http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom recent pleonast.com entries by user julieannsmom en-us http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=603093 Just started this blog, and the timer is going off to take J-A to the potty..... Ok, so I'm potty training...for real this time. Since she was about 12 mos old, we've played around with it, but never pushed it. She lost interest over the last 6 months or so but last week just started asking to use the potty all of a sudden. So, yesterday morning I decided to try the potty training in a day thing...Whatever. LIARS! Day 2 now of going every 15 minutes. She is going on the potty most of the time, although several times yesterday she peed in between. We're using chocolate and stickers for rewards, which seems to be going well. Why is potty training the one thing that has NO RULES!!!! I need firm guidelines. I can't operate without the right answer! I would much rather change 6-8 diapers a day than go to the potty 50+ times a day. My ankles look like logs. 2008-11-25 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=599029 Today is my baby's birthday! She's 2 years old, and I just can't believe it. Where have 2 whole years gone? Julie-Ann has been the perfect addition to our lives. She is so much fun every single day. We have our battles, but 99% of the time, she brings a smile to my face. Just this week, she was pretend talking on the phone, and I asked her who she was talking to. She held up one finger, and with a very serious, motherly look on her face, said, "Just a minute, Mommy, OK? Thank you." She woke up this morning and almost immediately said, "I want my present, my cycle!" We have been telling her she would get her tricycle today, and she was ready. The last birthday party we went to was Connor's, and she must have loved it b/c today every time I mention that it's her birthday, she says something about it being Connor's birthday! Maybe she'll get it on Saturday at her own party. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us 2 years ago when Julie-Ann was born and things we... 2008-11-13 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=597917 I really didn't want to blog too much about the current political situation, but I feel a little forced into it. Although I could rant and rave for hours on end about all the things I find absolutely ridiculous about people's overjoyed reactions to Obama being elected.... I will only say this: I am not a racist b/c I voted for the white candidate. My vote was based on moral issues, period. If you know me, and you even imply that I am somehow racist b/c I am disappointed in the outcome of this election, then you need to take a long look in the mirror. Statements like, "we try to avoid addressing race in the church b/c we try to keep everyone equal" make my blood boil. Don't you realize that Christ died for all of us? Don't you know that we all are the adopted seed of Abraham through the blood of Jesus? The church doesn't have to avoid racial issues. We are all the same race. We are all Christians. We are brethren. We are family. I don't see the color of your skin, ... 2008-11-10 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=597243 I went to bed really depressed on Tuesday night. Then on Wednesday morning I woke up. Sydney Marie was kicking away and rolling around in my belly. Julie-Ann was snuggled up against my back. Calvin was getting up to get ready to go to work and provide for all of us girls. We took a walk, and the sun was still shining! The temperature was perfect, and we played outside for an hour and a half. We had a song service on Wednesday night, and I have just decided I am far too blessed to be depressed about this election. God is in control, and my life is perfect. I have learned something interesting about myself recently. I apparently say "Big O" a lot. Julie-Ann has picked up on it and has said in the last week: "Daddy, you're a Big O boy." "Mommy, that's a Big O ladder." "There's a Big O mess." "That's a Big O punkin." "That's a Big O strawberry." It's really cute. My little Southeast Texan. 2008-11-08 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=591446 "Dear God, Thank you sooooo much for Daddy home, chew gum and my hair." (After giving a baby doll a spanking...) "You hear me, baby? Ok." "Mommy! Daddy (something unintelligible) in my eye in the chicken!" (When I asked Calvin what she was trying to tell me, he explained he had accidentally shined a flashlight in her eyes in the kitchen!) "Open the rajer, Mommy." (refrigerator) "Silly cows eat fru fries." (I'm not sure if she thinks the tall brown grass looks like french fries growing...) "I want to see Daddy's work truck." (Just really sweet. She wants to see where Calvin is while he's at work.) "Look, Mommy. I rock baby." She's so sweet with her baby dolls. (Patting my tummy) "Baby's growing in there, Mommy." Every time she sees Tinkerbell she says, "Princess, Mommy!" "Tigger and Poop" (Winnie the Pooh) "Twinkuw, twinkuw, ittuw stawr, ah makin ut you awr. Up adub the... 2008-10-25 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=587236 my dogs. the sheets. my floors. the storage shed (lots of pollen, looks green.) my van. (still has love bugs from the evacuation!) dishes...always dishes. laundry...always laundry. my kid :). After all that, I'll need washing too! I'm sure there's more, but isn't that enough? So, as usual, I'm behind on a lot, like washing stuff, but I'm also ahead on a few things. Julie-Ann's fairy princess costume is just about complete. She looks adorable in her tutu. Her birthday party is booked, and I've made a couple of purchases for the favor bags. YAY!! For those who want to see new pics of Julie-Ann and belly pics that were taken in August, visit www.mandybonds.com. At the bottom of the page click on Clients. Then choose Buns in the Oven. You'll see my picture and the title Angel and Julie-Ann, I think. Click on that, use the password August 25. I have a second trimester appointment the first week of November, and I'll give you that password when they're up to see more recent picture... 2008-10-14 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=585422 J-A deals almost constantly with allergies. Sometimes it's my fault, letting her have a little too much dairy like ice cream and cheese, and it gets her nose running. Other times like now, the weather changes, and the poor baby is coughing and dripping everywhere. So her nose has been sprayed with saline, sucked out and smeared with vicks. She's got Tylenol and allergy/cough medicine and slept last night with the humidifier and Vicks. Her room was hot, moist and medicine-y smelling this morning. I'm praying for no ear infection this time. She tends to drain back into her throat and ears which makes her sound terrible and turns into an infection which she just had last month! On the pregnancy front, I started having Braxton-Hicks....I didn't expect it this early, but "What to Expect..." says it's normal after 20 weeks...who knew? It's weird, like everything else with pregnancy, for my stomach to suddenly turn into this rock hard ball, and I'm not doing it. Not that I ... 2008-10-09 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=582892 I never seem to have it together. Always running, never getting anywhere. I've been kind of down since I got home from TN. I just have so much to do, and it seems like I will never get it done. I finally decided a couple of days ago to quit worrying about what has to be done and just get up and do it! Sounds obvious, I know, but it took me awhile to get here. So, here I am on the computer taking care of one of those tasks that just seems insurmountable to me. I think we're going to switch our phone service to one of those internet services like T-mobile maybe. $10/mo beats what we're paying now. The only problem is, part of our phone bill is made up of paying for dial up service so we can maintain the same email addresses we've had for like 10 years. We don't use dial up. We use a cable modem, but our addresses are through AT&T and that was the only way to keep them. Dumb us for not using yahoo or hotmail way back when...but whatever. So I am transferring all contacts ... 2008-10-02 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=579073 Well, I'm heading out of TN and back towards TX tomorrow. I'll break the trip up about halfway and stop at a hotel to relax for the evening with J-A before dragging her back out on the road again on Thursday to complete our trip. I REALLY don't want to drive home, but I'm ready to be home and see Calvin. J-A really misses him a lot, and I'm eager to feel like a normal family again. We've never been apart for such long periods of time. We've been gone over 2 of the last 4 weeks. Of course, I'm not looking forward to getting home and completing the overwhelming task of finally unpacking all of our boxes from the move. I may put it off a little longer as there is a storm in the Carribean brewing.....I cannot imagine doing getting back in the car again. Oh well, I hope you all have a good day. Remember to count your blessings and pray for our friends, Matt & Lauren, who are suffering greatly right now. 2008-09-23 http://www.pleonast.com/user/julieannsmom?l=5&entryID=577673 Not a misspelling...I feel so silly updating my blog in light of the Bassford's loss today. I'm in Tennessee with Cindi. Julie-Ann is happy, and we're looking at maybe heading back toward home on Wednesday next week. We got power at our house today, so that's progress. Now just waiting for Wal-Mart to get back to 100%. Pray for Matt and Lauren, and if you offer words of comfort, remember the best thing to say is just how sorry you are and that you will pray for them. 2008-09-20