CAMO Makes the Man

2007 vs. 2008: Mommy and Micah Edition

IT'S A. . .

Healthy baby, first and foremost! We are very thankful that we got another ultrasound and that everything looked normal.

It's a BOY!!! Yep, the testosterone is going to run full-throttle in the Bardwell home. The overwhelming majority of friends/family thought it was a girl (Kedron and I were kind of leaning that way too). I am already excited for all the games of catch in the back yard, the Legos underfoot, and the treehouses/forts in our future. Kedron, of course, is excited to pass on his love of football to two sons!



The baby is currently frank breech (butt down, feet up by the head) which is probably why I am measuring small. That also explains the simultaneous kicks to both sides of my tummy. :)

We will NOT be revealing the baby's name beforehand - mostly because it will take us the full 9 months to actually agree on a name. Micah was the only boy's name we both liked the first time around, and I doubt this baby would appreciate being called Micah the Second. . .

Merry Christmas to everyone; we're feeling very blessed this holiday season!

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

My Grandma Govig is 80 years old today! We visited her on Sunday and Micah enjoyed the cool Cars blanket she made him, and her fluffy cat. We were supposed to attend her official party on Saturday - but we ended up getting "stuck" at Ryan and Tiffany's house due to the blizzard warning.


Here is Grandma with 2 of her great-grandchildren: Lauren and Micah, and her youngest grandchild, Gabrielle (note the pretty princess clothes that the girls are wearing). Have a wonderful birthday Grams!!

Snuggie!!

I want one of these and I'm not kidding. I don't know why my family keeps making fun of me. Obviously they don't know what it's like to sit in our cold basement and try to watch TV while getting the remote to work underneath the blanket. Would I wear it out of the house? Of course not. But what's wrong with hands-free warmth in the privacy of my own home??

Let's Play - Guess the Gender!!

We are thrilled to be getting another baby ultrasound on December 24th! They did one a few months ago, but I'm currently measuring small so the doctor ordered another one. Yea! I've left it up to Kedron to decide if we would find out Baby Bardwell's gender (I didn't want to find out with Micah). Kedron has decided that we will try to find out this time; if the baby cooperates :)

So. . . go ahead and make your boy or girl prediction now in the comments. We will post our news here on Christmas Eve or day.

(FYI - It has been confirmed that there is only ONE baby - so no need for any twin-type guesses or comments).

GIVE

Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but reading this story in the newspaper today brought me to tears. Please, if you have been blessed this year, pass along some of your abundance to those in need. There are many charities worldwide who could use the support.


Taken from the Chicago Tribune:
When Ronisha Moseley's stepmother gently told her the family might not have presents this year, the 10-year-old turned to the one person she believed could help: Christmas Santa Claus.

Pencil in hand, Ronisha wrote him a one-page letter on poinsettia stationery left over from last year. The South Side girl explained that her stepmother had lost her job and she hoped Santa could come through with a gift for the whole family.

"What I want for Christmas is for my stepmother and me and my sister to go away somewhere nice," she wrote.

For the 4th grader, "somewhere nice" would be one of the downtown hotels she saw on a recent sightseeing trip with her stepmom. Ronisha has never stayed in a hotel and has been obsessed with them since the family outing, her stepmother Carolyn Finley said.

"She wants to go someplace where she gets to pack a suitcase and sleep somewhere else for a night," said Finley, who lost her job as a teaching assistant in August and is raising Ronisha and her sister on her own. "She thinks Santa will help, but I tried to explain that times are tough right now."

Her letter, like many sent through Chicago's main post office, reflects the reality of today's economy. In notes addressed to the North Pole, children—and adults—share stories of lost jobs, home foreclosures, skyrocketing heating bills and evictions.

So far, the post office has received about 6,000 letters, a 50 percent increase over this time last year. Officials believe the nation's financial turmoil prompted the spike, as traditionally optimistic requests for video games and bikes are often supplanted by pleas for basic necessities such as pajamas and socks.

"In lighter times, you have kids asking for everything they see," said Archie Culberson, a postal clerk who has sorted Santa letters for 28 years. "But now, some kids are worried they won't have Christmas at all, and they're turning to Santa because they don't know who else to ask."

Postal employees and volunteers log 10-hour days separating letters into piles based on gender and family size. The notes are placed in the post office lobby, so customers can read them and, if interested, select a child to help.

The wish lists available for perusal at the Harrison Street location offer a heartbreaking look at childlike faith amid a faltering economy. A 10-year-old boy is sure Santa will bring diapers for his baby sister. A girl in 3rd grade asks for slippers to keep her feet warm. Two brothers say their mom needs help making the rent.

"I just want what any regular girl would want," writes 9-year-old Annisha from Chicago, promising to give Santa unlimited milk and cookies if he doesn't skip over her house like he did last year.

Brothers Crishon Kane, 7, and Christian Carter, 6, are seeking Santa's help after a year in which their mother lost her job and they were evicted from their Englewood apartment because the landlord defaulted on the mortgage. As part of the foreclosure process, the family's belongings were removed from the dwelling and left on the sidewalk. Neighbors tried to save the possessions, but looters took most of them, including the boys' toys, their mother, Christina Kane, said.

"My mom doesn't have any money this year, but we're good boys," Crishon wrote on behalf of himself and his brother. "We like Batman."

Christina Kane sadly mailed the letter last month, knowing her sons and their 19-month-old sister will most likely be disappointed Christmas morning. The boys talked nonstop about Santa as they decorated the family's artificial tree in their new apartment this week, repeatedly asking their mother what she thought he would bring them this year.

"I told them that our love for one another is more important than any toy," said Christina Kane, who's also caring for her teenage sister. "They looked at me and said, 'What does that mean?' "

Ronisha Moseley isn't aware the letter she wrote before Thanksgiving made a stop at the Chicago post office. But she's convinced that as soon as it reaches Santa's desk, he will make arrangements for her stay at a hotel and help her escape her rough-and-tumble Ashburn neighborhood, if only for one night.

"He would want us to be quiet and safe," she says. "He knows we're a nice family."

Click here to read the happy ending for Ronisha.

15 months - the worst shots so far

Micah had his 15 month doctor appointment today, and this was by far the worst doctor experience we've had. Well, the doctor (and nurse) were great; but our little Drama King felt the need to scream whenever touched, talked about, or looked at. He screamed when he stepped on the scale. He screamed getting his head circumference measured. He screamed when the doctor looked down his throat (although this actually helped things).

So when the nurse brought the 3 shots in, it went from bad to worse. The uncontrollable, piercing shrieks began, and they didn't stop until we were in the car headed home. That's right, he screamed as I was getting him dressed. He screamed at the appointment station, so the lady had to yell, "Is March (something) OK for his next appointment?" Sure, whatever, lady; just give me the darn appointment card so I can get this Scream Machine out of here.

Book Burnout?

As I'm downstairs sitting at the computer, I hear my husband upstairs reading books to Micah. Well, actually, here's what I heard. . .

Daddy (to our son): "This is one of the dumbest books we have in the house."

Micah: (silently grabs another book for Daddy to read)

Daddy: No, this is the dumbest one. This Little Piggy and Other Sucky Favorites."

Ahh, precious memories. I guess Micah needs some new books for Christmas.

Fun with Curtains??

First of all, this happened just after a diaper change which is why our son is running around with no pants and an unsnapped onesie. He had been doing this for a minute or two before I got it on camera.

As you can see, we have all survived Bardwell Gastroenteritisfest 2008. Everyone is doing much better!!

You know it's an even WORSE day when. . .

. . . you are exhausted from taking care of your sick boy for the past 2 days, and you wake up at 2am to hear your husband puking in the bathroom.

We will be quarantining our house until further notice.

You know it's a bad day when. . .

. . . you have to take out the puke-stained clothes soaking in the sink to make room for the poop-stained ones.

Gall ya gall ya gall

Here is how we killed time driving home from Nebraska on Saturday. You can clearly tell that Micah has a favorite made up word. Enjoy!

Cryin' in a Winter Wonderland

Here's a pictoral summary of our very sensitive boy's first experience playing in the snow.


"What the heck is this stuff? Haven't you noticed it's freezing out here?" screams Micah. After the initial shock, he liked running down the snowy hill.

Until we reached the bottom. At least you can kind of see his new molar on the bottom left.

He didn't like the snowball Mommy made either.


He especially didn't like his new sled. In Micah's defense it probably was hard to stay balanced with the 17 layers of clothes we made him wear.


Oh well - the winter is young. Note the tear running down his cheek as we surrendered and brought him inside.

The Bardwell cousins

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Kedron's family in Nebraska. Micah got LOTS of attention from his cousins!! Here he is with Natalie, Jessi, Josiah, Kelsey, Jordan, and Kaleb. What a good looking bunch!

We're Thankful For. . .

We have a Thanksgiving tradition of listing 100 things we're thankful for. This year we're asking for YOUR input! I'll start off the list; feel free to add your contributions in the comments section. I'm sure we'll have no problem coming up with 100 things.

1. Jesus!
2. A healthy family
3. A loving spouse
4. Warm beds
5. Thanksgiving turkey
6. A son with a good disposition
7. Financial stability
8. A kicking baby
9. Puzzles (Micah's contribution)
10. Fun times with family

Now - it's your turn! (yes, you can duplicate things that someone else has written already)

Empathy Belly?

Our skinny little guy is finally getting a fat tummy. So cute!!

We Heart Puzzles

OK, unless you are a grandparent or are generally Micah-obsessed, you probably won't find this video all that enthralling. It's just Micah putting a puzzle together. He is a great puzzle putter-together. So. . .for you brave souls who want to click "play," enjoy!

How sick is TOO sick?

I've already read the online info about when to keep your child home from daycare, school, etc. Now I'm looking for some real parent advice! What rules do you have about keeping your kids home when they're sick? What symptoms are OK to have and what are not? At first we kept Micah in the house when he had a mere runny nose; now we're realizing that's not entirely necessary :) I realize that everyone has a different opinion, and I'm looking for yours!!

(No, Micah doesn't go to "daycare" but does go a few places regularly that are similar.)

Free Photo Book from Snapfish and Oprah

If you read this TODAY, you can get a free photo book from snapfish.com and Oprah. I didn't see the show but my sister sent me this link to create your own photo book. The catches are that you have to click on the link today to get the coupon, and then create your photo book by Sunday. Other than that, you're on your own to work out the details (I haven't researched it any further yet.

So: click here to go to the Oprah page. Scroll down a little ways and you'll see "Get your free book!" which you'll need to click on. Apparently the "coupon" will appear in your cart after you create your book and just before you order it. If anyone else has any info that would be helpful, please share it in the comments.

VOTE!!

Are you suffering from voter withdrawl? Have we got the poll for you!

One of the girl's names that we're considering for Baby Bardwell #2 is Kellen. We heavily considered it the first time around but thought that it was too similar to Kedron. And since people get confused by his name, it might be too much. But we're willing to put it back on the table again for this baby. So. . . we need your input! Please vote in our poll on the sidebar. Your vote is anonymous; we have no way to know who voted or how, so feel free to be brutally honest! For all you lurkers out there ("lurker" is blog talk for those who read blogs but never comment), I am especially wanting to hear from you!

(Some of you may note that Kellen can be a boy's name. To me personally, it sounds very feminine and thus we're considering it only if we have a girl)

Are you a chronic email forwarder?

Not to mention ANY names, but I get a lot of email forwards from people. Topics range from "Barack Obama is a secret Muslim" to "forward this to 50 people and you'll get thousands of dollars."

If you haven't heard of these sites already (and I'm assuming several of you haven't since I'm still getting forwards), please bookmark them. You can use either one to check the authenticity of forwards you receive. PLEASE do this before you send anything out. Down with email rumors!!

The sites are: snopes.com and truthorfiction.com

16 TONS

OK, I'm 16 weeks, not 16 tons. . . yet. I'm in the "is she pregnant or just bulking up for the winter?" phase. I am still throwing up occasionally which is a delight. I felt the baby move this week so that was exciting! I was feeding Micah a bottle on my lap and the baby kicked him ~ sibling rivalry already!

MICAH BARDWELL WINS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE!!

OK; so that's not entirely true. However, if people had voted for the cutest 14 month old EVER, then it would have been a landslide victory.

Two Hundred and Fifty Three

This is roughly the number of times that I've said "NO" to Micah tonight, and I'm only figuring from dinner time to bed time. What is happening to my sweet little boy?

Happy Halloween!

Thanks to a great garage sale find this summer, Micah dressed as a giraffe this year.


We went to a few houses and he kind of got the hang of things. Mostly he liked trying to run across the street!


Micah's friend Harry was a crocodile! Apparently these two wild animals didn't know what to think of each other.


Overall, this Halloween was much better than last year. Last year, Micah had horrible colic so we put him to bed and hid in our bedroom all night because we were too exhausted to pass out candy. Next year, we'll have TWO kids to take around!!

Monday Night Videos

We've been trying to teach Micah to say "please," which of course is too advanced for his current vocabulary abilities. We're starting slowly by trying to get him to make the "P" sound; but when he does it, it sounds like he's spitting. So if you ask our kid to say "please," you will likely get spit on. Miss Manners would be so proud.

Micah is also becoming proficient in body part identification. I think he does pretty darn well for 14 months!

2007 vs. 2008: Halloween Edition

My First Duplo Masterpiece

by Micah Bardwell

Welcome to Stage Awkward.

Well - I had to bust out the maternity jeans today. My regular jeans that fit just fine last week didn't even come close to fitting today. And of course these maternity jeans are so big they're almost falling off.

I remember with Micah, I was barely showing at 20 weeks and could still fit in to a couple pairs of regular jeans. Not so this time.

For Our Faithful Readers

I will be sending out an email soon, but thought our blog buddies should be some of the first to know. . .

Baby Bardwell #2 will be arriving on or around April 22, 2009! That's right, Micah will be a BIG brother in a few short months. I am 13 weeks along and feeling pretty crappy, honestly (much worse than last time). Hopefully that will change soon.

Micah and said sibling will be exactly 20 months apart. I am simultaneously freaked out by the chaos that this will cause to our household, and happy that Micah will have a playmate so close to his age. We are very excited to be adding to our family!

What are the best 3 words you've ever heard??

It's funny how the answer to this question changes as your life changes. Before Micah came along, the answer would have been the very obvious "I love you" from my husband. But Kedron said something even more wonderful to me this weekend. On Saturday morning, he got out of bed and said to me, "You keep sleeping."

What are your favorite 3 words??

Happy Mommy

Micah took a 2 1/2 hour nap today. He has never napped that long in his life. He's transitioning from 2 naps to 1, so this was a great step!

As you can imagine, we are both in good moods this afternoon!!

Sunday in the Park with Micah

10 Bucks says that when Daddy gets home, he makes me change your outfit.

That's OK, Micah. I think you look groovy.

For you, Uncle Ryan

When we were kids, my brother Ryan had this annoying move that he called "Floppyarms." I had blocked it from my memory until Micah started doing this "dance" last night. His technique is a bit different (Ryan used to pull his arms up inside his sleeves) but the effect is the same. . .

(Sorry -- I know the video is a bit dark.)

I am still not used to this

Disclaimer: This post contains some questionable anatomical language. Read at your own risk :)


Apparently when you have a kid, that gives ANY parent or grandparent, acquaintance or complete stranger, the right to approach you and tell you ANYTHING they want about their child or grandchild. And you are supposed to care, even when you don't know their kid and will never see this person again. Grandparents, you are usually the bigger offenders. Today Micah and I were in WalMart, and a stranger grandma approaches us. The conversation:

Stranger Grandma: (to Micah) "How old are you?"

Me (politely smiling): "He's 13 months."

Stranger Grandma: "My grandson is 5. He comes up to here on me (she holds her hand up to her chest area). I was talking with my relative in Tampa this morning and he asked how tall my grandson is, and I didn't think I should say that he was 'titty level' high."

Me: (in my head; not out loud) "Umm. . . . so why are you feeling compelled to tell me? Micah, let's get the heck out of here."

Voter Guide 2008

With the election quickly approaching, I asked Kedron to add a sidebar with some helpful websites. The first 2 are the best "fact checking" sites online - so you can see if the candidates are bending the truth. And Pollster.com tracks the most recent state polls, so you can get a sense of how the Electoral College map is shaping up. Project Vote Smart has all kinds of good info about every candidate's voting records (they even have information on state and local candidates! -- Ked is on the Advisory Board for their state legislative voting program). Snopes.com and truthorfiction.com are for all of you who get lots of political email forwards; you can check their accuracy here. The last link is for undecided voters; you can take a survey that gathers your opinions on issues and it matches you with the best candidate based on those views.

So. . . you all better be getting prepared to vote!

(Except for Dave and Jill - we don't want you to get deported :)

Great Moments in Parenting 2

I'll start off this post with the fact that Micah is totally fine.

Micah and I often like to kick back on our bed and watch a little TV. He woke up early from his nap today, so I thought maybe he'd cuddle with me a little on the bed and maybe fall back asleep. Of course, he didn't. He got bored with TV and started squirming; sitting up at first and then crawling. The bed isn't that big so I usually keep hold of one of his legs so he doesn't fall off. Well, crawling and sitting escalated to standing on the bed. He has done this before, but again I usually have ahold of one of his legs (because that makes standing on the bed TOTALLY safe, right?). Well, all of a sudden he shot up on the bed and took off running. Yes, you know how this story will end. As what can only be described as an Alicia Sacramone-type dismount, he of course fell off the bed. He actually started tripping when he hit the end of the bed, so he went head first over the side. Now, I didn't actually see the impact but I believe his hands broke his fall somewhat; at worst he would have landed on his face as opposed to the top of his head (and neck). After just a couple minutes of scared screams, he was OK. All his limbs are moving just fine - so hopefully there's not too much damage. Man, did I feel bad. I guess our TV watching days on the bed are over. . .

If You're Happy and You Know It. . .

After nearly 13 months of slacking, Micah FINALLY clapped his hands for the first time. I was worried we'd have to enroll him in the remedial music classes in Kindergarten if he didn't step it up!

Babble Babble

Be sure to turn up the volume high so you can hear Micah's latest language.

Mommy's weekend away!

I spend the last weekend at PJ's and Pigtails. It is a wonderful bed and breakfast for scrapbookers and crafters! We spent the whole weekend scrapping, eating fabulous home cooked meals, and being pampered. I would highly recommend this bed and breakfast for any crafters! I plan to go again in a year or two. It was so nice to get away.

Kedron and Micah had a great weekend! It appears that Micah has given up crawling completely now. He was still crawling somewhat when I left, but I have not seen him crawl at all since I got back yesterday afternoon. Crawling is SO two days ago. . .

MAJOR Milestone

Micah had his first taste of pizza tonight. Of course, he loved it. What's not to like?? We're giving him table foods pretty much exclusively now and he is a really good eater - most days!

He also went to the doctor yesterday for his 12 month check up and shots. He really hates the doctor's office. He started screaming when I took off his clothes to be weighed and basically didn't stop until the shots were done (a loooong time later). Micah remains VERY small. He still has not broken 20 lbs and is BELOW the 10th percentile for weight (before anyone comments, "well Rachel, YOU'RE small" - he is much smaller than I was at this age. I worry about his weight. That's what Moms do, right?) . He is in the 45th percentile for height, and the 50th for head circumference, so at least his brain is normal sized!!

Family Photo

Just in case any of you have forgotten what Ked or I look like. . .

Micah at age one

I am starting to see a lot of Kedron in Micah's personality. Micah is definitely very intellectual for a baby. He is very thoughtful as he plays with his toys; turning them all around to figure out how they work. He is really detail-oriented. If there is a small hole anywhere (on his toys, in his crib, around the house, etc) he MUST stick his little finger in it! He often sleeps at night with his middle finger stuck into one of the peg holes in his crib. So cute! He is also a bit introverted now; he can play for himself for long periods of time and gets kind of overwhelmed when there are too many people around. He also makes the same annoying face that Kedron makes when he gets upset. . . Hopefully that one won't last!

So stupid. So. SO. STUPID

Well, count me out for the "Smart person of the year." Yesterday, Micah woke up early from his afternoon nap and was totally whiny. The whinyness turned into clingyness and he was basically terrible all evening. Finally during supper, I realized that I completely FORGOT to feed him his afternoon bottle. Yep, totally forgot to feed my kid. Seriously, they should make you take a basic intelligence test before becoming a parent.

So. . . today I started to do the same thing. I put him down and then 20 minutes later remembered I didn't give him a bottle again. I was worried that I'd forget to give him the bottle when he woke up. . . so. . . I naively thought I'd just quickly wake him up, give him the bottle (which always makes him sleepy) and put him back to bed. After all, I didn't want him waking up early from his nap again, right? Stupid, stupid Mommy. You can guess what happened. He didn't go back to sleep afterwards, and now as I type this, Micah is screaming at my legs because he is way overtired and his stupid Mommy woke him up when he was sleeping. NEVER WAKE A SLEEPING KID!!!

One Singular Sensation!

Today, Micah is one year old. What a year it has been. And surprisingly, we all made it through with no major catastrophes!! Happy Birthday Micah!

How time flies

Micah circa 6 weeks.

Micah circa yesterday.

Iowans Rock!

Congrats, Shawn. We've all happily stayed up late this week to cheer you on!

That's One Small Step for Micah Man. . .

Folks, Micah has officially hit the big time now.

Constipation Nation

Let's just say Micah did a lot of straining and clenching yesterday. These photos don't really do it justice. Wow, will he love looking at these when he gets older!

Bipartisan Rick Roll

I don't care what your political persuasion is; I think we can all agree that Barack's dancing needs some work.

A Special Day

Today is my Papa B's birthday! I just spent the weekend at his house and it was so nice to see him. I'll get to see him again soon when we're celebrating MY birthday!

Happy Birthday Papa!

Great Moments in Parenting

Let's just say that my sharp thumb nail and Micah's face were in a race for the door. Poor little guy. Bad Mommy.

Mom Shorts Addendum

My friend Amanda sent me this link. It's an old SNL sketch commercial advertising Mom Jeans. Hilarous!!

99 Luftballons

Micah experienced his first National Balloon Classic last week. It was pretty hot, but he had fun!

Beautiful Foot

Last weekend, Dan and Shadley had their Celebrate Ethiopia adoption party. We had a mini Beautiful Feet reunion (since only half of us were there, we were just "Beautiful Foot"). Unfortunately Emily, Zach, Nox, and our trusty soundman Joe couldn't make it. Emily made me promise to take lots and LOTS of pictures, so here they are!

Here's Greg getting ready.

And Aaron at the drums. Sorry it's blurry.

Here we all are!

OK, Emily, that's all the pictures I took! I am such a slacker! Sorry! I know that Dan and Shadley took more, so click here to see their pictures.