"I go potty"

For a while now I have been researching potty training. Though I think its still too early to try with Alexandra. We were given a potty training chair that plays music, sings and talks to you. I had it packed up in a closet for a while until Alex started mentioning potty. I brought it out and placed it in her bathroom where she sees it anytime she goes in there. She always points it out and says "Potty" and sometimes sits on it. Lately I have been letting her come into the bathroom when I use it. She points out that Im pottying, hands me tissue and wants to flush the toilet. Doug and I also have been trying to get Alex to tell us when she potties or poops. She will tell us when she goes #2 but we are still working on #1. She also doesnt like to have a dirty diaper and when we ask "Do you want to change your butt?" she will run straight to her room where we change her. Lastnight we walked by the bathroom and she went to the door so I opened it. She ran in and said "I go potty" and sat on her lil toilet. I asked her what she was doing and she repeated it. She sat there for a minute or so, got some tissue and "wiped" herself, throwing the paper into the big toilet. Now this whole time she had a diaper on, but Im wondering if she really did go potty (in her diaper). Im still not going to push the training and will continue to get her more familiar with it.

Fear of the Month...

Cicada Killer Wasps. "WTH?!" was my first reaction when told this is what I had killed the other night. I am still freaking out about this.. And totally dumbfounded as to why I have not heard of or seen these ever before. We found three of these big nasty things on my lilac bushes in the back yard. Doug killed them with wasp killer and started disecting. We determined one was a female and the other two were males. They were mating in our yard. Well thanks but no thanks.. take that somewhere else, preferrably someone elses yard. I did lots of research on these suckers. They specifically hunt cicadas. The females dig a hole in the ground which then leads to several chambers where eggs are laid. She then goes out, hunts down by stinging and paralyzing a cicada, brings it back to the nest, put one-2 cicads in each chamber with an egg, seals the chamber and then seals the main hole. The egg hatches, the larvae feed on the cicada, spin a coccoon, hibernate over winter and come out of the ground in the spring as an adult. Males only mate, dont hunt and dont take care of the nests. The females will only attack someone if provocked, felt harmed or felt the next was being bothered. And the stinger on this momma is HUGE! Lets just say.. death to me. I am highly allergic and only want to imagine (not experience) what would happen. So I now was around the yard with shoes, never barefoot and am always on the look out for nests.

Here is one of the many websites I read about these monsterous creatures....

http://www.critterzone.com/magazineresource/magazine-article-cicada-killer-wasp-Sphecius-speciosus.htm

Here are the three killed in our yard, males on the left, female on the right. and her stinger that Doug pulled out in the middle connected to guts. YUCK!

This is a nest found in a friends yard. She sees new ones made daily. You can kill them with boiling water if you dont have spray.

Stop Spinning Already!

As some know, I have back pains. I have always had them and probably always will. I get the aches and pains from sitting too long, bending over, standing, etc. My father has always had issues and I think I inherited it. Thanks dad, still love you though! This was one of my major concerns when trying to get pregnant. But was very lucky and didnt have any problems. Recently my pains and aches have become burning sensations all over. It started after our office moved into a new office. Everyone received new chairs and our workstations were set up differently. I gave it some time to get used to the new work environment, but the burning started. I am not one to complain and moan but then overheard several other coworkers discussing their back issues since we have moved. So I advised my superior who then got me a new chair. Thought that would help but didnt. I bought in a pillow for a few weeks which relieved some pain for a while but it just seems to come back. I finally made an appt with the dr and prescribed Cymbalta. Yes the depression, anxiety and stress medicine that also works for some big word that means pains caused by and in the nerves. So the stress I have been experiencing for a while now is now being felt in the nerves of my back.
I am not the one to depend on medicines either. I was very lucky after having Alex and didnt need anything. Well I kept putting off the medicine and finally took it Saturday. Never again. I havent felt so dizzy, anxious, out of it sweaty with cotton mouth. Ugh. I hate this feeling. I was even to the point of messing up on my speech. I didnt take anymore since Saturday but still feeling the side effects today on Monday. I have called my dr and a new prescription has been called in for me. Some muscle relaxer that I take twice a day. So we will see how this works out for me.
Im also thinking of going to a chiroprator, maybe i just need to be realligned or something.

Slacker

Um, yes I have been slacking trying to keep this updated recently. We have been staying busy with work, school, Alex, friends and family. I have been working some overtime trying to keep up with the busy season. Recently found out my supv took on a new position which means we will be getting a new supervisor. Im really nervous about that. Name is to be announced soon. It is an internal posting so Im anxious to find out who it will be. This might determine if I stay with Hartford or not. I dont want to leave after almost 7 years.

Doug is still in school, working for BG and running his internet business FMKustoms. It has been some what slow this year but everyonce in a while he makes a very profitable sale.

Alex got to meet a brand new baby a couple of weeks ago. My friends Ayesha and Jhason had a baby boy Zane. We visited them at the hospital. Right when we walked in she pointed out the baby. Throughout our stay she continued to remind me when talking that the baby was sleeping. She would say "Me-Me, baby sleeping. Shhh" in a whisper. Sh really wasnt too interested in the baby. She was more worried about getting wipes to clean the hospital floor.

We took Alexandra to the Marion County Fair 2 weeks ago. She really enjoyed the animals. She got to see cows, pigs, sheep and goats. We also watched the Demolition Derby. My whole life I remember going to the fair to help my dad and the Marlins pull out derby cars with tractors. We got front row seats sitting inside the fence next to the pit. This year we watched it from the bleachers. Alex did really good too. We were afraid the loud cars would frighten her, but didnt at all. Later after most of the cars were gone, we went in the fence and got a closer look with Uncle Ty.

We tried to go boating last Sunday with my dad, Lisa, Ashley, Kyle, Ethan & Brandon. The whole day seemed to be mad khaos between the blown tire on the camper, getting split up from my dad and not able to find the camp site and finding new born kittens in the boat. By the time they decided they would get in the water, it was almost 4:30. Doug and I wanted to be leaving at 5 to head home. So we didnt end up getting in the water. The rest of my family stayed for a few days on the lake. Maybe next time....

Alex got to try out first hand eating corn on the cob. If anyone knows me, I absolutely love corn on the cob. Growing up, every summer, we used to pick fresh corn from a farmer friends garden. My dad and I would make a huge pot of corn, stand over the sink and just eat away until we were so full. Alex enjoys corn and last evening we made some w/ dinner. We usually cut the corn off the cob for her. She sat with us and watched how we ate it. So she picked up Dougs cob and started eating away. She finished Dougs and one of mine, so we then gave her a full cob. She really enjoyed eating it. She definitely got the love for corn on the cob from the Buchanan side.