You called him WHAT??

I woke up early this morning so I could read uninterrupted. Well about an hour later, Eli woke up, and laid down next to me. I said "Morning Baby" He told me not to call him baby anymore, so I asked him what I can call him other than Eli. He said I can call him Pookey. So I said ok, and called him that. I told him that when my nephew JJ was little I used to call him Boo Boo, Elijah looked at me and said "EWWW You called him POOOOP!" He laughed for about 10 mins straight! I about died laughing on that too!

Why didnt I think of that?!

Why didnt I think of that?! Thats the question I ask myself after having most conversations with Elijah! He wanted to go in the pool, so I told him it was too cold, and of course he had a solution!

Eli: Mommy, I want to go swimming!
Mom: Lijah, its too cold.
Eli: I will wear my rain coat then!

Gee, why hadnt using a raincoat occur to me!?! Its so funny the thought processes of kids! He has a solution to everything! I wish life was as simple as he thinks it is, but for now he can enjoy it and not have to worry! Oh to be three again!

What do I hear at this very moment? Two little boys playing in my closet, saying "Gobble Gobble Gobble" and laughing their little butts off! I love it!!

Let me share another funny Eli talk.....We were talking about something, and he said something about Pate. He calls him "Pator Gator", so I explained to him that his name was Peyton Alexander, so he said thats what I said "Peyton Alligator!" I strucke me sooo funny!

Reading.....

It was 11:00pm, but none the less I had a chance to sit down with a book, so I did it. I am currently reading The Namesake and Memory Keepers Daughter . I started both of them this year, and put them both down to read other books. I really want to finish both of them by the end of the year! I am sure I can squeeze in two books in this month, I have done a whole lot more than that! I stopped reading WICKED a few days ago, I was a few chapters in, and just couldn't get into it, so my mom is reading it now.

Can I read now?

I wish I could say that I am enjoying the winter nights, and am snuggling up with a good book and a hot cup of something, but I cant. Its 9:07 pm and what do my wondering ears do I hear? Two little boys wrestling, running and just being loud in general. I had planned to sit down and watch "A Very Larry Christmas" or whatever it is called, and then go to bed. Is that likely to happen? Naw! They have until I finish the end of this blog to do whatever goofy, silly, bonding things that little boys do!

Peyton taught me a ....(see this, I had to stop in the middle of a sentence to stop "lets pillow fight and see who can get hurt first" It was a tie actually, Pate fell off the bed and Elijah got a cut on his nose) valuable lesson today. Pate decided to climb into a box, and play in there for a little while. When he was getting outta the box, I thought that logically someone would step outta the box, after all, that IS how he got into the box. I watched him get out of the box, which was by placing his hands on the floor and lean forward, and step out. A downward dog moving if you will. It made me realize that no matter how much we want our children to do as we want, we have to allow them to do things their own way, let them find things out for themselves. Dont get me wrong, I have always let the boys figure things out for themselves first, within limit. This was a eye opener in the sence that I havent had a toddler in a while, and Pate brings me back to all the little things that Elijah used to do that I have taken for granted. All the excitement and wonder in the boys eyes every day is something that I want to remember and cherish forever.

Here it is now 9:27, and I am sitting here listening to the snoring sound of a three year old, I wouldn't pass it up for the world. I wouldn't pass up any of it, the fighting, struggling, loving, the questions. I am blessed to have two little kids who are just that....kids being kids!

Is it likely that I will get any reading done any time soon? Nope! Nothing more than Elijah and Peyton's books, and thats fine by me!

Mommy, your singing it WRONG

I feel like an idiot since I was singing it all wrong, but Elijah had to correct me. I thought he was wrong, so we got into an argument about it. Guess who was right, yeah it was Eli!

Up on the rooftop reindeer pause
Out jumps good old Santa Clause
Down thru the chimney with lots of toys
All for the little ones
Christmas joys

Chorus
Ho, ho, ho!
Who wouldn’t go!
Ho, ho, ho!
Who wouldn’t go!
Up on the rooftop
Click, click, click
Down thru the chimney with
Good Saint Nick

Humble Kid :D

Eli was doing his normal "I wanna sleep in mommys bed" thing, so I laid down next to him and we started talking.

Mom: Eli, what do you want for Christmas?
Eli: Chocolate
Me: Ok, what else?
Eli: I realllly want a truck.
Me: What kind?
Eli: Just a big one you can push around.
Me: Hmmmmm, I think Santa can bring you that.
Eli: Ok
Me: Eli, what do you think Pate might want
Eli: Oh, he wants chocolate too.
Me: Is that all he wants?
Eli: No, I think he would like a bus to push around too.
Me: Elijah, yall already have TWO buses that yall push around.
Eli: Well I think that he would like a truck too then.
Me: Two trucks for two little boys, is there ANYTHING else you want for Christmas?
Eli: Naw, just a truck and some chocolate.

Then he told me good night, and that he loved me *infinity*, and then rolled over and fell asleep. I just layed next to him, and cherished the convo we had, rubbed his little back, played with his hair, gave him a kiss, and told him I loved him too.

I love the hell outta that little boy! He drives me totally batty, but hes a good kid :D

Jumping and Family Day

Peyton decided, outta the clear blue sky, that he wanted to start jumping! No, not jumping off of things like the couch and step stools, hes by far mastered those feats! He wanted to propel his little feet off of the ground in an attempt to jump! This video was taken a few minutes after his first attempts, so its still filled with fresh "learning how to jump" moments! That was yesterdays masteries!

Today was "Family Day" at Elijah's school, wow was that interesting for 1 year old. He was surrounded by all these touchy feely 3 year olds! It was so cute! All of the little kids (mostly Elijah's classmates) referred to Pate as "Elijah's baby!!" I dont know who was more excited, Pate in that he was being surrounded by kids, or Elijah knowing he can show off his lil brother! Those kids pinched Pates fat cheeks, poked his belly, held his hand, gave him leaves, tried to teach him to snap his fingers, rubbed his head, and lastly attempted to pick him up. And the highlight of all this was learning that Peyton decided not to eat lunch (rice, chicken and green beans, things that he loves) because he found something a little more interesting: Peaches! That child ate his peaches, my peaches and Davids peaches!! After a lovely game of BINGO, we headed home, it was 1pm at that time, and Pate was KNOCKED out! (I won 2 rounds of BINGO btw!)

Hes been scratched

I have been meaning to get in here and update, but everything has been so crazy lately. Lets rewind to last Thursday........Elijah gets on his bus, and is on his merry ole way to school. About 20 minutes later, I get a phone call from his bus driver, so many thoughts race through my head. She called to tell me that Elijah was scratched, not just scratched, but had his face scratched to where he had to be checked out by a doctor. We picked him up from school, and took him to the doctor. Of course what scares me is "Could he get some infection from this?" "Is my baby going to have a scar?" The attacker was a little boy who rode the bus, and this was his SECOND time scratching my baby. He as picked up from school, and reprimanded.

This is the most recent scratch:




This blurry pic is the first scratch. It always seems when I HAVE to take a pic, my batteries are dying in my camera. But you get the point.

Pates new trick

See, three days in a row! Go me!! LOL :D

I just have to share Pates new thing. He discovered the Little Einsteins, and loves to do the "Pat Pat Pat Pat, put your arms high in the air and yell blast off" part. Its so cute! I am going to try and get a video of him doing it.

My main goal today is to get rid of some of the toys in the boys room. I am going to see what my lil sister can use for her kids, and then give the rest to Goodwill. Pate is going to help me!

Not awake yet

Its 7:30 AM, and normally I am not up this early on a Sunday morning. But today is a special day, a very special day. Whats so special you might be asking yourself, well let me cut to the chase....Its the day that Daylight Saving Time ends! So what does that mean? It means that I totally forgot about it, and went to go watch my homeboy Joel Olsteen at 8:30, only to be confused by the tv not letting me watch him. Christie Brinkley's Beauty products is on where my Joel should be. After a few seconds of confusing wondering whats wrong with my TV, I realized its not my tv, but my President! He changed the DST, without sending me a personal memo! LOL!!

Bad ass updates :D

I am going to try and post a lil more! Even if I have to put a post it on my darn screen, or email myself a reminder to post in here more often! Lets start with Peyton, my little monster. Hes not really a talker, he more of a doer. He would rather do things than sit down and concentrate on minute things like reading or looking at pictures! Building thing with blocks or playing cars is more his speed. Hes soooo into Shrek its not even funny. And since he doesn't really talk, when he sees anything Shrek related, he screams and grunts. Its cute and loud all at the same time. Some times its loud like someone is cutting his lil fingers off with a dull rusted butter knife. He has Shrek toys, and loves every inch of them. His fave Shrek toy is one he stole off of my brother. I think its like a McDonald's toy or something, you press a button on Shrek's belly and he burps and says weird things.
Peyton has developed a few new habits lately, all cute and annoying in their own little ways. First is his obsession with the telephone. He insists at least once a night on repeatedly hitting the speaker phone button on the base of the telephone charger. And does he do it when we are close to it? Naw, he waits till we leave the room or are on the other end of the room to let the speaker go off. And he doesn't bother to turn if off, he just listens to the dial tone. Another thing about the phone is that hes started to babble into it, in his own lil Pate language. We bought him a lil play cell phone, but you know who has taken it upon himself to lose it! (His name rhymes with Relijah)
A while back, Pate discovered how to RUN! Its the absolute cutest thing to see a toddler run. He is a fast little devil, I will tell ya that. Its is so cute and so funny to see such a small shadow outta the corner of your eye. Sometimes he runs with his arms out toward his back, we call him Sonic when he does that.
Another thing that Pate has discovered is collecting and rearranging! He likes to take piles of things and either hand them one by one to you, or take them one by one and relocate them to a whole nother place! For example, the pots and pans might end up under Davids desk in his office/den. Or a whole basket of clothes might end up on your lap. So in all honesty, this has really helped him become a better cleaner. For a long time now, hes been super great about picking up his toys, now hes more organized about it. Granted hes a lot slower about picking up ALL of his toys, but hey he likes to do one at a time!!






Now on to the lovely child who is three years old :) Hes about as moody as a pregnant teenager. One minute the child is happy as a clam, the next minute his horns are sticking straight out flaming red. I want to strangle him sometimes, UGH! And I can say that without feeling bad or wondering what other people think, b/c all parents at one point want to shake the shit outta their kids, whether they admit it or not. A few minutes ago, I pretended not to know him, so I grilled him about things that we have been talking about lately, that he didnt appear to retain.
Me: Hey little boy, whats your name?
Eli: Elijah
Me: How do you spell that?
Eli: E-L-I-J-J-H
Me: How old are you Elijah?
Eli: Three, thats one two THREE!
Me: Well whens your birthday?
Eli: May 16 2004
Me: Whats your Daddys name, little boy?
Eli: David Boyd
Me: Whats your mommys name?
Eli: Bocrina Boyd
Me: Where do you live little boy?
Eli: In the galaxy on Earths.
Then I proceeded to give him his correct address, which he repeated back. I asked him again where he lived, and insisted he lived in a galaxy on Earth. Thats totally my fault! He has this Space Encyclopedia which we read and look at and talk about all the time.
Eli is getting so smart and knows too much! I love him so much, and am SOOOO proud of his little butt! Hes really quiet at school, and retains everything thing they say and do. His teacher said hes slowly coming around and talking. I hope that it gets easier for him as far as him opening up. Hes such an animal at home, non stop go and nonstop talker. He asks sooooo many questions, and I try to answer them to the best of my ability as honestly as I can for a 3 year old to understand. And if I don't know the answer, we are quick to look it up in a book or online. Hes so curious, I love it.
Now on to the devil side of my temperamental three year old. Like any kid, he is so hard headed and set in his ways! Putting on his shoes before school is a fight, they have to be tied a certain way. Of course I didn't know what that certain was was until today when my husband so nicely enlightened me. Had I known this, I wouldn't have to wake him up EVERY morning just to tie Elijah's shoes. But up until today, its been a fight tying his shoes. When he come home from school, the socks and shoes come off instantly. And occasionally he will strip down all the way to his underwear.
Elijah is so anal about certain things, but I guess arent we all.
Heres a picture of him, that I took earlier today, gotta love the expression, LOL!

Halloween

Tonight was Elijah and Peyton's first time Trick or Treating, and they LOVED it. I didn't get around to taking any pics, it was a hectic evening....cook and eat dinner, t-or-ting, bath, bed, and I got off to a late start. Eli was just a dragon, in his normal street clothes, no came or anything. Peyton was a giraffe, and the most adorable one at that. I might just have to dress him up just to take his pic b/c hes so cute in it. Anyway, I know this might sound incredibly stupid, but I took them one at a time. It was really fun that way b/c I got to experience them enjoying it rather than fight with them to walk faster, or not to push each other. Elijah went first, and had a BALL! He got scared at the man who lives right across from us b/c he was wearing scary mask. But after he loaded Eli up with candy, he all of a sudden appeared to be a "good guy" in Elijah's book. Eli got totally loaded up with candy, mostly chocolate.
Then I took Pate out, he wasn't in the mood for walking, so I carried his 26lb booty around for about 2 blocks. Peyton didn't want to hold his bucket, smile, talk, grunt or show any other emotion other than totally pissed off. It was dark, there were people in masks and costumes answering doors as I shouted out with too much entusiasm "Trick or Treat" so Pate thought this was all so odd. Fast forward to going back home....He had a piece of chocolate, and licked a lolipop for about 30 seconds before the sham of a holiday was over for him. He didnt care about doing any of the Halloween things, maybe next year :)

Months of the Year

Elijah knows his months of the year! He was singing a song at dinner and thats what it was! I am so proud of that lil man, hes learning so much. I thought that one and 2 year olds were little sponges, they are nothing compared to these little 3 year olds.

halloween party

We went to a Halloween party tonight. It went well for a little while. When we arrived Pate was asleep, and he was dressed normally. When he woke up, he had a dr's costume on, and people were roaming around in make-up and costumes, so he FREAKED out! Eli was some kinda something. He wanted to be a prince on a dragon, but ditched the prince outfit, and ended up in a cape and dragon costume. Pate was a dr, and I was the person he killed! It was my brothers birthday as well, it was a lot of fun. I am not sure if we will go trick or treating or not, the boys never have been. Elijah was soooo well behaved, I was so proud of him. There were cats there, so his eyeball started swelling. I feel so bad for him when that happens. We had to high tail it outta there, he was sneezing, coughing, achy, and miserable. He told us on the way home "I just wanna lay in my own bed and sleep". Around 5pm or so, he went to sleep, hopefully he will be able get some rest and sleep the night away.

Is this me?!

Is this me?!
Current mood: accomplished

Name: Macrina
January 26 1982
11:42 AM Time Zone is EST
Scranton, PA

Rising Sign is in 19 Degrees Taurus
Calm and deliberate, you hate to move quickly or act hastily. Very practical, every effort must count or you can't be bothered. Patient, persistent and steady, but very stubborn -- you can't be pushed or pressured into anything. You seem outwardly self-assured because you tend to repress your inner tension and turmoil. You exude an earthy warmth, friendliness and charm. You demand comfortable surroundings and appreciate the good life. Be careful of a tendency to be overly self-indulgent. At times, you are lazy and difficult to motivate. Overcoming inertia is a problem for you and, because you are not by nature a self-starter, it is often necessary for you to receive stimuli from others in order to get moving.

Sun is in 06 Degrees Aquarius.
You get bored with the status quo and are generally open to new things and ideas. An individualist and a free spirit, your friends are quite important to you as long as they do not try to tie you down by making too many emotional demands on you. Your thoughts are offbeat and you're a bit eccentric, but not always very changeable. As a matter of fact, you can be quite stubborn at times. Very fair-minded when dealing with large groups or broad issues, you are not always emotionally sensitive to the needs of individuals. Extremely objective, with good powers of observation, you would be qualified to study technical and complicated subjects, like science, computers or maybe even astrology.

Moon is in 23 Degrees Aquarius.
Very freedom-oriented, you must always be able to do what you wish, no matter what. You become stubborn and recalcitrant when others try to force you into a mold. You are a true democrat -- you are not a follower, but you enjoy being with those who are like-minded. You appreciate emotional self-control -- you practice it yourself and you look for it in others. You solve problems, including emotional ones, with your brains and intellect, not your feelings. Try to be tolerant of those who have powerful and obvious emotional responses -- not everyone is as objective, cool, dispassionate and detached as you are.

Mercury is in 17 Degrees Aquarius.
You tend to be very opinionated -- you have strongly felt notions about things and are quite vocal about expressing and defending them. Yet you are also an original thinker -- you enjoy shocking others with your offbeat, original thoughts. You appreciate and need mental and intellectual stimulation. Your judgment is usually fair and impartial -- you can be a good critic because you can remain objective and unemotional about most things.

Venus is in 27 Degrees Capricorn.
You tend to keep your feelings under control -- emotions are only released in serious or important situations. You are distrustful of others whose behavior could be judged excessive or immoderate. As such, you prefer to relate only to those who are older than you or to those whose position is such that respect and duty are more important for both of you than passion or emotional response. Be careful, however, of relationships that are merely based on practicality or utility or you will ultimately be lonely.

Mars is in 15 Degrees Libra.
You are very aware of the need to cooperate with others in order to further any effort. You are usually willing to compromise with others, although you can be quite competitive in a friendly way. Very fair- minded and impartial, you have the ability to sense injustice and the desire to take corrective actions to make proper compensations. You see both sides of issues and questions, but you tend to be undecided or wavering when forced to make choices that might make you vulnerable or unpopular.

Jupiter is in 09 Degrees Scorpio.
You love to dig deep beneath surface appearances in order to find out what is really happening. A persistent researcher, you are very interested in the psychology of any situation. You tend to become overwhelmed by the complexity of what you uncover, however, and that makes you a bit gun-shy about explaining things to others. But you must learn to try to communicate as best you can because what you know is really very valuable to others.

Saturn is in 22 Degrees Libra.
Although you take quite a while to make decisions, you usually consider all sides to a question, all the pros and cons, and the solution you come up with is very often the correct one. You tend to be very reserved and shy, but, once you make a commitment to someone (in either a business or personal relationship), the partnership is forever. You have a strong sense of justice and fair play and greatly respect the laws and institutions by which you are governed. As such, you are outraged when others break laws or show contempt for authority.

Uranus is in 03 Degrees Sagittarius.
You, and most of your peers, have the tendency to think that all ideas, customs and traditions from the past are outmoded and irrelevant. You are attracted to radically new ideas, philosophies and religions that will, hopefully, cause sweeping changes throughout the world.

Neptune is in 26 Degrees Sagittarius.
You, and your entire generation, are heavily involved in investigating and idealizing foreign and exotic intellectual systems and religious philosophies. The most extreme ideals will be pursued with gusto. You will be at the forefront of humanitarian attempts to improve the lot of those who are in need of assistance. You will be comfortable with the concept of the "global village."

Pluto is in 26 Degrees Libra.
For your entire generation, this is a time of radical changes in society's attitude toward marriage and interpersonal relationships. There is a general fear and awe at the power inherent in making emotional or contractual commitments -- they will not be entered into lightly.

N. Node is in 22 Degrees Cancer.
You genuinely enjoy meeting other people, but you're at your best if you can do so from the comfort of your own home. You prefer others to come to you and tend to feel uncomfortable about leaving your home or neighborhood for any extended period of time. Those who do come in contact with you are struck by your caring and obliging nature -- you really make them feel at home. You form the closest ties, however, with members of your immediate family, especially your parents and children. You're at your best attending or organizing family reunions!

my small part

October 23, 2007 - Tuesday


Doing my small part

David and I were at the gas station last week, and saw a man holding a baby in his lap. The child was no older than 8 or 9 months. There was no carseat in the vehicle. This enraged me, so I did my small part to emphasis the need for carseats. I wrote my local newspaper.


Children's seat belts not optional

"To buckle or not to buckle?" should not be the question. As an adult, deciding not to buckle your seatbelt is your choice. Choosing not to buckle your child is a decision that puts your child at risk. What's even worse, is not having your baby in a car seat.

Wake up, Albany, and stop putting your children in danger! Leaving your baby or toddler to roam freely in the back seat or holding your baby on your lap in a moving vehicle is against the law. If you can afford to drive the car that you are in, then you can afford to buy your baby a car seat. Don't blame the local hospital for not providing you with a car seat, it's your responsibility, not theirs.

There are several organizations and thrift shops that can help you locate a car seat inexpensively or even free of charge. Most fire departments will help to ensure that your car seat is correctly installed.

Your child's life is in your hands. It's up to you to make sure that you help keep them safe in a car seat. "I am only going a couple of blocks" is not an excuse for neglecting your child's safety in your vehicle. It is a crime.
MACRINA BOYD
Albany

Oh

Oh the mind of a three year old!

Me: Elijah what do you want to be for Halloween?
Eli: Prince Charming
Me: Ok Cool, do you remember what to say when you go to peoples doors?
Eli: Yes (thinking)...."give me candy"
Me: No baby its Trick or Treat
Eli: Trick or Treat, can I have candy?
Me: Elijah you say trick or treat and then say thanks or Happy Halloween!
Eli: Happy Habble Lean!
Me: Happy Habble Lean to you too Eli!
Eli then proceeds to get up and jump on my bed while singing "Happy Habble Lean!"



Eli: Mom, when is someones birthday?
Me: Huh babe?
Eli: I want to buy a present.
Me: Ok, Uncle Damion's birthday is next month.
Eli: What is next month?
Me: October
Eli: 2007?
Me: Yeah, 2007 till the end of the year.
Eli: When is that?
Me: December 31, after Christmas.
Eli: So we can buy presents for people.
Me: For Christmas, you can go shopping with me, and pick out some nice toys for your cousins.
Eli: You want a present too mommy?
Me: No babe, I have you and Pate, thats all I need.
Eli: I buy you something thats for girls.
Me: You are a sweety!
Eli: No, I am Elijah Boyd!


Elijah has discovered that SPACE is cool. He now likes astronauts and space suits, and galaxies. Its so cute, hes really into it, asking as many questions as he can. He thinks we live on "The Earths."

And according to him astronauts go to space to fight monsters in the galaxies and big planets. Space suits are worn b/c the astronauts will freeze to deff (death) and if they take off their suits, they will break like glass!

Oh the mind of a three year old!

Elijah land ahoy....

I suck at keeping this thing up to date, but I will try my best to do so from here on out. Let me go ahead and tell of some of the adventures going on in Elijah land....

Elijah started school on August 1st, and he is loving it. He went in for an evaluation, to see where he stood as far as development, a few days before school started. He was rather apprehensive about it, as was I. But once we walked in, and talked to some of the teachers, it was so calming and Elijah was able to relax, and do what was asked of him. He had to name some colors and shapes, and jump and throw a ball, and talk to some people. It was all so fun for him, he didn't know he was being asked to play for a reason! Well, that went well and we went on our merry ole way. A few days after that we went to open house, and met his teacher, and got a feel of the class and how it operated. We got to meet some of the parents and kids that are in Elijahs classroom. Lucky for him, he knew one little boy, and that made everything easier as well. His name is Phillip, Elijah knows him from the daycare they went to together. Two days after open house, school started.
On his first day of school,he was still not really wanting to go! David, Pate and I took Elijah into his class and dropped him off. That was rather traumatic, he cried! He didn't want us to leave him, he made a small crying scene, but it was no different from the other crying children. I was sure that once we left, he was going to be fine, as thats how he normally is. Well, I was right! When I picked him up in the afternoon, he was so excited to see me, and that I did in fact come to pick him back up! The mean evil mom didn't leave him at school, despite him thinking I was mean enough to do so! His teacher reassured me that he was fine after we left, and did well at school. And its pretty much been the same since that day.... hes happy as a clam!
So happy in fact that he sometimes wakes ME up in the morning, so I can get him ready and out the door. Why so happy and ready to get up for the day? A long yellow vehicle would be the answer.
He rides the bus, which is truly his favorite part of school. He is super excited to get to school, something I thought wouldn't ever happen, all summer long he cried with even the mention of going to school. Now all of that seems like a distant memory.
Hes doing well in school. His teacher informed me that he doesnt talk at school, not even a peep. I was so shocked, that was news to me. He talks non stop at home, and Lord knows the kids sings non stop too. If hes not singing, hes talking up a storm. Regardless of all of that, school is doing well for him, hes starting to try new foods, and is actually eating more. I am guessing thats due to seeing all of the other kids eating. Hes always been a picky little eater, I don't expect that to change overnight.
His fave songs:
This old Man
Old McDonald
If Your Ready to go Outside Clap Your Hands
I have my Senses
Give Yourself a Hand
Hes learning the days of the week, and all about the weather. So he tells me everyday the date and weather conditions! “Mommy today is September 13, 2007, and its rainy all day long!” Its the cutest thing! I am so proud of him, and I make sure to let him know this.

Pate

We did the cake thing this morning b/c I have no idea what the day holds for us, and didnt want to do it close to bed time. It was a small white cake with confetti dot candy things. Hes having a Blues Clues party on Sunday.

Peyton is ONE!!

This is the birth story I wrote last year after Peyton arrived!



I woke up Sunday June 11, 2006 with a sudden urge to clean. Nesting has kicked in quiet a few times over the last week or so of pregnancy, but this one definitely felt different! So I cleaned everything that was left to clean. For the most part I played it cool the rest of the morning. Well at about 2pm, I had this overpowering urge to go grocery shopping. I told David that we had to go NOW! Well an hour later we leave the house, and David runs a few errands while Elijah and I stayed in the car. It was after all 100 degrees outside, and the hottest day of the year so far! All day I had been having contractions, small minor things that I have been having off and on for a few weeks. At about 4:15 we arrive at Wal-mart, I grabbed a cart and headed on in, while David went next door to a video game store! The moment I step foot in Wal-Mart, something tells me to go home and sit down. I just felt like I was going to die, I kid you not!! Well, I waddled to the restroom thinking that if I pee, it will make everything feel better. So I grab my 26lb toddler and rush into the bathroom, all while he is protesting. Anyway, peeing didnt seem to make it better, but I figured that I might as well just get the groceries and do what I need to do while I was there. For the first time in months, I actually bypassed the baby section!! Sheer madness, I know!!
My contractions were 5 mins apart at that point!! When David found me, I was totally stocked up on meat, so we needed to get the rest of the groceries. He kept asking me if I was ok, and if I wanted to just leave. I am rather stubborn, so I said "no, we are here, lets just get the groceries and go!" Anyway, the 5 min apart thing. I looked like an idiot every few mins when I would stop dead in my tracks, close my eyes, clinch my fist and say "OH SHIT!" and stand there for a min, and just walk away like everything was all fine and dandy!!
We got home around 5:45 and I was just wore the hell out!! I thought that the kid was going to fall out of me, the pressure was killing me, I was baring through the contractions. I wasnt convinced I was in labor!! So I sat down on the couch and ate a Hot Pocket, jalapeno steak flavored, may I add!! By 6:00 I was having contractions 3 mins apart, so what did I do?? I went outside and blew bubbles with Elijah for about 30 mins. 6:30 I could barely move, the contractions were so strong. However my fear of giving birth was stronger, so I didnt budge from the house!! Somewhere between 6:00 and 6:30 David called the dr and he told me to come in. During this time, I INSISTED that I take a shower before I went to the hospital. (This is because earlier that morning, Elijah and I were drawing, and he colored on my legs!) So showing up at the hospital covered in blue marker, was not an option!!
All during this time, I couldnt get in touch with anyone at all. All the people that had been harassing me with "call me the minute you go to the hospital" were no where to be found. The only person that I was able to get in touch with was Sabrina, and shes in freaking NY!! This was about 7:00ish, and I told her that we were leaving to go to the hospital ASAP. I am a total procrastinator, so we ended up leaving the house at like 7:45pm, and got to the hospital at 8:00. Of course we were out of gas, so we had to stop for that first. Luckily we live around the corner from a gas station, and hospital isnt all that far either!
We found a parking space and walked into the L&D waiting room, and did our paperwork. And of course David knows every damn person in southwest Georgia, including the receptionist lady! Thank God, b/c she got us in there really quickly. Now this is where it all goes down hill LOL!!
I was sent to an early labor room, and told that a nurse would be in there in a few mins. Well a few mins turns into twenty mins. And then she had the balls to say "do you think your in labor?" when she was hooking me up, and seeing that I was contracting like crazy. She was just totally absent minded! After hooking me up to the monitors and leaving me in the room, she comes back and told me that she couldnt find my paperwork. Well it turns out that she was looking for paperwork under my maiden name for some reason!! At 8:45 she comes in and tells me that she found my paperwork, and that I need to be checked for dilation. So Miss Boney Fingers checked me and I was 3cm @ 8:45pm. At that point my mother arrived at the hospital, and called my sil to come and pick up Elijah. Eli had been in and out of the room and waiting room with David. Nine, Eli leaves, which of course makes me glad to know that hes somewhere rather than a hospital. David on the other hand was not all that happy b/c sil has dogs at her house, and David hates dogs.
9:15, I get checked again, and I was 4cm, with contractions every 2 mins. Miss Boney Fingers told me that I would be going to a labor and delivery room b/c I was indeed delivering tonight! Well thanks, as if I didnt know this!! So, she ordered an epi, and told me that the anasisologist will be with me in about 30-45 mins later.
At 10pm, I walked to the L&D room b/c the nurse couldnt find a wheelchair. She sounds lovely, doesnt she!? At 10:10, I got a lovely IV in my right hand, that I am still feeling a phantom pain from!! After the IV, I got a brand new nurse! I thought to myself, that I was finally saved from the hell nurse! Oh, how I would have loved Miss Boney Fingers after all that!! The new nurse kept telling me that the anastesologist is on his way. On his way? He finally made it to me at 11:45pm and 15 excruciating minutes later that was all over. He was rather mean and rude as well. I was having contractions while he was doing what he does, and he kept telling me to sit still. As much as I tried to sit still, it was impossible for me to not flinch!! He at one point said to me "I didnt do this to you, I am not the reason that you are getting this epidural, so sit still!" Which just made me feel even more helpless. Oh, and I was contracting in my back since about 6pm, just in case I didnt mention that earlier. I had back labor with Eli, so I wasnt all that unprepared for the back pain.
At 12:15 am, I was checked and went to 5cm. At that point the epi was doing great!! I was feeling a little bit of pressure in my left leg mostly, but it didnt outweigh the contraction pain that I was having, so I dealt with it.
At 1:30 am, I was checked again and was 8cm. I was physically and mentally ready to have this child!! But there were a few problems that needed to be dealt with first. For one, the epi that I received an hour and a half or so ago, was well beyond gone! I was having major pain in my legs, butt and back, but the legs were the worst of them all, namely my left leg. I repeatedly told the nurses that I was having a lot of pain in my leg, and I needed some pain meds, or a new epi. Well they didnt listen to me and kept telling me "Its just the babies head thats making you feel all the pressure. His head is probably close to a nerve!" Gee, ya think!! I complained and complained about this pain over and over, and no one would listen to me. The nurses kept telling me that the DR. would be in soon to deliver, and since my last delivery was so quick with pushing (Eli was 14 mins pushing) that if it was quick this time, the DR would come in as I was absolutely ready to push. Well of course I was ready to push the baby out, I knew that the pushing would be over soon, but the pain and pressure that I was feeling in my leg wasnt going anywhere any time soon.
(Before I continue, let me explain one little detail to ya......... There were 15 babies being born all in the same time frame (all boys btw), and guess how many doctors there were to deliver? ONE!!! My doctor, as well as everyone elses doctors were out that weekend!! How did I luck into that one, is beyond me! So the one doctor that was delivering was a Chinese man who I could barely understand. He had an assistant who truly was a Godsend!!)
Back to the story.... I reckon that the nurses were tired of hearing me complain, so they left me alone for like an hour and a half. At 3:02 I was laying in bed and I heard and felt a popping sound, and whoosh my water had broken.
3:10 the nurse came in to check me again, but it was useless since when she spread my legs, she said "WOW, I can see his hair!" 3:15 The Dr came in, and we started pushing
3:22 Three pushes later Peyton (who was still unnamed at that point) was officially born!! And the Dr left to go do some more deliveries, and left me in the hands of his assistant.
(Theres not to much more "times" so I wont bore you with the chronologicals of everything else!!)
The Godsend assistant told me that I had tore, and that I he was going to stitch me up. Well while he was stitching me, I told him to just stop. He looked me dead in the eyes and said "You can feel this?" I told him that I was feeling every last stitch being put into my body. Then he asked me if I felt pain when I was pushing, and I told him that I did. So he ordered some pain meds, and something to numb me up. Well, that came about 15 mins later only because he was being persistent about it getting there. Everything seemed to have been moving in sllllooooow motion that night! After the pain meds came, and the numbing stuff came, David and my mama left and went home. I was rather glad that they were gone! It had been a long night, and I can only handle my mother in small doses as it is! At 4:30 I finally got something to drink, and took some more pain meds. Oh, and as the nurses were cleaning up, and Pate was being weighed and measured, the nurses got a lovely yelling at by Mr. Godsend. And although the nurses getting yelled at was nothing in comparison to the hell that I was put through, I couldnt help by be joyed by it!! And of course the nurses were pissed off about being yelled at in front of other people, but I didnt care.
At 5am, I was taken to the maternity floor, and dropped Pate off at the nursery. I got all set up in my room, and was laying down by 5:30am. The kicker is what I predicted.... at 7am, the nurse wheels in the baby!! Mind you that this was after only an hour and a half of sleep, after giving birth. Luckily Pate slept, and I got a nap. I dont really remember all that much of Monday b/c I think I slept it all away! One of the few things that I remember was Elijah and David coming to the hospital, and how Eli was elated to finally see/hold his little brother!!
In retrospect, the labor and delivery happened rather quickly. I was glad that nothing terrible happened, and that I had a beautiful and healthy baby!
Now recovery: Here I am 2 weeks postpartum, still with stitches, still sore, still recovering!!! I am having trouble with pressure and pain in my pelvis and throughout my left leg. I am on pain meds for that, and they seem to be doing a bit of good, but not where they knock the pain out completely :( Other than that and fatigue, I am doing well. Emotionally, I can say that I am unstable. Its not that I am unhappy, its just everything is so overwhelming at this point. I am home all day with five kids, one of which is a toddler who a total daddy's boy!! The hardest part about it all is that I am still so tired, and I dont trust the steps enough to keep an eye on Elijah long enough for a 30 min nap, so I have to endure being tired all day. So of course between no sleep and hormones, I am an emotional train wreck!
Peyton, thank God, is an absolute joy! He sleeps great, only wakes up 2-3 times a night. At this point, its a pretty predictable time table hes on! (Knock on wood) He eats great as well. And he loves to ride, hes really good in the car!! Hes a great kid, I couldnt ask for a better baby!! Theres only one itty bitty problem......... the kid refuses to sleep on his own at night! I cant co-sleep, not at this point. I am still to sore, and sleeping is worse now than it ever was with my pregnancy. I am tossing and turning as it is, I cant do that with a little infant and a hubby and a two year old in the bed. So we are working on getting him to sleep outside of my bed. He will nap throughout the day in his bassinet, but not at night! UGH!! But I reckon if thats the worst of my problems, I am doing good!!
Eli and Pate are getting along ok. Eli is still in love with his little brother, he lets everyone know that he has a baby! Pate on the other hand isnt all that fond of Eli. Eli has gotten a bit on the loud side since Pate arrived, and I dont think that Pate is liking it to well. But this is just the first two weeks in, so we will see how this "loving" relationship pans out!!
Ok, this email has taken me all day to type, so I am going to end it now!! Here is a picture of Peyton. (Peyton's nicknames are Pate or Pator Gator, I have no idea how I came up with that one lol)
Thank you for reading this far!!

Climber

What happens when you add together:
1 curious baby
4 dining room chairs
+ 1 dining room table
_______________________
One VERY mischievous little Peyton!! Oh yeah people, he figure out how to climb things. Hes climbing the couch, dining room chairs, oh and my personal favorite, the entertainment center. Hes not even one yet, and hes into everything. I cant believe my little man is going to be one in 10 days. Its a very bittersweet kind of thing to think about.
Tonight I am going to go and see my sister and nephew, so I will be away from the boys for about a day or so. David is such a great dad, I am so lucky that I have him. I know to many dads that cant function without their wives. I am glad to know that I don't have one of those men.

My bad boys!

Elijah certainly defies logic sometimes. One minute, hes clueless then next minute, hes thinking on his feet like a strategist! He has been potty trained since November 2006, and toilet trained for a whole 23 days now! I am very proud of him for all the efforts he tries to make while being a big boy! He insist on using the toilet all by himself, door closed with a book in hand. (Not a far stretch from a man!) This morning, I am sitting at my computer desk typing an email when I hear this sound "Mommmmmmmy, come here, NOW" so I spring outta my seat like a lion who saw a zebra fall. And walk into his bathroom to see his little hand covered in green poop, and his underwear around his ankles. I thought to myself "What and how the hell did you do that?!" Just as I get him to wash his hands, Pate comes flying into the bathroom. B/c you know running water near Peyton is like a fly being drawn to the light, its happening whether you want it to or not! I remove The Pate from the bathroom, to return to poopy hand man, where I realize that the sink is filled with all of these soap bubbles, and Elijah's arms are slick and slippery! It took me a min to acess what happened before the "Mommmmmy, come here now!" Elijah pooped (Ok, so I havent figured out how the poop got on his hand, but thats not hard to figure out!) so he attempted to clean his hand with baby shampoo that I stupidly left on the bathroom sink counter last night, after giving the boys a bath. And in the process spilled it on himself, the counter and the floor!
I cleaned up Eli, and the shampoo and told Eli "When I was pregnant 3.5 years ago, I never would have thought of all the things I would have to do as mommy!" Wait, something else just happened as I was typing this! I gave Eli a bowl of cereal because "I so starving" and now Peyton is sitting on the floor eating it. Theres milk and cereal and a very happy Peyton! Oy Vey!!

Elijah is THREE!!!!!

Heres the birth story I typed up three years ago!

While standing in the kitchen, I felt a trickle
of
water going down my leg. I really didnt think to
much
of it, because I just left the bathroom and
thought
that it was just some pee. So as I walked into my
bedroom to change, I realized that the trickle of
water was still coming and my pants were soaked.
This
all happened at 11:00 on Saturday night. After
realizing that my water MAY have indeed broken, I
like
an idiot waited. For what?? Pain, contractions,
anything that would indicate labor in the near
future.
I wasnt convinced that my water had broken b/c
when I
sat down it stopped. (the baby's head was
blocking the
water from flowing out) So i got on the internet
surfed a bit, just kept myself busy. Nothing was
coming out for a little while so I thought that
ok,
maybe I peed a little on myself. After I got
bored on
the net, I went and layed next to David in the
bed and
thats when the dam broke and the water came a
flowin!
So after I woke him up and went to change again,
I
came back and he was half sleepily trying to get
dressed and find the phone number to the L/D
department of the hospital. Once he found it, I
called
and they said that I need to just keep a check on
the
contractions, and come in when they are really
close.
I told her that I wasnt having any contractions,
and
that my back was killing me. She told me that I
need
to get my butt to the hospital asap. (Asap b/c my
contractions needed to be started soon).
So I get to the hospital at 1:00 (b/c of all the
waiting around and surfin the net, 2 hours had
passed,
it only took 5 mins to get to the hospital.) They
find
me a bed and hook me up to the monitor, give me
an IV
of saline solution and tell me that once they get
an
empty bed in the labor/delivery rooms (I was in
the
"early labor" room) i will be the first on in the
l/d
room. Well I think that EVERYONE in Albany
Georgia
was giving birth or something b/c I didnt get
into the
l/d room till about 4:30. The bed was so damn
uncomfy
that I couldnt sleep in.
So anyway 4:30 I finally get to a comfy bed and
try to
sleep. Well the nurse came in to check and see
if I
was dialated any bit at 6:30. Of course I wasnt
so
guess what she decided to do??? Yep, induce! So
at
6:45 am I was put on pitocin. Contractions
started
immediatly, they were tolerabe at the beginning,
I
beared through them. So after about an hour of
bearable contractions and still no dialation,
they
upped the pitocin. The next two hours or so I had
such
horrible contractions I thought that the world
was
ending (little did i know that was just the
beginning)
they couldnt give me an epideral b/c i still
hadnt
dialated to the alloted 4cm. They offered me
some
pain meds, that I thought that I could do
without, but
finally gave in. At 11:00 I was given meds, they
managed to wear off in like an hour or so. But
trust
me they were so wonderful while they lasted. At
some
point after they wore off I realized that I
couldnt
close my hands, they were swollen beyond
recognition.
Come to find out that my face and feet were also
swollen, and that my blood pressure was sky
rocketting. So they monitored me and upped the
saline
solution so that I wouldnt dehydrate. At around
12:30
I finally made it to 4cm, and of course I wanted
the
epi.
The anasteciologist (sp?) came in and preformed
my
epi. AS he was doing it, I was trying to
convince
myself that the needle going through my back was
all
worth it b/c I will be numb soon. I indeed was
numb in
a few mins, but only on my left side. I was
feeling
these unbeleivably horrible contractions in my
right
leg, right side of my back and the right side of
my
butt. I told the nurse about it and she said
that I
needed to wait and see if it will kick in on the
right. While I am dieing in the bed with right
side
contractions I asked the nurse who was being a
bitch
if she had any kids. No, she didnt. So that
pissed me
off, so I kept telling her that the epi wasnt
working.
She told me that she would find the
anasteciologist.
Well she did and it would take a few mins for him
to
get there. Well a few mins turned into 45 mins.
Once
the anasteciologist got there, he took out the
one he
previously did, and put in a new one. So that
meant
that my left side of my body was double numb, and
the
right side was just numb.
So after the second epi kicked in, the midwife
ran in
the room in a panic and threw an oxygen mask on
me,
and sat me up and told me that I needed to keep
this
on b/c my blood pressure was sky rocketing. So
from
1:00-3:00 I was stuck with an oxygen mask on
laying
down, and my upper back was killing me from not
moving! So after 2 hours, I was checked still
not
dialated past 4cm. She sat me up in the bed and
told
me that if I wasnt dialated anymore by 3:30, they
were
going to have to do a c-section, because I was
already
in the hospital 14 hours and not dialating to
well. So
at 3:00 I sat up and waitied for 3:30 to come
along.
WEll once it did, the nurse checked me and I was
8.5
cm. Boy that was a relief, I didnt want a
c-section.
So after more waiting, I was fully dialated at
4:15,
and began pushing at 4:20. Four contractions
later my
baby boy was born! At 4:34pm. It only took 14
mins of
pushing, which to my suprise was extremely
simple. I
was so scared prior to the whole pushing thing
that
the hardest part would be pushing. For me the
contractions were 500% worse than the pushing. On
my
last push I felt this slight pressure and then a
releif and then I heard my little man scream.
During the pushing, they had put a mirror in
front of
me so I could see his head, oh my god, that was
the
second most amazing sight i have ever seen in my
life.
The first being that moment that i saw my son,.
I
cried like a baby, all I could do was cry and
stare at
him and rub him.
Oh, and during this whole process, my "lovely"
sister
who managed to stay in the room was snapping
pictures.
I told her that if I saw that camera one more
time i
was going to shove it up her @$$.
Thats the labor part, I wont bore yall with the
rest
of the details about the after birth stuff, like
how I
was so numb on my left side that 12 hours later
my
left leg was still immobile thanks to the 2 epis.
Elijah Miguel Boyd was born on May 16, 2004 at
4:34
pm. He weighed 5lbs 15oz, 18 3/4 in long. Oh and
he
has a head full of hair!!

April 26, 2007 - Thursday


For my child

The color of my skin doesn't determine my character

I am not a slave to the typical sight you see

The way I wear my hair doesn't determine my strength

Every person has a right to be seen and heard

No one has the right to take away anything you don't give them


Dont rape my soul because you dont believe in me

Dont take my innocence and naive thinking away from me

Teach me how to do things rather than harass me with your words

Show me your way is better, and I may see your point

Make me better for those around me


Feel my strength, hear the words I speak, see my truth

Listen when I tell you what that my world is brand new

You can take away from me what you want, but you cant take me down

Roll your eyes, arch your back, thumbs up or thumbs down, don't mean smack

Your impression of me, makes me, love me even more


Oppression, Impression, Discussion, these words all look alike

Take these words and make them yours

Dont stop talking, make yourself heard, speak out loud

Stand up tall, be your own self, everyone wants to spectate

Kick them in the ass, by not stepping to their level

Be brave, be strong, be who you are.

Buttons and Ice Cream!

Well lets see, Peyton has arrived in walking land, so now everyday is a total adventure!! He discovered buttons recently, and is attracted mostly to ones that include lights, such as the XBOX or the green light of the monitor power button! Watch out buttons, Peyton is coming to seek revenge on you! He is driving Elijah freaking crazy b/c now not only does he press buttons on things, he can make use of what the buttons can do! Elijah was attempting to watch Pirates of the Carribean, and Peyton thought that wasnt such a bright idea! Well the idea was bright, and so was the button that ejected the POC disc from the drive! Peyton slowly wanders over to the xbox, and pushes the button (you know its green, and its calling to him!) takes out the disc and walks away laughing!! The boy is only 10 months old, and has figured a way to get on his big brothers nerves! Way to go Pate!!
Eli is far from innocent! Hes a lil monster if I have ever seen one! He has this idea that he can go where ever it is that he sees on Tv, or reads in a book! Nothing like having a hissy fit b/c we cant wake up and go straight to Sodor Island to party with Thomas the Tank! Or how mommy got a book from the library for him, and thought he would enjoy it because it was about one of his fave things: trucks!! All kinds of trucks; dump trucks, garbage trucks, tow trucks, yadda yadda! Oh and dont let me forget the most important truck to a two year old! An I-C-E C-R-E-A-M truck!! Oh yeah, nothing like freaking out and throwing and thrashing yourself on the floor b/c the stupid icecream man in our neiborhood doenst ever come around! It seems like he comes around once every 5 months or so, if that! I guess when the icecream mand needs extra money! LOL And on top of that we have an icecream lady! She rarely has the stuff she has advertised anyway, so what the big deal Eli! AND you never seem to eat the ice cream we buy from her anyway! Remember the Dreamsicle that "I have to, have to, have to have mommy" that the ants ate?!

Teething Fun!

About 2 mins ago, I discovered Peyton's sixth tooth! If he weren't bothering me, I would have never discovered it! As normal, I wasnt paying 100 percent attention to Pate, so he tugged on my pants, and demanded some mommy attention! I picked him up and played with him, and he flashed me the biggest Pate smile he could possibly make, and I gave him a big ole hug! Well perhaps the hug was a weee bit to hard because he grunted! For some reason, it reminded me of his fifth tooth popping in, which was yesterday, so I checked for a new one! Low and Behold there was tooth number six! Hes been getting teeth in, since four months old, so hes been teething forever! Poor little guy! Eli got his first tooth at 5 months, and then at 10 months, got 4 more teeth.
Speaking of Eli, I might as well tell of today's Eli adventure!! We went to Target to get JJ a pirate thing, and to pick up a few more things that I needed. Well Eli decided that he was going to go with me, so I thought it was a great time to pick out some new sandals, since the ones that were currently glued to his feet were so ridiculously small. (Come on now, I have size 11 feet and David has size 12 or something monstrous like that!) So we pulled into the oh so narrow isles of the children's shoe section. Which is about as fun to navigate as it would be to navigate a darn ant farm! And as I tried not to run anything over, I had to remind Eli that he cant touch every shoe he sees! Too late, mission failed, three pair of shoes off the rack! "Accident mom!" he told me! Hmmmmm, right! LOL
We looked at all the cool flip flops and sandals with every cartoon/animated character you could imagine on it. We narrowed it down to Thomas the Tank and Diego, only to find out that they had shoes in sizes that were to small for my big footed monster! After further searching, I found a pair of size 10 Diego sandals, and Eli is so excited! He kicked off one of his sandals, only for me to figure out why he was so excited to get new sandals.....mommy put his shoes on the wrong feet!! Yeah, I was so flustered right before we left, mommy brain! LOL! I tried one of the shoes on him, and he said NOPE the second I Velcroed it!! Long story short, the excitement wore off pretty darn quickly! He stopped talking, just said "no shoes today mom" and so we didn't buy any shoes.