LANDON WENT POOP IN HIS TOILET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS SO EXCELLENT!

"Bobbie" meaning, "Baby."

Grandma was telling a story when she said, "Blah, blah, blah." Landon repeated Grandma by saying, "Bah, bah, bah!"

He gave a funny sight last night, speaking with Grandma V (my mom) on the phone. He would talk and talk and talk, and then laugh and laugh and laugh. Every time my mom asks him a question he says, "No." But when you ask him if he can say yes he nods his head up and down.

We have pictures from the park yesterday. We also have video of him eating last night. I plan on getting those up today. Yes, Landon is truly my light.

This morning Landon talked in his sleep. He said, "Pa-Pa," and also did the motion that he and Pa-Pa use as well. For those who do not know, "Pa-Pa" is Grandpa. :) This went on after the a/c cut off, along with the clock. I guess the line had too much going on it so it just gave because a couple of other things throughout the house shut off as well, including the internet (oh no!).

A little while after that Landon turned on his stomach and started pushing. He was half asleep because I had just finished changing his diaper. Well, he kept grunting and pushing and then he gave a weak smile and motioned "stinky" with his hand. Mommy taught him that one. The funny thing is, he fell asleep while in the middle of doing it because I saw the sign become weaker and weaker until he drifted back off...for about five minutes. Now we're up for the day and I have to get ready for my appointment. I also have to get blood taken. Blah.

If you missed it there are pictures below of Landon. I know some of you have been asking for a while, so I'm just letting you know they're there.

Landon is 16-months-old today. I can sing, "You are my sunshine..." to him, meaning it with all of my heart. Just when I'm in a pissy mood, he's in front of me making me smile a second afterward. It keeps me focused in the most important ways.

Landon's vocabulary is growing at a rapid speed. Tree, chair, stay, light, etc., etc. He amazes us all. He's growing just as fast, too. I find myself moving things farther and farther out of his reach. It seems like I'm doing this every day, as if he ate a growing pill or something. We have to be careful of what we say or do because he is a sponge.

My only complaint with Landon right now is that he's making me sleep deprived. He's been waking up constantly throughout the night, and this morning I had to throw the towel in. Darren ended up walking out of the room with him some time before 7 in the morning and let me sleep. I was just about to jump into a heated pool when Darren came up to wake me. ;) And naps. Oh boy. My mother-in-law had him sleep on her for about twenty minutes, and then much later on in the day he slept on me for 30. He's all out of sorts. I need to straighten this out somehow.

My mother-in-law said I could do whatever I wanted to this house when they were gone. I kind of had this mischievous laugh come on when I said, "That's not a good idea, you telling me that." All of the sudden I am swamped with ideas. They better be ready for a different furniture arrangement. I also plan on moving all of her exercise equipment into the computer room. Where it stands right now is not fitting at all. I COULD DO SO MUCH IT'S CRAZY! SO MUCH!

Landon went down for a nap before noon. He never does this. It was exactly what I wanted to happen, though. Everything was in perfect succession! He napped, then when I went up to get him he was just waking up. We arrived at the fair just after the talent show started, and then Charles won! Yay! Charles is a member of our church. He sang a gospel song a capella and got the biggest reaction. We were pretty proud of him. :)

The fair here didn't leave much to be desired. My father-in-law says it's the oldest fair in the nation. I'm not sure if that's true so I'll have to do my research. They definitely need to add a lot more, though. I think they have enough room for it. The only thing I was really excited about was getting Landon to see some sort of animals. Oh, and the food. Can't forget the fat, greasy food!

There were no horses, so that was a disappointment. But we did get to see sheep, pigs, goats, and cows. One of the pigs I saw was scratched up pretty badly. Just as I was getting ready to snap a picture of his side (where the scratches were) he laid on it. I managed to get a picture of one pig's scratches, but they were not nearly as bad as the other pig's. In one of the pictures the pig looks so sad and lonely. :(

Landon didn't seem too thrilled with the pigs, but he loved the sheep and goats. I kept saying, "They sound funny, don't they?" He wanted to pet one of the sheep, but he wanted to touch it in the mouth as it was eating. Haha! Then we had the cows. The boring cows. A few people told me I could put Landon down to let him approach the cows. So many awful thoughts ran through my mind. First, he's not familiar with this sort of environment at all. He was fine watching them from my arms. Second, I could just imagine Landon getting drenched with cow urine. The way they were all lined up and all, it could have very well happened. And third, well, I just don't want him killed by a cow. :D

The heat left me exhausted. By the time we got home my head was pounding. It really left all of us exhausted. Landon was in bed before 9PM tonight. That hasn't happened in a few weeks either. You see, this town has us so active we don't know how to contain it! Speaking of being active, I need to make Darren's lunch for tomorrow before I've got no energy left at all. Hopefully I'll get pictures up soon. :)

I can remember a time when Landon was a only a few months old. Darren and I went some place (I no longer remember) and I started to walk away from the car when Darren said, "Uhh, Barbara?" Yeah, Landon was still in the car. If that makes me a stupid parent then stamp it on me. But I can tell you right now, I am not going to judge a parent for leaving their child in the car IF THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO WORK! Parents get exhausted. It happens. It sucks, but it happens. My post below is for a COMPETITION! Although, I do pose a serious side. However, I was flexing my creativity. All of the sudden the idea of creating a robot to "help parents" is stupid. No, the main point, my friends, is to save the lives of children. Hell, we should already have some kind of device for that anyhow. Don't tell me it's not possible. You can tell me it's stupid. I don't care, that's your opinion. But damn it, accidents will happen. I just thought it would be a fairly realistic "robot." Maybe I should have suggested the iRobot Crap Rainbows and Fairies?
/rant

SO! We're taking Landon to the fair today! I'm so excited! I hope they still have the horses around because he's so into the little pony we got for him (from Wal-mart) right before his first birthday. He's even learned to get on all by himself, and he's pretty darn proud of that. I'll have to update once we get back. :)

Darren just told me I'm doing too much and I need to slow down. He said he and his mother were discussing this together as I was cleaning up the kitchen for her. He told his mother, "She's burning herself out."
Sigh.
I just...want to get things done. I told him I am feeling overwhelmed because there's so much to do. I've been writing a long to-do list and the ONE thing that keeps escaping me is: Clean out closet; put clothes away.
Also, as I was sitting on the chair thinking of everything, I thought, "I need to look into school!" And I know it would be wise of me to wait until I'm feeling settled, otherwise I won't burn out, I'll explode.

I'm totally neglecting LiveJournal. I have no idea what's going on with any of you and I'm sorry. Still, you're in my thoughts. I know most of you have my e-mail address so if you ever want to drop a line feel free. I just e-mailed a friend of the family inquiring about a pediatrician here in town. I need to get that taken care of as well. Then I remembered something else. I haven't given out our new number. I guess I better write that on my list. Heh. At least that's easy enough.

Landon has been fighting naps an awful lot. I know he's still out of sorts, but I sure hope it gets easier real soon. I can't continue to fight with him like this. He's getting so strong and I have to hold him while he screams and cries in my ear. I know he'd love to bite me if he could. Argh. I'm getting frustrated just thinking about it.

Darren is really stoked, he says, about the work he's doing. The guy he works with is very much a Christian man. His wife even works with the Family Network station. Some you of may know what I'm talking about. What is it? Family Life Network? Something like that. Anyhow, the guy is impressed with Darren's work so he'll be raising his pay shortly. We're all very happy about this. Darren and I are looking forward to being debt free with house and car!!!

We almost got hit by a crazy SUV driver today. I seriously thought I was going to die.

Animal Crackers well over a year old tastes like burnt wood. Cherry Coke helps get the bad taste out. :D

Baby stuff sure piles up when you just let it sit in a room.

I can't believe how many replies my newspaper article entry got. I R FAMOUS FOR SURE!

Food intake is poor while getting ready for a move. I can't wait to eat a well done home cooked meal again.

I plan on drinking more Cherry Coke tonight so I can finish helping Darren in the nursery.

Landon only slept in his nursery/crib once. But I don't regret the room's makeover.

I get nauseated when I think too far ahead.

Darren looks exhausted.

It's time to take Landon upstairs.

♥

One day I'd like to see if I can do this!!! That would be so awesome. Then I'd go out and buy some old records or something! I've always wanted a record player. My late grandmother had one, but it didn't work when we had it. At least, I don't think it did. It might seem strange, but I can picture myself in my own room, hot cup of tea in hand, listening to a record while I work on a novel. Seems like a nice setup. :D Who needs new technology?

ETA: Ever since Landon discovered he can climb up on the couch, he just sits on it contently. It's pretty darn cute.

That is all. :)

Landon ate with his fork tonight. Mommy almost cried again. I'm such a sap.

( The dog I love and miss. )

Nothing to do on this Friday.

I really want some tea.

I received a very upsetting e-mail from a friend of mine so I stood by the kitchen island and thought for a while. Meanwhile, Darren was on the phone with his mom and Landon was...gone. We had been upstairs earlier tackling the guest room and Darren walked upstairs behind Landon. All the sudden it hit me. LANDON IS GONE! Not only is he gone, but it's quiet. But then I hear him from a distance. I thought, great, he's probably working his way up the steps. I go racing of course. And where do you think he is? He's all the way at the top of the stairs...looking down at me. It went that fast. Hey, don't worry. Gates have been purchased for in-laws' house. :D DON'T JUDGE ME! ;)

I'm really upset about my friend's situation. I'm having a very emotional day. I've cried because I miss my Lizzy Girl (dog). I've cried for my friend. We have all of this work to do and I'm starting to get stressed out. I found another cover for the couch. If I throw that in with the rest of it it should sell. Fifty bucks would help out. My mother-in-law suggested I say the couch would be fit for a cottage or something. That's a good idea. I need to revise the whole damn ad now.

Landon fought me so hard against his nap. I couldn't believe it. This is the second time he's done this to me. Thankfully I've remained calm, but man...his schedule is so screwed up right now. I don't know what I did wrong or when/where it happened. But it's screwed. I don't even want to deal with it right now. Maybe I should just wait until we're settled. I don't need this right now. There's so much going on right now, it's going to be hard for all three of us...and my in-laws.

It's like I'm addicted to craigslist all of the sudden. Darren even asked me to put a computer monitor up for sale. Ha! Now that he sees I've been getting responses I guess he figures no harm done. First I had that woman come over here. She came with a tape measure since I didn't have one. Haha! That was awesome. Then I had a man e-mail me about our couch. I think I may end up bringing the price down to $30 on the couch. =/ My in-laws purchased it in 1996 and the wear on it is horrible. The guy said it "wasn't what he was hoping for." Meh.

I'm also trying to sell a two piece pin striped suit, two pairs of dress pants, and a sleeveless top. They aren't big names, though. Fashion Bug stuff. I'm only asking $25 for all of it. I can imagine this is very boring to everyone. :D I think I'll shut up now...until I sell something. Nevermind.

Dear Sangria,

I know there wasn't much left of you, but please work your magic in me. It's been a stressful day, and you're so good.

OH! Funniest thing. Darren was out back mowing the lawn and Landon and I were watching from the kitchen. Darren was working his way toward us when Landon smiled, waved and said, "Hello!" But when he smiled all of this broccoli was stuck in his bottom teeth. HAHAHAHA! That's good stuff.

Tomorrow Darren and I tackle the guest bedroom. Living room and dining room are clean. I cleared the table off and did what I could. Also, Darren found the missing piece to the computer desk. Yay! We just have to worry about cleaning and packing a bit. Well, we have other things to worry about, but as far as tomorrow goes, that's all I want to think about. And maybe I'll return some creative writing stuff to a church member. Too bad I never looked through it. =/

Here's an update on our lead situation, too. I know I already said Landon's level is down to 15. I had my blood drawn the other day and my level is below three, so nursing isn't and wasn't a problem at all. But the damn county is moving with this as slow as possible!! It's extremely annoying. Our neighbor had their water checked and it was fine. I don't know what gives.

1. Landon ate all of his dinner (spaghetti) without throwing any on the floor. I almost cried I was so happy/proud. And then I took a picture of his cute, messy face. He's been so fun today. He's turning into such the big boy right before my very eyes.

2. Breastfeeding Awareness Walk! HELLO!!! A friend of the family just sent this to me:

We are holding a Breastfeeding Awareness Walk in Delhi next Tuesday August 7 at noon on the courthouse square. Therewill be free healthy snacks and giveaways. Its an event we are sponsoring at work to help raise awarenwws about the benefits of breast feeding. I hope to see you there.

Of course I'll be there!!! I'm actually glad I get to do something like this with Landon before I leave. I look forward to educating some of the mothers around here. ^_^ I'm so excited!

3. OMG, OREOS ARE SO GOOD!

4. Awww...my boys are so precious. I love them so much. Thank you, God. ♥

I don't know if any of you are fans of beanie weenies (frank and beans...whatever). But I made some tonight and took a little risk without knowing what the end result would be. I put the beans in the pot, then cut up the hotdogs--the norm. My mom puts mustard in her beanie weenies, so I just took the mustard and did a little swirly swirl in there. Then I thought, I want something more! Hmm...what about CINNAMON!? I put two dashes of cinnamon in and it smelled all cinnamon-n-n-y. And you know what? It was good! :D Just thought I'd share.

It turns out we're getting rid of more than I thought we would for this move. A couch (either that or we're giving it away to burn), recliner, TV, TV stand, computer desk. I think that's it, except for the area rug we're just going to set outside with a note saying FREE! ;) I got set up on craigslist.com because I don't feel like having a yard sale. I'd rather get rid of clothes and just be done with it. I don't like people standing around asking questions, ya know? Just call me and say, "I want the chair!" And I'll say, "Good, it's yours!"

We had so much fun with Landon outside today. Darren had the hose out and Landon was tempted to play in the water. I'm used to seeing little ones get upset if they get wet with the hose, but he was all for it. I have some pictures and a video, but I just can't resize all of these right now. Maybe tomorrow while Landon naps. I think I'll have a glass of sangria and then go to bed. Ahhh yes.

Darren got Landon to sleep at 9:02 P.M. It's midnight now. I wonder how much longer he'll go. However, I'm going now so I'll probably wake him. I'm just updating this more for myself. But it's nice for other parents to see success, eh? :)

Hello, this is anomalous_girl, and I am making this post for Barbara. It appears that her computer is going to be out for quite some time, so she asked me to post Landon’s video as she had planned to. I know that like many of you, I was definitely looking forward to watching the video. So, here it is and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Happy birthday, Landon!!