Thank God...

I used to wonder if I was being paranoid.

I read all of the research I could find on SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.) It was an unknown cause of death in a baby. They go to sleep and never wake up again. It's like the Native American belief that your spirit travels while you sleep... except that these little babies forget to come home and instead head north, to Heaven. And you hope that's exactly what happens, that the tiny soul sees a light, becomes distracted, heads towards the light and are enveloped in loving arms to be taken care of until their parents can hold them again.

When Weston was baking away in my womb, I worried every single day about his health. If my diabetes was hurting him more than it was hurting me. If he wasn't kicking enough, I'd roll around or poke him until he responded back. I read everything I could find on SIDS. One of my classmates told me never to get the monitors with video, because I would spend all night watching him sleep once he arrived. So... in accordance with my paranoia, we purchased an Angel monitor system, 2 monitors for the parents, a base for his room, and a special pad that sits under his crib mattress. This special pad monitors the baby's breathing, if no breathing movements are detected under the mattress for 20 seconds, then all the alarms scream. I know... it's gone off multiple times because we forget to turn it off when we pick him up or his wiggles his way so far into the corner that he's out of range. (We've moved the pad higher up to avoid his wiggles.) I am grateful everyday for this monitor. When he's asleep we keep the house between 63 and 68 degrees, no crib bumpers, no puffy blankets or loose clothing. We followed all the rules to avoid SIDS. And I am so grateful that they worked.

But... then again, who knows what could have happened? SIDS is given as an answer whenever there is no reason for a baby to have passed away in his/her sleep. Why am I writing all this? Today of all days? A friend's neighbor's 4 month old daughter went down for her nap at daycare on Monday. She never woke up. The obituary is beautiful, even if it should never have existed. Her parents and my friend now have to explain to two three-year-old little boys what happened to this baby and where she went. Her family will always be missing a piece of their world. They will always wonder... what she'd look like, grow up to be, what her laugh would sound like as a toddler?

The passing of this little girl makes me so incredibly sad. For her mother, I could cry for days just for her mother. Her little brother will be so confused. This baby lived in a very close neighborhood. Her loss will be felt by so many.

Her passing also makes me look at Weston. I have been getting so frustrated with him lately. The constant whining and tantrums, the crying... it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how exhausted I am. Or how stressed I am. None of it matters. Because I have my little boy today. I get to talk to him, have him throw himself at me when I get to daycare, and he can run his cars up and down my body going "Beee...beee...beee" as much as he wants. I am so very lucky to have him. And I will strive every single day to remember that.

Tah-dah!

So... I had to get a new phone. My old phone kept turning itself off randomly when it was slid open or closed, and the battery only lasted 10-12 hours when fully charged. I took it in, and was told I would need a new battery at $50 or I could call insurance and spend $50 on the deductible for a new battery and maybe a new phone. Or I can upgrade my plan, extend my contract 2 more years and get a new phone.

I chose the new phone.

(Look! It's got a Qwerty keypad! Like the big kids have!)

A new battery in the old phone would not have fixed the problems. My old phone was discontinued, so the insurance possibility was a refurbished phone... um, no.

So, I stopped by the store, had a nice chat with the Drake Poli-Sci Senior, and picked out a new phone. In red. Which apparently, red is not a preferred color; most people want blue. eew. I originally was looking at a phone with a touch screen... it was pretty cool. And apparently if I got a bundle pack (Bluetooth earpiece, case, and car charger - all needed) then I got the phone for free (without any mail-in rebates, etc.) Phew. Well... here's why I didn't get the touch phone. Other than the touch screen, it was pretty much the same as this Pantech Reveal. So here are the major differences according to the Drake Senior:

1. Samsung Touch Screen Bundle cost: $120. Pantech Reveal Bundle cost: $70.

That's a huge difference. $50... That's dinner at Ohana Steakhouse for Scott and I with tax before tip. No drinks.

2. Drake Senior had met Weston. He heard about my text-fiend 17-month old. He said that a touch screen may not be the best idea for Weston. It probably wouldn't last long.

Hmmmm... $50 more and $50 every time I'd have to file an insurance claim because Weston broke the touch screen?

Choice made.

Hello Pantech Reveal in Red. I'm your new Mommy.

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Do you like the glitter?

Cause I do.

I think it's Fabulous!

We're on our Way!

Scott and I are each getting versions of this. But we haven't exactly got the "HI!" yet. Though Weston has improvised with, "Mommi-Ami" - I'm Japanese now. :)

so long tree... Hellllooo Castle Weston!

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I had 4 goals this weekend.

1. Remove all Christmas from our house and reorganize in totes to be placed back into the garage for storage. (The Christmas tree would be in it's own tote.)

2. Put away all of Weston's old (too young) toys while he's napping and put half his toys in his trunk, thus beginning the toy rotation process.

3. Put away all of Weston's clothes that he has outgrown. Anything 12 months and smaller goes into the green totes.

4. Make a decision about how to spend my birthday money: bling or body?

I accomplished only 1.5 of these goals in 3 days. Sad. I know.

1. We got the tree down and put away - mostly. The bottom of the tree is too long for the largest Rubbermaid-ish container than Walmart had. (How is it that fake trees can outgrow their boxes?) hmm... ok. Also, It got too dark for Scott to put everything up in the garage, so we have Rubbermaids scattered in the spare room and the garage.

2 and 3. I tried to put Weston's toys away. It doesn't work. The minute he sees you putting something in a box, he wants it. Now. He will play with it forever. So, I needed to do this while he was asleep. He took naps Saturday, but we were running around town. And then he napped yesterday while I was at brunch with my sorority sisters. (Yes, I said brunch. Doesn't it sound fabulous? It felt fabulous and tasted fabulous. The only thing to make it better would have been Mimosas, but at $4.50 each and tons of carbs, I didn't do it.) And Weston would not go to sleep, so the toys are still out. I never even made it into his room to do his clothes. Not once. I can't even remember changing more than 2 or 3 diapers this weekend. Obviously my husband rocks.

2a. I put up the Castle that my parents got Weston for Christmas. It's a tower, about 4' across. It's taken the place of the tree and it's pretty cool.

4. My birthday money... I spent the weekend looking for a Wii Fit Plus. After being denied by Walmart in Altoona and Sam's Club, I was starting to feel like this was a sign that I should get the Bling. But then, after brunch, I stopped by the Super Target in Urbandale. They had 7 Wii Fit systems. And a new U2's greatest Hits, U218 Singles, which is super-fab. It has all of the songs I know, and none that I don't. Since this is one of the 3 super cds that I need to complete my ultimate Nostalgia Collection, I took this as a sign to buy the Wii Fit and listen to my iPod while working out. :)

So... we now have a 5' tall, 4' wide Castle tower in our living room amongst the scattered toys. Once this is either cleaned up or shoved to the side, I am hooking up the Wii Fit. And I will blog about my usage. I will. Because I am going to use it. My Bling money has to make a difference somewhere if not on my wrist!

More Flair

I made Shannon send me more pictures of her Flair gifts. I really think she should go into business, and that it should be called Flair!

Hmmm... maybe we could do something together. She makes the gifts and I do the invites, stationary and cakes. And our friend Jason could be the event photographer. I'm seeing all sorts of fun here!

Anyway, here are some more examples:

Shannon made this for Weston for Christmas! Love it!
This was made for a baby Hawkeye who lives in another state.

Shannon is a Social Worker (Advocate) by day. She made DV Awareness shirts to be worn in display windows around Des Moines. They made a huge statement.

Another of the DV (domestic Violence) recognition shirts.

For her Secret Santa gift, Shannon branched into decorating Coffee Mugs. Pretty cool, and considering what I paid for a fancy decorated mug from a local shop in Des Moines, pretty cost effective too.

Flair

Flair ~ noun
1. A natural talent or aptitude; a knack.

2. Distinctive elegance or style.

Related Words for Flair: genius, dash, elan, panache, style

My sister Shannon has Flair. And I don't just mean a sense of style. She has all the extra trimmings that make flair... well FLAIR.

When we were young, the three of us were fairly artistic. I always colored in the lines, sketched fashion designs and portraits. Nathan rarely colored in books, instead choosing to draw his own pictures. Shannon loved coloring books, but when it came to drawing... she seemed more interested in painting. As we grew up, Nathan's art became more detailed and when he used his talent, he was skilled at all types of drawing, but only took high school classes. My work centered more on painting, portraits mainly, back to fashion for a while and now it seems to center in the more technology-based graphic design area; I minored in Fine Art in college. Shannon never took art classes in high school or after. She was quiet about her skills. Over time you start to notice things about Shannon's world... her picture frames are carefully chosen, she has framed pictures and artwork in ways that express her. When she can't find what she wants, she makes it herself, and then is asked where she bought it. Shannon has a true gift for copying fonts in almost any medium, but she happens to excel in paint, and not just any paint, but puffy fabric paint. She can also draw in this paint. It's crazy to watch, and more amazing to see the results.

I think she could start a business. She's been making these shirts as baby gifts for a while now, but I don't think that she gets nearly enough credit for the work she does. She goes to the effort of making these personal... and then someone flat out tells her that they are going to use the beautiful new hand painted onesie as an undershirt. What the?!? yeah... I know. Anyway, here are a few samples. I am taking orders to set her up for business, so if you need any, let us know. (She's also starting to try these onesies out on puppies!)

I actually painted this shirt after watching Shannon do a few. What you can't see is the small lettering that Shannon did of Weston's name matching the Tonka logo.

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Shannon did this rockin' One shirt for Weston's 1st Birthday. He looks so cool that we used it for his 1st birthday pictures. (He was sick in this picture and was getting overly tired, but the outfit looks great!)

Shannon did this for a baby shower. The mom's nickname was Worm when she was little.

Same mom... this is the motto for the baby's last name. The Grandma (on Daddy's side) understood it immediately.

When the baby was first conceived, her parents called her their little Gummy Bear until they knew she was a baby girl.

For a Christmas gift, Shannon drew out the bars of "You Are My Sunshine," since this is what the musically inclined mom sings to her new baby.
On the back, Shannon wrote out the first verse...
For Christmas, Shannon made Weston a shirt that says, "Little Jones 01" just like a basketball jersey! it's so cute. I love it. In the Damon house, we each have numbers. I'm #1, Nathan's #2, and Shannon's #3. So, Weston would be Jones #1 or in our family, he could be counted at Damon 2.1. She made our niece Paisley onesies (I wish I still had pictures!) one was three paisley patterns in a row. Another says Damien 2.1, in reference to being Nathan's daughter. She's also done two other sets of onesies that I don't have pictures of.

Shannon is so incredibly talented and caring. She puts her heart into all she does.
If you are interested in her talents, let me know...

I can hook you up.
:)