Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Second Car Accident

My second car accident wasn’t as exciting. I was driving to work in my dad’s car. I was 16. All the sudden I heard sirens. I pulled over to the side of the road with all the other cars, so the police could drive by. They did. I checked that it was ok to get back on the road; it was, until an old man came speeding by me and hit the front of my dad’s car. The man did not stop. He kept right on moving. I was so mad. I got to work and called the police. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the license plate number or anything. So, the guy got away with it. I told the police officer what happened and she said that she was just running her sirens so she could be heard, what she meant was she was doing it because she had nothing better to do. So, besides the stupid old man who couldn’t drive. The cop was just fooling around. With the two combined I had my second car accident. This one was not my fault. My dad still has this dent in his car today.

Monday, July 30, 2007

First Car Accident

I will be writing my car accident series. Before I lost my vision I could drive, but was a bad driver. The next few posts will be about my car accidents.

Accident One

I got my learners permit, YEA! I was 15. My mom let me drive. I was driving home from somewhere. I can’t remember where, but I had my ugly Girl Scout shirt on. So, it must have been somewhere Girl Scouts related. Then I was turning into, or should I say trying to turn into my subdivision. I hit the gas instead of the break. I accelerated into a power pole. The power poll broke in half and I put the power out in four different neighborhoods. Everybody freaked out, my mom, my sister, oh and me. My sister unbuckled and ran out of the car which was really dumb because she could have been electrocuted. My mom got out and then I got out of the car. My sister was sitting in the middle back seat so she only had a lap belt and she went forward during the crash. This caused her to get rug burn or should I say seat burn on her forehead. My mom got bruises on her chest from the seat belt. I was fine, except for the fact that I was wearing an embarrassing shirt. All the emergency vehicles came. I was crying. The police officer asked me if it would make me feel better if he gave me a ticket. I said no. After a while when we were all just waiting for someone to come tow the car I begged my mom to let me run home and change my shirt. She did. I was so thankful for that because I couldn’t handle being seen in that shirt, I just thought it was so ugly. What can I say I was a teenager? I was never popular, or wore any fashionable clothes, but I hated that shirt. Well back to the story. I came back to the car and it got moved. People came to fix the power poll. Some neighbors came over and brought some sodas and snacks. We had no power so we used candles. I knocked one to the floor, but nothing caught fire. Wouldn’t that have been a story though? My sister swore she would never ride in the car with me driving again and she didn’t. There ended being a huge dent in the front of my mom’s car. She still drives this car today. So the damage did not prevent the car from working for many years after. Well, that was my first car accident on the first day of my learners permit. By the way I did not get a ticket.
Now just after reading about this accident aren’t you glad I am not allowed to drive.
I am sure one day there will be a car that blind people can drive. Then I will be back out on the road.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

We went to a birthday party

Saturday Gregory and I went to my dad’s house then over to the neighbors for their one year old’s birthday party. There son was at Gregory’s first birthday party. When we got there all Gregory could do was sit on my lap. It takes Gregory about twenty minutes to relax in a place he doesn’t know. Once he was relaxed enough to get off my lap he had a good time.
Gregory’s birthday is in September and I am trying to figure out what I want to do for his birthday. I know I won’t do anything big, but I want to do something. Hum... Any ideas?

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Today after lunch

“Gregory did you poop?” Momma said.
“No” said Gregory.
“Are you lying to me?” Momma said.
“Meeeeee?” said Gregory copying the last word Momma said.
Momma then broke out laughing from the cuteness of it all.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

See his eyes are closed


072607 Gregory sleeping2.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

My little snoozer is starting to fall off the chair. I better go put him into bed.

A strange place to sleep, when not in Momma’s arms


072607 Gregory sleeping.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.



Gregory would not go down for a nap today I put him in his room for one hour and he just played with his toys. Usually when it is nap time he goes in and falls asleep. He just would not go to sleep today. I went to the bathroom, brushed my hair, and then went back in the living room and Gregory had fallen asleep on the rocking chair. I don’t see how he fell asleep, but he did. I had only left him for two minutes tops. Lately it is hard to take pictures of my little boy because he is very speedy and he wants to see everything. As soon as I pull out the camera he comes over and wants to see the pictures. I need to get some awake pictures. I don’t know if I will ever get tired of the cute positions he sleeps in.

Morning me time

This morning Cullen took Gregory out of the house and left me all alone and told me to do nothing. Now that is what I needed. I did some studying, read some blogs, and I am going to post this so I did some posting too. It is nice to be able to take a break. Oh and Cullen is going to fix lunch too. Hubby was so nice this morning. I am going to take a nap while he fixes lunch. It is not laziness it is resting break time. I am so happy to have a fantastic helpful hubby

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

It is nice to know that the world is making progress

I guess someone very smart finally realized that blind people like to go to the movie theater and decided to make accommodations to make blind people feel more welcome. Or it is that jerk sitting in the movie theater behind me during the last movie I went to who told my husband to shut up, because he was whispering to me what just happened in the movie. I don’t care either way because I am so happy. You are probably wondering what has made me happy. I am happy about descriptive video. A descriptive video is a video in which a voice describes all of the visual things that are going on in between all the talking. This lets a blind person know what is happening on the screen. I have watched descriptive videos before, but never at a movie theater. For the very first time I watched a movie in the theater with description. It was a normal movie for everyone else. They just gave me headphones which had the description being spoken during the movie. Not only was this super for me, but my hubby quite enjoyed the fact that he did not have to whisper in my ear during the movie. I can usually tell what is going on in the movie based on the sounds but some things I just can’t figure out. These things Cullen would have to tell me during the movie or I would have to wait till after the movie to figure out. Now I don’t have to. I just need to check online before I go to the movie to make sure they have description for the next movie I want to go to. This is so great! Oh and the movie I saw was Harry Potter. I thought they did a pretty good job with this movie based upon the book. Well, I had a super time and now my husband will have to describe a movie to me because we are about to go watch one on the TV and we do not have the super description at home only a super husband who does his best at description.

Monday, July 23, 2007

A big kid swing and crib to toddler bed

Cullen took off one side of Gregory’s crib a couple of weeks ago and tonight Cullen took off the other side and half of the foot board. This turned the crib into a complete toddler bed. It looks great and Gregory loves the transformation. Gregory doesn’t like to feel trapped and turning his crib into a toddler bed has made the room a lot easier to see from his bed. I am sure he feels more comfortable. I am just hoping he doesn’t fall out on the wall side. The bed is right up against the wall, but you know kids.
Well, thinking of bed I am very tired. The fluffy pillows, soft mattress, and sheets just seem to be calling my name.

I almost forgot to mention that Gregory swung in a regular swing, instead of the baby swing, for the first time today at the playground.

Good night

My written caffeine

I finished the book! The final Harry Potter book did not disappoint me. I have been avoiding books lately and I think this book was the push I needed to get back into reading again. It sounds crazy but it got me thinking and I feel great. I had forgotten the high I get from reading a good book. I need that feeling more often. I think I will be heading to the library soon.
When I was in school, before I lost my vision, I would read a book a day. I loved to read. I would stay up until I could no longer keep my eyes open to read. Reading made me very happy. When I started to lose my vision I could no longer read words off a page and this was the hardest part of losing my eyesight. I missed my books. There were books on tape, but I could never get the energized feeling from listening to a book on tape. I started listening to books on tape anyway and enjoyed them. It wasn’t the same thing, but it was the only way I had access to the books I longed to read. I would lie in bed in my college dorm room in the middle of the night listening to my books. I needed books. They made me feel good. There is something to be said for not being able to sleep because you are so anxious and excited to know what happens next. Books are special to me and because of this I wanted to get my boyfriend at the time, who is now my husband, to read. He has always had trouble reading because he had a learning disability in that area. So, I figured if I was reading by listening why should not he. I know it sounds bad forcing my love of books on him but I wanted to share how I felt. I decided to have Cullen sit down with me and listen to the first Harry Potter book. He was against this but because I was his girl friend he sat down. I told him if he did not like it then he did not have to listen to the book after the first tape. Cullen enjoyed the book and began to listen to it on his own. After he finished that book he read the second and the third then the fourth. The fifth book had not come out yet and like I was, Cullen was also excited for the book to be published. While we waited for the next books Cullen began to read other books on tape. He enjoyed many other books. Over the past year while I have read very little other than a massage therapy textbook Cullen was going into the fictional world of many books. He would read on his way to and from work. I am so happy that Cullen has the book world to be excited about. Reading on tape the past two days I got that excitement I had when I read with my eyes. That excitement I never thought I would have again. Today I am still adapting to my vision loss. I have moments that I just want to cry because of the unfairness of it all. Life is not fair and I know that, but it does not make things easier. I make jokes about my eyesight, because I can. Laughing makes life better and jokes can make me laugh. Every so often I just break down because I have had too much. I try to do things that would have been so simple if I could see well, but I make a mess of because of my vision. I look for something and miss it by an inch because I can’t see well. I do have all of my peripheral vision, but I lack central which is all the detail. I miss little things that Gregory does. The way he smiles or how he moves his hands, but I am blessed to be able to hear his laughter. There are so many things I want to just cry about. The one thing that helps me through everything is that I know I am blessed with love from people around me. My family and friends especially, but the one person I need most and love most is my husband. I do so even on the days when I think our relationship won’t work anymore. I am thankful to have a husband that does things he knows will make me mad, but also does things that will touch my heart and make me smile. I am blessed that he so understands of my feelings and when he gets upset and doesn’t understand me he always eventually comes back and listens. My husband is wonderful even when I am mad at him and even when I say things that I shouldn’t. I am so thankful that I have a husband that will let things go, so that we can start fresh the next morning. A fresh morning is sometimes the only thing that makes life doable. Oh and one more thing my husband played a key part in giving me my little boy. Cullen is such a great father. He has his moments where he has no idea what to do, but don’t we all.
I know there are people who are worse off than me, but that doesn’t make me feel any better. My feelings are important just the same as a person who has no disability, there feelings are just as important, and mine are just as important as a person who has twice as many problems as I do. I have been given so many blessings and I still have my hard days, but those blessings are what keep me going.
Although my writing sounds like I am sad or upset, but I feel very happy right now. I just started writing and reflecting on what was going through my mind and couldn’t stop.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Reading and Scary Birds

I promise I won’t give away anything so you can read this post.
For the next few days my free time will be devoted to reading Harry Potter. I got the book on CD yesterday and I am already on the CD 10 out of 17. I think it is chapter 20 but don’t know for sure. I have also gotten Cullen into the HP books so he was quite excited when this book came out. I am reading it so quickly because Cullen also wants to read it. I needed to get ahead so he can take the CD’s right after I finish it. Cullen is on CD 3. I am so glad that the book comes out on CD the same time it comes out in hardback, because I think I would go crazy if it didn’t. I think I would scan the book into my computer so my computer would read it to me so I would not have to wait. Cullen listens to the book on his drive to and from work.
Oh yes, I also have a new fear of birds. I don’t mind most birds. I am scared of the ones that swoop at your head as you are minding your own business. Yesterday I was outside walking for a couple of minutes to let off some steam. I got to the bigger pond near my home and I hear a swoop. I keep walking thinking nothing of it then another swoop. Being legally blind I couldn’t see what it was but I am quite sure it was a bird. The reason I was really scared was the sound of the swoop sounded just like a baseball bat being swung right by my head. I ran.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Is it potty time already?

Gregory has been very interested in the potty lately. I had mentioned that we bought him some underwear. Every time he goes potty we put him in his underwear. He likes it too. He went potty three times today. I was going to wait till he was older to do the potty training thing, but I figure if he wants to do it why not. I was putting Gregory to bed tonight and he peed in his diaper when he was in bed and he said uh-oh. So I let him sit on his potty and try to go and then stuck him in a fresh diaper. I am surprised how much he wants to use the potty. I am just going to take advantage of his interest and hopefully get him trained and if not that is ok too. He is not even two yet. So, cheers to my next great adventure of motherhood.

Another trip to Kings Dominion

We went to Kings Dominion again this past Wednesday. Cullen’s friend Forrest came with us. I rode the bumper cars. I bet you haven’t guessed that I love the bumper cars. Gregory rode the car ride again too. After those rides Cullen and Forrest dropped Gregory and me off in the water section. There is a great section for kids. The whole area is shallow enough that Gregory can walk around in the water without it going over his head. The section has a bunch of pipes that squirt water everywhere and a small water slide. It was very enjoyable. Of course Gregory had to fall a couple of times and bump his head, but after a minute he was fine. After Cullen and Forrest rode some costers they came to play in the water area. First they spent some time in the kid area then we all went down the lazy river. In this ride you sit in inner tubes and slowly ride on the water. It was great because Gregory could come as long as he wore a life jacket. He just sat on my lap in the tube. We went on this twice. I also got to go on a water slide that used an inner tube. It was fun. Cullen and Forrest rode several more water rides. Then we all went back to the kid section and splashed for a while. It was a great day

Monday, July 16, 2007

Bed or Floor


071607 Gregory.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

He chose BED.
Lately when I put Gregory in his room for a nap and leave the door cracked he decides to sleep on the floor right behind the cracked door. Today at nap time I put him in his room and left. He peeked out the door a couple of times and then decided to get into bed. He is holding on to his book “bears on the go”. I read him this book before nap time and bed time. It is a fabric book made by Grandma. I think it is sweet how he decided to hold his book before he fell asleep. So, as you can tell nap time and bed time have been a success lately.

Yesterday I had a terrible migraine and went to bed as soon as Gregory fell asleep. This morning I feel so much better. Cullen has been great this morning helping out with Gregory and getting food for the three of us. Oh and we watched the movie “Cars” this morning too. I thought it was very cute. The pillow case Gregory has on his pillow is a “Cars” pillow case. Cullen and I figured that we should watch the movie considering that Gregory has so many things that came out for the movie. Such as two fabric cars, a board book, a sleeping bag, nightlight (which is not up, because I did not know where to put it), and his pillow case. Oh and future underpants and pull-ups with the movie theme. I got those because I did not know when the right moment for potty training would begin and I wanted to be ready. Well, all I can say is it is a good thing I liked the movie. Now I am off to fix lunch with Cullen and do some studying. I haven’t been able to take my massage therapy test yet because of all the extra paperwork that I have to do to get assistance because I am blind. I am hoping to be able to send in the application at the end of this week. Then schedule the test in August. That is the plan anyway. Now to get my hubby off the computer and in the kitchen so we can cook something up sounds spicy.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

I got scared that I would never see this beautiful smile again


071407 Gregory after hair cut4.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

Today at the playground two Spanish ladies were playing and talking with Gregory. I don’t mind this because he is within two feet of me. These ladies I did not know. We were talking and I could not see something and I told them that I had very bad vision. They helped me get out a splinter out of Gregory’s hand. Well, after a while all the other children who were playing at the playground went across the street to play. I have never taken Gregory over there to play because I do not know the area. With my limited vision I did not feel it safe to go over there. Gregory wanted to go over there. I was not going to take him. He was running around all over the area where the playground was and that was great until one of the ladies thought that she should just take my son across the street without asking. This totally freaked me out. I grabbed my keys and ran after my little boy. I could not see him. I had no idea where he was. I was so scared. I tried to go where I thought he was but I tripped. I did not have my cane with me. The other lady came across the street and helped me to get where my son was. I stayed for a couple of minutes because Gregory was happy, but I was very upset. I carried him fussing back across the street and right on home. Nothing bad had happened other than the fact a woman took Gregory somewhere I did not know how to get without my permission. I did not know this woman and did not know her name. Usually when Gregory is playing I am only a couple of feet away from him, but today I was a couple of yards. I was still very close I could still see him (My bad vision doesn’t allow me to see very far). I knew where he was and that he was ok until this woman took him across the street. Never again will I let him play more than a couple of feet away from me. I still don’t know why this woman thought it was ok to take my son anywhere without asking. All it took was two seconds. I love my little boy so much. Right now I am mad at those women and scared because what could have happened. Thank God that everything was ok.

After Picture


071407 Gregory after hair cut.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

This is Gregory’s hair now. I think it is much better. It is also not so out of control, but we kept it long enough so there will be curl. That is one thing even strangers liked about Gregory, his cute curls.

Before Picture


071407 Gregory before hair cut3.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

This is Gregory’s mess of hair before he got his hair cut. It was not so bad in the front but the back was really growing out. He needed the cut bad

Gregory’s first hair cut


071407 Gregory getting hair cut.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

Gregory got his hair cut for the first time this morning. We got it done at Cartoon Cuts. Gregory watched Sesame Street while a nice lady cut his hair. He really needed a hair cut. It is crazy how much older he looks now. This is just another first. Yes, we got some of his hair to save forever along with a little certificate. As a treat they gave him a lollypop.
I will post before and after pictures later today.

Friday, July 13, 2007

A happy morning

I feel so beautiful today. I am wearing a strapless summer dress and my hubby suggested that I wear pearls. Now isn’t that extravagant for a normal day. I got up with Gregory early this morning then I got a headache and hubby let me lay back down. Then I woke back up and let hubby go lay back down. Before he went back to bed he fixed me coffee. I hate fixing my own coffee. It isn’t hard or anything it just seems to taste better when someone else makes it. Sweet hubby was more than willing to fix me coffee and get Gregory breakfast before he went back to bed. After breakfast Gregory fell back asleep on the couch and I put him in bed. Then I went back to bed and cuddled with my hubby. We both got showered, dressed, and we both are on our computers. Oh, the day before yesterday we put back up hubby’s computer in our bedroom. We had taken it down because it was causing problems. We worked out all that and everyone is happy and content. I am so happy that all is going right. So, my morning was exhausting but great. Yes, a wonderful start to a great day.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Eight Things

I've been tagged by Kerry http://just-for-fun-ck.blogspot.com/ (I tried to put in a link with a name but my screen reader was not working with me so here is the link written out) to list eight things interesting (or most precious) about my Husband and I.

1. Before I lost my vision Cullen and I were friends. Cullen did not have a driver’s license but he had a job and he needed a ride to work. I was 16 and had my license so I drove him to work. Now I am blind and can’t drive so hubby drives everywhere. I think it is special that I did give him a ride first though. Cullen is still working at the same chain of grocery stores ten years later.
2. Cullen and I were friends for two years before we started dating and finally in our senior year of high school we became boyfriend and girlfriend. So, Cullen is my high school sweetheart.
3. Cullen did not go to college, but my college may as well have been his too, because everyone at my school including the teachers and staff knew and liked my hubby.
4. Cullen and I got married the day before my college graduation and we went to my commencement ball in my wedding dress and his tux.
5. Cullen and I both have a goofy sense of humor. Jokes that we make no one else might understand but us.
6. Cullen and I have secret codes and sayings. We made these up and some of them are so strange that if one of us died and a psychic said the other was talking to us from the other side we would know if the psychic was lying or not.
7. When music is playing Cullen and I take turns making lyrics up. This is a favorite of ours during long car trips.
8. The song Jingle Bells has special meaning to us.

Since the link thing is frustrating me right now anyone who would like to list their eight things on there blog go for it and put a comment here so I can go read your eight things.

Gregory’s first trip to a theme park

Yesterday Cullen and I took Gregory to Kings Dominion. It was a lot of fun. I rode the bumper cars. Cullen likes to make fun of me when I do this. I am not allowed to drive because I am blind, but bumper cars are a ride that you should run into other people so I fit right in. What I did not realize is that not every car was filled. This meant that one car was just sitting there. I found that car and hit it. I thought I had hit a car with a person in it. This is what made Cullen laugh. I am still not sure which car that was. It is nice driving something once and a while. Oh and I got in a traffic jam. The car that no one was driving jammed up all the cars. All of the bumper cars were stuck in one little section. It is not every day I get to get stuck in a traffic jam. Cullen got to ride two rollercoasters. We did not ride anything together because one of us had to be with Gregory. When Cullen was waiting for his second rollercoaster it started raining and it got really bad. The rain got so bad Gregory started crying. A very helpful person came over to me and helped us find shelter, but not before we were drenched. I did not know where to go, because with the rain and my lack of helpful eyesight I could not see a thing. To tell you the truth I quite enjoyed the rain. It was so hot. I felt much better after the downpour. Gregory was much more soaked than me and he needed a change of clothes. We found the childcare center and got him into some dry clothes. Gregory was happy about his dry clothes. Now it was Gregory’s turn for some fun. There were some little kid rides. The first ride Gregory went on was a car ride. The ride had a bunch of cars going in a circle. I wasn’t sure if Gregory would like it or not. He had never been on any rides before. Well, except at Chuck E. Cheese, but those rides just go back and fourth. The ride started and Gregory got the biggest smile on his face. He was so happy. The first ride was a hit. There was one more little kid ride and that was little swings. Gregory doesn’t like to swing at the playground. He loves the slide but hates the swings. So, I did not think he would like this ride. I figured we would give it a try. This ride went in a circle and not back and fourth like the swings at the playground. This ride was also a hit. Yea! Cullen and I decided to take him back to the car ride. He went on it and then he was getting off after the ride was over, but some kids came for the ride too. Gregory got back on and rode again. That ride had ended and the other little kids wanted to go again. Gregory seemed happy so we let him ride again. As soon as the ride started again Gregory started clapping. Now isn’t that cute. I think Cullen and I had more fun watching Gregory than we did riding our own rides. Because this was Gregory’s first trip to a theme park we had to get him a souvenir. He loves balls so we got him a yellow Scooby Doo basket ball. Kings Dominion has a water park attached to it. Next week we are going to go again and try out the water park. Now that was a great day!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

I have

A cut on my right knee.
I got it while stepping over a baby gate.

A cut on my left knee.
I got it while changing Gregory on the floor by a couch at my dad’s house.

A bump on my left shin.
I got it today while running into the laundry basket three times, thanks to Gregory moving it around.

My arms are in pretty good shape, well for the exception of a couple of bruises. I would like to say this is all because I am blind and couldn’t see the things that hurt me, but I had this unfortunate problem of hurting myself before I lost my vision.
All I can say is ouch!

snore snore

I put Gregory to bed. I leave his door open so he is happy. He decided to pop his head out and forgot to go back to bed to fall asleep. I heard loud snoring from the hallway, picked him up put him in bed. I think his snoring is so cute. He usually doesn’t snore, but he has a runny nose lately so he has been snoring.
I don’t know why but snoring in the hallway makes me smile.
I need smile moments every day to keep me running. I was running low before Gregory’s snoring. Now I have a smile moment to help me make it through the rest of the night.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Another day

Today was another day and so will tomorrow be.
I washed up then got dirty.
Then washed up again.
I cleaned and made a mess.
Then cleaned up again.
I got some things done and I didn’t get around to others.
I will try tomorrow.
Gregory laughed and Gregory cried.
I did too.
Gregory went to sleep happy
And so will I.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

A splashing good time


e
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

Today Gregory blew bubbles for the first time. He has been trying ever since summer started and I bought some bubbles. He finally got it. He was so proud of himself. Today we also splashed around on the balcony. I fill a shallow bin up with water and Gregory gets to splash. It is just enough for him to sit in. He likes to play with his bucket and some cups in the water. Before we went out I changed him into swim trunks and his swim diaper. I was about to take him outside when Gregory came walking up to me going “ewwe”. I leaned down to see what he was holding. It was his dirty diaper. I had forgotten to take care of it. I told him thank you and took care of it. Lately when I have been changing Gregory I say “ewwe”. I make a funny face and that sound. I call it the yucky sound. Gregory likes it. He has been copying me, so cute! I am glad he got me that dirty diaper. I hate having those lay around. It is nice having someone else help me clean up around the house. Gregory finds all the tiny things that I miss, what a big help.

Sleepy time

Bedtime worked last night. Yea! Well, I still had to get up in the middle of the night. Gregory seemed to sleep only in three hour increments. I am very tired right now. I am trying the new bedtime routine at nap time. Right now Gregory is calling me “ma, ma, ma, ma”. Hopefully he will just decide to get some rest so I can too. His door is cracked open so he can walk out and as soon as I can close his door I can catch up on some of the sleep I lost last night. If I shut his door he will scream, so there is no point doing that. It sounds like he is playing. Oh well at least he is staying in his room. Boy I love my little boy! He makes such cute sounds and the things he does just make me smile. I am so happy I have this little ball of sunshine in my life even during his cranky moments. I am having fun listening to him on the baby monitor. I am going to get some M&M’s and then I will do some reading.
The door is squeaking open and shut. I bet he is thinking should I go out or stay in.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Sleeping arrangements

Right now we are playing get in bed, get out of bed. Gregory has usually slept very well it is just hard getting him down. I don’t like the cry it out version so I have tried a million and a half other ideas. Gregory’s crib is currently not being used very much. Next to his crib there is a pad with a sheet over it. We found it at Wal-Mart. It is called a crash pad. I had been laying there with Gregory in his crib. That did not work, so he lied on the crash pad to fall asleep with me. Now I am trying to make it so he will just fall asleep with me in the other room. Gregory seems to feel more secure with the ability to get me. So his door is cracked open and he can go in and out. When he comes out I just take him back in and tell him to lie down and I put a blanket over his legs. So, far it is working. I have only had to go in six times. I figure that isn’t bad. I just have to be persistent. It sounds like he is settling down. I will go check on him and close his door when I think he is asleep.
I just checked on him and he fell asleep right behind the door. Why can’t he fall asleep where he should? Oh well I woke him up when the door hit him. I told him to get in his bed. He did, wait he is up again. This will work, just wish me luck.
Tomorrow I will have Cullen take the side off of Gregory’s crib and maybe then Gregory will want to sleep in it again, who knows.

Inconsiderate People

Right now I am mad at a few inconsiderate people, who are also narcissistic. These people shall remain nameless, because I think it is better that way. I need to vent and this is the best way because I feel that people will have listened to me and it will keep me from saying things I want to say. Sometimes it is better to just pretend something did not happen. These people I am mad at would also hold grudges and to prevent this I will just vent here. I am upset because I gave to these people and they got upset because it wasn’t as much as they wanted. I am mad because we had prior plans and they wanted us to change them and they got pissed off because we did not. I am mad because they made us late to get somewhere because they were in the way. I am mad because of the hateful things they said. I will never give of myself in the same way to these people again. They do not appreciate it. I am also mad because I did not tell them exactly what was on my mind when this was going on. It would have contained many cuss words and I don’t cuss much so it is probably better that I did not. I hope that is vague enough. I just needed to share my feelings. Also if you think you know who I am talking about you are probably wrong so don’t guess. Well I feel a little better now and now I will let my anger go because you know I was angry. I just needed to feel validated.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy Independence Day

Today started off crummy but turned into a good day. Cullen went to work and I went over to my dads for food and fireworks, both were great. We had hamburger and hot dogs. I gave a hot dog to Gregory and he did not want it at first because he thought it was HOT not just the name. I couldn’t call it a dog because that sounded like we were eating a doggie. He ate it anyway. Oh and he was very cute with his corn on the cob. He ate that all up and did a very good job at it too. Then we set off some fireworks. There were a couple of smoke bombs and when the first one was set off Gregory ran right for the smoke. It was funny. He liked those. We also set off some ones that sparkle and crackle but were short. We did those before it got too dark. Gregory kept asking for more. Then it got dark and we headed outside to set some off outside. I like the ones that crackle and last a long time. Color isn’t a big thing for me because it is hard to see anyway. Gregory’s favorite was the short ones. The big ones scared Gregory. I had a good 4th. Tomorrow Cullen and I are going to Kings Dominion with Shawn and Sarah.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

He can pick his daddy out


070207 Daddy and Gregory14.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

I have a picture of Cullen and Gregory together on my mobile phone. I had the phone open today and Gregory saw the picture. He pointed to it and said Daddy. I think that is very special when Gregory can look at a picture and recognize his daddy. He is growing up and his two favorite people in the world are Momma and Daddy. I was just surprised that he knew that the picture was of his daddy. I am not sure if he knew that the little boy in the picture was himself. It just makes me wonder what is going through that little brain of his and how much he understands.

Gregory’s Blanket


070307 Gregory.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

I picked this blanket out before Gregory was born. I wanted it to be his blankie, his favorite blanket. He did not like the blanket; he did not want the blanket. I wanted him to like the blanket, but when he did not I just put it in with all his other blankets. A couple of days ago Gregory found the blanket in with all his other blankets and decided he wanted to sleep with it. He seems to really like it. It seems now that he has chosen this blanket to be his favorite if only for a few days. The memory of picking out the blanket brings back the tender feelings I had before my sweet little boy was born. Just knowing that I picked out this blankie especially for him and that he likes it, is a special feeling.

A nice long walk


070307 George and Uncle Bob.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

Cullen’s family is in town and Cullen’s dad, called Pop, and Cullen’s Uncle Bob came over today. We went to a park with board walks and woods. We were walking for almost two hours. I would say Gregory was in the stroller a total of five minutes of the whole trip. I carried Gregory most of the time, he is heavy. Gregory was all over the place. Pop wasn’t sure what to do. I think he had forgotten how much work a toddler could be. They both had a good time though. Before we went to the park everyone took a nap and Cullen got a picture of Uncle Bob and Pop snoozing. I can say though that this is how they felt after the walk with Gregory. I felt the same way, but I am a little more use to a toddler. On our walk we saw a deer, a snake, squirrels, butterflies, frogs, and bugs. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Uncle Shawn got married


063007 Cullen Angela and Gregory1.JPG
Originally uploaded by smileahug.

Today is a good day. Yesterday Cullen’s brother Shawn got married to a lovely lady Sarah. I only got a few pictures, none of Shawn and Sarah, but they had a professional photographer so there will be plenty of pictures. I got this one before the wedding. It is Cullen , Gregory, and me. The wedding was very nice. It was a Catholic wedding. Sara had a strapless dress and a long train. It was a pretty dress. The wedding went pretty smoothly. Gregory was a ring barer. Gregory made it all the way up and then fell when he was headed off to his seat. I thought that was cute. He was very good during the ceremony the reception was held at her brother’s home. There were tents set up outside. My step-mom made the cake and both my dad and step mom did the catering. The cake was pretty cool each layer had a different shape and texture. It was ivory color with strawberry filling, yum. Sarah’s brother’s house had a game room where I played some air hockey and slots spending no money, it was all for fun. My arm hurts today from the air hockey. The reception was almost over and I asked Cullen why he did not dance with me. He said we will dance tomorrow. Personally dancing at home and at a wedding reception is not the same thing, but I let it go. Cullen then went over to the DJ with out telling me and had him play some slow songs for us to dance to. He did and we danced along with a few other couples. It was very sweet of him. I also got a break yesterday because so many people were watching Gregory. It is great that so many people want to spend time with my son. I gladly let them spend time with him so I could relax and enjoy myself with out worrying if he was going to fall in the pool or run off and join the circus. Gregory fell asleep on the way home and I got a good night sleep.