My baby boy is one today!  At 9:37 this morning I looked at the clock and thought, exactly one year ago Thomas was six minutes away from entering the world.  And now look at him.  At 9+ pounds at birth, he has nearly tripled his weight!  Though it is hard to believe how quickly the time went, I have no problem accepting he’s getting bigger when I have to stuff him into 18-month shirts and pick him up.  As for me, fortunately I don’t have to squeeze in my clothes anymore now that I’m 65-pounds lighter than the day he was born.  Yes, I stepped on the scale the morning of the C-section.  I was so excited for how far I’ve come physically these past few months, I got up at 5:30 this morning, went to the gym and worked out.  Then I went home to cuddle the birthday boy and wait for Daddy to return with the chocolate donuts and birthday cake… seriously.  (Today was my FUN DAY.)  One more thing, thanks to so many of you for being my network of support since I’ve been pouring my life’s highs and lows into this blog for 12 months.  Just to know so many of you have been there/done that keeps me going.  Happy Birthday, little boy.  Mommy loves you so much.

Hailey Sue from Ossian

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

To think I was concerned Thomas might need ear tubes and the procedure that would temporarily knock him out.  Turns out it’s Charlotte who will be going under the knife to get two moles removed from her scalp.  We just came from the facial plastic surgeon’s office where he advised us to have the larger one taken off and agreed the smaller one could come off then, too.  He says she won’t feel a thing as she’ll be gassed for the short procedure.  My fear, as you can imagine, is convincing her to calmly lie down and breathe in with nurses, equipment and bright lights all around.  I’m going to skip the pre-op party the surgery center throws for kids.  She’ll just start suspecting something’s up and not want to go back to the place for the actual event.  Fortunately, her stitches will be dissolvable.  Unfortunately, she’s old enough to know not all medical appointments are pain-free.  At least she’ll be psyched for the chance to get a Tinkerbell sticker.

Patti, Brian & Colton from Jesup

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

I admit it.  Social networking is becoming a bigger part of my life.  I find it fascinating that with a couple clicks on my new iPhone hundreds of people are privy to the fact that I’m watching Charlotte at a swim lesson.  Who cares what you’re doing and why share it?  Well I can tell you I truly enjoy reading what others in my Facebook and Twitter spheres have goin’ on so I intermittently return the favor.  Dave is concerned my laptop and now internet-connected cell phone will distract me from face time with the kids and him.  But I can’t think of many living room moments when ESPN isn’t on in the background.  I’m not watching it!  It did get a little crazy when I checked for Facebook updates today as Charlotte played with the train table at Von Maur.  There is only so much staring at 20 Thomas the Train engines being linked together one can handle, right?  My free OnStar subscription in my car is about to expire and I don’t plan to renew.  Yet I have come to rely on it for directions and phone numbers so much it’s scary.  Today I used it to guide me 4 miles to the indoor pool!  I CAN live without all of this stuff, but I don’t want to.  Charlotte was given a used, inactive PDA from a nice lady at Best Buy.  Today she was on the couch calling someone on it.  And she routinely tells me to smile for pretend pics she takes with it.  Only when Thomas shouts out L-O-L will I be concerned.

Ashton and Uncle Dan from Decorah

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

Charlotte is quick to point out to her little brother what he can NOT do.  She has heard Mommy tell Thomas countless times, “That’s not for babies.”  The phrase usually uttered just as he is putting a small object in his mouth or trying to pull the blinds off a window.  Her determination to assist us in stopping him is more than matched by his will to continue, until he’s successful.  The kid doesn’t give up.  He is obsessed with the wooden stick we put in the track of the sliding glass door.  And won’t back down from reaching for the computer modem with the green flashing lights.  Recently Daddy caught him in the bathroom with his fingers under the closed toilet seat.  Guess what was inside the bowl?  The TV remote, of course!  I thought Charlotte was going to be the naughty one.  I think we’re in big trouble.

Brady and Coco from Fort Atkinson

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

Above is a copy of the email I received this past week from a guy whose name I won’t reprint.  It came to my in-box during the 5pm news.  Thought many of you would find it entertaining!  Who knows, he could be a former Hollywood make-up artist.  More than likely he’s one of many people who just have strong opinions about what looks good on women-especially TV news anchors.  I am used to this kind of feedback, so much so I have even acted on some of the advice.  Few men, however, are schooled enough in the finer points of cosmetic application to offer specific tips on eyeliner.  I did not reply because I didn’t think he would care to know that a consultant, who does work with celebrities, told me not to wear dark liner across my bottom lid because it will make my small eyes look smaller.  I agreed when I saw how each approach looked on TV.  The bottom line on the bottom lid is what looks good to one will surely bother another, especially when it comes to a woman’s on-camera appearance.  Wednesday I had a long overdue haircut and highlight.  I thought my fresh-from-the-salon cut looked good, but a woman called my boss to tell him otherwise.  “What are you going to do about it?” she asked him.  “Nothing,” he told her, “her hair looks fine.”  Amen for a news manager who has my back!  By the way, the advice I did take was from a gentleman no younger than 70.  He told me my lipstick was too light and it made my lips disappear.  Despite a consultant advising me against darker colors, I gradually worked the brighter pinks and reds back in rotation.  At least the above comment included a compliment.  You know, kill her with kindness.

Zachary, Lori, Bailey and Kirstin from Cedar Rapids

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

Thankfully today’s working woman wardrobe includes a lot of pieces that can be thrown in the washer or dryer at day’s end.  I could not live without the blouses and shells I wear under blazers-the ones Thomas slobbers and snots on-that hold up so well from multiple Maytag cycles.  Sure I have some silk stuff and other items with the Dry Clean Only tags.  Let’s just say they don’t make it out of the closet much when a toddler is running loose with yogurt on her hands and a baby is rubbing his face in my shirt like a puppy.  Sometimes, just before news time, I’ll look down and discover a stain on my skirt or jacket left behind by tiny hands or sticky cheeks.  My attempt to wipe it off is usually unsuccessful.  But that’s okay.  I wear my badges of motherhood proudly.

Ryan from Oxford

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

The TV should not act as babysitter.  But thank the Lord Thomas will sit quietly and watch The Wiggles so Mommy and Daddy can have a minute or two to regroup.  The almost 1-year-old is a little squawker, no a big one, and only the parts of an episode where the fab four are dancing or singing shuts him up.  So no surprise his outbursts and demands can be heard from the backseat of the car.  Enter the DVD player.  Yes, we’re breaking down and getting one installed so I can call on Anthony and Greg Wiggle when I need to get from Point A to Point B without a baby yelling or tossing his bottle across the backseat milk flying.  Of course there will only be one screen so we’ve convinced Charlotte her little lap DVD player is cooler because it’s for big kids… adding that if Thomas falls asleep we can swap out The Wiggles for a video of her choice.  I know what some of you are thinking.  In comes technology, out goes real parenting and family interacting on car trips.  I’ve tried the “look at the cows” method for 3 years now.  Bring on the 2-hour kid movie!

Hunter from Cedar Rapids

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

Aunt Bird (Sara) is pregnant!

I am going to be an aunt!  My younger sister, Sara, is pregnant with her first child.  At 30 she is easily old enough to be a mom, but it is strange to see your younger sibling in a new light-expectant mother.  She is still my little sis, in many respects, to me.  Fortunately for her I have saved all the baby clothes, maternity wear, Boppies, you name it.  If it’s a boy my nephew will be named Liam James.  Sara’s husband is Will, full name William, so Liam comes from the end.  James is our dad’s first name.  Should the baby be a girl, her name will be Ava Mae.  Ava is a name my sister has always liked for a daughter and Mae was the middle name of Will’s mom who passed away a few years ago.  Her due date will be sometime in March.  I will keep you posted.  And, yes, I plan to be there to watch the delivery.

Call for more photos:  Please email me a picture of your children to share.  Include names and hometown, please.  Would love to feature more photos with mom and dad or grandparents, too. 

Julia from Waterloo

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

Once you become a parent, it’s like every time you pick up the newspaper or turn on the TV-or in my case read the teleprompter-there are always tragic stories involving children.  And it makes you sick.  I cannot get recent headlines out of my head… Toddler squeezed to death by python, Baby dies from 100 small animal bites… and I won’t even detail horrific stories of child abuse that come to mind.  I know it’s reality and you can’t ignore it, but since becoming a mom I definitely don’t invite it.  A movie about a girl with cancer whose parents have another child to save her, I’ll pass.  Any horror movie from Children of the Corn to that new flick called Orphan coming out this weekend.  It involves a family adopting a possessed child… no thanks!  I don’t need Hollywood to make up something terrible when real stuff happens every day.  It’s tough enough to read stories like this privately, even worse when you’re sharing them on-camera during a newscast.  My heart breaks every week for another family.

Kay & Jayda, Ashley & Millie from Charles City

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12

Wouldn’t you know just weeks after a pre-cancerous spot appeared on my nose due to sun damage from years ago, I discovered not one but two large moles on Charlotte’s scalp.  Both are flat and round but fairly large and one is pretty dark.  So I am waiting for the referral call from her pediatrician that will send us to a facial plastic surgeon.  The doctor already said the smaller mole will need to come off in a few years.  While showing that one to Nana, we discovered the larger one nearby.  If it needs to be removed sooner than later we might as well get them both taken off.  Poor girl!  Barely three-years-old and already dealing with moles like Mommy.  Anyone have a child who needed a mole removed?

Leah and Danielle from Dunkerton

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 12