We Proudly Would Like to Announce the Arrival of the 1st Tooth!

It IS a tooth!! I saw the bugger this morning in its 3-ridged splendor at the bottom left side. Of course I only got to see it after Jesse Jay fell asleep. But it's there! Sarah confirmed a sharp ridged prominence yesterday so I know I am not making it up. It's official, we have our first tooth pushing up like a flower...

Jesse Jay is also pulling himself up to his feet. He is very unsteady but loves pulling himself up. It is so fun to go into his room when he cries awake.. and he is standing up waiting for us to come in. I giggle EVERY time. It's the most precious thing.

Pray for me this week when you think of it. I have been taking call this weekend and that has been going alright. I also am the ONLY PA in town this week so a lot is on me. I am sure it will go just fine but it's definately nerve racking.

It Better Be a Tooth...

Baby Jesse has been a pill tonight. He is unusually cranky and even cried and whined without being consolable for Melinda today. I poked a finger in his mouth and the bony prominence at the bottom seems to be getting bigger and there is a whitish mound poking up that resembles a tooth.

I second guess myself because I want to see a tooth so bad I may just be imagining it.

He has been eating like a horse too. When we went to lunch with Erin and Ward when they were here he ate a whole plastic container of green beans, apples, an 8 oz bottle, bread x3, and a whole serving of ice cream. Geez!

Overall I am irritated. Please just pray for me. :)

Some Things You Need to Know..

So some fun things have happened this week:

Take for instance the picture. Melinda decided Tink needed a bib. BecauseTinkerbell's fat and Jaba the Hut-like I am sure. She was "ok" with it but started doing that cat thing where they try and back-up out of it. We only tortured her for a moment, just to snag this photo and make YOU giggle....

Jesse's class where the prof didn't specify a due date was gracious enough (read heavy sarcasm) to pass him despite her LACK of communicating a specific due date. He is ok with it but I am really irritated at this woman. He has all A's so far and she ruined my dreams of a 4.0. Whatever ;)

Baby Jesse is crawling up a storm. If I put him down for 30 seconds he gets from one room into another. I am so glad we already baby proofed. And so far I am still a liar. But like Dr. House I am certain I am imagining or hallucinating a bony prominence near his bottom front teeth. I gotta stop drinking the funny colored Koolaid. Why won't I learn?

He is eating some big people's foods now and LOVES rice. I smush it into little cigar shapes and he just devours it. My Aunt Stephanie taught me that with my cousin Caroline. Babies just love it. He loves eating real food. I am going to get him sippy cups because apparently it's something you start training them on at this stage. Good thing I have lots of moms around me to help let me know these things...

I have gotten to sew two back skin closures in the operating room. I had one AWFUL day and two good days. I don't think the awful days were really my fault. But overall I like my job. I love the people I work with. They really support people and help out.

I am also looking into possible prn work or every other weekend situation to help pay off loans sooner so I can meet that big dream of mine I already told you all about. We will see.

Jesse and I are planning a trip to the Oregon Coast in August. It's pretty much the only time off we get until he graduates. We are staying at a bed & breakfast a friend's parents own in Seal Rock, Oregon for a few days. We plan to visit some family and take a LONG time to get home. We want to hike Multnomah Falls on our way home. I am so excited for our FIRST family vacation!

And my sister Erin is coming out with her boyfriend and my nephew! I am excited to have fun with them! And yea for a three day weekend.

We Love the Weekends!!!

What a fantastic weekend! Oh my, it was soo much fun. It all started Friday. I went to pick up baby boy from his aunts house and had tasty enchillada's that Sarah made. And mmmm, mmmm, mmmm where they good! It was fun playing with the babies. Emma is such a cutie and learning to fight back when Jesse tries to play rough with her. I always knew that girl could hold her own... :)

Then Jesse came home from subbing for a second grade class. We got the bicycles and the bike trailer out and rode out to Living Water. We picked up a couple books (The 5 Love Languages, etc) and got coffee on their happy hour special. We got the baby a crossaint and he loved it so much he tried chocking himself by shoveling it in too quickly. Then we realized it was dinner time so we went to Mancino's next door and split their Italian Club (which is delicious by the way). Then we loaded up and rode back home. Just in time to get to game night!

We love game night. Volleyball and food with some of our closest friends. It was a great time. And I love the beginning of volleyball season. We are all typically out of shape so it's more comedy than actual playing.

Saturday was fabulous as well. We got up and Jesse made me a fantastic breakfast of poached eggs, english muffin, and sausage. Then we got ready and went SHOPPING. We had a 30% off coupon at Kohl's so we got me some much needed shorts and Jesse some dockers and dress shirts. His student teaching will be here before we know it so we want him to be loaded up on professional attire. Plus it's so cheap right now given that it's Spring/Summer.

We went to Costco next and bought Jesse his Father's day present. It's a Sport/beach umbrella that you can tack-down but has room for chairs and provides so much shade. It's a quick set up and perfect for having the baby outside. And we had lunch at Costco. $1.50 hot dog and soda.. is there any greater deals? Then we ran to Lowe's and got some finishing blocks for our garden. It looks great now!

Then we went home and played out in the yard and garden. Jesse finished his planting and it's starting to look really good. The strawberries look great. As do the basil and other herbs. The peas are starting to sprout and so are the cucumbers and zucchini. I am psyched for raising our own produce!

Jesse made grilled pizza's for dinner and they were delicious! I took a long and soothing bath in our big tub and went to sleep. I felt so hung over from the extreme amount of sun I had absorbed that day. A wonderful blessing, but still exhausting! What a great day Saturday was!

This morning we got up and went to church. We had lunch afterwards at Artic Circle. I love their yukon gold and sweet potato fries! I would just crave them when I was pregnant with Jesse. And these are actually nearly as good now as they were when I was pregnant. That's a first...

Afterwards we did some yard work. I mowed the lawn. I like mowing the lawn. I usually don't do it because I hate bugs. And I am allergic to grass. But as long as I take my Allegra I am good.

Now the bug issue hasn't been terrible this year. Jesse hired a pest company last summer for the year to get rid of ants and bees and such, and they have done a great job. They knocked down a ton of wasp nests Friday.

Today, as I was cutting Jesse's hair after mowing the lawn, I felt a buzz near my leg. At that exact moment I felt instant PAIN. And I saw it, a wasp. Trying to pollinate me. I was innocent, and doing nothing to the bee. Everyone tells me, don't bother them and they won't bother you! I am having a little PTSD now from this. Luckily he wasn't defensive because he didnt leave his stinger. In the grand scheme of it all I am glad it stung me and NOT the baby.

Jesse made fantastic steaks for dinner and now we are gathered watching the Secret Life of Bee's.. ironic huh?

First Week in the Operating Room and Other Maddux Adventures...

I have been in the operating room this week. Spine surgery is scary. There is a lot of "you're being too gentle, be more aggressive" and "don't poke so hard or you can go through the spinal cord and paralyze the patient!" Needless to say I am nervous, lacking confidence, and not too sure what to do most of the time.

But on the plus side, my doctors and the head PA are very encouraging and supportive. It's been a huge learning curve. They have shown me things I even thought I already knew how to do, take scrubbing for instance. They have found 2-3 things they want me to do differently. All good things mind you, but it can really be draining and a huge ego-deflator to be told something that seems so simple. The same for cutting knots. Seems easy enough, but it can't be too long and it can't be too short. The difference is less than a millimeter.

But I got to see lumbar (low back) fusions, microdiskectomies, laminectomies, and anterior cervical decompression & fusions. It's always inspiring for me to think how FEW people in the world know what your spinal cord actually looks like, etc. Spinal surgery (orthopedics in general) is a lot like watching carpenters at work. Only ours is really like a horror movie. So I find that pretty neat as well.

I did get to feel like a super hero today. I did a telephone peer-to-peer conversation with an insurance company who didn't want to pay for something. Our conversation was less than 5 minutes long and I received almost immediate approval. It was nice to be successful at SOMETHING the first time around.

But overall things are well. I like the OR. The doctors have been very nice and are excellent teachers. I think at this point I need more experience and TIME to know each of their idiosyncracies.

My Jesse's are doing well. Baby Jesse has still been moody. He has been playing with his bottom front gum with his tongue a lot lately. And I am possibly imagining some bony prominence there or else he really may be getting teeth soon. I have been saying that for 4 months now and I am beginning to feel like the boy who cried wolf.

Big Jesse is having some problems with one of his classes. Their was some miscommunication in a syllabus of when something was due. Hopefully he can work this out with the teacher. If not, he has an F and that will not be good for the education program. Please pray that this works out and his professor is understanding AND merciful. He had it done on time, he just was keeping it to make sure it was perfect before he sent it in and thought he had until Friday to do it. I just wish he was better at checking his email more. He could've avoided this all together.

I am counting down until Memorial Day. I need a 3 day weekend like the deserts miss the rain... (singing in my head)

Ahh geez, the baby is crying. I already put him down for the night. Come on teeth!!

Another Weekend.. Passing By Too Quickly

Mom is gone. We gave her back to my dad via airplane yesterday. We all miss her already. I was so busy at work and going on our trip that I felt like I hardly saw her. I took her out for dinner Thursday to Pasta Amore. We have wanted to try that place but its usually on a Sunday and they are closed. The pasta was alright but the pannini and the bread is to die for. Baby Jesse sure liked it. And their homemade cheesecake is exceptional!

Friday we did cheese fondue at the house for dinner, but not before shopping until we dropped. A got a couple cute dresses from Kohl's and some needed clothing essentials for work like a belt, slip, docker's pants, etc. We also had lunch at Costco. Nothing like $1.50 hot dog and drink!

We got to play Ticket to Ride at game night Friday evening I picked it up as a birthday present to myself a few weeks back. Some friends of mine played the game with me and I fell in love with it.

Yesterday we did a lot of yard work. And I mean A LOT!! I am so sore!! But our yard looks great.

Today it was our turn in the nursery and we had lunch with some good friends. I got to take a nap and Jesse made me a chicken ciabatta sandwich. It was tasty.

Baby Jesse has been very disgruntled at times today and inconsolable. He screamed throughout his feedings, has a mild temperature, and is drooling an insane amount. Oh, and he goes through wanting to put everything in his mouth and then wont let anything touch his mouth. He is in love with his teethers today.

Did I tell you he is crawling. He is getting quite proficient at it. He is getting close to furniture and is attempting to pull himself up, but has not figured it out yet. I am so glad we have already baby proofed....

Is it really Monday already?!? *Groan!*

So we had a great time in Washington. Limited and short, but definitely great! It was draining to do that much traveling in an average weekend, so it won’t become an every week kind of thing. But it’s definitely doable in the spring, summer, and early fall months for when I get stir crazy and just need to travel somewhere.

The whole trip his cousin (Ward) didn’t seem all that interested in him. However, Jesse did seem somewhat interested in his cousin and kept grabbing his face. Apparently that’s his version of a hand shake. He does it to all the babies related to him, I swear it.

We decided to be laid back and not go anywhere than around town with my sister. We took the babies to Wal-Mart, Costco, and Joanne’s fabric store. The adults went to Quizno’s and Starbucks and the grandparents watched the kids for an hour. It was fun despite it sounding rather mundane. It’s fun to just hang out with my sister.

We came home and celebrated Kim’s 16th birthday with a BBQ. My dad is essentially a SAINT for grilling steak and chicken in the pouring rain. And man can that guy GRILL. I have always been a fan of his work in the chicken and steak department; actually in any food department. We also had cheesecake and this includes the baby as well. He LOVES cheesecake! Even more than ice cream if you can imagine.

After his sugar high, we went to change him. I was goofing off and took a corner a little too sharply and accidently bonked his head. Normally a parent would assess the situation, notice any abnormal behavior and move on. Not me, I know all about an epidural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hematoma- you name it. And the recent death of the actress (Natasha Richardson???) on the bunny hill in Canada only potentiated my fear. As my sister Erin put it, “Wow, it must really suck knowing so much!” And quite honestly it does!

Of course he was fine. But I would be lying if I didn’t say I very seriously entertained the idea of taking him to the ER. The only thing that stopped me is that he showed no signs of anything abnormal. He remained his happy go-lucky self despite the first 30 second cry, was arousable when he tried to nod off, I even made sure his pupils were reactive to light and accommodating. Yea, I went overboard, but I had to make sure he was ok.

We watched a movie with the family and went to bed early. Jesse slept with us in our room (in a pack & play) and I miss him sleeping in his own room. I love not hearing those little insignificant turning over noises. Instead I was woken up constantly. It wasn’t all horrible mind you, I was glad for the frequent reassurance that he was ok. I am now, just exhausted!

The next morning we got ready to go. We loaded up the van (coming back with 3x the amount we initially brought) and had breakfast with the family. Baby Jesse was in heaven. He got to have a teething biscuit, bananas, an a little bit of a pancake. He loves big people food. It was pretty hilarious when his cousin would come by and try and take his teething biscuit.

At 10am we left Bremerton. We went straight on (after a coffee stop and gas pump) until Yakima (I guess we were trying to test our fate again) when Jesse informed us he wanted to stop at Miner’s for a burger. The rest of us had sandwiches that we made at the house prior to leaving. So we hung out in Yakima for 45 minutes because Miner’s makes the best and messiest burgers in Eastern Washington. Jesse got to crawl in the grass outside and try some French fries. He loves them.

We stopped at an AMPM on the way out and grabbed Melinda (the new driver) a Red Bull. We kept on going until Echo, Oregon because the baby was in desperate need of a diaper change. We also got gas. Then we stopped again in La Grande, Oregon because the 3 of us ladies wanted dinner (and Big Jesse wanted a sandwich- I think he got dyslexic with the food plans) and the baby was having no more of his car seat. So we stopped at McDonald’s to relax for a bit.

At McDonald’s my mom had gone in ahead of me with the baby and I went to the restroom. After I returned, my mom was ordering and the lady behind her turns to me and says, “Is that your baby?” (pointing to my mom holding Jesse) I get a proud look on my face and say “Yes.” She says, “Oh my, he looks JUST LIKE YOU! He is so adorable.” And she proceeded to flirt with him a ton more. After she picked up her to go order, she wouldn’t leave until she had properly said goodbye to him. As always, he flirted like a pro. My little ladies man.

Jesse got to be a big boy and sit in a high chair at the table. He got a few of grandma’s french fries (or are they freedom fries now?) and a bit of vanilla ice cream. He liked it a lot. Not that this will surprise many of you, but he goes a little psycho for food.

Then we packed up and headed for home. It took us longer the way back mostly because of our increased number of stops. I didn’t want to have to go to work tomorrow and be frustrated and drained. At least we got home in our timing, right?

Baby Jesse was good there and back. He took more naps on the way home and needed far less entertaining than the initial trip up. He came back with all kinds of goodies from grandma & grandpa, and his aunts. He has some new toys, a new shower/bath chair, tons of new clothes, etc. The mountains surely do take a toll on the poor kid’s ears, but it was manageable with Tylenol and bottles.

We came home to a house where the babies room, guest bathroom, and guest bedroom lights would not turn on. Jesse tried the braker but they kept flipping off. It was late and we gave in. Baby Jesse slept in out room (again) and woke up a bunch. Ughh! Luckily Jesse figured out the source the very next day. Thank goodness....

We get grandma for 4 more days and then we have to give her back. I am praying this week goes by fast. I am actually going to Fruitland part of Wednesday and Twin Falls on Thursday. Apparently I didn’t get the memo last week that when there are 5 wed/Thursdays in a month we don’t travel (period) that week. Pray that I don’t develop a nervous tick in response to traveling. Ugh! :)

Enjoy these photos from our trip:
The boys sharing a sandwich (the baby has a piece of bread) at the rest stop just outside of Baker City, Oregon. Jesse Jay isin a cool Seahawks outfit just for grandpa Ron!!
Jesse loves ice cream. He felt like such a big boy in the high chair. This was at McDonalds.

Grandpa Ron and Jesse Jay.. such hams! They both love to laugh and watch HDTV!