, taking a walk, or just in the backyard. You love throwing the balls around and will say, "Set hut" when playing with the football. It's adorable. You also love Big Al and say Roll Tide multiple times a day.

Your vocabulary took off over the last two months. You'll basically repeat anything your hear now and talk in 3-4 word sentences. You're definitely an Army Brat as you say things like, "artillery boom boom" and ask to go to the Commissary or PX.

Right now you love your numbers, letters, pressing any kind of button, coloring with crayons, taking bubble baths, reading your books and as always driving your cars around. You've known your letters for a while, but you also know your numbers up to 12 now. Oh, and your colors. You know all of those as well.  You really must be some kind of prodigy. It's amazing.

You can think back on your day now and talk about it. You often want to call people (Mizzy, Daddy or Mimi most often) and want to tell them about certain things. You'll say, "tell Mimi playground" and we'll see if we can call her. We'll sit after you have milk at night and you'll tell me all of your favorite things about the day. You will also thank God for those things in your prayers at night. It's not unusual for you to bring up Big Al, buttons, Mama's van or playground in your prayers. And it's the sweetest thing to hear you say, "Amen" at the end.

You're becoming more and more independent. Your new favorite phrase is, "by yourself". As in, you want to do it by yourself. You have to get in your car seat by yourself, you have almost mastered drinking out of a big boy cup, your getting ready to switch to a big bed, out of your crib. You have to help get your shirt on. You want to read by yourself more often instead of us reading to you, unless it's time for bed.

You are showing some of the signs of potty training, but I don't think you are quite there yet. It will be soon, but I want to be sure you are really ready before we make a go of it. You'll get there and I'll know when it's right.

That's about all I can think of for now! You have a big year ahead of you, Drewby! Lots of changes coming your way.. Daddy is deploying for a while, we're moving into Mizzy and Grampy's house while he's gone, and you have a sibling coming! I know you'll be a champ throughout it all though. We'll get through everything together.

Happy birthday Andrew! We love you to the moon and back!

Looking Back

Last night, I tuned into my regular Sunday night programming, Army Wives. I STILL love that show and hope against all hopes that it continues. I always look forward to it (no matter how silly it gets or how unrealistic it really is, but I was a little extra excited last night. Fort Bliss's Commander's wife, Mrs. Lucille Pittard, was a guest on the show! I knew she was flown out a while back and saw all of her pictures... so I've been looking forward to the episode for quite some time. She looked great and even got a big shot out from General Holden (squeal), but this is actually not what I want to talk about today.

It was finally time to Roxy give birth to her twins. The first one comes out without a problem. They are gushing over him, holding him, etc.. and I'm left there thinking for what felt like 5 minutes, "Wait.. I SWEAR she was having twins. Did she lose one? Did I miss something?" Then finally, we know. There are complications. She is rushed back for an emergency c-section and when the baby comes out, he's not okay. Cord wrapped around the neck and has to be rushed off to be hooked up to the respirator.

My breath caught and I was in tears immediately. I know this happens quite often, and while I can certainly empathize with anyone going through that situation and I would never wish it on my worst enemy, I don't fall apart every time I hear about it. What got me was watching Roxy and Trevor's reactions. The terrifying scene of watching them scoop your baby away without you getting a second with him and they don't have time to explain, the unknown, the doctor's not being able to answer your questions, the whole, "the next 24 hours are critical" speech.

One of our first looks at our sweet boy

 Having to leave the hospital without him and come home to everything you had set up for him, going back for visits and FINALLY that sweet moment when you are able to touch him for the first time.

My first touch.

When the "what-ifs" become more hopeful, but you still have to wait. It all hit so close to him. I relived every single one of those emotions all over again. (To make the situations even more similar.. they named him Drew...... Right?!?)

He got better and better by the day. We were thankful for one less machine attached to him  each time.

And then we finally got our day. I can remember, just like Roxy, staring at him and staring at him. Trying to let it all sink in. We had our baby home and oh, THIS is what it's supposed to be like!

On our way home after 12 excruciating days at the NICU

This little reminder, if you will, came just a few weeks before that fragile, but incredibly strong at the same time boy turns 2 YEARS old. My normal, rambunctious, on-the-go-nonstop, sweet, loving, hilarious, smart, handsome boy is just a few weeks away from turning 2.

And Trey and I both feel as if we are the luckiest parents on the face of this earth. He's ours and he's healthy and beyond happy. I'm not sure what life meant before you got here Drewby, but I can say with fair certainty, the everything.. every choice your Daddy and I made... it all led up to you! We were just waiting for you to be a part of our lives. Happy almost birthday sweet boy!

A little of this and that

My mind's in a million different places this afternoon and what better to cure that than a little post full of bullet points?

I think that when Andrew and I move back home for the deployment, my mom is going to be glad she's hiring a cleaning lady. Case in point:

Look at that living room!!

I hate confrontation. But, I guess it's healthy, right? You can't just let stuff bottle up inside. I can't at least. So, for me, sometimes it's necessary. That doesn't mean it doesn't make me break out in hives.

I have such mixed feelings about going back home this week. I'm excited to have an extended visit and to see everyone, but I sure am going to miss my husband. And I'm sure I'll worry about how he's doing. I worry about small (maybe silly) things, like is he going to be sad without us? I know, I know, he's a grown man and has much bigger fish to fry, my heart just breaks thinking about it though.

While going on my extenda-stay vacay, we're making a trip to the beach! Andrew's first beach trip! Have I mentioned that already? We're excited! I hope he likes it and isn't too scared. I, for one, can't wait to smell that salt air and stick my toes in the sand.. ahhhh! We are staying here.. right on the ocean. Can't I just spend the whole month there?

Source

One of my greatest friends ever is waiting for her husband's plane to land from A-stan right now!!! She hasn't seen him for 290-something days and the excitement is just radiating from her! She stopped by on her way and she just looks way too beautiful. Her husband is a lucky man... well.. they are both lucky and I am so so so thrilled for them! I can't even imagine what she's feeling right now!

Source

There's nothing quite like an Army post when a brigade is coming home! The excitement is definitely permeating through the air. The fidgety, anxious, out-of-their-minds-happy families. The Welcome Home banners on houses and companies. The constant reunion pictures and facebook updates. It's amazing. I'm an emotional person to begin with, but add in pregnancy hormones and I've been brought to tears daily! It's enough to make me put our impending deployment thoughts aside and already look forward to the homecoming. Gives me something to look forward to!

Andrew is going to be TWO next month. How did that happen?? I'm so lucky to be his mama! He's just turning out to be the sweetest little boy and I thank my lucky stars for him all the time! Time just goes by way too fast...

Words with Andrew

We are loving how much Andrew is talking nowadays. He's not using full sentences yet, of course, but he has tons of words and puts two or three together at times. Naturally, he doesn't pronounce them all quite right. Sometimes that can be adorable like when he asks for a kiss ("kees") or when he loudly and whole-heartedly explains "Ohhh Meeeennn" if something goes wrong. Or how he says Thank You ("kaykou"). And Cheerios is "yos". How cute is that?

Sometimes, though, it can be flat out embarrassing!

Here are a few examples that have made me blush over the past few weeks:

1) He's been loving him some blueberries lately. You best get them for him on his first request. If not, his calm request for "boobies" becomes a very loud demand for "BOOOBIESSSS!!!". Yes, friends, I guess the obsession with "boobies" starts young ;)

2) He also has a thing for clocks. He doesn't pronounce that correctly. It's bad enough by itself, but at the airport the other day there where big clocks hanging down from the ceiling. He thought this was great and excitedly yelled, "big cocks" all throughout the airport. Yeahhhhh.....

3) Another thing he points out every time he's sees one is a flag. He doesn't pronounce the L in that word either. We live on a military post, so that word is flying out of his mouth quite a few times throughout the day. The best is when he finds the velcro flag from Trey's uniform laying around. He knows it belongs on his uniform and walks around the house saying, "Daddy's fag". *Just for the record, I hate that word.. no.. despise that word in real life. But you know it's a little funny coming out of a almost 2-year olds mouth when he doesn't have malicious intent behind it.*

That's about all. So far. I'm sure there is much more to come and I know every parent goes though it. So share some of your stories! Give me a good laugh!

Back from vacation

Well, we are back in town from visiting family. We were in Illinois getting some time with Trey's family, some we haven't seen in years! And it was nice to catch up with them.. such good, sweet people!

For the most part we really enjoyed our time. Andrew LOVED playing with his cousin, Addyson. They spent countless hours outside together, swimming in the kiddie pool, running around giggling, blowing bubbles and fighting over toys. He also met his new cousin, Reagan, whom he actually held and gave kisses too. This is a big step for a certain little boy who is not quite a baby-hater, but definitely has a lot of strides to make before another baby makes its way into our house!
We went to a tractor museum, where a GREAT time was had! Andrew was in tractor heaven.
We enjoyed ice cream, Popsicles and fireworks. Well... some of us enjoyed the fireworks. SOMEONE was scared of them and had to sit inside the whole time. No, I'm not talking about Trey.
I got to see a movie with my SIL - Brave. It was cute, but not my favorite. I think I'm in the minority here though.

Like I said, a fun time for the most part. Then things got a little crazy. I won't go into too much detail with names or too much specifics, but it does need to be mentioned. I thought long and hard before posting about this. I don't usually like to post about family business when it's derogatory, but inthe end, I really felt like I had to. This is my blog where I talk about important things going on in our lives. This is big for me right now, something I'm very concerned and hurt over.
We all know that judgement is out there when it comes to your parenting. It's not right, but it's going to happen. Mostly (and sadly) from other mommies though, right? And especially from women who aren't yet parents. We can forgive them because, bless their hearts, they just have NO CLUE. We let them think they will do it a whole different way and have the perfect child while they can. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, right?
Sadly, for the last half of the week, we caught the brunt of parental judgement. I would even go as far as to say judging my child. That, my friends is not fun to deal with. Apparently, we don't discipline our child well enough, if at all. Isn't that funny? I find myself exhausted with how much I have to stay on Andrew, but if it's not done the way people think you should do it, it's not good enough or it's not correct. It was made clearly known to us that we should be spanking. And that even if we do not spank him, he WILL get spanked at said someone's house whether I like it or not or whether I'm there or not.
REALLY???
That was one of my biggest issues. Please do not threaten myself or my child. I don't respond well to that. (I'm trying to keep this factual and not let my anger come out, but I'm having a hard time... back on track!) A few different conversations were had by certain people that were concerned with Andrew's behavior (he cries, whines and throws tantrums at times... in other words... he's a toddler. A young one at that who doesn't have a complete vocabulary to express himself with) and the way we handle it (without spanking. We do time-outs and talk calmly, but firmly to him). Eyes were rolled in his direction multiple times. That's the gist of it.

When did it become anyone's business but mine and Trey's as to how we raise our child? Why do people feel they can dictate how we run things? I'm upset and I'm hurt. Mostly for my husband and baby. This was supposed to be a vacation for Trey. His week of relaxation before NTC. He definitely doesn't feel like he got that and that's really sad to me. Secondly, I hate people looking at my child as less than. He may not behave the same way as another child and we may not handle things the same was as another mom. That DOES NOT make him the lesser child and it certainly doesn't mean our parenting isn't up to par. Please don't give me the feeling that you are annoyed with my child. It doesn't sit well with me.

That's about all I can say. All of this being said, I really did enjoy getting that time with Trey's family that I haven't seen in such a long time. I just wish it hadn't ended on such a sour note.

Separation Anxiety

I know I said I was going to go all Domestic Diva on y'all for the rest of the week, but I actually need some advice/moral support/a pep talk. All of the above.

I take Andrew to our on post CDC (not center for disease, but child development center) once or twice a week. We've been doing this for a while now.. probably since he was 7 months old or so. It's really a great service that you can find at any post. While they do regular day care and preschool, at the same facility they also have hourly care. As long as I make a reservation for him, I can drop him off for as long as I need to. Usually it's for a 2 or 3 hour period.

While it's always upset him when I drop him off, he usually calms down fairly well. He's ALWAYS had trouble with it. He's a little shy I think, when not around me. So whenever I go to pick him up, I usually hear something along the lines of, "he did OKAYYYY, mama." Or, "he cried on and off, but he seemed to have an OKAYYY day". Which has always made me sad.
A lot of my friends use the same service, and they don't seem to have any problems. They play really well there and don't seem to mind when their parents drop them off. I know that all kids are different, and I'm already very aware that Andrew has a certain level of anxiety. (I apologize, future Andrew, I'm afraid you got some these issues from your mama)  But, I would love to see him running around, playing, having a great time. Instead, he cries for me, and clings to one of the caregivers there for the majority of the time. 

The last two times I've dropped him off, they've had to call me because they never could get him to calm down.  They call if a child has been inconsolable for an hour. And I'm glad they call. But, I don't know what's going on. I'm at a complete loss as to what to do, really.

I bring him there for multiple reasons. I guess, first of all, are selfish reasons. I'm involved in things that require me to be childless from time to time. They aren't necessary things, but things I enjoy doing. I'm a member of OCSA (our posts' officer's wives club) and we have monthly luncheons. I really enjoy going to those and don't want to give that up. This is just one example. And sometimes, you just need a few hours to yourself when you have a toddler, right? I know being burnt out sometimes comes with the territory, but I also can't count on my husband to come home at 5 every night to give me a break. So this is the only chance I get.
Also, though, he's going to have to leave the nest at some point. I don't want him to be going through this in Kindergarten! Right?!

With all of that being said, if I thought they were not treating him right or that this was absolutely the wrong thing to be doing, I would take him out in a heartbeat and give up my activities and means of sanity. But that's the problem, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing.

Do I keep at it and hopefully he'll get used to it and his anxiety will lessen? I asked his caregivers for any suggestions or advice and they said to keep bringing him in. That he needs to get used to it. But am I traumatizing him? Is this just making it worse in the long run? Maybe he's too young?
All I know is it's starting to cause me so much anxiety as well, that my stomach is turning to knots the night before. Which I'm sure he is picking up on and isn't helping him a bit.

What do you think mamas? Feel free to give me your thoughts. I need others' advice from time to time!

20 Months!!

My big guy is closer to his 2nd birthday than he is his 1st. Wowzers! Can you believe I'm going to be planning a 2nd birthday party soon? I can't. It's crazy talk.

This kid makes me laugh and laugh and laugh. His personality is blooming. Only around those he knows best. I think he is going to be pretty reserved around other people. He's going to be like his Daddy and keep to himself until he really knows you, I think. That may be a little hard for me to come to terms with... I've never met a stranger! We'll see though. Either way, around us, he is a clown. "Talking" a mile a minute. Running around like a crazy person. Making a million facial expressions at us. Lots of pretend play going on. We are having so much fun!

So much fun that he passes out like this.

Stats
He did have to go to the doctor for ANOTHER ear infection.. double the fun this time.. in both ears, but on the bright side, I have stats to list. As of 3 weeks ago he was almost 26 pounds and 33 inches long. He's wearing size 6 diapers, 24 month pants, 2T shirt (Of course we just bought a wardrobe of 24m shirts like a month ago.. that was the quickest growth spurt ever) and size 6 or 6.5 shoe, depending on the brand.

Words
Andrew's language exploded in his 20th month! I couldn't sit here and list all of his new words (well, I could. I'm a little OCD and do have an actual, numbered list) but I just don't feel like it. Off the top of my head, some of my favorite new words are:
Cheerios (eeeyayoos), Window (dowdow), Trash (he one morning, walked by the trash can, pointed at it and just said, "trash". Yup buddy.. sure is), Bus, Yucky (kucky), Home, House, Bot (from Team Umizoomi), Cam (cum.. one of his buddies), Boo boo (he's gotten plenty of those lately!), Hot, Cold. He's very into the difference between hot and cold. If something is remotely either degree of hot or cold... he will let you know, my friends. I don't have my handy-dandy list around, but if I had to guess, I would say he has about 30ish words. It's so much fun to hear his sweet little voice. I'm loving it! FINALLY. He's also making animal sounds (woof, quack and boooo.. which is supposed to be moooo).

Drew and his bud Cam

We're pretty much done signing, because most things, if I ask him to say it, he'll at least try. I'd like to keep up the learning process, but after he's actually saying the word.

Others
He's still eating me out of house and home. That's only going to get worse people tell me. Well then, we're always gonna be POOR. This kid can eat.
His nap is still after lunch and lasts between 2 and 3 hours. He has pushed bedtime back to 7:30. It could probably go even later (ex: It's 8:05 and he's in his crib playing and talking to himself), but Trey and I are such old farts and go to bed at 9. Not kidding. Our alone time is dwindling.
I can't think of any firsts off the top of my head besides all of this talking. We tried swim lessons, but he keeps getting these ear infections, so I've put a hold on that. His obsession with parks have gotten stronger. I think that if I pushed him out the door and let him go on his own, he could probably find his way to them all. If we turn the opposite way from them in the car, he spazzes. Yes, it's about as much fun as it sounds. Errands have gotten harder. He wants to play, not shop! If I try to go into the PX he RUNS towards Starbucks, to get his milk of course and then directly to the play area behind the PX. When I crush his dreams and make him actually go into the PX instead, shewwww.... Tantrum of all tantrums occurs. Who wants to battle that? Not this mama!

Milk and crackers at Starbucks. This is totally my fault. My not-even-two-year-old has a Starbucks obsession.

So that's what we've been up to!

Andrew baby, you bring the biggest smiles to our faces. You are such a joy to be around. You make everyone laugh, you are very sweet to your friends. You are pretty good with sharing most of your toys and let the younger ones crawl all over you without even flinching. I can tell that you have such a sweet disposition and I'm going to do everything I can to encourage that in you. I want you to have a love for people! Don't get me wrong, you have your fiery side, but all kids your age do. You are still VERY, EXTREMELY attached to me. You hate for me to leave you with anyone and will cry and cry when I do. I think we are past all of the separation anxiety phases and I've done everything I can to get you to be okay without me. I think that's just how you roll. Especially at the CDC. You lose your mind every single time I drop you off, but you are always having a blast after a few minutes. Sometimes I catch you, you can't fool me. You have also found a new love for your Daddy and ask for him all day long. I know this makes him so happy!

We love you to pieces big boy! But, don't grow too fast on your mama, ok?

19 Months

I'm not going to do a full monthly update like I usually do.. or not in the form I usually do at least.. I mostly just felt like talking about my boy and he just so happened to turn 19 months last week. So that's convenient!

Looking at the Sea Lions at the Zoo :) 

I find myself just staring at him lately and being in awe of how BIG he is. When did my little helpless baby become this mostly independent, hilarious, full-of-personality boy who runs around everywhere, plays make believe, tells me when he wants something (not with words.. don't let me fool you), let's me know when he needs a diaper change, climbs playground equipment, and is ready for 2T clothes???

Bucket Head. He thought this was hilarious

It makes me happy, thankful, sad and reminiscent all at the same time. Completely emotional sometimes. And to think that he'll just keep getting bigger and bigger? That I can't reverse time? Ughh.. my heart breaks!

He still wants to sit in my lap when he's drinking his milk and will sometimes sit with his head on my chest right after he wakes up from his nap. It blows my mind how BIG he is in my arms. Almost half of my body length. When did this happen? He's in the Toddler room at CDC and those kids are even bigger and incredibly independent. My baby isn't ready for that, is he? Shouldn't he still be in the Pre-Tod room where they coddle him and baby him? Where he's still allowed to drink out of a sippy cup? Not in a room where there are legitimate lesson plans, right? (for the record.. I LOVE love love that they actually have lesson plans) I just don't know when he became ready for that. Right under my very own nose!

Time Outs are in full force. We don't have to use them a lot and only do for very specific things, but he's gotten the hang of them and they are effective. He'll actually sit in the designated corner for the full minute now. And will come to me for a chat afterwards. I'm glad they are starting to work!

His favorite things at 19 months are:
Me. Dear God in heaven he loves me. Most of the time I love how much he wants me around. Sometimes it makes me take to the bottle, I won't lie.
Daddy. He asked for Daddy about 20 times during the day. Okay.. 10 if I'm not exaggerating. He does not like my answer of "he's at work".
Wheel of Fortune, Team Umizoomi and Bubble Guppies are his favorite shows. Along with Fresh Beat Band still.
His letters and shapes. Tons of fun!
His favorite foods are blueberries, cantaloupe, goldfish, graham crackers, milk and cheese. The kid loves his dairy.
Playgrounds. You better not pass one with him around unless you fully intent to get out and play. It gets ugly.
Still cars, of course.
Climbing.
Balls. Kicking, throwing, catching.
He loves to help me with everything. Laundry. Cleaning (some things, like wiping up messes or throwing trash away). Closing doors. He loves it. So do I!

Climbing all by himself.

His vocabulary is growing, but it's not quite where it should be, I don't think. I'm not too worries yet, he's always done things on his own time. Plus, I'd say with recognizing the entire alphabet and saying most of the letters, he's a little ahead in that aspect.
Some new words are:
Uh-Oh. Choo-Choo. Cheese. Deuce (don't ask). Home. This. That. Pop.

I'm enjoying every moment of this. Almost every moment. Things aren't perfect that's for sure,  I just choose to focus on the ones I do enjoy.
As much as I always knew I wanted to be a mama.. I never fully realized how much. It's definitely the most amazing, all encompassing, rewarding, but hardest thing I've ever done with my life. I'm looking forward to everything the future has to hold!

Cuddles

I'm not sure what got into Andrew last week, but it was a tough few days around here (a different tough than all of the sickness, which is finally clearing up btw). The only thing I know to blame it on is teething. He was super whiny. Waking up before 5:30 every. single. morning. That alone is enough to make me want to commit myself. Needing to be around me constantly. Crying at every little thing.

YUCK.

Along with all that yuck though, my child turned into the cuddler I never had.

Random hugs throughout the day. Without exaggerating, around 20 unprompted hugs from my boy every day. Tackling me if I was on the floor to rest his head on my tummy or chest.

Best of all though? Was this...

He would nap for only about an hour every day. He'd wake up screaming like there was a murderer in his room, only to rest his head on my shoulder when I went to pick him up. So just about every day, we napped on the couch together after the real nap.

He hasn't slept in my arms since he was 3 months old! He was just never really into it.

While I'm now enjoying sleeping in later in the mornings.. and by that I mean between 6 and 6:15... and 2-3 hour naps, I do miss these cuddles! I have to say, there is just nothing quite like it!

P.S.
Tomorrow is my birthday... feel free to leave me some love. :) No shame here. It's a week-long celebration, so don't feel bad if you're late.

A New Friend

Andrew has a new friend and he's made for some fun times around here for the past few days.

They've played together quite often lately. He comes around and Andrew's face just lights up. His eyes pop, his mouth forms the surprised O, and his friend distracts him from whatever he's doing at the moment.

Mostly they play chase. Andrew chases him around, but has yet to catch him. He has a fast friend. It doesn't seem to matter to him though. He just giggles and giggles.

They are the best of friends.

His new friend....

...

IS A FLY.


We were outside a lot on Monday. The back door has been known to mysteriously lock on me while I'm on the wrong end of it, so I keep it open often if we're in the backyard. Well, this fly made itself in and has been annoying the living daylights out of me ever since.

I've tried to teach Andrew the phrase, "shoo fly", but to no avail. They are BFF's.

I better kill it off soon before he gets too attached.

~ 18 months ~

Andrewsky, you are 18 months old on the dot today! Where as usually I will make some comment about how time just flies and I can't believe how big you are, I don't feel like that at all this month!

I do marvel at how big you are. You look ginormous in your crib! But the time actually feels like it has crept by. It was a very long month. We were all sick. You are now on your third cold-type-thing just this month. And also had your third ever ear infection.  Yikes! It's very heart-breaking to see you so stuffed up and coughing all night. Not to mention exhausting, but it's (sort of) hard to be annoyed when you are so sickly and sad looking. Hopefully we see the end to all of this very soon!

A sickly Super Bowl

Stats
We don't have your official 18-month well baby visit until Friday, but we've had you weighed pretty frequently this month with all of these trips to the doctor! You are just over 24 pounds and you are 33 inches tall.
You're wearing size 24 month tops and PJs, 18-24 month pants, size 6 shoe and size 6 diaper.

Words
You still aren't really "talking", but I swear you are so close.
When we go to your appointment, I know they are going to make sure you say 6 words other than "mama" and "daddy". First of all, you never call me "mama". Supposedly, you say it constantly when I leave you with anyone, but I rarely get to hear it! So does that count?
Also, when I say you have 6 other words, I'd be using the word "words" very loosely! Does it count as a word if no one else can understand it? I mean.. I know what you are saying, but it's definitely not technically a word. So I don't really know how to answer that question.
Everyone can tell when you are saying "car", that's for sure. That's the only clear one. Ish. Oh, and how could I forget "NO". That ones pretty clear as well.
Words that only I can make out:
Dog (daww)
Outside (outawww)
Again (I don't even know how to type that. If it weren't for the context, even I would have no clue)
Cheese (chssss) That one is also used for Geeze
This (thsss) I really need to be better with actually naming items instead of asking you if you want this or this. Everything is "thsss"
Ta Da (da daaaa)
Boo (bbbbb)

Your signing is really picking up. You know:
More. All done. Crackers. Milk. You are very close to having Thank you and Hurt down. We're working on Please a lot, but you just laugh at me.
You can tell what's most important to him. Ahem.



Spaghetti Face


Food
I was getting a little worried about your eating habits earlier in the month. You were hardly eating and definitely not digging all the healthy stuff you've always loved. Here it is, I thought. What everyone told me would happen. The dreaded toddler-picky-eater-syndrome.
Turns out you had an ear infection and I didn't realize it. It was hurting you to swallow, poor thing!
No worries, everything is back on track.


Naps
Still one a day after lunch. It lasts anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. I think I'll leave this topic out now that you are down to one.

Firsts
You love to walk backwards and your kind of an expert. It's pretty darn cute.
You know all of your letters (and say some of them) and some of your numbers. Your favorite number is 3, for the record.
You can do all of the shapes in your shape sorter.
You'll play peek-a-boo by covering up your eyes. Before you would just kneel down behind something and then pop your little body up. So this is new and fun.
You are getting big into pretending lately. Especially with fake food (that's been going on for a while) but now you like to take a phone, hold it up to your ear, and pretend you are chatting away with someone.
You love playing with balls. And you have a pretty impressive arm on ya, kid. You can catch it pretty well too! Next Tom Brady? Nahh.. you'll be better :)
You LOVE your mama! I get an unending amount of random hugs and kisses from you every day and I can't even express to you how much I love it. I soak up every single one and I hope you never stop being affectionate with me like that! Wishful thinking, I'm sure!

You are very independent. Very much so. I have to figure out new tricks when taking you to the store. You don't want to ride in the cart anymore. You want to push it yourself. Snacks and cars rarely work now. Mostly, we just go at the crack of dawn (well, whenever the store opens) so it's not as busy and you can push the cart and walk around until your heart is content.
Taking you out to a restaurant? That doesn't happen anymore. Not for now. It's just not fun.

See ya later, mum. Of to play with rocks!

We love you sweet boy! Here's to a much healthier 19th month!

My sick baby (advice wanted)

What a day yesterday ended up being!

Andrew went down for a nap like it was any old day, woke up, and felt a little hot to me. Not enough to stick the thermometer in the forbidden land, but enough to where I touched his forehead, cheeks and neck every 15 minutes or so, probably irritating him even further. His nose was a little runny, but besides the fever, that was the only symptom he had.

About an hour later, it was time for the thermometer. His whole little body was on fire. 103.2 - color me panicked. Called Tele-nurse, they had me take him to urgent care, and the chaos and incompetence ensues. It was just pretty obvious that I wasn't at a Pediatric clinic.. that was for sure. I won't even get into everything that infuriated me there, because after very minimal sleep I don't have the patience to type all that out, and it just not being the point of this post, I'll spare those fun details.

Basically, we left there with the genius advice of - we have no idea what's wrong with him. His throat is a little red, and it's clear by the almost 104 degree temperature that his body is fighting something, but we don't know what. Here's a script for an antibiotic. That should kill whatever it is.

Seriously?

It was late when we left, and his temperature had fallen a little bit, so I planned to either get it filled this morning, or make an appt with his Ped to double check everything.

Silly me for thinking we were in the clear. We spent almost all night up and my poor baby was miserable. His temp got back up to 103.8 around 2:30am. We tried to drink water, made a makeshift bed in the living room, and watched Cars.

He finally did go back to bed and woke up this morning in a pool of sweat. His fever finally broke! He ate his breakfast and is now playing with trucks and stacking his blocks. Yay!

Now, here's my dilemma for any nurse types out there reading this -
Give the antibiotic or just let it go? I tried to get him seen by the Pediatric office today to double check, but nothing is available. I hate to give him the meds if this is just a little viral cold. But I also don't want to see him go back to where he was last night, or worse, develop another ear infection.

Thoughts?

~ 17 Months ~

I'm slacking a little bit! I missed the 16 month update (to my defense, we were in SC), I'm late on this one and I have no monthly picture. Tsk tsk tsk. Just thought I'd admit the faults up front. Now.. moving on..

17 months?!? Andrew... you are such a big boy! You have been changing so much lately, and all in wonderful, amazing ways! You have quite the BIG personality, my son. Ha! I'm very much enjoying your laugh which comes out more times a day than I can count. You laugh even just when you hear someone else laugh.. especially your Daddy. If he thinks something is funny, well than obviously it must be hysterical in your eyes!
Speaking of your Daddy... you are just in love with that man! I have to say.. for the majority of your big life so far, it's been all about me. You turned to me for everything possible.. comfort, play, help. Now, you are just so into your Dad and I. LOVE. IT. It makes me so happy to see the two of you together. Playing, reading, watching cartoons.. everything! I know it means the world to him too!

Stats
I have no earthly idea how much you weigh or how tall you are. Which is a good thing, it means we haven't been to the doctor in a while. We'll find out next month at your 18 month well visit appointment.
You are in almost all 24 month clothes. You can still fit in a few pairs of you 18 month pants, but that's about it.
You're in size 5.5 or 6 shoe. Size 5 or 6 diaper. 5's are getting snug, but 6's are just a tad too big.

Words
I kind of feel like you've slowed down in this area. I believe your only new word in the past two months is, "no". Which is unfortunate because you use it very freely!
So now we have - Car (Ca.. sometimes you will actually say cars if you are asking demanding to watch the movie), Dog (Daww... but you use that for lots of words), I love you (ya ya ya), Outside (owdaaa), and mama and dada of course.
You are doing a few signs now. You know how to sign "more" and "all done". You almost have "thank you" down and we are working on "please", but you aren't even close to doing that one.

Foods
Everything. Favorites right now would be Kix, bread of any kind, yogurt, apples.. or any kind of fruit really, green beans, kidney beans (I know.. crazy), chick peas, Cheez-Its and still Goldfish of course.
You are very independent with your eating now. You want to use your own utensils and you almost have it down.. you still need my help a little bit. You love it when I hand you something without cutting it up so you can take bites.

Naps
We are down to one a day and it has moved to the afternoon. You go down at 12:30 and sleep anywhere between 2 and 3 hours. I love it! Our mornings are freed up to do so much more now and I can get a lot down in that long period in the afternoon! You go down for the night between 7 and 7:30 and wake up between 6 and 7 in the morning.

Firsts
You had your first dentist appointment. You hated every second of it even though all they did was brush your teeth, but I think it's a great office. You saw Dr. Bowden. Speaking of teeth... you have so many that I've lost count. They are everywhere in that little mouth of yours.

You are more comfortable in CDC. I don't have major guilt when I drop you off anymore because you very rarely cry now. It warms my heart to see you have so much fun with other kids. You run around, laughing and smiling. I hope you are always comfortable among your peers!

You are SO into the alphabet. I have a ABC puzzle and amazingly enough, when I empty out the pieces and ask you to find a certain one, you are able to find it! That blows my mind. You are so very smart baby!

You do really well with following directions (when you want to, of course) and you're quite the good little helper. You love to "help", and I use that term very loosely.. ha!, mama do the dishes, cook dinner, shut  doors for me, umm.. flush the toilet!

You are climbing all over everything! We are not safe anymore! You love to get up on the couch or any big boy chair and can go down the stairs by yourself. How are you so independent?!?

You also love to read your books by yourself. You will tear almost all of them down from your bookshelf and flip through them over and over. When I try to come and read to you, you move away from me.. haha! You make me laugh all day!

Your love for cars has expanded out to planes, helicopters, and CAT cars. You also LOVE any kind of ball. You get really excited when you see one anywhere.. if it's on a book or block.. or even on your sheets.. you get very upset that you can't pick the ball up off of the object!

Andrew, you are such a joy sweetheart! I feel so blessed that I get to stay home with you and witness all of these firsts. We have your brave, hardworking Daddy to thank for that!

We love you more than you know - Mama and Daddy