Birthday Party Survivors!

We survived Reed turning 2!!! It was a really fun party. We had to have it in the garage because Todd aeriated the yard and it rained so it looked like we had "lots of dog poop" in our yard as my nephew so kindly put it!

The pinata was a hit! Reed loved the suckers as you can tell in the pictures. Reed loved his cake and he as asked for cake everyday since. He must be his father's son!

Reed really loved all his presents. The Little People Fun Park is great! It has a "vroom" (car) that goes down the roller coaster and Reed has put everything that rolls down the the track! He loves his monkey that Daddy got him and the medical set Grandma gave him. We have colored with the bathtub crayons everynight as well. Aunt Audrey, Reed can draw a mean "RRRRARRRAARR" (tiger)! Oh, and the view finder is fun, but still a little scary...he can figure out how it talks to him! Funny!

Or favorite might be "MelMO" Reed dances with it and claps...it is hilarious. He wanted to take all his presents to daycare this morning!

Birthday Balloons

Todd and I are having Reed's birthday party for family and friends on Saturday so we saved big presents for the party. So today we did birthday cupcakes and treat bags to daycare and when we got home, Daddy brought BALLOONS!!!! Or, in Reedspeak..."booons!!!" He was so excited. He had to hold on with one hand and eat with the other. We had to take them in his room and tie them on the closet door so he could see them until he fell asleep! All you need when you are 2 is birthday "boons!"

Dot Dogs, Mom!

Today was Reed's 2nd birthday! I can't believe that he is 2 years old already. Time flies when you are having fun and I am amazed everyday for his sure zest for life. He is a happy, ornery little boy! Not a baby any more, but a little boy. I was talking out loud tonight to him like I have always done his whole life, and I asked him what we should have for supper tonight, not really expecting an answer and he said "dot dogs, mom" However, I didn't quite understand so I said "what about the dogs?" He stomped and pointed at his tummy and said "dot dogs!" I don't think he meant that he was a HOT DOG, so I asked if that was what he wanted to eat. This produced BIG smiles and claps! So we had hot dogs and cake. It is only your birthday one time a year!

"Showerin"

Reed and I went to Lowe's the other day for Todd. We went by ourselves and Reed and Mommy had a talk about being good in there, for what ever reason he is a maniac in that store and I was unsure I'd be able to buy all the large items on Todd's list and contain the maniac!

However, Reed was exceptionally good, so he got to get a prize while we were there. He got his on watering can! He is very excited. However, he calls it a "shower" So now in addition to playing T-ball every night when we come home we also have to "shower" everything...but mostly plants and the spots that Todd has planted new grass in...just like Daddy! It is cute. I got some pictures on my phone, but I haven't been able to get them to upload yet. Hope to soon!

Sleepy time - night 3!

So the saga continues, with better success so far. This Momma relented last night after MUCH climbing out of the crib and putting back in and sitting on the floor in Reed's room. So at 3:00AM I let him in bed with me so I would not injury anyone today!

Tonight we removed the springs completely off the crib and set the mattress on the floor inside the crib frame. The crib is containing him to this point. Only about 15 minutes of crying tonight and sleep...we will see how long it lasts. Since contained I opted for no sitting on the floor! I'm to old for that business! Lets hope we make it through the whole night. Bed time is getting better I do believe.

Sleep Trials...and Tribulations....

I am sure many of you know all my stress with Reed and sleep his whole little life. This kid is a bad sleeper, and although I don't mind him sleeping with us that much, he was starting to just be an absolute BEAR to get to bed and to stay there no matter where he was. So after much discussion and some research Todd and I decided that we had to get him in his own bed and he had to stay. Reed doesn't know how to go to sleep by himself. He needs a lot of crutches, or has used a lot of crutches and now that he is older is really working the system, and this mommy is tired!

We are two nights into our new sleeping method, (which is really just common sense and a little tough love)and so far so good. Tonight was better than last night and I have high hopes that in two or three days we will be good to go.

Last night, he stayed in his crib if I was sitting in there. I tried not to touch him too much as me holding him is his biggest crutch. He was pretty steamed, but then he got so tired and pathetic that he stuck his little (well, not so little, we are talking about Reed)foot out of the slates in the crib for me to rub his foot. I just rubbed his big toe with my thumb and that was all he needed. Tonight there was minor foot rubbing but mostly sitting a little farther away and much less crying. But, boy does that kid try to stay awake! He might miss something you know!

Car Woes!

Well for those of you who have been following ALL the car woes I have had through out my life, you know that when it comes to vehicles, if I don't have bad luck I don't have any. And admittedly some of my many woes could have been avoided, some are just pure STINKING BAD LUCK!

Last month I was driving down K-15 highway, going the speed limit and thinking I was on time to see my next patient(for once)! When out of the wild blue yonder and across two lanes of traffic I see a vehicle driving very fast into the oncoming traffic! In other words right at the cars in the lane next to me! I think, oh dear this person must have had a heart attack or stroke to lose control like that. Just then his car strikes a one way street sign and the post and all come catapulting across one lane of traffic and it is headed at me like a javelin! I managed to veer right onto a cross-street but to be limited by an oncoming train so I could go no farther to the right, only to be hit by the sign on my front bumper. I did however, manage to avoid rear-ending the car in front of me that slammed on the brakes and getting rear-ended by the car behind me. Did I mention we were all going about 50 mph? Who says that I can't defensively drive and that you don't use physics in real life! I was all about judging speed, angles, trajectory, and space to limit the collision as much as possible. Thankfully no one was hurt, not even the driver of the other car. I still don't know what he was doing, but my car will soon be getting repaired for the $2000.00 worth of damage the one-way street sign inflicted.

TODAY!!! Oh, boy...I got my LOCKED car broken in to at a patient's home at 11AM today. Now, stupid that I left my purse, cell phone and GPS in the car, but I am not a pack mule and I don't take everything I own into every home. I hid my purse and GPS. Phone was in the purse along with my wallet, my valuable plastic cards, and Todd's and my passports were still in there from vacation. My car had no visible damage and apparently there is technology that allows people to copy your remote entry signal to gain access to your car! That is what the WPD think happened. So, I am recovering from nausea and heart failure and a day on the phone protecting my identity and bank accounts.

Just like Grandma's

Reed is very busy these days and one of his tasks is to put everything (but toys) back where they go or where he thinks things should go. He is a kid that thinks everything has a place...I hope this doesn't change about him, but I realize that it may just be his age and a phase, however Todd is a lot like this and I am not, so we can hope, right.

Well, this week I bought some oranges at the grocery store and Reed keeps trying to get them out of the refrigerator and telling me something I can't understand. I thought he thought they were balls and wanted to play with them...so we have had several episodes over the oranges, well today, he managed to get them out without me catching him and moved his chair over to the table to stand on so that he could put them in the basket on the table that currently holds the mail. When I took them out, to put them back he got out the apples to do the same...then it dawned on me. Grandma Thompson has a fruit bowl on her table and we were there on Tuesday, and duh mom. That's where the fruit goes! When I asked him, he just gave me the Reed/Todd head nod, like "of course! you crazy lady!"

What can I say...I gotta smart kiddo!

End of Summer!

Another Reed antic this weekend was when Todd took the pool down. It was sad, as we finally digested this as the end of the summer, which we love...but with fall brings football season and many ensuing arguements in the Hackleman house.

But...to Reed and the pool. We have an above ground pool for those that don't know and we took it down this week and are waiting for it to quite raining to dry out so we can store it. While waiting for this, Todd had the pool ladders sitting out by the shed and we were out playing in the yard with the dogs. Everyone is running around laughing and Truman and Reed are playing chase...all dog and child noises are normal. I turn my back to say something to Todd and hear a squeal and a bark only to find Reed standing at the top of the pool ladder peaking over the fence and jumping up and down because he can see the dog that he can normally only hear barking! He is ALL the WAY on the other side of the yard from me and I am terrified that he will go over the fence before I can get to him...it was a very long walk, but I made it and under much protest, got him down unharmed...time to go color the new gray hairs that surfaced this weekend!

Lazy weekend!

The Hackleman's took time this weekend to do NOTHING! Boy did we need it! Reed needed some Mommy time and Mommy needed some Reed time, so we got rid of our OU tickets and stayed home. We played outside on Saturday, went to the park, got REALLY dirty, came inside and Reed got into EVERYTHING and loved it...did I mention he might not live to see 2 years old? Either his mother will most willingly take him out of this world from pure frustration or he will do it himself from pure curiosity!

He is so inquisitive, or nosy...which ever you like that he wants to see what is going on everywhere all the time. So, I was making French toast on Saturday morning and he wanted to see, so I let him help me dunk the bread...that was really NEAT, he clapped with every piece. To do this, I let him stand on a chair...which now he thinks he can do anytime anywhere. He just moves the kitchen chair to what ever he wants!!!

Not So Relaxing Weekend...

Labor day weekend, has meant a weekend of work for the Hackleman house. I was on call for the first time this weekend at my new job, which I thought would be about 1 maybe two patients on Saturday that I could do in the morning and be finished, but it turns out my weekend has consisted of 2 admissions and 2 evaluations and 1 follow-up visit for tomorrow. I enjoy my patients and what I do, but after a continuing education weekend last weekend and then working all day yesterday, part of today and part of tomorrow I am already ready for next weekend and spending a some days with my boys! This week is going to be a BUSY one and then I am going to get tough about saying NO and taking on too many patients...No more than 6-7 in a day! I'm sticking too it, I am. I am.

We did have a good time at our friend Nolan's birthday party. Reed jumped in the bouncy thing, rode in the Arctic Cat jeep, fed the fish, ran all over their giant yard, whacked a pinata a few times with a bat! What more could a boy ask for? Oh, we ate ice cream and cake too!!

Reed and his new words!

As you can imagine, Reed's world is new and exciting everyday. He is almost two and quite the independent little man! He would like to wear a "ball" shirt EVERYDAY just like Daddy. He points to Daddy's shirt that has a ball on it somewhere (usually) and says "dad, ball" then points to his shirt and says "me, ball" and looks at me like I should have been smart enough to figure that out on my own!

Tonight we were obsessed with "poo chorts" aka pool shorts or swimming trunks. He wanted to where them to daycare this AM and then tonight he wanted to get in the pool even though it was only 70 degrees outside. Couldn't get him in when it was 98, but now that it is cool we are all about he "poo chorts"!

Great Vacation

Todd and I had a great trip to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico! We celebrated our 5th anniversary a week late by going on an all-inclusive trip. We had a great time doing NOTHING!!! We were so boring...we laid at the pool or the beach all day everyday for 5 days. We slept through the night without an almost two year old waking up or wedging his head, feet, or both into one or both of us! Big thanks to Nana and Papa Hackleman for keeping Reed for the week. I don't know who had more fun, us, Nana and Papa or Reed. We were all glad to be home to see each other, but Todd and I are missing the beach and the tropics just a little bit...Check out our slide show for our scenery pictures.