A Taste of the Single Mom Life

Whew! That’s just about all I can say after the last 48 hours, during which its just been Kendry and me. Justin’s work sent him to Boise on Tuesday afternoon; much to our delight, he flies back tonight at 6:30. I shouldn’t be this worn out after just two days, right? Yeah, that’s what I thought too. Our regular schedule (when Justin is home) involves me dropping Kendry at daycare in the morning and Justin picking him up in the afternoon, usually around 4:30. For the last two days though, Kendry had to stay at daycare an extra hour because I don’t get off work until 5. On top of that, in order to pick him up I don’t get to take my normal route home - pretty much a straight shot with very little traffic or stoplights. Nope, instead I get to head straight up Lewiston’s main drag, complete with rush hour traffic and eight stoplights. Needless to say, by the time Kendry and I made it home the last two days we were completely exhausted. I’m not sure what I had envisioned for these two days on our own, but I can assure you that it didn’t involve Kendry waking up at 5:15am the first day, the hassle of getting my car to Les Schwab to have my tires rotated, or being delegated to pick up the office mail at the post office each morning.

We have only four more hours until Justin arrives home, and those four hours will probably seem like twenty. At 5pm on the dot I have to pick up my car at Les Schwab, dash to pick up Kendry, and then scoot over to the church to prepare the Sunday school supplies. The catch is to accomplish all of this before 6:15pm because Justin has requested that Kendry and I be in the terminal waiting for him when he plane lands at 6:30. Yep, I’m pretty sure my blood pressure went up just thinking about this after work itinerary. However, I did manage to put dinner in the crock pot this morning before I left for work, so a fresh batch of taco soup will be waiting for us at home. Yeah, me!

Gotta send a shout out to Shirley and Chet who watched Kendry an extra hour the last few days. You are both such a blessing to our family! Thank you so much!

And another shout out to my girlfriend Nancy who had us over for dinner last night. Dinner was delicious! And now I can say for certain that I ate at least one complete meal while Justin was gone; the rest of it is all a blur.

TOT

Oooo, my 10 this week is kinda lengthy. Lots on my mind...

1. My hubby made my week by giving me a Starbucks gift card that he got as a perk at work. I have never been so happy that Justin hates coffee.

2. I finally finished the re-do of my photo collage wall at home. Up until a few months ago I only had a few wedding photos on the wall. Kinda drab. I took those down, painted the wall, reformatted my collage (complete with new photos and my Family sign), and then "staged" the area. I am so pleased with how it turned out, even though it took me a few months to get it accomplished. The sign says: "A Happy Family is but an Earlier Heaven". I am still searching for just the right hardware pulls for the buffet dresser. I seriously struggle with home decorating; I pretty much have to see something I like in a magazine or store, or someone else's home, and copy it. I give credit to Real Deals store for this staging, especially the old books (which actually were from my own home library - I didn't have to buy them). 3. I am loving my new wheels! How did I ever live without heated seats?

4. I battled some nostalgia this weekend as we installed Kendry's big boy car seat (the correct one that rear-faces this time) in my car and we put away his infant seat. I cleaned the infant seat and base thoroughly because I am the type who cringes at the very thought of putting anything into storage in a dirty condition. When I put the infant seat cover back on I put the harness at the very smallest setting, figuring that the next child to ride in the seat will be a tiny newborn - well, tiny as in less than 10lbs 5oz anyway, or at least I hope. It was strange to think of Kendry being small enough for that setting not too long ago, and it was exciting to think of the next baby we'll get to put in the seat.

5. One of the next projects I have in mind for home decorating involves stealing Justin's nightstand...permanently. Think I can get away with it?

6. As I mentioned a few days ago, we went to the local pool last Friday for Kendry's first swim. This weekend I finally got caught up on laundry and was quite surprised to find what I can only assume is chewing gum on the seat of Justin's swim trunks that he wore to the pool. Initially I thought it was just lotion, soap or, more common around our household, Kendry's spit up. But after two washes with no luck of getting it out I finally asked Justin if it could be gum. He was just as stumped as I was but, not having nearly as much tolerance for public swimming pools, admitted in disgust that it was probably some foolish kid's gum that they spit out in the pool. Yuck!

7. Its getting lighter and lighter outside when I leave work at 5pm. We're gaining!

8. On Sunday morning Kendry figured out how to get on his knees and pull himself up at the coffee table, positioning himself perfectly to reach the things we have attempted to keep out of his reach by placing them on the table. I was so surprised that I quickly pulled him down for fear of him tumbling over, only to realize that is exactly how he is going to learn. Naturally, when he attempted it again a little later and I simply stood by to watch, he DID topple over and bonk his head on the floor. But this milestone made me realize it was high time we move his crib mattress to the lower setting before he figures out how to topple over that.

9. I truly believe the Black-Eyed Peas should do a workout CD. How can you not be motivated for a tough workout listening to "I Gotta Feeling" or "Let's Get it Started"?

10. I love how much Kendry loves bathtime. No matter how fussy or tired he may be in the evening, he always perks up for his bath.

Splish Splash

Tonight we took Kendry to the local aquatic center for his first swimming experience. We were only in the pool for a short while - Kendry's very little body fat didn't keep him too warm in the cool water - but he loved it, especially with all the other kiddos splashing around.

Learning the crawl stroke already!

Ten on Thursday

1. I am convinced there is no better Valentine's Day candy than Hershey's Hugs, and no better Easter candy than Cadbury Mini Eggs...or maybe black jelly beans...or perhaps Snickers eggs... Hi, my name is Jody and I am a sugar-holic.

2. Kendry is still trying to cut that pesky top tooth. He developed his first teething fever last Sunday afternoon and it broke Monday morning, but still no official tooth poking through just yet. It was so heartbreaking to see him not feeling well; he just wanted to cuddle with us with his blanket and pacifier. But by Monday evening he was back to his smiley self.

3. I am finally registered for the Big Climb in Seattle on March 21st, which means you can now sponsor me to climb the 69 flights of stairs for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Two years ago I did it in 17:12.30. This year I want to get under the 15 minute mark. If you are interested in sponsorship please visit this site: http://www.bigclimb.org/

And if you are interested in sponsoring gas money for my long drive over to Seattle, as well as my night out on the town with Amanda, you can send your donation to 2303 5th Avenue, Clarkston, Washington. Please note that I do not accept checks.

4. I got my smiley boy to pose for a few photos this morning. Could he be any cuter?

5. I first had my cholesterol checked about five years back and was surprised to find out it was over 200. Well, surprised might not be the right word since I have always known that the Binder blood line has elevated cholesterol levels - thanks, Dad! :) But I am proud to announce that as of the start of 2010 my cholesterol is at 180. Hooray! This might call for a celebration dinner of a big fatty steak.

6. We have had 50 degree weather all week, which is especially weird since I still have little snowflake and snowman stickers on my windows at work. Is it possible to get sunburned in January in Washington? I just might find out.

7. I am entitled to a free photo book on Shutterfly this month so I am making a book called "Kendry's Family", complete with photos of our family members on both sides so Kendry can become familiar with faces and names, especially those family members that he doesn't see too often. It has been quite a fun project.

8. We said goodbye to our cute little green car today and I was kinda sad to see it go. I loved that color.

9. I wonder if I have the motivation to tackle a painting project this weekend...

10. Two more weeks until Superbowl and I have yet to decide on a treat I will be contributing to the party we attend. I am trying to come up with something in a football theme this year. Here is what I'm thinking: Did someone mention high cholesterol?

Haiti and Molly

This last week I was incredibly impacted by the tragedy in Haiti, particularly the story of Molly Hightower. I first heard about Molly the day after the earthquake, when local news stations mentioned her family and their search for news that Molly was alright. You see, Molly was from Port Orchard, Washington and had been living in Haiti since last summer. Following her graduation in June 2009, she set off to Haiti for a year to work with orphans. She even started a blog about her experience:

http://mollyinhaiti.blogspot.com/

In the days following the earthquake I read Molly's blog and was overcome with admiration. At only 22 years of age, she took a year out of her life to give back to others, specifically children with special needs and/or who have been abandoned. There is no doubt that she dearly loved these children.

Sadly, Molly did not survive the earthquake. My heart breaks for her family, and for the children she loved so dearly in Haiti. I do not know if any of these children on Molly's blog survived. I pray that they did, but even if they didn't I know they are rejoicing with their Heavenly Father above, and they are no longer afflicted by their disabilities.

Jesus said "...whatever you did for one of the least of them, you did for me." (Matt. 25:40)

I challenge you, as I am challenging myself: what are you doing today to help others in need? Joyce Meyer says it should be our goal to reach out to at least one person in need every day, be it making a meal for a family going through a stressful time, or going out of your way to smile and demonstrate kindness to the clerk behind the checkout counter. Not all of us can take a year out of our lives to work with orphans, but we can demonstrate Christ's love for others in our daily lives.

On this side of heaven we will never know the full extent of how our life and our actions affect those we come into contact with. Molly's life was only a short 22 years, but if you look at her blog you will get a small glimpse of how many people were impacted by her story.

I hope some day I will see Molly in heaven and have the opportunity to thank her for her sacrifice, and for the impression she has made upon me to strive to be a better person each and every day by giving unto others.

Our BIG boy

Its fairly noticeable that Kendry has put on a bit more weight over the last two months. His legs, which were always so skinny, finally got little rolls in the thigh area, and his belly seems to have taken on a life of its own. He won't have his next official weigh-in at the pediatrician's office until he is nine months, but I weighed him on our home scale the other night. He is a healthy 21.5 lbs, which means he has finally doubled his birth weight. Technically, I think most babies manage to achieve that feat a little ealier than 8 months of age, but given that Kendry was over 10lbs at birth he had a little more ground to cover.

Being first time parents, and attempting to be economical at the same time, we shopped around before Kendry was born and purchased the Graco Snugride 32 infant car seat. We liked the Graco features and figured that any car seat that would fit a child from birth to 32 lbs and 32 inches was certainly economical, right? Plus, I’ll be honest here, we loved that we found it in a color that matched our green car. But, as any veteran parent would have quickly pointed out, 32 lbs is a lot of weight to be toting around on your arm. Correction - make that 41.7 lbs because the seat itself weighs 9.7 lbs without the base. Talk about exhausting, and awkward.

As of this morning, I am still toting Kendry around in his infant seat, which, aside from the weight, has been a great seat in every other aspect. This means I am regularly carrying around 31.2 lbs on my arm. Hello, mommy biceps! But this is the last day for Kendry to ride in his infant seat. Last weekend we finally got around to ordering Kendry’s big boy car seat, which will also transition into a booster seat as he grows. We ordered two since our work day routine involves me dropping Kendry off at daycare and Justin picking him up.

The seat(s) arrived yesterday and we are planning to install them first thing tomorrow. But we gave Kendry a preview last night:

The seat is pretty big but he doesn't look very small sitting in it. :(

Then I had him try on Daddy's sunglasses so he really looked ready to ride: I admit I will miss the car seat that matches my cute green car though.

Ten on Wednesday

1. A little over a week ago, Amanda and Ava came to Lewiston for a few days. Kendry really enjoyed having Ava around - specifically, he enjoyed just about every toy Ava was playing with. Kendry would take one toy from her, watch her get another toy, put his toy down and once again take the toy from Ava. Teaching him the concept of sharing could be interesting. Here they are side by side, 8 months and 5 months. For being cousins I don't see that they look too much alike at this point.

2. This weekend I finally started reading the "Twilight" series. Many thanks to my buddy Amanda who sent me her copy of the series to borrow as my Christmas gift. I won't admit that I am hooked just yet, but I am certainly finding it a fun read.

3. Today I remembered just how near my office is to Dairy Queen. So near, in fact, that I could very easily walk over and get myself a blizzard on my break, with time to spare. I am fairly certain I am suffering from an ice cream deficiency.

4. Since Seattle didn't make the playoffs this year: GO COLTS and GO CARDINALS!

5. On Monday night I attended the January Replenish at Warner Alliance Church; it is a women's night for worship and Bible study. We studied the Old Testament and, for the first time, I actually felt inspired to really buckle down and study the OT on my own. I have never realized how rich it is with the history of our faith. What a legacy!

6. Kendry was 8 months old last Friday and has yet to crawl. They say you shouldn't really wish for your child to go mobile, but we certainly are. He gets so frustrated when he wants to get to something or get someplace and simply can't. He has figured out how to scoot himself toward something using his army crawl position, or he rolls toward it, but that only gets him so far. The closest he has gotten to being on all fours was when Ava was here. For some reason, he prefers to use his elbows instead of his hands. Does that still count as being on "all fours"?

7. My new Athleta bathing suit finally arrived (and fits). Now its time to take Kendry for his first swim, perhaps this weekend.

8. We're not sure if its the Christmas lights we've had up since Thanksgiving weekend or the cold spell we had in early December, but we got our SHOCKING utility bill in the mail this week. Can you say "Ouch"? Something tells me those fifty boxes of Christmas lights sitting in our basement may not go up next year.

9. Wow, I turn 30 in just 190 days.

10. What? Did you hear that? I'm pretty sure it was a Snickers blizzard calling my name...

Adventures in Solid Foods

They say that opposites attract. That rule does not apply to Justin and me when it comes to our eating habits. We are both what you might call picky eaters. Justin doesn't like beans of any kind, or eggs, and he won't eat broccoli. I like to tease him because when we first met he didn't even like corn. What red-blooded, American farm boy doesn't like corn?! Over time I convinced him that no one doesn't like corn, and now he eats it fairly regularly.

My main aversions are tomatoes and hot dogs. I can remember being near tears when I was little and would see my mom making hot dogs for us. I was just sure she forgot that they made me want to throw up. But, as great moms do, she always remembered and served me an alternative.

We often joke with family and friends about our pickiness, but when it came to Kendry I wanted to have a different approach. I decided that if he modeled his eating habits after us he was likely to miss out on some important nutrients in his diet, not to mention some spectacular cuisine. Fortunately, since starting solid foods nearly four months ago, Kendry has shown no real aversions to anything we have fed him. He has tried nearly every recommended fruit, veggie, meat and snack food for his age and enjoyed each one. Well, with the exception of pureed ham, which he got halfway through and then started gagging a little. I really can't fault him on that one; the smell alone was enough to make me gag. We have since opted for feeding him small bits of real ham, which he loves.

Kendry loved his Gerber Graduate cereal puffs from the very beginning. When those ran out this last week we moved him to Cheerios. Obviously he loved those as well - that is, when he could figure out where they kept disappearing to.

The other night we had taco salad and we let Kendry have his first taste of tomato.

My thoughts exactly.