The World of Wegener

potty training

2011-08-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

having fun with his potty

example of Joey saying "I'm ready"

Joey is 16months old. at 14months old he started to consistently take off his diaper and pee on the carpet/tile/toys/whatever was there. I bought him a little potty to get used to and now he's consistently keeping 4-6 diapers dry per day. So I've done some reading in an attempt to catch up to Joey's willingness to learn more about getting rid of diapers.

I feel like I've read the spectrum of potty training theories to come up with my own. From the 'wait until the child is 3 years old and meets all of these signs' as found in the Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day to the ultra hippie Diaper Free book learning about the world of EC (elimination communication). What a huge spectrum! from stickers, charts, and rewarding your child with candy for a poop to never putting a diaper on your infant.
Alan and I think we've found a tactic and theory that's working for our family. It has nothing to do with 'training', that's not the right word. More like we found the right form of encouragement for Joey and his pee-pee. I guess you would say we lean more towards a late start EC that I learned more about in this diaper-free book. Goals for encouraging pee-pee in the potty: Learn to love sitting on the potty, Learn to relax on the potty (we read books), predict typical times when Joey pees and poops, never putting any pressure on Joey to pee in the potty, no scolding Joey for not peeing in the potty (even when he pees on my carpet), and being attentive to Joey's communication to us that he has to pee especially taking him to the potty when he starts tugging on his diaper. I do not agree with excessive praise towards peeing and pooping in the potty. Examples of excessive praise: giving him candy for peeing and pooping, singing and clapping while watching poo get flushed down the toilet, a sticker chart...it gets so complicated when a normal behavior gets lavish treatment. The best example of why not to do excessive praise I read somewhere is learning how to use the potty is like learning how to feed yourself. Even though the baby/toddler is feeding themselves, they still need assistance preparing food and monitoring food intake; just like learning how to use the potty, assistance with clothing and monitoring the process is still needed. Don't get me wrong, we make going to the potty fun; but my son is not getting an M&M for every bowel movement. I guess I could rant some more, but I will restrain.

He pees right when he wakes up from the night or a nap, so we ask Joey to put his pee-pee on the potty. When he starts tugging at his diaper, we take him to the potty. We try to teach him the ALS sign for toilet as another way to communicate with us. We give him a cue word when he's peeing: 'PSSS', and he repeats it when he's peeing. He typically poos right after breakfast and after lunch. We like 'helping' empty the potty and flushing the toilet, and then enjoy washing our hands together. I would call us "part-time late-EC'ers". We have not successfully used the potty outside the house, but he has peed on his new babysitter's floor when she took off his diaper to check to see if he was wet. Joey is trying to tell us he doesn't like peeing and pooping on himself.

Joey showed us he was ready and we are trying to listen.

poppers and peppers

2011-08-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

last night's supper...UH-mazing!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and as always I can never follow a recipe. My version was 4oz cream cheese, shredded baked chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, dried cilantro, and shredded Monterrey jack cheese creamed together and rolled into flour tortillas and covered with shredded cheese. Heated in the oven 350 for 20minutes.

Now I want to try different variations to this...creamy steak with Monterrey jack cheese, I also want to try shredded squash inside the enchiladas....

The other new recipe I tried was some poppers based off these poppers. I used steak pieces, green peppers, and cream cheese inside a crescent roll. 350 for 10minutes. Delish!!! The possibilities are endless for new combinations...

playdough

2011-07-30T18:26:00.001-07:00

Joey loved poking and pressing his little fingers into this new texture. I made Koolaid Playdough for Joey. Out of the 4 different colors (red, blue, green, yellow), he liked the red the best. My favorite is listening to the noises he adds to any activity.

weaning

2011-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

great breastfeeding blog

I am in LOVE with nursing my active toddler. I am SO thankful God has provided my family with the financial options for me to have a break from working in order to nurse my toddler.

breastfeeding myths make me laugh.

Baby Joey will be 16 months soon. Having Joey 'self-wean' and cut out his own nursings at his own time. Currently, he asks for breastmilk sometimes after falling or making an ouchy, sometimes before his one long nap, most times before bedtime (but never falls asleep attached anymore), often once in the early morning hours, and when hurting. This is a dearly loved time with him.

The kicker is I will need to return back to work before Joey is going to be done weaning himself. My heart is torn. Every feeding has become more precious. The middle of the night tap and grunt, tugging on my shirt, the foot in the face as he tries to get closer to me, the little finger tracing the circle around my belly button....really weaning started when I gave him solid food at 7 1/2 months. This will just be another curve in the road of our breastfeeding relationship.

God has perfect timing and I need to have faith that weaning my child will be in God's timing too.

sweet potato pancakes

2011-07-20T17:26:00.001-07:00

I found a recipe for Sweet Potato Pancakes and *had* to try it.
the original recipe went something like this (as I am frustrated that I can't find the website/blog): 1/2 cup baked sweet potato, 1/4 coconut flour, 3 eggs, cinnamon, 1/2t vanilla; use coconut oil to fry in pan

Here's what I ended up using: 1 1/2 sweet potatoes (closer to 2/3 cup baked and smashed), 1/4 cup unbleached flour, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/4t cinnamon, 1/2t vanilla. made them in my non-stick pan. OMG! So delicious! Joey ate almost 4 pancakes with a side of peas, applesauce, and cottage cheese. They were so sweet and were perfect with a bit of butter.

The batter makes them a smidgen too dense. Next time I make them I'm going to thin the batter down more with milk and turn them into crepes!!! add a bit of butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar...!!!! Can't wait to get some more sweet potatoes.

baby photos

2011-07-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

I finally got a baby book done for Joey.

The best part is it was a buy 1, get 2 free deal. Saving money always gives me a little high.

pool on the farm

2011-06-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

every 50 acre farm needs an in ground pool; or at least I'm glad my parents think so. going to share some photos and videos of our fun week at "grandpa Joe's"

Joey loved watching Grandpa Joe mow the yard on a tractor and loved being pushed around on his tractor

we also liked learning how to jump in the pool.

but didn't like when mom wasn't with me in the pool, but Joey was still cute!

we got our volleyball on.

Emily played so much volleyball that as she was sending a volley back over in a game with 10 year old, her wedding ring flew off over 10feet. The ring was found 2 days later past 6 feet of pool decking, past 4 feet of river rock border, past the black vertical aluminum fence, and into the grass. So thankful the ring was found!

We have a little water bug forming and love my Joey.

adventures at the Botanical Garden

2011-06-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

Joey and I went to the St Louis Botanical Garden earlier this month. We wanted to post some photos up here.

He loves water, and we of course were attracted to every water fountain.

He called the statues of sheep, dogs. Duh, of course they are dogs; i see 4 legs.

He wanted to know about everything!!! pointing at things for me to describe.

breast milk donation

2011-06-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

What do I do with the leftover human milk in my freezer? Approximately 45ounces of white liquid gold already pumped. Joey will not drink it from a sippy cup and never has taken a bottle when I'm around; he likes it from the 'tap'. :)
So I search online for milk donations. I can't find anything local to just give milk away. I find requests that milk is 'urgently needed', but you have to have over 100 ounces. There's Milkshare.org where you can donate locally by state, but I still don't know. Having to prove I don't have HIV/hepatitis/nasty habits, takes out the benevolence of sharing my sacred milk.

I can't stomach the idea of throwing it away.

And then I find this blog!!!!
Perfect timing on the idea of donating. Knowing that donation centers are going to Prolacta Bioscience really takes the altruism out of the situation.

I guess I really want to know who gets this treasure of mine. I'm sharing something very personal, so I guess it needs to be done in a personal manner if at all.

Or i'll just add it to his smoothie with the extra serving of veggies he doesn't eat...

****update****I found a home for my milk. I'm so happy.

vanity

2011-06-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

i had a skin tag removed on my neck because Joey was harassing the heck out of it. Joey would dig his little finger nails in and repeatedly pinch this one area. When he was nursing this little skin tag had become his source of comfort. After bumping his head, he would throw his little body in my arms and look for the skin tag to hold. This little habit was getting really annoying.

My skin tag was removed with a laser, basically cauterized off. The scab was irritated by lots of chlorine and pool time (totally worth it). Now that it's irritated I have to let it heal.

now I'm suffering from post-op infection. Purulent drainage, yellow exudate, red skin margins, low grade temps (100.6), nausea, lack of appetite, fatigue, and achy body. I'm hoping my body can fight this thing naturally without the aid of oral antibiotics. I think antibiotics have been significantly overused and I understand any other person would already be pushing the antibiotics down their throats. Here's my thought...why would you kill all of the good bacteria that your body is producing? instead wouldn't you want to boost your system with bacteria fighting immunity powers? i haven't had my kefir for a week since I've been out of town; that will help. More Kefir and increase pro-biotic intake...maintain a healthy diet and stay hydrated. That's healing from the inside out. keeping the wound clean and treating with a topical antibiotic promotes healing from the outside in.

So, will vanity or health win?

***update***
2 days later I'm 100% and my mole is healing slowly, but healing. I'm glad I'm healthy.

Dream House

2011-06-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

As we're selling our current house, I really want to dream more about our next house.

I'm sure I'll have to edit and add to this post more than once, that's the best part of dreams - they change and grow.

My house will have an area for a vegetable garden and a children's garden.
My yard will have fragrant bushes and many varieties of cutting flowers.
We'll have a large platform king-sized bed with a matching bedroom set.
No more split entry homes, I'm so tired of being greeted by stairs.
There will be mature shade trees in the yard, one tree with the perfect limb for a swing.
The neighborhood will enjoy dogs and be friendly. Neighbors will be outside enjoying themselves.
A backyard shall not be a ski slope.
Our 2 car garage will be organized with a shelving system.
Large walk-in closet at least in the master bedroom.
Separate bathroom sinks to keep our marriage going strong.
Large kitchen for merry gatherings and happy bellies.
A quiet street with minimal car traffic so my children can play in the front or backyard.

toddler musings of late

2011-06-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

my little toddler is always amazing me. the last 5 days have created a multitude of hilarious moments that I have to write down and share in this blog-a-sphere.

~it's official Joey likes to run with scissors. He found some in his cousins room and ran like the wind.

~devoured 2 1/2 eggs at breakfast over the weekend and then wanted 'more, more, more'.

~he has an infatuation with toothbrushes (which is hilarious by itself being a grandson of a dentist in which he shares his name and birthday), but he takes said toothbrush and was scrubbing away. He scrubbed the toilet with his toothbrush. so helpful.

~we took him to the town's memorial day gathering/katy days. the kid is infatuated with balloons. we were a half block away from the park where katy days festivities were happening and Joey was doing everything he could to climb out of my arms while he started repeatedly chanting 'gagoon, gagoon'. his little heart loves everything about a balloon. we changed our plans and immediately had to find the balloon stand and get the poor kid a gagoon!

~also at Katy Days was a petting zoo. A miniature pony, goats, bunnies, a wallaby, chicks, and Joey's favorite - ducklings

~any Memorial Day is not offical until you take a dip in the pool. Joey thought the pool was still a bit cool, but he had fun. instead he played with the pool noodles and kept himself busy at the pool's edge.

~he also has taken to driving at a young age. this is only been started with his love for testing out buttons.

~spent 5 solid minutes examining a fellow toddler's belly button. The conversation between them I'm guessing went something like this: joey-'i have a belly button' Tucker-'no way, I have a belly button' joey-'can i see yours?' tucker-'sure, but where's your belly button' joey-'right here, oh bother, this shirt gets in the way' Tucker-'i know what you mean. can i touch your belly button again?' Joey-'i love belly buttons'...

~ and he's getting to be really brave. standing on his car. my motherly heart sinks just a bit trying to prep myself the day he has to have his first stitches or first cast from a broken bone. Moms of boys...

~Joey loves to hold his pee-pee; i don't know if it's because his foreskin is intact or if it's just a guy thing. He grabs it out of his diaper or just takes the diaper all the way off pretty frequently throughout the day. well in front of his great-grandma he did his Houdini thing and whipped out his pee-pee. My Nana, in that sweet old lady thing where they whisper but it's really loud, leans over to my mom and says, "something's wrong with his penis". I started laughing...apparently my sweet Nana has never seen and non-circumcised male before and legitimately thought Joey had damaged his pee-pee by all of the tugging and pulling.

garden salad

2011-05-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

with spring, comes the first garden produce. I have already started needing new ideas for spring lettuce as I do not want to complain about having to eat so much freshness.

My new repeatable salad idea:
spring lettuce with dried cranberries and soy nuts topped with balsamic vinegar dressing.

...so delish!

partly cloudy with a chance of meatballs

2011-05-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

spring tornado weather - I hate you. My gut aches; I feel ulcers coming on with the constant fear of the weather. The worst tornado in over 60 years hit Joplin, MO. 6-7mile wide path of destruction. I saw a photo of a wooden chair imbedded in the side of a cement wall. 8,000 buildings damaged. people remain missing. over 120 died. over 750 are injured.
God is in all and works through all, this I have no doubt. So, tonight I choose not to understand. Ultimately I don't need to understand it all. It will all be revealed to me in God's perfect timing, storms and all. Meatballs, anyone?

worry

2011-05-20T07:57:00.001-07:00

Matthew 6:34 -Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.

So many unknowns in life. So many challenges ahead. Being in the present. Living life in the moment...

I can honestly say I'm getting much better at this. I could spend all my waking hours worrying about the rest of my summer, worrying about possible job opportunities, worrying about everything; but the reality is it doesn't help figure anything out. I love to analyze, it's part of what makes me tick. Coming to the realization that over analyzing situations and our future gets me no where has really helped my emotional well-being.

Enjoy today.

meal idea

2011-05-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

recipes just come to me. it annoys Alan that I don't measure when I cook. it's frustrating to friends that want to copy 'that one' recipe. my mother-in-law praises my meal ideas.

Here's my delicious meal I'm going to try to write down for you.
1pound Steak cubed and pan-seared in about 2T olive oil
seasoned with ginger powder, lime juice, dried cilantro, and salt (sorry, i don't measure; i just threw stuff in until it smelled right)
3-4 handfuls of penne wheat pasta
topped with Parmesan cheese

I try to make everything from scratch, but the reality is time and money are important factors too. in moderation I do love Velveta, an occasional bratwurst, boxed dinners, cookie mixes, and ice cream sandwiches.

Joey loved the pasta and shared his steak with Maggie.
Enjoy trying new food combinations.

food choices

2011-05-18T11:16:00.001-07:00

everyone has to eat food to function. but for so many, food controls people. I let food control me in the form of bulimia for 5 years. I know how people can be controlled by food. However, ever since I had to watch my blood sugar meticulously during my pregnancy, I feel I have had good control over my food choices.

I do the grocery shopping and the bulk of food preparation for our family. I'm that annoying shopper that stops in the middle of the isle with two different cans of green beans comparing the labels. (here's a good blog on selecting food). I'm the lady buying 4 bags of frozen fruit at a time (there's no added sugar or syrup in frozen fruit). I'm the lady buying 2 dozen eggs every grocery store visit. I'm also the lady that cringes at the idea of drinking pop, but don't nag my hubby who loves an occasional Dr.Pepper (I'm so proud of him for cutting back his pop intake).
but I'm also the lady getting a little high off saving a few pennies, a few dollars, but I won't jeopardize my health for it. that's a fine line that each family has to decide where it is.

Obesity has taken over our society. Obese people kind of piss me off. Because most of the time it's not about food at all. It's depression, it's a lack of knowledge, it's a lack in any form of exercise, it's binge eating at night instead of small/frequent meals throughout the day. It's just another form of food controlling people instead of people having control over food. Food is medicine for your body. Giving your body good food/good medicine is a matter of practice and moderation.

Moderation really applies to so many things in life. exercise, there can be too much or too little. Sugar, your body needs natural sugars (fruits and carbs), but can easily have too much sugar (processed sugars, artificial sugars, corn syrup abundance). Money, there can be too much and too little (I'm a believer that like my great-grandma said make enough money to have options). Moderation also applies to food portion control. No one needs to eat 2 bowls of cereal in one sitting; no one should ever drink 2 cans of pop in one sitting I can go on and on...but you get the point. Moderation is very important.

I guess this bothers me so much because I can't help others directly regarding their food intake. Each person has to make their own choices. I also feel that most of our society doesn't know how to listen to their own bodies. Instead of listening to your body and getting sleep when sleepy, people rely on caffeine to medicate their bodies. Instead of eating until satisfied, we eat quickly until we are full. Instead of going outside to enjoy the sun, we sit on our butts and watch hours of mindless TV. Instead of walking or doing the stairs to get to our designations, we consistently choose the easier/lazier route. I can't make people change, you have to make your own changes for your own life. Each time you put food into your mouth, you are making a choice. Does food have control over you or do you have control over the food you eat?

how many ways can you say baby butt?

2011-05-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

If you know anything about me you know I love poo...so I'm going to talk about baby poo and diapers.

I have entered the world of cloth diapering. The names given to some of these cloth diapers is absurd: BumGenius 4.0, bummis, Ragababe, FuzziBunz, Econobum, Thirsties, GDiapers, ...to name a few. And there are so many kinds of diapers: pocket diapers, pre-folds with covers, All in ones, One-size, liners...it gives me a headache.

To simplify we have fancy cloth diapers, nothing like what my momma had.

At first we started with a diaper service (a gift for the babe). This was wonderful when we were learning about this new vast world of baby poo. We didn't have to worry about what soap to buy (Charlie's Soap, Rockin' Green,...crazy names again) or washing poop with the clothes and linens we daily used...EWWW! The diaper service used pre-folds and covers, so all we had to worry about was learning the 'angel fold' and putting the plastic sack out once a week to be picked up.

Then I realized how easy it was to take care of cloth diapers and how terrible Alan was at learning how to fold the pre-folds...confusing, I know. So I wanted to try these BumGenius diapers that a few of my friends had. Everyone that was using a BumGenius pocket diaper was in LOVE. So I found a website that guaranteed me that I would love them and had a fancy sale. And I was hooked!

The BumGenius 3.0 and I were instant friends. The diapers are so easy to put on and so easily sizable. The adjustable snaps helped Joey go from infant to large bum (2T)pretty easily. Alan and I consistently found Joey's explosive poos were very rare in a cloth diaper compared to a disposable. We use disposables when traveling out of town and when Joey is at a babysitter. but I'm getting the courage to wash in grandparents machines...it's all about the wet bag and containing any smell.

How do you care for them? (you might be asking)
at first we didn't have a diaper sprayer when all he was eating was human milk, but then the solid poos came soon after he started eating at almost 7 months and the diaper sprayer was a must. I couldn't imagine hand rinsing the cloth diaper in the toilet, yuck; so spraying off the runny poo diapers is easy with the sprayer. Rinsing solid poo is even easier, you just plop the turd in the toilet and flush. Then separate the insert from the pocket diaper into a cloth bag and put the lid on the trash can.
we do a load of diapers every 2 - 2 1/2 days. I like using Charlie's Soap powder. There is no left over ammonia smell when I use 1/2 a scoop (about 1T)of this amazing powder. I even do some of our smelly laundry with a scoop of this stuff. No more worries of mixing poo in the same washer that our clothes go through.
The diapers go through 2 complete cycles in the washer, first on cold, second on hot. Then the diapers go in the dryer for 60 minutes. I'll dry them in the sun when I can. The diapers then get the inserts stuffed back into them. We have the double stuffed diapers and the single stuffed diapers ready for action.

~ tips on poo...use olive oil on baby's butt during the first poos/meconium and definitely use disposables at this stage; much easier.

~ I have a small wet bag for day to day outings and put any and all dirty clothes/diapers in it. it's really easy to change the Bum Genius when out of the house doing errands.

Cloth diapering - one of the dirtiest jobs you'll ever love...

Maggie the Hooker

2011-05-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would ever call my dog-ter (get it?! daughter, except she's a dog) a Hooker, but she is the neighborhood tramp. If i don't help her walk around the neighborhood to greet everyone she wants to play with and talk to, then she jumps the fence and takes herself on her own walk.

She's so cute and smart, and she does try to please us. She wants to be good; I know she does. She just can't contain herself sometimes. She has so much puppy energy still at 2years old. Sometimes when we let her out to play with the other off-leash dogs she gets so excited that she just spins. She's a blur to any camera because she is spinning so fast. and if you're too close she will slime you with her 'I'm so happy'-tongue hanging out...big, juicy, foam of a slime.

My favorite Maggie/Hooker story is the time she jumped the fence, ran off right before a rainstorm. We were worried about our dog getting scared or lost during the storm, but not Maggie. We were sitting in the garage waiting for her to come home and of course she did...with a BOYFRIEND!!! Hooker! Slut! Oh, Maggie... both her and her new boyfriend, who tried to stay and introduce himself, were drenched in the rain and covered in mud. We tried to scold her, but we were so busy laughing and so glad she came home safely. Her boyfriend did not have a collar on and we could tell he was old by his cloudy eyes; and he went on his way to find another hooker to play with...

Then there is Maggie's all time favorite boyfriend, Charlie. Charlie is the neighborhood's Great Dane. and he is handsome! Maggie and Charlie are the same age. When they are together Maggie does her twirling circles around him...just showing off her excitement. Yesterday she jumped Charlie's fence with the leash still on just because she wanted to see him so bad. silly girl.

So what am I doing today? purchasing her another shock collar. She tore her previous one up to where I can't attach it and can't turn it on...I told you she's smart. That's my dog-ter.

my gift

2011-05-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Psalm 127:3 Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord.

My heart floods with warmth every time Joey runs towards me. His little chubby cheeks are bouncing up and down with each awkward toddler footstep. He lets out this "EEEE" noise that's almost a grunt but he has a goofy teeth-showing grin on his face. And then there's his sausage fingers attached to his wrist-rolled arms that are flung open wide...how can you not fall in love with him and forget everything else around you for that brief moment?

What a wonderful gift!

How to be Mature

2011-05-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

James 1:2-6a My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.
If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt.

I love reading James 1:2 in different versions. Emily's version: When life sucks and you're faith is being tested, be glad because this will give you perseverance and result in complete maturity.

I'm needing a little bulking up on scripture today. It's been a good day.

new season

2011-05-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the beginning of a new season. Separate housing for a married couple should not be "the best option at this time". Our separate lives ...words are hard.

<< Ecclesiastes 3 >>
A Time for Everything
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. 14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. 15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Human Milk

2011-05-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

I'm giving Joey my milk. I'm breastfeeding a toddler. I'm an extended breastfeeder. I'm letting him self-wean...whatever you want to call it. I'm in love with our little relationship. How he stops and looks up at me, how the magic milk instantly stops crying and fixes boo-boos, and how I'm able to give him the exact nutrition his little body needs.
I'm also in love with breastfeeding because I got back in my jeans by week 3, I have gotten to eat, and didn't have to deal with having a period for an extra 13months. Breastfeeding makes amenorrhea normal; no period for 23 months!!! When I say eat, I mean EAT; I wanted to have a whole cheesecake after eating a whole cow. There were several weeks in a row (around the winter holidays too) where I would eat an entire stick of cream cheese everyday and still be hungry.
I wish more mommas worked through their "issues" with breastfeeding and did this. I also wish society around us was more accepting. Why people feel the need to cover up and hide in a room in order to feed their child...maybe they're the same people that like to eat a whole box of chocolate by themselves too. I wish I could take more artsy photos of our feeding sessions and capture the looks of lovin' I get. I wish to always cherish the middle of the night loving/eating sessions. and attempt to count the times where Joey has attempted to nurse my belly button. or the night where he just nursed right through my shirt. or early on when my boobs were so messy and anytime he was nursing the other boob would get jealous and leak all over the place. or the time I came home from work and was so happy to see the dog that my milk let down just looking at the dog!!!
Pumping at work was a different thing. I daily had to find a place to hide and feel safe pumping. I daily had people tell me how weird it was that I was providing free nutrients to my baby by pumping. I had a manager that was not supportive and didn't understand (yet another reason I quit my job). Pumping took commitment. But I had amazing support from hubby. Once we got the pumping pattern down; there was no reason to stop. No reason to wean my chubby baby.
It was not easy at first. Open sores, doing positive self-talk to motivate me to give my baby one more feeding. Feeding him on one side, so the other side could have a break and hopefully heal. Wading through the crazy emotions postpartum hormones were causing. So many tears at first.
So worth it. I still don't feel like I know everything about breastfeeding and I still long to learn more and more. I find myself on Kellymom.com ALL the TIME!

Got Milk?

just the begining

2011-05-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

this is just the begining of of toddlerhood. a huge milestone. a season all it's own. in only having the hope to repeat itself someday. But for now we have entered toddlerhood with Joey where finding all of momma's No-No buttons are in the house is a treasure hunt all in itself. where eating is supposed to include food in your hair. where laughing is expected anytime anyone says 'belly button'. where you look outside for 15minutes to find the perfect rock and then find the perfect matching stick for your other hand...and just to top that off you try to eat both of them.

Toddlerhood makes my heart whole. Finding fascination in balloons clear across the room. Sticking his little tongue out just to get me to laugh. Helping just to see if I appreciate what he's doing. He's a little DJ, pressing buttons on the radio. Turning the alarm clock into a 'dog on a leash' and taking the new 'dog' on a walk all around the house.

He loves his dog-dog. He curls up with her and lays his head against her warm body and Maggie gently snuggles back. We go on walks together. Those walks are my everything. So amazing to learn about the world around you through the eyes of a toddler. by the way, sippy cups are meant to go into register vents...that's what i'm learning.

I'm trying to teach him to sign a few words and he just looks at me like 'i already told you what i want, so why do i have to repeat myself'.

O Toddlerhood...this is going to be a grand adventure.

my inner hippie

2011-05-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

the older I get, the more i realize I'm a hippie. and I'm okay with that.
Let me list the ways I am a hippie...
1 Home Birth
2 Anti-Doctors
3 I have a placenta in my freezer
4 cloth diapering
5 amber necklace
6 breastfeeding
7 making my own baby food
8 enjoy gardening and pulling weeds
9 love my vegetable garden
10 compost pile
11 baby wearing
12 love my family bed and sleeping with baby
13 anti-dialysis for long term and NICU's are unethical
14 get excited when I get good gas mileage
15 don't like eating out because I can make it better myself
16 love eating healthy
17 kefir - make my own probiotics
18 Yoga and Pilates
19 hot tea connoisseur

but I'm not a hippie because
1 i don't care for rock music
2 I have never smoked anything and never will
3 still feel uncomfortable with open homosexuality displayed in public
4 I'm a republican
5 hate tie-dyed clothing
6 love being married
7 I eat meat and it's delicious.

So basically I refuse to conform to someone's cookie cutter. I make my own shapes and opinions. Therefore I expect everyone else to make their own decisions too. I long for people to be informed before making choices.

a full year

2011-05-09T10:34:00.001-07:00

a full year has past...
I want to blog, but I don't want to worry about hurting people's feelings or my grammar. so suck it. this is my voice and my honest words that need to pour out. so if you don't like what i have to say, don't read this.

I have a beautiful, energetic toddler. he loves me no matter if i do my hair or have food on my shirt. in fact, he adds his own collection of food and boogers to my shirts and pants and hair daily. i pick out my clothing around what boogers will look good with.

religion is gone. we are left with faith and repeated messages from the Holy Spirit. Examples: old alzheimer's lady looks me straight in the eye and says "let your mother-in-law help you; she knows more than you give her credit"...thanks for the dagger in the heart, LORD.
or the day after I quit my job in order to keep our household sane during this next year...husband/nurse of an optometrist that has walked in my shoes tells me "I was wondering what took you so long, your husband is really going to need you this next year"... fullfilling words to my broken/confused heart.
or my beautiful walks with Maggie and Joey...and a deer coming within a few yards of us. just to remind us of how big God is...
Religion, you suck. Faith, you keep me whole. I do admire the friends religion has given me, but putting Joey in a strangers' arms to listen to horrible church music, and to hear a message that will repeatedly be stuck at a 4th grade level...no religion, my God, my Faith is much bigger than that.

Each year keeps getting better and it will keep getting better. my Cup over flow-th. Each day spent with Joey is better and better. My love for Alan grows, and when I think I can't love him more; I do. A full year indeed.

So what's next? I don't have a job, Alan doesn't have a job, our house is on the market to make a transition back to our real home, we have Joey and Maggie and Sam and Bella...family. Our small family. We have faith that God's timing will be perfect. We have options.

a goal i have is to use Joey's nap time to blog and keep me sane. I will have more time, but with this new time will also bring more faith. I need people, but I don't seek out people. I've never been a socialite, but I yearn for being around people. We all need to connect with someone.

future topics: Human milk, Birthing, Death, Making Food, sleeping with babies, cats/dogs, music, consignment deals....oh the full year I've had.

Birthing Story

2010-04-21T18:35:00.001-07:00

****Warning, contains gross stuff***

"You had a home birth! Are you crazy?"
"How'd you do it without the epidural?"
"You mean you didn't have a doctor?!?"

These are just a few of the responses I have gotten so far to sharing my birthing experience. Society as a whole is mystified by natural childbirth. I have always been excited to have the chance to utilize my God given power as a woman to bring His miracle of life into this world through a home birth. You don't have to understand it, just know my birth was the most wonderful, empowering, miraculous experience I have had thus far in my life.

Labor started somewhere in the middle of Saturday night/Sunday morning. Diarrhea and contractions lasting a minute long started around 2am. I don't know for sure because I tried my best to keep sleeping knowing that if this was REAL labor I would need my energy. At 6am I counted 6-7 contractions within the hour. Going to the bathroom every 30 minutes was starting to become real annoying.

The realization started kicking in, I'm in active labor! At 6:45am I text my dad "Happy Birthday, I'm in Labor" in between 3 contractions and pooping. I woke Alan up to let him know I was going to call my midwife due to the contractions. Contractions now 6 min apart. My midwife, Dana, was notified around 7:30am. She recommended that since I was starting to get too uncomfortable to sleep that I should eat breakfast and take a shower and call her back with an update. After attempting my routine breakfast of 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, glass of milk and English muffin, I slowly made it to the shower. I could feel my body shifting to right-brain function only...Labor Land. Labor Land is a dream-like, non-analytical, place where you just go off intuition, voices and decisions did not matter, and I could not answer questions easily.

After the shower it's 9:30 and contractions are now 4 minutes apart. My midwife is on her way over. I'm still moving around the house and hanging out in my robe. Unable to lie down comfortably, I settle in an upright indian-style position on the bed loosing track of time. I made Alan start a load of laundry since I had left washing the brand new baby clothes for a project later in the week.

Dana arrived around 10:15, looked at me and said, "You ARE working hard, I'm calling Jenny (doula)". At 10:30am she checked me...I was 100% effaced and dilated 8cm with my water sack intact. Alan started preparing the birthing tub (which we could not fill with hot water fast enough to utilize). Jenny helped me through the contractions providing me with heat packs and pressure to my sacrum where my hips were spreading the most. Dana checked fetal heart rate with a Doppler every 15-30 minutes; his heart rate consistently stayed in the 130's. His heart rate slowed once only to realize I was holding my breath from the intensity of a contraction; he rebounded quickly. My highest blood pressure identified was 118/82...and afebrile. No signs of distress.

The hormones were making my legs shake uncontrollably, but I didn't care. Water broke at 1220 and the hard labor started. I moved to the birthing chair and got too comfortable that labor started to slow, a nice break for me. Dana made me eat 2 tablespoons of honey for the upcoming energy boost despite my slight nausea.

We tried hands and knees position to try to move my cervix forward. Unsuccessful with position alone, Dana manually flipped the anterior lip of the cervix to keep my labor progressing. I now had the urge to push. With every contraction thereafter I gave 2-4 pushes. Dana was massaging my vagina with olive oil during each contraction. Jenny was holding my right hand. Alan was on my left side constantly telling me "you're doing a good job"...I had more motivation to keep pushing harder. Cognitive of every ache/pain/twitch/cramp I somehow kept finding more strength. I felt his head with my fingers as he crowned. I felt his head pop out. I felt such a deep surge of adrenaline as I did the last push to get his shoulders out...and then I felt him wiggle and kick my vaginal wall the rest of the way to my belly. Skin-to-skin was the BEST and made me instantly forget the pain and hard work I just accomplished.

He had 10 perfectly pink fingers, 10 perfectly pink toes to make a wiggly, slimy, warm baby boy. Jenny reminded Alan to capture the moment in a picture as we were drying him off. I remember shrieking in joy. This was an amazing and empowering feeling. Only I could have done this and I DID!!!

The cord took 5-6 minutes to stop pulsing. Alan was slightly timid to cut the cord, until Dana looked at him and said, "Don’t worry, I'm holding his penis."

Long fingers, tons of hair, and he was perfectly healthy.

While we were still cleaning him off on my chest, Sammy (my cat with attitude) came in and gently but intentionally bit my left forearm as to say, "I do not approve, and you had better stop of this racket"...and marched out. (Sam adores Joey now)

Once my baby was wrapped and safe in Alan's arms, I was placed on the birthing chair to deliver the placenta. I simply relaxed and out gushed the placenta which grossed Alan out. The endorphin high was the best drug. I was wonderful. I had some vaginal abrasions, but NO tearing, NO stretch marks, NO hospital transfer... Just a new, healthy family of three.

I can't imagine how different my experience would have been in a hospital... Would I do it again at home? Absolutely!!! It WAS wonderful!

walkin' Maggie

2010-03-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Maggie is getting spoiled with mom home on maternity leave. Getting to go on multiple walks everyday. Her favorite is to travel the deer paths across from our home, leash-less. Besides going on so many walks, she loves playing with her bestest dog-friend, Brandy every evening. We all are so blessed to have great neighbors.

besides the brisk walks, I've started getting my energy around the house. Beware to all of my closets...you are about to get organized.

huge news

2010-03-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

37 weeks later, we're going to birth our first son. little socks, crib linens, blankets, and a lifetime of waiting for this moment.

the excitement is all around us. the cats know and Maggie knows, something special is brewing.

potpourri

2009-06-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Happy 27th birthday, Alan!

We had a nice cookout in the backyard. Maggie is getting big, but she's not spoiled. Can you tell?

Disappointment in my reproductive system took me to the Emergency Room a few weeks ago. Although the pain is gone, questions are still unanswered. I took a sick day on the 12th and still want' feeling up to par for work craziness. Thankfully I was canceled on the 13th and could enjoy a short visit with Nana during her family reunion of sorts. The Hickman side of the family hadn't met for 20 years. I love my Nana.

This past weekend we enjoyed the company of my mom, my niece and my cousin. We did St Louis!...the arch, zoo, children's museum, water park... WHEW! Alan and I had trouble keeping up with their energy level. I know I'm still young at heart when an ice cream sandwich puts a smile back on my face.

Project "make the 70's go away"

2009-06-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Remodeling our home has been an adventure. Although crazy and expensive like all hobbies getting rid of the 70's motif has given us a new found way to acchieve positive feedback. In fact our confidence in skills keeps growing. Alan has been suprising himself in the current bathroom remodel.

Before:

Enjoying having a neighbor with lots of toys

Currently finishing tile

Meet Maggie

2009-05-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

yesterday we got a new puppy!!! A sweet 15 week old female Boxer. The breeder wanted to keep her as a new mom, but let us take her home instead. We're thrilled to start the journey of dog ownership. Our first 30 minutes with this adorable pup were spent cleaning up her 4 bowel movements and vomit in our car (the new one, of course). Alan and I kept joking around that "shit happens". Other than that, our 2 hour car ride was boring.

The cats have been cordial, but not friendly. Bella's tail has been really poofy as of late. Sam just wants to know what's going on.

We named her Maggie because she's so sweet. She's already turning her head to the sound of her name. She's picking up on things really quickly. This morning we worked on going up and down the stairs independently despite the cats' location. Now she spends 30 minutes at a time repeating her new accomplishment until we stop her. We're doing the whole crate training thing and she LOVES her crate. So far it's really easy to talk her into getting in and difficult to convince her to come out. We enjoy celebrating her every potty and poop outside...mini parties every time: so fun! I can't wait until she picks up on wearing a leash and going for long walks.

~~~~
Over Memorial Day weekend we enjoyed the company of my brother and his fiance down at the Wommack house. Alan and I ran in the town's 5k and I met my goal of running it in it's entirety. That evening to celebrate all of the kids coming home, my parents threw a little party for the engaged couple and even had a hot air balloon come for rides. My mother-in-law came down from KC, our family friends from central Kansas came with their 5 kids, and my niece was there to name a few. Amazing weekend full of new memories.

In later blogs I will share updates of house projects. Must go play with Maggie again.

job interview

2009-04-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to include you on a portion of my job interview at a different local hospital.

The interviewing manager asked, "What made you want to be a nurse?"

And of course I reply, "Honestly,... I love poop. I found an occupation where I can talk about poop all day. and I love people." (Emily adds in hoping her nervous chatter can be overlooked by the redemptive qualities of a "world peace" answer.)

In slight shock and overcome with the blunt statement of reality, the interviewing manager replies, "well, we certainly do have a lot of that here." and she smiled and laughed under her I'm-trying-to-be-professional persona.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That leads me to my favorite question. Have you pooped today?

spring has sprung

2009-04-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

spring break was last week. I don't think I've ever spent a spring break on a road trip in college. we were always doing some music/choir tour...great trips none the less. We enjoyed doing a whole lot of nothing in Pensacola, FL. sitting on the beaches, reading a book, making sand creatures, laughing at the southern accents, eating tons of seafood, playing dominoes, captivated by the blue jellyfish in which we later found out they were Portuguese Man O'War ... The older I get the more sheltered in life I realize I was growing up...We've enjoyed exploring the world together.

Another sign of spring is in the vegetation. GREEN!!! I miss the green grass and the birds chirping in the morning. I planted a 4x6 garden a few weeks ago. You'd have thought I had found a $100 bill as I was gleeful to see my lettuce starting to poke through. I planted a purple and green leaf lettuce as well as a row of carrots and several cherry tomato plants. The lettuce is only a centimeter tall, but I'm so ready for real veggies! I'm also proud of myself for "MacGyver"-ing a deer deterrent system made of 2x4's and chicken wire. Take that you hungry little deer that think our backyard is a highway for your hoof prints. Our backyard has also become a home for a mole (Alan's arch-nemesis). Although the enemy has been defined we have chosen to be humane and are hoping if we just starve the sucker to death he will leave our dominion... aka use a powerful grub killer.

Our household is currently debating what kind of dog/puppy to get. We have a few features defined. Has to be a medium build, Sammy has to still be the dominate animal, has to be a stray or from the shelter, no froo-froo dog. Possible dog breeds: Terrier, Shar Pei, hound, boxer, beagle...
The World of Wegener continues...

Black and White

2009-02-26T16:21:00.001-08:00

Black and white is what I want. Simple decisions...even those are hard sometimes. What am I going to wear today? What should I eat for supper? Should I brush my teeth or wash my face next?
Then there are decisions that make up the gray in life. What would make my life better? Do I like my job? What are my goals this year? How are my relationships doing?...
Recently I've noticed there is a very fine line between frustration and contentment and happiness. Currently I am in limbo everyday about my job. Some days I love being a nurse and serving others that I can overlook anything and enjoy having a job. Other days I am pulling out my hair in frustration and desperation for having such a crappy nursing position. Then on other days I'm just content having a job, security. So why am I undecided about my nursing career? Why am I so indecisive? Is being indecisive a bad thing? Is it me?
James 1:2 Consider is pure joy, Emily, when you have troubles. Because you know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested so that you may be mature and not lacking in anything.

Come What May

2009-02-23T11:01:00.001-08:00

In preparation for Andy's wedding (my brother) in August, I have looked into many wedding songs since we've been asked to sing a duet. However most are really corny and unrealistic in representing marriage.

Endless Love • When I Fall in Love • True Love • Annie's Song • Let It Be Me • I Swear • Up Where We Belong • The Prayer • Don't Know Much • All I Ask of You • Tonight I Celebrate my Love • Somewhere Out there • Beauty and the Beast • I finally Found Someone • From This Moment On • Household of Faith

There are some fantastic lyric in "Come What May", from Moulin Rouge.

Never knew I could feel like this

Like I've never seen the sky before

Want to vanish inside your kiss

Every day I love you more and more

Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?

Telling me to give you everything

Seasons may change, winter to spring

But I love you until the end of time

Come what may

I will love you until my dying day

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place

Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace

Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste

It all revolves around you

And there's no mountain too high

No river too wide

Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side

Storm clouds may gather,

And stars may collide

But I love you (I love you)

Until the end of time(until the end of time)

Come what may

I will love you until my dying day

I think the lyrics from this song better represent the attitude newlyweds need to have in our world today. "Bring it on". A love that flows throughout all seasons in the marriage, a commitment until the day you die to love each other, learning to love more and more...

I was thinking back to our wedding and the music we utilized. At that time in our life we loved hymns! We had our guests sing with us. I liked that.

So bring it!

books to read

2009-02-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

I've started visiting the library again. My hope is to challenge myself with consistantly going to the library every 2 weeks. I want to start reading the Jane Austen books and then move onto something else. Any suggestions?

Alan's fascination for Beyonce

2009-02-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

For the past few months Alan has been singing Beyonce's "Single Ladies". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVEGfH4s5g

Posted November 18, 2008 -- For the interviews and promotion Beyonce is doing in support of her third solo project, I Am…Sasha Fierce, the R&B singer is shooting down rumors like a sniper. From pregnancy rumors to Kanye's Rihanna comment to the one about her back-up dancer being a transvestite, Bey has been ready for all the questions that are posed to her.
Since Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video leaked to the internet, the industry has been buzzing that one of the dancers seems a bit too masculine. Though numerous unconfirmed claims have popped up in regards to the matter, Beyonce killed the notion once the topic was addressed during her interview with NYC's Power 105 radio station this morning (Nov.18), “That is so silly man, that is silly,” Beyonce told host Ed Lover and former 106 & Park host Free.
Ed Lover then asked her if she had actually heard the rumor (of course she did) in which she then went on to defend both her dancers, “Both of the girls, they’re ballet dancers and their bodies are unbelievable; pure muscle,” she explained. “So I guess, people were feeling like her body is so strong, but that’s crazy."

This cracks me up for several reasons, but most importantly because Alan is frustrated because he can't identify if the back up dancers are both females. I just think it is amazing a female body can move like that...if it's not the case, power to him!

The invention of YouTube, Facebook, TiVo, Cooks.com, ...these are all things I can't live without.

Since Sammy's last update...

2009-02-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

I am debating my career goals. Is it worth changing jobs? Do I want med-surg or continue to critical care? How much do I have to hate my job to make a change? Which hospital should I be at? Do I focus on getting a Masters in Nursing Education? When did it become okay for patients and family/friends visiting to yell and harass the nursing staff?

I thought after college you would have most of these questions figured out. You get married, have babies, and enjoy your career. Simple right!?!? HA!

The great thing is Alan loves school and likes hanging out with his classmates. He got his lens kit that has hundreds of different refractory lens in a new shiny leather case with some other optometrist tools the first week of school. He giggled and is so excited looking at the lenses. The kids help Alan study almost every night.

I deeply desire and miss 2 things: church friends and singing in a professional choir.

Boppies (Emily's paternal grandpa) went to heaven the week before Christmas (December 18th, 2008). The one year anniversary of my Aunt Patsy going to Heaven was January 24th, 2009. Life is too short.

I went to Boston the last week of January to spend amazing time with my parents, brother and future sister. I felt we did an eat-across-Boston tour; it was fantastic!

Alan and I are excited about going on a spring break road trip to Florida with 2 other couples. A really nice condo near Pensacola, Florida has our name on it in March.

In the meantime, I'll just watch the kids play.

Samuel Christmas 2008

2009-02-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

Meowy Christmas! This is your annual update from your favorite Christmas Card-writing cat. Overall my girlfriend, Bella, is still fun to hang with, and my parents, Alan and Emily, are healthy and happy. I’m 5 years old now, and that means mom and dad celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary last August 2nd.

Dad started optometry school at UMSL (University of Missouri-St Louis), a 4-year program. Prior to moving to the St Louis area, mom and dad enjoyed traveling. In April they took a five day cruise in the Bahamas. In May they spent one week on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii only came home for two nights and then went to visit Alan’s Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob in Juneau, Alaska. From warm sandy beaches and snorkeling to whale watching near the glaciers, mom and dad left me to take care of our house while it was on the market. Then in June they left again to join mom’s side of the family at the Burress Family Reunion which met in Tennessee this year at Fall Creek Falls State Park.

I thought traveling was out of their system, but then the boxes came out. We moved our family clear across the state from the Kansas City area to the St Louis area. I love my new house in Maryland Heights. There is a wooded area across the street where I can watch deer in my front yard. Mom lets Bella and me sometimes play outside in the backyard when dad is at school. Bella likes to catch the butterflies and grasshoppers; I would rather just enjoy the warm sun.

Mom really misses her friends from work and is still trying to find a good fit in her new job. Currently she is working as a float pool nurse at Christian Hospital (northeast area of St Louis). Mom and dad also miss their friends at Harmony Vineyard Church, but are hoping to find good fellowship at St Peters Episcopal Church. Dad has brought over some of his school friends, and mom has enjoyed helping me play host.

We have definitely started a new journey in our lives. Dad keeps talking about letting me pick out a puppy to play with in the spring when he has summer break, but I’ll be the judge of that idea. The best thing is we are going to have the same address for the next 3½ years. We hope this letter is greeting you and yours in good spirits.

Yours Truly,
Samuel Wegener

Samuel Christmas 2007

2009-02-09T06:55:00.000-08:00

Meowy Christmas from the best Christmas-card-writing cat. I do love updating you on the past years events and what my parents will be dragging me into in the future.
Last Spring my girlfriend (Bella) had surgery, but she still smells good and is fun to play with. She’s a lot smaller than I am which makes it hard for me to chase her into some spots.

Dad played softball again last summer; this time playing on two different teams every week instead of just one. I don’t really know what softball is, but it has to involve lots of rolling around because he always came back dirty and smelling good. Dad stopped working for the eye doctors this summer because he had to get a few more classes out of the way, and right now he’s substitute teaching in the Rat-town school district. Or is it Raytown… so hard to keep them straight.

Back in July, I started noticing mom smelled a lot different, and I tried to tell everyone, but they wouldn’t listen to me. Eventually, they found out they were pregnant and said they were sorry for not listening to me. September 7th was very sad for everyone; mom lost the baby that was in her belly. Mom and dad did very well with the miscarriage news and they realized how many people love them. For some reason, I got lots of extra hugs. Nothing is wrong with mom and dad; they will be able to have a baby when-ever I give them permission.
All during this time we just bought a new house that came with all these new rooms to hide in and lots of new smells. I’ve been helping mom and dad do lots of work on it along with help from their friends and family so hopefully we can sell it to make a good profit. What’s really great about the house is they let Bella and me into the garage every once and a while to look for bugs and explore. I have to keep an eye on Bella though because she doesn’t always come in when mom and dad say so. Right now it’s a little cold in the garage, so we run around in the house instead.

Mom loves being a nurse at St Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs. Dad has been accepted to join the fall 2008 class of optometry at St. Louis. So it looks like we’ll be moving again next summer. Mom will easily be able to be a nurse in St. Louis and maybe go on to get her masters. I know I’m the most important thing in their lives, and I’ll go with them wherever life takes us.

Yours truly,

Samuel Wegener

Sammy Christmas 2006

2009-02-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas Letter 2006

Merry Christmas! It’s Sammy Wegener, your favorite Christmas-Card-writing cat. I do enjoy sharing the highlights of this past year and what my parents (Alan and Emily) have been doing. This summer was very busy. My mom stopped working at Children’s Mercy in May and started working in June at St. Mary’s Hospital in Blue Springs on an adult Medical/Surgical unit on dayshift. Mom really enjoys working at her new hospital. Dad’s optometry office moved in mid June, out of the mall and into a private practice in Lee’s Summit. It was nice to have mom and dad on the same daytime schedule, and then I could start eating on a regular schedule. Because the humans’ jobs have moved locations, we moved our home too. We now live in some really nice yellow apartments just west of Independence Mall. Our apartment is on the 3rd floor and I love hanging out on my patio.
Besides job and housing changes, I have had some relationship changes. My first beloved girlfriend, Daisy Mae, went to kitty heaven on September 11th from cancer. Losing her was really hard on our family; I even had trouble eating and getting back to my regular activities. Although it was hard to move on and get used to change, mom and dad found me a new girlfriend, Bella. She is really pretty and extremely fun to play with. Bella keeps me entertained and she is very fun to hang out with.
Mom and dad are involved in many activities and travels, which means I can sleep more when they’re gone. My parents still sing in the Kansas City Symphony Chorus and even went to New York City with the group to sing at Carnegie Hall the end of June. They also traveled to San Diego to see Shamu and other things with Grandma Barb, Dan, and Alan’s brothers. Some really good smells were brought back with them. Besides choir, my parents have been involved in Harmony Vineyard Church; they have tons of new friends that sometimes come over to play with me.
The future holds many options for my parents and me. My dad is eagerly waiting to hear from the optometry schools in which he has applied. Dad applied all over the country: Boston, MA; Memphis, TN; Chicago, IL; Bloomington, IN; and St. Louis, MO. This spring we might move again if he gets accepted. I know I’m the most important thing in their lives, and I’ll go with them wherever life takes us. In the meantime, I’m hoping Santa will bring me lots of catnip.

Yours truly,

Sammy Wegener

Sammy Christmas 2005

2009-02-09T06:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2005 Sammy’s Update

The time of year has come to update you on my parents, Alan and Emily. The last year began with mom in Florida fighting the gators and mosquitoes in the Everglades in a canoe on the Outward Bound Adventure; her luggage smelled so great when she returned. Then mom finished her final semester of coursework at William Jewell College and she got her first gray hair from nursing school – now she matches me! Mom spent her Spring Break with the Concert Choir on tour and organized lots of stuff as president. Dad stayed home with me and we played. May was very busy, mom graduated from nursing school, went on a medical mission trip to Honduras, and I hid a lot since we had so much company all the time. Meanwhile dad went to Canada on a fishing trip with the Wegener boys, leaving me all alone in a new house with all of our stuff still in boxes. That was cool, but dad didn’t bring back any real fish. Mom and dad came back, and we have lived in this new house in Independence, Missouri ever since. I like the new 2-bedroom house; it has wooden floors I can slide on, a basement with bugs, and lots of windows to look out at the birds and the squirrels. They say the basement isn’t ‘finished’ but I hope it stays the way it is. Mom started a new job as a nurse at Children’s Mercy Hospital in downtown Kansas City. She works great hours at night and takes naps with me during the day. Mom took the nursing board exams in July and passed on the first time; she is really happy about being a RN.
Dad seems to really like eyeballs still, currently working for the optometrists at Lens Crafters inside the Independence Mall. My parents keep talking about moving again next year for dad to go back to school to become an eye doctor. Moving is rough… Dad has applied to optometry schools in Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis and Houston and is waiting for them to call him for an interview. I don’t care where we go as long as mom and dad can take me with them. But if I had the choice, I hear there are lots of fish in Boston.
Mom and dad have kept singing and are now in the Kansas City Symphony Chorus. I really like when they have concerts and dad wears his tuxedo with tails and I get my hair on his black suit. I try to sing with them sometimes but they just laugh at me and pick me up. Then I bite them. They keep talking about going to New York City with the Symphony Chorus and singing at Carnegie Hall in June. I wonder who they will leave to feed me.
Recently my girlfriend, Daisy Mae, has come to live with us. Daisy is a 9 year-old, white longhaired cat; she is so fun to chase around the house. I really enjoy taking naps with her on the couch, but sharing my food and litter box with her took a little getting used to; she keeps whining about ‘privacy’. Best of all, she smells great!
Mom and dad plan on spending Christmas in Parsons, and I will take care of the house for them. They want me to tell you they like getting phone calls and updates from you, so keep calling their cell phone thingies. Make sure to come by and see my parents and me; I love when the doorbell rings. As always have a great year, may it be full of catnip and other great stuff.

Yours truly,

Sammy Wegener

Sammy Christmas 2004

2009-02-09T06:15:00.000-08:00

Meow (Hello!), December 5, 2004

It’s that time of year when my mom writes a letter for me so I can tell you what has been going on with my family. I’ve been really good this year, except when I knocked over the lamps to catch a fly. Oh, well.
Since last year my dad, Alan, graduated in May from William Jewell College with a Chemistry degree. Over the summer he went on a fishing trip to Canada with other Wegener boys and came back smelling really good. In July he got a job working for the optometrists inside the Lens’ Crafters at the Independence Mall. He works mall hours and gets to spend time playing with me in the mornings. He has been filling out these papers for eye doctors’ schools and talking about how much he likes eyes. He still plays ultimate Frisbee on Sunday nights and he enjoys hanging out with friends.
My mom, Emily, has been really busy with school. She is planning on graduating in the spring with a Nursing degree and Music minor. Mom likes to practice her nursing stuff on me sometimes. Over the summer mom took 3 summer classes and was overwhelmed taking 12 hours of coursework. On mom and dad’s first anniversary (August 2), mom lost her favorite cat, Sarah, to old age (18 years old); she cried a lot and I tried to cheer her up. When school started again she brought home more books and paper…paper tastes good. Mom is taking 18 hours of courses and she is still in Concert Choir and Handbells at school.
Over the Christmas Break in January, mom is going with other Jewell students on Outward Bound, an adventure in the Florida Everglades. When she graduates mom is going on a mission trip to Honduras at the end of May while dad is going to fish in Canada again. We really do not know where we are going to be next year at this time; it is all dependent on dad getting into eye doctors’ school. Mom thinks she wants to work at a children’s hospital, but I’m okay with where ever we go.
Now that you have a little update on us, my parents and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas. In the New Year, may God’s love be prosperous and may the catnip be plentiful.
Love,
Sammy Wegener

Sammy Christmas 2003

2009-02-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

Meow (hello!!)~~ November 25, 2003

My mom agreed to write this letter for me. I am Sammy Wegener, a gray tabby cat and the newest member to the family. I was actually born about two weeks before my parents got married, August 2, 2003, but they did not adopt me until I was 5 weeks old. That’s enough about me; I want to tell you what my mom, Emily, and dad, Alan, have been up to lately.
Dad has been busy as a Chemistry major at William Jewell College. He will graduate in the spring of 2004. Dad continues to play ultimate Frisbee on Sunday nights when he can. On Monday nights he is busy with his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, and really enjoys his guy time. The rest of the time he is working at Enterprise Rent a Car as a car prep dude or at the Harriman Arts Program at Jewell doing miscellaneous fun stuff and getting paid for it. Dad also likes to wear shoes with laces; I love shoe laces. Next semester dad will have a heavy class load, so I will try not to bother him when he’s doing his homework. However I do like chasing the mouse on the computer screen.
Mom has been busy with school also. She is a Nursing major at William Jewell College and has lots of important paperwork that tastes really good; I don’t think she likes when I eat her papers. Her hard class is Adult Health, an 8 hour course. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings she wakes up really early and wears white scrubs, but she doesn’t like to wear shoes with laces. That’s okay because we play ball every morning on the kitchen floor. Mom has three more semesters and a semester of summer school left. Mom sometimes lets me ride in the car with her; I like riding in the car. We go and visit the girls’ dorm at WJC where I can find so many places to hide. In between her classes she works at the Advancement Office at Jewell and volunteers as a Cardinal Blazer, giving tours to prospective students.
Both mom and dad are in the Advanced Hand bells Choir and Concert Choir at school. They also took ballroom dancing lessons at Jewell and sometimes practice in the living room; I try to stay out of the way.
Anyhow, on December 15th I have a scary surgery coming up. Mom and dad told me I’m going to be an “it” and lose my front claws. I don’t know what to expect. Our one bedroom apartment in Liberty is really nice. I love climbing on the furniture. I love to hide in the kitchen cabinets, closets, and refrigerator. …yeah I said refrigerator; mom and dad tell me I am weird, but they still love me, except for when I knock over their big plants and when I scratch mom’s feet…most importantly I want to tell you Merry Christmas and my parents want to wish you a very happy new year.

Love, Sammy Wegener

Virgin Blogging Experience

2009-02-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

I've started a blog...
Living so far (4 and 6 hours) from family makes me miss them that much more. We are in Maryland Heights while Alan is an optometry student at UMSL. I think the easiest way to catch everyone up is to let our son, Sammy, share his series of Christmas letters with you.