A New Decade

Okay....so I'm 30. Big deal, right? I guess having two kids has mellowed me a little. I have to come to the conclusion that it isn't all about me anymore. Anyhow...I welcomed the 30's in typical Crystal fashion....acting like an idiot on stage at Pete's. The sad part is is that I remember everything. I kind of wish it was one of those nights where you don't remember anything at all.....no such luck! Even worse, Megan proceeds to send video clips from the evening via email the next day...lovely! And meanwhile, Beth is just laughing it up! Everytime I see her in the hall at school, she thinks it's real funny to reenact my dance moves. I will never live it down. Oh well, I will never be accused of being a wet blanket or not knowing how to have a good time!!!


Anyhow, as far as the Moncrief household, things are starting to calm down. Routines are being set and Emerson Mae is getting a whole lot better in the evenings. We resorted to buying a new swing. One hundred dollars later, it seems to help, but I am not sure if it is one hundred dollars worth of reprieve (see pic). I cannot tell you how broke I am going to be with the little diva. I finally broke down, much to Wes and Beth's chagrin, and purchased her first bows. She looks so adorable I can hardly take it. The bows aren't too big....yet! However, my next adventure is to learn to make my own because boy, can they be pricey! (again, see pic) I can't tell you how much fun I am having with her!

As for Campbell, I just can't take how big he is getting. He just melts my heart. He is real big on not making me sad. The minute I say, "Oh Campbell, mommy is so sad." he gets upset and will do anything to right his wrong. Yesterday he didn't eat any of his lunch at school and Wesley and I talked about how sad we were and how it wasn't good for his body to skip meals. Needless to say, the first thing he said to me when I picked him up today was, "Mommy, I ate all my lunch!" He is such a pleaser. He is really into puzzles and Batman these days. Don't really know where the Batman thing came from. Up until now, he had never seen an episode. His Momo sent him PJ's and he has worn them every night (see pic). Last thing about Campbell, he FINALLY got a haircutt. I took him by myself and he is finally over the fear...Whew! (see pic)


Now to Wesley...for my 30th he got me a sewing/embroidery machine. I don't think any of you can understand my excitement...I will be able to do so many things I didn't think I would ever be able to do. I can't tell you the amount of ideas I have in my head just waiting to come out! There is just one small problem...I don't know how to sew. No biggie, I am a quick learner and very eager to learn so I don't think I will have too much of a problem.


And now for the drama...Wesley is going out of town (College Station) to recruit. He will leave Wednesday and come back Friday night. I can do it...it won't be too big of a deal, but in two weeks, he goes to St.Louis for, SAY IT OUT LOUD WITH ME, one whole week! Help mommy....if you could see me right now, I am in the fetal position at just the thought of it!

Sorry for the long post, but it has been a while and a lot has been going on!

All I can say is...Oh My Gosh!

Okay, so I have yet to start the twins little outfits, but I made an outfit for Emerson yesterday...can I just say that it might be the cutest thing ever. I think I hit the big time with this one...I know I always say, "I need to open my own shop." But serioulsy I do! Not to brag, but so cute! My next adventure is to learn to make bows and headband bows.

New Adventure

Okay, you know me...I am always looking for new things to make and create. I am about to adventure into the art of tutu making. We will see how it goes. I am also going to create some onsies for a set of twins (boy and a girl). All new stuff for me. I hope to have it done by Sunday. I will post pics!

Life Unexpected!

I mean, REALLY? I never would have guessed how hard baby #2 would be. I am completely exhausted. As you all know, I went back to work this week.I was so looking forward to being back in a routine, but I forgot how tired I am at the beginning of a new school year. I wasn't getting any sleep this summer so I figured working all day would be no big difference. Man was I wrong. I am lucky if I see 8 o'clock. It was my goal last night to stay up until 9:00. At 9:15, Wesley woke me up on the couch (I was sitting straight up) and he said, "Get in bed before you break your neck. There is no telling what I looked like. I don't even know when I fell asleep.
Anyhow, Emerson is just so high maintenance. I have tried everything in the book to comfort her and get her to stop crying. I will list them now:
1. Running a vacuum 2. Putting her in the car seat and setting her on the washer/dryer 3. Driving around 4. Putting her in the Baby Bjorn (really it is Infantino, but nobody would know what I was talking about 4. Using the bouncer, swing 5. The device that makes the womb sounds 6. Putting her on her back/tummy 7. Swinging her in her car seat 8. giving gas drops 9. carrying her 10. letting her wail 11. rocking her You name it and the list goes on. Obviously she is just going to fuss and forget trying to coax her. Her fussy hours are from about 5-8 in the evening. Perfect, right when I come home from a long day at work. I will say though, when she sleeps...she really sleeps.

I just want to give you an typical 24 hour period in my life.
5:00 am -wake up and shower, feed Emerson, make my lunch, get ready, get Campbell ready and his breakfast ready (Wesley does some of this, usually feeding Emerson)
6:30 am-out the door
7:00 am-arrive at Sharon' s and drop off Emerson
7:10 am- Arrive at Legacy and drop off Campbell
7:25 am- arrive at work
7:30 am- kid's in room
3:30ish- Leave to pick up Emerson
4:10- Take Emerson out of the car and into Legacy to get Campbell
4:15- put both Campbell and Emerson back in the car and start lecturing Campbell about his sad face and unfinished classwork
4:50- Emerson starts crying
5:00- Arrive home where Emerson is screaming hysterically for food and Campbell is singing, "I wanna a snack, I wanna snack..............."
5:10- The house is silent bc Emerson is eating and Campbell has a snack and Noggin
5:30- Emerson is crying, but stops only if I hold her while standing and moving
6:00-Emerson starts to fall asleep, but cries if I put her down
6:30- Attempt to start dinner while Emerson is crying in her bouncer and I ignore her and Campbell is STILL playing by himself (see pic)
6:45 Wesley gets home and immediately takes over baby, but she is still crying, so no peace for me
Here's where it gets tricky and can go one of two ways:
Way Number ONE (more peaceful for mom and dad, but less sleep)
7:00- we get to her to sleep
8:30- Wes puts Campbell to bed
10:30- she wakes up and Wesley feeds her
11:30- goes back to sleep
3:00 am- Emerson wakes and I get her up and feed her
3:45 am- Emerson is back to sleep, but I can't so I am pretty much lying awake until the alarm goes off
Way Number TWO (I prefer this way bc this is the way we eventually want it to be, but stressful evening, but more sleep)
7:00-8:15ish- we are making dinner and eating all the while Emerson is crying, sometimes to where she can't catch her breath
8:15- Wes feeds her and put her to bed
8:45- Wesley puts Campbell to bed
Here's the best part:
SHE SLEEPS UNTIL 5:00, but I start all over again!
I have never wanted to be back in the hospital more in my life than I do right now. I get to sleep, not cook or clean, the nurses are there so I don't freak about anything, she was newborn so she literally just ate , slept, and pooped. Everything was so peaceful! Then again, I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed my hospital stays! Anyhow, all this to tell you that after Campbell, I just assumed (wishful thinking) that she would be just as easy. WRONG!!!! Never assume because we all know what happens when you assume!

FYI: Please don't think I am ungrateful or that I love my child any less. I thank God everyday for both my babies and when I start to get even the slightest bit frustrated, I think about all those mommies and daddies who would give ANYTHING to hear their babies cry again and I hug her even tighter.

It's been a while!

Well, I have been so busy with two kids, preparing to go out of town, and then preparing to go back to work. It has been hectic around here.

Emerson is doing well. She is really fussy though. I think I would definitely want the perfect child second because then you don't know what you're missing. Campbell definitely spoiled us and we are trying to adjust to meet the needs of our high maintenance diva. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade her for the world, we love her just the same!

Campbell went back to school today. He has been having major anxiety about it for weeks. Now, y'all now I have a very independent and outgoing child, but I guess he became attached over the summer because he wanted NO part of going to school. So as expected, we had drama at Legacy (school name). I literally (picture it) had to pull and drag him by one arm into his classroom all the while he was crying and then I high tailed it out of there. If I stay and try to comfort him...it just makes it worse! I called about an hour later and he was still sulking , but the crying had stopped within minutes after I left. I hope he had a good day and starts to remember how much he loves going to school and playing with all of his friends.

I go back to work next Tuesday. I am looking forward to getting back into a routine. I can get pretty crazy when I am not on a routine and this summer has been pretty routine-free so you can only imagine! I love my job and my school and of course, being the social butterfly that I am, I love to visit and gossip with friends. I miss doing that on a daily basis. As always, taking Emerson will be tough, but she is in great hands and I know it is what's best for our family so that makes it a little easier. I stongly feel that the reason Campbell is so easy going, gets along with everyone, good natured, and extremely independent is because he has been a child of a working mom. It's definitely not for everyone, but it works perfect for our family!

Anyhow, we just got in from Aransas Pass/Ingleside yesterday. The visits seem to get shorter and more time seems to go by in between. Both mine and Wesley's family got to meet Emerson for the first time and Campbell got to show off his big brother skills. Emerson was a hit...everyone loved her despite the whining! Campbell had a great time with his cousins and his girlfriend Jocelyn (my best friend Jennifer's daughter. They are a month and half apart). As you can see in the picture, I was trying to pose them like a prom couple. It was so funny, but the funniest part was that they were cooperating.

Anyhow, all is well here. Just trying to clean and get organized before next week. UUUGGGHHH!!

A Busy Week!

Whew! It has been a whirlwind of a week. Let me start off with Emerson's appointment. To catch you up on her weight issues:
7-9-08 she weight 7 lbs
7-12-08 6lbs 8oz
7-17-08 6lbs 9oz (she should have at least been up to 7 lbs)
7-23-08 6lbs 13oz
Finally she started eating and pooping less and when we went to the doctor on 7-31-08 she was a grand total 7lbs 14oz. She gained a whole pound and since then she hasn't looked back. THANK HEAVENS! I am no longer having to concentrate her formula or having to count how many ounces she is drinking in a day. It is so nice not to have that to worry about. Taking care of a newborn is already stressful enough!
Campbell is continuing to make wonderful progress on being a Big Brother. He just loves Emerson up. He is now used to the idea that Emerson is here to stay and we are seeing very few tantrums. My patient and loving boy I have raised for 3 years is finally coming back! We have been spending a lot of time with Lisa and Caden as they are moving on Friday. How depressing. She was my one close friend who lived near me, has a kid close in age to Campbell and I could totally go to her house, kick my feet up and let Campbell run round! We sure will miss them.
As for me, I have spent my time anxiously watching So You Think You Can Dance with Beth and Wes...yes I said Wes, having lunch with friends, and crafting. I have made some cute things recently, but unfortunately I can't post any pics yet bc they are for a baby shower and the mom-to-be, Melanie, reads my blog. I would hate to spoil the surprise.
I have taken up the art of tie-dying and can I just tell you how addicting it is. I found myself at Walmart last night at 12:00 am buying dye. My daughter was peacefully sleeping. What a psycho, like hello, why wasn't I taking advantage of that? It is all because of my new obsession. Emerson actually slept from 11:30-4:45 and I only slept for 3 hours of that. Beth and Stephanie came over today to tie-dye. It was so fun. Now Stephanie is addicted! Seriously opening a business is calling my name. I think the little onsies we made could easily sell for 10-15 dollars. It was quite a sight. Stephanie and I are elbow deep in dye, all the while our 3 year old boys are running around like mad men, our newborn daughters are peacfully sleeping and Beth is alternating between holding Emerson, patrolling the boys, and/or munching on veggies and taking mental notes on the art of tie-dying. I am attaching a pic of my FAVORITE onsie I made today. Whew! Like I said...what a week!

Crafty Cats!

Beth and I saw these cute clipboards at a teacher store and of course we said, "I can make that!" So Beth and I decided to do just that! Beth, being the great team leader she is, decided to make each of her team members one. I decided I would make mine today before Beth came over so I knew the approach we needed to take when faced with having to make 5 more. Beth came over this evening to watch So You Think You Can Dance? and we sat down and became true Martha's. They turned out REALLY cute so I thought I would blog about it and attach pics of a couple. The blue and brown one is mine and the rest are Beth and her teammates! For those of you who also read Beth's blog, I am sure she will post about it as well!

Beth, I had so much fun crafting with you...What will we do next?

Sometimes, I am Just so Proud of Myself!

Okay, so I have been obsessing about birth announcements since before Emerson was born. There were a few that I found that I liked; however most were like $2.00 a pop...RIDICULOUS! Especially when you consider that I have to order like 60...I know...big family and lots of friends. I know I spent a good chunk on Campbell's, but I was a new mom then and had yet to pay my first week of daycare expenses. Anyhow, for those of you that know me well can only guess what I said next, "I can just make them myself!"

However, the thought of geting really cutesy with scrapbook paper and all the tools that go with and having to repeat the process 60 times...not so much fun at this stage of my life. So what I did was create my own on the computer (by the way, for those of you who use Microsoft Office, the 2007 version ROCKS! I currently have a free trial that will expire soon...I will be so sad...I love it!) Anyhow, when the creation was complete, I saved it as a jpeg and uploaded it to Walmart's photo center and had 60 5x7's made. The final total... a whopping $34.oo. I love it when I find a way to save money! So for any of your crafting slash photo card making needs...just give me a call!

P.S. I would love to attach a photo of the announcement, but you will have to wait to get it in the mail!

As for the Moncriefs, we are getting settled as a family of four. My mom left about a week ago and I have had to do things on my own while Wes is at work...tough stuff! Little Tadpole is finally eating, but is pooping it out just as quickly as it's going in. We go in for a weight check on Wednesday and I pray she is at least 7 pounds. As for Poodle Noodle, we finally got him a T.V. for his playroom so he thinks he is the coolest kid around. The TV has definitley come in handy these days. He is thoroughly enjoying being a big brother and finally adjusting. He is still rough when he is around her, but I doubt it will ease up anytime soon...he is after all a monster of a three year old!

Pics of the Tadpole

Okay, the Nickname Story

Some of you might know my fascination with making up the most random and weird names to call Campbell. A few that I have used are doo doo, beebo, poolah, pretty, prettiest pretty in the land, and the most recent ones are poodle, noodle, noodle head, or just plain Poodlenoodle. By the way, Wes despises all of these nicknames...ESPECIALLY Poodlenoodle. he thinks I am going to make my son overly feminine or something. He yelled at me anytime I used the nickname for Campbell. Anyhoodle (I said that for Beth's sake), when we were in the hospital with Emerson, I started calling her Poodlenoodle out of habit. It didn't help that her legs are so skinny they look like noodles.



Fast forward a couple of days...Campbell came home and heard me call Emerson poodlenoodle...WWIII...He said, "Her name's Emersent, I Poodlenoodle!" Wesley looked at me and said, "You know he is right, you really do need to quit calling her that. She needs her own nickname." So because her legs are so skinny and they are always pulled up like a frog, we started thinking of names that had to do with frogs. I kind of like rhyming, but we came up with Tadpole. Auntie Biff helped out with Taddy Paddy for short and today, out of the blue, I started calling her Tadpolean Bonaparte.

I know, I am totally weird, but I promised you the nickname story and here it is. I find it quite comical.