F is for Fansler

Updates.

2012-02-15T20:24:00.002-05:00

1) Will's ears/tubes look "perfect" according to Dr. Garside.. yay! His speech and vocabulary have improved so much! There are very few times where we go, "I have no clue what he is saying," so I guess they were all worth it!

2) I haven't put in for my maternity leave yet OR started making sub plans.. no big deal, right? I mean, I only have a new prep that I am constantly only 1 day ahead of the students so that shouldn't be hard to plan for....... *side note: it's AP Bio and those kids will call you on every.little.thing. You have to be on point. I think my plans for them will be "read the book. do the lab. take the test. repeat." Easy peasy.

3) Nursery isn't done. Decal isn't hung (it's physically in his room.. just not on the wall). No glider. Nothing hung on the walls. There's still time.. hopefully. BUT, we do have a drawer full of diapers left over from Baby Jacob.. thanks dude!

4) My online physiology class is pretty time consuming, but we're getting through it.. and by "we're" I mean that my husband has been amazingly supportive and stepped up in a big way so that I can devote time to it in the evenings. Downside: Will started saying, "I like daddy bevver." Not cool, kid. Not cool. But, I guess I should get use to that since most of my attention will be on this new snugglebutt come 7ish weeks.

5) As I sit here, Jackson is moving around like crazy. My stomach is morphing in front of my eyes.. it is such an amazing miracle, this growing a baby thing. I can't believe there is a living human inside me that started off as nothing more than 2 merged cells and 46 chromosomes (let's hope no more or less). However, it is starting to become real that I have to go through all of the crappy stuff again.. like labor. And painful nippples. And sleepless nights. But at least I am going into it this time knowing what to expect.. I hope that makes it a little easier than last time. I was admittedly a smidge psycho. Fingers crossed for an easy transition back into the swing of all things infant!

6) And, Will is not potty trained. When asked why he didn't use the potty at school, he says "I no like to use potty." We've tried the potty dance, stickers, candy, etc. and it is hit or miss. The hardest thing is that we can't guarantee what they are doing at school.. we don't know if they ask him every 30 minutes to sit on it, or if they just change his diaper when the 2-3 hours is up. I've talked to the director, but we haven't seen any improvement. Maybe I'll just send him in underwear one day and let them figure it out. No, he doesn't tell us when he has to potty, but tonight he refused to go on it, but we took his diaper off anyway. We all hung out in the bathroom for a while, and he goes "I want to go potty." Granted, then, he wanted to potty standing up so pee went everywhere but he thought it was awesome. I call that a win. I doubt he will be potty trained before Jackson comes, but at least I will have the summer to do it and he can be out of diapers before his 3rd bday (again, fingers crossed).

That's about it going on with the Fansler fam. I'll update in a few weeks.. or when something interesting happens :)

Nursery Update!

2012-01-27T18:44:00.005-05:00

I came home tonight to find Michael with the crib pretty much put together.. what a nice surprise! Here are some updated pics:

We ordered his name as a decal, so it should end up looking something like that!

Will had to try it out!

Being silly, waiting for his little brother to get here!

So big.. and so weird to think that the last time we put together a crib, he wasn't even here yet.. Crazy how time flies! Now, all we have left to do is hang some stuff on the wall.. I'm thinking I might try and get crafty and do some canvas wall art of sail boats, but not sure about that yet.. We have to hang a curtain rod with the valance/curtains, and figure out if we are going to use the glider that has been in our room, and just paint it and cover it with different fabric or what.. but soon enough, this room will be done and we will have a new little bundle :)

barf. no seriously.

2012-01-18T14:23:00.003-05:00

Silly me to think I could really go this whole pregnancy without nausea or vomiting.. Leave it to a stomach bug/food poisoning to do me in! I was feeling icky on Sunday and thought maybe it was just the mexican food I had eaten the night before and just kind of laid low.. then I got an email from my mom saying that she and my sister were both in bed sick. At that point, I started thinking.. Oh no. I've got it too since we had spent pretty much all Saturday together. Then, I started to panic because what if Will and Michael got it? That would be TERRRRRRIBLE. Will had his appointment with the ENT to get tubes on Monday, and we had to get there bright and early at 6am. Well, after being up since 10pm Sunday night, I looked at Michael on Monday at 5am and just said I couldn't go.. it broke my heart. The first time my baby is getting put under (if only for 10 minutes, but still..) and I couldn't go because I needed the vicinity of my toilet. So, at 5:30, Michael brings Will in and explains that I am sick and my belly is hurting and that I'd see them later.. :(

I get a text at 7 saying that they just took him back, and in less than 10 minutes later I get another text saying that he was waking up. Whoa! Quickness. At that point, I had finally fallen asleep and had been able to stay in bed longer for 45 minutes which felt amazing. Michael called when he was on his way home and needed me to wash up and come downstairs to watch Will for a bit..

Because.... AND HERE IS A VERY IMPORTANT LESSON I LEARNED...

Never. Ever. Put off buying more toilet paper. Ever.

We were LITERALLY down to 1 roll in the whole house and Sunday I just didn't feel like going to the store.. I realized this "uh oh" at about 2am when the roll was looking mighty thin. Luckily I did have some of those Charmin wet wipe things and that saved my ass (baha no pun intended).

ANYWAYS, Michael went to the store, got the TP and some other goodies and Will and I laid on the couch. He seemed alright with his ears except for every once in a while crying out "oww my ears hurrt!" He even looked over one time and said, "Mommy, your belly feel better?".. so sweet. He took a nap on Michael, which I am pretty sure he hasn't done since infanthood, ate some pancakes, took another nap, and then was good to go! I started to feel better later on Monday, and it was back to normal Tuesday.

Fun times for a long weekend..

ENT

2012-01-04T18:58:00.002-05:00

Will had his appointment with the ENT today. He is soooo good at the doctor office and every doctor he sees comments on how well behaved he is and how he is not a typical 2 year old.. unless they are going to give him a shot and then all is lost. Well, once they called us back, I could see the anxiety filling his face because last time he was at the doctor he got 3 shots in 3 days for his ear infection. I reassured him that there were no shots today and he calmed down. Then, I had to entertain him for a while until the doc actually came in, and an ENT's room is way different than a normal doc office.. there are buttons to push and tubes to pull, and a really nifty looking chair. He wanted to play with all those, including the blinds in the window.... Needless to say, I was beginning to run out of patience.

Doc finally came in and checked his ears. SHOCKER - he still had fluid in the left ear. We cannot clear that guy up! So, we are definitely getting tubes. Apparently they just use laughing gas to calm them (which the doc said for the way Will acts they might not even need it..ha) and in 10 minutes, they have the tubes in, and in 20 they are back to normal. The tubes will stay in for 1-2 years and hopefully get us through the next few winters ear infection free.

The other issue I brought up was Will's speech. He was talking up a storm and I explained how it is very typical for him to talk and us still not understand things he is saying. He said that it makes sense that if your ears are filled with fluid, you're not hearing words the way that you should, so it will affect your speech. Once we have the tubes in and we go in for a check up, if we haven't noticed a difference, he might refer us to the speech therapist. Wah.. :(

But, for now, tube procedure is a go on Jan. 16th. Hope all goes well!

Jackson's nursery

2012-01-02T19:22:00.003-05:00

Michael and I had the day off today, and school was open for Will so we took full advantage.. We went up to Babies 'R Us to make some decisions regarding Jackson's nursery because its January and he's due in March.. yikesers.

I started off thinking I wanted to do a monkey theme, then it changed to planes/trains/automobiles, and once we were in the store today, my mind changed again. This is what we decided on..

Crib, Dresser, and Chest of Drawers are Baby Cache Lifetime Espresso.. and they were 20% off.

Bedding is Nautica Zachary.. and it was on sale too.. booyah!

And, we are going to paint the the wall where the crib is going a subdued green and the rest of the walls a light blue.

We are going to put his name above his crib in navy to match the bedding.

I think the most amazing thing is that Michael and I actually agreed on these things :) Now, to move everything in our house around to accommodate this new addition!

Sickness + 3D

2011-12-22T18:35:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, Will woke up saying "my ear hurts" over and over again. I made a dr's appt for that afternoon, and sure enough, ANOTHER ear infection.. or really, I should say, SAME ear infection with some pesky antibiotic resistant bacteria. So, since the last 2 antibiotics he was on (Omnicef for pneumonia and Augmentin for the first infection) were two of the strongest they give orally, the only option was to do Rocephin by injection. They warned us that it was thicker so it would hurt more, but it was underestimated how much Will would cry.. we got him home and he was so pitiful! He didn't want to walk or stand and any movement seemed to hurt it.. BUT the best part was that we got to do it two more times (today and tomorrow). Well, today he took it like a CHAMP and only cried at first and then didn't cry anymore.. BECAUUUUUSEE.. he was too excited about going to "Mommy doctor to see baby Jackson!" We were getting the 3D ultrasound done so we could see our sweet baby boy and Will was going to get to come!

Will on Left, Jackson on Right

As I recall, Will spent the entire 3D ultrasound snuggled up with my placenta which was towards my belly and kept his hand in his face almost the whole time. Well, Jackson was not snuggled up with my placenta (which this time around was towards my back -- apparently the placenta leaves a scar and so it doesn't grow back in the same place usually.. interesting tid bit).. but he was folded up like a pancake and BREECH. The ultrasound tech found it funny that there was so much room in my uterus, but he was only taking up about half the space.. she even said, "there's room for another in there.." ..no thanks. :) However, we did confirm that he is a boy, which is good!

She said he was still small and skinny but looked healthy.. I thought I went at about the same time with Will last time but I guess this is a few weeks earlier than before. The other cute thing was that he kept putting his arms behind his head just like Will likes to sleep.

Will enjoyed seeing him and pointing out on the screen that it was Jackson and found a lot of things funny (no telling what.. but he was giggling alot). His favorite part was when we got to hear Jackson's heart beat. He kept asking to hear it again, and again. Here are some pics.. and sorry if you're one of those people who think this is creepy.. I think it is a beautiful thing, and it is way less creepy than the 2D black ones where you try and decipher what parts are.

All snuggled up towards my back and placenta

Feet crossed at his head

That can't be comfortable! Spread out sweet baby!!

in newww yoooork

2011-12-12T20:54:00.002-05:00

Michael and I had planned a trip to New York over the summer (before I got pregnant), and the time finally came for us to go! We were going with our pals Zach and Katie and the main reason was to go at Christmas time so we could see all the decorations. I was the only one who had never been so I wanted to see the sights. Michael's parents came to get Will on Wednesday and he was super excited to go to "Baba's house".. and as soon as they pulled away, I was bawling like a baby. I called Michael to see what he needed from Target and basically had to "man up" before I could go inside. I know he is 2 now, but it doesn't get any easier leaving him. Well, we had some mishaps with the flight up there, dealt with all the traffic and people once we were there, had some issues with our tickets coming home, but it was all worth it once I heard "HI MOMMY!" All he wanted to do was be my snugglebutt and just kept saying "hi." Love him. Today on the way home from his school, he was saying how he wanted to go to Mommy's Work (because in the mornings, I usually leave before the boys and he has to see me leave and sometimes doesn't like it).. and I had to keep telling him that he can't because there are no toys, no snacks, and his friends aren't there.. so he goes.. "mommy, I sad." and I said, "why baby?".. "because.. I want go mommy's work." Too cute.

He also found a box of Nutrigrain bars in the pantry once we got home and decided he wanted to get one, asked me if I wanted one, and then held one in front of my belly and goes "here you go Jackson" (pronounced Gakson). He's going to be a great big brother :)

Once a month blogger.

2011-12-02T21:08:00.003-05:00

I'm such a slacker. Here are some updates:

Will: He has his good days and bad. He is a typical toddler. Sometimes he will eat, sometimes he refuses. Sometimes he goes to bed without a crying fit, other times he doesn't ("no mommy, no mommy.. lay down mommy.") Sometimes he let's Michael near him and other times it's "NO DADDY LEAVE!" Lately with his sicknesses (croup turned into pneumonia which turned into an ear infection.. #winning), we have had to shove antibiotics down his throat and there are days where he takes it like a champ and days when we have to literally force it down his throat and pray that he doesn't throw it back up on us. He is a talker, non-stop. Some of the new things he will say are.. "watch out!", "ew dats gross!", "where my ___", and my personal favorite, "i love you, forever, and ever, and ever!" We are introducing Santa and this year he gets it. I know there are people who say you shouldn't lie to your kids and and blah blah blah, but whatever. I turned out fine. I just won't make the same mistake my mom did when I asked how Santa gets in when we didn't have a chimney -- it gave me a complex regarding burglers for years.. He likes lights on houses and on the streets because that's how Santa will find out house. When we go outside to turn the lights on, he walks to the sidewalk - stops - turns towards the house - and puts his hands on his hips to check them out. SO friggin' cute. Love this kid, and he is an awesome helper, which makes me less nervous about a 2nd.

Jackson: Oh yea, have we mentioned that? We (I) decided on Jackson Cole as a name. We (I) also decided that his nursery will have a monkey theme. So far this pregnancy has been uneventful, which I am NOT complaining about. I haven't really had sickness or too bad of pain. I've had the occasional upset stomach or heartburn but nothing crazy. I've gained less than 10 pounds thus far, and the belly is straight out (belly button and all). It is very surreal to be rocking one baby/big boy before bed and feel the other one kicking at the same time. I am excited to get the nursery set up and start REALLY planning for his arrival!

Weekend Life: Now that football season is over and we don't have a game to go to almost every weekend, things can finally slow down. I have felt in fast forward for a few months now, and all I really want to do is be lazy. I got all my Christmas shopping done in record time and ordered a lot on line through sales or with coupon codes.. most places offer free shipping so to me, I'd rather do that then go to the store and deal with people and lines. I also ordered a lot of things through Etsy this year because I love personalized/homemade gifts. I think they say so much more than just any old thing you could buy. I did scale down my holiday decorations this year -- just 1 tree thus far. But, I did buy Michael icicle lights to put on the house.. again, Santa needs to be able to find us!

Work: Schmerk. Every day I feel like it's a new annoyance with either coworkers, students, or administration. I'm counting down the days until maternity leave..

Other: I feel so incredibly blessed to have the family that I have. I didn't post a Thanksgiving post because honestly we were too dern busy.. but I really am thankful for my life. I am thankful that my husband has a job that he is good at and keeps us in a lifestyle where we don't work paycheck to paycheck.. I am also incredibly thankful our marriage is strong enough to go through the bumps and still come out on top. I think that has to do with the fact that we've known each other for so long. It's not always roses and daisies but we make it work. A coworker received the worst news possible over Thanksgiving break - after having so many issues trying to get pregnant, she finally had in August with twins.. well, she lost one early on, but the other one stuck.. But, then she found out that she had lost that 16 wk old baby in-utero. She went for an ultrasound and there was no heartbeat. A few days later she had to deliver that baby after 12 hours of labor. I just can't imagine what she is going through.. It makes me look at my life and wonder how I got so lucky. And, it makes me wonder what is God's plan in that instance? She is the absolute sweetest person, and something so tragic happened to her. I just don't get it sometimes..

ANYWHO. I guess I will update again around Christmas :) We scheduled our 3D ultrasound a few days before the holiday, so I will post some pics. Until then.. buhbye!

Gender reveal + Croup

2011-11-07T08:08:00.004-05:00

Why do I make such beautiful faces....

Friday night was the night we've been waiting for! We found out that our Baby Dos is a BOY! We were surrounded by family and friends as we cut into the cake to reveal the bright blue color. It was pretty shocking because I am NEVER right, and I called that it was a boy since day 1. We are about 99% sure that his name will be Jackson, but we haven't picked out a middle name yet. Will is really excited, except he keeps calling my belly "Baby Jacob," which is our friend Jamie's little boy. However, with all the excitement did come some hormonal pregnant craziness... I tossed and turned all night worrying about how I was going to show both of my boys equal love, and make this second son just as special as the first. And, I have to admit that I got a little sad knowing that this is probably our last kid and I'll never have a little girl to wear a State cheerleading outfit, or braid her hair, and have Michael walk her down the aisle. Luckily, my husband has had a lot of practice with my craziness and knows how to deal with me.. he let me vent and get it out, and then he said.. "if you decide you want to try again, we can. We have time.. we're still young. But, you might have these two boys and love every second and not want another." So, at that point I was like.. you're right, and I put on my big girl panties, got over it, and got into the excited mode of planning for another boy :)

ANNNNNND then the fit hit the shan. Will started coughing, had a fever, and then threw up. This was t-minus 1 hour before we needed to leave for the NCSU vs. UNC game (which we won - shut out style.. 5 yrs in a row.. little brag. and, I'm done.) so we had to quickly make a decision as to what to do.. we took him downstairs with Michael's family and he seemed fine.. jumping on the air mattress.. being his usual cute self.. so we went to the game. By the time the game was over, his fever had skyrocketed, his cough got worse, and he wasn't really eating. We just kept feeding popsicles and giving him TLC. Saturday night, his fever was back up to 104 and he woke up being a lot worse. His cough sounded like baby seals.. which apparently is the key indicator of Croup -- a lung virus that also causes swelling in the throat. We didn't know this OBVIOUSLY. He was still acting normal but figured that afternoon that we should call the triage nurse at Will's pediatricians office to see what they say to do. Once we did their recommendations and it didn't help, she suggested we go to urgent care to get him checked out. The verdict there was that it was an upper respiratory infection and she barely mentioned croup. She prescribed an antibiotic and a steroid. We got home around 3:30 and gave him some Tylenol and a little food. Starting at 4 he was hysterically crying which made his cough worse. Finally about 4:30 he nodded off for a little while. When he woke up, we tried to give him some Advil, and it ALLLL came back up. He was burning up, wasn't drinking anything, and was crying like crazy. We decided he needed to go to the ER.. Within 2 seconds, the nurse goes "oh, he's got CROUP." Which is a virus -- can't be treated by antibiotics.. and the steroid the P.A. prescribed isn't even the right one to do for croup. Jerk.

They got him in a room, and did a breathing treatment, gave him some Advil, and a better, longer lasting steroid to help with the swelling which was causing labored breathing. He went to sleep and we stayed for about 2 hours for monitoring.

When it was time to leave, he was like a new kid -- smiling, breathing, talking.. it was so refreshing. We got home, went to sleep, and needed to check on him around 1am to see if he needed more Advil... and that was the end of the good stuff.. we were up until 4 figuring out what would make him happy.. which apparently nothing worked.. we finally just turned on the tv and waited until he passed out. Needless to say, I am not at work today.

He is doing better this morning -- still a little grumpy and coughing some.. but he did eat some muffins and drank some milk.. so maybe we're on the upswing!

A little late Halloween post.

2011-11-07T08:00:00.003-05:00

From Left to Right: Olivia (3), Jacob (3 mo), Will (2), Kenden (1), and Warren (2.5)

This year we got together again with our pals the Halkuffs and the Mountfords to subject our kids to endless pictures so we can document their growth together :) It seems like yesterday when we did it for Will's first Halloween and he hated his dalmation/cow/whatever costume! This year went a little better since he is obsessed with Spiderman.

We also went to the Halloween carnival at Will's school where he got to play some games and earn some candy, so that was fun.

Then, Halloween night, it rained. And rained. And rained. So, we only made it to about 4 houses before we called it a night. He was so cute though -- walked right to the door, stuck out his pumpkin, and said "tick or teat." Then, he wanted to try all his candy.. I felt a flashback coming on of my mom making us dump all our candy out to check for "razorblades." I think this was her code word for "candy I really like." Sneaky, mom.. very sneaky.

Anyway, Halloween 2011 is in the books -- now on to the next holiday :)

18 weeks

2011-11-02T18:44:00.002-04:00

Inside:

And out:

16 weeks.

2011-10-15T16:07:00.003-04:00

Then and Now:
In the THEN picture, I was still wearing a size 6 normal pant that I had probably owned since student teaching. These are definitely already maternity.. C'est la vie.

the newest parenting question

2011-10-03T19:17:00.002-04:00

How the hell do you potty train a toddler boy?

He can tell us when he has pooped, but doesn't give us warning. He can tell us when he has wet through his diaper. He is obsessed with seeing my pee pee in the potty (and if you're not a mom, it probably disgusts you to think of a little person trying to lift up your butt to see what you've deposited in the toilet). He gets that you sit on the potty, and that stuff is suppose to go in it.. but nothing goes in it.

So yea. I don't even know how to start this. And, with another one on the way, I'd love to have one out of diapers.. any advice is appreciated :)

Will - 2 year stats!

2011-10-01T12:24:00.003-04:00

Weight: 29.5 lbs (63%)
Length: 36.75 in (94%)
Head: 20 in (92%)
BMI: 15.3 (14%)

What does all this data tell you? Will is still a healthy, tall, skinny, boy. The doctor did say, however, that he is getting an overbite because of his passy and we need to cut it. So, last night, we collected his passys, put them in a baggie, and put them in the mailbox to send to babies. He is obsessed with mail right now, ever since he started watching Blue's Clues and they sing the mail song. Everyday when we get home, he has to get the mail, and say "MAAAAAIL." He didn't ask for the passys last night before bed - but he did have a hard time getting settled. Michael finally told him, "if you're quiet, I'll go try and find mama." He laid there and eventually fell asleep. I kind of felt bad for lying to him, but then again, I didn't lie to him. That's on Dada. He woke up at 3am calling out for me, so I went in, told him to lay down, tucked him in, rubbed his back for a minute, and told him I'd see him after night night. Didn't hear a peep until 7am.

Now, nap today was a different story. We were trying to get him down early so he could come to the football game today, and he was not having it. He even told me "passys for baby in mailbox" so I think he was remembering what we did last night. I eventually just rocked him to sleep, which I probably haven't done since he was an infant. It was a bit different now that he's 3 feet tall!

Speaking of 3 feet tall.. SOMEONE is old enough to ride fair rides!! I wonder if this year will be better than last.. remember this?

Here are some other Will tid-bits:

Says "poop nugget" when he has a poop... that was all my teaching..
Loves to pretend play -- will bring you a credit card ("money") and say he wants some "kickin nuggets" and then pretends to eat them. He'll also pick up a baby and rock it, give it milk, and put it to sleep.
Requests "muh-inns" (muffins) every morning for breakfast
Is very possessive, and if you try and take something of his, he'll tell you "not nice mama!"
Tries to speak so fast that sometimes he ends up stuttering
Is in love with football.
Has not peed/pooped in potty yet.. Oy.
Knows to look for cars when crossing the street, and if you're walking on the road he says "road, hold mama hand." But derned if once you get off the road he goes "no road, no mama hand."
Loves singing his ABCs
Always says the baby in mama's belly is a boy and that he's playing with blocks.. !?
Our favorite game right now is "the alligator get me!" or "bear! right dere!" and we have to hide from the bear that's in our living room...
He is so fun, but oh so tiresome. :)

As far as Baby Dos is going.. I don't think it likes pickles. Or anything really acidic, spicy, or down right yummy. Seems like I get a stomach ache after every meal, which really sucks. I still haven't gained any weight, but I think it's because I started 10lbs over weight, so that's good at least. I have broken out the maternity pants, which is a lot sooner than I had to do last time. Everything else is going fine :)

Alright, I'm going to try and rest before Baby Uno wakes up..

hi stranger.

2011-09-25T18:03:00.003-04:00

I am so behind on blogging.. but honestly, there has not been anything exciting since Will's birthday to report on. He has picture day this week at school, and a visit to his doctor for his 2 yr visit, so after that, I will have some new info :)

I am so happy to see the tiredness associated with this second pregnancy going away. I didn't think I was going to make it for a while. Between teaching, Will, cooking, cleaning, and online statistics, I didn't have energy to do anything. But, now I feel like I have more energy and some of that might be attributed to going to bed at the same time as most 3 yr olds.. but whatev. :)

I am ready to find out what this little peanut inside of me is.. I want to get started on nursery things, and buy a "Big Brother" shirt and a "Little ____" shirt.. and decide on names. Everyone keeps asking, "what do you think it is?" Honestly, I'm sure it'll be a boy. If it's a girl, I might pee my pants. And, that pee might be a little because I am a little apprehensive about raising a girl.. they have crevices that boys do not have that you have to keep clean.. and you have to keep them from becoming a stripper.. and you have to worry about their psycho self-esteem issues that come in their teen years.. But, I would get to buy cute outfits.. and get everything monogrammed.. and do hair :)

But I do imagine us with 2, blonde haired-blue eyed boys.. maybe the next one will have Michael's face shape and my shortness.

We'll see :) I'm 13 weeks now, and I anticipate it being around halloween that I find out! Soooo excited already!

Will's 2nd Bday EXTRAVAGANZAAAA

2011-09-10T15:11:00.004-04:00

Having a kid on Labor Day weekend just means he gets 3 days of celebration instead of one.. lol..

Friday at school he got a wicked cool hat celebrating his milestone. And, he got visits from Baba, Papa, Nana, and Hojo! Nana just cracks him up!

Saturday we took Will (and the WHOLE) family to the N.C. State game. Since State will always hold a special place in mine and Michael's hearts, it was great to be able to spend his 2nd birthday doing something that we love. He loved finding Mr. Wuf and now any time we mention football, he goes "Meer Wolf?"

Sunday was his actual party day. We reserved a shelter at a park and did it up Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed. We had hot dogs since Will's favorite part of the show is doing the Hot Dog Dance :) He got tons of presents, and we are so blessed.

Monday was a lazy day and boy did we need it. We did take him to Toys R Us to pick out one present - he got a kids digital camera since he loves seeing my camera and looking at the pictures on it. He hasn't quite mastered the look through the hole AND press the button. In time...

It was also weird being back in the Babies R Us section looking at cribs and bedding.. I can't believe another one is on the way! I'm super excited, but honestly, I'm too tired most of the time to even focus on it! I'm 11 weeks and looking fat. I can fit into some post-Will pants so I haven't broken out maternity yet.. but I bet it won't be long. I guess we'll find out what parts Baby Dos has by Halloween :)

Ok, gotta go-- my TWO year old has gotten into my china cabinet drawers and has pulled out serving utinsils. He just attacked Special Agent Oso with some tongs..

Will]

2011-09-10T15:10:00.000-04:00

Fansler..

2011-09-02T17:20:00.000-04:00

Party of 4! {soon to be}

Date: July 31st, 2011
Time: After lunch
Location: Master bathroom

Me: Hmm, I gotta pee before I get in the shower.. hmm hmm hmm.. I wonder if the pregnancy tests would detect any action yet.. hmm hmm hmm.. pee pee pee.. HOLY.MOLY. two lines. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. OMG. OMG. OMG. PANIC ATTACK. must shower.. act normal.. take another later..

So, I decided in my shower talk to myself that I wasn't going to tell Michael yet because I wanted it to be a GOOOOD surprise. I needed verification though.. We had two digital tests, because, I love me some dollar tree, but just because their test had 2 lines, I wasn't taking that to the bank.

Michael wanted me to shave his head.. IN A TIME LIKE THIS?! AHH, OK. ACT NORMAL.. I did my wifely duty and as he got in the shower I snuck a digital test under my shirt and went downstairs....

CRAP, there's 2 parts?! What kind of fancy test is this?! Back upstairs, mission grab both parts was a success.. downstairs bathroom TRYING to force out any urine I could.. and I friggin' did the test wrong.. UUUGH.. How do you do a pregnancy test wrong?!

At this point, I needed to leave to go to a Thirty-One meeting so I grabbed the other digital test slyly and put it in my purse.. I figured I'd have to pee eventually and this time I made sure I read the directions first.

Fast forward an hour to a small mom-n-pop ice cream parlor that has been around for ages.. Tiny bathroom.. Just me and a pee stick.
PREGNANT.

"OH GOD. seriously? WOW. why is it showing up this fast?! I thought I didn't ovulate until 6 days ago.. OMG is it twins.. say it isn't so.. OMG. how am I going to tell Michael?"

I had to sit on this information throughout the.entire.meeting.. I thought I was going to die. Also, the options on how to tell Michael went through my head.. should I put Will in a "Big Brother" shirt or just come on out and tell him? Here is what I went with...

Once I got home, I picked up Will and Michael was in the living room. I start having a normal convo with Will and then I go "Hey Will.. are you excited to be a big brother?? No?! Well, I don't think you have a choice, because in 9 months you're going to have a baby brother or sister.."

Michael: Wait. Are you pregnant?!
Me: Yep.
Michael: How do you know?
Me: I took 2 tests..
Michael: Wow, didn't see that coming.. well, congrats! *kiss*

There you have it people.. the Fansler Fam is expanding.. and so is my waistline..

**Originally written 8/2/11**

Will's Going...

2011-09-01T17:00:00.003-04:00

to be a big brother!! :)

Est Due Date; 3/31/12 <--- this originally said /10.... wow pregger brain.

I'll publish my "draft" posts that I did when I found out.. and wasn't ready to release the info yet.. later!

As to be expected...

2011-08-15T09:22:00.003-04:00

Took Will to school this morning, and everything was fine until it was time for me to leave...

Poor baby was clinging to me like no other.. his fingernails were digging into my shoulder and his face was pure sadness.. he wasn't scared, he was sad.. he wanted to go too.. All summer we had done everything together.. Hell, I couldn't even shower without him right there. So of course once I saw his face and he was crying, I had to turn and go because I lost it. And now, even just typing about it, I'm crying again.

Get it together, Fansler.

Sad.

2011-08-14T20:42:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow Will starts back at daycare.. Wednesday is when I have to be back at work (sigh), so I thought it would be better to get him started back before I had to be back just in case there were any snags...

Yea, well, I definitely was bawling like a baby in the car this afternoon. I think it is a mixture of just feeling so relaxed and happy this summer with him, and being able to do so many fun things (beach, museums, bounce houses, etc), mixed with having to return to reality of work.

It is definitely not easy being a SAHM, and there were days where I just needed a break, but, he has grown up so much this summer and I loved seeing it. Once again, it puts things in perspective of what is important..

So. Boo. Here is a pic of his first day last year. I'll post one of him tomorrow and how it went..

clothes/bday

2011-08-07T14:41:00.005-04:00

Will has too many clothes. I was organizing them today because previously they had just been shoved into old diaper boxes, and his closet was looking a littttttle craaazy.. I was armed with 6 rubbermaid containers, and that wasn't even enough.. I gave up.

I am also starting to plan Will's bday.. it is enjoyable, but also a pain. I am trying to get all my ducks in a row without spending a ton of money.. Michael veto-d me making his cupcakes.. I thought it would be fun and save us some $.. whatevaaa.. I'll Martha Stewart it somehow else...

Random Picture :)

2011-08-02T16:04:00.001-04:00

My favorite boy :)

Cute things about Will :)

2011-08-01T10:30:00.002-04:00

Not everything is cute, and this kid has his days.. but he says and does some of the cutest things..

When you go, "I love you," he goes "I love you too Momma." <3

"Will hide!" which consists of him putting his head under a blanket.. then if you go "Where's Will" he goes "I dunno."

"Help Momma" - if I am trying to do anything, he wants to help me :) And, then, he remembers everything that he helped with ("help Dada" when looking at the baby gate, "Gran Gran help Momma" when I close the curtains b/c she helped me hang them).. Kid has a memory like a steel trap)

If he gets a "boo boo" or just stubs his toe, he wants me to kiss it and it is magically better.

Any time he sees letters on anything, he breaks out in "a-d-a-d-a-b-d, w-x-y-and-z" {he kind of forgets the other letters in the middle}

Kid loves to sing. Everything. And he has started holding notes for a really long time..lol.. it is actually really funny.

August 15th marks back to day care :( I'm going to miss the little booger.

Big Boy Bed!

2011-07-26T15:37:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I converted Will's crib to a toddler bed (took off front and attached a railing).. He was really excited about the change because he could crawl in and out of bed.. but that was until it was time for "night night." At that point, he pitched a fit.. He walked around the room, cried at the door, checked out the bookshelf.. but did not get back in bed. I tried going in and laying on the ground next to his bed but he just wanted to lay next to me.. then Dada came in and gave him a little talking to.. which included bribing him with his favorite Yogurt Melts.. and within 2 minutes, he was out cold.

So, I was a little worried how today at nap would go.. but I told him to stay in the bed, and go night night.. and dern if he did! This whole transition has gone pretty well :) Step 2.. get rid of the passy.. I just don't know if we're ready for that! :)

Will in Pics.. and Proudness..

2011-07-18T21:15:00.004-04:00

1. Will -- when you look back on these in the future, it is Gran Gran's fault why you always look like a nerd.

2. Good old fashioned fun :) Slip 'n Slide.. which was promptly followed by "Mama, slide, 1-2-3!! GO!" My abs have hurt for days.. who knew..

3. This is the face you get when you tell him no.

4. This conversation LITERALLY happens at least twice a day when leaving the house:

Will: Will drive?
Me: No, who's car is this?
Will: Mama car.
Me: Who drives Mama's car?
Will: Mama.
Me: Who drives Will's car?
Will: WILL!
Me: Where is Will's seat?
Will: Right dere.

So, this is Will's car.. in which he always gets in and goes "Will car.. Will drive" and I ask him where he is going and he usually say's either Gran Gran House or Ba-Ba House. Then he tells me "bye bye". One day, he will be 16 and driving for real.. *sniff*

Now, for the proudness part..

Will knows what "peeing" is.. and likes to tell us when he pees! Tonight post-bath, Michael and I look over and he is peeing on the carpet (again).. You would think we would learn to get that diaper on super quick.. but nope. Promptly following his peeing on the carpet, he is screaming "I PEE! WILL PEE!" I ask him "Will, where do we go pee pee?" and he tells me, "potty." I asked him if he had more pee, and he says yes... So I bust a move to go get the potty and make a big deal about peeing in the potty to see if he would do it again.. Nope.. Apparently he likes to just pee on the carpet because he did it a second time.. But, then he did tell me that he didn't have any more pee.. lol

Good thing I got a Groupon for carpet cleaning..

SAHM learning time

2011-07-17T12:51:00.003-04:00

Here are some things I have learned while I have been a stay-at-home mom this summer:

1. You don't shower until nap time, and sometimes that doesn't even happen.

2. Every day you have to get out of the house. Whether it is to go to the dollar store, the pool, Little Gym, Wal-Mart.. whatever.. you MUST get out of the house once a day.

3. Your "diet" becomes increasingly similar to your toddler's.. no lunch is complete without a fruit cup or string cheese!

4. You learn the art of distraction and bribery quite well.. Scenario 1: screaming toddler in store because he wants to pick up every.little.thing.. {Bribery entrance} "William.. do you want yogurt bites? then you need to sit in the cart like a big boy." When that doesn't work, {Distract!} "WHOA COOL! LOOK WILL! MAGIC! WOW! YAY!" etc. etc. etc.

5. You will kill someone if nap time is interrupted. That is your only free time. And no, I don't do the dishes in that time span.

6. Booster seats that strap kids in are a.ma.zing. While Will is eating breakfast, lunch, or playing with Play Doh, I can get the dish washer emptied and re-filled without "Will help" every 5 seconds.

7. Husbands will be sleeping on the couch if they come home and say, "you've been home all day.. how can you be tired?" I hope you read that Michael Fansler.

8. Playdates are a must.. not only does it tire the kids out, but you get to socialize. Once again, husbands, don't say "yea, wow, tough day.. you went to the pool..." .. uh, you're forgetting the 30 minute prep to even leave the house, the dirty diaper in the parking lot, the fighting over toys, the crying because you told them no, the stealing of the other kid's snack... yea. it's not just like we can just sit back and let them play in the pool by themselves.. (not yet at least..)

9. You become an expert at their language because you spend the most time with them.. I often act as the translator.. and then I look at people like, "seriously, you couldn't tell he was saying 'Daisy ate my banana!?'"

10. This is pretty much the only good thing about being a teacher.. I get to see him every day and see how he has changed from the beginning of summer to the end.. I've gotten to spend 10 days with him at the beach, take him to the zoo, to the Children's Museum, to touch animals at the Science Museum, and watch him get more and more comfortable in the water.. it's been great :)

nothing about Will..

2011-07-03T15:27:00.002-04:00

..just an endless rant of my own.. you can stop reading if you want :)

I know I have talked on here before about my unhappiness with my job as a teacher, and how I don't believe in where the school systems are going. I find it very hard to work in a profession that is based around helping grow the citizens of the future, yet, we are teaching them very little life skills so that they CAN be successful in life.. whatever pathway that is. Sure, it's important to know the process of photosynthesis to understand the delicate balance that our world holds, BUT, isn't it also important to value being on time, having a strong work ethic, being truthful, and a have a willingness to learn? I see very little of the latter.

So, recently I have been tossing around the idea of going back to school... scratch that.. I have been considering going back to school since I graduated. I remember vividly telling my education advisor when he came to observe me student teaching that I was unsure that high school was where I was meant to be.. I mentioned elementary education, and he said, "well, that would be difficult to do at the moment.. have you considered middle school? that would be easier to get the credits.."

Middle school? Yea, no thanks.

Then I got my job at my current school (which I have to say is a GREAT school) and I was teaching 3 classes of Earth Science. I was one day ahead of the kids and developing everything from scratch.. not to mention at the time I was planning a wedding.. I'm surprised Michael stayed with me through that phase :)

The next two years were better because I made some great friends at my school and I got to teach some Biology.. along with the pressure of having passing grades on the EOC.. since, if your students did really poorly on the EOC's they'd take the class away from you.. and I didn't want to just teach Earth Science forever..

But, there were still lingering feelings about different careers.. I explored everything from Medical Laboratory Technology to Elementary Education to Genetic Counselor.

Well, once we decided to get pregnant, I knew that I was kind of stuck for a while. I had Will, stayed on maternity leave, and I have to say, I missed the socialization aspect, but I in no way missed teaching. It was at that point that I feel as though things really changed for me. When I returned from maternity leave, I had the WORST, and I MEAN THE WORST, set of students ever. They had gone through 3, yes, THREE substitutes while I was out, and I could see why. Luckily, I had them for about 3 weeks and then I got a new bunch.

With an infant not sleeping through the night, and having to get up and start teaching some annoying high schoolers at 7:20, it was a rough semester back. I looked so forward to my summer off..

That brings me to this last year.. I started off ReAdY tO GO armed with new ideas, a new elective, and a fresh attitude.. I tried some things that I hadn't tried before just to see if it made things better.. it didn't.. in fact, I have to say, this was the worst year by far.

I realized that I got entirely too close to the students.. it is one thing to have rapport with the students, but it was something completely different for the students to think that we were "friends." Now, this is all my fault. I did make a Facebook page specifically for my students, and it began as a way to remind them of tests, etc.. and it worked great for that. But, it also let me in on their lives and armed with that information, it made things difficult to treat them strictly as students in my class.. I knew who drank on the weekends, who probably got high with friends, and who uses the worst foul language ever..

I've always had a problem with my mouth getting me in trouble (my theme song is John Mayer's My Stupid Mouth).. but this year took the cake.. Let's just say that I got called into the (assistant) principals office three times. Once for saying something completely out of bounds and that I should have never said and I completely apologized for and took all blame. The second time was a student taking something I said and ran with it.. turned it into something it wasn't, and it hurt to have to defend myself..And third, on the LAST day of the semester, I found out a student wrote an anonymous note about me saying that I wasn't a good teacher, that I cared more about gossiping with students and other teachers than actually teaching, and it went on and on and on. None of these things made my "file," but to me it didn't matter.. it was my name that was being slandered by these students..

And that's when I felt as though these weren't merely whispers anymore telling me that I don't need to do this.. but now it was YELLING at me loud and clear. I want out. Unfortunately, with a 22 month old and eventually another, I don't have many options.. but luckily I have a supportive husband who is determined to help me find happiness.. I'm considering nursing because I feel as though it is still a "service" job, which I love helping people.. but it also is flexible, pays well, and has great job security. There is an accelerated program for second degree students at UNC (ew. I know.) that I can do in one year, but it's full time.. Can we afford for me not to work for a year? We'll see I guess. I'm hoping to apply for January 2013 next June..

One more year. Yet, I say that every year. Maybe this time it will actually come to fruition.

I think I will always be a teacher at heart, and I probably will miss it.. but, at this point, I'm ready to wave the white flag..

Thanks for letting me vent.. even if no one reads it, it is very therapeutic. :)

2011-06-19T14:45:00.000-04:00

Beach Baby

Beth, this is for you...

2011-06-19T14:33:00.004-04:00

Here is what I did today..

First, Will woke up during the middle of the night TWICE saying "no PAPA, no PAPA!" so I guess he was having a bad dream.. then he decided that 7:30 was a great time to wake up, much to my dismay after being up late last night due to the wedding.. We watched some Wonder Pets! save 3 birds whose nest needed fixing..

Then, Felecia and I went to McDonalds and I ate a chicken biscuit and 2 hasbrowns.. don't look at my bathing suit pictures today.. *I'm looking at you Neal*

Afterwards, we hit the beach and got a lot of sun.. and it was HOTT.. with 2 T's.

About 12:30, Wilbur was needing lunch and a nap - so he did both. I went to the pool and stayed there until I thought my face was burning off.

Took a shower. Played on the computer. Sent some emails. Wrote this post.

You're welcome.. I know you are dying to read my daily updates :) And, heres a daily dose of Will:

BEACH!

2011-06-12T20:38:00.003-04:00

It's my favorite time of year! Beach trippppppp!! School is FINALLY over.. and I have to say, out of all my 5 years of teaching, this semester might have been up there with one of the toughest.. SO! Now, we are in Surf City ready to begin our annual beach vacay! This means 3 things:

1. Complete relaxation

2. A freckle count of 5,000+

3. A bajillion pictures of my boogie :)

Here are a few I have already taken today.. he is growing up so quickly! :(