Daddy Daughter Day! Lots of Pictures!

I am one worn out Nana today! My body is tired but my heart is overflowing! We had an awesome time with Cosette today... got to spend a little time with my niece Jamie... had Facetime with Oliver and Cody... and I just feel all warm and fuzzy and that's not JUST because of the pain meds I need to recuperate!

Trying to not share a hundred pictures but we had so many cute moments today. Here are a few of my favorites:

We went by Ingles to pick up a few things for Austin... get a Pumpkin Spice Latte for Nana and a cup of milk for Cosy... then we went to Hofers Haus in Helen for breakfast. They love Cosy there. She and I shared potato pancakes and she had a good time with a pretzel roll.

Then we spent the rest of the day hanging out with Mawmaw on the PlayPen Porch. It was a beautiful day and we were introducing the idea of training panties and going potty. We put the potty out on the porch with us - how redneck is that? We let her try the panties over her diaper and without a diaper. She didn't have any accidents but she didn't pee in the potty either. I let her sit on the potty fully clothed and once without a stitch on. Just letting her get the idea. Then she went with me to the bathroom when I had to go and when I flushed she clapped for me! Silly girl!

She had two naps, cuddled up with daddy on nana's day bed.

She got to see "big cousin" - Cousin Jamie. And she was loving on the photo of Uncle Cody and Cousin Oliver.

We had a beautiful day. My back is killing me. I ache from my eyelashes to my toenails. It was worth every minute of it. Hope you enjoy the photos... thanks for stopping by! Love and hugs! Reading Mawmaws books and magazines. Hanging out in her potty training pants

Vote for Walden for Sheriff... he's our neighbor. 

I love this picture because all you can see of Cosette is her two little tiny feet propped up on her daddy's leg while they play with her Elsa doll. Sweet!

Waving goodbye to Mawmaw, Pop and Jamie for ten minutes after they left! 

 Being silly and shy with Cousin Jamie. She is impressed with Jamie but a little intimidated. Cosy just watches everything Jamie does and hides her face when Jamie talks to her or acts really shy.

  Exploring the backyard with dad....

Update on My Mom's Cancer Diagnosis

Today is my dad's 67th birthday and I am writing a short blog. The blog is not short because it's his birthday but it is his birthday and this will be short.

My mom went back to the oncologist today. She was told that the cancer is in her blood, that's why it's inoperable. They can do a treatment that slows down the movement of the cancer in her blood to keep it from spreading. She'll get treatments every 4 weeks. She could have a life expectancy of months to years. It just depends on how it progresses. Mom was encouraged by this prognosis and so I am going to be encouraged by it. They didn't say what I wanted them to say which was, "she's going to outlive her daughter" (me) but still, we'll take it and trust God her to be here on to accomplish all that He intends for her to do (paint my bathroom purple) (is that irreverent?) I've got to tell you that I think our family is probably going to do this thing differently than how other families have. Each of my brothers has their own approach to mom. Pop has a certain way he interacts with her. I'm the only girl. She's my best friend. I tell her everything and she tells me everything. So if she's not feeling well enough to empty the litter box, she needs to let me know...

Was that all a little discombobulated? Yes. Life feels like that right now.

In other news... I watched Oscar most of the day today. We get Cosette tomorrow. Friday I get to recuperate and then Saturday we're getting together for my parents' birthdays.

Blog updates as the story / time permit. In the meantime, pray for that magic medicine to get that cancer IN CHECK!

Love and hugs, y'all!

News Day Tuesday - Vera Bradley and Potty Training

Welcome to News Day Tuesday where I comment on current events in my world and in the real world. Here's a bit of trivia I bet you've never heard.... remember Larry Tate, Darrin's boss on Bewitched? (the tv series, not the movie) The actor who played Mr. Tate was David White. David was a single father as his wife died due to complications during her second pregnancy leaving David to raise their older son, Jonathan. Jonathan died in 1988 aboard Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I found that tidbit of info on www.mydailyviral.com.

According to the website, TMZ.com, Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. Apparently he is a substance abuser and has an anger management problem. Quite honestly, I've never forgiven Angelina for "stealing" Brad from Jennifer Aniston. I guess you get what you pay for. If you steal someone's husband you end up with a cheater. Who wants that? A local radio personality once said after interviewing Brad Pitt that he has a major body odor problem. Whenever I see Brad Pitt, I always imagine him smelling of b.o.

I'm still battling the overwhelming fatigue today. I slept poorly... couldn't find a position that worked. It's frustrating beyond belief to so tired and not be able to sleep. It's like being thirsty and not being able to find water. I feel like a zombie today and the medicine they give me for muscle spasms makes it so much worse - the sleepiness - it's almost a miracle cure for the muscle spasms, especially compared to what I was taking. Not to clog up today's blog post with whining... I can save that all for a Whiny Wednesday post!

The good thing is that it's a quiet / mostly no responsibilities day and I have been sitting here binge watching The Land Girls on Netflix. I started it awhile back but I lost track of the plot along the way so I started over. It's entertaining and since I've watched it before I can just have it on without having to study too hard. I don't have to think as much, although I am watching for the part where I got lost before.

Not meaning to continue complaining but major consumer bummer for me today... I shop on zulily.com occasionally. Sometimes the stuff is just... ehhhh.... but sometimes they sell really good brands for very affordable prices. FOR INSTANCE... today they have a big Vera Bradley sale. I have a really cute Vera Bradley purse that is my favorite purse I've ever had. I would never invest in a high dollar handbag because honestly... paired with my yoga pants and oversized tops an expensive bag is never going to live up to it's intended potential. Technically you could say that my yoga pants will never live up to their full potential either but... let's not go there. I like carrying my Vera Bradley bag because at a glance, a purse snatcher would never recognize it as having any value as they would say, a Coach bag. However someone who shops Vera Bradley would recognize it and I have had those moments of "oh... I love that pattern... " and I bond with complete strangers over our mutual love of Vera Bradley. For me, Vera Bradley is priced higher than I would normally spend on a bag but... it's not ridiculously priced and I really enjoy it. The only thing is... my pattern is an older pattern and it's hard to find different other pieces in the same pattern (pink swirls florals, if you're wondering) and it's especially hard to find them on sale. WELL... on Zulily.com today they had Vera Bradley and they had MY PATTERN and they had a piece I REALLY WANT (backpack, if you're wondering) and they had SOLD OUT before I got there! I had debated buying it off the Vera Bradley website a few weeks ago and thought... no... I don't really need the backpack... I don't ever go anywhere but then I thought... it would make a great diaper bag for Cosy AND Cosy has her own little purse in that pattern (which we loaned to Cousin Jamie but I'm sure she still has it and will remember to bring it back soon). And... if I could ever get enough days in a row that I could go stay with Oliver for a little while, I could use my cute matching Vera Bradley backpack for my stuff but... sad ending, which you already know... sold out.

Gosh. This blog is long already and you only have had a few minor news bulletins, none of which are really news. So what else can I tell you? One of the cats has been throwing up a lot and it's really gross. Neither me or my mom has the stomach for cat vomit. Occasionally I can get Austin to clean it up for me because I "am the best mom ever" and he "owes me a million favors" direct quotes, folks, I'm just telling you what he says. But the last two vom sessions have occurred when Austin was not around to do me a favor. SO I get the chunks up and my mom gets the resulting stains out. (This is why my mom has to live forever because who else would help me clean up cat vomit?) Today I ordered a new kind of food for them that is supposed to be for sensitive stomachs so we'll see if that helps. I will pay more for cat food to avoid cleaning up cat vomit, one hundred percent, without hesitation. I only ordered a small bag of the sensitive stomach food to see if it helps.

Also... Cosette has gone potty a total of SEVEN times now so I searched far and wide on the internet for some little training panties in her size. She's so tiny still... right around 20 lbs and most of the little pants I found were 2T or bigger. She wears a 12 months unless we need 18 months for her long legs. I finally found some Gerber panties that were 18 months so I thought we'd try them. If she doesn't use them for training pants they'll make a decent diaper cover for under dresses. The thing is... she has hated being in a wet diaper since day one. My boys would sit in a wet diaper until it exploded. Oliver is pretty much the same. Maybe it's a baby girl thing but Cosy doesn't like being wet. I thought... since she's so sensitive to the sensation of a wet diaper that if she had on little training pants she would easily be able to tell when the pee happens. She's already making the connection between "potty chair" and "my pee goes there". Not rushing her, I promise. She's way young for potty training but... if she'll go potty and be happy going potty then, I say let's get her the things she needs to be successful. If she's not ready until she's 3... so be it. (Please God let her be ready before 3!) I was sure her dad would go to kindergarten in pullups but... girls are different, I hear. We'll see. Stay tuned.

AND... the blog is long enough. Hope you've enjoyed our discussion on handbags and potty training. Come back tomorrow and I promise more of the same exciting conversation. If you have interesting news topics to discuss, please feel free to leave a comment here or on Facebook! Expand our world, please, I'm begging! Thanks for stopping by, love and hugs!

Ending with a picture of me from today. This is what Tuesday looks like. I'm sparing you the OOTD which includes baggy fuzzy pajama pants. You're welcome.

Reasons To Love Monday - We Are All Still HERE!

Hello Monday. Here were are again. I'm feeling really exhausted. The autoimmune issues that I have that are not entirely diagnosed yet are really making life hard today. It's like... we know it's not lupus, at least not the kind that can be determined by your blood but my joints are on fire today... and my cheeks are on fire (which is my "things are getting out of control" symptom) and I'm just so exhausted. Beyond exhausted. And I have done absolutely nothing to warrant such exhaustion. Cosette came over for an hour or so last night and I did hold her for just a few minutes but the ick I feel is beyond baby fatigue.

BUT DESPITE the fact that it's Monday and I feel incredibly miserable today... there are still so many reasons to love Monday. Let's give it a shot:

1. We had company yesterday (still have company today) - my cousin Kevin and his family stopped by yesterday afternoon. My brother Michael and his boys came down (over?) from Chattanooga and spent the night. And, as I previously mentioned, Cosy came for a little while. People have been checking in on my mom and that's really sweet. I almost love drop in company more than planned for company because if my mom knows people are coming she will wear herself out getting the house "company ready". I keep telling her people are coming to see her, not to judge whether or not her house is clean... but, what can you do?

2. The bonus time with Cosy was great fun! She had a bit of a Nana attachment at first and then moved on to a Mawmaw attachment and then was a full on Daddy's girl. Mostly, she wanted to pet the kitties and the Holy Grail of cat petting for her is Little Kitty who is entirely TOO FAST for her to catch most of the time. It's the sweetest thing ever watching her call the cats by clicking her tongue (like me) and patting the side of her leg (like Mawmaw). We were playing on the new porch (because honestly, it's the best playpen EVER) which is Oscar's (the dachshund's) favorite place in the house. Every time Mawmaw would go in to get something, she would leave Oscar and Cosy would get concerned and say, "Ooof?" as in, "you forgot your dog". Cutest ever. Also, I had pour water into a cup for her and splashed it on her toes on Thursday and she wanted to do the same thing last night, even though she is not as much of a fish as Oliver. It cracks me up - the things she remembers from week to week. So... starting off the week with happy Cosy memories is the best.

3. Speaking of the cutest kids ever... Oliver learned how to signal "touchdown" this weekend. He already knew how to do the tomahawk chop - since his dad is a big Florida State fan. Unfortunately they didn't have the opportunity to celebrate many touchdowns this weekend as FSU suffered probably their worst loss ever. It was painful to watch.

4. Despite feeling icky... I am so grateful that this is a "no demands" day for me. I don't have anyone to pick up from work (I don't think). No doctor's appointments. No dog-sitting. I had lunch plans that I postponed because... not moving. It's really quiet and peaceful here, even with company. My nephews are 19 and 17 and probably the quietest teenage boys on the planet. They're doing their own thing and I'm down here in the nest just resting.

5. We're having more company this weekend because my parents birthdays both fall in the next week. My dad's birthday is Wednesday and my mom's is next Monday. Cody, Marquee and Oliver are coming up, Cosette is coming over, my brother and sister-in-law are coming and... if you're local and want to come by, just come on over! Let me know if you need directions... we're going to have a very informal gathering around noonish. Bring a snack if you like. I'm sure we'll have some kind of food although we're not that organized at this point. If you're not local... the leaves are *just barely* beginning to turn colors and it's beautiful up here lately.  It's a great time of year for a day trip! I think there's rain in the forecast for Saturday but... we have the big covered porches to hide out in and still enjoy the cooler weather.

6. My Little Kitty has been glued to my hip today. I think he knows when I'm not doing good because those are the times that he is very possessive. Or it could just be that he's a cat and they think they own the world.

7. I'm drinking a big glass of my favorite peach tea. Even though Pumpkin Spice is available... after getting sick off the very first one I haven't had as much of a desire for them. Also... it has to get cooler for it. I see some fifties ahead in the ten day forecast so it will be feeling autumnal very soon. Glad the PSL is there when I want it... and I'm sure I'll want some soon. In the meantime, iced tea is a big reason to love Monday.

8. My last (and biggest) Reason To Love Monday is that we're all still here today. The terrorist attacks over the weekend struck too close to "home"... not my geographical home but people I love/family members = home. My brother lives on the Upper West Side and the bombs were in Chelsea so... I didn't worry so much. It's still all too close for comfort and it's still somebody's brother that got hurt on Saturday night. However... it could have been so much worse. I'm grateful that no one was killed and I pray that those injured will have a swift recovery. I feel so very insulated here in my nest far, far off the beaten path but that doesn't mean that my heart isn't distributed to various places where bad stuff DOES happen. The truth is we are never promised more than today so waking up this morning and counting heads and realizing that all those I love are still with us... that's all the reason I need to love today!

Happy New Week! Love and hugs, y'all!

Stuntman Oliver

"Hello Nana!"

 

< ---- Note that Cosette has a piece of string cheese in her hand. Baby Girl loves her cheese! She was telling me in sign language that she wanted to eat so we gave her some cheese and she just carried it around munching on it until it was all gone. With both babies... they're in the stage of doing things independently now... and it's like... awwww... precious girl can eat cheese all by herself... like she's doing something miraculous. I guess it's just part of being a Nana but I'm impressed every time they do things bigger people do. She went potty again this weekend too! We're not pushing the potty training on her because she is just 16 months old still. She has always hated having a wet diaper on and she is starting to get the concept of "my pee can go in the potty" so her mom is just easing her into it. I think she will train easily. Ok. That's all.

FaceTime Friday on Saturday Again!

Welcome to il fine settimana! (the week end). Oggi sto indossando pantaloni di yoga neri. (today I am wearing black yoga pants). That's my usual uniform; yoga pants, comfy tops with long sleeves, socks. Basically, clothes you could sleep in. And I do.

I ended up with a bit of a emergenza sonno (sleep emergency) this week. I didn't sleep Wednesday - well, I didn't sleep much. The same thing happened on Thursday night. By yesterday afternoon I was dozing off randomly in the middle of doing things. I couldn't function. Couldn't comprehend anything I read. Couldn't get through my Italian lessons. I was just wiped out. I finally had to build a nest of pillows to be able to sleep. It's hard to sleep here during the day because life is happening but I finally put my travel pillow on backwards so that it covered my ears to help block out noise. I sat on two big fluffy pillows to help my hip pain. My left hip is jacked up... I can move my left leg but I can't lift it. Too much up and down, sitting on the floor, holding a baby girl on Thursday. I'd do it again... and I will do it again... as long as I physically can. She won't always want me to hold her. I may not be able to hold future grandchildren this way but I can hold her and when she is with us, I will. It just doesn't look pretty the next day or two afterwards. I couldn't get to sleep laying down because of my back and I couldn't get to sleep sitting up because of my hip and my piriformis syndrome. But the long nap I had Friday and a decent amount of sleep Friday night has me back to feeling somewhat normal. 

During my struggle to nap yesterday I watched some interesting stuff on tv. I watched a Gregory Peck documentary on Netflix. It was filmed in 1999 (he died in 2003). It's called "A Conversation With Gregory Peck". I really enjoyed it. He had such an easy way about him. It was great to watch. It just happened that there was a movie on TCM later yesterday (after my nap) called Designing Women. Not the tv show... the movie from... 1957 with Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall. It was your typical romance from that era... complete with comedic complications to make the plot more interesting... It was really goofy in parts but mostly, just a very enjoyable escape back in time. 

I just saw Cosette on Thursday and I miss her already. Since she didn't feel well when she was with us and since there were people around that she didn't know as well (my aunt and uncle) she was very cuddly. She did get down and play while we were on the covered porch. When we went into the living room she was a bit more cautious. I also consider that partly because she was a bit sleepy. But I don't mind a cuddly baby. It won't be long before she doesn't want to be held and cuddled. I'll take as much as I can get. She even kissed me goodbye when her mom came to get her. Just so precious! I can never get enough of my sweet babies - Cosy and Oliver. I think they're just the most amazing creatures ever created. I'm fascinated with them - obsessed even! I want more time with them... especially Oliver since I only see him once a month or so. It's become nearly impossible for me to get away for any length of time since I'm needed around here right now... picking Austin up from work when Pop can't, helping Austin with Cosy on Thursday, watching Oscar when my mom has doctor appointments.

My mom has not gone back to the doctor yet so I haven't had anything new to share. She feels ok, I think. She's got less energy and she can't keep her blood sugar regulated. I think having more information about what's going on will help. She goes back to the doctor this upcoming week.

I have a looooong time blog friend who lives in New Jersey. We've never met but I've "known" her for nearly a dozen years. She and her friend run a charity where they collect clothing and food for those in need. It's not unusual for her to be in Camden handing out peanut butter sandwiches or meeting a family whose house has burned down... just wherever there is a need, they meet it. Those ladies loaded up a truck of stuff to distribute to folks in need in Louisiana. It's such a simple concept... help people who need help, whether they're down the street or halfway across the country. I'm inspired by her and so proud of her willingness to go... wherever... and do... whatever. She's been posting pictures of them dropping off things at different places - churches, schools, homes - in Louisiana and every picture melts my heart. SO... huge hugs and prayers for traveling safety for Jeanne and her friends! Dio vi benedica tutti! (God bless you all!)

The photos in this blog post are from earlier in the week. I love my Facetime with Oliver! There are some days when the timing doesn't work out for us to Facetime but when we can, it's always fun - and funny. Oliver has so much personality. He isn't afraid of ANYTHING. He climbs on EVERYTHING. One day last week he pushed a toy to the front door, climbed up on it and tried to open the door and go out. His poor mama is exhausted all the time. Not only is he busy busy busy all day, he doesn't sleep well at night. He's a handful... but oh my word, isn't he the cutest little guy ever? 

I told you... I'm obsessed with these babies. I feel like they're the reward for every struggle I have ever faced in this life. Like all the time that God was telling me to "be still" was His way of letting me know that love would come to me... in a better form than I could ever imagine. Every smile I get from one of these babies... every cuddle... just melts my heart. I  treasure them so much. I'm glad I stuck around long enough to know them. 

Now I'm watching football and trying to get an extra Italian lesson or two under my belt today because I feel like I've been so out of sorts for the past few days. I'm not feeling well, just really drained to the point that every movement takes way more effort than it should. Every joint hurts. Every time I shift in my seat I find new parts that hurt. It's frustrating but... still... I feel so blessed that when I hurt I can just sit here in my nest and get as much rest as I need. I have a comfy place to be and a beautiful view and great company (in the cats) (and my parents) and I feel like I have no room to complain. 

I'll leave you with a few more Facetime with Oliver photos... hope you enjoy! He's concentrating on trying to take my glasses off - through the screen. He doesn't quite get that he can't reach me inside the phone. He even kisses the screen when it's time for me to go! Anways... Have a great weekend! Amore e abbracci! Love and hugs!