Ugh.

I know it's been a long time since I posted anything but there has been a stomach bug that's having its' way with my family for the past week.
It all started on Sunday night around 8:30pm when Carl IV woke up crying and whining. I was exhausted and had just lied down for the night so I sent Carl III in to check on him. 2 seconds later I hear, "Oh, man! Dee, I'm gonna need your help in here!" So, I step into Carl IV's room to see my poor little man lying in his vomit-covered bed just crying his eyes out. And, of course, he wants me to pick him up even though he's covered in the smelliest puke ever. And, because I'm not a terrible mom, I pick him up and have to breathe through my mouth the whole way to the bathroom and while giving him a bath because now I smell like it! Ewwww! So, once he's cleaned up, I get a cup of water and take him to the couch with me to calm him down and give Carl III some time to clean up his bed. The whole time we're sitting there the poor little guy is saying pitiful things like, "Mommy, my belly hurts!" and, "Why I fow up? I not wike it." What a helpless feeling! So, we proceded to explain to him that everybody gets sick sometimes, and it'll get better soon. I don't think he bought it since shortly after as I was carrying him back to his bed he threw up all over himself and me. EEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww! So, another bath and change of clothes later, I get him into bed, and he eventually passes out. Around 10:30 he wakes up again and I go into his room thinking he's been sick again. Thankfully he hadn't been, he was just still freaked out from the earlier episodes. So, Carl III comes to the rescue again and sleeps in Carl IV's room on the floor so he would calm down and get some sleep.
Tuesday was okay for the most part, although Carl III was starting to feel a little if-y towards the end of the day. Wednesday Carl III was sick with the stomach crud, and Wednesday night I was up from 9pm to 4:30am with my head hanging in the toilet. Yuck. Not fun. Thursday morning while I was practically comatose on the sofa, Carl III went to get Paige out of her crib and found that she had been sick all over the place, too. :( Poor little lamb. So, I gave her a bath (all the while gagging at the smell) and she and I sat on the couch all day drinking Gatorade and eating crackers. Not fun at all.
So, now that we've all had it, I'm hoping that we've met our "sick quota" for the year. I don't know if we could survive another round!

January 22, 2010...Carl's 31!!!!

Happy Birthday to the most incredible husband I've ever had! Hahahahaha! I crack me up...Seriously, Carl's 31st birthday is today!! We're going out tonight with some family and friends for sushi and drinks to follow...should be a well-deserved good time.
Carl III's latest job didn't work out. It was a set pay of $60/day, which sounded good when they told him the average day was 4-6 hours long. But, he worked an average of 10 hours/day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday! That's less than minimum wage! So, needless to say, he said adios! to that place and is now back to the job hunt.
Carl IV is quickly becoming a favorite of all the grown-ups at his nursery school. He's aparently the most helpful kid in his class when it comes to cleaning up after an activity, he's potty-trained (I think the only one in his class), and he's a really cool kid (don't roll your eyes...if you've met him, you know it's true!). I'm really glad we decided to enroll him in this program. He's non-stop chatting about it every evening after he's been! It's adorable!
Paige is getting tougher by the day. You can definitely tell that she's grown up around a rough-and-ready little boy. She takes so many spills, tumbles, bumps, etc. and generally just gets up and walks it off. I'm glad she's not a "delicate little flower" kind of girl...that would not last a second in our house! She's going through that stage where she ALWAYS has a huge bump/scratch/bruise on her head. It's a little less obvious with her than with Carl thanks to all her hair!
All in all we're hanging in there. I keep seeing these horrible disasters on the news...the earthquakes in Haiti, the flooding/mudslides in California...it makes me realize how much worse things could be going for us, and makes me focus more on the things that we DO have...clean water, a home, clothes, food, stable ground under our feet. It's really helped to put things into perspective...

This Getting Old This SUCKS!

I don't know what came over me Saturday, but I cleaned every square inch of my house. I mean, REALLY cleaned. I scrubbed the entire kitchen, my bathroom...everything. I even cleaned the kids' rooms (which I usually avoid like the plague due to the fact that I know they'll destroy them again the second I leave the room)! All that cleaning resulted in a little stiffness on Sunday morning. So, when my massive son jumped into my arms Sunday morning for a hug, something in my back said, "What the...?! Screw this!" and twisted/pinched/knotted, resulting in my hobbling around the remainder of the day like a 90-year-old hag! Things like this remind me that I am not 20 anymore.
Carl got the job that he interviewed for on Friday! In case you're wondering why that's not in all caps, bold, and underlined, it's because it's not the greatest job ever. They don't offer benefits, and the pay is kind of...eh. But, it's more than a lot of people have right now, so we're still pretty relieved. For all of you that sent good vibes, thoughts, prayers, etc. Thank you!
Carl IV is heading off to his 2nd day at nursery school tomorrow, and we've been talking all weekend about how tackling people is totally unacceptable, and if he does it again, his teachers won't let him come back. I don't know if that's true (probably not), but it gets the point across. He's really excited, and we're thinking about signing him up for their "Lunch Bunch" program as well. For another $5, he gets to stay until 1:00 and have lunch/hang out with all the other kids that participate in the program. I'm thinking he'd really get a kick out of it!
Paige has been absolutely miserable the past couple of days. I'm hoping it's teething (I seem to be saying that a lot lately). She has definitely had a bit of a growth spurt recently, she's in 18 month clothes, and they fit beautifully! She's starting to lose her "baby" look and is taking on that "little kid" look. I love it!

**Fingers Crossed***

Carl got an interview! I emailed his resume to a listing I saw on CraigsList for a job as a driver for a beverage company in King of Prussia yesterday and they called him today and want to talk to him today!! If he gets the job he starts MONDAY! How sweet is that?! I don't want to get my hopes up too much, because we don't know how much it pays or if they offer benefits, but I figure if nothing else this will help lift his spirits a bit to know that people are interested in him as an employee. Cross your fingers, legs, eyes, whatever...PLEASE LET THIS BE THE JOB!!
On another note, Carl IV had his first full stay at nursery school yesterday, and he did really well. Carl III dropped him off and said that he just took off his coat, turned around to wave, and then took off in the classroom! Debbie went to pick him up and snuck in a little early just to watch how he was doing, and she said he was really good! We did have one incident that I was afraid of...he tackled some little boy for taking a toy (or not giving him the toy...one or the other), but the teacher just said, "Carl, we do not tackle our friends. Say you're sorry," and he did! So, things are looking really good for him with school. Although, he was thoroughly disappointed with the fact that he doesn't get to ride the " 'cool bus" (school bus) he enjoyed being able to interact with other kids his own age.
Paige has 6 teeth now! She got 4 at once on top (which explains all the drooling/pooping/whining), and she looks so silly with all those teeth up top and only 2 little teeth on the bottom! Here's hoping the rest fill in MUCH faster than the ones she has...I'm not sure how much more teething I can take!

We Can't Catch a Break

Just when things were starting to look up for the Rudegeair Family, fate backhanded us in the face. Carl III got pulled into the general manager's office at his new job yesterday. He's been working for a trucking company down the road from our house for the past week and a half, and was just getting into the swing of things when the G.M. tells him that the company's vehicle insurance company won't cover Carl under their policy due to his 10-year driving history. Their hiring screening only requires a 3 year history, in which he's been great. If any of you remember what Carl was like in Florida with his driving, you know what I'm talking about. He was like most guys in their early-20s and got tickets, accidents, suspensions, etc. So, they had to let him go. Here we go again with the job hunt.
I just feel so bad for Carl because all he really wants is an okay job with okay pay that he can work at until he retires. That's all. It's so frustrating to keep getting pushed down time after time. So, if you're the praying type, please keep him in your prayers, not only to get a job, but to keep his spirits up. If you're not the praying type, please send positive vibes his way. God knows he needs them.

Why?

Ah, the joys of having a 2-year-old. I have recently discovered that the absense of tantrums results in an increase of questions. Normally I would be thrilled with the fact that my son is so inquizitive about all the goings on in his world, but the "Why" thing is getting on my last nerve! Here's an example of a typical conversation between me and Carl IV lately:
Me - "Alright, buddy, let's get our shoes on."
Carl - "Why?"
Me - "Because, you can't go outside without shoes on."
Carl - "Why?"
Me - "Because it's freezing cold, and if you don't put shoes on, your toes will get cold and fall off."
Carl - "Why?"
Me (rapidly losing patience) - "It's called frostbite. If your fingers or toes get too cold they fall off, and if you don't have toes you can't run or walk or kick a ball or anything. So, put your shoes on, please."
Carl - "Why?"
Me - "AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! JUST PUT YOUR SHOES ON!!!!"
Carl - "Mom...not get so mad..."
Me - "Fine. We're not going outside."

Sigh. It's exhausting.
On a brighter note, Carl IV is going to his first day of nursery school tomorrow! He is absolutely thrilled! I, on the other hand, am having mixed feelings. I am so happy that he is so excited, and I know it will be good for him to have interaction with other kids his age. I am, however, nervous about the possibility of him being, "That kid." You know..."THAT kid."
"Mom, that kid hit me!" or "Who threw that toy across the room? Oh, it was that kid." He's just SO physical in everything he does, I am so afraid that he's going to get so overwhelmed at all the new friends and new surroundings that he's totally going to go nuts! Also, I'm a little freaked out at the thought that my baby is old enough to be going to nursery school!!! Alright, stop making fun of me. I know it's only 2 mornings a week, but still...the next step is REAL school. That's INSANE!!! I'll definitely update on how things go by the end of the week.

Shhh...don't tell.

I'm almost afraid to put it down in writing for fear that I'll jinx it, but I can't help it...I think we might be working our way out of the worst of the terrible-2's! <Dee looks quickly from side to side checking for the return of the demonic 2-year-old that has inhabited this house for the past several months> Whew! I don't think he heard me. Carl IV has had the best week and a half in recent memory this past 10 days! I hope it's not a fluke...that would suck. He's been behaving really well (don't get me wrong, he's still 2, but his tantrums have been few and far between), he's eating entire meals instead of taking 2 bites of whatever we're having and then demanding Cheerios and "wack-a-woni" (macaroni), he's being nice to Paige, there's hugs and kisses galore! I love it! He's started talking a lot more which is making me think that maybe the tantrums and yucky behavior were out of frustration from him not being able to get his point across. If so, I'll take the little chatterbox that he's become over that terrible monster any day!
As for Paige...she's had better weeks. I think she's getting some more teeth, because she's been drooly, poopy, and fussy for a few days now...I'm hoping it's teething and not her getting sick. There is really no feeling more helpless than having a sick infant. She'd better be teething. She's also getting quite chatty. She got a doll with a stroller for Christmas, and she pushes her dolly around the house just babbling away. "Dadadada...mamamama...lalalalala." It's pretty entertaining. It's really fun to watch her start to develop an understanding for language. She came wandering over to me this morning all whiney because Carl IV had taken back his cup from her after she'd picked it off the table. So, I looked at her and said, "Where is your cup? Can you go find your cup?" And, wouldn't you know, my little genius girl turned around, scanned the room, saw her cup on a different table, and toddled over and picked it up! Then she turned around and looked at me with such excitement in her little face! Like, "Look, mom! You said cup, and I found my cup! Check it out!!!" I forgot how cool it is to watch your baby start to turn into a kid. Some moms get sad when they can't call their kids "babies" anymore. I'm thrilled! I love being able to communicate with my kids! I love watching them develop independence and how thrilled they get when they realize how much they are capable of doing! Give me a toddler over an infant any time!