Sofa Nightmare.

Never shop at Nebraska Furniture Mart. We won't.

We purchased a sofa on February 17th. They said it would be in on the 23rd and they could deliver is by the 3rd of March. We were thinking...ten days wait...we would rather just pick it up. They said to call on the 23rd and we should be fine to head-over and pick-it-up. On the 23rd, they said it wouldn't be in until the 26th. On the 26th they said March 3rd. Today they say Mid-March. No Thank You!

Fabulous Teeth

I have a bit of a tooth brushing obsession. When we first started dating Bobby would marvel at how frequently I brushed my teeth, some times 5 or 6 times a day. In fact, I think my obsession got him started on more detailed dental care. The truth is, I just can't stand for my teeth to be grainy or have particles of anything stuck to them; I like to brush my tongue over every expanse of tooth and feel a smooth clean surface. I brush my gums, my tongue, and all my teeth. I however came by the habit in an unusual way.

As an adult, or atleast for the last couple years--any time I was trying to break a habit I would brush my teeth when I felt the habit coming on. Usually the clean teeth would deter me from indulging in whatever my habit might have been, but either way it was a physical interruption. Now, due to this obsession I have grown to really search for the perfect tooth brush. A lot of people like the electric tooth brushes that turn on and spin but they just annoy me--I'd rather take on the responcibility of a thorough brushing myself.

As any artist will tell you, different brushes achieve a different result. The one I bought, the 360 Deep Clean, is lined with brushes that taper, so as to create a sharp edge of bristles that pushed down between the side of the tooth and the gum. It is the newest Colgate 360...and I just thought I would share because--well, I'm a dork, and this tooth brush is amazing.

Update already.

Update on my previous post, here:

In 1980, Bobby was raced to the hospital because he couldn't breathe. His tonsils were removed that day.

In 2009, the hospitals in the area won't be able to get Julian in for surgery until August. (24 hour a day monitoring and fevers until August--I don't think so). We may have to take him to St. Louis for his surgery. His doctor is making more calls today. Stay tuned.

I'm in love!!!! With all these *uh hum* creatures!

With this girl, all her charms, and her selective nature.

With this face. (even if it is a robot in a box)

With these three, the tiger, the lion, and the angel kittie

With this man...for as much as he loves me.

It's a Julian week

I have some scary news we are dealing with at the moment and thought I would fill everyone in, a little replacement for my negligence to the blog.

Julian has been running a fever off and on for a few weeks now. Truly he has been clogged up and sick off and on for a few months. I noticed at some point that he wasn't breathing properly in his sleep. Finally a doctors appointment revealed it was an issue with swollen tonsils and they would have to come out. We were a bit relieved to find out why and know it was in our power to address the problems making him sick. After a couple days of high high high fevers he went back to the doctor only to reveal the problem has worsened.

Right now we are under 24 hour surveillance of Julian as he sleeps, plays, everything. His tonsils are severally infected and swollen beyond a safe point; in fact he has to sleep in a sitting position. However, until the infection is gone, the risks during surgery would be too great. We are reducing the infection with antibiotics and hopefully by Thursday we'll be able to put him through the procedure.

Bobby is a wreck and Julian (as well as his three parents) are exhausted!!!! Poor guy, it just stinks beyond explanation to see him so sick. I'll update as the week continues. Keep him in your thoughts.

I don't wanna grow up...

My kitten Hopper has nearly doubled in size since we got him. He is still 1/3 the size of boy cat--Julian, but bigger than the handful of fur I was handed over a month ago. He's fallen into all our Kittie routines and is still as zany and adorable as ever. He likes to cuddle on the toilet and still manages to annoy the older cats a great deal, and steal the show like never before...one thing has changed though, and he's none too happy about it.

When we first got him our girl cat Runway had holed up in a large box to keep away. Hopper in return made a nest in a Kleenex box which he pushed across the floor and tucked next to Runway's larger box. This morning I heard a rustling from across the floor and little whimpers. I looked up to see a much larger Hopper trying as he might to squeeze into his once beloved Kleenex box, only this time he didn't fit. Poor baby, it was quite the growing pain.

He caught my eye and ran straight over to me with a final and resolute whimper. He has a new cat tree to climb and sleep on but it is always hard to say goodbye to our baby comforts, as Hopper learned today.
On the same note, Julian asked to put a diaper on today after several failed attempts at using the big-boy potty (note he did it three times last night). We tried to explain that soon there won't be any diapers and pull-ups that fit him and only underware is made for big boys...his retort "It's ok Daddy, I want to be a baby!"

That is two joining the resistance. We certainly have our work cut out for us

Sigh...it has been a night.

I'm starting a "new label" for my "new" blog. {smile} I'm trying to let this thing develop naturally addressing things from my personal life interests and experiences.

Some of you may know (although it is very new news and this may function as a bit of an pre-announcement) but I have recently become engaged. Engaged to a very sweet, strong, and dedicated man who I look forward to spending the rest of my life with. Sometimes you just know and this for me is one of those times and I feel very at peace with these decisions and really excited for whats to come in my life. With all that said I am biting into a bit of a challenge...Becoming a step-parent. I watched both my parents go through it and my older brother (bravely to four boys). While I can't claim that as my feat, I can admire his determination and strength while going through the experience with one little boy; Julian...who is three.

My new blog label will be "parenting." I post a lot of pictures of our fun times together, trips we've taken, hopefully a Christmas blog will go up soon (a little late), and just fun around the house with pets; but recently our time with Julian has expanded as our time has gotten more stable. In fact, we spend Wednesday evening through morning and Friday evening through Monday morning with him. There is a lot of flexibility for both immediate parents and I still have time with Bobby...but that is counting four nights a week of parenting. When he is gone we miss him and naturally the increase in time has made interacting with him easier in a lot of ways, regardless of the joy it is our responsibility when he is around to help him grow which is not always easier. What makes this responsibility even harder is trying to develop a new relationship at the same time. We are pretty close, but the first three years of his life he did not know me and vice-versa...we're just figuring each other out.

Tonight and this week new challenges have presented themselves. I call them "the whining-three-year-old." He wants something he cries, he doesn't get something he cries, he doesn't understand something, you guessed it, he cries. Three-year-olds are not emotionally developed enough to explain their feelings appropriately and cannot always find the words to express what they mean. Instead they will often respond with tantrums or unexplained and unusual behavior. I was comforted by the flood of forums of parent/three-year-old delima's online and likewise happy for the in-site. You want to reason with them, it would be inappropriate to use bribery and it certainly won't help to get mad. Another thought in punishing tears, fits, and pleading is that perhaps punishments for bad behavior and "whining" do not always work or make sense to a three-year-old. Does it frighten them more or give them stability and definition?

I just read a great article addressing another parent's concerns. I wanted to include an excerpt. While I'm not perfect and will likely be challenged at implementing these ideas, I did employ them this evening with some success....

Enjoy...

"I am a parent and a therapist who is not a believer in rewards and punishment as a means of discipline. The reward-and-punishment system does a poor job at teaching kids to be responsible for their own behavior; it makes parents responsible for it. It does not encourage personal decision-making by kids. It reinforces the notion that appropriate behavior is demanded only in an authority figure's presence. Punishment takes away respect and threatens the culprit with a loss of affection and approval. The punishment given is hardly ever related to the "crime."

I strongly favor an alternative called logical and natural consequences. This method encourages kids to be responsible for their own behavior while encouraging them to make decisions about appropriate behavior. Natural and logical consequences allow kids to learn from the natural and social order of the real world. Kids who refuse to eat get hungry. Kids who scream and kick when it's time to go outside to play are given the option to cooperate or show by their behavior that they are not ready to have fun. There's no power game here, the logical consequences fit the behavior and the child can "own" the outcome."

Toddler and Teenager Expert Advice from Carleton Kendrick, Ed.M., LCSW

I feel like I'm learning right along with him. Not only how the world works but how to do it with another adult, many ideas, a lot of patience, a lot of love, and a huge amount of understanding. This is certainly going to be a trip. Thanks Julian :)

Highlights from our trip to Oklahoma

Hitting the Road. We left for Oklahoma Thursday night after work. The plan was to load the car, pick Julian up from his Mom's, and be in Tulsa by ten. It had been some time since Bobby had seen his Mom or Julian his grandmother. For me it meant meeting Bobby's Mother and step-father. It turned out a wonderful trip and even the five hour drive wasn't too bad. Julian was in a great mood and ready to go. We kept explaining that it was a LONG drive. After awhile he zonked out and slept most of the way there.

I took about 1000 pictures so choosing which to post was nearly impossible for me. As I post these few collages I threw together I am reminded of the lots of photos I love that I left out. But there is only so much I can post before boring my readers. Here are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy. It was mine and Bobby's first road trip together and like everything else we've done together was a great time.When we picked Julian up for our road trip he had a big beautiful shiner. As the weekend wove on the scab fell off and he was shiner and scab free...I have to say, it adds a bit to the funny faces. The first night of our trip we got to Laura (Bobby's sister) and John's house pretty late...almost ten. Julian was pretty tired until a train materialized and then he played for at least an hour until we were able to get him to sleep. These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip. Bobby was so happy to see his family and Julian was in rare and hilarious form that night--even tired.Before hitting the road to Oklahoma City I had a chance to roam around with Julian. He's a ham. Enough said.After spending the first night of our trip with Bobby's sister Laura and her family in Tulsa, we loaded their van and drove Julian and his cousins an hour and a half more to Oklahoma City to spend the rest of our trip with Bobby's Mom Trig. She has a beautiful and eccentric home with wonderful architectural details, is an amazing cook, and made me feel right at home. In addition she gave Julian the rest of his Christmas presents. His Grandma knows him well and all was a hit...a lot of Thomas and Friends...and one very loved little boy.My life has undeniably changed since Bobby came into it. If someone had told me a year ago that I would walk into a coffee-shop in Kansas City and meet my future husband within the year I would not have believed them. A true bonus has been the opportunity to get to know his son as well. Julian not only carries my favorite boy name (at the top of my baby name list), but is possibly the sweetest, most sincere child I've ever met. Not only am I "Lisa" but when he says my name he says "my Lisa" and it is a great honor. You can tell a lot of love and care has gone into the last three years raising him and I look forward to being a part of the rest. Going to Oklahoma was a rare opportunity to spend several days on-end with Julian and it was a true pleasure, I love watching our relationship grow.
Down-time: Aunt Laura, Uncle John, and his cousins gave Julian a late Christmas gift, a V Smile which provided great entertainment on our long car ride home, but with a house full of family it also gave Bobby and Julian an opportunity for a little down-time in the sun-room at Grandma's while everyone else bustled around getting ready for the festivities. (Celebrating John and Bobby's birthdays).
While in Oklahoma City we were able to visit Bobby's grandfather Lindell in the nursing home he lives in. Lindell was an all-star athlete for Oklahoma University Sooner's in the 1950's, his wall littered with photos regal and handsome as he took the field years ago. It was an undoubtedly emotional visit for Bobby who is very close to his grandfather but a wonderful experience to see four generations in one room.A highlight for Julian, and for all of us was getting to spend time with Bobby's niece and nephews. For Julian is was quality care and entertainment. Nicole gladly doted on his every whim, while Devan and Mark Austin rough housed and played with trains like no one else could. For two weeks leading to the trip Julian talked about "visiting his cousins" and since has us run through the list of names of all his newly reacquainted relatives.
A final farewell. From Left: Myself, John, Trig, Bobby, and Julian.

New Kitten

Our New Kitten (that Bobby gave me) is named Hopper. He acquired the name after demonstrating an amazing ability to bounce about as well as an easy going and sweet temperament.

I thought I would finally get some pictures of him....he is incredibly cute after all.

He is also skilled at getting inside our box springs (literally inside the mattress). He believes that the bathroom is a communal space and will cry pathetically if the door is shut while you are in there; however on that note--he hardly stops moving and the best way to get in a cuddle is on the jon. I know--such a lovely thought.

When I feed him canned food he gets so excited he walks in circles until he is dizzy and has to lay down to eat.

He had a run-in with Elvis (the parrot). The Parrot won and Hopper has quietly resided to leaving her alone.

The older cats can still put him in his place...although everyone else is completely in love with him.

He is finally getting over his kitten crazies and I can't wait to see what kind of cat he will be.

...I'm sure more pictures of Hopper to come.

Enjoy!