The Master Cleanse...mental preparation!

So how cute is that little lemon guy? I've been waiting to do the Master Cleanse for, gosh, YEARS now. Finally, I'm able to do it (no baby in my belly or at the boob) and I'm totally hesitating. I weigh more than I ever have in my whole life, feel crappy and fat all of the time, but I'm still hesitating (laziness I'm sure). This is my attempt to let the world in on my intentions so I can't back out. My vow: I WILL START THE MASTER CLEANSE THIS WEEKEND (while I have Alex at home to deal with the kids in my first days of not ingesting anything but lemonade laced with cayenne pepper and maple syrup...I'm sure to be a grouch for a couple of days, I guess)! You heard it here! I'll blog about how I'm doing...to keep me going! My goal: 20lbs off by the time we go to California in December (40 would be better, but that wouldn't be quite healthy)!

Wish me luck!

xoxo

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Elated is not enough to describe how I feel.

Awesome is not enough to describe this birthday.

Blessed is not enough to describe how we feel about our friends.

Trashed is not enough to describe our house at this moment.

The turn out to Elvis's first birthday was so wonderful I'm about to cry just thinking about all of the love surrounding him tonight. We have found so many amazing a unique people to share all of life's joys with here in the Red Stick! Thank you! Thank you! Thankyouverymuch!

For those of you who couldn't make it, I've posted a few pictures so you can imagine you were. (Check out the Roasted Pig Cake that I spent many nights toiling over.) Those of you who were there and took pictures...forward them to me...I hardly took any.

Happy Birthday to our sweet little boy, Elvis James! The world is just that more wonderful with you in it! xoxo

The Way to San Jose

For a few weeks now Ruby has been asking for "star toast" for breakfast. It all began with a morning when I found there to be not one "Mommy breakfast food" in the refrigerator (I usually go for the easiest breakfast like cereal, toaster waffles or yogurt, seeing as I typically prepare all 3 squares a day...Daddy is the one that cooks eggs and pancakes on the weekends.). I bit the bullet and whipped up some french toast. YUM! That first morning I was so in to making a special breakfast, not remembering the first piece of advice from the Baby Whisperer ("start as you intend to go on"), that I went above and beyond cutting the bread into little stars. Now it is a favorite...begged for nearly every other day! Every time I make it we end up eating an hour later than we usually do, but do we care? NO! French toast is the BEST especially with a load of powdered sugar (which Ruby would eat straight from the sugar bowl...she has before)! Every morning we eat our special "star toast" it makes me think of Alex's mom and sister, Marsha & Jenny. French toast is a non negotiable part of our San Jose visit diet! Though at the San Jose branch of the Austin household we get CHALLAH bread french toast, the good stuff. I just ate lunch yet my mouth is watering at the thought of that...yummo in a big way!

Side note on San Jose: We will be going for a visit this December! It will be our first visit since Ruby was about 5 months old. We are beyond excited to hang with the family, visit San Francisco, and drive down to LA for a few days! I'm getting teary eyed thinking about it. With all of the pregnancy and downturn of the economy we haven't been there nearly enough! I find myself missing California often. xoxoxo

Asleep at the...Lunch Table!

Poor Ruby! Last week she we went to visit with her BFF from Sunday School, Olivia. I totally didn't think of asking if they had dogs so I could give Ruby her allergy meds (MY fault. . .don't feel bad AT ALL, Colleen!). LESSON LEARNED! Ruby had a violent cough starting on the way home from the playdate that lasted for 2 straight days. It stopped just as abruptly as it started, but not without a REALLY pitiful day in between. I took these pictures on Thursday, dance class day. Earlier that morning she coughed so hard without a break that she threw up on the living room carpet (why does all of the gross stuff happen to us?), that was a first since the spitup days. Even though I knew she wasn't "sick", I couldn't send her to dance with a vomit inducing cough. She missed her 3rd dance class, but after this weeks class I am plenty sure she is all caught up. Back to the pictures, that Thursday she fell asleep while we were eating lunch. I felt so bad for the little allergic girl (yeah, so bad I took pictures). Check out Elvis's face, it's like "what in the world is my crazy sister doing now?" I just wanted to share, because it is something I want to remember.

xoxo

Warning: DO NOT EAT BEFORE READING!

Before you look at any of the pictures, read the story. If it doesn't make you gag and/or vomit then take a look at the photos! So, last night before Elvis went to bed I changed him from the onesie I had on him into just a t-shirt because the onsie was way too short on him. I was forced to put just a t-shirt on him because I refused to do laundry on my birthday or the days surrounding...thus, NO clean PJs! Around midnight I drowsily made my way upstairs to bed checking on the kiddos on the way. Elvis was none too happy because his diaper had come halfway off while sleeping. I just fastened it back (maybe not the most thought out decision I've ever made, but I WAS HALF ASLEEP) and went to bed. At 7 am on the dot I was woken up by Ruby next to my bed (oops, I left the gate wide open) saying

"MOOOOOOOOMMMMMYYYY, wake up!"

Nothing weird. She hopped in bed with me and we lay there a while before my eyes popped open in panic at Elvis's whining.

OH MY...was his diaper on? PLEASE LET HIS DIAPER BE ON!

No such luck! The poor baby was naked from the waist down, the diaper cover balled up on his bed and the diaper liner on the floor (he had to have thrown it over the rail himself because it was at least a foot or two away from the bed).

I KNEW this was going to happen! BEFORE I changed him into his t-shirt last night I had a completely clear vision of this happening, but convinced myself I was being insane. You would think, by now I would have learned to listen to my intuition (I've been quite intuitive my entire life). Will I ever learn? I have much doubt.

Prepare yourself! There was poop EVERYWHERE! A big stinking pile of it on his favorite Zutano blankie wedged up against the rails (he must have sat there and pooed), foot prints all over the mattress, and smears of it all over him & his bed! I remained calm outwardly and wanted deep inside to run screaming! I'm getting shaky just typing about it. The only thing I could think of was to clean Elvis off first, so I immediately put him in the bath while calmly but LOUDLY instructing Ruby to

"not touch any of the yucky stinky poop!"

After calling Alex (who was too busy at work to take an hour to come and help me) and my mom (who actually laughed then apologized for laughing at me) for advice, I put both of the kids at the table to eat breakfast: Elvis securely fastened in his high chair in which he stayed for nearly 2 hours while I completed the full clean up. After outfitting myself in a hazmat bandana doused in perfume and a dab of tea tree oil under each nostril, I took all of the sheets and blankie off (his toys were on a non poop part of the bed as if they had seen it all gone down and run for a poo free oasis, poor guys) and brought them outside for a good hosing off! By the time I finished that the kiddos were done with breakfast and Ruby had locked the sliding glass door, my only way back in the house!

"Ruby, sweet girl, please come and unlock the door for Mommy! Right there, that latch right there! YES! GOOD JOB!"

She had no problem unlocking it, thank goodness! The bed needed significant scrubbing down so I perched them in front of the TV like little catatonic parakeets to watch TOY STORY (which they are watching for a second time right now). My hands still smell like bleach, which I never use but am so thankful Alex bought a few months ago. Now the bed is de-pooed, Elvis is clean, but I am completely traumatized and still a little shaky! Hopefully I'll laugh about this sooner than later!

Can you see the fear in my eyes?

Edited for your protection! There is a HUGE globber of poo behind that cheerful starburst!

Poor Blankie and Sheets. . .they were, no doubt, the most abused in this situation!

Very smart toys! Check out the bunny hiding behind his ears and the frog with his back to the action!

Tiny Dancer

On the way to class.

The closer we got to the studio the deeper into sleep she fell!

Showing us her after class Tootsie Roll!

Striking a pose.

Ruby's first day of ballet and tap lessons was yesterday (the Cangelosi Dance Project)! She's getting big, I know. It was the most awesome gift for my birthday to be able to take her to her first of, hopefully, a life full of dancing! As fortunate as that was for me, it wasn't so fortunate for Ruby, her teachers, or her classmates. You see, we had already had a super busy day by the time class rolled around. So much fun was had that she had just fallen asleep when it was time to get ready. I dressed her in her sleep, she slept on my shoulder as we headed out to the car and she slept the entire way there. I hoped that it wouldn't turn into what it did! She wailed when I took her out of the car and had her walk to the door of the studio, hoping it would wake her a bit in time for her to get a little happy. No such luck! She promptly threw her ballet slippers at her more than understanding teacher (after years of teaching little ones I'm sure...I hope this wasn't the first time that had happened). After telling her teacher I was just a call away, I sat outside for a minute and convinced another mom to look in the room for me (I wasn't about to freak Ruby out again if she was, by some miracle, doing well). The other super nice mommy said she wasn't actively crying so I breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the bank, the only errand we were brave enough to run during the hour long class. We got back before half the class was over to wait outside just in case Ruby hadn't calmed down and the teachers needed us to intervene. While waiting, I saw a familiar face in our rear view mirror, Liz! Carly, her 4 year old, is in Ruby's class! Oh happy day! In recounting our beginning of class trouble Liz said, "Ruby must have been the little one face down on the floor while the others were in a circle doing plies." Oh goodness! At least she looked very happy when I picked her up, she even had on her tap shoes. I just have to be on top of making sure she has had a good nap BEFORE ballet instead of wanting to be taking one DURING! Bad mommy...hey, it was my birthday! A good sign she liked it, though: she woke up and immediately wanted to put on her "ballerina shirt"(a leotard), tights, and ballet slippers...she's been in them all day!

Dairy Queen & King

Yesterday was my 29th, ehem. . .26th birthday! (HA HA!) We started our day with a breakfast delivery from my mom...the McDonald's big breakfast, a guilty secret (not so much any more) fav in our house. My favorite is the sausage and biscuit with syrup on top, Alex likes the pancakes and eggs, Elvis will eat ANYTHING, and Ruby...well, Ruby likes the BUTTER! Yes, that is a BUTTER mustache in the first picture!

YUMMY!

Oh Butter, how I love thee!

Obviously going to all milk won't be a problem for this child!

Silly happy eater.

We had a fabulous day yesterday, thanks to the birthday money/gifts I got from various wonderful family members! We started the day off right thanks to Mom. We caught a movie (Harry Potter) and had dinner thanks to Mimi & Papa. I got to do some shopping thanks to Marsha Mom...uninterrupted thanks to Alex! All that and I got to see Ruby have her very first ballet class (separate post to follow). What a great day!

xoxo