Suddenly Mommy

2012-02-03T17:20:00.001-06:00

We have finally found a way to keep Rylee out of certain places without using a baby gate:

Yes, that is a feather boa. The one I got from my bridal shower, in fact.

I discovered by accident that Rylee absolutely hates it. If we drape it in front of a door, or a cabinet, or anywhere, she'll stand on the other side of it and whine, while looking in complete disgust at the offending article.

It is the perfect toddler blockade - it's cheap, it's bendable (you can mold it around anything!), it's soft so as to prevent injuries, and it's portable. Why didn't we discover this sooner?!

Attitude problem

2012-02-03T17:11:00.000-06:00

I remember when I said I was going to blog every week once we moved to our new house. Haha. When I do have time to blog, I am normally too tired to want to even think of something to write. Which leads me into the point of this blog ... sort of.

I am crabby. A lot. Most of the time I just complain that I'm tired, I'm overworked, so I have a right to be crabby and bite people's heads off I want to.

Really?

Yes. But no, this really shouldn't be the case. I realized this week that I really need to change my attitude. Have I realized this before? Yes. But I haven't given it more than 5 minutes of thought before reminding myself it's my perogative to be crabby and make people - namely, my ever-patient husband - miserable.

Things I that make me crabby:

- Getting up at 5:15 a.m.
- Not seeing Adam most nights of the week.
- Being a single parent most nights of the week.
- Winter.
- Being tired.

Ah, yes, the list could go on. And often this long list of "dislikes" is what runs through my head much of the day. Talk about miserable.

So - drum roll, please - I have resolved to change my attitude. It's a new year - the perfect time to add something else to my Resolution List. Now it reads:

1. Lose 5-10 pounds.
2. Be better at calling people - especially on their birthdays!
3. Be better at sending my long-distance friends cards and encouraging notes.
4. Eat more fruit and less junk food.
5. Have a better attitude.

So far I am doing great at none of these - but will I get crabby about it? NO! Ok, yes, but I'm working on it :)

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" - Philippians 4:4

2011-12-15T20:48:00.000-06:00

Asher: "Mommy, when are we getting another baby?"

Me: "Ummm... probably never."

Asher: "But why? I want another baby."

Me: "They're a lot of work, buddy, and two kids is the perfect amount for our family."

Asher: "No, Mommy, we are getting another baby! God and Jesus put one in your tummy already! I just know it."

Please, no...

Sweet boy

2011-12-08T21:09:00.000-06:00

The other day after dinner I was bathing Puddles when Asher came into the bathroom. Asher'd had a particularly rough mealtime - he'd broken the chair after leaning back on it, and had spilled his milk all over the floor.

"Mommy, can I have a towel?"
Oh, no.
"Why do you need a towel, buddy? Did you spill something?"
"No..."
"Then why do you need a towel?"
"I'm doing something. It's a surprise."

Not sure what to think, I handed him a towel and went back to bathing Puddles. Five minutes later, I came out to Asher standing in the dining room, holding the towel, food scattered all over the floor.

"Mommy, I cleaned the table off for you! And I cleaned Puddles' high chair, and now I'm going to sweep and mop. Don't even worry, Mommy, I'll handle this!"

Tearing up (because I'm emotional), I said, "Why are you cleaning, bud?"

"Because my teacher said you should surprise people to show them you love them. And I love you so much, Mommy!"

:)

Now I'm just a fat, old mom!

2011-11-13T22:11:00.000-06:00

Adam and I were watching some show a month ago, and the title character said in a moment of frustration, "Now I'm just a fat, old mom!" Boy, could I relate. Since getting married, I have had zero time to exercise and all the time in the world to eat. So I've got the "fat" part down. And I may not be old, but I'm so tired much of the time I might as well be in my late eighties, eating dinner at 5 p.m. with bed at 7:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. when I'm feeling really wild and crazy.

I think often about how something so difficult (motherhood) can simultaneously be so wonderful. You always hear that truth prior to being a mom, but you can't fully grasp it until you have kids.

Then you find yourself praying for a moment alone, but lost and missing the kids when they're not around. You wish your newborn would stop crying and be old enough to sleep through the night, but then she's one and you wish you were back in the hospital, ready to have her. You wait until your 5-year-old is old enough to be in school all day, but then he starts to be more interested in playing with friends than he is with playing with you, and you miss the times when you were the most exciting thing in the world.

It's tough sometimes, but I would take "fat" and "old" any day if it meant more time with my kids. There'll be plenty of time for exercise and sleep in about 18 years :)

Surprise

2011-10-12T17:05:00.001-05:00

So my husband once again successfully surprised me - if a little earlier than he anticipated.

Two weeks ago, Adam told me he would be "helping out" on a side job, tearing down a chimney and rebuilding the roof. As he walked out the door at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, he assured me he wouldn't be gone long.

Apparently we have different definitions of "long."

Eight hours later, I still hadn't heard from him. I tried calling his phone - no answer. Meanwhile, me and the kids were spending a (sometimes) sunny Saturday at the park, then at my parents, then at the library. Still no Adam. At this point I am getting irritated. Okay... maybe irritated is an understatement. My husband is infinitely more patient and calm than I am, which seems to surprise people who don't know me very well - but it is the truth. And my patience and "calmness" were wearing thin at this point.

A half hour later, my phone finally rings.

"Hey babe! I still got a ways to go on this roof because it rained, so I'm going to stay and finish it. But I love you!"

Silence, then - "You're WHAT? Do you realize I've been here with the kids for 8 1/2 hours?! You told me this would take a couple hours at the most. What the heck is happening? What do you mean you're staying there? I'm exhausted, it's been a long week and now I've had to spend the whole day chasing after the kids, I told Asher we were going to the zoo when you got home, and now it's WAY too late for that. I'm so frustrated right now!"

"Babe, I know - I promise we'll talk about this when I come home."

"Are you hanging up on me? After not calling all day long you're just hanging up?"

"Beautiful, I promise I'll explain everything when I get home."

"What do you mean? Explain what? Why couldn't you just tell me what was happening? Call me so I knew you'd be gone all day? I mean, Asher was being whiny, Rylee's been crying -"

"Okay, I'll explain now. I took this side job so I could buy you tickets to The Fireside. To see 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' - it's your favorite, right?"

Silence, then - "You did WHAT? You've been working all day to take me to The Fireside?"

"Yes. Because I love you. Surprise!"

Surprise indeed :)

10 months

2011-09-21T20:26:00.000-05:00

Rylee is 10 months old.

It literally feels like I was just pregnant,

waiting excitedly (and sickly!) to have her,

and now she's two months shy of one year.

And I'm starting to feel that "tug" ...

the "I want another baby" tug.

I never thought I would feel that again.

Surprise :)

Nosy neighbors

2011-08-25T20:09:00.000-05:00

So my mom pointed out that I have very few posts about Puddles and a million about Asher, so Puddles, this one's for you.

I have always been grateful that we've never had to deal with a poop explosion while bathing Puddles. And then Sunday happened.

I was bathing Puddles and was holding onto her while turning to talk at Adam. I heard a happy giggle, and turned back to see my arm, Puddles and her toothbrush immersed in murky brown water. Now, I am normally somewhat good in crisis situations, able to think through the problem and decide which steps to take ... sometimes. However, in this case, I completely froze. Adam and I both just stared at Puddles sloshing away in the dirty water, unsure how to proceed.

After a minute of tense discussion, we decided on a plan of action. Which involved removing Puddles from the offending water, and carrying her entire bathtub outside and dumping the water (and such) into the "no-man's land" between our fence and the fence around the condos behind us.

Somehow, at the time, this seemed like the most logical plan. It was getting dark out, no one was around, it would spare us the headache of scrubbing and disinfecting the entire tub and shower area, it would act as compost for the yard ... who would even know?

So I grabbed Puddles, Adam grabbed the tub, and away he went.

A few minutes later he came in with a look on his face ... not a very comforting look. And he proceeded to tell me that as he was dumping the water (and such) into the yard, our (very) nosy neighbor appeared right next to him and started chattering away about losing her cat. As some excess brown water dripped onto the yard.

She stared at the tub, then stared at Adam, and she knew.

As if that didn't give her enough to talk about, the next day Adam proceeded to flash her because he didn't realize she was standing right outside the open window as he was using the bathroom.

So now our Nosy Neighbor probably thinks we're completely insane. Which I'm actually grateful for, because she has been suspiciously absent from her yard lately, which means I don't need to hear her talking about what so-and-so neighbor is doing, or where so-and-so neighbor's wife was last night.

Everything has a silver lining :)

What?

2011-07-22T18:32:00.001-05:00

There are two seemingly innocuous words in the English dictionary that have the power to bring a mom to her knees:

"Why?" and it's awful cousin, "What?"

Asher has been asking the dreaded "Why?" for about a year and a half now. He can ask "why" to absolutely anything, and he has perfected the art of the "Why?"-That-Doesn't-End:

"We have to go to the store, buddy."
"Why?"
"Because we're out of groceries."
"Why?"
"Because we ate all of them - we need new ones."
"Why?"
"Because we had to eat food."
"Why?"
"Because people need to eat to stay alive."
"Why?"
"Okay... do not ask me why again."
"Why?"

And I drove off a cliff.

Not really, but the way the "Whys?" just keep coming is mindblowing.

Asher has also mastered the Impossible "Why?" For example, the other day we were at the grocery store (all my examples are grocery store related apparently), and I said aloud, "Hmm, is this bag better? This salad has romaine and baby spinach..."

And Asher said, "Why?"

"Ummmmm... because the company decided romaine and baby spinach would make a nice blend for a salad and decided to bag it and sell it in hopes of having people buy it."

"Why?"

Okay...

Just recently, anything that isn't followed by a "Why?" is followed by a "What?" I KNOW he hears what I'm saying, so I have stopped answering him.

"Ok, Asher, it's dinner time! Turn the light off and come upstairs."
"What?"
*silence*
"Did you say it's time for dinner and turn the light off?"
Why, yes, I did.

This one is slightly easier to manage because it doesn't require a response - he answers his own question after a few moments of silence.

Sometimes he actually doesn't hear me, and if I don't answer him fast enough, his "Whats?" will get progressively louder and faster.

"What? WHAT, MOMMY? WHAT? WHAT, MOMMY?"

I maybe sometimes don't answer him right away just out of sheer defiance in the face of another "What?" But don't tell anyone :)

I am just waiting for the day when Rylee starts speaking - I don't know if I can handle two "Whys?" and "Whats?"!

Chicken du jour

2011-07-10T20:45:00.001-05:00

So the other day I was submitting myself and Asher to undue torture yet again by forcing him to finish his dinner. We were eating Chicken Caesar Salad - and by that I mean, I was eating a Chicken Caesar Salad, while Asher was eating chicken - hold the dressing, croutons, cheese and lettuce.

As the ordeal stretched to an hour and a half, Puddles needed a diaper change and her PJs put on. I left Asher with strict instructions to finish his dinner quickly and left the room for a total of 6 minutes.

When I came out, Asher's plate was suspiciously empty and he was sitting with a very nervous/sheepish look on his face.

"Buddy... where is your food?"
"Umm... ummm..."
"Did you eat it all?"
"Ummm... no..........."
"So where did it go?"

Raising a trembling hand, he pointed, and I saw a trail of chicken that started by the ottoman. I followed the trail and discovered - wait for it - a pile of chicken behind the couch.

"Asher Isaiah..."

I turned and saw him squirm uncomfortably in his chair, obviously dreading the fallout from his bold and risky move.

"Pick up this chicken right now then go to your room."

He quickly picked up the chicken, then ran to his room, wailing the whole way.

As soon as he slammed the door, I burst out laughing.

Because there are some times I feel frustrated at him, other times I'm just doing my motherly duty, and still others - more rare - where whatever he's done is naughty but hilarious at the same time.

Life is never boring :)

Asherisms of the Day

2011-05-29T18:25:00.003-05:00

Number 1:
Me: So did you have fun at the party?
Asher: Yes! We got to jump around on all the blow-up things, and... and... and we got to drink Wet Beard!
Me: ... Wet Beard? What's that?
Asher: It's like fuzzy juice, with a white dog on it, and it's brown.
Me: You mean Root Beer?
Asher: Yeah! Root Beer.

Number 2:
Asher: When I grow up, I'm going to marry Rylee!

Number 3:
As we were listening to Jars of Clay's "Love Song for a Savior":
Asher: Mommy, what does 'fall in love' mean?
Me: It means you get to know someone better and better, and you like them more and more, and slowly you begin to love them. Like this song is talking about falling in love with Jesus.
Asher: Mommy, I want to fall in love with you.

:)

Sometimes...

2011-05-11T17:12:00.000-05:00

I put a wet load of laundry in with a dry load because I'm too tired to fold the dry clothes.

I make Asher finish his dinner not because I'm concerned about his nutrition but because I want to keep him sitting at the table a little longer.

I turn up the radio in the car a little too loudly so Asher can't hear me (very well) and I can't hear him (very well). Then when he asks me one of his (many) questions, I say, "Sorry, buddy, I can't hear you. The music's too loud!"

I stick Puddles in her crib for ten minutes at dinner time so I can eat without her crying in her high chair or sitting on my lap grabbing my food.

I change Puddles' outfits five times a day because I like to dress her up like she's a little doll. And she hates it :)

I fall asleep at 9 p.m. on Friday night because I can't keep my eyes open any longer.

All I want is to go to a hotel by myself and take a nap.

I really hate making dinner, so we eat frozen pizza two nights in a row.

I don't rinse any of the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher because I don't care enough.

I put Asher to bed a half hour early because he can't tell time :)

On Saturday morning I tell Asher, "It's really early, buddy, you have to go back to bed" when it's actually 8 just because I want to sleep in until 8:30.

I pretend to read every word of one of Asher's books when I'm actually skipping almost every word on the page (I'm talking to you, Winnie the Pooh book - why are you so insanely long?)

Happy (really late) Mother's Day!

Tonight...

2011-04-08T23:36:00.000-05:00

will be night 4 of Rylee sleeping through the night!

Apparently blogging about her not sleeping made her sleep.

Hmmm... time to blog about how we can't find a house to buy...

Remind me again what "well rested" feels like

2011-03-31T19:34:00.000-05:00

This morning at 1 a.m. found me sobbing in our bed.

Now, on a normal day I am an emotional person; on a day where I've averaged 4 hours of sleep for the past three nights, and it's 1 a.m. and Rylee is still screaming in her crib, I become borderline hysterical.

After having mom after mom tell me what wonderful sleepers their children were/are, I am left to wonder what exactly I'm missing when it comes to Rylee. I put her to bed at a reasonable hour, make sure she's fed and changed before bed, put her in her PJs, make sure the room is neither too hot nor too cold, speak in soothing tones... so what's left? We have let her "cry it out" - a couple times it's worked briefly, only to have her awaken a half hour later screaming louder than before.

So I'm left to daydream about my college days, when I took 5-hour naps and wasn't awakened by a blood-curdling scream. Or whine. Or grunt. Or sneeze. Or cough. Or hiccup attack. When I didn't have to wake up at 5:30 a.m. and stumble out of bed in the darkness, hoping the shower will wake me up enough to drive to work. When I didn't have to sit at my desk during the mid-afternoon slump, which for me occurs around 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. when I'm home with the kids.

When I was single.

And then I remind myself - I was single. Which isn't bad - it was a season of life I very much enjoyed. But would I want it back, even if it meant I could sleep 8 hours at night plus nap for 5?

No.

I wouldn't. Because this is now - and despite my zombie-like state, it's beautiful.

I just have to remind myself to remember that tonight when 1 a.m. rolls around and Rylee's screams are doing anything but lulling me to sleep :)

Asherisms of the Day

2011-03-15T19:06:00.002-05:00

Asher: (after a discussion about Jesus and the devil) "Well, if the devil ever comes to me, I will punch him in the mouth!"

***********

Asher's teacher told me the other day that she and Asher had a discussion about Rylee and how chunky she is getting. His teacher said, "She's getting so chunky because you're such a good big brother! You take such good care of her."

With a completely straight face, he said, "No, it's not! She's getting chunky because she's drinking!"

***********

This one is so sweet, because it reminded me and Adam that we need to be like Asher - with such simple, beautiful faith.

On the morning of the earthquake/tsunami in Japan, Adam called me and said Asher saw the earthquake/tsunami on the news, and asked, "What happened to those people, Daddy?" Adam tried to explain it without being too graphic, and Asher got really upset and said, "Who's going to help them?! Is God and Jesus?" Adam said, "Yes, God and Jesus will help them. We should pray about it." So Asher folded his hands and got on his knees, and said, "Please, God and Jesus, please help those people in the water. And the cars floating. And the houses. Amen."

Asherism of the Day

2011-02-14T17:42:00.001-06:00

At Kyle's basketball game:

A friend: "So Asher, how old are you?"
Asher: "I'm 4 1/2!"
A friend: "Wow, so big! When is your birthday?"
Asher: "August 1! It's been August 1 two times in a row!"

Amazing how your birthday is on the same day every year! :)

2011-02-11T09:07:00.001-06:00

There are two domestic tasks that I can't stand: laundry and grocery shopping. Both of them require a million steps prior to completion - Laundry, you have to carry the overflowing baskets to the laundry room, separate by color, throw in a load, pour in detergent, and wait. Once the load is done, you move it to the dryer, then add a new load to the washer, and start both. Once the dryer load is done, you have to pull it out, move the washer load to the dryer, add a new load to the washer, then fold and put away the just completed dryer load. You're finally done putting that load away and the other loads are ready for the next step. It's a never ending cycle of horribleness. The one thing laundry has going for it is that it can be done from home, so even though Rylee is screaming throughout the whole ordeal and Asher is trying to lock me in the laundry room, no one else is there to witness the madness.

Grocery shopping is a whole other ordeal.

Grocery shopping itself is awful, but grocery shopping with two kids under the age of 5 is like having hot tar poured on my feet, to use my mom's expression. Each trip starts with the same discussion:

"Mommy, I want to walk."

"You have to ride in the cart or under the cart." This is followed by Asher hopping onto the side of the cart.

"No, Boofs, you have to sit in the cart or under the cart. Every time you hold on to the side, you climb around the cart as I'm pushing it." (Side note: He has perfected the art of doing acrobatic moves on the cart while I'm pushing it and has come dangerously close to either knocking the cart over or pulling Rylee's car sear out of the cart. Athletic, but not helpful.)

"I won't do that, Mommy - I promise."

"Nope - in or under."

"Ok ... under." He sits under the cart. I start pushing. Five seconds later, I hear, "No, in the cart! In the cart, Mommy!" I put him in the cart and finally make it to the Bread aisle, Aisle #1. As I'm picking out bread, I hear Asher pushing Rylee's car seat and turn to see him poking her face.

"Stop touching Rylee or you're going to have to sit under the cart."

"I'm not touching Rylee! I'm not."

*sigh*

We have now made it to Aisle #2 - Produce.

"I want those grapes, Mommy."

"We're not getting grapes today."

"Why, Mommy? Why, why, why?"

"Because."

"They taste good to me! I promise."

I pick up red apples.

"I don't want those, Mommy."

"They're for Daddy - you don't have to eat them."

I grab baby carrots, bananas, and potatoes, and make a beeline for Aisle #3 - Meat/Deli. At this point Rylee is still sleeping and Asher has settled for playing with the food that is now in the cart. I quickly navigate through Aisle #4 - Dairy, and steel myself to pass the Little Debbie display that blocks the entrance to Aisle #5 - Frozen Foods.

"OOOh, Mommy, look! I want those - those, Mommy! Those brownie things - I want those!"

"We're not getting those today - we already have cookies at the house."

"Whhhhhhhyyyyyyy? But I want them!" Tuning out the increasingly shrill whines, I grab a couple frozen pizzas, ice cream, chicken nuggets, frozen veggies and frozen apple juice concentrate. It is now time to enter Aisles 6-24 - Dry Goods. This is where it's do or die - the crowds get thicker and the potential for a meltdown increases as the shopping trip has extended into its second half hour.

As soon as I enter Aisle 6, I hear an explosion from the direction of Rylee's diaper.

"RYLEE POOPED, MOMMY!"

Ignoring the looks I get from the people next to me, I assure Asher I know this and start moving faster. We are now in the bowels of the store, as far as possible from the bathroom. I make an executive decision to "forget" Rylee pooped and deal with it at home.

"I'm bored, Mommy. Are we almost done, Mommy?"

"We're almost there (ok, not really, but a white lie is necessary for survival at this point). Just hang in there - you're doing great." As I reach for a box of cereal, I hear a loud SMACK and half consider leaving both children in the aisle and making a run for it. Instead, I slowly turn and see apple sauce oozing onto the floor out of its individually wrapped containers.

"Oops, sorry, Mommy."

Taking a deep breath, I pull Asher out of the cart and stick him under the cart with the instructions to keep his feet up and not get off the cart while I'm pushing it. The time has come to resort to a bribe: "If you stay under the cart and listen to Mommy, you can have a treat when we get home." I grab a paper towel roll they have in the aisle for just this sort of situation and cover the spill with about 20 towels. I promise myself I will tell the next grocery store worker I see that there is a spill in Aisle 12, grab what is left of the apple sauce and quickly push the cart into Aisle 13.

"I want fruit snacks, Mommy."

"We already have those at the house."

"I want granola bars, Mommy."

"No, not today."

"I want ice cream, Mommy."

"No."

"I want cookies, Mommy."

"No."

"I want that candy, Mommy."

"NO."

"Whhhhhyyyyy?"

We have made it to Aisle 24. I grab paper towels and steer the cart toward the check-out. I now face a 20-minute wait in line, since apparently everyone and their mom also went shopping that day. As I park my cart in the line that looks the shortest, Rylee starts stirring, and I realize the window to get out of the store alive is closing.

And I accidentally chose the slowest check-out person in the world.

Right about the time I start turning gray and we make it to the front of the line, Rylee opens her eyes: "WAAAAAAAAA!"

"Rylee's screaming, Mommy! Rylee's screaming!"

I watch as the checkout person slowly scans my food, smiling the whole time, and consider sticking Rylee right in his face so he'll better understand the urgency of the moment.

When he's finally done what seems like an hour later, I once again pointedly ignore the strained looks of the people by my cart and pay for my groceries. I begrudgingly thank the check-out person and quickly push the cart out the double doors. In the middle of the parking lot, I hear a thump then a loud scream. I stop the cart, look around Rylee, who is still wailing, and see Asher sprawled on the cement, the cart straddling his feet.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! OWWWWWWWIIIIIEEEE! YOU RAN OVER MY FEETIES! OW, MY FEETIES!"

At this point, I inwardly completely lose it and need to take a moment. Ten seconds later, after imagining myself throwing all the food in the cart on the ground and having my own temper tantrum, I coral Asher, still screaming, back onto the cart and check him for injuries. Satisfied that his screams are from shock not pain, I push the cart the 20 feet to the car, load both kids and groceries into it, and slam the door.

1 trip down, 18 years and 936 to go.

Rylee Grace Tatreau

2011-02-04T08:01:00.001-06:00

This adorable announcement courtesy of Martha Burnett (see her blog under my favorites)!

2011-01-22T17:23:00.003-06:00

Two months later, I finally find time to blog!

It has definitely been a challenge finding time to do anything other than work, clean, or take care of the kids. It will be be a little easier once Rylee starts going to bed at 7:30 or 8; currently, she is wide-eyed and smiling until about 10:30 or 11 as Adam and I are passing out. Which means Adam and I never have a moment where one of the kids isn't demanding attention. Which means I've started missing my husband, even as he sits next to me on the couch. And I thought it was hard finding alone time with just Asher around...

But despite this, I wouldn't trade it. I already get sad about Rylee growing up - I will miss the baby stage. The other day, I was watching home videos of Asher when he was 2, and he was just so cute and little. He still couldn't talk well, so he would string together words and phrases that didn't make much sense. But that's what made it cute. And I miss that.

Anyway, enough cheese - moving on to today's Asherism (this is actually from Christmas - I just didn't have time to post it):

As we were listening to Christmas music in the car.
Radio: "You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry, you'd better not pout, I'm telling you why... Santa Claus is coming to town."
Asher: "Why do we have to watch out?"
Me: *not really listening and using one of the five generic phrases I've coined to answer Asher's endless questions* "Oh, hm, I don't know. Some reason."
Asher: "Maybe it's so Santa doesn't crush us with his sleigh."

Needless to say, I burst out laughing. I also was (secretly) laughing over Christmas when Asher announced to one of Adam's little relatives that Santa wasn't real. The kid kept insisting he was, and Asher just kept repeating, "No, he's fake - Mommys and Daddys give kids presents." Adam tried to shush Asher, but he was intent on making sure the kid realized how wrong he was. Yup, ruined that kid's Christmas.

10 Worst Christmas Songs

2010-11-27T19:45:00.001-06:00

With Christmas music once again filling the airwaves, I decided to get in the Christmas spirit and share what I consider to be the 10 Worst Christmas Songs ever written:

10. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
9. Here Comes Santa Claus - Gene Autry
8. Rusty Chevrolet - Da Yoopers
7. Blue Christmas - Elvis
6. Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid
5. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
4. Grown-up Christmas List - Amy Grant
3. Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon
2. Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg

And #1 is...

1. Christmas Shoes - NewSong. Hands down the worst. Christmas. song. ever.

16

2010-11-27T19:26:00.003-06:00

Day 16 with Rylee, and two words come to mind: exhausted, happy. I can't remember what it was like not to have Rylee, just like I can't remember what it was like not to be with Adam and not to be Asher's mom.

I also can't remember what it was like to sleep through the night. The last two+ months of my pregnancy I woke up 3 or 4 times every night, and now I wake up at least that many times with Rylee. It takes an hour every night to get her to sleep for the first time, and every time she wakes up after that it takes at least an hour to feed her and get her to sleep again. I have accidentally fallen asleep so many times on the couch with her snuggled on my chest (she likes hearing my heartbeat), waking up hours later with her still cuddled on top of me.

I already long for the night when she sleeps 6+ hours straight, but I know part of me will miss our nightly rendezvous. Most of the time I'm in a complete fog, sometimes I cry as 2+ hours pass and she still won't sleep, but sometimes I just cuddle her as we watch a cheesy kung-fu movie on channel 57 because nothing else is on at 3 a.m.

So here's to Night 16 - crying, kung-fu and all.

Mommy x2

2010-11-18T20:31:00.003-06:00

Rylee Grace has arrived!

November 11, 2010

7:41 p.m.

6 pounds, 18 inches

And 4 weeks, 1 day early!

Her current schedule? Sleep all day, scream all night. Ah, motherhood - times two!

Asherisms of the Day

2010-11-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

While Trick or Treating:

Asher: (holding up a bag of pretzels he'd just received from one house) "Mommy, you have these. You like pretzels. I looked at these and was like, "Pretzels? WHAT?! That is not cool." So, Mommy, you eat them."

At home last night:

Asher: (after picking up my cell phone) "I'm texting Annika and Teddy. Just saying 'What's up?'"

34 weeks

2010-10-28T18:51:00.002-05:00

Back pain? Check.

Trouble sleeping? Check.

Heartburn? Check.

Nausea? Check.

Ready to be done? Check!

Apparently sleep deprivation is getting to me.

2010-10-28T18:33:00.004-05:00

So a couple weeks ago, Asher and I were at the library. I went to the Adult Fiction section and let Asher stay in the Kids section to pick out some books. As usual, I was exhausted and in a fog, so I just grabbed a couple mystery-type books off the shelf for me, got Asher, checked out our books then headed home. After dinner, Asher asked me to read his new library books. We cuddled up on the couch and I grabbed the first book: "Jorge el Curioso." I grabbed the second book: "Little Einsteins: El Descubrimiento de los Colores." I grabbed the third book:"Harry el Sucio Perro."

We read them anyway, me stumbling through every word of Spanish while Asher listened intently.

The next week we went back to the library and I double-checked his books before checking them out. No foreign languages this time! We're good to go, I thought. Once again, we got home, cuddled on the couch and opened the first book: "Dinosaurs and Man: A History of Evolution - for Kids!"

Third times the charm?

2010-10-21T18:53:00.000-05:00

This has been a strange couple of weeks. Lots of tough, very unexpected things happening - but at the center of the storm is my little family: my son, my baby and the love of my life. As we weather the trials, I have realized how easy it would be to get mad. To let my frustration and anger take over, let it pull me and my husband of 11 months apart, and push my son away as I wrestle with why. But there is another option: let it pull us all closer, as God works his plan through us. Sounds trite, does it not?

Maybe.

But as Adam and I were driving to my baby shower, weighed down with terror and despair, I made my choice - I was going to let it go. It HAS NOT been easy, and I have not always succeeded. But I am trying, and praying, and waiting.

He who began a good work in us will carry it to completion.

2010-10-17T18:44:00.000-05:00

I will post something soon. I promise. I am just too tired right now.

**32 weeks and counting! Any guesses on actual birth date? I say she's going to be right on time, Adam says she's going to be a couple weeks early.**

Psalm 27 (NIV)

2010-10-11T20:24:00.001-05:00

Of David.

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation—
       whom shall I fear?
       The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
       of whom shall I be afraid?
² When evil men advance against me
       to devour my flesh, ^[a]
       when my enemies and my foes attack me,
       they will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
       my heart will not fear;
       though war break out against me,
       even then will I be confident.
⁴ One thing I ask of the LORD,
       this is what I seek:
       that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
       all the days of my life,
       to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
       and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
       he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
       he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
       and set me high upon a rock.
⁶ Then my head will be exalted
       above the enemies who surround me;
       at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
       I will sing and make music to the LORD.
⁷ Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
       be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, "Seek his ^[b] face!"
       Your face, LORD, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
       do not turn your servant away in anger;
       you have been my helper.
       Do not reject me or forsake me,
       O God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
       the LORD will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD;
       lead me in a straight path
       because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
       for false witnesses rise up against me,
       breathing out violence.
¹³ I am still confident of this:
       I will see the goodness of the LORD
       in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
       be strong and take heart
       and wait for the LORD.

Things and such.

2010-09-29T18:24:00.000-05:00

A rough week all around, mainly due to work. But it's wonderful to come home to my boys, who love me unconditionally - no matter how many times I cry (more than ever, due to Baby!) and make mistakes (more then ever, also due to Baby).

I honestly thought "pregnancy brain" was a myth, until I started realizing how many things I can't seem to get right. Examples:

- The other day I was cooking a frozen pizza. I put it in the oven, set the timer, then promptly turned the timer off, thinking the "off/on" button somehow started the timer. Thirty minutes and a burned pizza later, I realized the "off/on" button just turns the timer off. Shocking.

- I couldn't find my Target giftcard anywhere. I searched and searched, convinced I had left it in this specific location. But it wasn't there. I asked Adam, then convinced he had taken it, and he assured me he had not. It wasn't until I pulled out my wallet and the gift card fell out that I realized it must have been in my purse the whole time. The scary thing is I don't even remember putting it there.

- Yesterday, already emotional from work, I attempted to cook this same type of chicken I've cooked a million times. I pulled it out, looked at it, and honestly couldn't decide whether it looked done or not. I put it in for an extra 15 minutes, pulled it out again, and starting cutting it. Ok - it is NOT DIFFICULT to tell if chicken is done: Pink = raw, Brown = done. But lately, whether it's roast beef or chicken or spaghetti, I keep misjudging the cooking times and ending up with a raw or burned meal (this didn't really happen before a month ago). Once I pull it out, I get confused and frustrated... so last night we ate chicken nuggets.

- The other day I drove off without putting down the garage door, even though I distinctly remember closing it.

The list goes on. And on. And on. I'm not even going to touch on work, because that would more than double this list. I looked online, and apparently some scientists speculate your brain cells shrink, especially during the first and third trimesters. At least I have an excuse...?

29 weeks

2010-09-28T19:37:00.002-05:00

I'm nothing if not stylish.

Asherism of the Day

2010-09-08T19:03:00.000-05:00

Asher: Are God and Jesus hungry?
Me: Huh?
Asher: Are God and Jesus hungry in my tummy, cuz I'm not eating?
Me: Why are God and Jesus in your tummy?
Asher: Because they live inside me. Are they hungry?

Somehow I was able to resist the urge to tell him,"YOU'RE STARVING JESUS! EAT YOUR FOOD!"

Stubborness.

2010-09-08T18:40:00.002-05:00

There are many MANY times as a parent when I have no idea what to do. As I find myself spending more 1x1 time with Asher, more of these situations arise because I have no one to consult.

Now is one of those times. I've written about Asher's refusal to eat before, and he really is doing better overall. But there are certain meals that I make that he still refuses to eat. So I've tried the "Sit here until you eat this" approach - which almost never works. I've tried the "Save it for later" approach - and he will never say he's hungry. I've tried the "You eat this and you get dessert" approach - this is effective about 40% of the time, but it's still an hourlong battle. I've tried the "Jack Bauer" approach - using a raised, very stern voice; This only works if Adam does it. And I always get the feeling that Asher is secretly laughing at me when I do it.

So you're thinking, Big deal. The kid doesn't eat a meal here or there - so what? But when he looks me in the eyes, like tonight, and says, "No" when I ask him to eat his food, there is now a twofold problem - nutrition and obedience.

So I gave into the pressure. I called Adam, and we devised the "Have him sit in the bed for 5 minutes, then ask him to come out and eat his food; repeat if necessary" approach. I hate approaches like this, because if they're not immediately effective, you are stuck with a kid lying in bed for 2 hours until Daddy gets home. Which is what is happening right now.

Can we say, FAIL?

**UPDATE - I just went into his room, and he was sleeping! Note to self - never use this approach again!

26 weeks

2010-09-03T20:52:00.001-05:00

My tummy is popping out because my clothes don't fit anymore! Time to go shopping for maternity outfits. Blah. Longer post tomorrow, I promise!

Asherism of the Day:
*when we were sitting on my bed*

Asher: Let's talk about taxes.
Me: What? Taxes?
Asher: Yes. Let's talk about taxes. Taxes are like money. Your turn, Mommy.

Baby bump for real.

2010-08-23T21:32:00.001-05:00

I look tired. And pregnant.

Awkward.

2010-08-17T22:22:00.001-05:00

So I have entered the awkward stage of pregnancy, where it's unclear if I'm pregnant or just putting on some weight. Most people at my work know I'm pregnant, but I still vaguely wonder whether those who don't know think I am struggling with a sudden weight problem. This makes me feel slightly self-conscious when buying soda and chowing down on cookies and cake. I'm pregnant, it's okay, really!

I also can't fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes very well, but the maternity clothes are still way too big. This leaves me with wearing gaucho pants, and jeans unbuttoned and hidden under belly bands and tank tops. *sigh*

Anyway, on to bigger and better things - to even out my weight gain, I am totally going to order a couple pairs of these:

Asherism of the Day

2010-08-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

Me: What did you and Daddy do today?
Asher: We played at the park and rode bikes.
Me: Fun! What else did you guys do?
Asher: We kicked some ass!
Me: Excuse me?
Asher: We kicked some ass!

Let me end this post by saying Asher spends most of his time with two people: me and Adam, one of whom has never used this phrase in her life.

Ah-hem.

PINK!

2010-07-27T17:05:00.003-05:00

For one of the first times in Tatreau

history,

a Tatreau will be having a...

GIRL!

Ok, so our child will not be a different ethnicity, but I thought this little girl was cute.

I have to admit, I'm pretty excited :) Part of me wanted a girl just to prove it was possible ( :) ), but the bigger part of me wanted a girl to shower with pink dresses, buy glittery shoes for, play tea parties with, and go shopping with when she was older. My and Adam's wish has been granted!

Little Riley ? Tatreau (any middle name ideas?) is due December 10 and will be welcomed into this world by a protective older brother, a VERY protective father (he's already planning to buy an arsenal and move to the mountains. Um, no.), two sets of adoring grandparents, and a bevy of other family and friends.

Can't wait!

2010-07-20T20:45:00.001-05:00

I am deliriously tired after spending last night staring at the ceiling for 7 1/2 straight hours. Tonight's goal? SLEEP.

Anyway, for my baby shower last weekend, my wonderful friend Monica created a "Predictions & Wishes" book for everyone (including me, Adam and Asher) to contribute to. Everyone's wishes were meaningful, and most of their predictions were plausible, especially Asher's:

Gender: "Boy! Girl! Er wait... boy!"
Weight: "3 pounds"
Eye color: "Blue"
Hair color: "Brown"
First word: "Goo goo ga ga"
Wish for baby: "That he will eat a diaper - HAHA!"

Nice.

Back to Madison

2010-07-05T19:08:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we did what I hate most: we moved. I counted, and I have moved seven times since graduating in 2007. Yes, you read that correctly, SEVEN times. When we moved into our apartment in Lake Mills, I promised myself I wouldn't move for many years. Too bad God had other plans - like a baby, new jobs, a new school for Asher. All good things, but all requiring a move.

So I have decided that Madison is a rubberband to which I am connected - I stretch and stretch, trying to get away from the city, and am only successful in temporarily moving to a new location. Inevitably, I will be pulled back and plopped right where I grew up - the West side of Madison.

Which, after many internal tantrums, I've decided is fine. Had I not come back to Madison after college, I never would have met Adam - living somewhere else or marrying Adam? Not a hard choice. Not to mention all the friends and family we have here that more than make up for a lack of change of scenery.

So, hello, Madison...

we meet again.

Is this a baby bump...

2010-06-15T20:51:00.001-05:00

...or is my very brief weight gain plan working already?

Thanks to everyone for the great advice about eating! Apparently it's working :)

Funny things

2010-06-14T20:53:00.004-05:00

So today I was getting Asher ready for bed and, as usual, trying to do 20 other things at the same time. I started the bath for him, and told him to take his clothes off and climb in. As he was doing this, I ran to the kitchen and started cleaning up the dinner mess. Running back to the bathroom, I started pouring water on him and lathering my hands with soap before I realized he had missed a crucial step: He was still wearing his T-shirt, which was now soaked. Ever so patiently he looked at me and asked, "Mommy, can you please take my T-shirt off?"

Sidenote: Be careful when calling Charter Communications. Today I called them, because our OnDemand was broken for the 50th time in the past week, and I was only half paying attention to the number I was dialing. A woman's voice came on and said, "We've been waiting for your call. Get ready for some tantalizing conversation and sensual seduc - " I dropped the phone then frantically picked it up and started pressing "End" over and over again. Who knew a phone sex line was one number away from Charter?

(This reminded me of when I came into the living room and Adam was casually browsing through the Pay-Per-View "inappropriate" channels. Without his glasses on, he cannot read anything more than a couple inches from him face. He was like, "Hi, Sweetie!" and I just stared at the TV. He then asked me, "Can you find the Food Network? Should I go up or down?" as he strained to see the channel guide from his perch on the couch. I informed he was currently looking at "Ethiopian Girls Gone Wild," and that either direction was preferable to staying on that channel.)

Such is life in the Tatreau house :)

14 week discouragement

2010-06-10T22:06:00.002-05:00

So today I had my 14-week prenatal appointment and left the office pretty discouraged. When I went in for my 10-week appointment, they told me I'd lost 5 pounds, bringing the total lost since I became pregnant to 10 pounds. Today they told me I lost 2 1/2 more.

Who knew pregnancy was such a great weight loss tool? :(

I could tell today that the doctor was starting to get concerned. She asked probing questions, I think trying to figure out if I was purposely not eating. Complete and total shame, that this would even be a possibility. I tried my best to explain that I snacked throughout the day on apples and string cheese, that I had just bought a big loaf of french bread on Tuesday and devoured it single-handedly in two days, that I wasn't trying to keep my figure despite being pregnant. I even threw in a comment about my lunch today - a fried chicken wrap with french fries. I almost gave her my friend Martha's name to verify that in fact I had eaten this for lunch, but decided that might seem desperate :)

I think my struggle is eating big meals, or meals that I prepare. I told her I absolutely cannot eat a meal I made that started with raw meat or eggs, which is everything I make for dinner. I have tried to eat it, but before the meat or egg is even in my mouth, my stomach starts to turn and I can feel it starting to hurt. So completely frustrating. She said this was really common, that most pregnant women feel like this for at least a little while. I can only hope this doesn't last forever, or I will be stuck eating grilled cheese and soup for the rest of my life.

Does anyone have suggestions about how to put on weight despite being limited by what I can eat? Maybe I just need to buy tons of Little Debbies - a box a day keeps the weight loss away!

A whining post... because I'm pregnant :)

2010-06-08T20:22:00.004-05:00

Lots of cute Asher things have happened recently - I just forgot what they were :( I always mean to post them right away... and then life happens.

So, a pregnancy update: I am not enjoying it so far. I know pregnant women aren't supposed to say that - I should only be in awe of the little life growing inside me (which I am) - but I'm going to say it anyway: I hate being pregnant. All I've experienced so far is sick, sick and more sick, which is now coupled with complete exhaustion. The only improvement I've seen is a decrease in my "food aversions": I still can't eat anything that I personally make (it turns my stomach to think of eating chicken, beef or eggs that I touched while they were raw), but I am able to eat more than just applesauce and cereal.

Success on one level.

Failure on the other. Every afternoon I feel like I am going to pass out. I sit at my desk, stare at the computer screen, and wonder how I'm going to make it through another three hours without falling asleep sitting up. My greatest fear is that one day I will fall asleep, and someone will stop by my desk to see me drooling on my keyboard.

No, thank you.

My emotional spectrum has also narrowed to three main emotions: happiness, tearfulness, and blind rage (many thanks to Adam for so often clarifying these for me). It is unclear what will set each one of these emotions off, which makes being around me akin to walking across a minefield. For example, I was watching "I Am Legend" the other day, which I have seen at least five times, and I could not stop crying when Sam (the dog) died. It wasn't a couple tears, *sniff sniff*, I'm good. This was a complete and total breakdown. I don't even like animals, and I was gasping for breath through the sobs, tearfully explaining, "I mean, the dog, she just DIED. And then Will Smith was totally depressed and totally alone, and *HUGE SOB* now what is he going to DO?" Adam was half laughing, half wondering if I'd gone crazy... and all I could say after calming down was, "I'm pregnant...?"

Here's to hoping the second trimester improves soon!

So I was looking for picture of Will Smith and Sam, and found this little gem. Guaranteed I'm the only person to laugh hysterically at this

(this is an example of my "happiness").

A story about my husband and my son

2010-05-25T22:20:00.018-05:00

I am still skeptical when people tell me, "I knew right away I was going to marry him." Especially when "right away" means "the moment I saw him across the room." Sure, that works magically well in movies, but really... how many people know the moment they look at someone that they're destined to be together?

Not many.

Myself included.

But love at first date? I am now a believer.

I had talked to Adam many times before we went on our first official date, which officially lasted two full days (don't get the wrong idea - we went our separate ways during the night, Mr. Jump to Conclusions). We had spent time together in a group, seen each other interact before we realized we wanted to date each other.

The first time I ever met him 2 1/2 years ago, I learned three things:

1) He was very cute and very muscular.
2) He had a son.
3) This son apparently had some listening issues.

We were at a bible study, the topic of which was "Boundaries." Adam brought up Asher and asked the study leader, whose wife watched Asher at her home daycare, whether Asher's behavior had improved, then proceeded to ask for suggestions about setting up boundaries for Asher.

I was intrigued. How old was Asher? Where was Asher while Adam was at the bible study? Was Adam dating somebody (I noticed he wasn't wearing a wedding ring)? Was that person watching Asher?

I couldn't tell you why I was so enthralled with these two. At that point I was definitely not thinking about dating Adam. I didn't know any details about his life and he didn't seem too interested in learning details about mine. We were content with running into each other at a mutual friend's bonfires and making small talk when the situation demanded it.

The first time I saw Asher was at a 2008 Superbowl party. I thought he was completely adorable and, being completely bored by football, proceeded to try to get his attention throughout the entire party. Being 1 1/2, he basically ignored me, preferring to run circles through the house and jump on the couch.

Fast forward nine months: My first date with Adam. The months leading up to this had been filled with lackluster dates with cookie cutter guys, men I knew from minute one of the date were not for me. I was in no way a serial dater - before graduating from college, I had literally gone on two dates in my entire life. Yet, as I had known right away those guys were not for me, I knew right away Adam was.

It seemed wrong. We seemed too different. I was worried I wasn't "cool enough" for him; I found out later he thought I was "too beautiful" to date him.

A couple hours into our first date, we were telling each other very serious things about our pasts. This went against all dating etiquette - but as we were talking, I felt a gentle urging to tell him things I didn't want him to know. After I was done, I was sure he would hop on his motorcycle and leave me stranded at the park. Instead, he took a deep breath, smiled, and suggested we get some pizza and rent a movie. He told me later he heard a gentle voice say, "She's different. Stay with her."

And now we're married. And I still sometimes lie in bed and wonder how it all happened. I went from being single and pretty tired of mingling, to married to my dream man with a son and another baby on the way.

Word of advice? Trust yourself. I know, blah blah, right? But I KNEW those other guys were wrong for me, even when I tried to make them work. Wait for the one who only feels right.

He is more than worth it.

2010-05-22T21:07:00.000-05:00

Funny husband story of the day: Yesterday was our 6-month anniversary of being married (cue Adam singing: "It looks like we made it, look how far we've come, my baby..." in falsetto, which he started doing 5 days after we were married).

On Thursday I got a text from him: "Happy 6 month anniversary!"
Me: "Um... you mean tomorrow?"
Him: "Whoops."

I've already accepted the fact that I'll be receiving my anniversary gifts on November 20 (the day before our anniversary), November 22 (our "anniversary" of arriving in St. Lucia, which Adam said he was thinking of 2 months ago when he told me "Happy 4-month Anniversary" on March 22. Right.), November 29 (my birthday), or Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving).

Good thing he's amazing :)

2010-05-20T21:19:00.001-05:00

So today I noticed I am starting to get a tummy. I am not sure if this is the baby, or the doughnuts that now make up my breakfast.

The sad thing is, I absolutely hate doughnuts ... normally.

First look at Baby :)

2010-05-13T20:40:00.000-05:00

Baby Tatreau - 6 weeks (he has my nose - can't you tell?)

Baby Tatreau - 10 weeks

His little feet are on the left, and his big Baird head is on the right :)

I used "he" in this post, but we won't find out the gender until 18 weeks - 2 more months! I can't wait that long. Any guesses on what Baby is going to be? As we watched the ultrasound, Adam said, "Look at him karate kicking your uterus! It has to be a boy." But my parents think it's a girl... so Boy: 1, Girl: 2.

2010-05-13T20:34:00.000-05:00

This is a video that Adam showed me a couple months ago. It is pretty cheesy in the beginning, and Jesus looks a little ridiculous, but getting past that, it is really cool.

2010-05-12T20:40:00.002-05:00

**Warning: This post is not for weak stomachs!**

So I pretty much haven't been on here because I've been sick - as most people know, because along with being constantly sick, I've been constantly whining about being sick. I always thought I was fairly stoic when it came to illness - Baby Tatreau has brought me to my knees. (Currently, I am planning to only have two children: Asher and Baby Tatreau. I will be informing Adam of this fact later tonight).

Along with being sick I've been working full time and watching Asher at night, since Adam is working 2nd shift. This has led to an interesting balancing act, one that sometimes doesn't go so well.

The other night, as I was getting ready to pull the cheesy potatoes out of the oven, I suddenly thought, "I am going to throw up." I turned, ready to make a beeline for the bathroom, and projectile vomited into the trash can (at least I have good aim). Asher heard this whole thing and rushed over to watch me huddle over the receptacle and try to maintain some composure amidst the onslaught.

In true boy fashion, he groaned, "Oh, Mommy! That's disgusting!" Not able to disagree, I clasped my hands over my mouth and ran to the bathroom. I could hear the pitter patter of little feet following me ... then, as I knelt down by the toilet, I felt a little hand start rubbing my back.

"Mommy, it will be okay. God and Jesus will heal you. I know they will. It will be okay."

It's for moments like these - and so many others - that make motherhood, vomit and all, worth it.

2010-05-03T20:47:00.003-05:00

Today... I miss my husband.

Adam started a part-time second shift position today. Training lasts for the next two months, and the hours are brutal: 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. This is on top of appraising, so my poor hubby is going to be worked to death until we move to Madison in July.

Then, things will slow down... slightly.

Adam's hours will shift to 3:30p.m.-7:30p.m., and he will no longer be appraising. Neither one of us will be driving 25+ miles to get to work anymore, and life will hopefully be simpler. Then, when we have the baby, Adam will be with the kids until 3 p.m., I'll be with the kids until 8 p.m., then we'll be together after that.

Still rough?

Yes :(

But with our desire to not put the baby in daycare for at least the first year, and the price of daycare for two kids ($2000 per month! Ack!), God opened doors to make this somewhat crazy schedule work for us. Hopefully.

I just didn't realize how much I'd miss him.

2010-04-20T22:30:00.002-05:00

Major life changes are happening. Right now. To the Tatreau family. Married only five months, and we find out we're pregnant, Adam is going through a major career change, we're moving to Madison, and today, we bought a new car. Paid cash for it, actually - something I am very grateful we were able to do! Sure, everyone made fun of me when I lived in ghetto Valley View; no, living off spaghetti and rice wasn't nutritionally sound; yes, it was annoying driving around in a junker for years - but all of these things made for a lot of extra cash that is now invested in this:

Hello, Mom car!

Goodbye, chocolate - it's been real.

2010-04-11T21:14:00.001-05:00

One question everyone's been asking me is, "Had any cravings yet?" Not yet... but today I faced the horrible truth I've been ignoring for the past week:

I HATE CHOCOLATE.

Ok, maybe hate is too strong a word - but the thought of eating M&Ms, those hard chocolate eggs that are everywhere at Easter, chocolate cake, brownies, or even hot chocolate faintly disgusts me. Those of you who know me well - or at all - know I love chocolate above every other treat.

Baby Tatreau, we are going to have strong words 10 years from now.

I can only hope my tastebuds will decide 9 months from now that they temporarily lost their minds.

Until then:

Asherism of the Day

2010-04-05T20:04:00.001-05:00

Asher: My little brudder or sister is in your tummy, Mommy?

Me: Yeah... The baby's growing in Mommy's tummy until it's time for him to come out.

Asher: How did the baby get in dere?

Me: Er, well... God put him in there.

Asher: How does the baby come out?

Me: The doctor takes him out when he's done growing.

Asher: *thinking* Baby, come out right now! Come out, baby!

And baby makes four :)

2010-04-03T19:46:00.000-05:00

The front of the card I handed to Adam this past Tuesday.

The inside of the card.

The proof inside the card that, yes, WE'RE PREGNANT!

My plan was to tell only our family and closest friends until I'd had the chance to go to the doctor, but these plans changed when I came out of the shower Tuesday night to find out Adam had texted his entire contact list the news. His excuse? "I was too excited to wait! I wanted everyone to know WE'RE HAVING A BABY!" Ok, I suppose I can forgive that :)

Ode to My Snuggie

2010-03-30T21:42:00.002-05:00

I love my Snuggie.

Adam got it for me for our one-year dating anniversary, and I've had plenty of snugglefests in it since then. We even got Asher his own kid Snuggie, because he was always stealing mine, and we contemplated getting my parent's dachshund a Snuggie (Adam refused to pay for this).

I have the basic Snuggie:

If this isn't stylish enough for you, they now have this new trendy print:

(When I think of style, I think of zebra print.)

My one frustration with the Snuggie is that it doesn't zip up in the back - Adam's response to this complaint? "That would make it a coat." Touche.

There is even a perfect Snuggie option for Mom and Baby:

That's not creepy.

Asherism of the Day

2010-03-17T22:18:00.001-05:00

So today my blog earned another follower! Not that big of news, but it makes me excited to see my "Followers" number increase, one faithful reader at a time :)

Asherism of the Day:
*As we were sitting at dinner, eating chicken and red-skinned potatoes*

Asher: (under his breath, pulling the skin off his potatoes) "Ok... gotta get this crap off of here..."

Keep in mind this child is 3 1/2. Can we say, parental fail? I blame Adam.

Lightroom part deux

2010-03-13T14:20:00.003-06:00

Here are some more pics I messed with in Lightroom... any thoughts?

Asher's alter ego

2010-03-11T20:54:00.003-06:00

Every superhero has an alter-ego: Superman has Clark Kent, Batman has Bruce Wayne, and Asher Isaiah Tatreau has Naked Boy.

Whenever Asher gets out of the bathtub, he runs streaking through the house yelling, "I'm Naked Boy!" Once we finally get him cornered and dressed, Naked Boy disappears until the next time a tired Mommy or Daddy needs to be taunted by a bare butt barely slipping out of their grasp.

During a particularly intense battle the other night between Naked Boy and Daddy, I slipped into my and Adam's room to change into my own PJs. I normally lock the door when changing or using the bathroom, but since Asher was occupied, I decided to quickly change without the normal protective measures. In the middle of the changing process, Asher suddenly burst through the door, stared at me with my shirt and pants half-off, and ran shrieking out of the room.

As I pulled my PJ pants on, I heard Asher wail, "Mommy's Naked Boy! Mommy's Naked Boy!"

I think he might be scarred for life...

Rub a dub dub, a Boofs in the tub

2010-03-09T22:44:00.004-06:00

So I promise to post an actual post before the week is out... until then, here are some pictures of Boofs I took during our bathtub photo shoot :) These were edited in Lightroom, which I learned about from the lovely and talented Laura Zastrow. I consider myself a mother and wife first, a friend and daughter second, and an aspiring photographer/interior designer/graphic designer dead last. But using Lightroom helped me pretend for a moment that I was more than just aspiring... I owe you one, Lr.

Asherism of the Day

2010-03-06T11:03:00.004-06:00

(As Adam was leaving for a night out with the guys)

Asher: "Where Daddy going?"
Me: "He's having a Daddy Night with his friends."
Asher: "I want to have a Daddy Night too!"
Me: "You can't have a Daddy Night - you're not a daddy!"
Asher: *very disappointed* "Oh."
Me: "But we can have an Asher Night!"
Asher: *thinking* "No, Mommy. We can't have an Asher Night, because you're not an Asher!"

Touche, my son, touche.

Playground pic

2010-03-06T10:56:00.002-06:00

This is my favorite group shot from our wedding.
Favorite expressions? Abby's, Eric Van's, and Eric W's.
I also love Josh running game (with his wife) in the righthand corner :P

We went to the chapel, and we got married!

2010-03-03T19:43:00.005-06:00

See more at tatreaus.shutterfly.com !

Britney Spears

2010-02-28T21:20:00.006-06:00

As we were driving in my car, listening to hit radio:

Britney Spears: "There's only two types of guys out there: ones that can hang with me, and ones that are scared..."

Adam: "Yeah ... I'm scared."

Wedding pictures!

2010-02-28T15:11:00.008-06:00

This is my favorite pic so far :) More to come!

(photo courtesy of Laura Zastrow, lz photography - visit her site:
lauratakesphotos.blogspot.com)

Whiny McWhinersons

2010-02-22T19:12:00.004-06:00

When Asher gets into whiny mode, he forgets why he started whining and whines about anything. This can be very annoying, very funny, or a mashed-up mixture of both.

The other day Asher woke up crabby: "I don't want to go to school, Daddy! I don't want to put on my pants! But I WANT to bring my blankie to school - why can't I?" This continued as I was getting ready for work, the constant drone of a high-pitched, protesting voice serenading me as I did my hair and make-up. I normally do my hair and make-up in just a towel, fresh out of the shower, so when Adam had to come into the bathroom for something, we kept the door closed.

As I was talking to Adam, I heard the new complaints begin: "I want to go in the bathroom too! Let me in the bathroom please! I want to see Mommy! Let me in!" This was soon accompanied by banging on the door.

Adam opened the door and explained to Asher, "You can't go in there right now. Mommy just has a towel on."

"But you're in there!" Asher protested.

"Yes, but I'm married to Mommy," Adam said.

Asher thought about it for a second, then came up with the obvious solution to his predicament. "I want to be married to Mommy, too!"

This realization started a fresh whiny burst, and for the rest of the morning he wailed, "I want to be married to Mommy, too! I want to be married to Mommy, too! Daddy, can I be married to Mommy, too? I want to be married to Mommy, too!"

Who can blame me for laughing? :)

I'm the Man Your Man Could Smell Like

2010-02-20T12:27:00.001-06:00

Adam.

Love never fails...

2010-02-16T21:17:00.004-06:00

If you know me, you know I'm impossible to surprise. Yes, I knew about my engagement before it happened; yes, I knew about my surprise 21st birthday party prior to the "surprise" ... the list goes on. So imagine my surprise when Adam actually SURPRISED me this weekend!

This past Saturday was my "Spa Day" - Adam and I had planned a month ago for me to go to the spa (inside a local resort) for Valentine's Day, and then he'd meet me there for dinner. After much pampering, I met Adam, refreshed and renewed, ready for a romantic date.

Dinner wasn't for a couple hours, so we got coffee and looked at these awesome snow sculptures that were part of the local Winterfest.

After looking at the snow sculptures, we headed back to the resort for dinner - salad, fruit, prime rib, chicken, lobster tails, potatoes and pasta. As I was stuffing my face (but trying to look like I wasn't stuffing my face, since it was a fancy restaurant), I noticed Adam seemed really distracted (turns out we'd been given the wrong waiter for the surprise to come later, but I obviously didn't know this at the time). Somewhat irritated he wasn't paying 100% attention to me, I finally asked, "Why are you so distracted? Aren't you having fun?"

His response? "I am having fun! I'm sorry I seem like I'm not."

Right. Very convincing.

As we were sitting there - me moping, Adam glancing nervously around the room - he suddenly grabbed his phone out of his pocket and said, "My mom just called me! Can you get the check? I want to make sure Asher is okay." Miffed and now worried about Asher, I nodded my head and glanced enviously at the smooching couple next to us. THEY were obviously having a great time - why was my husband being so lame?

The waiter came back, handed me the check, then handed me a Hallmark card. At first I thought the waiter was giving me a card, and I was like, "Great. My husband leaves me alone at the table, and now our waiter is hitting on me. Serves Adam right." But then I opened it:

Completely shocked, and now completely shamed by my bad attitude, I said goodbye to the winking waiter, headed to Room 2574, and was greeted by a suffusion of roses. On the coffee table there were rose petals surrounding a bottle of my favorite wine, and a note:

I burst into tears (no surprise there either) and gave Adam a hug. The best part of the night happened then: Adam looked at me, beaming, and all I could see was his happiness at successfully surprising me.

True love is worth the wait.

In honor of Valentine's Day: A Love Story.

2010-02-12T20:29:00.004-06:00

Adam loves TGIFriday's' Jack Daniel's Sauce.

Because of this, Adam and I have visited TGIFriday's more times than I've ever wanted to visit a subpar, Guy Fieri-inspired grill & bar chain restaurant. But I endured the lackluster food because I knew how much Adam loved it.

This past weekend, we again ventured to TGIFriday's and I was reminded why it sucks. As Adam raved over his Jack Daniel's Chicken Sandwich, I focused my attention on my mashed potatoes, the only edible thing on my plate. Suddenly, a lightbulb: What if I could make Jack Daniel's Sauce at home? I would never have to force my tastebuds to deal with pickle-flavored BBQ wraps or dry, lifeless hamburgers again.

So on Monday night I set to work. I headed to Copps and bought the necessary ingredients: onions, Jack Daniel's Tennesee Whiskey (I felt like such a boozer at the check-out), brown sugar, crushed pineapples, pineapple juice, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, roasted garlic. I banned Adam from the kitchen, arranged all my ingredients, and started slicing, dicing and mixing. I was definitely nervous - it was my first time making a "reduction," and I had no idea how it would turn out. But my confidence lifted when Adam snuck into the kitchen and said, "It smells like Jack Daniel's Sauce in here..."

I smiled, and he flipped out. "BABY! Are you making Jack Daniel's Sauce?"

Hopefully...

The next twenty minutes found us staring at the pan, trying to decide if the sauce was simmering too much or not enough, and if the "simmer" was actually a "boil."

When 35 minutes had passed, I insisted it was done, and we poured it into a bowl, dipped in a spoon and tasted it.

The result...? A happily-ever-after for this love triangle - Adam gets his beloved sauce, the sauce gets to be eaten by a true connoisseur, and I never have to go to TGIFriday's ever again :)

Asherisms of the Day:

2010-02-12T20:26:00.002-06:00

(This happened a year ago, but I was reminded of it this week) As we were standing in line behind an African-American family at Wal-Mart, Asher pointed to their daughter and said loudly, "Look, Daddy! A chocolate baby!"

Asher loves those singing Hallmark cards. Whenever we get one, we let him carry it around and play it until he gets bored or the card breaks. The other day, I was organizing Adam's drawers and found some singing cards I'd given him stashed in the corner. Asher was standing there, so I let him play with them. A harmless enough activity, until I heard Asher singing along to one of the cards: "Superfweak! Superfweak! She's super fweaky!"

Whoops.

Megan's Muzzle-O-Meter

2010-02-10T20:49:00.004-06:00

I was listening to the Dennis Miller program the other day, and he had a portion of his program called the "Muzzle-O-Meter." He'd play a quote from a politician then ask audience members to call in and rate the level of "muzzle-ibility" - 1 was "Ok, what idiot is complaining about that harmless comment?" and 10 was "Please never open your mouth again."

In my lines of work (recruiter AND mother AND wife), there are many times when I want to muzzle people. So I decided to let you guys rate the following situations on Megan's Muzzle-O-Meter. Ready?

Situation 1:

I went to a job fair last week as a representative from my company. At job fairs, each employer's booth has "trinkets" - free items (pens, pencils, keychains, mugs) with their company logo on them. An unspoken rule among recruiters is that after a job fair is over, any leftover trinkets are handed out to recruiters from other companies. Knowing this, I stopped by Kohls' booth on my way out and grabbed one of their cute eco-friendly bags. I stopped in the entryway of the building to open the bag, started loading my junk into it, then noticed this lady storming after me.

"Excuse me!" she exclaimed. "Did you just take one of our Eco-Girl bags?"

Shocked, I started blushing as the curious crowd surrounding us listened in.

"Er, yes...?"

"You can't just TAKE our bags! You need to connect with one of our representatives before you take a bag. I'm going to need that back." And she held out her hand.

Had I not been surprised and embarrassed, I would have said, "Ok, so I just connected with you. Can I have the bag now?"

But instead, I said, "How was I supposed to know these bags weren't available to take? We're at a job fair - everything on the tables is free."

Quite snottily, she replied, "Well, sorry. You have to connect with one of us to get a bag. So please give it back."

And I did.
Muzzle-O-Meter rating?

Situation 2:

I took Asher to Urgent Care yesterday. The nurse who helped us was (in my opinion) quite rude. I explained that I'd gone to Urgent Care that morning, was told I had strep throat and was concerned that Asher might have caught it as well.

"So you couldn't take your son with you to Urgent Care this morning?" she asked.

Oh, I'm sorry... next time I'll make sure to visit another Urgent Care facility so as not to make you work.
Muzzle-O-Meter rating?

Situation 3:

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was asked to remove a post from my blog. Full story? I wrote a post about ridiculous people I've interviewed (the post had no mention of where I work, the names of the people interviewed, what the people interviewed looked like, etc.), and some anonymous person at my work saw it and complained to the Vice President about it. He or she claimed it "cast [the company] in a bad light." I was then asked to remove it.
Muzzle-O-Meter rating?

This next section is entirely devoted to Asherisms :)

Situation 4:
While at this year's Holiday Movie (sponsored by my work), a (very) large woman walked by me and Asher. Loud enough for her to hear, Asher said, "There goes the big, fat people!"
Muzzle-O-Meter rating?

Situation 5:

At Walgreens yesterday, an older gentleman with a white beard was our cashier. Asher looked at him, then said excitedly, "Look, Mommy! It's Santa Claus!"

Muzzle-O-Meter rating?

Attention!

2010-02-08T19:49:00.001-06:00

So I don't want to turn this blog into a random collections of videos, but some videos are too funny not to share :) Demetri Martin? Yes please.

Important Things with Demetri Martin

Attention - Forgot His Name

www.comedycentral.com

Joke of the Day

Stand-Up Comedy

Free Online Games

...Bliss...

2010-02-06T10:34:00.001-06:00

As I sit here and watch Asher pile his cold, congealed eggs he's supposed to be eating into a tower, I can't help but dream about the day at the spa Adam got me for Christmas. This gift came after numerous presents of jewelry, which I either lost or broke (I know, me and expensive jewelry do not get along) - imagine my relief when I opened the package and realized I'd been given a gift I was supposed to dispose of!

So my spa day is next Saturday, February 13, and do I have some day planned!

11:00-12:30 - Full body massage
12:30-1:00 - Facial
1:00-2:00 - Pedicure, complete with hot rocks
2:00-3:00 - Cut/Style of my hair in preparation for Valentine's Dinner with my wonderful hubby :)

Yes, he's pretty amazing. (Excuse my bragging in this post :))

ABC

2010-02-04T22:34:00.001-06:00

Adam and I try to incorporate learning for Asher into everyday activities. When we're watching TV, we'll ask him to point out colors and shapes; when we give him chips or cookies, we'll ask him to count them; when we're driving, we ask him to name letters on signs we pass. (He is probably secretly cursing us for not letting him just relax).

On Tuesday, Adam found another way to get Asher to learn the alphabet - by being a boy.

Asher got a foam Sesame Street alphabet puzzle for Christmas. Instead of learning the letters, Asher has much enjoyed making the pieces into a track for his cars. When we all got home Tuesday night, we congregated in the toy room and Asher started calmly putting this makeshift track together. In mere seconds, the calm soon gave way to an all-out battle between the boys (shocker!). As foam letters zipped past me, I heard Adam yell, "I just threw an 'A' at you! In your face!" Then Asher responded - "I just threw a 'Y' at you! IN YOUR FACE!" Adam picked up the puzzle piece, and incredulously said, "It IS a 'Y'!" Up until this point we had thought Asher only knew the letters of his name - imagine our shock when he ended up correctly naming every letter of the alphabet before whipping it at Adam's head.

An apparently brilliant teaching tool! My only concern is this now-possible scenario:

Teacher: *pointing at a flash card in front of Asher* "Asher, can you name this letter?"
Asher: *throwing the flash card at the teacher* "I just threw an 'S' at you! IN YOUR FACE!"

Oh dear.

2010-02-03T19:31:00.000-06:00

As Asher and Adam were driving home today:

"Daddy, that sunset is pretty, like Mommy!"

Pics from the past

2010-02-02T21:04:00.003-06:00

So I think the "Comments" (aka Lollipops) are fixed. Let me know if you still have problems with them.

For Christmas my aunt and uncle sent us a photo mobile. I decided to hang it in Asher's room and started digging through Adam's pictures looking for cute ones of Boof. This is not the first time I've perused these photos: With the number of picture frames we received for our wedding, I've revisited them multiple times. And as much as I love seeing pictures of Asher from his younger days, it is hard knowing I wasn't there. I didn't carry Asher for nine months, I didn't hold him when he had his first breath, I never cuddled him when he was a not-very-chubby 6-month-old. I didn't show up until 2 1/2 years into his life; all those "firsts" are things I will never experience with Asher.

This loss revisited me during Asher's pediatrics appointment two weeks ago. As the doctor pulled out Asher's chart, she started questioning me: "So your pregnancy with Asher was normal? No complications, no scares? Was it a natural birth or a C-section?"

I just stared at her for a second. "Uh...I don't know."

She looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

While Asher drove a truck across the examination table, I explained.

The rest of the appointment involved her phrasing questions with, "To your knowledge has...?" and "Did your husband tell you if...?"

Strange to feel so connected to Asher and not know basic facts about his birth. And hard to realize I can never experience the years I missed.

Which is why every year I have from here on out is so important.

2010-01-28T21:23:00.001-06:00

Asher started preschool 3 weeks ago, which has caused some major transitions in our little household. This is his first experience with a structured environment - he is now interacting with kids at least 3 days a week, is required to sit quietly through alphabet and number lessons, and is expected to listen to his teacher the first time, every time.

The first two weeks of preschool involved many tears and much begging - every morning he'd wake up, burst into tears, and emphatically tell us, "I want to stay at my new house forever!" (I didn't have the heart to tell him he'd feel like this until he retired at age 65).

Starting this week, though, he has become much more comfortable at school. Which means "the testing" has started. Being Asher, he has to see how far he can push boundaries before they start pushing back. Pick-up after school has suddenly become more uncomfortable for me and Adam - instead of, "Your son is such a joy!" we're now getting lists of the things he did wrong. On Tuesday, as I listened to his teacher explain how he'd purposely spilled his water at lunch, spit food on a kid, run without pants on through occupied bathroom stalls, a small part of me shrunk in embarrassment. She thinks we don't discipline at home! a little voice whispered. She thinks we're bad parents!

But yesterday, as Adam was recounting what the teacher had told him that afternoon, I emphatically silenced that small voice, listened to Asher crying on time-out in his bed, and decided to regroup. Too often I think of disciplining as a battle between me and Asher instead of a battle between me, Asher and his "naughty." I want Asher to be happy, healthy and content; without boundaries, he won't be. So, as parents, it is my and Adam's job to create boundaries and to enforce them calmly, firmly, consistently and lovingly. Hard to do on those difficult nights. Which is where Adam's gentle reminder to me comes in: "As parents, we have to continually practice unconditional love."

And so my experiences parenting have shown me something else (at the risk of sounding like a modern Christian ballad): How amazing the Lord is for unconditionally loving us when we're the ones having the temper tantrum.

This post is for Nat :)

2010-01-27T20:04:00.000-06:00

You know your toddler watches too much T.V. when...

2010-01-27T19:37:00.004-06:00

Asher: "Mommy, are you sick?"
Me: "Yes, my tummy hurts."
Asher: "Why does your tummy hurt? Did you eat too much?"
Me: "No, Mommy just has a stomach flu bug in her tummy."
Asher: *wide-eyed* "You ate a bug, Mommy?"
Me: "Er... yes, sort of. Mommy ate a flu bug."
Asher: "You ate a bug... like on Man bersus Wild?" (He can't say the letter "V" yet)
Me: *just going with it* "Yeah, like Bear Grylls."
Asher: "Oh, Mommy, that's gross."

Fat Princess

2010-01-20T18:35:00.002-06:00

My new obsession is this ridiculous online PS3 game called "Fat Princess." It came recommended to me and Adam by my brother-in-law, and I'll admit I yawned when Adam called me, completely excited about it. Then I played it...

The game is a form of Capture the Flag, played with other online gamers. There are two teams: Red Team and Blue Team. Instead of a flag, each team has a princess. The point of the game is to rescue your princess from the opposing team's jail. Sounds easy, right? Not so! As you're trying to rescue her, the opposing team is feeding their captured princess "cakies," trying to make her morbidly obese. That way, if the enemy makes it through the sorcerers, priests, warriors, workers and archers guarding the fortress, they won't be able to carry the princess to safety because she'll be too fat (see above picture).

Last night found me screaming, "C'mon, merlin1276! WHAT are you DOing? Stop chopping down the tree and stab that guy!" at the TV as the Blue Team carried away our princess for the 3rd game in a row. Quite frustrating, but I'm ready for a rematch tonight. Blue Team, you're going down!

A cheeky post

2010-01-20T18:30:00.009-06:00

So events this week left me slightly miffed. Ok, more than slightly miffed - thoroughly irritated. As none of you probably noticed, one of my posts disappeared yesterday afternoon, never to be seen again. I was asked to remove it, because a nameless, faceless person had found it offensive. At the risk of having to remove this post as well, I'll leave the explanation at that.

At first, like I said, I was irritated. My little blog is just trying to make an imprint in the ever-expanding blogosphere - complaining about it is like stepping on a puppy! A really really tiny puppy.

And the post was not meant to be offensive, just funny. And it really wasn't offensive, unless you happened to somehow know one of the five anonymous people I mentioned. Assuming my site traffic was fairly minimal ( notice how many of my posts have zero comments :P ), I figured the risk of that happening was one in 10 million. What I didn't account for was anonymous stalkers who like to complain - apparently they're more common than I realized. Who would have thought...?

As I was expressing my frustrations with Adam, he pointed out something interesting: obviously someone who's not my Mom or a close friend is reading my site! And like that I was overjoyed.

I consider myself a writer, and every writer wants to be read and relevant. And with this now non-existent post, at least one person read it and thought it was relevant enough to express dissatisfaction with it. Ah ha! Success.

So I would like to thank whoever complained about my post. I have grand plans for my baby blog, and you inspired me to keep trying to achieve them :)

2010-01-18T12:23:00.005-06:00

Sitting on my comfortable bed, surrounded by my two loves, good food, clean water and cable TV, I can barely grasp that a 22-hour journey to my South reveals a country demolished by disaster.

Because of this disconnect, I am grateful for my and Adam's trip to St. Lucia, a sister-state of Haiti. While St. Lucia is more prosperous than Haiti (mainly due to tourism), the two countries are similar in many ways. Meeting the St. Lucian people and touring their towns is helping me better visualize Haiti's layout and how catastrophic an earthquake would be. In St. Lucia, towns were built into hills, with slums right next to wealthy neighborhoods. On one of our tours I mentioned to Adam how horrifying a natural disaster would be in St. Lucia - all their winding roads and ramshackle buildings would crumble when faced with a tsunami, hurricane or earthquake. Substituting "Haiti" for "St. Lucia," I begin to understand the damage done during last week's 7.0 magnitude monster:

What is hard to understand is the pain on the Haitians' faces. Being miles away from Haiti, the two options many of us have for helping are prayer and donation. If you are looking for a way to DONATE, I recommend donating through the Hands & Feet Project, run by former Audio Adrenaline band members Mark and Will. They are both (I think) currently in Haiti, and are providing live video updates to CNN. Having listened to their music growing up, I know these guys are legite; They are getting the money to the people who need it most.

And PRAY. It works.

"Funny babies, Mommy!"

2010-01-17T14:25:00.003-06:00

Every time I open my laptop I hear the same question, "Funny babies, Mommy?" A while ago I showed Asher this YouTube video of a laughing baby, and since then, he's wanted to watch it every time my computer is on. And each time, he laughs like it's the first time he's seen it. So for your viewing pleasure, a Funny Baby:

p.s. Whoever gave my Tae Bo video 1 star out of 5, you're mean spirited! I will Tae Bo kick you in the face.

Smokey the Bear says, "Only you can prevent toy room fires."

2010-01-15T19:22:00.001-06:00

I hate Nerf guns. Mainly because I'm always a target in Adam and Asher's Nerf gun wars, and end up with darts tangled in my hair or suctioned to my butt.

After today, though, I have an additional reason to hate Nerf guns: They're flammable.

Fridays Asher doesn't go to preschool, so he was home with Adam, playing in his toy room while Daddy worked. After working for a while, Adam decided to check on Asher, who was still nicely driving trucks and cars around in his toy room.

As Adam entered the toy room, he immediately smelled burning plastic and noticed smoke billowing out of the space heater attached to the wall. Rushing over to it, Adam pulled out the object at the center of the smoke cloud: a Nerf gun dart. Apparently Asher had decided to stick the dart in the heater, which promptly started a fire that he just ignored until Adam discovered it.

Smokey the Bear, meet Asher Isaiah Tatreau. You two need to get acquainted.

Who needs amusement parks when you have a garage door?

2010-01-15T19:12:00.004-06:00

Being the parent of a 3 1/2 boy has endless moments of joy but almost as many moments of sheer terror. When that 3 1/2 year old boy is Boofies and his dad is Adam, you become well-acquainted with heart attacks and graying hair in your mid-20s. Case in point:

A couple months ago we were leaving to run some errands. After getting Boofies all bundled up in his winter gear, we headed out.

Adam went out the door first, then Boofies, then me. As I stepped into the garage, I pressed the garage door opener, then turned to my car to grab my coat out of the front seat. I picked it up, turned around and let out a blood curdling scream (once again, my modus operandi in crisis situations).

Asher was hanging from the garage door, holding on as it opened.

In the brief second I'd turned away, he'd grabbed onto the bottom of the door and was going for a little ride. I dropped my coat, took two giant leaps and grabbed him as the door continued to open. Adam was just standing there open mouthed - he'd heard my scream and turned to see Asher riding to his doom. Meanwhile, Asher was just smiling away, oblivious to the fact that he'd almost cracked his head open and crushed his hands. Small prices to pay for the thrill that is riding the garage door!

Tae Bo with the Tatreaus

2010-01-13T21:42:00.001-06:00

So I look ridiculous, but ignore my incompetent Tae Bo skills - Boofie is the star of this show :)

2010-01-13T20:43:00.002-06:00

My little lovey! I've always hated "food pictures" of kids, but since Asher came along, I've given up my disdain for pictures of spaghetti-faced children and have my own collection. After all, Asher is the cutest kid on the planet, so he's going to look adorable no matter what :P

Our very own metal detector, and his name is Asher.

2010-01-11T21:29:00.005-06:00

In the past month Asher has developed an attraction to shiny, silver items. If we leave out change, it will mysteriously disappear and turn up a couple days later in one of Asher's "secret" hiding spots. The other day as I was dusting, I noticed nickels, dimes and quarters stashed in flower vases and hidden behind picture frames around the living room. "Oh, how cute!" I thought to myself with a smile. "He has a little collection!"

On Saturday we were trying to leave the house to get to a Christmas/New Year's party and couldn't find Adam's keys anywhere. "I had them in my coat pocket. They were just there!" Adam exclaimed, frustrated. I didn't fully believe him, because as discussed in a previous post, he tends to misplace things. We continued looking and could not find them anywhere. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking away.

"Asher took them!" Adam said, pointing an accusing finger at our adorable son as he drove trucks across the carpet.

"Oh, sweetie, really?" I said disapprovingly. "You're going to blame the Boofies? He likes to hide change but he wouldn't take your keys."

Adam was convinced; me, not so much. It sounded suspiciously like that time we were at Chili's and I blamed Asher for spilling chocolate milk all over the table when it had been me who'd clumsily knocked it over.

Reluctantly, I pulled Asher aside and asked him if he'd taken Daddy's keys. "Yes, Mommy," he said. "They're behind my game."

"Oh! Which game?" I asked.

"Over there!" And he lifted up his V-Smile video game to reveal... nothing.

"Boofies! There's nothing here. Do you have Daddy's keys?"

"Yes, they're.... *long pause*... they're under the kitchen table!"

Nothing.

"They're under the little table!"

Nothing.

"They're by my train!"

Nothing. This continued for 10 more minutes, with the keys still nowhere to be found. Neither Adam nor I were 100% sure Asher had taken them, so we didn't want to discipline him if Adam had actually lost them. We settled instead for ripping the house apart and scouring Asher's hiding places - the heating vent in his room, under the fireplace, inside his "Cars" semi-trailer.

"Asher, if you took Daddy's keys and you're lying to Mommy and Daddy about it, you will not get to take your new movie to Uncle Josh and Aunt Amanda's."

All I got for that threat was a little smile and the suggestion to check behind the couch for the keys.

Five minutes later, I heard an exasperated yell from the living room. "JAMMED BEHIND THE TV! THEY WERE JAMMED BEHIND THE TV THIS WHOLE TIME!"

I ran out to see Adam holding his keys and giving Asher that, "You're about to get in big trouble, buddy," look, and joined in. We were met with a giggle that quickly turned into a wail when he realized we were going to make good on my threat.

In the car ride to the party, I said to Adam, "I really think he learned his lesson this time. Good job, us!"

Later that night, as I was chatting with my sister-in-law Amanda, I heard my brother-in-law Josh yell from the other room, "Has anyone seen my cologne? It's in a shiny, silver bottle..."

Asher: 1, Mommy and Daddy: -25

Lollipop, Lollipop, Oh Lolly Lolly Lolly Lollipop

2010-01-07T20:30:00.000-06:00

Asher loves this song, which is why lollipops are the theme of this blog :)

As I loaded this page to write this, he saw the lollipops and yelled, "Lollipops! Lollipops everywhere! I love them!"

Adorable :)

Suddenly Mommy

Attitude problem

Sweet boy

Now I'm just a fat, old mom!

Surprise

10 months

Nosy neighbors

What?

Chicken du jour

Asherisms of the Day

Sometimes...

Tonight...

Remind me again what "well rested" feels like

Asherisms of the Day

Asherism of the Day

Rylee Grace Tatreau

10 Worst Christmas Songs

16

Mommy x2

Asherisms of the Day

34 weeks

Apparently sleep deprivation is getting to me.

Psalm 27 (NIV)

Of David.

Things and such.

29 weeks

Asherism of the Day

Stubborness.

26 weeks

Baby bump for real.

Awkward.

Asherism of the Day

PINK!

Back to Madison

Is this a baby bump...

Funny things

14 week discouragement

A whining post... because I'm pregnant :)

A story about my husband and my son

First look at Baby :)

Goodbye, chocolate - it's been real.

Asherism of the Day

And baby makes four :)

Ode to My Snuggie

Asherism of the Day

Lightroom part deux

Asher's alter ego

Rub a dub dub, a Boofs in the tub

Asherism of the Day

Playground pic

We went to the chapel, and we got married!

Britney Spears

Wedding pictures!

Whiny McWhinersons

I'm the Man Your Man Could Smell Like

Love never fails...

In honor of Valentine's Day: A Love Story.

Asherisms of the Day:

Megan's Muzzle-O-Meter

Attention!

*...*Bliss*...*

ABC

Pics from the past

This post is for Nat :)

You know your toddler watches too much T.V. when...

Fat Princess

A cheeky post

"Funny babies, Mommy!"

Smokey the Bear says, "Only you can prevent toy room fires."

Who needs amusement parks when you have a garage door?

Tae Bo with the Tatreaus

Our very own metal detector, and his name is Asher.

Lollipop, Lollipop, Oh Lolly Lolly Lolly Lollipop

...Bliss...